The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{home} Getting Ready to Sell: How to Survive a Hardwood Floor Installation

I have had “hardwood floors” on my home improvement list practically since the day we moved in.  But like most of you, money doesn’t grow on trees here…bummer.  So we started a meager home improvement fund and put a little money aside when we could.  Five years and a lot of patience later, the day has come! 

BEFORE THE INSTALLATION
The weekend before the installers were to arrive, we moved all of our furniture and toys out of the living and dining rooms.  Stupidly, I thought this would be a simple, maybe even quick process. Um…WRONG!  It quickly turned into a real life version of Tetris.  But we prevailed and the rooms were cleared:

Side story on the unsightly blue stain on the carpet: Way back in December, my cousin was visiting and we updated my bedroom.  After a late night paint party, we left the can, which was 3/4 full, downstairs in the dining room.  Fast forward to the next morning: one of my sweet cherubs tipped the can over (with a lid not on as tightly as we thought!) and dumped paint in a lovely circular pattern onto the carpet!  After a lengthy interrogation with the big boys, we determined a sweet 12-month-old did the crime.  At that point, you just had to laugh.  Needless to say, that lovely stain has been “hidden” under a towel for the past six months.  Keepin’ it real! 🙂

So back to the pre-installation prepwork.  With two empty rooms, you may wonder where all of that furniture was stored.  Exhibit A:

    
Fortunately, we had an amazing company work for us.  The…hmm, what do you call him?  A carpenter? Floor guy?  Anyway, Cesar (that was his name) was super fast, but thorough and detail-oriented.  He had the carpet ripped out and the new floor down in a day and a half, for which I was forever grateful.  Having my three kids stuck in two bedrooms for eight hours was tough!

This is the flooring we picked: Bruce Engineered Hardwood in Gunstock Oak. 

AFTER INSTALLATION
And now the after pictures.  I still need to work on the mantle and find a suitable coffee table, but for now, we’ll call it done!

{read along} Mitten Strings for God: Listening

“In order to listen, we must first be quiet.” -page 104

Honestly, my first reaction when I read that sentence was “Quiet?!  What is that?”  This house is far from quiet most days.  There’s pretending and sword-fighting, loud conversations and bickering.  Someone always has a story to tell or lunch orders to demand.  Needless to say, the moments of silence are few and far between. 

“But within each child there is also an innate talent for listening that deserves to be honored and encouraged.” -page 105

One trick I’ve discovered lately is super simple: open the windows.  We’ve had some amazing weather lately, so I’ve taken the opportunity to air out the house and shut off the A/C.  But what I didn’t realize is how open windows would affect my children!

All of us, even little J, have stopped in our tracks to listen to the sounds outside.  Birds chirping, a dog barking, the garbage truck rumbling past our house…each sound interesting and new.  It’s been fun to watch the wonder in my boys’ faces as they process what they hear.  What tricks do you use with your kiddos to encourage listening?

“When I am constantly running, there is no time for being.  When there is no time for being, there is no time for listening.”
-Madeleine L’Engle

{link list} 6.6.12 Edition

I love link lists.
There’s nothing better than word of mouth, so when a blogger recommends a
recipe, a new shop or a great read, I am all about it! Here are a few things
I’ve come across this week…

1. We love a good board game here at the Big White Farmhouse.  Currently, our favorite game to play with guests is Apples to Apples…soo fun!  My big boys are dying to participate in a game on their level, so I’m thinking of surprising them with Qwirkle or Jenga this summer. 

2. I love the free monthly downloads that Amy offers on her blog, Let’s Explore.  June’s list is awesome: I think we’ll be adding making a joke book and painting with water to our summer camp plans.

3. How cute would this cake pan be for a bumblebee party or baby shower?  The ideas here and here are darling and this invitation?  Too sweet.

4. This dog gate contraption (which would work perfectly as a baby gate!) is genius.  Regular gates are too easy for my little monkeys to climb (ahem…), so I’m thinking this may be a better solution.  Definitely tucking this away for when Baby #4 is on the move.

5. How cute is this baby gift packaging idea?  I have bought from Little Sapling Toys for a gift before and the quality is amazing!     

6. Pregnancy craving of the week: chips and salsa!  Thinking about trying this salsa recipe to change it up a little (and it’d be awesome on tacos too). 

7. More books on my to-read list: My Life in France and 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans. 

8.  It seems like forever since I’ve done any sort of artsy project!  Decorating flour sack dishtowels seems easy and fun…and they’d make adorable gifts too. 

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