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The Post Where I Reveal Too Much About Myself (and a bit of kitchen progress)

My sweet husband bought me a ceiling light for the kitchen. And not just any light, but the light that I had wanted for the kitchen, but was too cheap to buy myself out of my decorating money. (I only get so much decorating money each month, and it has to stretch the whole month, so it’s generally pretty hard for me to pull the trigger on buying splurge items that take up a significant amount of my decorating money.)

Anyway, here’s the light that he bought me

kitchen light from one kings lane

So my goal for yesterday seemed simple — remove the rest of the 1 x 4’s from the kitchen ceiling that the polystyrene ceiling tiles had been attached to…

ceiling 2

…add about 100 more drywall screws so that the damaged drywall doesn’t come crashing down on my head, mud the holes and cracks…

ceiling 1

…prime and paint the ceiling, and install my beautiful new light.

That seems reasonable, right? No. Of course not. (Remember, I suffer from Wonder Woman Syndrome, where completely unreasonable goals seem perfectly reasonable in my mind.)

Now I know what you’re thinking. Kristi, why are you going to install your light now? You’ve just barely started on this room! Shouldn’t you wait?

No. No, I shouldn’t wait. 🙂

I’ve already shared that I do things in an order that makes absolutely no sense to anyone but me. I’m very inefficient, and very often do things in an order that makes later tasks more difficult. But I do things in the order in which I feel inspired. Since I do 95% of this work by myself, doing things as I feel inspired is pretty much the only way I can keep myself motivated to continue.

So anyway, I got the boards removed with no problem.

ceiling 3

And then I thought I’d just give everything a quick scraping to remove all of the loose debris, quickly mud everything, set up some fans, and before too long, I’d be ready to prime and paint.

Yeah…scraping. That’s when things went from bad to worse. The ceiling near the current sink wall is just a complete mess, and the more I touched it, the more drywall crumbled and fell off.

ceiling 4

Now again, I know what you’re thinking. Kristi, shouldn’t you just replace the drywall?

Yes. Yes, I should. But I’m not going to. And my reasoning is simply that I don’t want to.  I’ll do virtually anything to avoid installing drywall.  😀

Plus, I’ve learned that drywall mud can work miracles, so I’m not going to let a little crumbling drywall defeat me.

But the drywall on the other end of the room looked pretty good. The only thing wrong with that side was that the drywall tape that had been used on the corners (where the wall meets the ceiling) was loose. I thought I could just attach it back to the ceiling and mud over it, but it was really thick like cardboard, and very stiff, and pretty much had a mind of its own. So I decided to remove it completely and just replace it with new tape.

And then one thing led to another, and before I knew it I had this…

ceiling 5

I wasn’t just peeling off wallpaper, but I was scraping off a whole thick layer of who knows what. It was like 10 layers of thick paint with wallpaper stuck to it, and it was all scraping off in big pieces with relative ease.

ceiling 6

And I just couldn’t help myself!! I HAD TO SCRAPE IT OFF!! I couldn’t have stopped myself if I had tried.

Okay, yes. In addition to my Wonder Woman Syndrome, I also have another issue. I have this incessant need to peel things. Seriously, if you ever have a bad sunburn and your skin is peeling off, you do not want to be around me. I will peel your sunburned skin and make absolutely no apologies for it.

Have I shared too much? 😀

Seriously…I can’t help myself. I remember when I was younger, I would sit with my mom as she sewed. She had a sewing “room” which was actually a closet in her painting studio, and the closet had bifold doors on it. Those doors had peeling paint (I think someone had painted latex over oil-based paint), and I could sit there for hours chatting away with my mom and picking and peeling the paint off of those doors one glorious layer at a time. (I’m still amazed that she would let me!)

I’m generally fully aware that I’m peeling, and giving into this seemingly uncontrollable and wonderfully satisfying desire to peel things. But sometimes I’m completely unaware. Like when I’m standing in the line at Subway, waiting for my sandwich to be made, completely lost in my thoughts. Then all of a sudden, I’m brought back to reality when the person asks, “Can I help you?” and I realize that the look on his face isn’t necessarily asking, “Can I help you?” but rather, “Why the heck are you peeling the labels off of the glass?!” Embarrassing.

