Four P's.

This weekend, I FINALLY! finished the project of painting my bedroom. I've had the paint for almost 9 months. I've come to learn that there are just some things you can't rush.

Bad
In spite of numerous "helpful" suggestions on wallpaper removal; I learned that the best thing to remove 3 layers of newspaper and paste and old paint from rough plaster walls was steam and elbow grease. Swearing and death glares did nothing. Neither did fabric softener, or gel sprays, or asking the paper nicely to please get off my walls. Scrape. Read - oh look - the Russians are in Berlin! Scrape. Read -What? Which offensive? Why isn't this scrap story bigger? &^(@! Scrape. Read - 3 bedroom cottage for sale in WBL for $4500. I will cheerfully hate that wallpaper for the rest of my life, and yet continue to love the home I have. Maybe it was a character building experience. Maybe it was torture. I wish (also doesn't work) that the dreadful wallpaper was gone forever from my house, but that is still a triumph in the making.

Better
So far, I've used 18 gallons of plaster on the walls - yep, gallons. That gasp you just heard was me being shocked after doing that math - it's the equivalent of a tank of gas. And I'll need more for the stairwell and the upstairs hallway. In spite of the quantity though, I like plaster. I like how gloppy and tactile it is. I like seeing the difference between the new surface and the old surface. I like remembering when my dad taught me how to tape and seam drywall. I'm glad there's still plaster work on my future project list.

Best

Remember that paint? The paint that I had for 9 months? I love paint. I love color. I love what happens when color goes on a wall and a room is transformed into a completely different space. I chose and purchased all of the colors for my house shortly after I closed. I wanted to be ready to paint as soon as possible. I am not a pink bedroom kind of girl, but I lived in a pink bedroom because there were so many other projects to finish first - kitchen, kids' room living room, bathroom, dining room - it's a long list that's been checked off already. I could live with pink, because I knew Toasted Wheat, and Yorkshire Brown , and California Poppy were waiting. Now that they are on the walls - it feels like a victory.

What is the point of this post? It's a reminder to myself that it takes time to get where you want to be. There aren't magic words. There will be delays and unexpected events that take you from your focus. What did I learn? Paper. Plaster. Paint. Patience.