a junk house bathroom

For several years now, we have been 99.9% done with the Junk House project. The house has been livable in every single way, with that last little fraction of unfinished projects being things that we had lived with for so long, we didn't even notice them anymore.

I won't bore you with the list of projects, but it did include a doorknob that needed to be installed for ten years. And, we've had the door knob for ten years.

Ten years.

To put on a door knob.

One of the fellas who worked on the outside of the Junk House back in 2001, for some reason has not had the foresight to change his phone number since that long ago project. Every year or two, I call him up and ask if he's game for any number of odds and ends projects. He always is, and last week he was nice enough to come over and finish up my list.

Door and baseboard trim were all that was left in the boys bathroom, and with that project finished up, I think it's time for a little before and after. Are you up for a stroll down Junk House memory lane?


Picture the tub with some bubbles, a good book and some nice scented candles.

And make sure you notice the outdoor lights over the sink.


If these scans weren't such poor quality, we could zoom in and really investigate what's happening on that wall. Thank goodness for the olden days of film.

The bathroom was functioning for the first part of the gutting process, but I refused to use it. There is not enough bleach on the earth, people.

Not.

Enough.

Bleach.

I happily got in my car and drove to my in-laws when need be.


Now, compared to the before, the after definitely makes a statement, but on it's own, it's pretty basic. I didn't go all out decorating - it is a boys bathroom after all, no one else uses it, and they could not possibly care less what it looks like. I actually avoid going in there as much as possible. At least until the DOD contacts me to see if they can use whatever is growing in there as a new biological weapon. Then, I grab a bottle of bleach and face the monster.

Oh, I kid. Truly I do. I can't really complain about the original state of the bathroom, and then let you know my bathroom cleaning skills are less than stellar, can I? So, here's my story....I clean daily with a toothbrush. There. Was that convincing enough? No? We'd probably best just move on.

Here's the after.


Now, since we're already in the bathroom, tell me what you make of this. This is what greets me every single time me and my bottle of bleach pay a visit to the men's room.


I specifically got the easiest to operate tp holder for this room. When it comes to all things housekeeping related, lets just say some of my family members are not necessarily of the go above and beyond frame of mind. I wanted to make things easy for them. Apparently, it's still not easy enough. No matter how many times I put the roll on the holder, it always ends up on the floor. Always.

Kinda funny.

Similarly, I estimate that the same amount of effort is required to close a cupboard door, but this is my pantry on any given day.


If you have seen the movie The Sixth Sense, you will notice an eerie similarity to the kitchen scene. So, in their defense, I suppose my family could possibly be totally off the hook here. And if, like the movie, I have a female ghost living in my house, I will simply embrace the fact that I am no longer totally alone in a household of men.

I wonder if she cleans bathrooms?