Brady had to work this morning, which is not our favorite thing, to say the least. But luckily, he finished up his stuff in just a few hours and was home before lunch. When he got home, we had the Tims breakfasts he brought for us, and then very seriously got to work around our house. I’m sure our “very seriously” isn’t everyone elses “very seriously” but it was a really good day for us. People speak of this rewarding feeling they have after a solid day of work, and I can rarely relate to such a feeling, but this evening I am SO sore, and while its incredibly painful (pelvis still out of place, and now angrier than ever) it proves that I really put my back into it today.
Our main focus was the entrance to our house. The floor is just basic lino but it had a seam directly in the high traffic area. It wouldn’t have been quite so bad had it not gotten so freezing. It all curled up and chunks of it kept breaking off and tripping people. It needed replacing. So we bought some other basic lino a while back, and today was the day to swap it out. Peeling the old stuff off was going to take forever just using a pry bar, and we debated just laying the new stuff overtop, but instead, we opted to do the best job we could do, and did some research. We didn’t have a heat gun, but I offered my hair dryer, and it worked pretty well! It took two of us to get it all removed and all the glue up, but it was fun to actually do one of the bigger tasks together. I am sooo thankful for our relaxed kids! Dekker, our self-appointed “tough worker” wanted to help for a while, but when his toy saw wouldn’t do the job, he and Laela just stood in the doorway and watched.
We realized after a few strips of flooring that we were melting glue, and it really smelled like it! So we completed this job towards the end of the kids naps. (Conveniently, I’m not pregnant! So no big fume worries for me!)
In the beginning of nap time, we didn’t want to make too much noise with the dryer constantly turning on and off, so we decided to do some of the jobs that were more on my list next. We cleaned out our bedside tables, which has desperately needed doing for so long, considering our bedside tables are open shelving units, so no mess can be hidden. We tidied up a few piles of random messes that had been accumulating in our bedroom. Our room was pretty much the first room that we considered to be finished, but it really wasn’t. It was the most finished, for sure, but there were still big messy piles of mostly garbage. So we got those taken care of, finally. Our room looks pretty much awesome now, if I do say so myself.
Once the kids were up, Brady lay the new flooring down in the entrance while supper cooked. We had these delicious sweet and sour meatballs over sour cream mashed potatoes. Our church has graciously given us a bunch of meals over the last week or two, to help us out after bringing Rowan home, and what a tasty help they have been! While those things were going on, I grabbed a magic eraser and cleaned the front of our cabinets. They used to be white, and then they were grey, and now they’re white again!!! However, the doors and drawer fronts alone used up a whole magic eraser!!! Its not a big deal, as in we have tons of them, but those things usually go a lot further! Turns out our cabinets really really needed help! I haven’t even touched the door frames or the space around the doorknobs yet! I also cleaned inside the washer, the outside of the washer (how does a “washer” get so dirty?!) and put a load of laundry through.
Supper was unbelievable. Dekker loved it, which is not common with anything new or even new looking. Laela ate it happily, as she does with everything. And Brady and I ate lots too. It really hit the spot after a day of chores. After supper, I did the dishes and Brady nailed the entrance baseboards back on. Then, it was almost the kids bedtime and they really needed baths. So Brady bathed Dekker and Laela together in the tub and I took a stab at bathing Rowan in the kitchen sink. He’s a bit tall for it, and tried to stand a number of times, but luckily, I was expecting that and prevented many head bonks. It was actually a pretty adorable bath.
Now everyone is in bed, except Brady and I, but we need to soak in the tub first. Priorities, guys!
Speaking of priorities, we have a goal in mind for our house, and when we want to list it. I’m always scared to share that kind of thing because its so much more embarrassing to fail when so many people know, so I won’t this time. But we’re very seriously getting on these last few jobs, cleaning, and preparing. In a BIG way. So if we’re not particularly available over the next little while, don’t take it personally. Or just come to us and be prepared to work!! We welcome all 🙂
** On the not of listing this place very, very soon, I need tips and names and information from you guys who have, in fact, done this before! A realtor we could afford would be great to know, as well as someone to appraise the place. We’re hoping to sell privately, but we’re also sort of scratching at the door to get this show on the road, and I’m not sure we’ll last too long!! Advise us!!!!!
***** 1000 POSTS!!!! Thanks for being such loyal readers and keeping me motivated to write! I cannot believe its been ONE THOUSAND POSTS!!!!! *****