Why haven’t I posted on my blog for the past two weeks?
Why is my husband afraid to come home from work?
Why has my well of quilting ideas temporarily dried up?
Why do my children run in the other direction when I come up from the basement?
Why am I now answering the phone: “Jen’s house of anger, how may I help you?” (but only when my sister calls)
One word. Drywall.
A month ago, my husband and I decided to remodel and add a bathroom to our basement. He worked on framing and hanging sheetrock and then passed the drywall finishing torch to me. After all, I’m a quilter and therefore have a good attention to detail and passable motor skills and I’m a mild perfectionist (ok, mild to moderate). Who better to tape and mud (yes, that’s right, I wrote “mud” like a real drywaller, trust me, I’ve earned it) the corners, seams and screws? How hard could it be to achieve smooth walls? I had no idea.
Every day I descend to the basement to spread on another coat of joint compound and my blood pressure begins to rise. And every day after 4 hours spent struggling to smooth joints, and slopping mud all over myself and the floor, and using language that I dare not speak of here, I climb back up the basement stairs and call my husband and vow that I will never, ever attempt to finish drywall again no matter what.
My sister said I should abandon the project and get someone in to finish it, but as my husband says “I’m in it now.” God willing, tomorrow I will apply the final coat. Then I’m hanging up my taping knives for good. Sanding, priming and painting should be a walk in the park. I’m almost there. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Oh, did I mention I’m also supposed to install a ceramic tile floor. Shudder.
I realize this may have been a somewhat gloomy post (welcome to my pain), so I’ve decided to include a gratuitous shot of our puppy Casey. I take no responsibility for doing this to Casey — it was my kids — I’m just the photographer. Although I must say, she doesn’t look too worked up about her new look.
And by the way…
Check back here next week (the 22nd to be exact) for a chance to win a prize. I’m participating in a Quilters Newsletter blog tour to promote their Best Christmas Quilts 2012 special issue. I’ll be writing about the projects that I designed for the special issue and picking one lucky reader to win a fabric bundle! Can’t wait!
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The minute I saw the table runner, I knew what I would make for my Sister for Christmas, she loves snow and cold weather, she will love this. You are so talented and clever.
Jean McMurry
jmcmu69345@aol.com
Oh, Jen, I have sooooo been there. For some reason, my husband decided I should be the taper and mudder. After several years of this, I now refuse. I'd lay down a coat of mud, come back the next day and sand most of it off and then lay another one down. It would look worse some days then when I started. Although I eventually got decent at it, I still hate it and refuse to do anymore. Unfortunately, my husband had "seen" guys do this, so always had some advice on how to do it right…
How is it possible that you married the "handiest" Daly (by a landslide) and somehow you're finishing the drywall. Clearly you also married the smartest!!!!