I am getting there~

Everything is all primed and ready for the finish coat, you know the fun part!

 These little gems have been my new best friends.  Vinegar to wash the walls, a scrubbie to you know, scrub. Then the scraper to pull all the left over paste off. There was more there then one would think. My arms and hands were so tired.

 I started to paint the doors. It will take awhile and I am slowing down a bit. I love the color. It is Benjamin Moore, Northampton putty and the walls will be crown point sand. Much better than dark walnut stain!

 So I needed a little break so I went for a drive to the Gingham Goose ( check out her website) and picked up some new reading material and some new scents. There were some new goods from Family Heirloom Weavers. I had a nice visit with Barbara. The shop was busy and things were flying out the door faster than she could unpack them. Don't forget the girls from A Primitive Place will be there in March.  I needed a break from painting. My hand aches and needs a rest.

Hallway project continues~

Soak, scrape, clean, soak, scrape, clean, soak, scrape, clean. Next will be patching all the spots I have dug up on the walls, the sand and prime all the walls. You see 38 years ago when we first moved in. Money was so tight. We had just built our home, we were so young and I did not have a clue. A local store was having a paint sale and the hall was still white primer.....just like the rest of the house and it was in need of paint. Well I picked a beige safe color and it was on sale. We worked all weekend and we painted the walls. That was fine for a while, but as time passed we could afford to wallpaper and I found a paper that I loved.......so we wallpapered. It looked so nice, I loved the paper! About six months later we noticed that it was lifting at the seams so hubs repasted the seams and all looks good. Soon the paper is lifting and more than at the seams. I go to the paint store and tell them what is happening. They come out to look. Oh gosh! It is the cheap sale paint lifting right off the walls and sticking to the paper, but then the paper can't stick to the walls. Ok, we decide to bite the bullet....22 double rolls of paper. We sand and size the walls, after the paper came off which was easy, just pulled right off. We re papered the hall. Hubby said something like, you had better love this paper because I never want to re do this hall again! Well that was 1989!! Can you believe it? I really did love the paper. Now for the last 5 or so years I have been knowing it needs to be done, but oh it is a big job and we are 22 years older. After the girls from APP were here I really knew I needed to do this. I started to look, the Loretta from Under the Wild Cherry Trees had a paper I fell in love with. It was time. I showed hubby and he really liked the paper too. We have been talking about doing wainscoting in the downstairs front foyer and it is time. Then I find out the wall paper is discontinued, bu I know I need to get this done. The upstairs and downstairs were companion papers before and  want to paint and stencil the upstairs this time and wallpaper down. I am now having second thought for how much work this wallpaper is. The woman is the paint and wallpaper store has told me that the new papers are not that had to remove. She said not to be discouraged. So I picked up the primer for the walls. Benjamin Moore Fresh Start. The Kiltz for the woodwork. Lots of sandpaper. Then I went to Village Stencils and picked out a stencil for the upstairs border. Now this is not the colors I will be using, but how it is on the package:

It is called Traditional Oak Leaf. Now the stencil place has lots of Primitive and Traditional stencils and has been there for years. It is located on Rt 138 in Raynham, MA. This is a great shop, but imagine my surprise that they are having a half price sale and the building is for sale and they are closing. My $25.00 stencil was $12.50. The have hundreds of stencils, anything and everything. She will be on sale until everything runs out.  Look it up here http://www.villagestencils.com/

See the ugly paint, it is the same color as the background of the wallpaper. Let's just say my new paper/paint will not be beige.

So wish me luck, there is so much to still do. We need to decide just what we want the wainscoting to look like and get someone lined up to do that, also I can't pick out my paint color for upstairs until I have my supplies for downstairs and oh darn, I need to work days too. It really messes with the time I would like to spend looking for what I want to finish the hallway.

                                                           Say Goodbye beige!
Stay tuned for further developments in my hallway project and just let me say I can't wait until it is all done!

Wallpaper removal

   I have shared with you all that I am removing the wallpaper in my front foyer, hall and upstairs hall. Last time it took 20 double rolls of wallpaper. I have just seemed to breeze through the hall or maybe ignored it for so long because it is such a big job. There are ten doors to be painted, the stair risers, banister and all the trim. We want to have wainscoting put up and then re wallpaper, or maybe paint and stencil the upper hall. Well, last week I started to remove the wallpaper. It was coming of in tiny pieces, I think my husband used super glue. It has been there way too long and I swear it has bonded to the walls. I used Lestoil and warm water, my favorite removal formula, but not this time. I tried fabric softener and water, not so good either. I could just cry....two hours and I got about 2 sq. ft done. Gouged the wall, my hands ache. I what have I started?
  While watching HGTV I saw them using these strips of cloth and the wallpaper came right off, of course it was TV. Now I think I have bought every product that the paint store has and none of it worked. So what is one more product? I went online and found what they had used, it is called Simple Strip and has a money back guarantee. What have I got to lose? I ordered on Monday, it was here on Friday morning.

