Still life of disturbing junk IV

You will note that a picture of the disturbing junk of the day is not posted here.  It was just too disturbing.  This isn't that kind of blog.  After prying up a bunch of wall planks and baseboard Rachel discovered a dirty Qtip flattened to the floor.  "How old could this Qtip be?"  Rachel wondered.  "When were Qtips invented?"  I persuaded her not to make it the basis of her next research project for tenure.  However, for all those who are curious, the Qtip was invented in 1923.  You can find a Qtip timeline here.

Iron Chef: Battle Drywall

Yesterday, 100-degree heat be damned, we demoed the wall between the kitchen and the hallways and knocked out some wall between the kitchen and the dining room.  Afterwards we whipped up some braised drywall with chanterelles for the Chairman and did a nice drywall gelato for dessert.  (Gelato...who are we kidding?  It was slush by the time they sampled it.)  The judges, even cranky Jeffrey, were very impressed.

We also demoed the door leading into the hallway so we can boost the ceiling height:

These all used to be exterior walls so they are killer to take down.  Rachel used language only her father uses when he works on the laundry room plumbing.

The floor plan!

Memorize it so you can find your way to the guest room after one of my Hendricks martinis. (Click on the image if you'd like to see a larger version.):

Damn, that's a MESS of lines...

Woody is unable to write this post as he is cross-eyed after doing this entire drawing on AutoCAD. This is an exact reproduction of the front of the house for construction/ construction loan purposes. To bring it up to code we are adding a handrail and there will be a porch swing on which to spend lazy afternoons. Plans of the inside of the house coming soon! Now I'm going to go tend to Woody, he keeps swatting at the air and talking about lines and spots.

Still Life of Disturbing Junk III

While ripping out the baseboards in the bedroom Rachel was able to finally dislodge the pencil she had been keeping an eye on for the entire window-stripping process (why she was "keeping an eye on it" I don't know. Pencils are not known for decamping from their nasty hiding places to posher digs. Again, the "organic" stripper has altered her I think.)

Our new(est) illegal laborer

We found her looking for work outside the Home Depot and figured "Why not? Her family back home probably needs money." Little did we know her work ethic looked more like this:

It was an itsy bitsy teeny weeny....

We set out to build the world's smallest bathroom. One where you could wash your hands before getting up. We're looking for a magazine/bookholder that will clip on the sink so your hands are free for, ahem, sanitary functions. No need to stop reading EVER in the bathroom, how convenient! Seriously, this bathroom makes submarine washrooms look roomy. There are horse jockeys who would feel claustrophobic in here. This is NOT the bathroom to use if you are feeling bloated.

Like Showgirls...only with wallpaper

Rachel continues to strip. Here she is after a particularly vigorous number with a straightedge razor and a bucket of white vinegar (she uses unconventional props):The awful wallpaper(s) in the hallway have finally come down...but not without a fight. Now instead of these fine patterns:

We have this:
Apparently the fine homeowners in eons past chose to put up their wallpaper with wood glue. Because, as you know, they didn't have water back then with which to coat pre-pasted friggin wallpaper. (Full disclosure: Rachel's hatred of this wallpaperer of days of old is translating into the post here.) However, in full view, it is cleaner overall and less...pink and blue country print: