Hardwood Floors Upstairs: Part 9 (Savannah's Bedroom Reveal)

Today Tal finished laying hardwood floors in Savannah's bedroom...which means that Tal is D-O-N-E installing hardwoods in the upstairs of our house! This weekend Tal and I are going to clean up the dust and debris upstairs, put away the tools, move the furniture back into Savannah's bedroom, and haul the remaining carpet and flooring boxes to the dump. In a few days, I will post some reveal photos, as well as share our flooring budget breakdown!

 Savannah's vanity and closet

Savannah's Last Day of 1st Grade!

Today was Savannah's last day of 1st grade! Savannah's appearance has changed a lot in the last year. She got glasses, lost her two front teeth, and grew out her bangs. Savannah is looking forward to 4 weeks of vacation with Grandma Barbara and Grandma Judy before she starts 2nd grade on August 1!

First Day

Last Day

Class of 2027

 Check out how much Savannah has changed since Kindergarten! 

Year-End Celebration

Tomorrow is Savannah's last day of 1st grade! Today I attended her class's year-end celebration, which included snacks, a slideshow, and award certificates.

  Mommy and Savannah

Savannah and her friend Caleb

The slideshow included Savannah's baby picture and a current picture: 

Savannah was awarded a certificate for being the computer whiz in her class 

(which is very appropriate since Tal and I have technology careers):

Savannah and her teacher Ms. Connally

Savannah and her teacher Ms. Gerdes

 

Savannah is ready for 2nd grade!

Hardwood Floors Upstairs: Part 8 (Savannah's Bedroom Demo)

Yesterday Tal and I put the finishing touches on the bonus room, guest bedroom, and Hadley's room. Tal finished installing the shoe molding. I cleaned the floors, and then we rolled out the area rugs and moved the furniture back into the rooms. We are thrilled to be 100% done with the flooring, molding, and clean-up in these rooms!

Hadley's Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Bonus Room

Three rooms are done...and we have one room to go! Today Tal and I spent several hours demoing Savannah's bedroom in preparation for hardwood floors:

First, we moved Savannah's furniture into the guest bedroom:

Then, Tal ripped out the carpet and padding and carried it down to our garage. While Tal removed the carpet staples, I painted the baseboards in Savannah's bedroom and used our shop vac to pick up the dust and debris: 

 Finally, Tal put down black felt paper for a moisture barrier.

After living in a construction zone for nearly four weeks...the end is in sight! If everything goes smoothly, Tal will finish installing the hardwoods and molding in Savannah's room in the next week or so. Then, we can clean up the dust and debris, put away the tools, and move the furniture back into Savannah's room:

Living Room Makeover: Part 5 (Navy Sectional)

Today our living room sectional was delivered!

Our new sofa is the CU2 L-shaped sectional from Bassett. In May, Tal and I visited 9 furniture stores and sat on over 30 sofas. A lot of the sectionals we tested were sloppy-looking, low to the ground, scratchy, and/or uncomfortable. However, the CU2 had everything on our wish list:

• It is firm, yet comfortable.
• It is tailored and not sloppy-looking.
• It has detachable back cushions.
• It has good support, so we don't sink to the floor when we sit down.
• Our feet touch the ground when we sit down.
• The high back enables us to rest our necks and heads when we watch TV. 
• The measurements fit our small-scaled living room.

I loved that Bassett offered free design services. A interior designer came to our house and measured our space. She helped me design our sectional and select our sofa and pillow fabrics (shown below):

The designer listened to our needs and requests and then designed a sectional that complements our area rug:

• We wanted one side of the sectional to be at least 8 feet long, so an adult who is 6 ft. tall could lay down on the sofa. (One side of our sectional is 8 ft and the other side is 12 ft.)
• We wanted a chaise lounge, where Savannah and Hadley could nap, read, or watch TV.
• We wanted to maximize seating but ensure that we had good traffic flow and that our sectional did not overpower our small living room.