So…yeah. When I realized how easily this thick layer of paint, wallpaper, and whatever else would scrape off (and scraping is just peeling with tools), I couldn’t help myself.

ceiling 8

But as I was scraping this layer off, I uncovered something up here at the top that made me curious…

ceiling 7

The drywall was only 1/4-inch thick. And there was something behind it. What was it? Another layer of drywall? If so, why was it covered up? Was it maybe in better condition that the one on top?

Yes, it was 10:30 at night, but I knew I couldn’t rest until my curiousity was satisfied. So I did what any irrationally curious person would do. I chipped away a big hole in the drywall right in the middle of the wall! 😀

And underneath, I found slats of wood. Probably 1 x 10 slats of wood.  I knew that the interior walls along the perimeter of the house were slatted wood under the drywall (yay!  no need for wall anchors when hanging things!), but I really wasn’t expecting it under the drywall on the interior walls.

ceiling 9

You have no idea how much I wanted to rip that drywall off of that wall. The only thing that kept me from doing that was the thought of bugs, roaches (roaches are mentioned separately from bugs because they’re their own special kind of evil), mice, and snakes coming through those wide gaps between the slats of wood. (Because in my mind, once it’s dark outside, evidently my walls fill up with roaches, mice, and snakes, and my only protection from them is 1/4-inch of drywall.)

But daylight generally brings courage and heightened curiosity for me, so I can’t guarantee that this wall will still have drywall on it by the end of the day. We’ll see.

I think the point of this whole post is that I’m starting my kitchen makeover, but I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing. This should be fun.

In related news, the plumber is finally coming today to rearrange my gas lines and water lines. He was supposed to come week before last, but I got bumped. So hopefully by the end of today, there will be actual, real progress from a qualified professional.

 

 

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100 Comments

  1. I love that you work as your feel inspired! And so excited to see the kitchen adventure! Maybe I have your layout confused, but isn’t that wall actually an old exterior wall, before the sunroom was added on?

    1. No, it’s the wall to the left of it (with the two doorways) that is the original exterior wall. And that sucker’s coming down completely! 😀 Well, kind of. I’m still developing the plan for that wall in my head.

    1. mine too! you are amazing!
      no you didn’t share too much – just not possible!
      keep it coming and well done and
      MATT – what a LOVELY thing to do for your wife!
      Claire x

  2. LOL! Yes, yes and yes. I agree and can relate on ALL point in this post. Incessantly peeling things, giving roaches (and spiders) their own category and not knowing when to stop. I’m so excited to see that wall behind that drywall… What an awesome addition it could be if it is in good shape! *fingers crossed*

    ps – that light is gorg! way to go hubby!

  3. LOL. You’re so funny! Is it possible that the walls were once plaster since they have wood boards on them?

    1. I’ve wondered that, too. I’ve honestly never seen walls done like this. I’ve seen old houses in this area that have the lathe (is that what it’s called?) completely covering the studs, and then generally cheesecloth and wallpaper over it. But I’ve never seen one like this with all 1 x 10 boards covering the studs. It’s a first for me!

      1. We saw this in our 1933 farm house on interior walls. they were then plaster covered. Excited to see the finished product!

  4. So true! INSPIRATION is what makes me move too.

    I remember when I just finished painting my daughter’s bedroom this past summer, the furniture had been moved out and it look terrific with the new fresh coat of paint. As I stood in the empty room and everyone loved it, I just couldn’t help but notice the ugly popcorn ceiling that looked just so hideous to me! So what did I do, I got out my ladder again and started scraping away. I did a dry scrap and then sanded it down and painted the ceiling. Not necessarily is it the correct order to paint the room and “think” you’re finished, and then get inspired to make it even better by scraping the ceiling, but that’s what inspiration did for me. After cleaning up a HALF TON of DUST, it ended up looking really extra great…I even promised my second daughter that I’d do her room too (this time ceiling first, then paint the walls).

    I love all your projects Kristi. You are amazingly talented and YOU inspire me! Thank you for that!

    1. I too hate my popcorn ceilings. I didn’t think I could just scrape and paint. Did you have to apply any other type of texture?

      1. Hi there! Every room in my home had popcorn ceilings as well. The best way to remove it and keep the dust down is to work in small sections at a time. Fill a spray bottle with tap water, wait a minute, and scrape it off with a plastic spackle spatula. You can really keep the mess to a minimum by holding a paint pan in your other hand and catching the debris as it falls too.

