Remodeling Project #1 - Removing Popcorn Ceilings

Between the groans of my husband climbing up and down a ladder, the hissing of the garden sprayer soaking every surface in the house, and the scraping of the trowel on the ceilings, I thought I was listening to an urban construction soundtrack of some sort... But the rhythmic sounds were not so soothing... This weekend my husband and I tackled the first of many projects to come in our two-month remodeling project - removing popcorn ceilings. It really wasn't that bad. We were lucky, though, because the ceilings had never been painted which made our jobs about 1000 times easier from what I've heard.

I'm going to share a little insight on the things I learned while removing popcorn ceilings:

1. Prep work - After the popcorn came down, we knew we were going to have the ceilings textured. So we had our contractor come and put up all the plastic and dropcloth before we got started. He would be doing it anyway before texturing, so it saved us quite a bit of time to have them do the prep work for us and it didn't cost anything extra. The only downside was that they used painters tape to tape plastic to the walls, but the top six inches of wall were protected by a brown paper and masking tape. The water we sprayed on the ceiling to saturate the popcorn mud unfortunately took a lot of the "stick" out of the masking tape so a lot of it fell down, creating more work for us the next day. I would recommend spraying very carefully around the edges of the ceiling to avoid getting water on the tape. It's worth a little bit of extra effort in the scraping to avoid the disappointment of walking into the house the following day to a heap of plastic you have to hang back up.
2. Technique - As I mentioned, our ceilings had never been painted so all we needed was warm water in a garden sprayer. (HOW TO TELL - if the glitter is still visible, they are unpainted OR if it feels chalky to the touch they are probably still unpainted). The first step is to take down all the light fixtures. Then apply warm water to the ceiling with a garden sprayer. I bought a 2 gallon sprayer and was glad I didn't opt for the five gallon as it would've been way too heavy to carry around when full of water. After trying several techniques, what seemed to work the best was to work from side to side, wetting 3 foot squares at a time. Slow spraying makes a bit of a mess, because the water can't soak in as fast as it's coming out of the nozzle. Instead, waving the wand quickly in short strokes that overlap each other allowed the water to soak in a little at a time while still ending up with a saturated ceiling. It worked well for my husband to scrape a few yards behind me. That way, the water had a chance to soak in and get the popcorn nice and soggy. The second step is obviously to scrape away the old popcorn mud. This is not difficult at all when the mud is wet enough. One article I read said to file down the corners of the trowel so you don't dig into the drywall underneath. I opted not to file down the trowel, and didn't have any problems at all. My husband chose to climb up and down a ladder and scrape the ceiling off in the same three foot squares I had wetted down. However, this required a lot of up and down movement and my husband's arm got tired pretty quickly. A way to get around this would be to put the trowel on the end of a long extension handle so you can stand on the ground. That would also help with the debris falling further away from your face. 
3. Clean up - The worst part about taking down popcorn ceilings is the clean up. If you don't plan to texture right away and don't need to save the plastic, you could roll the debris up in the dropcloth and throw it all away. If you plan to texture, it's best to save the plastic so you don't have to do the prep work twice. Before you can sweep up the debris, you have to let it dry for at least a few hours but preferably overnight. Just like all other forms of drywall dust, the stuff floats in the air for hours and it seems to coat everything. Even though we had plastic everywhere, there is still a layer of dust on all the walls and carpeting underneath.

What it Means to be a Do-it-Yourself-er

My husband and I are getting ready to begin a two-month long remodeling project on a home we just purchased as a fixer upper. The daunting task of a kitchen remodel would be scary enough, but no... there's more. We're gutting the main bathroom, retexturing all the ceilings, painting virtually every permanent surface in the house, and upgrading some of the fixtures. As a do-it-yourself-er, it can sometimes be hard to know what the best techniques are and where to get started. I do not consider myself to be an expert, but rather a seasoned "tryer." So over the next few months as we tear into the belly of our new house and discover what we should and shouldn't do, I plan to share my findings with the rest of the do-it-yourself world. If even one of my mistakes will help someone else save time or money, that is worth it to me. Tonight, we begin with removing popcorn ceilings. As they say, "let the games begin!"

