Before I get to the floors, I have to share some pretty funny pictures of my youngest with you. She can be a very independent player, especially when it comes to tiny toys (like her sister's little princess dolls that come with necklaces the size of lint). I had lost sight of her but knew she was in the back so I took my camera, knowing I'd get a cute picture. Apparently she now realizes that she can pose for pictures so this is the smile I received as I raised the camera.
This next picture captures a common "look" when Miss Lynnea gets in trouble. It was one of the weeks my husband had been gone and I had so much to take care of in the day that I would sometimes multi-task and forget what it was that I needed to do in the first place. I had told Lynnea that I needed to change her diaper so she had made her way to her room and the changing table. When I finally remembered that her diaper needed to be changed, due to the overwhelming scent of "sewer" that hit my nose, I went to find her to take care of business. What I found made me mad, amazed and smile. She had climbed up on the changing table herself (amazed), opened up the baby powder, distributing it all over the table and herself (mad) and knew that she was going to get in trouble so she covered her ears (smile). You'd think, by this reaction, that I yelled at her all the time but she just doesn't want to hear any "no's" or frustration in your voice so she covers her ears. All I could do was laugh and try to clean up what I could. You can't tell how bad the baby powder was by this picture but it went everywhere.
OK, now on to the floors. This last week saw the change of our living room from ratty, dirty, coke-stained carpet to beautiful, shiny, hardwood floors. It was hard to believe that underneath this nasty carpet was beautiful hardwood but it's true!! Unfortunately, the termites had decided that it also had made a very tasty snack so we had quite a few boards to replace. Even the floor refinisher, Bill, said, and I quote, "Wow, they really went to town on these boards!" Yes, we almost had to cut down a tree to replace all of the bad ones (after we practically swept away the old ones) but in the end, it was a complete transformation and I love it. Here's a before picture of Will cleaning out the room of all furniture. You can't tell but this was right when he woke up and he's got some great bed hair.
Oh, and where did the furniture go, you ask? Well, some of it went into the garage but most of it went right into the dining room, creating a path about 3 feet wide in which we traveled to and from our 10 square feet of living space in the kitchen where we spent most of our time. Bill was extremely professional yet fun to work with and he transformed our living room from this..
to this after sanding and board replacing...
...and staining it the color second from the left...
to this. Wow, what a beautiful floor, huh? Unfortunately, we had a few stains on the floor which came from the owner before us letting water sit on her floor (we wonder how but we're past it now) so we had to stain it a little darker than natural. I was so happy with how it turned out. Then my super-dad came over and did all of the "shoe" around the wall after sanding and restaining the old stuff to make it match the new floor. Thanks, dad, it makes a world of difference!
Then we put all of the furniture back. It is still in a transitional phase since now I hate my faded, old couches and may buy a slipcover to mask their ugliness but the floor looks great, doesn't it? I found a beautiful rug with all of my colors in it but now I just have to pick up some odds and ends and it will be finished.
For my birthday, my wonderful husband let me buy this beautiful new computer desk that will hide my computer. For so long I've had it in my dining room and it greets everyone as if it owns the place. Now I can shut it away and get some free space finally! My loving husband put this together. It was a great deal and it is very sturdy.
So there you have it, new floors and a new look for my living room. I'll take a picture when everything looks immaculate later...you know, the "this isn't real life" shot. Until then, enjoy the toys, cords, and kids. I think it makes it look more homey anyway, right?
This next picture captures a common "look" when Miss Lynnea gets in trouble. It was one of the weeks my husband had been gone and I had so much to take care of in the day that I would sometimes multi-task and forget what it was that I needed to do in the first place. I had told Lynnea that I needed to change her diaper so she had made her way to her room and the changing table. When I finally remembered that her diaper needed to be changed, due to the overwhelming scent of "sewer" that hit my nose, I went to find her to take care of business. What I found made me mad, amazed and smile. She had climbed up on the changing table herself (amazed), opened up the baby powder, distributing it all over the table and herself (mad) and knew that she was going to get in trouble so she covered her ears (smile). You'd think, by this reaction, that I yelled at her all the time but she just doesn't want to hear any "no's" or frustration in your voice so she covers her ears. All I could do was laugh and try to clean up what I could. You can't tell how bad the baby powder was by this picture but it went everywhere.
OK, now on to the floors. This last week saw the change of our living room from ratty, dirty, coke-stained carpet to beautiful, shiny, hardwood floors. It was hard to believe that underneath this nasty carpet was beautiful hardwood but it's true!! Unfortunately, the termites had decided that it also had made a very tasty snack so we had quite a few boards to replace. Even the floor refinisher, Bill, said, and I quote, "Wow, they really went to town on these boards!" Yes, we almost had to cut down a tree to replace all of the bad ones (after we practically swept away the old ones) but in the end, it was a complete transformation and I love it. Here's a before picture of Will cleaning out the room of all furniture. You can't tell but this was right when he woke up and he's got some great bed hair.
Oh, and where did the furniture go, you ask? Well, some of it went into the garage but most of it went right into the dining room, creating a path about 3 feet wide in which we traveled to and from our 10 square feet of living space in the kitchen where we spent most of our time. Bill was extremely professional yet fun to work with and he transformed our living room from this..
to this after sanding and board replacing...
...and staining it the color second from the left...
to this. Wow, what a beautiful floor, huh? Unfortunately, we had a few stains on the floor which came from the owner before us letting water sit on her floor (we wonder how but we're past it now) so we had to stain it a little darker than natural. I was so happy with how it turned out. Then my super-dad came over and did all of the "shoe" around the wall after sanding and restaining the old stuff to make it match the new floor. Thanks, dad, it makes a world of difference!
Then we put all of the furniture back. It is still in a transitional phase since now I hate my faded, old couches and may buy a slipcover to mask their ugliness but the floor looks great, doesn't it? I found a beautiful rug with all of my colors in it but now I just have to pick up some odds and ends and it will be finished.
For my birthday, my wonderful husband let me buy this beautiful new computer desk that will hide my computer. For so long I've had it in my dining room and it greets everyone as if it owns the place. Now I can shut it away and get some free space finally! My loving husband put this together. It was a great deal and it is very sturdy.
So there you have it, new floors and a new look for my living room. I'll take a picture when everything looks immaculate later...you know, the "this isn't real life" shot. Until then, enjoy the toys, cords, and kids. I think it makes it look more homey anyway, right?
1 comment:
stunning floor!
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