      2. I sanded it until it became smooth, very dusty but worth it too me. It’s not PERFECT in all areas but it is really pretty good – mostly because I got really tired of sanding (I was covered from head to toe in fine white dust). I will consider doing this with a spray bottle of water next time for sure, thanks for the suggestion April! The dust took weeks to clean!

  5. I do that all the time. One project will lead me to another and the next thing I know I have my room in shambles and my 3 year old saying “Mommy why did you break the wall?” In my defense I was painting it and there was no holes and she and her Dad were the ones that broke the wall (medicine cabinet). Then I was painting said wall and realized I found the perfect combination of colors for faux wood on my front door etc. etc. So I am with you my friend and I am a peeler too. That being said I would have dove head first into tearing down the drywall with you maybe with another person you could have overcome the night time creatures….lol.
    http://66.147.244.96/~yourinu7/2014/03/11/a-few-unexpected-projects/

  6. Oh my gosh,do you remind me of a younger me! Only thing bad,is that I would get myself in decorating,renovating trouble,and when Hubby would get back from a business trip,he would find a bill from a professional hired to fix what I had decided to remake! Carry on, and do what inspires you in the order that you want to. Love to ride along with you on your adventures!

  7. OMG – you’re living in my house! I’m 4 months into this reno and sick to death of it already to be honest lol –
    My ex was a picker……………once picked a birthmark off our daughter – ( not sure what he thought it was ) which bled profusely – we ended up in the E.R. –
    Apparently he still picks lol
    LOVE the light!

      1. My kids have that affliction too. My son has slowly removed all the edges from our computer cabinet! My daughter has removed edges from the kitchen table! The Subway thing made me LOL literally!! So did your description of furniture being dragged around behind a truck, by the way. Thanks- I really needed that!

  8. Omg, I love this – “In addition to my Wonder Woman Syndrome, I also have another issue. I have this incessant need to peel things.”

    I was reading this, and kept thinking I could have wrote this blog. My husband will actually stop me from peeling things when out in public but once his back is turned, watch out cause it’s coming off! Anyways I’m peeling off popcorn ceiling today – can’t wait to see what’s behind the drywall! I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep without doing the same small hole to have a look-see too.

  9. Whatever it takes to keep the motivation juices flowing!!! I tend to want to do things out of order myself! Keep up the good work and please don’t mention snakes. LOL

  10. what you to off was part of the drywall and you will need to put new drywall up. you really need to put new drywall up on the ceiling too. if you do it right now it will not cost you a lot of time and money down the road of you or if you sell the house someone else. i know the people that we bought our house from did not do thing right and we are paying for them now. so please please please do it right if not for you do it for me or the new owners if and when you sale. thank you

  11. I think I’m addicted to your blog. Can’t wait to get here every day just to see what you’ve done!! I laugh right along with you and reel with each accomplishment. You are so inspiring!!!

  12. I’m a picker as well and can totally relate. LOL I’m looking forward to seeing what you do to your kitchen.

  13. You are awesome and I can totally relate to you on so many levels. Yay for your new light! I am eyeing new fixtures and cannot pull the trigger for the same reason you mentioned. 🙂 My kitchen is in a state of flux as I type this and has been for over a month while I paint the cabinets. I rarely do things in the order it should be done so I understand you completely superwoman!

  14. I love “Wonder Woman Syndrome”!!! I too do things in what ever order moves me and depending on if I killed myself the day before…. would love to know what you decide with the wall…

  15. Isn’t the layer you peeled off the exterior of the drywall panel? I know ours would start to pull off when taking off the wallpaper if we weren’t careful as they didn’t prime the drywall before papering it initially. It was a PAIN to get the paper off without hurting the drywall. Yikes. You might be installing new drywall after all.
    Love your blog though.

    1. I’m sure that was part of it, but there’s still a layer of brown paper covering all of the actual white “rock” part, so it’s fine. Nothing a little skim coat of drywall mud can’t fix, if I decide to keep the drywall. 😉

  16. It is sooo good to see someone has a similar disease. My disease is I can’t stop painting even when I realize that the chosen color of paint is God Awful that I will have to do it again. I was going to TRY to do a Tuscan type of paint job in the bedroom so was painting it the first coat of yellow which was more of a school bus yellow and it was NOT RIGHT. But I continued until that bedroom glowed. Why I didn’t just stop, I have no idea…should have..
    I basically gave up on the tuscan treatment totally…wise choice.

