Not looking very pretty in here

 It's not been looking very pretty here and it seems to be just getting worse.  I should have known when this project started that it was going to be a long process.  It took me 2 weeks of picking up samples, dropping them off, hating everything, picking up more, not liking them either, picking up more.... okay maybe, calling nieces, daughters and sisters to stop and look, dropping them off, going back for a "are you sure" and then ending up with the my first choice.  

 Every weekend we find one more thing to repair and then tear apart another one.  We started with replacing the carpet which turned into replacing the vinyl which means the entire main floor of our house is torn apart.  Well except the bathroom which I could venture into that room and name a bizzillion things we need to replace but that's for another time.  

Here is how we are living, well we moved the couch, chair and pellet stove back in for now but that's it. I pulled staples from the middle of the floor so we wouldn't step on them and after 1 hour I was done with the middle.  There is still a row of them around the outside of the room to pull yet.

We don't have to pull up the linoleum they are just going over the top (thank goodness) so everything is thrown in there for now while we prep the livingroom, steps and hallway.  When they start laying the flooring it will be 2 days to lay it,1 day to grout and another day for the carpet.  All appliances and everything else will have to be moved into the garage.  I'm really torn up about not being able to make suppers during that time...... hahahahaha   I already have a list of suppers we can have (chips and salsa, popcorn, oreo's and for a special treat gum).  

When we moved into this house there was a railing with big chunky columns on the open staircase.  Yeah well we ripped them out and haven't looked back....... until the other night.  Here is our conversation

Me - So John if a guy wanted to put a railing and chunky columns on the stairs would a guy do it before or after the carpet?  (guys always talk in the "if a guy wanted to" slang so I thought I'd throw that in to help my case)

John - {staring at the TV and never blinked} Doesn't matter we're not doing it

Me - WHAT?  You didn't even think about it and I was just talking if a guy wanted to

Me - So would it be before or after?

John - Doesn't matter it ain't happening

Me - Remember when we moved in and there was a railing with a chunky column just like we put in the rest of the house?

John - Yeah so?

Me - Well let's put it back to the original, just like restoring an old historic building

John - No

Me - Whatever happened to those columns?

John - I don't know and I don't care

Me - So what if I wanted this done what would I have to do?

John - Call a carpenter

Me - Okay!!

One more project to add to the list of just replacing the carpet.

See all those spots on the steps?  Those are all staples that I either leaned on with my knee, hand, stepped on with my foot or sat on while I was painting the edges that may or may not be covered with the new carpet.  I said "ouch" "SOB" and "dammit" so many times that I was afraid to drink water thinking I might leak.  

This weekend I painted the kitchen entry door which lead to new trim which lead to replacing all the trim in the kitchen and laundry room....... yep we are only replacing the carpet!!   

Baby Fever Sneak Peek

If this baby girl doesn't give you "baby fever" I don't know what will.  She is perfect in every way, right along with her pumpkin hat for this fall season.

She is a frog for Halloween

She knows her fashion, what girl doesn't like Old Navy?

And all she does is sleep which is perfect. 

More sleeping.....

And more sleeping....

Senior Sneak Peek

 Another Senior Sneak Peek for tonight.  We had a little trouble getting his puppy dog to sit still after being kenneled up all day.  He was wild and running in the wide open spaces.   We did get a few and this one is certainly my favorite.  

We certainly had a few cancellations before finally getting these done and I hope it was worth the wait.  We still had a rainy day but at least all the open wounds were cleared up.  :)  BOYS, they are so rough.  

Family Sneak Peek

I met a family at their home for some family photos.  As much as the weather tried to stop us we got through them.  When I arrived it was cold and windy and we needed a serious wind break.  Gayle walked me around the property and I found lots of fun areas but with the wind we had to narrow the locations down.  The first space I seen was the covered area under the hayloft.  When we were kids we called that the thrash floor so I say "ohhhh the thrash floor will work perfect for lighting and wind break" Gayle says "what's a thrash floor"?  Okay so everyone doesn't call it that?  I felt kinda silly but I think this area has a new name for this family.  Of course I couldn't resist taking photos of the cows.

The thrash floor :)

Trying to watch for hair flying and moving a cow into the right location for a photo was somewhat difficult.  Love him peeking around the fence.

My absolute favorite of the day, if I lived on a hobby farm and this was my family I'd have to enlarge into a 16x20 and hanging in the entrance of my home.  

Thank you all for bringing back the memories I have of living on a hobby farm. 

Senior Sneak Peek

This young lady wanted her Senior photos in a leaf pile.  That's it pretty simple but with a beautiful face like this we had to do more than a leaf pile.  

It was a cold windy day so the Castle Jacket was a great idea.

Same photo as above I just "wintered" it up a bit

I could have stopped here since she's a natural in the outdoors but we did a few indoors just because.  She was rockin' the camera there too. 

Family Sneak Peek

One of those very cold and hurricane wind storm days this family was all together.  There are out of town members that do not make it home very often so hurricane or not this was going to happen.  And it did..... indoors.  Sometimes it's not all about the location but rather the memories that you can have when everyone is together.  

I'm not sure what I said or did but I got genuine natural smiles from everyone.   I'm sure I looked or sounded like a dork but hey you have to do what you have to do.  

Gotta love a photo like this.

It was hard for me to pick out a couple sneak peeks since there were so many groupings so I shut my eyes and clicked..... 

Sisters Sneak Peak

I know I'm way behind in the sneak peaks, life has gotten terribly busy and I'm slowly finding my way out so thank you all for being so patient.  Not only am I up busy at work and taking photos we're also very busy trying to clean up the gardens for winter and preparing the entire main level of our home for new flooring.  I have emptied the house (shoved everything we own into closets, bedrooms and garages).  Torn out all the old flooring and in the process of pulling 1 million, 32 thousand, 6 hundred and 52 staples from the floor.  If you happen to hear a "ouch with a bloody scream" about 4am that is John hitting a tack strip on his way down the steps, if it's at 5am that's me hitting a tack strip and at 5:30am..... Adam hitting the tack strip...... we have to leave them in and they are on 3 sides of the steps and there are about 200 staples per step....by the time the flooring is installed it's going to be a bloody stained stairway, just in time for Halloween.  It's not a pretty site around here.  I've taken photos of the entire process so far but these sisters are more important. 

Changed this one of the family into an old antique look just for fun.

Miss Paige needed a break so big sister read her a story (my favorite)

Miss Paige by herself, such a cutie.  Love those dark brown eyes.  

Miss Kelsey chilling the only way she knows how.  She planned her photos by herself and this is what she wanted.  I had a hard time getting her to look up from her book but once she did "snap" and she was back to reading.  

One quick shot of mom and dad.  Wow aren't they stunning?