The De-haunting of 1977

                                            

Sometimes looking at these before pictures creeps me out. 

When my sister came into town a few months back before we settled on 1977 I took her to the house and gave her a tour.  This is what she said:  Did they die in this house?  I think this place is haunted.

And I think the two main reasons why --  there was this tombstone shaped statue shrine thing of The Mother Mary in the backyard (gravestone?) and there was this humongous oil painting of the wife of the widower who lived here hanging above the staircase right above where Swabbs is standing in the foyer in the picture below. super creepy.

                                         

And I got after my sister and got all defensive because.......

I felt like that too.

And I didn't need affirmation.

But I didn't really get mad, and she quickly retracted and said, but it is going to be so great when you are done with it --- I love the windows and all of the lighting.

And so it was that the realtor took that picture down and I got permission to throw Mother Mary into the dumpster (don't tell the Catholics).  (Don't worry Catholics, it was a really beat up worn statue full of cobwebs and chipped paint and didn't pay any sort of respect or reverence to her.)

and I started to feel a little better.

And then the drapes came down (see below) and exposed those windows that I (and Cort) adored.

and I felt even better. 

 

And then we painted.

And then we paid a young man in our ward to rip out the poopy brown tile foyer.

and his mom helped prime all the upstairs trim.

And then David's brother Chris came into town and worked with David like a mad man for like 5 days straight hanging drywall and sanding and demolishing nasty bathroom #1.

and I was feeling better and better.

and then sis in law Sarah and I were in the basement while they were visiting and we discovered bridal pictures of HER,  that oil painting lady.

and the haunted-ness returned. 

And I emailed the realtor and he came and got the pictures to deliver to the family.

That was nice of me to do that huh?  I could have chucked them.

They left a lot of fun stuff for us to sort through.  When we were in our contract waiting to settle the realtor mentioned that the heir in charge of the estate was going to call goodwill to take everything.  Did I already say this?  I think I did.  See, I am crazy. 

So we tossed half of it into a dumpster or gave it away on craigslist or freecycle and then a quarter of it is up for auction at an auction house tomorrow afternoon and the other quarter is mine for the keeping.  and the making over.  Some pretty cool stuff I must say.  

David started laying the hardwood floor with a good friend last Saturday.  We have the coolest friends.   Half of the living room is done.

It looks SO great.

We got natural plank red oak, 4 inches wide and we aren't staining it.  It is just going to be sanded and polyurethane-d.  gosh, I love it.  So much that when the boys and I made a delivery over there today and hunted in boxes for Max's lightsaber (and found it) I sat on those same stairs that swabbs is standing in front of in that middle picture and stared at those floors and smelled and smelled that wood and paint. 

And the boys jumped on my mattress playing Star Wars, except Darth Vader kept getting upset because he had a nerf sword and Luke had a light saber, so Luke had to trade with Darth every count-to-twenty. 

And they hit the chandelier like 500 times.

That is why the chandeliers have to come out of those boy's rooms, in case you are wondering. 

And really how do I wrap this post up.