Beautiful New Floors

Tim is pretty cool. When we moved into our house almost six years ago (has it really been that long??), we were unhappy with the carpeting. Gradually adding two dogs and two children to the mix meant the builder's grade, off-white carpet got worn down even faster. So we've been wanting to replace the carpet, but had been put off by the cost of the floors. And then to find out that the cost of installing them literally doubled the overall price was very off-putting. But I have wonderful husband who decided that he could do it himself. So he did! And all of a sudden, floors were affordable. He put laminate in our main room, the hallway outside the boys' rooms, and our bedroom. Here's our bare living room as the project began. The TV was the last thing to get moved out. :) And it begins! The dogs had no idea what to do and no idea where to go. It was a rough week for them. Samson approves the almost-done main living area. I took this shot while we were still unpacking all of our stuff. I took the opportunity that a newly blank canvas affords and rearranged our furniture. Now it feels like there are two defined spaces - the living area and the dining area, and things just seem to fit better. I couldn't be happier with the finished product. Yea Tim! I was so inspired that I decided to make us curtains. We haven't had any in a few years since we got rid of the old-lady ones that the previous tenant left behind. Turns out, curtains are also expensive, so I taught myself how to make valances. Really they're very easy once you figure out the pattern. It's hard to tell from the picture, but ours are olive green with a stitched flower pattern in the same color. A big shout-out also goes out to Mum-Mum and Pop-Pop, who spent the week in Orlando and kept the boys pretty much the whole week so that they had a place to play and sleep that wasn't coated in wood chips and dust. Thank you - we couldn't have done it without you!