    And I love peeling stuff too. I did that with a bathtub wall in an apartment I lived in (my very first apartment after college). basically so much water damage over the years it finally kind of caved in…my landlord wasn’t too happy with me…but COME ON…GROSS!

    Keep at it girlfriend!
    Beth

  17. Youre not crazy at all Clearly you had to do the ceiling so you can start enjoying your beautiful new fixture immediately. It makes perfect sense!

  18. Kristi – I too am a “peeler”. Fear not you are not alone. Go get ’em on your kitchen. It’s gonna be worth it!

  19. Hi Kristi, I have to confess that I have a bunch of syndromes as well hahaha It is not my fault, God made me this way 🙂
    I am very curious to see what is behind the drywall as well (; I hope you are having a good day, I can wait to see what is coming ♥
    Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and making me smile.

  20. I would rather do ANYTHING than strip wallpaper! Our house was built in the 30s and there is Still some old, old paper that has been papered over and then painted over. It is a sticky, smelly, messy job to remove and I hate it. That is why my family Rooney has half stripped walls where I’ve easily removed the top layer but nothing else.

  21. You crack me up!! I am working on one of the baths in my 1967 home. Been peeling border off the walls. Also have ceiling tiles , 2 different colored square ceramic tiles and a peeling tub:( I envy your braveness!! I would love nothing more than to start ripping everything out of this bathroom!! But, alas I am way to chicken. So I will just paint for now and envy your Wonder Woman Syndrome:)

  22. I’m not a peeler, I’m a Straightener. If it’s crooked, I HAVE to straighten it. So, we all have our little idiosyncrasies. It’s a delight to open your blog each day; I never know what’s going to happen, but it’s always fun!

    Yes, indeed, work WITH your Muse; it’s much more fun that way! Looking forward to seeing your kitchen remodel as it develops.

  23. I moved to the south 7 years ago and discovered Roaches…ewww….what would I do without my exterminator??? And like you…I believe with all my heart they lay in wait till it’s dark to overtake my home and get me. I would never do that project at night! lol… Good luck!
    This sounds like another amazing room re-do I am going to love to follow!

    1. But thank goodness they all go away — all of the bugs, roaches, mice, and snakes — once the sun comes up, right? RIGHT?! At least in my mind, that’s how it works. 😀

      And that’s why I have no fear during the day. Only at night. And that’s all perfectly reasonable and makes complete sense in my brain. 😀

  24. Oh how you make me laugh. In a good way. I started my own kitchen gut-job almost 6 months ago, not knowing WHAT THE H*LL I was getting myself into. Bit off waaaaay more than I can chew. But I demo’d the dang thing, and now I HAVE to chew it, er, get it all put back together. To say it’s slow going would be the understatement of the century. I also had a messed up sheet rock ceiling. Not only did I change the layout of multiple recessed lights leaving me with huge holes in the ceiling, it also kept cracking. I live in earthquake country (SF Bay Area) so it was never gonna stop. So instead of patching cracks and holes, etc, I decided to to put up wood plank ceiling, like you did in your condo. And so far that’s the most that I have done. Installed, primed, painted. It looks wonderful. And now I need to fill the rest of the room! Hah! Soon I will begin installing a wood floor, yes, by myself. I’m on a budget, too, and have more time than money. Wish me luck! Think I will finish them like you did your floors, you really did an amazing job on those! Anyway, love your blog. And good luck with that kitchen. I’ll even forgive you when you finish before me. Cuz I know you WILL…Wonder Woman. 😉

  25. You are more patient than I am. I would have ripped through that drywall and then ran screaming from all the make believe roaches and then came back slowly, peeking around the corner to see if it was safe. But never would I have left that drywall for daylight….never. I must also agree that roaches are their own kind of evil. I can not handle the thought of them, not one tiny bit.

    P.S. You are doing a really great job 🙂

  26. Add another syndrome of which you are part: the Domino Syndrome. WHATEVER I start, it leads to one thing, then another, then another… before I even get to what I started. Sometimes I even forget what that was….

  27. You are too funny,and your crazy makes mine feel right at home. 😉 I have a thing about opening drawers, not sure why, and not just when shopping for furniture- have had to stop myself when house shopping. I did it once without thinking while touring a historical home- got a big talking-to by the tour guide- oops. Haven’t done it at anyone’s home, at least I don’t think so….

