It’s been a busy week at our house. Christmas is now in full swing here – our tree and outside lights are up. However, since some of the lights stopped working as soon as I put them up, the lights out front have yet to be turned on. The shopping is nearly finished as long as I can stop buying “just one more thing”. I went to my work holiday party last Thursday so that’s another thing checked off the list.
Sean also gave me my present on Monday. Yes, it’s ridiculously early, but I would have figured it out if he didn’t give it to me then. He got a new tub and tub surround put into the bathroom. Like I said, I think I would have noticed this if he just decided not to tell me about it. I tried to take a picture of it tonight to put up here, but I’m having trouble getting a decent picture since the bathroom is so small. I can either take a picture of a quarter of the tub, or take a picture of the whole tub from out in the hall. Neither picture will do the tub justice, so I’ll try and work on that.
He was quite the trickster while doing it. Apparently, he had the guy come in to do the measurements and estimate on November 13th, which was a stat holiday for him. (Sean works for the Ontario government which gets Remembrance Day as a stat, where the rest of us working slobs have to remember while we’re working.) On Monday (the 27th) when the guy came to do it, Sean told me he was sick and wasn’t going to work. Since his exact words were, “I’m gonna barf”, I tossed him the phone to call in, walked the dog and hightailed it outta there to work. When I phoned him throughout the day, he told me he was feeling better, and wondered if it was something we ate. I told him I didn’t think so cuz I wasn’t sick.
Another thing Sean did to keep me off his trail was telling me that he had bought tickets for a trip down south. My reaction was less than ideal as we got into a big fight about it. I told him that our money should be spent on more practical things (like a tub that we really need badly as ours is falling apart), and that while that trip would be fun for those 5-7 days, the stress before and after from spending all our money with nothing but pictures to show for it wouldn’t be worth it right now. I have to admit that our big fight was more me ranting and raving and Sean telling me “you’ll eat your words”. I didn’t take as anything unusual, as this is often how we fight when he wants to spend money on something big and I’m not ready for it yet. Before I came home from work on Monday, he told me that the tickets and information about our trip had come in, and that he’d show it to me when I got home. I snarked at him a little more about it, and spent my subway ride home trying to accept it and figure out how this was going to work.
When I got home, the house smelled really vinegar-y and there was a towel hanging on our door. This got me worried that Sean had thrown up where he shouldn’t have and tried to clean it up. He told me that wasn’t the case, but that the trip package was in the bathroom and could I please go and get it. Still worried about inappropriate vomitting, I did not want to go in, but after some convincing I stuck my head in. It was at that point that I realized that there was no trip, as there was a BRAND NEW TUB in my bathroom. After my initial shock, Sean told me that he did look at trips and had several that he was interested in. However, he knew that I’d rather have the tub and it would help our home’s resale value if we decide to sell in a few years.
I was completed shocked at this turn of events, but I am completely thrilled with the tub, and am thrilled that Sean thought long-term value instead of short-term fun. I am also really happy that Sean can still surprise me after more than ten years together, two of which we’ve been married for. He is a good husband and not just cuz he buys me stuff.
Apparently when the guy came in, he looked at our old patched and stained tub and tiles and said “Wow. You guys really need this. A lot of people who call us don’t really need it, but you guys do.” I wish that Sean had negotiated to be a “before” picture and get some money off, but I suppose the photographer would have had the same problem I did getting the pictures.
Of course, getting this tub has started another chain of events. My sunny orange bathroom now looks weird with the white pseudo-marble tub, and the sink is now showing its shabbiness more clearly (this shabbiness is completely my fault with hair dye stains and some spray foam remnants that were unintentionally stuck to the sink). But a fresh coat of paint, a new sink and some matching accessories will make all the difference, and won’t be too expensive to do. It will also encourage me to get my hair coloured at the salon since I don’t want to stain my tub or sink! If we were really smart, we’d replace the floor too, but I’m a little skittish about us doing that ourselves.
So, what colour should I paint my bathroom? It faces north, and has a window on the north side with that transluscent glass so no one can see our bits when we shower. I don’t want to go all white cuz every speck of dirt and pet hair will show. Sean is not into any oranges or yellows, and I’m not huge on blues. I’d prefer a warm colour so I don’t look washed out when I look in the mirror. Any suggestions are welcome.
