I'm not sure why this was a long weekend for me, but it was. I worked at Ballad during the day on Thursday and Friday. This meant I was able to work at the house in the evenings!
Interesting side note, wearing scrubs is like being in pocket heaven. There are plenty of pockets for everything. The scrubs I wore on this particular day have a total of TEN pockets. I don't really understand why construction workers haven't started wearing scrubs.
On Thursday evening, Mom and I went over to start removing the wallpaper from the bathroom walls. We left the bathroom untouched for as long as we could because, well, it's the only bathroom in the house. It needed to remain functional.
Here's the Thursday work crew:
We found some really interesting wallpaper patterns. It *almost* made me fall in love with wallpaper. I'll be honest, I still haven't ruled out putting a little bit of wallpaper back in the bathroom. Below are some of the layers we uncovered.
I am in love with the wallpaper below. I tried to find a picture of what it might look like for more than just a few inches, but didn't find anything on the internet.
We made considerable progress on Thursday evening. And let me tell you, after scraping wallpaper for days on end, there is nothing more satisfying than when you can get a giant piece to come off like the one below:
Friday evening was much of the same: scraping the bathroom, trying to get the paper off the walls and the ceilings. It was exhausting work at the end of a week of regular work days.
We didn't make as much progress on Friday. Remember Lesson #4?: The right tool makes all the difference. Well, failing to spray the walls with the fabric softener/water mix was our mistake. Actually, this might be better applied to Lesson #2: A wallpaper steamer is worth every penny. When we left on Friday night, I fully intended to rent a steamer on Saturday.
I also mowed the yard on Friday evening, which led to pulling weeds in the front flower beds. The weeds and the grass that was coming up along the front walk was starting to make it look like no one lived in the house.
Scott and I continued skim coating and scraping wallpaper. Meanwhile, Nan and Pap started working on the landscaping out front. They worked Saturday and Sunday and the landscaping in front of the house was transformed. See next post for the landscaping! It is really lovely.
We had Greg's Pizza for lunch on the front porch. The front porch is one of my favorite things about this house. It is a big, covered porch that runs across the front of the house and wraps around the left side to the second entrance. It is deep enough to really entertain company. It always provides shade.
I remember playing out here as a child. The banister used to be different. There were long boards that criss-crossed, which made it perfect to play and to see out. Now it is encased in siding, which gives it more privacy, for sure. I also remember being out here while my Uncle C was replacing part of the porch. I was probably 10 years old then. He fell through the porch while he was working on it and skinned up both his legs. When Mom and Robin stayed at the house caring for Mamaw, they often took her out on the porch to sit in the afternoons when it was warm enough to be outside. My aunt Judy and Uncle C got married on this porch in 1993. There have been countless pictures taken on this porch. The piano was situated right next to the front door and when someone was playing, you could hear it from the porch. I have a parade of memories involving the porch marching through my mind. Many feet have crossed this porch for lots of occasions - birthdays and holidays, stopping by for visit, sometimes seeking shelter or solace. I guess that is the way of a front porch, but this one seems extra welcoming to me. 💙
Scott and I had to head back home on Saturday evening. Before we left, we had a visit from Brayden and Michelle on their way to Michelle's senior prom. They were quite out of place in their formal evening wear in the middle of a renovation site. They are such a beautiful couple. I'm glad they stopped by, even though I was worried about them getting dirty. Now, I wish I had taken their picture on the front porch. Instead, I took their picture among the construction debris that has become the decor at 411.
As for the weekend progress, Scott and I were able to finish the scratch coat in all the main rooms of the house. Nan and Pap finished up the gorgeous landscaping in the front. It was certainly a successful weekend! 💜
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