      1. Hmm, after I wrote that, I realized it sounds like I’m being nosy about what’s IN the drawers. I just automatically open a drawer to look at the construction- dovetailed drawers? Solid wood? For instance, that historical home was from the 1800’s, probably didn’t need to check the construction, but my hands had pulled it open before I realized what I was doing. Again, oops! 😛

        1. I open drawers, too. And I do it for the same reason. I have a need to know how old a piece is and how the drawers were constructed, and if the dove tailing is handmade, etc. When someone had me look at her china cabinet/buffet combination and asked me how old it was, I remembered to ask permission to open a drawer before I actually pulled it out. LOL. I’m pretty sure that is an obsession of antique-a-holics.

  28. Hi Kristi! First, beautiful light fixture! How sweet of Matt to get it for you! It’s obvious that he supports and appreciates all of your remodeling efforts! Secondly, I hope that all your work gets done so the plumbing and gas lines moved so that will be checked off your list. Finally, I totally understand your lack of conventional thinking when it comes to a large project like this. With myself, I always wonder if there’s a method to my madness or madness to my methods LOL! That wall paper would have been calling my name to peel it off too! In fact, I probably would have gone after it sooner, although you’ve been pretty busy in the other room. Once you focused on the kitchen however, there it was, staring you in the face – time to peel! I find it liberating when redecorating. it’s like getting rid of somebody’s else’s mark on what is now my territory. I have to control the urge and thank goodness there wasn’t much wall paper in this house! Right now, I’m ignoring the peeling drywall tape around my windows and plan to cut molding to frame the windows and hide the cracks where the tape is. It will improve the look of the windows and keep me from making a mess! Anyway, I’ll stop rambling so you can get back to work. Love what you’re doing and again, thank you so much for taking us along with you on this journey! Hugs, Leena

  29. I totally get the peeling thing. One year when we were in our 1929 house I noticed a corner of wallpaper coming loose so of course I had to try it. It had a special name which I now forget, some sort of vinyl, but it just peeled right up the wall in perfect sheets! It made the neatest sound. My husband was out of town and when I spoke with him that night on the phone, he said why did you do that? I kept trying to explain the sound it made, and finally I hit on it, it was the sound of the peeling of the skin off of the frog in sophomore biology class. I could not help myself. by the time he got home that weekend, the new paper was up, I had stenciled muslin for curtains and a shower curtain and they were up and I purchased a small oriental rug for the center of the room. It looked great!

    1. Mary Anne, just tell him it’s a girl thing! When I say that to my husband, he just stops talking, cocks his head to the side and get’s this bewildered look on his face as if he’s telling to decide if he should ask me what “It’s a girl thing” means or if he should just walk away and leave well enough alone. If he decides to engage me after that, he knows there will be some DIY something in his future. He has never NOT liked a finished project when it is finished so I don’t get why he gets all bent out of shape when he walks in and see my prep/DIY mess. So now I just say, Oh, it’s a girl….he walks away before I can even finish!

  30. Kristi, I totally relate. And I’m excited about the timber behind the drywall. Best of luck. I’m currently having a nervous breakdown due to the much smaller kitchen renovation I’m in the middle of. I wish I was more Superwoman than my mind thinks I am!

  31. Kristi, I know you are 5 feet tall, what the heck are you standing on to get to the top of the wall and ceiling? Are you using a ladder and moving it all over the place or a table…what? I am 5’2 and scrapped my kitchen ceiling years ago. I will never do that again. I used a tall ladder and had to move that sucker every couple of feet! So lady, how are you doing it?

    1. I just use a ladder. It’s one of those that has the really wide steps so your whole foot can fit on it, and it has the “shelf” (I guess that’s what it’s called) where you can place a gallon of paint or tools or whatever. I do have to move it quite often, but I’ve never found it to be a hassle. Of course, it’s the way I’ve always done it, so it could just be that I’m used to it. 🙂

  32. You crack me up….I love it….I used to do things like that when I was younger and I understand about having to poke a hole bigger to see what is up there…cause if you hadn’t you would have gone to bed and thought about it for a while and THEN would have had to get back up and go punch a hole to see what was in there before actually being able to go to sleep. I love this blog…never gets boring…

  33. Hi Kristi,

    I’m dying here! My sides are killing me from laughing! Can you please work and peel a little faster. I can’t wait to see how this turns out! Luv ya!!!

