The Stripping Chronicles

As many of you know, I've taken on the task to (finally!) strip the wallpaper from my bedroom as well as Brendan's bedroom. I waited a long time to be able to start Brendan's room as I was waiting for results from an asbestos test. Well, the results were negative, so I began working away in both rooms. This is the before shot in our bedroom Isn't that wallpaper just hideous? I have no idea why I've waited 7 years to get that shit off.



After scoring the wallpaper, I was very positive that it wouldn't take much work. After all, it just peeled off in sheets from Gary's room, remember?? Well, it was hell. There were at least 3 layers of wall paper, and 4-5 borders in the middle and/or at the top of the room. Here's what I found under the first layer of paper:

Dig the purple paint and the purdy bunny border: Can you say "awwwww?"

There's a little mouse, too....


It sucked getting all of that paper off. I worked over the course of 4-5 different days, and went through about 10-12 movies (TV/VCR in my room) so while peeling all of that crap off, I was able to view (or at least listen to) quite a few movies from my VHS collection. The crap is off of the walls finally. Now all that's left in that room is sanding the walls (to get off remnant glue and sharp plaster spikes), patch holes and cracks in the plaster, paint the woodwork (no, I'm not going to strip the 10 layers of paint off of the woodwork, too), paint the ceiling, and paint the walls. There is wall-paper on the ceiling, but it's in good shape, and I really don't feel like scoring and scraping a horizontal surface above my head. I'll leave it for now.

I've been working on Brendan's room, too. He's got some sort of weird mesh substance on his walls (turned out to be cellulose in nature) underneath the wallpaper. So there was 2-3 coats of paints, a layer of wallpaper, and then this mesh stuff. Well, the mesh pulled from the wall like dried tape, so it was beautiful! Underneath the mesh is another 2 layers of OLD wallpaper and a couple old borders around the top. The paper is so old, thankfully, that scoring it and spraying Dif on it made the stuff come off in sheets. I've done two full walls in Brendan's room, and now I have 2 walls left (that includes a massive window and the closet, so there isn't that much square footage left in his room). Once the paper is off, I will sand his walls, and then prime and paint the walls. His woodwork is not painted (yippee) and his ceiling is fine. He also has wallpaper on his ceiling, but it too is in good shape, and I just painted it about 5 years ago, so it looks fabulous. It's staying for now. Sometime soon I will get some pictures up from his room.

It's been a crazy week, with all of the wallpaper stripping, and all. I've also been doing a lot of eBaying lately...I listed a couple of things a couple of weeks ago, and that went well and they sold for quite a bit, so I listed 5 more things. Those auctions ended today, and so I listed 6 more things! This is quite addicting, and it's good that I'm finally doing this, as Jerry has BUTTLOADS of stuff from his business and other techie related things that he's wanted me to sell on eBay for quite awhile now. The only hard thing about listing on eBay (for me) is figuring out the shipping costs/methods of shipping, etc. I usually come up short when listing the shipping price. I have a postal scale, but I'm just dumb, I guess. Anyone have that part figured out and want to help me??

This past weekend was a busy one for the Pasker family. Friday night/saturday morning we got a pretty good snowfall with about 4 inches of snow. Saturday morning we took off in the crappy conditions for Altoona to visit Matt and Desi and help them replace light fixtures in their house. We were there until about 7:30, and they got 4 fixtures replaced...they had gaudy brass fixtures, and they replaced them with really pretty brushed nickel. They look really nice, guys! Good job!! We got home after 10, and that's when I checked the mail and got the good news about no asbestos in Brendan's room. We also finally got a reading for the radon in the basement at the same time. We've dropped from a dangerous level of about 29 down to an EPA safe level of 3!!!! Yippee!!! Jerry rocks. He built the radon elimination system in our basment all by himself, and it works beautifully!! (So there are quite a few of you who will get to borrow this meter soon to check your own radon levels in your homes- we'll be in touch) Anyway...Sunday Gary had Sunday school, then around noon the whole family went with Mimi and Papa out to Sand Springs to ride in horse-pulled sleighs. It was so nice! It was the Sand Springs community center fund raiser. What a great idea! The boys had a great time, the weather was beautiful, and it all ran so smoothly on the 4 inches of fresh snow that had falled the day before! We also had lunch there. After that, we all went to Kati and Jim's house for Deacon's 3rd birthday party! Everyone was so good. Gary was NOT happy about leaving, though! He was having so much fun! He gets to go play with Olivia and Deacon again on Friday, though. After the party, I dropped Jerry off at home so he could move snow, and then the boys and I went to mom and dad's for awhile. Didn't watch the Superbowl. Not even for the commercials. I just dislike football that much.

Anyway. This weather has been crazy! Monday night women's choir was cancelled due to the dense fog. Then last night/today there was a MAJOR snow storm with more snow than we've seen since we've been in the house...I think there was even more than just before Christmas! School as well as MOPS was cancelled today, so I've spent the day stripping wallpaper and eBaying!

Ok, this is long, and Brendan is awake now. Sorry I've been so lax on posting, so I hope this post cuts it for now. Scroll down for a few pics of the boys, as well.