I think I am officially domesticated (and lame). If someone would have told me when I was fifteen that as an adult new carpet and doors would make me happy I would have laughed; what kind of pathetic person gets excited about those things? ME!
When Ryan and I bought our house we planned on immediately replacing the carpet in the family room, the bedrooms and on the stairs (I'd post a picture of the old carpet but then I would be completely embarrassed). Unfortunately, reality set in and other less expensive house projects took precedence. Now 4 ½ years later we finally have new carpet. AND I LOVE IT (because I am lame). Seriously, this is one of the best things to have happened to me all year (so, I like to exaggerate a bit). As soon as the installer finished laying the carpet in the family room I ran down there and spent a good 10 minutes doing carpet angels (I'm easily entertained). And every time I come home I stand just inside the door and deeply inhale the lovely new carpet smell. Not only does the carpet smell good, it feels good. I've stopped wearing socks despite the cold winter temperatures just so I can run my feet over the soft, springy fibers. I'm sure if my fifteen-year-old self could see/feel/smell my new carpet she would think it was pretty awesome.
Peter thinks the new carpet is awesome too. Well, actually he just liked the wide open room and the carpet remnants. If you turn the volume up high enough you can hear his heavy breathing from all the running he was doing!
We also put in new french doors that lead out to the backyard. The previous doors were almost as hashed as the carpet (parts of exterior molding fell off when I tried cleaning them). And the blinds on them have been broken for years. So Ryan and I decided to replace the doors. We ended up buying the the french doors with the built in blinds (they tilt and raise with simple sliders). Whoever came up with the idea to put the blinds between the glass is a genius (anyone who makes a product that requires little or no dusting qualifies for genius status). A big part of the decision to get these was the awful visions I had of 6-year-old Peter running in and out of those doors 800 times a day. The idea of hearing the blinds rattle everytime he threw open the doors and slammed them shut was more than I could handle. So no dusting, and reduced noise sold me. My dad and Opa generously offered to install them to help save Ryan and me money (the cost for professional installation was over half the price for the doors). And since they are both incredibly skilled in construction we knew they would do a great job (they had to because I know where they live!). Thank you Dad and Opa! We really appreciate your help. Without you I couldn't do carpet angels on my new carpet while looking out my new doors (does life get any better than that?).
Unfortunately, my sub par photography doesn't truly capture how beautiful the craftsmanship is and definitely doesn't show how smooth the wood is (I've had bed sheets that didn't come close to being this smooth!). It is truly a beautiful piece made from walnut, cherry, and maple and put together with the end grain facing up. It is not an exaggeration to say that the addition of this cutting board has classed up my kitchen. Thank you Faith!
