Popcorn

Z: Don't ever try to eat popcorn ceiling texture unless you first add a dash of salt

Z: Why put textured cottage cheese on ceilings? Well its cheap, its incredibly easy to apply, and it serves as a magnificent acoustic dampener. So what's not to like about affordability, ease, and soft noises. Well for one, poop ceilings could do the same thing. And ten years later it would start flaking off.

Therefore we removed them all.

Removing popcorn ceilings is a 4 step process:

1. Protect the good stuff: We suffocated the walls and floors with tape and plastic. This was the only expense

2. Water the popcorn: Deceive the popcorn by offering it a drink. We sprayed with a garden sprayer and even pulled the hose in the house. A nice indoor sauna effect is created

3. Kill the popcorn after it has satiated its greedy thirst: We applied grease to our elbows and scraped for 40 days and 40 nights leaving slimy globs of popcorn laying dead on the floor

4. Clean up: Wrap the dead popcorn body in the plastic and place it near the curb and no will even know.

This project took nearly 6 months to complete 8 rooms, closets and all. Yes, it was worth it.

S: Safety Sarah says always wear a dust mask when removing popcorn ceiling!

Guest Bedroom 1

Before

S: No need for a baby's room yet, so the former owner's baby themed room had to go. New paint for the walls, doors, and trim, and a new ceiling fan and blinds.
Z: Its a well known fact that babies love insects. My plan was to keep the baby room and convert the window into a giant ant farm and replace the fan with a giant spider. Also it needed some brown carpet (since brown and yellow are the two colors babies personally love to make)

After

S: No more stenciled dragon flies and flowers. What I like best about this room is the story behind all of the furnishings. We didn't have to purchase a single piece of furniture for this room. It was all passed down by family members, or rescued on trash day. The iron bed, quilt, and bedspread all belonged to my grandmother. The little dresser and night stands are from Zach's side of the family. The rocking chair in the corner was being thrown away by a neighbor! All it needed was a little paint, a new cushion, and some ribbon.

The pillow shams however, were bought with a price. Zach and I made a trip to the Linens N Things store closing sale and scored these shams for little to nothing. Or so we thought. I was so excited about the good deals we got while in the store, I thought I would review the sales receipt as we walked back to our car. bad idea. reading while walking in flip flops through a parking lot can have disastrous consequences. I jammed by big toe dead on into a cement parking space divider, which bent my toe-nail nearly half back. Every step left toward the car resulted in a spurt of blood. Luckily, Zach fixed me up with the first-aid kit in his car. lesson learned.

Z: True story, this room only cost one pint of Sarah's blood and one gallon of paint. Sentimental family vibes is the key here. I'm going to personally thank Andrew Vanderhoeven for painting the back side of that bright white bi-fold door on his Christmas break. Anytime we play Hide & Seek around here no one can shut up about how good the back side of that door looks. I dig the two oval framed silhouettes of my dad and me.

Guest Bathroom

Before

S: Our guest bathroom before. We removed the wallpaper, old vanity, "marble" countertop (complete with lovely seashell-shaped sink) and wall-to-wall mirror. Z: Imagine: You indulge in 10 gallons of Rocky Road Ice cream. Then you puke it up into a sea shell and bake it into a rock and wash your face in it.

After

S: Guest bath after. We added a sink, new vanity, and new mirrors. All the walls, trim, and doors got a fresh coat of paint. This was the first finished room in our house!

Z: I believe a dove with an olive branch in its mouth would be jealous of the peace this room emits. My favorite part: the cabinets and countertop were perfectly level. Please feel free to place all your marbles on this vanity because you will not lose them. It is perfectly level. Your marbles are safe.

Kirk Lesson #1

Zach acts silly. Sarah laughs a lot.

So we've finally entered the blogging world. We hope you'll visit often and share in all the details, exciting and mundane, of our daily lives.

Over the next few weeks we will be posting before and after pictures of our first house! It's still a work in progress but I figure it's time to share over 8 months of hard work, and brag on my very skillful husband.