"Is this spring cleaning?", Grant asked me as we were moving furniture and boxes this week. I replied, "Well...." and before I could get the words out he said, "It's like spring cleaning on steroids!".
Exactly.
I knew to get the projects done in our home we would just have to dive in and commit a few weeks to the process.
The biggest project is finished. The new floors in the downstairs are complete! Every surface has either been replaced or refinished. I am so happy with the results. The furniture won't be moved back until today.
Choosing paint will come next, but I think I found the secret formula for choosing the perfect paint color.
I was dreading all of this, but now that's it is started I am gaining confidence and wanting to do more. When my husband comes home from work I rattle off some other projects we could begin.. to which he responds, "Let's get this done and then worry about the next one."
He keeps me grounded.
Finished Product
Here you can see the new wood floors in my family room and piano room, as well as the refinished returns and rails on the staircase.
The fireplace is my favorite part of the family room, but I really want to make it more interesting.
Thoughts?
It's been hard to get to the piano since the furniture hasn't been moved back yet, but my kids have been squeezing in to play their music (recital is this weekend!) and the piano sounds like a new instrument. The wood floors make it sound so bright.
What It Looked Like Before
The 17 year old carpet was worn and ugly. It was also starting to pucker in a few places. The wood floors in the dining room needing refinishing.
It's safe to say no one is parking in the garage right now. We moved everything from the downstairs into the garage and truthfully, a lot of it isn't coming back.
It's funny, but the simplification in our homeschool over the past year has inspired me to simplify the rest of our lives.
Meanwhile...
Life did go on as usual, although the kids were trapped upstairs one day (the other day my sweet father-in-law took them out for breakfast, haircuts, and milkshakes!).
Grant sat down and read aloud The Indian in the Cupboard to me one afternoon this week. He knew I was a little stressed and he declared that a good story would make me feel better. We adored Indian in the Cupboard and I will be getting the series for Grant to read on his own this summer!
Mother's Day was relaxing for me. We went to church, then to see Heaven is For Real. After that we went swimming, came home to take a nap, and the out to eat dinner. I ended the day sitting on the sofa totally addicted to playing Solitaire on the iPad. (Grant and I have had a slight obsession with Solitaire, but I haven't let him know I have an app for it. He loves playing with real cards and I like that.)
Grant spent a lot of time playing with LEGO Mixels. These little guys (or gals, I guess) are so cute - the Mixel website offers more fun. Each Mixel is $5 (at KMart!), so it's a fun little thing for a child to save for. We don't watch the show on Cartoon Network - just enjoy the Mixels themselves.
He also read all things baseball this week - the DK Baseball book being his favorite. He and his dad watch MLB TV each evening. It's safe to say I can't really get their attention during baseball season!
Cleaning out in the kitchen made me realize I don't use my Winnie the Pooh waffle maker enough. (My mom gave this to the kids years ago, and I realize that even big kids like Tigger waffles!) I made waffles twice this week. Gluten free Bisquick is my new friend, and I discovered it's a little cheaper to buy it in a three pack on Amazon!
Anna was noticeably grumpy this week. I don't blame her. She is missing her Challenge friends quite a bit. They had a party on Friday night and all got their Challenge t-shirts.
She took a morning and made a Hello Kitty fleece blanket for a 5 year old cousin that is coming to visit soon. She wants to get some friends together to make blankets for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. I think this might be a great idea!
This weekend will be extremely busy for Anna. She sings in the Spivey Hall Children's Chorus and they have performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
This chorus is such a blessing in Anna's life. Not only does she receive high caliber music instruction each week, but she also forms friendships with children of all backgrounds and school situations. I believe she will look back on her years in Spivey with happiness and gratefulness. I remember moments growing up when I experienced music that affected me deeply - knowing that Anna is receiving this gift means the world to me.
Important Annoucement!
Collage Friday has been going for nearly three years. In that time I have NEVER missed a Friday. Never.
Can you believe that? Not a single one.
Collage Friday ISN'T going away! I do, however, need a break. The past couple of weeks have shown me that I need to focus on projects in my home, planning for the next school year, and just living a full summer. I'll still be around this summer, but reducing the Collage Friday commitment lets me breathe easier.
I also hope to gain focused time to work on new SQUILT volumes for the coming school year.
This will be the last edition of Collage Friday until August 1.
That's it for this week... how was your week? Is school winding down for you? Do you keep going year round?
Please join me by linking your photo collages!
If you'd like to link, you can do so in a couple of ways:
- Enter your link below. Be sure to link to your post with photo collages and link back to this post (or include the Collage Friday button on your blog).
- Share your photo collage(s) on Instagram, FB, G+, or Twitter - use the hashtag #collagefriday so I can find you!