Half way!

I'm half way through my 4 days off and we are half way through re-doing the livingroom. We started with the dark wall that we were doing in that Deep Garnet. Who knew it would take 4 coats and 2 gallons of paint to get the colour done properly? It took us all one day to do the Garnet. One full wall and a strip all around the ceiling that extends into the hallway and becomes the ceiling. Then yesterday we started the other walls and they took one coat and most of the day to finish. By dinner time last night we were ready to pull out half the carpeting and start laying the floor.

By the time Al figured out how to go about laying it out and I had read the instructions and we made our little end pieces for blocking it was getting on. We read that it goes in the direction of the light source so Al started on the far wall and ran down the wall to the end and then when you get to the end, you probably need to cut the last board to make it fit. You then use that piece you cut off to go to the top of the next row and this is how you stagger the boards to give them a nice natural look. Well by the time we had it all figured out and laid the first row down and reached the end we had arrived at the piece that needs to be cut off but also needs to have the heat vent cut out of the middle of it. It was going onto 10 pm by then and the neighbours would not have been impressed if we had powered up the saw and started cutting wood out on the back porch so we called it a night.

Here we are now at 8:30 on Sunday morning and Al dying to get going and start cutting stuff. We've been awake since 5:30 so the day is well on for us. He's gathering all his bits and pieces of stuff and is getting set. We were able to use the underlay that was already down under the carpet which was nice. Al was trying to save me a big piece of the carpet to put into the computer room but honestly I hate that carpet so much I just never want to have to look at it again. It's been here for all eleven years we've been in this house.

We had been here nearly a year when we got Keesha, the husky cross female we have. She was a good puppy for the most part but for some unknown reason when she was about 7 months old, we went out one day and left her home and she dug a hole in the carpet right through and down to the underlay. We were not happy when we got home and she got a very stern talking to with much finger shaking and "Bad Girl!!!" and she hung her head and was very apologetic. The next time we went out and left her alone she did the same thing but this time she grabbed the corner of the area she had managed to get through and ripped it all along for about 5 feet and then grabbed the underlay and pulled it out as well. This time she got a spanking and was banished outside for a few hours while we patched the carpet back together and moved furniture around to hide the ripped spot. She never touched the carpet again or did anything like that but for all this time we have moved the furniture around to hide the ripped carpet!

It's been early nights for me. The first night painting that Garnet wall, Al stayed up til 1AM to get it all done and so it could dry overnight so we could get on with the rest. I on the otherhand was passing out on the couch by 9:00 and Al woke me up and sent me off to bed. Right now he's headed off to Rona and Tim Horton's and I'm still sitting here at my computer having a lazy start to the day. I do have plans for the day though. Al doesn't need my help with laying the floor so I am working on what is now my office/hobby room!

The plan was that when Josh left and got his huge computer desk out of here that Al would move his desk in. Well with all the shuffling of stuff he has come to the conclusion that he'll take Josh's bedroom for his office/storage area and I can have this room as a combination office/hobbyroom and sitting area. The tv that was in here is now in the livingroom and we still have a tv in the bedroom. I don't think I will miss a tv in here. I'm usually on my computer or working on crafts (scrapbooking, card making, beading) and listening to music on my computer so if I really need to see something on the tv I can go in the other room.

I have a nice comfy old loveseat in here too and lots of shelving. I just need to get organized and lay the room out differently. We haven't got the paint for in here yet but I plan on some nice greens. The loveseat is green floral so that works too. I have a door for a worktable and a couple of freestanding units. I would like to be able to have a place for everything and everything in it's place so that it leaves the workspace clear most of the time. I always seem to end up with most of the work area covered with stuff that has no real home so that when I want to use the area I have a major cleanup to use it. So my work is cut out for me today.

I was talking to Allie on Friday and she mentioned they may be out to Abbotsford today to visit and to go over and have a look at Josh's new place. Al has to go at 10 and help Josh and Ryan pick up a couch for Josh that's at Viz's place. Josh has hurt his back in the move and Ryan was supposed to come and help move the couch yesterday before work (he starts at 4pm) and he slept in and didn't show up so Josh was all pissed off at him. Today is what I heard last so we'll see how that goes. Al's back is not good either so I hope he doesn't hurt himself. He just wants to get on with getting the floor done.

Well I'm off to get going on this room. I'll try and post some pictures when we are done. We had Live8 on for part of the day yesterday. Also heard they found Shasta Groene! Poor little girl. No sign of her brother so that doesn't bode well. I hear we have a baby missing in Ontario as well. Some days you have to wonder what is wrong with our world, it seems to get worse and worse and I cannot believe that Karla Homolka gets out tomorrow. Twelve years went by pretty damn fast.