More Lighting Upgrades

We've got another lighting upgrade to share with you today, this one is in the form of a bathroom light.  I learned a couple of things during this project: One -when you have a bathroom with absolutely no natural light, you need a light fixture that will provide ample light.  And, two - an outdoor light is not always a good choice for a bathroom, especially one with absolutely no natural light- a little on that later.

We began the process of taking down the old light in this little cave of a bathroom, which was a little bit funny since it was pretty dark once the light was gone - even in broad daylight.  So when replacing a light in a windowless room a head flashlight is a must.  I know Justin will appreciate that I included this picture.

And, the old ugly globe was gone!  

In the beginning of this light switcheroo I had this brilliant idea that we were going to replace our old tacky light with a cool new lantern outdoor light because it would be all cute and rustic.  Hmmm, terrible idea.  Here is the light I decided on for our bathroom-

The idea was so much better in my head.  Once the light was up we had a big issue, the dome over the lightbulb allowed hardly any light to shine except down, which was horrible.  It also just didn't look right, I wish I had taken a picture but I was so disappointed it pretty much came down immediately.  So off to the hardware store to return it (always keep your box and receipt, especially when you have a brain fog moment when you think you are going to be really creative but just bomb).  I wasn't really sure what I was going to do at this point.  I didn't want to spend any more money so whatever light I chose had to match the $20 I spent on the previous outdoor light.   But, to my surprise there were several options for $20 and under that I felt would work - and anything would be better than the original light (well, maybe not anything because this outdoor light was just as bad - but you get what I mean).

So, I chose a little bathroom vanity light in brushed nickel (which matches the finish of the rest of our lighting upgrades) and Justin quickly installed it while I anxiously waited the reveal.

Ahhh, so much better and $20 isn't bad.  

Not only is the light much prettier, but we can actually see in there again - always a plus.

Light is a repeating theme in the bible.  Jesus is the light of the world, he is the source of our light and we are to shine our light to the rest of the world.  There are things in our life that sometimes keep us from always shining - sharing God's love.  Things that cause our lights to be dim.  So this makes me think, am I always shining God's light, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?  I know there are some things on that list that need to be worked on for me. Patience is something I'm constantly reminding myself of these days (mom's can I get a shout out).  I always thought of myself as a patient person, that is until I had a child.  So I know I sometimes let my impatient nature take over instead of taking a deep breath, seeing the big picture and enjoying life, (because it's a precious gift) and shining the light of patience on others.  That patience is only something I can have because I know God, therefore it shines a light on Him as well so others may understand His goodness.  So take a moment with me today and see where your light has been hidden and needs to be restored.  God's light is a beautiful gift that so many others need to receive.  

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.  Psalm 18:28

The Long Awaited Kitchen Light

For months now all of you have been so polite and have listened to me complain about the much hated fan jalopy that so beautifully adorned our kitchen ceiling.  It's just so ugly, so huge and took up so much space in our little house.  I wanted it out so bad but it just wasn't top priority and I also just couldn't decide what I wanted to replace it with. We weren't necessarily thinking about replacing it any time soon but as luck would have it the old thing broke and we had no other choice but to replace it - and on the inside we were jumping for joy that we finally had a good reason to do it.

Ain't she a beauty-

I knew I wanted to replace it with a light - no more fans in the kitchen, and I had also decided on some sort of pendant light so the decision really came down to cost - as most decisions normally do.  Boy, lights are not cheap and it was hard finding something that met my criteria and fit into our budget but it finally happened.  I came across a great pendant light at Lowe's on clearance and I was smitten - style and price.

Finding the light was the easy part - removing the old fan and installing the new light - not so much.

This is where I was going to have nice detailed pictures and explanations of the process.  But, that didn't happen.  It was a giant pain and it took both of my hands and Justin's hands for a lot of the project.

This fan monster wasn't going down without a fight, and fight it did.  Whoever had installed this fan must have thought very highly of it and though no one in there right mind would want to take it down - it was up for eternity.  So little by little, piece by piece it was removed.  I do have some of those pictures to share.

It was finally over and there was a huge sigh of relief.

Then we had some nice jerry-rigged electrical work going on that caused the light to not want to sit flush with the ceiling.  Isn't home improvement fun sometimes?

After working all of that out we finally have our new light - and we love it!  It was totally worth all of the frustration.

Let's go way back, just for fun...Remember this?  

We've come so far - but still have so far to go.

   

Check out our other kitchen projects here, here, here, here and here.

So what about you guys?  Have any annoying home improvement projects in the works?  Share with us!!

PS - Don't forget to enter our giveaway - it ends 12-12-11!!!