Oh My Word. Dwight Hinkle from Hinkle Paint and Refinishing is my new BFF. He came to the house this morning at 9 am, and left at 7 pm. In one day’s work he radically transformed our bathroom. Here’s what the sitch was.

We had wall tile and a tub that were in really good condition considering the age. There were a few cracks in the tile, but it had been somewhat recently re-grouted. The only problem was majorly outdated colors. So in this situation, there are a few things you can do. You can rip out all of the tile and the bathtub, find all kinds of problems from doing that demo, and spend a fortune in time and elbow grease fixing and replacing everything. But if the only problem is cosmetic, why not refinish?

The process puts a new glaze (of your color choice) on the tile and creates a finish that is similar to porcelain. It should only be cleaned with green-ish cleaners (fine by me) not abrasives. And the whole process is green in that you’re recycling your current bathroom! Even better, Dwight and other refinishers, are on the brink of switching over to a completely no-VOC system that is easy on the environment instead of the current, rather stinky process.

Dwight came highly recommended, and I would certainly recommend him to others – as far as what great work he did. We’ll see how well it holds up, but with the appropriate care and cleaning, the finish should last 15-20 years. Not bad for the very small price tag.

So here are the before and afters (sorry the after photo is crappy – my camera was on the wrong setting).

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

We can’t do anything in there until at least 24 hours later, and within the next month or so we are planning on retiling the floor, replacing the light fixture, replacing that ghastly cupboard with open shelves, and repainting. Color TBD. Any suggestions? I dig a cool color palette in a bathroom. What about you?

Last night Matt took about an hour away from the evening he needed to be spending in front of his computer writing transitional notes, to instead pack up and weed out in the basement with me. I had done everything I could do, but I just didn’t know what to do about all of those drill bits, and various and sundry saws, and a drill press? Really? Where did that thing come from? Where did any of those things come from? It’s kinda like finding a secret room filled with all sorts of strange obsessive objects that your husband has that you have no idea exist. But in a not-so-creepy-and-psycho kinda way.

There was the box of cassette tapes that he found from Jr. High and High School.

“Oh wow! Check out all these tapes, Priscilla!”

“Hun…”

“They need to go, huh?”

“Yes. Unless there are any good Eric Clapton albums from the 80s that I can listen to in my car on the drive to Tennessee.”

“Nope. I think you’ve got my only one in your glove compartment.”

“OK, Say goodbye and toss them.”

The JUNK that we hauled out to the curb last night in time for Trash Day was ASTOUNDING. And somewhat embarrassing. Judging by how quickly the treadmill went yesterday, I assumed most of it would be gone before the trash guys arrived in the morning. Oh! The treadmill! Here is the conversation about the treadmill when Matt called me around 10:00 am yesterday.

“So how’s your morning going, P?”

“Well, I’m about to list the treadmill on Craigslist. Think I could get $75 for it?”

“Oh hun! I dragged it out to the curb this morning before I left for work.”

“REALLY? …………… It’s gone!!! Wow. Our neighborhood never ceases to amaze me.”

“Wow! That’s incredible. Not even 2 hours later.”

So you can imagine why I was embarrassed, but didn’t feel too bad last night leaving the two bamboo rugs, a few stuffed animals, and a random canvas bag out by the trash instead of hauling them off to Goodwill. I was sure someone would take them before the trash guys arrived.

Which is why I really wanted to bring two of our three air conditioning window units out to the curb as well. First I called Colleen to see if she needed them.

“Nope, but I’ll sell them on Craigslist for you.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’d hate to leave you with these big old clunkers. I’ll just leave them on the curb with a sign. Someone will take them away.”

“You can’t just leave those outside. They’ve got chemicals inside that are very very bad for the environment. You can’t just let them go into a landfill. I’ll sell them on Craigslist and give you the money.”

“No, go ahead and try to sell them, but keep the money! You’re a saint ”

I’m pretty sure she’s also sleeping with Captain Planet.

Seriously. What’s with this thing? A few months ago Matt picked up the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser while at the grocery store. He had seen his mom use it to wipe toddler marks off the walls with divine results, so he wanted to see if it was useful to remove dog marks from… everything?

After using one Magic Eraser to clean the entire bathroom I became a believer. This is the only cleaning agent I have ever found that can remove the stains on my white tile and white grout. (I know, black dog who loves to roll in mud + white tiles + white grout = the worst idea ever.) My only complaint is that it only seems to come in sponge form. If I could get it in a concentrated powder, my life would be complete.

I would love to switch over to entirely green cleaning products, but I can’t imagine giving up my love affair with Mr. Clean. Does anyone know of a product that works like the Magic Eraser but doesn’t kill baby kittens?

You guys were TOTALLY RIGHT! Let it be heard loud and clear: Never doubt the women of the blogosphere!

It was indeed the bleach, and I have now sworn off bleach not only because of it’s yellowing effects but also because it’s mean to the environment. Like Sarah Palin.

Thanks for the tip!

I really want to write my thoughts on her. I really do. And two days ago, before her speech and in the midst of all of the controversy about her and her family and her child with Downs, I was heated up and passionate and had lots of opinions on the matter. Plus, someone said something pretty nasty to me that day that cut to the quick, so I was feeling very defensive which is the perfect time to write controversial things on your blog. NOT.

As I tell everyone that I meet who asks me about my political leanings, I only care about two things – the economy and the environment. If you want to talk about social justice, go talk to my husband. No seriously, I really don’t care about that stuff. Never have.

It doesn’t make me a bad person. There are plenty of other things that make me a bad person, believe me. But just because I don’t care about education or healthcare or gay marriage, doesn’t make me bad. It means I have to prioritize the time and energy I spend on everything in my life, and I put the economy and the environment at the top.

There are two things that I dream will define my generation. I dream that we will FINALLY become a fiscally responsible nation. And I dream that we will make sustainable living economically viable and enticing.

And as for Sarah Palin, I’m not going to tell her she can’t be in national executive leadership while also being a really good mom, because I think that’s bull. But if I do meet her, I’m going to beg and plead with her not to drill right next to those poor little polar bears who need our love and protection!

So I love having lots of plants around, but I don’t have much of a green thumb. In fact, I can really only keep succulents alive. (Aside: there is a LOT of Matt-and-Berlin-kissing going on right now as the family all huddles around the TV for the RNC. So much kissing that I feel like I need to write about something a bit more sensual than succulents. But I’m getting there… this whole thing is about an orchid, and they’re pretty hot.)

At any rate, I got this orchid about a year ago with five big beautiful blooms. Within a week, they had all fallen off, and since then I have been stuck with nothing but enormous leaves. About a month ago a little sprout started shooting up through the moss, and I kept hoping it would turn into a stalk with flowers. Nothing yet. So gardeners out there, or anyone affiliated with The Old Farmer’s Almanac, can you tell me what this is? Root or stalk? And how do I get this thing to bloom?