Life With Boys

OK – we’ve been in the house 2 years and have not really “done” anything to it – having a baby was just a little impediment to the progress.

To remedy the situation we decided to do our bedroom. The 1980s undershirt flower wallpaper was to be retired.

Week One: Get really excited and buy paint – assuming we’ll get started right away. Start stripping wallpaper with the Paper Tiger and blue gunk. Result: 5 hours, one 3 by 3 area complete.

Week Two: Buy steamer. Steam wallpaper off so well, it causes the paint underneath to bubble.

Week Two: Start painting dark brown doors white. 3-coats each side, oil gloss enamel. They are beautiful and took FOREVER. (Matt’s project, not mine. My project involves keeping the kids away from the paint.)

Week Three: Fix bubbled walls. In-laws come to entertain.

Week Three: Matt plays hookey from work on Friday to paint – calls to tell me he’s feeling “green” (the chosen color for the bedroom) I assume he’s sick and pick up dinner.

Week Three Saturday: I repaint room to make the faux painting a little more obvious. (We needed to blend our “fixes” a little better.)

Week Three Sunday: In-laws come down to help put up beadboard (white). I take the kids out of the house — and out of the house — and out of the house. (It was a really LONG day and I was running out of pointless errands to run.)

Week Four: Beadboard and chair rail continue. I take the kids out of the house — and out of the house — and out of the house some more – now I’m really running out of places to go.

Week Five: Caulking. Caulking holes, caulking seams, caulking the window. Caulking.

Week Six: Move into bathroom. More patching and painting. Purple this time. (I love it.) And you’ll never guess where I was ….

Week Six: Buy 3 different toilet paper holders ‘cause we can’t make up our mind. Get the beadboard up.

Week Seven: Caulking. This time it’s my turn. The shower is too gross for discussion and I’m the designated “caulker” in our family. At this point every surface is covered in dust and construction paraphernalia and don’t even ask me about the state of the garage.

Week Eight: That’s now. We’re almost done. There is still dust and paraphernalia everywhere. But we’re working on it. Maybe soon we’ll be able to take a shower in our own room.

Now, he wants to work on the living room.