Hahahaha and don't climb on top of the refrigerator to do the two little doors, it's scary as heck to get back down lol. Take it from me.

Don't let DH start painting before you've really tested the color and are off picking up more supplies. :c)

YaYaGal, how did you know I was eyeing that set up there? It is really tall up there. On the regular cabinets, I stand on the counter and if I go up on my toes, can balance by pressing my head on the ceiling.

Lukkiirish?
DH is history. Funny U shud mention him, tho. When he was angling to come live in the guest bedroom (yeah, right) he started doing things around the construction site I call a house. He painted the cabinets for me. Using the bottom dark color on all of them.
He said, "U should really mark the cans."
I said, "Like I wrote on the top of them?"
Luckily we laughed and he said, "They look good dark, don't you think!?"

Ironically, I've had to have anything he did on this house redone. I had forgotten about a coat of paint under there!

Oh - and he's 6'5" and doesn't even need a stupid ladder.

C.

The Husband is not allowed to paint inside. Period. We figured that out about 25 years ago. ;^)

Don't assume that the PO's used the same paint on the bathroom cabinets that they used on the trim. I tested the trim--latex. Roughed up and painted the cabinets with latex...and the original paint was alkyd. Had to scrape and strip...and THEN I primed. Everything else in this house is getting primed with the stinky primer...

Oh my! You were "hot footin' it" for sure. :) My body won't let me get into those positions anymore, I tried to put a leg up on the sink to stand and paint the window trim behind it and I just couldn't do it. Thought I was going to be stuck with one knee on the sink and one leg on the ladder.

Mom gets so upset with me, "One of these days you'll fall and no one will find you for days!".

Schoolhouse, I have considered the "Help me I've Fallen" button. I did fall yesterday, but only off the step stool. I work with power tools, blah blah. I'd lay there for days and my cats and dogs would eat me.

I tend bar and teach yoga, so I'm pretty stretchy. I've found myself having momentary panics, though. Like when I did get up to the fridge cabinets, and getting down that step stool seemed way farther way then my legs could reach. I made it, tho! :)

cfmuehling, believe me it wasn't easy, luckily I am supple from yoga and was almost in the face down yoga position lol. When it came time to paint the ceiling corner up over the fridge, I taped a brush to a long broom handle and did it every so slowly from the top of the stove. I was 65 at the time.

oooooooo.
I like the broom handle design.

You've got a little on me. I'm only 52. But we're doing lots more than many 30 year olds these days, aren't we?

I have to tackle the other side of the kitchen this weekend, I think. That only has 10 cabinets on it, with doors and drawers. Luckily, the side I just finished is done -- I think. I have to make the doors & drawer fronts, but 15 cabinets, with 7 doors & 9 drawer fronts is a heck of a lot of painting under the bridge! :)

whew. When I talk about it that way, I think I'll just kill myself instead.

Christine

I'll add to the list...
Don't use a paint can on the top step of your painter's ladder to reach the top of the wall on a vaulted ceiling. At the slightest wiggle, I got down from the ladder, went to the bathroom and came back with a step stool to place on the ladder's top step. It was not much better, but it did make me less nervous.
I should add, that do not have your high ceilings painted a darker color unless you tell the painter to do a careful cut in on the highest wall and don't come down the sides. Otherwise, you have to cut in yourself when you paint the wall and that defeats the purpose of paying someone to paint up high when you have a fear of heights. I should have included him doing the top foot of the high parts of the wall. My other caveat is to stick around when he first starts painting to make sure you like the exact color when it is applied or you will end up repainting the bedroom ceiling and high kitchen walls yourself in a corrected color and that costs you in extra paint (had to buy new instead of tweaking the existing) as well as wasting what you paid for labor. I am still kicking myself about that.

Oh, my. You incited a big moan from me.

For those of you with high ceilings?!? LISTEN to Dianalo!!

I like the step stool on the ladder thing. I stand on drywall buckets. Actually, that's also how I hung the upper cabinets by myself. Have bucket, will ... do?

I'm even starting to think I'll suffer & sand my kitchen & living room ceilings just so I can paint. I hate both, but it's looking soooooo good!

Just wait until I have trim & molding! :)

Christine

Christine, you've done so much work already how can you think of sanding ceilings? UGH. I did my walls but wimped out when it came to the ceilings. I asked the painter if he'd do it for me, small areas so it won't take him long.

"You've got a little on me. I'm only 52. But we're doing lots more than many 30 year olds these days, aren't we?"

You can sure say that again!! I'm 52 as well, my DH a couple years younger ;c) My DD and SIL are in their 30's and in the 7 years they've owned their house they've painted a couple of rooms and that's it. They say it's too much work.

On the other hand, we bought a house in need of some love and my DH & I have pretty much refurbished the entire inside, top to bottom. The only thing we hired out for was our master bath & roof. It's rewarding. My favorite part, looking at our floors knowing I nailed every board.

Schoolhouse. Honey. You've obviously missed the part where I teach yoga & tend bar, yet live on a post-fire construction site, where my GC husband bailed & left me with
$643,890.00 in debt,
extension cords off the fuse box,
plumbing (where he actually hooked it up) that leaked,
open soffits,
holes in the ceiling where lights should someday be,
holes in the floor,
and Tyvek paper over holes where the windows should be.

Don't be overwhelmed by my dump. :) I don't let all of it loose & try to make jokes about it. But even here, that's sadly not the 1/2 of it.