For the fabric, Tal and I chose navy microfiber because it's durable and kid-friendly. It won't pill. It won't snag. This dark fabric will hide dirty fingerprints and pen marks. We don't allow Savannah and Hadley to eat or drink in the living room, but we should be able to wipe up spills easily when accidents happen. 

Tal and I intend to keep our sectional for the next 7-10 years, so we hope it will be durable, attractive, and supportive!

Hardwood Floors Upstairs: Part 7 (Hadley's Bedroom Reveal)

Today Tal finished installing hardwood floors in Hadley's bedroom and closet! This weekend we will install the shoe molding, clean the floors, and move the furniture back into Hadley's room. Three rooms are done...one more to go! Savannah's bedroom is next!

After

During

Demo

Fearless

Hadley, who is 20 months old, is fearless! Over the last few months, I have discovered Hadley climbing the outside of our stairs numerous times. However, tonight Hadley tested the limits and was on the fifth step when I found her (and removed her from the steps)! Hadley doesn't let the closed baby gate deter her from climbing the stairs!

Storytime with Daddy

Hadley (20 months) and Savannah (7)

Hardwood Floors Upstairs: Part 6 (Hadley's Bedroom Demo)

Tal is halfway done laying hardwood floors in the upstairs of our house! Today Tal and I spent a couple hours demoing Hadley's bedroom in preparation for hardwood floors:

First, we moved Hadley's furniture into the guest bedroom:

Then, Tal ripped out the carpet and padding and carried it down to our garage. While Tal removed the carpet staples, I painted the baseboards in Hadley's bedroom and used our shop vac to pick up the dust and debris. Finally, Tal put down black felt paper for a moisture barrier:

While Tal and I were working, Savannah and Hadley pretended to have a sleepover on the floor in our guest bedroom:

Below is a picture of our upstairs loft area. Our house is a construction zone...with dust, tools, and furniture everywhere: 

 I frequently vacuum, but there is often a layer of sawdust on our floors and stairs:

In a few weeks, our hardwoods will be done...and our house will be back to normal!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to our favorite dad! Our family demoed Hadley's bedroom in preparation for hardwood floors, ate lunch at Subway, went shopping at Home Depot, and took long naps. We had a productive and relaxing family day. We love you, Tal!

Savannah (7) and Hadley (20 months)

Cool Shades

Savannah was excited to give Daddy the card and book that she made and decorated for him:

Some of the reasons why we love Daddy!

  

All about my Daddy

by Savannah (7 years old)

My daddy's name is Tal.

He is 43 years old.

My daddy has blonde hair and blue eyes.

My daddy's job is helping people with computer.

My daddy's favorite food is a shrimp burger.

His favorite treat is Reese's Cup.

My daddy's favorite color is red.

He loves to watch NC State.

My daddy likes to wear shorts.

My daddy laughs when I make jokes.

Daddy makes me happy when he tickles me.

I love Daddy because he put hardwood floors in my room.

I love Daddy because he helps me with my homework sometimes.

I love Daddy because he takes me to the park and trampoline park.

My daddy is happy when I get two 3's at school (for good behavior).

My daddy gets mad when I get two 2's at school (for bad behavior).

My daddy always says "Savannah Banana."

My daddy calls me "Banna Banna."

My favorite thing about my daddy is playing games and rocking (in Daddy's recliner) before bedtime.

I love my daddy because he kisses me before he goes to bed.

My daddy loves me because I kiss him when he comes home from work.

For Father's Day, the girls and I ordered this 8x10 NC State area rug that Tal picked out for his man cave. (It will be delivered in a couple weeks.):

Living Room Makeover: Part 4 (Couch Ready)

Take a look at our (almost) empty living room below! Our new sectional is scheduled to be delivered this week (hooray!), so last week Tal and I carried our leather living room sofa upstairs and put it in our bonus room (Tal's man cave). We are excited to see how our living room makeover comes together!