Painting Tile

I’ve been told I’m crazy.  I’m starting to take it as a compliment.

My project this week has been painting my tiled, bathroom floor.  The tile was a 1960s mosaic pattern fashioned in various shades of mint chocolate chip green.  The quality of the tile is fine.  There was just too much minty green in the bathroom.  The toilet and sink matched the shades in the tile.  Who decided that toilets should come in the colors of the rainbow?  (sidenote:  We also have a peach one and a beige one…aka future projects)

Knowing that I hated the green tiles helped me have some courage to paint them.  After all, if I hate them now, what do I have to lose, right?  Plus, if it worked, I knew I could paint the tile floor in our guest bathroom as well.  So, I saw a project online from the frugal farmhouse blog.  Now I had a list of what to buy. 

My timeline for this project was sped up by the fact that I bumped into our sink, breaking the seal around the pipe.  To fix the seal, hubby examined the pipe, and as he was removing the elbow joint, it crumbled in his hand.   That led him to remove the entire sink from the wall.  Add in the fact that Lowes had toilets on sale that weren’t 1960s water guzzlers, and we had a project underway.  Of course, no project is ever simple.  It always leads to more projects, but maybe that’s just me.

Well, since the toilet and sink were no longer obstacles to paint around….I got started.  First I made sure the tiles were cleaned thoroughly.  Then I gave the grout a good 24 hours to dry.  The next day, I painted the first coat of bonding primer with a brush, followed later that afternoon with the second coat, which I put on with a roller.

Bonding primer starting

first coat of bonding primer

The following day I painted 2-3 coats of floor and porch paint, color – chowder.  I made sure to follow the recommended drying times on the cans. The following day I added two coats of polyurethane, with a third coat added within the next 24 hours.  And that’s where it ends.  Well, that’s where the floor painting ends anyways.  All the paint and poly was painted on with a brush.

I did buy all my products from Lowes, and no I am not being compensated for saying that.  Although if anyone from Lowes is out there reading this...LOL.

I love the results.  It makes the room feel totally different and was very easy to accomplish.  Waiting for the drying time may have been the hardest part of the job.  So, stay tuned for the adventures in the rest of the room, as well as the guest bathroom floor.  With all the rain we are getting, it will be a long time before I can paint anything.

To save you from scrolling all the way back up...

Mint chocolate chip before

Chowder, after

This is the Stuff...

I can’t get this song out of my head.  Yes, it describes me and my frustrations, but the words that stick out to me the most from this song are… I’ve gotta trust you know exactly what you’re doing.

Big things in life come up.  Small things in life come up.  I’ve gotta trust.

I have to trust that He knew what He was doing when He made me.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps 139)  I am also quirky.  He knew that.  He knows that.  And He uses it to His advantage.

Some days I get so mad and frustrated that I can’t find my keys.  How can such an organized, neat freak not know where her keys are???  Yet even in these small, seemingly unimportant details of life, I can see how desperately I need Him for everything.  And I thank God He has me on such a short rope.  I can’t take too many steps throughout a day before I realize just how much I need God for everything.

Then it helps me to thank Him for just what He’s giving and given me.  I’m learning to love this short “leash.”  It helps me to never get far from my Creator.  I am desperate for Him.  I still get mad that my leash is so short.  But it takes me longer these days.  I’m learning to trust that He knows exactly what He’s doing.

If you haven’t heard this song, check it out.  Be warned, it’s catchy.  But it always puts me in a good mood.

Grieve to Grow

I have often thought grief only went along with the loss of a loved one.  I have come to learn that grief is a healthy part of life, as we grow.

At times I have grieved the loss of a season in childhood.  Other times grief has taken form in letting go of expectations or dreams.  Grief can be painful.  Grief can be as simple as letting go.  However, in grieving I have found space and growth.  It is as if a reorganization of my soul has taken place. 

When I clear out my pantry to reorganize, it is an interesting time.  I find forgotten items, which I meant to use.  I find pantry staples, which will always be there.  Some items I find are seasonal, but rarely found throughout the rest of the year.  My life reflects my pantry.   Certain items have been placed in my soul, like the pantry staples.  They will always remain, they make up the foundation of who I am, who I have been created to be. 

There are the items I have forgotten.  When they are found in my soul, they are reignited.  Life is breathed back in.  There are items that have past their expiration date.  These feel like the seasons in my life where I have grieved.  My babies are no longer babies.  My eldest starts kindergarten in autumn, and my precious time with him is changing. 

It is freeing to be in this new world, and yet there is a tiny sting in my heart.  I realize I am not needed for this purpose anymore.  On good days, I can see I have done my job, as a mother and teacher, well.  My little one has learned to be more independent, gaining more control.  On bad days, I fall into the trap of feeling worthless and unwanted, as if being a mother is the only role that defines me.

The best season of life is the one I am currently in.  This will remain true, no matter what season I move into.  I choose to not keep looking back and living in the past.  I must let it go and live now.  Enjoy now.  Grieve to grow.