Our (Not So) Minty Fresh 1940's Green Bathroom

There are two full baths on the second floor of our house. You will have to trust me when I tell you that the one I am about to show you is the lesser of two evils. Here is our green bathroom in glory:

The light above the mirror is actually hardwired into the medicine cabinet electricity. Big no-no, apparently.

The lovely green wallpaper covers the ceiling, too, as you can tell by looking at the corner above the bathtub.

Now, I don't know which is more sad, the state of this bathroom, or the fact that I actually wanted to salvage it. Honestly, I did. For several weeks after we bought the house, my plan was to keep the green fixtures and work around them. I found the green charming, and I like to preserve vintage details when possible. This house was built right after World War II, and I thought of the woman who chose the green, so excited to have these fresh, fun, fixtures after years of worry about the war. Sappy, I know.

Anyway - back to reality. You may have already noticed, but this bathroom is missing a shower. No big deal, I thought. We'll "just" put a shower in. (You will find that I like the phrases we'll "just" do something, and "how much could it cost?" - phrases that generally get me into trouble.) Of course, I did no research on what needed to be done to put in a shower until after we had already bought the house. I figured it would cost about $1,000 and take a day of work.

Enter the plumber. Sure, he could put a shower in, but he would also need to tile the surrounding walls. (Mental head slap). And, oh, by the way, the surrounding walls are old plaster and can't hold the weight of all that tile. We would need to take down all the walls and rebuild them with cement board. And, on further inspection, there are no risers behind the tub, so we need to install risers, too.

In my head, I hear the ringing of a cash register. But I am also thinking about that green tub. Because by now I have noticed that the green fixtures are not all the same shade of green. The tub is darker than the toilet and sink. I have decided it might be a good idea to replace the sink and toilet and refinish the tub. But with all the walls around the tub needing to come down, this would be the time to replace the tub if I ever plan to do so. Of course, I have not budgeted for a total bathroom remodel, and there are oh so many more things that need to be done in this house.

I need to sleep on it...

Starting Over

A lot has happened since we last posted. I put my house up for sale, sold it, bought a house, moved to a new suburb, and helped to acclimate my school-aged children to a new school and new friends. It has been three months since we moved, and the dust is finally beginning to settle.

Thirty-five has also had big changes in her life She has gone back to school to get her master's degree. In addition to going to school almost full-time, she is raising a two-year old and working full-time. She definitely has her hands full!

Anyway - all this is my way of apologizing for our not being more consistent in our postings. But we plan to mend our wicked ways, we promise.

As I mentioned, I recently moved. The house my husband and I bought is in need of alot of TLC, and I plan to document our progress on the house as we go along, for your enjoyment as well as so that I have a place to look back to when I feel disheartened. I also plan to use this blog as a place to store links, ideas, and great finds that I may want to use in the house in the future.

Also, I have once again challenged myself to cook at least one new recipe a week for the next year. I will share each of these recipes with you.

Susan

Still Here

Wow! I can't believe it has been almost two months since our last post. Believe it or not, I have been busy for months organizing and decluttering my home. After twelve years and three kids, I had/have a lot of decluttering to do! I wish I had more before and after photos, but my before was so embarrassing, I probably would have never posted photos of it, anyway. But I have made a TON of progress, and have learned alot along the way, so I plan to share my experience with you over the next several days.

See you soon!

In the Interest of Full Disclosure

I have something to confess. I also bought one of these while shopping at Target last week:




This is the green multi-colored flower mug from Orla Kiely. It doesn't make me smile every time I see it like the Orla Kiely bowl does, but I do like it.


Cute, isn't it?


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This Makes Me Happy

I bought this Orla Kiely bowl on a whim while shopping at Target this week. I rarely buy anything on a whim these days. Every dollar I spend is scrutinized to the last penny to make sure I am buying something I really need. So I felt very guilty buying this bowl, as it cost $20+ and I don't NEED it. But oh, I do so LOVE it.

The bowl makes me happy every time I look at it. Really, it makes me smile inside.

Perhaps I needed it after all.

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Inspiration?

In the midst of my attempt at order and home organization- I saw this. It is the apartment belonging to MoMA curator Klaus Biesenbach. It takes the concept of minimalism in home decor to a new level. Yes, he actually lives here. One blogger questions is he a minimalist or just boring? BORING? Uh, I'd say boring would be more like, "Gee, I don't know how to furnish my apartment so I'll just get a beige couch and a Monet poster". This is not boring, it is something else. Extreme, maybe? Obsessive? Dare I say, crazy?
But I have to say that while I find this apartment a little lonely, I do think it is slightly inspirational to see how little one can live with. As I try to cram all my crap into my tiny home, I look at these pictures and think, "can't I part with just a few more things?" I mean, Apartment Therapy's Home Cure is pretty convincing when it comes to clearing out the junk but nothing like this! And honestly, some mornings I wish my closet looked like that. What a time saver!




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This Makes Me Sad

I have been a really bad co-blogger, I haven't contributed in I don't even know how long. And this is how I return-- with a picture of a neon scrunchie. Now, don't get me wrong, I live in a neighborhood full of slackers, hipsters and too-cool college kids; so it's not like I haven't noticed the return of bad '80s style. It's been back for quite some time. But I just wasn't prepared yesterday when I went on American Apparel's website to find scrunchies for sale! I guess this is payback for my love for all things '60s when I was in high school. Now I know how my mom felt. Old. And maybe a little bit sad.
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