Scrapin' and Scrubin'

Notice the new windows!!!

The past 2 days at the ole' Spangler Homestead has been been a butt kicker to say the least. We started scraping paint on the south side of the house Thursday and started cleaning the walls and ceiling of the front porch today. Steven and I are so sore right now that it feels like we have been doing P 90X workouts for 48 straight hours. All I could think of the past 2 days is: keep working hard and you will have the best arms this side of the Mason-Dixion! We knew that it was going to rain today, so we planned to clean the walls and porch ceiling today so we would be out of the rain (plus it would give us a break from scraping). Well, what we didn't plan on was the fact that we would be cleaning with water and the high today was 34 big degrees!!!! To say the least, by the time we quit today we were frozen solid and so sore it hurt to laugh!

 The house tried to get the best of us today, but we won in the end. Right when we started to get in a cleaning grove, it was so cold out that the hose on the sprayer busted. So off to ACE Hardware we went (which was our second time leaving within 30 minutes to run an errand). As we were getting back into the truck with our new sprayer, Steven noticed his gloves lying in the parking lot SOAKING wet!!! God love his soul, he rarely loses his temper and becomes frustrated but that one almost got the best of him. Thank goodness for some good tunes on the i-pod and the cleaning finally kicking into high gear!!!! Check out our before and after pics below. The new windows were also put in this week. They look GREAT, we are very pleased with our decision to go with no grids in the windows. Steven will continue to clean tomorrow and Sunday as I head off to work this weekend. I am secretly very glad I am working to give my muscles a break!! If the weather will cooperate Monday, the back porch will be removed and construction will start on our new laundry room.

Before the scrubbing...

After the scrubbing :) :) :) :) :)