It's here!

The new rug arrived today just as I'm off to visit a friend and her darling baby.

I'll be leaving it in the wrapper until Michael gets home to stretch out the suspense. It's also kind of a joint valentines day gift so I don't feel right opening it without him.

There was a little rip in the packaging though...which I may have made a little bit bigger. So, here is a little sneak peak. I'm liking the feel and color of it so far but we'll have to wait for the full reveal for an actual review.

It's the little things

...that make all the difference. Am I right?

I showed you this picture a few weeks ago to highlight the beautiful work Michael had done carving down and installing the crown molding over our cabinets.

What this photo also highlights is how horribly unfinished the kitchen looks without window molding or a windowsill. (And believe me, it also feels unfinished without a windowsill to sit stuff on!)

I've been trucking along (...well, crawling at a snails pace), stripping the layers and layers of most likely lead laden paint from the original molding and it is finally all stripped, sanded, the seemingly millions of old nails hold have been filled and now it's (almost) all primed.*

 And up on the wall it goes!

How are we doing? Kidding...

I thought this would be as far as this update went; lots and lots of beautiful molding going up all around our kitchen. I was wrong though...

This apparently happened while I was at work** this morning. Granted, the window sill is just sitting there, unattached, and the lower molding is being held up with tape, but it's a start. It needs some further leveling and calking before being permanently fixed in place.

And this is happening now! Working with all the weird/slightly off angles in our house has been no picnic for the resident woodworker, but it's getting there.

Hopefully this week will be filled with lots of sanding, priming, securing, and painting!

*On a related DIY note: while I love, love, love my soy gel paint stripper (it works better and is much less smelly than other products I've used), this job would have gone much quicker had we tried our heat gun first (totally forgot we had that when we started out...oops!). About half were stripped with soy gel and half with the heat gun.

**Yes, I am indeed working again, 2 days per week in a sweet little bakery. I'm loving it but don't want to say much more for now. I am still there on a "trial" period...for 3 more months. Apparently the tight kitchen quarters (and I mean TIGHT) have caused many people to leave abruptly so they do a very extended trial to make sure everything is working out and everyone is happy.

Whoops!

I'm not sure if you all are aware of this, but we adopted this adorable puppy last year. 

Kidding...as if I weren't the one blowing up your facebook and instagram with photo after photo! 

Welp, over the past few weeks we started weening her off of her kennel while we were gone for quick trips out. 

2 Sundays ago we headed to the store on a supposed hour long grocery store trip that ended up lasting more like 3 or 4 hours. 

We were good and scoured the countertops for tempting treats before heading out, but I suppose that since having a pound or two of butter on my counter at any given time is not strange, that last 1/2 pound camouflaged itself into the woodwork. 

So, after arriving back at home and putting away the goods, I started searching for my butter. It was nowhere to be found, not even the bright red wrapper. 

Next thing I know, I hear Michael scolding Frieda in the living room. I don't remember the exchange exactly but this is pretty much how it went:

Me: Did you find the butter?

Michael: No, but I think I found where it was.

This, my friends, is what he found. Rather, he found it with 2 less holes, the other two apparently came through the week as the lingering butter tempted her more and more as I showered or generally left her unattended. (The rug has since been doused in bitter apple spray in this locale.)

 The proof that this was indeed the place of death for the butter was found on the slimy, greasy computer cord that lay nearby. Thank goodness she didn't decide to eat that as well! 

Ah well, we weren't planning to have the perfect puppy-hood anyway. And while we love and appreciate this (hand-me-down) rug, it has never been our living room style, really. We had been planning to replace it for the 2 years we've been here in St Louis. 

And this is what it will (hopefully, as long as we like it upon arrival) be replaced with:

It's not the greatest quality photo but my fingers are crossed that it'll be great in real life. And in reality, it won't match our current furniture that well either but those are also to be replaced in the near future with something in a brown leather. 

We found it on sale on a Pinterest popular discount rug website for $350 for a 100% wool 8'6"x11'6" rug. I'll be sure to give a review of the quality and company when it arrives.

And the old rug will go to live in a bedroom where it will fit in more and where it's poor holes will be covered by a bed.