Basement Progress

The basement is coming along nicely.  This week we laid down the subfloor and secured it to the concrete.  Once the floor was down, the next step was to start installing the framing.  This step went surprisingly fast and we were able to put up one long wall in a couple hours.  I know that it won't all go as smoothly but I'm very pleased with the progress we made.

We have been doing most of the basement work once Samantha goes to bed for the night so our time is very limited.  We hope to finish up the framing during the nights this week so that we can install electrical and drywall this weekend. 

One of the more time consuming projects is going to be the stairs.  These used to be covered with the nastiest carpet I have ever seen.  And yes, the sign says "Watch You Head" - the former owners were real gems!

We had removed all of the carpet and staples/nails/tacks a long time ago and have just lived with them in this state.

Some of the things we need to fix include:
1. Fix the one tread that slopes too far forward
2. Install light in the landing ceiling
3. Sand, sand, and sand some more
4. Install spindles and handrails
5. Prime and paint
6. Install carpet runner
It wasn't all work this week.  Chris went to a camera class on Saturday morning to learn more about how to use our new camera.  I am going to the same class in a couple weeks - so hopefully between the two of us we'll have a clue!  After his class, we met with the Briczinski's for lunch and a nice visit.

I got to do some fun things this week - I finally saw Les Mis with friends and then had a great book club meeting.  I'm so grateful that I'm able to get away from the house alone about once a week.  It definitely helps me keep my sanity!

Samantha had her first big boo-boo this week.  She crawled over and tried to play with Tucker while he was sleeping.  He snapped at her and she got a little scratch on her cheek.  I felt so bad for her but after a few tears and a nap she was back to her happy self.

She has started getting a little picky with some of her food.  When she doesn't want something, she piles it up on the corner of the island.  In the picture below it was some kale.  

One of the favorite gifts that she got for Christmas is her tent/tunnel.  She loves crawling in and just hanging out inside. 

We only have 3 1/2 weeks until her birthday party - it doesn't leave much time to finish the basement!