Forgive the picture. I took it in the afternoon and what little light was coming in the small window in that bathroom was not sharing much of itself in that little corner. Today Bracken and I finished our painting project: the downstairs bathroom and part of a wee nook connecting the bathroom and living room. By the time I was pregnant with Bracken, I had painted almost every single room in this old house. Plus I textured quite a few of the walls in those rooms as well. The only two rooms I hadn’t painted were Jeff’s workrooms downstairs. And the reason for that was because he was always, constantly working in them and didn’t want to stop long enough for a painting project to ensue. Plus, I averted my eyes to the creative mess those rooms held, let him have his own spaces without interfering, and focused on the other areas of the house. Jeff just recently painted those two workrooms and we were both really excited by how much better they looked with a fresh coat of paint. It never ceases to amaze me how paint can transform a room. (I’d describe the color as warm and earthen, similar to what adobe walls would look like.) Bracken and I helped with the painting a bit, but Bracken didn’t get enough painting time to satisfy him.
There was some paint leftover and it got me thinking. My mom and I painted our kitchen a beautiful robin’s egg blue many years ago. I’m still happy about the color choice in there. However, I had used leftover paint from that project to paint the downstairs bathroom and lately finally admitted to myself that while I loved that color in the kitchen, I did not love it in the bathroom. It has to do with the lighting. In the kitchen there is more natural light and the color looks beautiful to me. In the bathroom there was considerably less natural light and the lighting that was in there made the room feel very cold with those blue walls. Not sure how else to describe it, but it was time for a change. So, Bracken and I got our paint clothes on, got out our paint supplies and remainder of the paint, and set to work. I knew ahead of time that inviting Bracken to paint with me might be interesting, but I’m really glad we did it together. It was my first time doing a painting project with a little helper by my side. It was messy and we had a lot of fun. (I went back and smoothed out drips when I saw them.)
It reminded me of when my sister and I were young and got to help paint the garage. (The color turned out brighter than they expected and later when giving directions to our house, we just told people to look for the “Smurf Blue house on the corner.”) My mom and stepdad let my sister and I take paintbrushes and work on one side of the garage while they worked on another. We painted a very elaborate scene complete with a giant whale. We were disappointed when that needed to be painted over, but that painting experience is forever etched in my memory and we were happy to be a part of things. I wanted Bracken to feel that too. He was so enthusiastic. Laying down newspaper, wiping up spills, running the roller up and down the walls. I finished up the trim this afternoon. I started the project with lots of energy and gusto, it felt good to tackle something on the to-do list, but by the end of an almost two day painting project, found my energy waning. Next it’s time to put the room back together. I do like it much better now.
Lately Jeff and I have had a joint goal: to get our home and space here organized. We’ve had this goal all along, but we have a renewed determination to do so. We’ve been bringing boxes to the thrift store and getting rid of stuff. It’s not enough to satisfy me, I feel like we still need to pare down our belongings much more, but it’s a start. We’ve been putting up shelves and figuring out ways to better organize all the things we do want to keep. Since we run our business out of our house, having things organized feels even more essential to me. I don’t want to leave a single corner untouched, I’m on a mission! There is daily life and work for the business happening day to day, so one organizing project at a time, but we’ve already been making progress and every little bit helps. Are any of you feeling this need for organization and cleaning right now too? I guess spring cleaning hit me a bit early this year because I started in the midst of winter wanting to freshen up all our spaces.
I am trying to unclutter and organize. Hubby and I are both pack rats, so we just have too much stuff! It’s a never ending battle. Good luck with your efforts!
I have been using the method of decluttering and organising – Konmari. There is a book by Marie Kondo but I haven’t read it yet, I have it ordered at the library. It works on the premise that everything has a place – and I have realised that my kitchen is a mess because there are so many things that don’t have a place! Simple.
That’s funny! I woke up in the middle of the night from an organizing dream and laid in bed thinking about organizing and what to eliminate 🙂
Funny, our house before moving into this barn, we painted bright purple and we always told everyone to “just look for the purple house”. Color can say so much about a space and bring back memories as well.
absolutely! ive been painting and rearranging and going organizing crazy! i feel like when spring hits i want to be out side, so after 2 rooms and paintings jobs..next the closets! yes i am a renegade organizer, let do this thing! cheers to ocd!
I am feeling that same organizing pull. I have boxes of things that need to be donated. I hope you love your new bathroom space. So glad you and Bracken could share in the experience together. Loved your memory of painting when you were younger….we were the Sunshine Yellow house. 🙂