how i spent my afternoon

In paint-scraping hell, that’s where.

In an effort to finish the entryway painting project, I started sanding an area on the wall below (plaster, not drywall) where some paint had peeled off when Andrew took the doorframe off to get the fridge and freezer downstairs.

Well, I wasn’t getting anywhere fast with the sanding block, and the paint had been coming off in giant pieces, kinda like wallpaper without any adhesive, so I figured maybe I should just scrape it all off and start fresh.  It seemed like a more ‘thorough’ wall preparation before painting, anyway, so scrape I did.  It started well, with giant swathes falling to the ground.  And then it stopped.

Before:

 

Progress:

 

After (a.k.a.) When I gave up in an almost teary-eyed mess and admitted defeat:

 

Just in case you were wondering, I was at it for about four hours.  FOUR HOURS.

I did, momentarily, ask myself (out loud, probably), if I would regret scraping after it was too late to turn back.  I should have listened to myself.  I tried to get a little more done before we went to bed last night, but by then my hand was red and sore and the near paralysis in my left/neck I woke up with that morning was growing more irritated, so I called it quits again and went to bed cranky.

In other news, I cooked dinner for the first time in the new place!  I wish I could say we had a pseudo-relaxing meal out on our back deck, but after an afternoon of scraping, followed by a 30-minute dinner delay for Andrew to get the stove pushed back in the right spot (mom and I had pulled it out a few inches to paint, and apparently gas ranges are tricky to get back right without disconnecting anything–who knew?) and then a short (but heated!) tiff about where we were going to eat dinner (dining room or kitchen counter), it was a miracle we made it through the meal alive.

Knowing I needed something super easy, I went with spaghetti but made it Andrew’s favorite: sauteed peppers and onions with spicy italian sausage.  Served with salad and bread.

 

The ONYL thing that made last night better:

 

This baby.  Terrible picture–darn under-cabinet lighting.  It’s a light and fruity red that isn’t very dry at all; very drinkable for those who are still getting into reds.  Definitely going to remember this one–and SUPER cheap.

Apparently it was that kind of day yesterday…

Here’s hoping today is better!

I’m taking a break from scraping until we get a better tool tonight, so I’ll be filling my time today with unpacking “my” office (the extra/craft/storage/school/one-day-will-be-a-baby’s-room), finishing up the guest room paint job and lots of computering that’s been put off dangerously long.

Before and after pictures of the kitchen (waiting on new faucet!), guest (only needs ceiling paint) and entry (the wall scraping debacle delayed this) are forthcoming!