One and Done

We were thrilled today that our rock star painting squad got the kitchen and dining room walls painted in a single day. Hurray!

Sheds and his worthy assistant were busy before I even got up this morning. Hey, it was a vacation day so I slept in until a whoppin' 8 a.m.

The person buying our old cupboards had a family emergency so wasn't coming today. So I postponed cleaning them up for now. So while the dynamic duo slaved away I got some photo work done and errands, too. 

Enjoying a celebratory beer for a productive one-and-done day! Hey, some people tip with money. Some people with Budweiser!

I had to run to cross country. Then hubby and I met at El Mezcal for dinner – gotta start using up some of our gift cards when we don't have a kitchen! Took pictures when we got home. Anything not painted white is where cupboards are going.

And at that wall where we had wainscoting panels (that's a new word I learned today), we'll have something special that I'll share a photo of once it's installed. 

Whew! First stage complete! Now we can pack tonight and enjoy a wedding weekend!

Beauty and the Beast

What a journey today from the beauty of Mother Nature to the beast of home improvement. 

First I was grateful the fog on my morning commute was the result of weather-type things. Not any wildfires. Pretty but I drove cautiously, no worries.

Then after a full day's work plus a photo shoot, I got the end-of-day beauty.

Amazing. I just love colorful sunrises and sunsets! But now for the beast. The ugliness...

Well the good news is that all the walls are bare, but they look pretty ugly in their drywall state.

Only three appliances left. Everything else is gone! I cleaned up the remaining wallpaper shavings, etc. when I got home tonight. Then decided to take tomorrow off. I mean, we need a wedding card and I need to do my nails, etc. 

Hopefully that ends up more beauty than beast!

Blistering Progress

If hand cramps and blisters mean we're making progress, then I guess we are. Side note: Naked drywall is ugly!

After getting to work today and calculating what still needed to be done in the next 48 hours. I realized there weren't enough hours in the day. So I took the afternoon off and came home to resume sweating.

All the cupboards are officially out now. Kitchen sink included. And we're getting there with the wallpaper stripping. Who knew I'm not necessarily afraid of heights all the time? Still, I might have hubby finish that top part. I thought the warm water method was too slow and nonproductive so I went to Ace Hardward and got two spray things to help. I think they're working well. Just don't know if I have the energy to finish strong.

Unless I find a second wind here. It's only 8 p.m. I can do this! 

It'll all be worth it in the end! I know this. 

Hope y'all are having a relaxing week! Be careful out there – even if you're not on a tall ladder!

Old Mother Hubbard

Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard to get her poor dog a bone...

But when she got there, the cupboard was filled with 40 tumblers...

And 3 dozen stadium cups... so there wasn't any room for a bone! And the poor dog got none. It's no wonder we don't have a dog!

Crazy what 20+ years of accumulation gets you. After putting the old cupboards up for sale and selling them in 5 minutes, it was time to get serious about emptying them. Spent most of Friday night and Saturday doing that while trying to get rid of stuff along the way. But we have to keep SOME things for sentimental reasons.

I mean the dishtowel drawer was a literal time capsule! I remember Carter wearing all these bibs! Yep, I definitely did cry!

Our staging area for the next two weeks!

Sunday afternoon was cabinet removal time. Thanks a million to Super Mike! Good to have a tall AND handy neighbor. We appreciated that so much. 

With the cabinets gone, it was time to commence to wallpaper removal. There is a lot of wallpaper in our kitchen-dining room. And it is slow to remove because it was basically glued to drywall 3 decades ago so just when it seems the wallpaper is coming off easy, we realize the backing is still there. That requires warm water and scraping. And it is tedious.

Since our painter is coming Thursday, I took this afternoon off just to make some headway. Then Jim kept working on it while I was galavanting around, getting my previously scheduled after-work massage (perfect timing) and going to book club. 

So I better put in another hour of labor before bedtime. Did I mention we have a wedding this weekend? Let's see how much we can squeeze into a 7-day period. Gah. I just hope the new cupboards won't be far behind. It took me 15 minutes to find my gum today!

Mother Hubbard over and out.

Hip to be Square

I think I've lost my hip. If I ever had it.

I am camped out on the couch watching the Golden Globes -- because I am an award show junkie -- and I have quickly discovered I am no longer "hip" enough to know who half the people are, let alone what shows and movies they are talking about.

That doesn't stop me from watching, of course. There's still some people I know. Like Kevin Costner just won an award and wow, Bill Clinton just took the stage to introduce Lincoln, a movie I am still hoping to see.

If nothing else, they will give me a list of movies to see when I have time.

Today I actually watched a new one on DVD -- Pitch Perfect -- which is sort of like an edgy Glee. And I laughed myself silly. I liked it!

I did not watch any football. And did not use the computer since Carter has been doing homework all day. Instead, I stripped some wallpaper remnants and did laundry and my "Saturday" chores. And that, my friends, is how I earned the couch for the evening.

