And there was much rejoicing. Really.

Who would think this little thing could ignite such passion? Do you know what it is? It's a toilet tissue holder.

The toilet tissue holder in our main-floor powder room has been the bane of many of our guests. Tug on the tissue as you normally would, and the tissue and the support rod will often roll out, sending the rod to the ceramic tile below with a loud "tink!"

Several people actively hate the thing.

Last year, Marriott promised me a new tissue holder as a birthday gift. For Christmas, she promised me a new towel rod to match. By my birthday this year, she added a new matching faucet. Problem was, I was being picky about color and style, and we were going to the wrong stores to find that color and style.

Finally, two weeks ago, the hardware was purchased. (Thank you, Marriott!)

So over the weekend, Dave and I put on our home-improvement hats and tackled the bathroom.

Here's the new tissue holder. Walla! There is no annoying bar to fall and embarass guests.



The faucet was far more of a challenge, requiring actual plumbing work, which both Dave and I are total novices at. But Dave rose to the challenge with me stepping and fetching and being all-around assistant.

While we were at it, we swapped the mirror for a gorgeous custom-made one that JC had given me for my birthday over a year ago. (Thank you JC!) See the before and after:



But the room isn't done yet.

I have a few holes to fill and some touch-up painting to do. I'm tempted to paint the cabinet a darker color. The white just isn't working for me anymore.

Oh yeah, and I have to figure out a way to feature the old tissue holder. Maybe with some sort of sign giving Marriott appropriate credit. Trust me, many accolades will be coming her way for making me retire this thing.