  34. Your kitchen light is lovely, and your husband sounds like a keeper. You may not be Superwoman, but to work over your head like that for hours, you’re pretty darn close. Can’t wait to see where your dreams take you.

  35. Kristi, I know you’ll end up googling “diy ceiling popcorn removal” but I think I recall reading an article by an HGTV personality, a few years back, about using a paint roller and water to moisten the ceiling before scraping. It doesn’t seem as daunting if you can eliminate the dust factor… Well, I’m home, waiting for a repairman, so I googled it. http://www.prettyhandygirl.com/2012/03/scraping-your-own-popcorn-ceilings-its-a-messy-job-but-someones-gotta-do-it.html or
    http://voices.yahoo.com/remove-popcorn-ceilings-paint-instead-water-4589419.html
    The second site recommends using cheap paint instead of water… Anyway, I’m almost inspired to pull the ladder out of the shed and get to work on my own popcorn laden ceiling!

  36. Loved your article! Still grinning. I think my Mom has this peeling spirit. LOL Thanks for sharing your adventures and wisdom.

  37. I am so in love with your husband. Mine does things like that and I wouldn’t trade him for the world.

  38. Hee hee. I would have my sunburn peeled before you got to it.

    I am so glad to hear that you work on things as you are inspired. I may have to go that way. I am trying to do things in the logical order, but I just can’t get started. I’m so tired of spending money on plumbing, roofing, etc. I WANT TO SEE PAINT ON THE WALLS.

    p.s. why are you making holes in your kitchen drywall if you hate installing drywall?

  39. I am so bookmarking this page. This way when I start our renos and hubby asks me why I am doing it so round about (because I just know I will) I can point and say “My Expert” does it this way all the time.

    I love your posts, Kristi. You are just so human. None of the glossed up magazine perfect that we see elsewhere. I need to be able to see renovating with the warts and all.

    The light is adorable, by the way.

  40. I love all the work you do!

    One question: Do you get stressed living in the mess? That’s the one part I don’t know how you tolerate!

    1. Sometimes I do, but I think I have a very high tolerance for mess. 😀

      While it’s still in its original not-so-pretty state, I do try to keep my bedroom somewhat clean so that when I close the door at night, I’m not surrounded by mess (helps to calk my mind before going to sleep). And I also try to keep clutter out of the living room so that when the messes in the other areas get to me, I can go to the living room and just have a moment in a nice, almost finished, pretty (to me) room. That definitely helps.

  41. I understand the need to peel. When my husband and I bought our first house, I promised him we would demo room by room…..That lasted until about 8pm on the day of possession. What started with lifting the carpet in the living room and removing the wood paneling turned into gutting the entire house. It was perhaps On hindsight maybe not the best plan I ever had, but it inspired me to get going on projects! Unfortunately I have decorating add, and would start projects in no particular order, just what I was inspired to do. So I completely understand that aspect of home renos as well. Good Luck, I am sure it will look wonderful.

  42. So first off I’m a “peeler” too, I especially like peeling the protective plastic covering off new appliances.. but you taking peeling to a WHOLE new level! I don’t think I would have been able to stop either, I’m hoping whatever is underneath is NOT the backside of the wood planking of your home. Can’t wait to see how this all turns out! Kudos to the hubby for buying such a beautiful light fixture!

  43. You made me laugh! I love what you are doing with your house, and whatever you uncover as you go along will no doubt be fixed and beautiful when you are done. Good for you for doing things your way! Being able to do that is what keeps me motivated and creative as a (needlework) designer.

  44. OMG, this post made me totally crack up!

    (1) That light fixture is gorgeous. Yay you for having such a sweet hubby, and yay Matt for being such a doll to you!

    (2) Oh, god, roaches! Yes, they are their own special kind of evil, and they are EVERYWHERE! I lived in an apartment that was located near the building’s trash chute, and our kitchen had roaches. One actually CHARGED AT ME when I went in the kitchen late at night and flipped the switch on. I actually moved out of that place in large part because of the charging cockroach! Now I have cats and I have never seen a cockroach where I live now. I think cats are excellent vector control, they kills spiders and moths, too!

    (3) Aside from the Wonder Woman Syndrome, you are my spirit animal! I peel things, too, and have been know to start projects really late at night. I probably would’ve torn through that wall, but for fear of cockroaches!