This is what came.  I got it from here. IT WORKED!!!! I got much larger pieces off not whole sheets like TV, but managable pieces. Not only that I got help, hubby and grandson were intrigued by the product and they dug in and helped. Now upstairs hall is about half done and it will be a long project. It may be done by the time all this #*! snow melts.

What do you do when winter sets in?

Ok, here is the North East we have had snow, snow and more snow......6 majors storms in 30 days! Yuk!
Now it is pretty to look at, but it is icy and messy and I would love to just stay home if at all possible.

Come on in for a cup of Ginger tea or hot chocolate? Don't slip the walk gets icy and I keep putting driveway heat on it, but it melts and freezes again.

         My sweetie warming her toes after sledding. I love to keep the fire going all day when I can stay home. I can't tell you the countless times the kids have snuggled up in this very spot along with the cats and dogs.

Can you remember THIS shot from before?  I always dream of summer and look at my garden pictures to make plans for next  year.

This is my upstairs hall....you see my upstairs is in a time warp....black walnut stain on the woodwork. This is my project this year while winter is nipping at my door. Most of my woodwork has been painted and all I have left is the guest room and the hall. The hall has six, count them six doors to sand, kiltz and paint. So I started with the guest room. We had wallpapered a few years ago and then our son needed to come home for a bit and I never got around to painting the trim with all his stuff in the room. When the girls from APP magazine came to shoot some pictures last summer, I would not let them upstairs to see my dated stuff. This may be what has gotten me to do something about it. The hall paper needs to be taken down and I want wainscoting installed then new paper and paint.

 So I started and this was a work in progress. I hate the prep, but it is so important.

So now the trim is done I can shop for new bedding and some other things for the room. I hope my sister comes home for a visit soon and enjoys the room. It has the best view of the gardens and pool.

So now I can start in the hall. So now tell me what do you do when winter sets in?

January 2011

What is it about the New Year? I feel refreshed and ready to tidy everything up. Clean closets, floors, fresh paint, shiny windows and file all of last years folders from work. My Christmas is all done and packed away until next year...I have a system. Thank goodness for Rubbermaid! The door on my Christmas closet is closed with Christmas neatly packed behind the door. Phew.

My snowmen grace our home and will stay until I start Spring. Hey, I need something seasonal. My candles are lit and the fireplace on days when I can work from home. The sun is shining in and it feels like Winter here.

My son Ben is settled into his new place and at the same time our daughter moved to a new place in South Boston. Big changes around here. Having both children close by is such a comfort. Sunday dinners may be possible again. Everyone has been so scattered the last few years. This feels so wonderful. I want to start the New Year being happy about all my blessings of which there are many.

Lots of blogs are talking about their word for the year and I know I want mine to be BALANCE
This is what I need so much, balance of work, home and family. So with this in mind I will march forward into 2011 seeking balance in my life. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 to all my Blogger friends, may you all be blessed with happiness, health, and prosperity in 2011.

~The week that flew~

As much as I enjoy bringing out my Christmas, I enjoy putting it away and bringing out my old favorite snowmen. So let me take you back through the week that flew. These are my snowmen, I think they are made of paperclay. I bought them years ago and they just get better with age.

Now as I start to put away and clean up I feel refreshed, love that feeling. The day after Christmas I cleaned our my closet and have six bags for Goodwill. I like how organized it all looks.

And it snowed!

And it stuck.....

My best gift was my son being home to celebrate the holiday with us and knowing he is here to stay just put a happy glow on everything.

I am just sitting down to catch up with the blogs. Now do tell how do you  all find the time to post? Between work, Christmas, family, baking, parties, I just can't seem to find the time to even take pictures, let alone sit down and write a post?

All the grandchildren and children were here for Christmas. Presents were opened, food was eaten, the kids went out sledding and came in cold and wet, sat by the fire to warm up as the jackets and pants tumbled in the dryer. Hot chocolate was sipped, dessert was eaten. There were rosy cheeks and many smiles, giggles, teasing, wet floors, wet mittens and an all round good time was had by all. And after everyone left I sat down by the same fire and had a Gingerbread Martini with a content smile on my face.

Someone loved his new toy. Not to mention the wrapping it came in.

and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care.....

It is almost Christmas Eve!

I am in the kitchen baking, but everything else is done! Oh darn I need to clean .....

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight~