Fixing things #1

    We have very little time in the academic year to get things done around the house.  This summer we decided it was finally time to get the nasty, dirty, "old lady" wall paper off the dining room walls. There are several other tasks necessary as well.
    We asked my nephew to come up and stay with us for a week or son to help out.  He is a great guy and  toiled along side us, uncomplaining, even on the nasty days of high humidity and HEAT.  (It has since cooled off.) He helped move the VERY large corner cupboard that came from my husband's grandmother's home.  BIG AND HEAVY!!  We had china and crystal on every dresser top and table for a week - looked like we were having a wedding!
    First thing was to remove the paper:

excuse my back, please

The plaster was not in great shape, but we have had worse.

Next we had some plaster cracking to fix.  The previous owners seemed to have taken great pride in hiding all the bad plaster in every room by covering it in paper. 

taking a breather and assessing

 We had to prime the walls, which our youngest took to with some vigor. 

Why is he wearing his CARS bike helmet?  We really never found out.

Next came colour - Ralph Lauren "Kauai" in eggshell.  I don't know about you, but when I was in Kauai it was never this shade of green. 

     After two coats of paint, then two coats of trim colour (I will never beg for crown moulding again - my shoulders are sore!) we have an almost completed dining room.  We still have to  refinish the floors, but we are planning on doing it all at the same time - dining room, foyer and living room.  The hardwood floors have remnants of a felt padding from under the carpet that have fused to the shellac/varnish (?) on the floor, and NOTHING is taking it up short of stripping it.  It looks like we have moss growing on the wooden floors. 

We Can Do It!

   Over all this was a pretty smooth job.  We had a few conversations regarding the trim colour - I wanted cream, hubby wanted white - but, as I said to my nephew, this is not worth fighting about, so white it is. Curtains, wall art and mirrors still to come, but I am REALLY pleased to be rid of the little pink flowers!