Romance

It's Valentine's Day. This afternoon Hubs and I climbed the stairs, closed our bedroom door and...

...finished scraping the popcorn off our master bathroom ceiling.

Who needs roses when you can have soggy chunks of plaster in your hair?

We're generally not impulsive remodelers--when we've tackled projects in the past, we've usually thought them through very carefully, with a budget and a plan in place. Early last week we began to wonder how hard it would be to strip our old wallpaper, which led to a wondering about how much bathtub refinishing costs, which led to a wondering about whether we could remove a doorway. Ten days later, my bathroom looks like this:

So, it would appear we're remodeling the bathroom.

I am learning many things in this little adventure, chief among them that plumbers are expensive, sledgehammers are surprisingly therapeutic, and wallpaper glue is forever. And I am reminded, with much thankfulness, that I'd rather spend an afternoon inhaling sheetrock dust with him than sitting at a candlelit table with anybody else. Come to think of it, maybe we should've written that into our wedding vows.

Happy Valentine's Day, Hubs. Thanks for the drywall and the babies and the sanity and for looking so dang good in a tool belt.

Comments

[BriAnna]

Can't wait to see the finished product!!

[Nikki]

What an adorable post! I absolutely LOVE it....
I might go into that bathroom kicking and screaming...but I'd love every second of it too! There is just nothing like working alongside the man you love!
Happy Love day!

[Kimberly Hosey (Arizona Writer)]

Thanks for the drywall and the babies and the sanity and for looking so dang good in a tool belt.

Perfect Valentine's thank you. Love it.

Bathroom remodeling is quite an undertaking. But stuff like that only cements bonds in the end. Well, that, and wallpaper glue.

[prasti]

nothing says romance than drywall dust :).

[Tootie]

Cute post! Happy Valentine's Day!

[Becca]

I've heard horror stories about that popcorn stuff... You're a brave woman.

[Amy]

let us know how much a tub refinishing costs. Thinking about doing that to mine. BTW - a reno usually means close to divorce for my hubby and I! LOL

[JabB]

most remodeling jobs start with the phrase, "How hard can it be?"

[Mrs. Oh]

I feel ya - our bathroom remodel should have taken a few weeks lasted SIX months! Ditto on the popcorn scraping - we did one bedroom and still have the rest of the house to go. We found that using a bug sprayer filled with water worked best. Just lightly spray the ceiling down and the stuff scrapes off pretty easily. Messy but easy. Have fun!

[Kelly @ Love Well]

I can't shake the feeling that you've just created a new line of Hallmark Valentine's Day cards.

"My love for you is more fixed than wallpaper glue."

From the Home Improvement line.

[Maureen D. Hall]

Finally, some REAL love!

[BlueCastle]

This line right here:
I'd rather spend an afternoon inhaling sheetrock dust with him than sitting at a candlelit table with anybody else

That's exactly how I feel about my husband too. The few times we've tackled home-remodeling projects have been my absolute favorite times of our marriage. Have fun!

[TRS]

"Wallpaper glue is forever."

so poetic!

[Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt]

Um, yes. This just happened to us. First the bathroom (which is now at that final stage where just the trim needs painting and ohmyword, will it ever get done?) and then the kitchen. We're waiting on countertops.

(Why do I do these things to myself?)

[Gretchen]

Priorities! A night of passion is a fleeting thing, but a fabulous bathroom...

[Mary Jo]

We did a bathroom remodel once, we had to do it in less than 3 days because it was our only bathroom and no toilet for any amount of time is not fun LOL.

And yes lots of lessons learned. We rent now, in a way I'm glad in a way I miss being able to just fix whatever is wrong like the leaky shower that is ruining the walls around it, would love to be doing a bath remodel right now.

[Laurie]

I remember when my hubby and I were newly married he came home to find my finished project of hanging striped wallpaper. He decided it was crooked. And I let him take it down and hang it to his liking! They say if you can wallpaper together, you'll make it!

[Susan]

Love it! My husband and I are starting on our master bath - I cannot wait to get my hands on the sledgehammer.

[Rebecca in Colorado]

many years ago, my best friend's impatient mother grew tired...very tired...of waiting for her husband to start a remodeling project. She got out a sledgehammer, called him at his high-powered executive job, and said, "I'm taking out the wall between the living room and dining room. Right now." He was home in 20 minutes.

I like your teamwork story better.

And I wish I had your guts. We save and save and save until we can call a contractor. That's why my kitchen and basement are done, but my bathrooms are still circa 1979.

[Stephanie]

I like your "style" of romance. It sounds similar to ours. We much prefer to work side-by-side than to go out to some fancy schmacy overcrowded restaurant on Valentine's Day.

[Seth]

I wish our Valentines day were as Romantic. Jude caught the stomach virus. We watched Olympic mogul skiing in our pajamas and considered, albeit for only a moment, eating popcorn for supper. It was a blessed day, though.

Glad to see you're swinging the hammer.

[Ann Voskamp@Holy Experience]

No, nothing quite says love like a man in a tool belt :)

Love isn't a feeling but an action and well, you Rocks --- you now how to shake up love. :)

[Robin]

as someone who has also removed many a wall of wallpaper, and ceiling of popcorn with there hubs I totally agree! :)

[Paige]

Today, as I was drying some clothes, I heard a loud clunking over and over, and wondered what in the world that noise could be. I checked it out, and what do you know, there were ROCKS in my dryer. I thought of you.

[Browraisedbeauty.blogspot.com]

It's amazing to me how the definition of romance shifts when you are married. This has to be one of the most romantic valentine's experiences I've heard of yet! Seriously. I hide from my kids in the bathroom. Now, if I had my husband in there with me AND he wanted to remodel it? H.O.T.;)

[Gretchen]

My congrats and sympathies are with you! We are in the middle of a bathroom, the MAIN bathroom remodel too! I'm loooonnnnggging to take a bath soon, but am told that it will be at least another week! Hope yours goes fast and well! My hubby says that doing chores and projects together "builds intimacy"! I think getting your wife a new bath tub does the trick too!