Over the past week I’ve been busy finishing up birthday presents, having my entire family home, having my kids go on a sleepover, getting to go out with my husband, going to visit in-laws, having book-club, working on new things for the shop, and a house project. This is the project I have been putting off for years. We gutted our kitchen, including the walls and ceiling, before this project. Of course, L1 is now back at work and the project isn’t finished. That is often how things work in our home. I am hopeful it will be done before the equinox because I can’t stand the current state of messiness in my house (more so than the usual kid-occupied home that we have!).
What is this dread project? Painting our front hallway and stairway. Painting, you scoff. What’s so bad about painting? Usually, nothing. But when the previous owners painted over a bad wallpaper job, the project turns odious. Some pictures to let you be glad you’re not doing this project:
Right now we’re stuck at a coat of primer. Then there’s all the trim to be painted, too. I’m sure I’ll share when it is done because I’ll be such a happy person. And hopefully I’ll post more frequently, too. As part of our electricity project, the computer to which we download our photos is off most of the time, and I don’t want to turn it on just to download photos. And really, I know blog posts are better with pictures.
Feel free to share any improvement projects (home or otherwise) that you may have wished out of your life!
As an aside, I love that diamond panel of glass in our front door. 
*******Added on 2.27.08*******
WHy are you stuck at the primer coat? Is it cause you think you need L1 to cut in the ceiling and paint the high part? THINK AGAIN!! I can do it!! I WANNA COME OVER & PAINT!! And If you want, I can bring Carrie and we can do a psychotic cleaning day. Really, she loves that. LOL!!
Let me know and I will be there to paint. It is my very favorite thing to do.
Kerry
Ooh, lovely wallpaper under there! Yikes!
Good luck on getting things done. Remember, no matter how long it takes you, you’ll still be faster than us. *cough* no bathroom window *cough* four years *cough*
Ah, Kerry (and Carrie) I may be taking you up on your offer soon!!
And Tracey, L4 will be three this spring and we started our kitchen just after I got pregnant with her. It’s still not done (trim on windows, microwave on the counter). But it, like your bathroom, is functional. It would be nice to have more than functional though, eh?
Ugh. I love the finished product of painting. Hate the process. I’ve had to strip ancient wall paper before. Double ugh. You’re a brave, brave woman WL.
Slowly but surely I’m online and poking about again. What great pictures! Shannon
I’d seen a tiny bit of that wallpaper peeking out the last time we were there, looked bad then, but I had no idea of the true hideousness of it. That’s some fugly wallpaper. Like the replacement color.
I appreciated the wallpaper for the era from which it came. If it hadn’t had the flowers in it, I think I would have liked it, though not to keep. It made the hallway cave-like because it was so dark.
Shannon–I detest wallpaper for the very reason that I have had it strip off old before. Our previous home in NH was built in 1880 and had wallpaper in every single room, including the bathroom. We stripped it off, and underneath was horsehair plaster. What a mess! I thought I was done with it when we moved to our current home because of my lack of observation of the hallway seams. I was too enamored with the updated electricity (more than one grounded outlet per room!) and lack of knob and tube wiring!
My wonderful cousin and her family are coming next weekend, though, so I have more motivation to get it done!
[...] might not be able to resist the allure of a project that needs to be finished. Or maybe I can (see this [...]
[...] was a lovely, full day. L1 and I were up and painting this morning on that project from way back, working on the trim. There is a lot of trim. My goal (not sure if L1 knows this or [...]