So I better get back to watching the show since that is what us hip people do!

As far as I know.

In Sink

The only thing functioning in our bedroom bathroom right now is the faucet in the sink. However, we honestly are getting closer to having that essential room back.

Right now, the shower and drywall around it are fixed and done. The floor guy -- who took the toilet out and set it in the empty shower -- was here Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Yes, it's a small room but he had to lay some concrete the first day, then mud over the heating pad the second day, lay beautiful tile the third day, then grout it the final day.

We've gone to two paint stores to pick up "cards" with peachy colors. When we decide -- and the last bit of wallpaper glue crap is removed -- then it will just be calling the painter and putting the room back together.

Right now, we've got most things in our bedroom or Carter's bathroom (actually, the "main" bathroom). Doesn't sound so bad, but it takes incredible synchronization in the mornings. And it all starts with me.

If I sleep til the third snooze, we are all going to be a bit behind. I have to shower in Carter's bathroom, then eat breakfast while hubby is showering. Then put on makeup in Carter's bathroom before he has to shower. Then go back to our bedroom to dry my hair. Then go out to the dining room to curl my hair before the mirror in there.

You can't imagine why I'd be anxious to get that bathroom -- temptingly sitting 6 feet from my side of the bed -- back, can you?

Actually, I'm quite anxious to see how it all turns out. It's sort of ironic that the best-looking room in the house is the least-trafficked. The one only the two of us usually see. That's OK. I look forward to enjoying the forced-upon-us transition.

I just have to get a little better and keeping us all in "sink" each morning!

Let It Snow

I don't mind looking at snow but absolutely hate driving in it... oh and shoveling it. But, as the song says, if I have "no place to go," then you can let it snow.

Tomorrow, when we head back to work, it will be a different story!

The first storm of the year made its way across Minnesota, dumping a foot or so in some places, and has been falling steady here since I woke up this morning. Not blizzard-like steady. Just softly falling so that it deceives us with its beauty.

The roads, however, are a mess. But our driveway isn't -- thanks to hubby's manpower. Yup, the snowblower didn't start so we'll be getting that fixed ASAP. There is a whole lotta winter left.

I did spend the day indoors, but not really relaxing and enjoying the view. Worked most of the day in the bathroom and that is down to one section left to strip. I finally gave up around 5:30 and took a shower.

Don't be too impressed. I got a late start to begin with and had to take several breaks in the early afternoon to be sure my Vikings didn't blow their lead. As usual, they kept it too close for comfort. But we won. And I appreciate all the Packers fans who found it in their hearts to cheer with Purple Pride today, too. Thanks!

Carter did some work today, too. After rolling out of bed just before noon, he did some cleaning and even vacuuming in the basement. One, he's getting ready to have some friends over next weekend. And two, he really, really, really wants to prove that a ping-pong table will fit down there. He has not given up on that Christmas wish. Yikes. I'm not sure what we're gonna do about that.

I'll have to watch some more Hallmark movies so I really catch that giving spirit! I might as well since tonight, we have no place to go.

Just hope the plow drivers will be by before we do!

''The Pretty Lady'

Anyone who's played in Pep Band (or listened to one) knows one of the fun songs is The Stripper. Just think of the melody in your head and you'll be swaying back and forth in no time. Right?

I don't know if it's because it's a Catholic school or what, but Carter's band director does not call that song The Stripper. She calls it The Pretty Lady.

So I guess I was a Pretty Lady today. Yup, the painter came and took a look at our bathroom and said we really have to get the wallpaper backing stripped off. He's not going to be able to paint over it in case pieces decide to flake off at some point.

So it was back to stripping.

Good thing we didn't have much scheduled for the weekend. I put in a couple of hours then HAD to go to a cosmetic/skin care party. I left and told the guys, "I'll be back in an hour to start stripping again." Well that turned into 2 hours or so. I didn't know we were doing the whole Beauty Queen Makeover thing! But it was nice.

And, when I got home and changed back into my grubby workin' clothes, I was still the best-looking Pretty Lady in the house!

Hubby ended up helping a lot. It was good to take turns since we both don't have the best backs in the world and you really end up using muscles not typically exercised with our desk jobs. No, we did not finish today. Jim had a few-hour break, too, taking Carter to the batting cage. And I reserved the couch for a 7 p.m. Hallmark Christmas movie. Now it's probably too late to do any more. I mean you're not supposed to "work out" too close to bedtime, are you?

We "pretty ladies" need our beauty sleep!

Getting Steamed

Final score from today's action: Wallpaper Steamer -1, Robyn - Big Fat Zero.

I guess I'm not cut out to be a stripper! How is that the always reliable Diff didn't work on our wallpaper and now the highly recommended steamer didn't? Is it just me?

Grrr. I think it is!

