The “flop” is me falling down from exhaustion.
Sure, it’s a small bathroom, but did I really need to paint it now? So what if “paint the bathroom” has been on my to-do list for two years? So what if all the towel bars kept falling off the walls? So what if My Liege and I were replacing the towel rods in the kids’ bathroom, so figured now would be a good time to replace the aging rods in our bathroom, too? So what if M.L. didn’t see the point in painting the bathroom just because we were replacing the rods? I saw the point, and isn’t that what matters?
So what if I painted the room the exact same color as it was before? You know what? (So what?) It looks great! But I’m glad the job is done. (So what!)
I think I felt the need to paint the bathroom in the hectic weeks preceding Christmas, because I find it hard to write between Christmas shopping and planning for Eldest Son coming home, picking out the tree, trying not to strangle myself at the thought of hosting Christmas dinner two years in a row (usually, I’m an every-other-year sort of girl), writing the Christmas letter, buying the cards, remembering I forgot to the buy stamps, etc. etc. So I might as well spruce up the house.
Anyone else have this affliction?
Sure, I have a TON of “must paints” on the to-do list for 2010. That’ll teach me for ONLY painting the bathroom. But that’s life.
This year I’m sending out Christmas letters with our cards as has been my habit for most of the years of my marriage. Every once in a while, I skip a year. I skipped last year, so I felt duty bound not to skip this year. That would mean, gasp, skipping two years in a row. In this day and age of email, do you still send out cards and/or Christmas letters? My Liege has suggested a time or two that I should email the letter instead of snail-mailing it. But I figure Canada Post can use the business. And as much as I love receiving emailed Christmas letters and cards, I admit I love receiving the paper versions more. It feels more Christmasey to arrange the cards on the piano and/or the fireplace mantel.
When I was a kid, my mom would let me and my brother and sister have the Christmas cards after New Year’s Day. We’d cut them up and make collages and stuff—after a rigorous selection process of deciding who got which cards. We’d start “claiming” cards as they came in the mail. But if your name wasn’t drawn first, you might be out of luck. We’d choose the cards turn by turn, then get into the creative stuff. It was a blast.
There, a tip to keep your children occupied over the holidays. Don’t say I never did anything for you. 😉
By the way, this is the last day to enter my 2009 BOX ‘O BOOKS HOLIDAY GIVE-AWAY. For details, click here.
Because you paint too !!! I’m very impressed. This would be a torture to me 😉
What a great idea to give the card to your kids. Your parents raised you to think creatively. 🙂
I bet it feels good to have that bathroom painted. We had a power outage yesterday, and I did a few cleaning projects. Just because there was nothing else to do! I’m glad to get back to writing today.
Hi Emmanuelle,
Yes, I paint – not paintings as my massage therapist thought for years, LOL, but rooms, sundecks, you name it. I shouldn’t do it. It exacerbates an old injury from a car accident. But I’m, um, too much of a DIY’er to pay someone $30 or $40 an hour to do something I know I’m fully capable of managing myself.
Someday I hope to be too busy with publishing contracts (and the resulting royalties!) to do the painting. THEN I’ll hire out. 🙂
Hi Edie,
I’m not sure my mom even knew what we wanted to do with the cards, but it was a clever way to get rid of them or at least extend their life (no recycling back then). My older sister, younger brother and I are very close in age, so we were competitive about such things. One of us, probably my older sister, who was always into art, decided she wanted certain cards and my mom said, “After New Year’s.” Then the brother and I found out, so of course WE wanted cards, too. Thus the draw straws and take your turn system was born (better than the oldest always getting first pick, which was her idea, I might add!). Once we had our cards, it was the artsy sister, again, who got creative with them. So of course then I had to follow suit. LOL, if you have an older sibling, you know how it goes!
Good for you for painting the room yourself. WTG! I would have made a hash of it which is why a very lovely, albeit talkative fellow is painting my house at the moment. Everything is everywhere and I think I’ve misplaced my mind. Can you see me banging my head against the keyboard? 🙂 Oh well, it’s going to look great once it’s done.
As for Christmas cards, my mom used to drape her cards on a string in the living room so they would become part of the festive decorations. I hope you receive lots of cards and have a wonderful holiday!
Yay, it’s done! 🙂
I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas cards. I like to string them up and see them collect, and calculate who loves me (just kidding! LOL) but I have a degree in environmental studies, and the waste just appalls me! So I send them out every few years when the guilt for not doing it overwhelms the guilt for doing it. LOL
Kudos on being done with the bathroom painting! 🙂
Thanks, Natalie. How’s your home spruce-up coming?
I hear you on the waste with the cards. At least we can recycle them now.
Hi Gail,
My mother is 70 and has only hired painters once that I can recall. She paints everything herself, including the inside and the outside of a lake cottage over the last couple of years. I need to live up to the legend!
I actually don’t mind painting. It’s the persnickety preparation work that gets to me. Plus, it’s not really good for my shoulders, but I get a sense of satisfaction out of doing it myself.
I’ve seen some truly horrible home paint jobs – like when people can’t hold the brush steady enough where the wall meets the ceiling or if you’re painting walls different colours and need to line up the corner where the two colours meet. I have no clue why I can do this. I shouldn’t have a steady hand. I’m a natural born klutz. But the painting thing seems like an inherited trait. It’s in the genes!