The sky is falling!

"Oh!" said Chicken Little, "The sky is falling! I must go tell the king."
So she ran and she ran, until she met Henny Penny.
"Where are you going Chicken Little?" said Henny Penny.
"Oh Henny Penny, the sky is falling, and I'm going to tell the king!"
"How do you know?" said Henny Penny.
"I saw it with my own eyes. I got out of bed, and I walked into the lounge room and I found this -"

Yep. Two and a bit metres worth of cornice fell out of our ceiling and crashed and smashed onto our beautiful floor while Adam and I were sleeping one night. We didn't hear a thing.

Leo, ever the helpful son - always under my feet by my side, was helping me to survey the extent of the damage.

Notice earlier how I mentioned our beautiful floors. I don't think I ever actually officially told you about how we got rid of that feral 70's carpet I mentioned back in early 2010 when the first few posts of this blog were made. Well I guess it's time for a catch up.
For almost 2 years we put up with the creamy-apricoty carpet covering the floor of our entire home with the exception of the wet areas (bathroom, toilet, kitchen). It was old and stained. Leo had two bathroom accidents on it, which no matter what you did or used, every now and then you would get a delightful whiff of l'eau urine de chat. And fighting off the flea invasion seemed like a daily challenge. An inside cat and too much old dirty carpet do not mix well. Adam and I hated that carpet, and knew that once we replaced it our home would feel and look sooooo much better. Leo, on the other hand, LOVED lounging around on that carpet.

He also loved tearing up and down the hall way, launching off the stairs or hiding against them. Total nut-bag material, but it was fun to watch.
When we moved into our home right before Christmas in 2009, we had savings that we planned to utilise for home renovations, but our job prospects did not work out as planned and that money was instead used on living and paying the mortgage. Since then, when it comes to reno's, we have done what we can when we can. 
So in early November 2011, I decided to put my voucher to good use.

You see I was given a homemade voucher book as a birthday gift from my family. I LOVE it! Titled 'Kristy Erins Little Book of Love <3 Expires: NEVER!", it is full of great vouchers from my Mum, Dad and brothers. Being that Rossco is a carpenter by trade, I put my voucher into action to get us a beautiful new floor. Adam and I discussed for a long time what we should put down after we rip up the carpet. For a long time it was tiles, though I was resistant to this - having grown up on Brushbox wooden floors I guess I was spoilt, but I find tiles hard and cold. A wooden floor is home beneath my feet. So when the new Masters opened at Nerang, we went to check it out and they had Bamboo click-clack flooring that looked spectacular and was much cheaper than I had previously thought... And Adam liked it too! From that I got to researching suppliers and in the end we decided on a Carbonised Bamboo Hardwood floor (not click-clack) for $39.95/m from Bamboo Industries.

We also spent a few hundred on glue to stick it down. It comes pre-polished - no additional cost to polish once laid. Being that it is a proper thick hardwood floor, if it is damaged or scratched over time, it can be sanded and polished like other hardwood floors. But so far it seems to be wearing well. No visible scratches or wear marks so far, even with Leo running around.

The first two boards go down. Oh! I can see it's going to be pretty already!!

That's Rossco putting down the last two rows of boards for the whole house. It was a damn fine effort Dad. Have I told you lately that I love you? Well I do. Thank you sooooo much for making us such a beautiful floor.
Here are some not so clear before photo's taken right before we moved in. 

No we did not keep that tiling detail at the front door...
And now for the AFTER photo's. Wahoo!

Yes we are totally in love with how our new floor looks. It was an instant updater. Even the 70's light fittings and the kitchen archway don't look so gordy with the new floor. But, the real questions are ... how will Leo be able to stretch out and relax now that the carpet is gone? Will he start to curl up in warm places like a normal cat? Just exactly what does he think of the new floor?

He seems to love it just the same. No need for carpet to stretch out for an afternoon nap. One day I caught him doing the thriller in his sleep.

And once he has had a nap, it is hilarious to watch him run around the house on our new floor. He slips and slides, runs on the spot. It has to be seen to be understood, but it is cute as hell. 
The cornice still needs fixing but we are hanging out for our Mr Fix-It Rossco to return home from an overseas holiday and teach us how to replace the cornice. There are a few other sections looking a bit dodgy. Hopefully it can be a 'see one, do one, teach one' experience and I'll be able to put it on here for your viewing pleasure.


Happy Rainy Sunday to you all!


Toodle-Pip.