Took today off and rented the steamer. Got it home and was getting steamed almost immediately when I couldn't get the hose connected to the "hot pan" thing. Well I tried everything, including Googling it, and couldn't make it work. Had to call on the next-door neighbor, who was at his shop 10 minutes away. He saved the day. And no, I couldn't have figured it out on my own.

Once I got it going, it required some sweat equity, but was easier than the Diff attempts.I had the wallpaper off the wall in about 3 hours.

Or so I thought.

In reality, I just had the first layer. In most places, the "backing" was still adhered to the drywall. Is it OK to score that and steam it again? I had to call on Mr. Neighbor again and after an educated consultation (of course), we decided to give that a try. Well, I would be giving it a try!

That was quite unsuccessful. It required much scrapping and the backing was only coming off in little shavings -- like wet sawdust. After it took a full hour to get two little areas stripped, I called it quits. Probably too late for my back and arms to thank me, but just in time to prevent my steam from blowing its top!

Next step: We'll return the steamer first thing in the morning then consult with our painter to see what he wants us to do. Then we'll see if I have to strip some more or if we pay someone else to. Legally and fully clothed, of course!

Task Master

Well my career as a stripper is over before it started. A wallpaper stripper, that is.

Could not get the DIF method to work so it looks like I will be using a vacation day Monday to rent a "steamer" that helps it along much better than my spray, scrape and strip method. We shall see. So with that task on the backburner, you'd think I just relaxed away the day.

Nope.

Woke up when Carter nudged me at 6:50 a.m. to help him tie his tie for school. Then, naturally, I couldn't fall asleep. So I got my "Saturday chores" done after breakfast -- as in last Saturday since I am that far behind. Then I sent hubby and my father-in-law off to golf while I went to the eye doctor. I had a feeling they were going to dilate my pupils for the exam so I did not want to try and golf after that.

The sacrifices we make.

Had an interesting time with the eye doctor. He warned me 9 years ago when I had Lasik surgery that eventually, probably in my early 40s, I'd need reading glasses and maybe more. Well the time has come for that. I can use the "reader cheaters" you buy at Wal-Mart and that's fine. My concern has been night driving and not seeing things too clearly. Turns our the astigmatism that haunted my childhood and early adulthood is sneaking its way back. Grr. So I will be getting "driving glasses" for night-time navigating. That's a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

With that task out of the way, I stopped at the Post Office to get Christmas stamps, then went home and made some treats for my contribution to this weekend's cookie bake. So far I have the chocolate mint cookies my friend Julie and I made, plus some other cookies I made up and then the treat today I created. Maybe I'll take some pictures and share the recipes one of these days. I still am not done with my cookie treats so I will have to tackle some tasks in the morning.

This afternoon, since it was the perfect 60-degree golfing day, I got out for a run anyway before we went browsing at Home Depot for bathroom flooring and cabinetry (oh, and paint), then grocery shopping. By the time that was done, it was time to get Carter so I let Jim do that while I started supper. We had an early supper of pancakes and sausage -- sometimes breakfast is the best meal of the day at any time of the day!

Carter and I went to 6:30 Thanksgiving Eve church, where part of the service included that Heroes of Faith video I helped with and the other part of the service, well, AFTER service, included a pie social. Can't beat that! I steered clear of the pumpkin just in case I get my hands on a piece tomorrow!

Got home from church and headed back out on the date with hubby. We went to Rusty's Backwater Saloon near Stevens Point to hear his high school classmate Kathy sing with a country/rock band called Swamp Donkey. Don't ask. She doesn't even know what that's supposed to mean!

She is an awesome singer so we had a great time listening to great music. Yes, I felt old with all the college "kids" out and about, but at least we felt "cool" knowing someone in the band! Ha.

On Break

What's the reward for squeezing 5 days of work into 2? Three days off... well, make that a 5-day break from the office!

I'm officially on my Turkey Break and may even take next Monday off to extend it. Have to use up vacation days or lose them and, as you can tell from the Christmas ads and movies on Hallmark, time is running out!

My plans? Well, right now I've got some DIF soaking into the wallpaper in the bathroom so I can get my stripping routine started. Somehow this probably isn't what hubby had in mind when I volunteered. Ha.

Later, I get to help Carter study for an English test. That will be more fun for me than him, trust me. Likely I will lose patience when he can't define words or use them in a sentence. But I will try to remain calm. I'm on break, after all.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be that fantastic Almost Indian Summer day with highs near 60. Somebody in this house better find an open golf course! Just sayin'.

I do have cooking and cleaning and baking and blah, blah, blah that I SHOULD do. And there's always more stripping to do. Maybe I'll be on a mission tomorrow so I can relax the rest of the week. I'm nothing if not goal-oriented.

Right now my goal is to get this stripping business down to a science. If anyone wants to slip one-dollar bills my way, that's fine. I will use them to buy Band-Aids for my blisters when this is all said and done!