early last week mike and i started talking about our downstairs floors. it seems that every few months for the last 2+ years we keep getting to the point where we are this close to making the floor purchase, and then something happens. the dog needs surgery. we have an unexpected car repair. all of our friends get married in the same month in 4 different states. mike has to go to urgent care during the one month ever that we don't have health insurance coverage because he just switched jobs. you know how it goes.

we've been trying to be extra careful with the budget lately and as a result, we found ourselves almost ready to make the floor purchase. and i want the floors to be done so so badly. it's kind of embarrassing to have people over and have to caution them not to walk in certain areas of the dining room. or, to constantly get the heels on my shoes stuck between the separated pieces of floor.

after i wrote the post on the fireplace surround on tuesday, mike and i decide to go to a tile store just to look. we ended up putting down a deposit and ordering tile for the floor in front of the fireplace. it was the most impulsive decision i think i've made about the house yet, but i feel good about it. we realized that if we really wanted to get started on the hardwood floor project, we needed to know what we were doing by the fireplace. the tile shop had 8"x20" format carrara marble tiles. carrara marble is what i had been looking at. since we cannot afford a single slab of marble, i think that the tiles will be a good compromise. they are a step above basic 12x12 and i think will look more purposeful (and not just like we wanted marble but could only afford 12x12). plus, i picked out 2"x8" carrara tiles that i'd like to use for the fireplace surround, and i like that the overall look will be more uniform, just a different scale for the floor vs wall. i think it will also look like a more modern interpretation of what might have been there originally, which will fit in nicely with what we've been doing in the rest of our house.

so to recap:
last week: maybe we should look into this floor thing?
weekend: discussed in length with the in-laws when they were visiting, went to price marble
monday: started to research other fireplace tile options
tuesday: went to tile store, bought tile
wednesday: panic
thursday: decide to just jump in and WE BOUGHT THE HARDWOOD FLOOR!!!!!!! ALL 760 SQUARE FEET OF IT!

AHHH! MORE PANIC!

seriously though, this is the most expensive house purchase yet. and so impulsive (i'm horrible at making decisions). and i'm still freaking out.

oh yeah, and the punch line? this entire thing needs to be done before the first week of december. i am giving us that deadline because christmas is my favorite holiday, i must have a tree, and we always have a christmas party. can't really have a party without floors.

it's getting exciting around here and i will try my best to keep you all updated on the progress. up next, a list of everything we need to do, a tentative schedule, and a little more information about the floor we purchased.

i'm trying to be organized ;-)