What it Means to be Employable

I recently found myself trying to explain to a friend of mine why I was not willing to be listed as a reference on their resume. They'd been looking for a new job for quite some time, and the look on their face made it obvious how hurt and confused they were. Talk about awkward... How do you tell someone you enjoy spending time with socially that you wouldn't hire them if they were the last person on the planet?

So I decided to write down my thoughts about what it takes to be a good employee. No, I don't think I'm the end-all, be-all source for employment information. But I do get tired of those awkward conversations. So in a nutshell, here is my opinion about what it takes to get hired, stay employed, and excel in any work environment:

1. Be employable - Your resume is an employer's first impression of you, so it needs to represent who you are as a person and as a potential employee. Likewise, your appearance needs to portray the image you want that business to have of you. If you want to be seen as the techy nerdy person, then dress the part. If you want to be seen as the creative, artistic type, then dress the part. But make sure you can deliver on those unspoken promises. No business wants to hire a hypocrite.
2. Stay employable - Your employer takes a big leap of faith by choosing you over the dozens of other applicants they spent time and energy filtering through. So reassure them that they made the right decision. Go above and beyond, be on time, beat assignment deadlines, and above all have a good attitude. Managers are people too. Mistakes are understandable, but they are much easier to forget when dealing with someone who seems genuinely interested in improving and changing for the next time that situation arises.
3. Become the reference everyone wants - Once you have a job and you're earning gold stars all around, become the "go to" employee that everyone wants on their team. Be friendly, accountable, and dependable. Volunteer for the big assignments and put in the extra effort to make sure your work is fabulous. Always continue learning, brushing up your skills, and networking with others who may become valuable assets personally and professionally.

There are tons of bloggers and writers out there who think they have the "top ten ways to land a job" or the "five keys to a successful job interview." Honestly, I think they're all probably right but how can you possibly remember ten things. If you can remember "be employable" or maybe even easier "be someone you would want to hire", you'll fare well. I can't promise you'll land the job you want or get the promotion you may deserve, because it's a tough market right now. Employees are doing more and more to stand out in a down economy. Good things come to those who wait, but more importantly good things come to those who DO.

Picking Baby Names

Prior to becoming impregnated, I had to idea how much thought goes into choosing your child's name. As my husband and I sift through baby books, web sites, and phone applications full of baby name ideas, we realize how many factors come into play. The initials can't spell a real word, the name can't rhyme with any bad words or be easily made fun of, the first name has to sound good with our last name, the name needs to be unique without being difficult to spell, etc... the list goes on and on. One of the factors that I hadn't taken into account was the meaning of the name. We had all but decided on a couple boy names, but they meant uninteresting things like "son of a blacksmith" or "man with one leg." What the heck!?

So we've finally landed on Riley Elizabeth for a girl and Jace Allen for a boy. If you're curious, you can look up the meanings. hehe.

Sacrifices of Being a Parent

I've known that I am pregnant for about six weeks now, but there are moments when the revelation hits me all over again. Sometimes midnight dreams about birthing a toddler do the trick, or sometimes it's the screaming kid a few aisles over at the grocery store. This morning, however, it was an especially violent recollection. Because my tummy really isn't that big yet, it's easier than you'd think to simply forget momentarily that there is a living creature growing inside of me. This morning, however, my little "gremlin" - as we affectionately call him/her - decided to remind me of his/her presence.

As I was getting ready for work, I was overwhelmed with the "sparkly" sensation in my eyes where I feel like I could pass out at any moment (sort-of like a snowy TV channel when the reception goes out). I made it through my shower, but only barely. I had to turn the water temperature down several times to keep myself upright. For some reason, hot water and pregnant bodies don't fare well together. I quickly dried myself off before lying down in bed for five minutes to regain my composure. When I felt that I was once again in control, I resumed my morning routine. It dragged on and on as I had to keep sitting down every 3-5 minutes to avoid the eye sparkles.

I managed to get dressed in a skirt and a pair of leggings before it hit me. At 8:45, when I would normally be walking out the door for work, I'm suddenly overcome with "the feeling" - you know, the feeling that your insides want to be on your outsides? So I run into the bathroom just in time to hurl my guts out into my disgustingly neglected toilet. Between rounds of gagging, the combination of putrid smells was enough to trigger another episode. The scent of mostly digested acidic leftovers mixed with dried urine was so intense.

