Back to work

This week I have been pouring over my stash of Victoria Magazines - pretty much my favorite magazine of all time. Subsequently, I have been royally inspired to start up working on this house again.
A note about the house: It started out as a two-room log home in the late 1800's, and in the 1920's (from what we can figure) it's four front rooms, entry hall, and an enclosed back porch were added. The cabin part is now our kitchen, dining room and "attic" - which is really a "loft" bedroom we're stashing out stuff in for the time being.
Renovations began in the winter or 2008-2009, in the kitchen. We gutted it, exposing the glorious log walls. We liked it and are leaving the wall exposed. We added a cathedral ceiling to show it off more. Renovations are also underway in our one, tiny bathroom.
While Kevin has been in charge of all the major modifications, I have been in charge of piddly stuff like painting, sanding, scraping, demolishing, staining, etc. etc.
This spring I bought paint in five gallon buckets and painted both bedrooms, hall and landing upstairs, foyer down stairs and half of the enclosed back porch. Then I quit, because I got sick and tired of painting every day of my life.
You see, I can't roll the paint, as the front of the house is vintage beaded board..... I have to do it all with a paint brush. UGH.
Fast forward to yesterday.
I painted remainder of the back porch, with the exception of one small area next to the washer that needs to be moved for me, and I began work in the dining room. This involves using a steel pry bar to rip out yucky 1980's paneling off the origional beaded board ceiling and beams. Why someone decided it was cool to cover up this quaint room with gross grayish pink paneling and stick plyboard up all over the ceiling is a mystery to me. But it is all getting ripped out now, baby!
I plan on ripping out the seafoam green carpet as well; I'm assuming the floor beneath is wood as the rest of the floors are in the house.
Kevin promised that as soon as he was done with the hay baling and other crops and livestock issues he has, he was going to get back to the kitchen. We're almost done with it, and I can't wait to do the finishing touches...... unpack all my vintage and antique kitchen stuff.

Here is my list of what I have to do yet:

- Finish ripping out all the paneling and plyboard off the cieling in the dining room.
- Finish painting the walls in the dining room with pale yellow-green paint
- Killz and paint the morbid black mantle piece in the dining room white
- Rip out the carpet and polish the floor underneath
- Remove all the whitewash and mystery paint off the log wall and varnish it
- Finish peeling off the 1980's wallpaper from the bathroom walls and paint them blue
- Paint the bathroom vanity white
- Paint the den/living room light taupe
- Once the kitchen cabinets are moved out of the parlor, paint and decorate in there

So much to do; sometimes I feel totally overwhelmed and then I block it out for a while.
This is not the house of my dreams; but it is the house we have right now and I am ever so thankful for it. If I were to have my way we would have a much bigger, old Victorian farmhouse with wrap around porches, and lots of nooks and crannies; high ceilings and way too much space for just the two of us. I would fill up the rooms with antiques and vintage furniture and entertain all the time just for fun.

Right now I have a farm-cottage and it is charming as can be. I would like a bigger bathroom so I could buy a clawfoot bathtub. I have passed up a few, simply because I have nowhere to put one.

I must trot off and pick up my pry bar once again, as I release this wonderful old dining room from it's 1980's prison. I will get a quick pic for comparison later.
Whoever invinted paneling heed to be examined by a shrink. YUCK!! It give me such a thrill to destroy it..........