"Having" someone do the sanding is out of the question, which is why I'm
making my own cabinets, doors & drawer fronts,
(trying to) hanging drywall,
figuring out how to finish it,
sanding, priming, painting,
then I'll learn how to trim out my windows, doors, & pass thrus.
Outside I have to afford gutters (6 years now without)
get siding & cover the back of the house,
make & lay patio pavers
& build retaining walls,
cover pillars,
build out my front porch,
fix the grading,
build a back deck,
rebuild my formerly enclosed, collapsed porch,
enclose soffits.. (stop me)
and other things for which I do not have the $$.

So, sanding is the least of all these evils. But sometimes I just plain get worn out and overwhelmed. I remind myself that things are better by the fact that last year I got heat and air conditioning installed & don't have wind coming down thru the holes in the ceiling. Snakes having sex, yes. But far less wind.

lukkiirish, I'm hoping for the time when just ONE thing is finished, so I can look at it with pride. OTOH, I have electricity in all but two rooms, which I did not have even 8 months ago. It's encouraging to hear about those who do things themselves. I've lurked here for years, but had nothing to contribute.

I have a wonderful, beautiful sister, who is one of those corporate 6 figure wonder women. She "has something done" yet paints her own walls when she needs a color change. I love her and enjoy her Architectural Digest home. I know somehow, thru learning skills, recycle & reuse, & in no small amount, kindness of others to me, I'll finish something.

In the meanwhile, I can at least paint the darned cabinets. I really am feeling a bit encouraged about sanding those (#)$#@** ceilings, so two rooms can be painted. Someday? I'll get trim. [LOL]

Christine

OMG, what a freaking nightmare. I'm sure that can be extremely over whelming. If my ex had done that to me he'd be walking funny for years to come. LOL...well actually he was but for just a few days, hee hee and that's another story. LOL Can't some agency like habitat for humanity or the likes help you with the mess?

Dearheart, I wish.
I keep things extremely peaceful & take solace that as he said to me a while back, is "in living hell". Sometimes God throws U a bone. There is so much more to this sordid story soap operas would refuse the script. If he ever "gets some money & can fix the house" I wudn't refuse it.

No, I'm not "eligible" for anything, evidently, because the house (and all of these bills) are in my name. That it's 4 mortages upside down means nothing.

It is my sole purpose in life to keep my home. Where could I go with 5 cats & two dogs? Rent would now be more than the mortgage, because I did get a modification. Thank God. And frankly, with the years of worrying about him & believing? I earned it. Can't do anything else, but so far I've got my roof.

I have myself to rely on, despite offers & promises of well intentioned people. No one owes me help, so I plug along. If someone has time or remembers? I'm open!

But I'll tell you something. It's very important. ANYone who says something like "I've been doing this since I was 7 years old"? Be extremely leary. That's a darned good indicator they'e experts at "good enough for now". Be afraid. Very afraid & don't let them "help" with ANYthing.

So...
No painting tonight.
I really didn't mean to get so off-topic. Sometimes when I'm tired and would LOVE to just "have someone do" something? I dwell & become morose. So I'll boob-tube it tonight & start again 2morrow!

"Tomorrah is ah-notha day," said Scarlett

Christine

I'm "only" 51--but work darn near kilt me today. Heavy plants, a lot of wind...but The Husband had a whole foods shrimp ring, some good tomatoes, and a bottle of cold chardonnay ready for me when I got home. I MAY have had one glass of wine too may. ;^)

Hang in there, my dears...and three cheers for those of us that paint, construct, and sell plants (I work in a retail nursery)! I highly recommend Bones for boob-tubage...

I love Bones. :)
Am watching Harry right now. Turning out not to be too bad a show. :)

Love you, Mjsee. Nice to hear something so nice. Please have one for me -- although I prefer reds. :)

C.
Formerly CFMuehling (as of 9:00 this evening)

I love Bones and Harry, which was pretty funny last night. Says seasons finally so here's hoping at least one good show makes it back next season.

Mjsee, your DH sounds like a dear. I'm not a drinker but there's been times I wish I was!

Congrats on the formally C. something worthy of celebration!

O-M-G Christine, I had no idea!!! The fact that you can make jokes is tribute to your intestinal fortitude.

I didn't know the whole story either, Christine. Sheesh. You poor kid - but I see you are a strong one that's for sure.

I can relate in a way, when I moved in my house, it needed some work; my Dad was one of those "My way or no way" people. I hated asking him to do stuff,even when I was a kid and then would end up with no say. If I did, he'd gripe and sometimes just stop. I think that's why today I have a hard time asking and accepting help from others.

I also slept in a big room where the patches of plaster were off the ceiling and you could see pin pricks of light from outside through the lathe! no electricity or heat in there either. It was only two years ago I got the entire room remodeled after 30yrs.

Good luck in all your endeavors, and yes, take a break.

(my name is also Christine, spelled the same!)

Thanks, guys. :)

I'll tell 'ya.
If one single, more person misquotes Neitszche again & tells me how strong I'm going to be, I'm going to deck them.

Between deaths, house fire, losing pets, DH's depression & exhaustion, then discovering his "thing," and trying to do all this alone?

I'm already too @#@$@$* strong & don't need anymore. I know this because suicide was comtemplated & discarded by one who had too much to do and too many pets to leave the the mercy of someone who proved himself to be unreliable.

no more strength!!

Christine

Had two crazy days at work...stopped back in...

*hugs Christine*