A constant state of alteration, perhaps of improvement

This is a project that's been hanging over our heads for about 6 months. We've had a wood picked out, plans made, measurements done, quotes bid out and still we couldn't quite bring ourselves to pull the trigger on this massive undertaking. Even though the actual floors were being installed by professionals, we would be doing the actual tear-out. And oh golly... what a project it was.

The carpet came up easily, even though it was secured with tack strips along every single inch of the perimeter. Seriously, someone cut down 2-inch strips to angle around closet corners and the fireplace. And the pad was held in place with, minimum, 5 billion staples. I never thought I'd long for the cheap-as-free construction techniques used in our old house.

Fortunately Bart and Lisa are as handy with staple-removal as they are with wallpaper. No, Bart did not gouge out the drywall. That was courtesy of the electrician who tried to burn our house to the ground. Now that I think of it, I think Sprinkle might be having second thoughts about being born into a one-family demolition team.

The carpeting, all 10,000 pounds of 90's-era dusty pinkness, was a total dream to remove compared to the kitchen linoleum. We discovered that we had not one, but two layers of it to take out, plus another layer of particle board. And the number of nails in the lower layer was probably someone's idea of a practical joke. Honestly, I think whoever put down the second floor bought his first-ever nailgun and then went totally insane with it.

Oh and let me point out here that Joe, who is training for a marathon, ran 15 miles about an hour before he started this project.

We made it a hard-and-fast rule that the kids had to wear shoes at all times. So Lisa wore high heels while she pulled up staples and hauled out debris. I stepped and knelt on so many staples, tack strips and nails that I'm sure we're due for tetanus shots all around.

After 2 days of crazy, intense work we had bare, staple-free particle board floors throughout the house. The furniture is all in the garage. Like I don't have enough pregnancy-hormone-related stress to begin with, this made me start having nightmares that we were moving again.

Because we had to move the fridge and the stove, we pretty much eat anything that can be made in the toaster.

The installers put in half a day yesterday and here's their progress. I'm ever so excited for the finished product. Also I'm excited to have my computer desk and chair back because right now I'm sitting on the floor in the basement, listening to Bart play Lego Batman behind me and the unholy racket of air tools, circular saws and classic rock music upstairs.