New Laminate Flooring

Good morning! I hope you all had a great Christmas. We have been super busy around here. We decided to spend the break putting in new floors in our home. It has turned out to be a bigger project than I had thought.

Before

We had the standard builder beige carpet all through out our house. It was build in 2001 and hadn't been changed since. With two dogs in the house, it was a nightmare!

After much deliberation and research, we decided to install laminate flooring instead of hardwood. Laminate holds up to scratching better and with our two dogs, that's pretty important to us. Also, this is our first house, not our forever house so I couldn't see us investing in nice real hardwoods in our starter house just for them to get all scratched up.

We went with a 10mm laminate. If you choose to use laminate, I would suggest getting a 10 or 12mm because of the increased durability. There are some great options out there that really look like real wood. Ours had the pad attached. We got a 10mm Spring Mountain Oak from Lumber Liquidators for about $1.80 per sq. ft. Do some price shopping before you start, but we found LL to have
the best prices in our area.

 I was surprised at how easy it was to pull up our carpet. Once I found a place to start, it was only attached along the wall and I could just pull it up with no trouble. I would suggest wearing a dust mask. I couldn't believe the filth we had been living in!! GROSS!

Installing the laminate wasn't extremely hard, just time consuming. Once we got into a rhythm, it became easier. One of the hardest parts is deciding how you want to lay your pattern and making sure all those measurements work out. Our pattern alternates starting with a full board, 2/3 board, 1/3 board, repeat.

Here is the finish product. It really makes the room look bigger. While it does show dirt, at least it is easier to clean than the carpet. I love the color too, it really makes the yellow walls pop. I will post a better picture when it is 100% compete!  I am currently in the process of replacing the living room floor so I'll do another post when it's finished!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Amanda, David, Allie, and Titan!

 

Christmas Table Setting 2012

Finally getting around to posting this year's Christmas Table setting.

This year I used silver chargers, my grandmother's china dinner plates, and some super cute Christmas tree salad plates that I picked up at TJ Maxx for about $3/plate.

"Suffer not the little children..." Response to the Sandy Hooks shooting

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
- Matthew 19:14 (NIV)


The tragedy in CT this weekend has no doubt had an effect on us all in one form or the other. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones. When tragedy involves the lives of children, it is always heart-wrenching. As the news story began to unfold on Friday, as a nation, we were all watching. This was one of the biggest tragedies of my generation's time. I could spend this blog post going into my theories on why I feel my generation behaves the way they do, or I could talk about my stance on gun control, but today, I will do neither. Today I want to talk about something far more important, the grace of God. I know that by writing about religious matters, I will likely lose some of my readership, that's okay. Your eternity is more important to me than the $0.33 I made off of my advertisements last month.

I am not a "doomsday-prepper" or a believer in the Mayan doomsday next week, but I do believe the end is near. As I look around me at the news stories that are only getting worse each day, I can't help but wonder how long God will allow this to continue. It is for this reason that I write today.

I believe that the children that were lost in Friday's shooting are in a better place. I know that it doesn't make it easier, but it does provide some level of comfort. I do not have children, and honestly, events such as this makes me a little hesitant to start a family, but I do believe there is a greater purpose and in ALL things, God is sovereign.

I work for a university that suffered a shooting on February 12, 2010. That day, my life changed forever. In our case, the shooter was a faculty member and she opened fire in a staff meeting. I remember it was a very cold Friday morning and we were preparing for an event for incoming students. It was snowing, it never snows in Alabama. I remember the feeling of betrayal even though I did not have a personal relationship with the shooter. It was a betrayal of my "safe zone." Before that day, news stories about shootings didn't resonate with me the way they do now. I always thought "it can't happen here, it's not like that in my town, at my school, at my workplace." Still, almost three years later, my heart skips a beat when I hear a siren on campus.

It can happen anywhere and unfortunately, it will happen again. It will happen again because we live in a sin ridden world, but don't give up hope. There is good news.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life."
John 3:16
 This world is not the end, it is only the beginning. If you do not know the God that I speak of, the God that gives hope to a fallen world, I encourage you to check out this link to read about this God that loves you, that sent His son to die for you, and gives eternal hope.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:8-9

In Christ,

Christmas Wreath Party

Good morning! I hope you all had an excellent weekend. Last week was super busy for me so I didn't get to post much. I spent a few days in beautiful Cincinnati, Ohio. I just love Cincinnati. It is a pretty city with a real charm. When I worked in Admissions, I spent a good bit of time there so I was excited to go back for a few days. It was especially nice to get to see it all decorated for Christmas.

While it was a great trip, I was definitely glad to head back home on Friday. I think I brought the rain with me though because it is a dreary day here in Alabama. Yesterday, I held a small Pinterest party and made a new wreath for our front door.



This is Jennifer's wreath hung up and looking all festive. I just love how different they all turned out. Hers is a live wreath so it smells WONDERFUL!

And here is my wreath adorning our front door.

I LOVE it! It is my favorite wreath so far. I made it using this tutorial from Kristen's Creations Online as an inspiration.

I want to make this a Christmas tradition but next year I will have the party a little earlier so that I can enjoy my creation longer!

Have a great week!

JOY Wall Hanging

This was one of my favorite DIY Christmas projects this season. Mainly because it took all of about 5 minutes and cost about $6. Quick and cheap, can't beat that.

 

Since our Christmas tree is in the corner of our living room, it leaves a section of our wall between the windows feeling a little off balance. I knew I needed to hang something vertical here but wasn't sure what. I spent my whole lunch hour walking around Hobby Lobby looking for some inspiration and finally settled on these wooden letters to spell out the word 'Joy". The letters were about $2.50 each and they are about 8 inches tall.

 

I took some left over red spray paint from a project that was an epic fail and gave them a good coat.

 

 

Then I took those nifty command picture hangers (the ones with out the hooks) and stuck them to the wall. These were great  because I didn't have to add three more nail holes to my wall.

 

Ta da! This does a really great job tying the room together. For 5 mins and under $10, this is definitely my kind of project.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

~Amanda

 

Outdoor Christmas Decor

Today was a great day. We finally out our outdoor Christmas decor up, hubby was off work and home with me all day, and my alma mater won it's 23 SEC Championship, securing it's spot in the second straight National Championship. Roll Tide!

 

 

Here are some pics of our outdoor decor. This is our first year to decorate outside. Next year, I will definitely not skimp on the garland and invest in the thicker stuff. That's what I get for being cheap thrifty. I would also like to add those adorable little mini Christmas trees where the poinsettias are sitting. Maybe I can pick up some at an after-christmas sale.

 

Here is what it looks like in the daylight.

 

 

 

And at night!