I’ve been quiet on the blog for a while now. We’re in the middle of a remodel of our master bathroom that I’d hoped would only take six weeks. There have been glitches and delays, and we still don’t have a definite end-date.
Since the middle of January, I’ve felt like a captive in the house, hoping and waiting for work to commence after the demo of our master bathroom, which left the toilet in the garage, the bathtub on the back porch, and clothes and things that were stored in the master closet scattered all over the rest of the house. I’ve had days with no workers, but often there’s not been enough advance notice to schedule a doctor’s appointment or a lunch date with a friend.
While I’ve been waiting, I’ve tackled a few paintings and a little project that’s been on my mind for some time.
My kitchen pantry is a wonder with its floor-to-ceiling shelves. I found a couple of very old wooden 8-foot panels at the bi-annual Canton (MS) Flea Market many years ago. I spotted them as I was leaving the tiny town at the end of a long day of shopping, from the backseat of my sister’s minivan, my brother-in-law at the wheel. I shouted, “Wait! There’s something I want!” He, being “a professional driver,” efficiently screeched to a halt as he guided our already loaded van to the curb.
I’m so thankful we had him with us this time! The doors were probably ones that had hung as storm doors in New Orleans and had been victims of the storm surge from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They were so heavy that my brother-in-law declared them to be waterlogged.
I left them on the back porch in the heat of the Mississippi spring-summer-fall to dry out for about a year. One side of both were streaked with black, possibly stained by mold. I washed them with bleach and then hydrogen peroxide. Then I primed and painted the sides that had looked so scary.
The other side of the panels/doors were already beautifully and naturally distressed, so I simply sanded them a bit and painted them with a thick coat of varnish to seal them.
I bought barn door hardware on Amazon and hung them outside the pantry. They’re so pretty and functional when I’m entertaining guests, but otherwise, they stay open so the morning light can stream into the space that I call my office in the kitchen.
As I’ve been working a lot in “my office,” I’ve become bothered by the mess that is stored in the bottom section of the pantry. It’s mostly extra toiletries, cleaning supplies, Costco’s ginormous toilet paper packages, crockpots, etc.
I tested the waters a while back, asking Hubby what he’d think of me adding curtains to those unsightly sections of the pantry. He wasn’t really in favor of my project idea. Mr. Practical suggested I just close those beautiful barn doors if the mess bothered me. I think he likes to easily evaluate the number of rolls of toilet paper available at any given moment and dislikes the idea of having to move a curtain, or two, or three to find the answer to his quandary.
I delayed the project.
Then, in a fit of stir-craziness a few weeks ago, I sewed up four curtains from a couple of leftover drop cloths, bought some el cheapo tension rods, and hung them up!
I felt such satisfaction of having accomplished something—anything—while waiting for you-know-what now. Hubby, as always a supportive and understanding man, has said nothing negative at all! In a sense, I’m only hiding unsightly things in plain sight.
This is what happens when you’re bound to your house for months waiting for work to be done on your master bathroom! Please pray for me! 🙂
