good riddance

While we wait and wait and wait to hear back about our permit for the kitchen and stairs, we're going to try to get the cosmetic stuff upstairs finished. There's a pretty good chance we're going to be living in this beauty before it's finished - yes, I know that living in a construction site with 2 little boys and a terribly behaved dog is not recommended, but we might not have a choice if the remodel starts to drag. We're trying to get the upstairs looking great so that at least one part of the house might feel "normal" even if we have to eat cereal and frozen waffles in the garage for 2 months because we have no kitchen.

So, we're ripping out all of the nasty old carpet and preparing the sub floor for beautiful new hardwoods and tile throughout. My husband (A) and my 4-year-old son (B) spent the better part of last weekend cutting and ripping up the carpet and tack. B was so thrilled about his brand new big boy work gloves and he would gladly do anything to help daddy, so they were actually incredibly efficient. Today we went to pull up the stray staples and start tackling the gross 25-year-old linoleum in the bathroom. Yuck! Our sweet crew put in some serious sweat equity, even the baby (R), who helped sweep up and was thrilled to be wielding tools. It's pretty satisfying work and feels good to be under way, even if we have to do it ourselves. We're not scared. xo