The Amazing Staleys

It's amazing what you can get done when your Dad comes to visit and he's a Staley. I didn't have time to post a blog yesterday, because my Dad was up at the crack of dawn working on the house and he doesn't stop until dinner is on the table. I may be exaggerating a little bit. He does eat lunch and breakfast. But he just works and works.

So far, we've finished laying the bamboo in the entryway and first floor bathroom (a HUGE job), put up 6 new lights (another HUGE job) and put in about 25% of the quarter round edging. If you've ever done any of this yourself. You know we've accomplished a lot!

Feverishly Anticipating

My parents are on their way down. You know what that means. Lots of things are going to get done on the house. Yippee! It's like Santa Claus is bringing the best present of all: a free installer for all of those toys we got for Christmas. Now where do we begin?

And Another Floor Bites the Dust

Yesterday, Kevin was the busy beaver of the household. He undertook removing the only hardwood floor in the house. This once resided in our entryway and is now in pieces in our shed (after lots of hammering, nail pulling, staple pulling and tugging.)

Kevin was quite proud of himself (as he should be.) My brother and Dad thought that this would be a ton of work and also believed that it would take Kevin a lot longer than he thought. He removed everything in 3 hours, so I'm not sure if that was longer or shorter.

Today's project is the bathroom. This one is a bit trickier as he doesn't want to dislodge the toilet or sink, which my Dad will eventually remove to lay the bamboo. We're concerned that they will be upended in the tugging. Maybe we should wait for my Dad...

Lights and Tools and More!

So Santa was good to the Farrell household this year. We made out pretty well. Kevin happily gave me a pair of wire strippers. My parents bought us some new lights for the house, which we've been eyeing and I am now the proud owner of a cordless drill and an electric sander!

Rather than exchange big presents this year, Kevin and I decided to get something for the house. Kevin wanted big comfy chairs for the library and I wanted a new water heater. Guess who won.

The best part is that my parents are coming down on Wednesday for a full 3 days of installation! We'll be cramming in the installation of bamboo in the entryway and bathroom, hanging new lights, putting in a programmable thermostat along with a bunch of other things. Stay tuned for many adventures later this week!