Fall 2021 Jeffrey Court Renovation Challenge: Week 5
I’m starting to believe the whole Mercury in retrograde thing is real.
According to an article on Bustle.com, the fall 2021 Mercury retrograde is especially heavy hitting for Cancer sign (that’s me). “Your house of roots is being activated during Mercury retrograde, Cancer, so you might feel especially uncomfortable during this transit. You may feel uneasy in regards to your emotional security, and old familial wounds may rise to the surface,” warns Pelinku. “The act of decluttering any heaviness you may be carrying in your heart could be therapeutic. Straighten up your living space, rearrange furniture, and rid yourself of the tangible things in your space that keep you from trudging forward.” If this is true, it explains a whole lot.
The mess and chaos that comes with home renovation has been especially hard hitting. In addition to this, two of my kiddos have struggled with health issues this week and super old stuffed feelings around the loss of my father have been stirring around. He passed away when I was pretty young, but I have never really grieved his loss. The more I lean into DIY and wield my tools, the closer my feelings rise to the surface. My dad was a contractor and a really talented one at that. I have a feeling the timing of this is no accident.
While this week of renovations was emotional for me, the process has also been therapeutic. As I rebuild my house, room by room, I feel like I’m rebuilding myself. It’s funny how during demo weeks I felt like I was falling apart and now that I am in the install phase, I’m finding my confidence and footing again.
Ok...enough of the heavy stuff. Let’s get to the fun! So many firsts this week! I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
First off, I skim coated my first wall! Turns out joint compound is a lot like cream cheese frosting. Once I remembered I already possessed these ‘wall frosting’ skills from a past career as a pastry chef, it was really a breeze. And it was super fun! (Please don’t try to eat this stuff. I’m pretty sure there’s a warning on the box somewhere)
After 2 coats and overnight dry time, I gave the walls a light sand and wipe down to prep for painting. Wiping the walls is key or your paint won’t adhere well!
Now for the part I know how to do. I snagged my favorite Frog Tape and started masking off the ceiling so I could spray this sucker! Taping carefully is key as I don’t want bleeding and overspray on my wooden ceilings. Sadly, the previous owners were not so careful. I love how reliable Frog Tape is for this. No lost sleep will be had tonight.
Since I only have a week left before reveal, I’m super grateful to have my new Wagner Sprayer! This is going to cut painting time way down! I was a little worried about the learning curve, but it was so simple to use. So much easier than some other sprayers I have tried.
I set a goal this week to at least lay SOME tile. Another first for me! Well, I’ll count 3 sheets of my Jeffrey Court basalt herringbone mosaic tile as a win. Now I better stop typing and keep tiling! If you didn’t notice, I have just a little bit of work to get to! Be sure to head to the Jeffrey Court website to get your daily votes in! Your votes keep this mama motivated!
XO Else