"The torture of chalkdust collects on my tongue" or, How I spent my 3-day weekend

I have a small hole in my ankle, my legs feel like I've been running all weekend, and I can still taste the drywall dust in the air (or is it just coating my nasal passages?) ... but it was all worth it ...

This weekend, I took the kids to visit their grandparents and The Husband and I tore down a wall.

No, that's not some kind of new age metaphor. We literally tore down a wall in our house. Well, 3/4 of one, anyway.

*Insert Tim Allen grunting here*

Some background: Our house was built in 1950. We bought it "as is" a few years ago and it's needed plenty of work since day one. And that's fine with us. The Husband and I both love older houses. We would much rather live in a '50s - or earlier - fixer-upper than in any new construction. That's just our taste.

Fortunately, my handy husband knows his way around a tool box pretty well and my uber-handy Dad is always willing to lend a hand, too. (Seriously, my dad could build a whole house all by himself - just give him the time and tools.)

Me? I'm not exactly a DIY queen. But I'm not completely useless, either. So, I pitch in as the semi-skilled labor occasionally.

So, when our personal and perpetual "This Old House" needs a little TLC, we usually serve it up ourselves with a side of elbow grease.

We've completed a lot of projects, indoors and out, but, of course, there's always more to do.

THIS weekend, we did a relatively quick and easy and cheap job that, I think, makes a HUGE improvement.



I have wanted to knock down this wall ever since we moved in.

The living and dining areas are basically one long, connected room. This wall separated the kitchen from that room.

And, can I just tell you? This is a really well-built house! Damn, but that wall was sturdy. Seriously, earthquake, shmurthquake - this house ain't goin' nowhere!



We were coated in gypsum dust by the end of the demolition (as was everything else in the house not covered by a dropcloth), I have three large trashcans full of drywall, plaster and chicken wire, and there is a rather large pile of used 2x4s in my backyard.

We are not quite finished with, well, the finish work, so we'll have to work on it a bit more next weekend. But all of the hard stuff is done.

And it was worth it. I already LOVE the difference it makes! The small kitchen feels so much bigger. And the living and dining rooms feel bigger, too.

But the best part is that The Husband or I can be in the kitchen cooking or doing dishes or whatever AND still be part of family time with the kids in the living room.

I'm really happy with it.

Ta-daaaa! Whaddaya think?