  45. my favorite post. I’m an unapologetic peeler and it’s the reason I unexpectedly remodeled my master bath one day with no plan, no warning, no experience. It’s still my favorite room. Peel away 🙂

  46. I needed a good laugh today — thanks for providing it! And I can’t wait to see your kitchen come together!

  47. Kristi, the boards you’re seeing under the wall may mean that your house was built with “ship-lap” walls, a very common early building practice in Texas. The boards were wide, and placed close together, nailed to the studs–usually horizontally, sometimes on the diagonal or vertically. Then, if the family had the money, muslin or canvas was tacked to the walls, and either painted, or wallpapered. It makes me wonder if your house might be older than you’ve been lead to believe. Ship-lap fell out of use as plasters became more available and affordable, and then wallboard took over soon after. Talking about the progression of walls in Texas now, it was different in other parts of the country.
    If it is ship-lap, the obviously it would be well worth saving. I don’t remember the age of your house, but I do remember thinking it has the classic look for that age. So this discovery could be a very interesting puzzle.

  48. Syndromes? We don’t have syndromes. We’re just….curious. 😉 Way to go on the light fixture (awesome choice, hubby!) and looking forward to seeing what your syndr…curiousity unravels (then fixes and looks amazing) next!

  49. Nice post. You are amazingly talented and YOU inspire me! Thank you for that! I am interested to see how your Reno works out! The kitchen is a popular gathering spot in most homes. It is a place where the family may meet at the end of the day to talk about the day’s events.

  50. Best post ever!! This is exactly where I would find myself if I were to get going on my kitchen. Only I wouldn’t have your tenacity to see it through to completion. Well done Kristi!

  51. Great post! I too am a peeler and a picker. Just can’t stop once I start. Like you I’m redoing our kitchen. We are not starting from stratch and we are keeping the footprint but it’s a mess. Right now I’m stripping thirty four doors and eight drawers and also stripping and sanding the cabinets. I don’t have your energy so it’s taking me a bit of time but it’ll get done. You inspire me each day and I just can’t wait to see what you are going to do with your kitchen. That light fixture is beautiful and I’m so glad Matt thought to buy it for you. He must be so proud of his hard working wife. Cheers

  52. I am slightly obsessed with your site and your posts. I make no apologies for it. I often laugh out loud when reading your posts and I don’t care that my friends, family and coworkers think I’m off my meds (which I’m not.) You are fearless and inspirational. I can’t wait to see what’s behind the drywall!
    PS I’m going to make the fence picket counter in the next few weeks in my laundry room. I’m so excited to see it complete. I may even put the pickets up the wall behind the washer and dryer but I haven’t decided yet.

  53. Hahaha… I’m a peeler too! I sooooooo get what you are saying, exactly! It feels so strange to have someone that isn’t me say exactly what is in my head! :p This post made me laugh, yes the peeling but the fact that you start where you feel inspired, guilty!!! I am totally looking forward to the kitchen story, I know that it will be awesome! Thanks for sharing your quirks, they are wonderful! 🙂

  54. Kristi, I’m not nearly as addicted to decorating as I am to your post. I love it, every part of it. But this post in particular has brought me much enjoyment. I laughed both at the post and at the responses. This is the best entertainment I’ve had today, even though it was yesterday’s post. I was so absorbed taking care of my 99-yr-old dad yesterday that I did not get to turn on my laptop, but today he is resting well and I have received the biggest boost with laughter. Kudos! Can hardly wait for more.

  55. Ha! Peeling labels off at Subway! Too funny.

    I have Wonder Woman Syndrome too. I take on too many projects and want to do things myself. Hopefully I can start posting more about them and not dealing with crazy issues with our home.

    In the meantime, my husband got me the below shirt the other day. It would look great on you. 😀

    https://www.etsy.com/listing/162485625/im-not-saying-im-wonderwoman-funny-cool?ref=sr_gallery_14&ga_search_query=wonder+woman+t+shirt&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

  56. I WAS going to just type LOL!
    But seriously, I was just sitting here with a big grin on my face as I was reading the part about your insatiable need to peel stuff. I can’t say I do exactly the same thing, but I DO SO understand!!! and I’m sure I have some similar tendency. Once you started writing about the bugs, roaches mice, and snakes I was literally giggling! And I WITH you on that one. Course I don’t think I have any more courage during daylight hours when confronting them!! And for the record, I would imagine rats not mice — and I’ve seen a lot more mice than rats IRL!
    Thanks for brightening the end of my day – you almost always do!

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