We Have Carpet!!

I know to some, the idea of carpet yields icky thoughts of other peoples sweaty toes squishing around and making the carpet gross. To others carpets yield thoughts of warm and comfort and a better image of cute baby toes squishing around. To me, I don't care what your thoughts are because at least in our family room our carpet no longer looks like what the prior owners left us throughout the house:

What can only be described as a murder scene

I mean seriously! In four years of this house existing the prior owners managed to do this type of damage. This carpet was one of the main reasons why I was not a fan of the family room. There was no way I was going to nestle my delicate toes in this. To me it didn't matter how many times we shampooed the carpet, the fact that it still looked this way was enough to keep me away.

I was fortunate enough to meet a person at my orthodontists office whose husband just so happened to lay carpet. We were lucky that he was willing to give us a HUGE deal (I mean the type of deal that we were able to get carpet and still plan our wedding) because without it, we would have had to live with this unsightly carpet for a little longer.

 

We immediately moved everything out of the family room and piled it all into the kitchen. I have never watched carpet be installed before. It was quite entertaining and Tom (the installer) was quick with it too!

 

It was crazy watching all of the staples pop right out of the floor!! Chris and I could have really used one of those tools when we removed the carpet in the living room to install the hardwoods a couple years prior:

Yep, that was arduous work right there!!

Man, just flashing back to that makes me glad that I endured the pain of four months of braces on steroids. From this point forward I will not remove carpet again unless I have the snazzy tool thing that Tom had.

and the long knee jamming contraption thing was something out of a movie! I personally would have thought it would hurt to jam my knee against the thingy, but not to super Tom! The carpet just folded right into the edge of the wall. That along with the tack strippy things and the carpet was officially a permanent part of the family room!

Isn't it just wonderful!! Tom told us that it's best to not walk on carpet with your bare feet because the oils in your feet is what causes the carpet to get that smashed nasty carpet look. He said that you should only wear socks. Of course we nodded like two people that would heed his advice, but as soon as they left we proceeded to do the happy dance:

...barefoot lol.

Tatum

Euro Trash

 Not quite...well Euro definitely but trash, I think not! Actually this Euro Trash that I speak of, thanks to The Nate Show and Annie and Lizzie from Euro Trash is "where I blog!" Take a look:

All of this arrived a little over a week ago and I was soooo excited! In the above view the silver containers are from the Brooklyn Home Company (my first designer shipment) but the cute natural wood color pencils are from Euro-Trash! Don't they go well together? They even sent me some adorable stationary cards with envelopes:

This adorable little vignette is nestled perfectly in the corner of my "not so family friendly family room". Again, I am so grateful that The Nate Show found my blog and invited me to be on their show. Now once we get new carpet, drapes, a television and either new sofas or slip covers, this room will be perfect! But in the meantime, whenever there is another "where do you blog" linky party, I can show something much more comfortable and intimate than me on the sofa in front of the television lol. Let me know if you're hosting one!

Tatum

I'm linking to Everything But The Kitchen Sink over at A Little Knick Knack , Wow Us Wednesday over at Savvy Southern Style  and What I Love Wednesdays over at Lollipops 

Not So Family Friendly

Well you lovely folks have trotted along with us as we've tackled many projects throughout our house just enough to make them tolerable until we can complete them. We've truly come a long way from where we were when we purchased the house but of course we have a while to go. You've only seen some of the house because honestly speaking, some things are just better left hidden away, covered up, not spoken of. Why would we keep these places far from your eyes? Well because we have a great respect for vision and we'd be entirely out of line if we subjected your eyes to something harmful, unsightly, aesthetically unappealing, visually stunted, something...dare I say it!! Decor Challenged!!!

That's right, there is a room, a very important room that is in dire need of a decor whirlwind. This room that I speak of is where the sun shines through, the room that leads to the patio and backyard, it's an important room. Chris seems to tuck comfortably into this room quite dandy, mind you I have no earthly idea how and it is a great space for the boys to play in when they are here. We keep their toys hidden in two ottomans in this room so they run there immediately, but it isn't very family friendly. It's no place you want to sit and eat popcorn. It's actually quite barren and waiting for us to give it a little bit of love. This not so family friendly room that I am speaking of is unfortunately--sigh-- our family room. I know!! What kind of family room lacks a family to visit it on a regular basis! I should be charged with family room neglect, which is the worst kind of home neglect there is! Take a look, don't judge, even though this is cyberspace I'll sense it. O.K. I can take it, I'm the toughest blogger/renovator I know! Judge away, judge away!

Now do you see why this is the unspoken room? Why I can't get cozy shmozy in this room? It's because it's just not cute! Nothing about this room says kick off your shoes so that your toes can smush into the carpet. Nothing about this room says nestle into the corner of the non-existent sectional and read a book. Why doesn't it say that you ask? Because for one, the carpet was permanently damaged by the prior owners and the old spare slip covered sofas turn into wrinkled skin when you get up from them. Nothing about this room says welcome family! It's more like uh, how about we just stay in the living room with our oh so perfectly laid hardwoods and comfy sofas.  We do have plans for this room though, but you know the drill! We tackle them as we can bit by bit.

So as the routine goes, stay tuned to see how this room transforms slooooooooooooowly but surely!

Tatum