When the violent expulsions had finally slowed, I took a moment to wipe the tears and snot from my snow white face. As I stood up, I realized that I had puked so hard I'd peed myself! I blotted up the mess of pee from the bathroom floor, and threw the handful of bodily fluid-soaked tissues in the toilet bowl before flushing it. But I made the mistake of glancing down to examine its contents. The horrendous orangish-red mass of bile that had been propelled from my body was now summoning the little bit of strength that I had left - just to avoid another episode.

Exhausted, embarrassed, and late for work, I quickly shed the leggings and the pair of underwear I had been wearing. Feeling dizzy and pessimistic, I headed to my closet to find a clean pair of underwear. After the string of events that morning, I was relatively unsurprised to learn that the pee-drenched pair had been my last clean pair. The only underwear left in my basket were "granny panties" that gave me perpetual wedgies. However, considering the subzero temperatures outside I decided that wedgies seemed like a better alternative than hypothermia.

I pulled out of my snow-clad driveway with thoughts of gratitude filling my head. There is no way that my baby will appreciate me enough for this until they, too, are becoming parents. Mom and dad, you guys went through a LOT after I was born (especially when I was a teenager), but only now can I really appreciate what a sacrifice parenting really is. Thanks for all the throw-up, the pants-peeing, and granny panties-wearing that you probably had to do for me too.

College Is SO Expensive...

Today as I was preparing for the fall semester to start up, I decided to figure up how much college really costs. Of course, there's books and tuition that everyone thinks of, but there is SO much more that goes into it than just that. Room and board, food, gas to and from classes, the time it takes, parking permits, project supplies, laptops, printers, paper, and the list goes on and on...

It's very difficult to be working a full-time job and going to school at the same time, but what choice do I have? I don't see how it would be fiscally possible to go to school full time and not go into some pretty crazy debt! Here are a few numbers I put together for the average full-time student (assuming they're taking 12 credit hours, but many students take way more than that):

Tuition: $1,400
Books: $600-800
Rent (5 months): $2,500
Utilities/Bills (5 months): $1,300
Gas/Commuting Expenses: $1,000
Parking Permit/Student Fees: $75
Groceries/Food: $1,300

Even if those were the only items that were necessary to succeed in college, not counting all the miscellaneous expenses like clothing and printer cartridges and all that other good stuff, we're already talking $8,375 for ONE semester! If a driven college student can finish in 8 semesters, you're looking at $67,000 to receive an education and a piece of paper that says you either know what you're talking about or you were lucky and sat by the girl who knew what she was talking about.

To me, $67,000 is a heck of a lot of money just for a diploma that will mean I can maybe make a little bit more money on my salary every year. In my situation, I'll probably only get a raise of $3,000 per year when I graduate. That means that in 22 years, I'll start reaping the benefits of my college education, because it won't be until then that I'll be making enough money to offset the expenses that my bachelors degree cost me... I am one of the lucky few who don't actually have to worry about incurring alot of student debt. But for those of you out there that do, I feel your pain!

Yours (but with very little money),

Rachel E. Mawhirter

Only in America...

Today was a fabulous day... After sleeping in, finishing up some homework assignments, and spending time with my husband's family, we headed out to the family farm for the annual fourth of july celebration. The smell of the propane grill, smoldering smoke bombs, and aerosol mosquito spray filled the air while we enjoyed our delicious feast of home-grown corn, grilled hamburgers, and crisp veggies. After dinner, the makeshift firework show the kids put on kept us entertained while we dished up hot gooey brownies and vanilla ice cream for the whole family.

After we had cleaned up the elaborate mess of firework debris, Justin and I headed home for the night. But as we drove over the flood control road, the most amazing view of the fireworks over Great Bend became visible and we decided to stop. Together, we sat on my car and watched the whole of Great Bend as one big firework show. I don't know if it was his arm around my shoulder or the dim glow that the sparkly fireworks made on his profile, but something about that moment was incredibly romantic. When we finally decided to head home, I continued to look over the city and realized how similar the sporatic bursts of light must be to a wartime bombing. Being independence day, this probably meant a lot more to me than it would any other time of the year. It made me really appreciate the fact that we live in a country free of bombings or violence like that. I consider myself to be an extremely lucky person, and today solidified that feeling for me.

Just like that country song, Only in America, there are so many things like this that make our country the greatest country in the entire world. I am so grateful for my family, my home, my husband, and the life that I have undeservedly been blessed with.