We don’t have any big projects ahead, but we have updated the kids bedrooms a bit. Will’s chest of drawers was too small. Now that he’s getting bigger, his clothes are, too. I went to my favorite clearance center and found a great deal in the warehouse. There isn’t a mark on it!

His old chest moved into Lily’s room. Its matching dresser was already in there. We bought them about 5 years ago on eBay and painted them white. She didn’t get anything new, but all of her furniture matches!

Will also got a new rug. He has a lot of Circo items in his room (LOVE their products!), so it’s easy to match everything.

Unfortunately, the life span of a comforter is about two years around here. Molly and Mia’s comforters and bed skirts were torn and faded. I do not recommend Olive Kids bedding to anyone! I have never seen something fall apart so quickly. My parents gave them bedding sets in the “Mermaids” pattern for their 5th birthday. Now, as an early 7th birthday present, we found this:

This is the “Dream Poppy” print from Amy Butler. It was on sale, and I also had a 20% off coupon! They are much heavier/warmer than the old sets. I bought basic white sheets and bed skirts, along with some new wall art. I can’t find curtains anywhere that match! The colors aren’t exactly purple, but more of a periwinkle and indigo. It’s tough to match! In the meantime, the twins are thrilled with their room.

I updated the photos of Molly and Mia’s room, Will’s room, and Lily’s room today. We still haven’t installed the toilet in the kids bathroom! It’s tough to get motivated in this kind of weather.

Without really thinking about what I was doing, I pulled back on the carpet in Will’s room today… and then, I kept pulling until there was no turning back. For once, I was presented with a nice hardwood floor in need of little or no work. There are a couple of spots I will probably want to sand down later, but there’s no rush. It’s in great shape. It makes me wonder what the previous owner was thinking when he covered it up in the first place. I used my leftover Reviver on it, along with the floor in Molly and Mia’s room. The whole thing took only about an hour and a half.

I decided to pull the carpet back in Molly and Mia’s room. There, in the corner, were the hardwood floors I had been itching to see all along. They didn’t appear to be in bad condition, either. 20 Minutes later, there was no turning back. I had folded the carpet and carried it down to the garage. This horrified Micah, who could barely lift the thing. It’s about time I got some credit for my physical strength. That was when I noticed the floor was not in very good shape. There were a lot of scratches and water stains. There was no way I was going to wait a while before refinishing them. Micah went out to Home Depot and rented a really good sander. I don’t care how useless it would have been in the long run. I would have bought that thing in a second if I had the money.

Step one: Remove staple from carpet pad. Repeat this step about, oh, twenty thousand times.

Step two: Realize that despite its flimsy appearance, smoothedge is very hard to remove. Curse the fact that it’s nailed down every 6 inches. Keep pulling back with the end of your hammer, watch out for the nails and try not to hit the wall (I meant that literally).

Step three: Begin sanding.

Step four: Pause in sadness. The big stain will never really go away. Regret that you didn’t at least buy wood bleach.

Step four: Admire your sanded floors and bruised knees. Bring your spouse over to see it and listen to compliments.

Step five: Wake up early, apply polyurethane, and manage to keep three kids and three cats out of there all day.

I think it turned out well. It was definitely worth pulling the carpet. I haven’t taken a peek at Will’s room, but I will resist the temptation.
He will be moving to a toddler bed in about six months, so I’d like to keep the carpet there for a while to keep it padded and warm. Maybe it
makes me a little crazy (or, dare I say, scary), but I really enjoy doing these things myself. I can’t wait to tackle bigger projects.