Week 6 (!), day 26, and the weather matched my energy level. Gray, heavy, damp, cool. I would probably rather have been making soup, baking bread and watching sappy movies all day. Instead, there were three teams working – with three separate music choices – in three separate areas of the house. In the attic, we had Brad and his helper, Ian, completing the smoke detectors, and replacing all the floor boards; in the master bathroom, we had Caleb preparing the shower floor, and setting the in-floor (radiant) heating pad; and, on the first floor, we had Dave and Eric brushing the first coat of poly onto the stained kitchen floors. Busy, busy, busy.

Dave and Eric also managed to hang a door, sand and stain the closet floor, and replace/install crown and baseboard moldings in the office/west bedroom. Despite the low-energy start we all had, and the generally crappy weather, things got done! I was impressed, especially after our beginning, where we spent at least an hour talking about the stain color (I feared I had chosen the wrong color – design remorse, I suppose), and some little inconsistencies in the floor stain. In the end, we (and by “we” I mean Jeff and I) realized that no floor will ever be perfect (who wants perfection, anyway?) and that character, planned or not, is something that can be found in the best imperfect moments. Besides, the floor looks amazing! And the color turned out fabulous, if I do say so myself! The most important thing about the floor is that it was done with love. Really, what else matters in a home, right?

I also managed to finish three of the four projects I had going, so I was pretty impressed with myself, too! I continued stripping the door hardware – character was the word of the day – with better results in the second batch. I also finished rinsing and preparing the antique bead board after I nearly gave up on it yesterday (it seemed like it would never end). With all the hustling and bustling (Jeff worked like a demon, too), we all managed to fill up the day with detail work, tying up loose ends, and preparing for future projects. A good day after all!

On deck for this week: master bath tile, kitchen floors, and perhaps, gulp, cabinets! A big week, with big changes afoot. I think by the end of the week we will officially be in Phase 3: Finish! Woo-hoo!

Pictures!