• Art - Decorating - Food

    Superbowl Party!

    So, here’s an embarrassing confession. Up until a year or so ago, I had NO idea that people celebrate Superbowl Sunday!  I have made it my mission to celebrate every moment, so to discover a new ‘holiday’ was a jackpot for me! Last year was our first Superbowl Party. All we knew was that guacamole was the official snack of the Superbowl, so we bought guacamole and seven layer dip and called it a day. This year I amped it up a little bit. I decorated!  I imagine that the way I decorated is unusual and odd to most –…

  • Decorating - DIY

    Last Minute Christmas Decorating and a Flooring Update!

    I promised frequent updates on the hardwood flooring restoration project, but unfortunately there have been no updates to report.  Due to some big-time stressful life events, we decided it would be best for all of us to put this project on hold and avoid adding to our stress. We had planned on finishing this project before Thanksgiving, and it is now rapidly approaching Christmas. Anyone who knows me knows, I LOVE decorating for Christmas. I look forward to it all year – I am always trying to extend the season by starting earlier and leaving the decorations up a little longer than…

  • DIY

    How to Remove Staples from Hardwood Floors

    How to remove staples from Hardwood Floors!   I’ve done lots of home improvement projects, but only on a beginner level, so I still have a TON of things to learn and re-learn with each new project.   With this flooring project I knew how to remove the plywood sub-floor and linoleum, but I did not consciously anticipate the sub-floor leaving behind what felt like billions of staples that did not come up with the plywood.   My first instinct was to pull the staples with the tools I had with me, which were just screwdrivers and a pair of…

  • Decorating - DIY

    Dining Room Flooring in Progress Before and After DIY Renovation Project

    After 27 years, I think it is safe to say that we got our money’s worth out of our 80’s linoleum floor. I have been mentally removing it for at least a decade now and cropping it out of pictures ever since I started this blog.   I finally tackled this DIY (Do It Yourself) project armed with only 2 screw drivers, a pry bar, a box cutter/razor and locking pliers.  Should be easy, right?  Just pop up the old sub-floor and reveal the gorgeous hard wood below.  As you can see in the first picture at the top, removing…