Happiness (by mail!)

So... I haven't exactly been all that forthcoming with pictures of some of the rooms in my house.  (All for good reasons, I can assure you!)  One of those rooms is the bathroom, because I have lots of plans for it, but - other than swapping out the toilet - it hasn't made it to the top of my 'to do' list yet.

Like much of my house, the bathroom seems like it was built for short people (fortunately, this isn't really a problem for me!)  The showerhead comes out of a sloped ceiling, so it was installed a lot lower than normal.

(to give proper perspective, the shower curtain rod is just over 5' high.  I had to drastically hem this standard-sized shower curtain to make it fit, and it still hits the floor!)

The previous owner/diy-'genius' installed the shower arm upside down (so that it pointed up rather than down) to try to compensate for the angle of the ceiling, but this setup was still far from ideal. Seriously, I'm 5'3" and the showerhead was only as high as my forehead!

 (check out that huge gap between the flange and the ceiling. They attempted to fill it with caulk, but come on!!)

Anyway.  A while ago I mentioned that I'd been contacted by CSN Stores to review one of their products. I really had a tough time deciding what to get because of their amazing and vast selection, until I found these:

A new, shorter arm, and the long adjustable extension arm with lovely rainshower head.  Problem solved!!

Here's the fully-improved view:

Look how much higher that is - the water actually comes out above my head now!  Happiness!

Now, the review:  The CSN Stores' selection was beyond extensive.  I was totally impressed by the variety of items I found on their sites - they have far more than I could ever find locally.  The order process was really simple, and their prices are low.  I'm a bargain shopper, so I really liked that they want to know if you find a lower price on any of their items.  I also liked that I got not only the standard order confirmation email, but also one telling me that my items had been shipped, as well as one when they left the border.  I live in Canada, and I know that shipments can sometimes get delayed going through customs.  It was awesome to get that update letting me know that they were almost here!
All said, I was super happy with the entire experience!

Step by Step

I know we all sometimes feel like projects are never-ending (especially home-improvement projects!), but lately, it seems like I can't quite get ANY of mine to the finish line.  They feel like they just go on, and on, and on... with no end in sight!

And I don't usually bother posting about 'in progress' projects, because I like doing the big 'before and after' all at once, and taking pics in between just slows me down :)

SO, since I don't have updates on any of the other projects I'm working on, here's a 'quick' fix I recently finished (you know, so I could at least feel a sense of accomplishment about something!)

When I moved in, this is what the post at the bottom of the stairs looked like:

Someone had the brilliant idea to add a pressure-treated (outdoor) post cap and ball thingy to the top of my simple, beautiful stair post.  To add insult to injury, they didn't even try to centre it so it would look halfways decent!  The ball thingy was off-centre and loose, so it'd spin around drunkenly ... anyway, it drove me crazy and it had to go.

Here's what the post at the top of the stairs looks like, so I knew how great the bottom was supposed to look:

yeah, this pic was taken before I moved in... 

much cleaner than its current state! :)

Anyway, after a bit of demolition and some filling/sanding/repainting, normal has been restored, and I am happy!

I know it's a small thing, but I think it looks SO MUCH BETTER!  Its simple style suits the rest of my house - ornate it is not (which I think is one of it's best qualities!).

While I was at it, I sanded the handrail and repainted that as well.  The last paint job was really rough, and since day one I've had to be really careful running my hand along it, but no more!

How about one more look at the wonky work of whoever came before:

So, what do YOU think?  Anyone actually a fan of the added post cap/ball thingy combo?  Or do you think I'm nuts for getting worked up about such a silly little detail?