Yesterday afternoon at pre-school, Victoria burst into flames. Which seemed odd. Today she and her twin are home, heating the TV room with their fevers and asking for hot chocolate with big marshmallows, hold the hot chocolate if you please. The impact of two sick three-year-olds to my day hasn't been that major and I've actually been able to accomplish much that I had intended today, if only you replace "work on the basement" with "self-medicate."
Still, the basement is coming along quite well, despite the fact for almost two months this house hasn't seen 48 consecutive hours without a thermometer going in someone's orifice and coming out with three digits of fun. The walls are up and the floor is stained, and all that is left is for me fill the spaces with hundreds of dollars of stylishly crappy furniture from Ikea, transforming this:
into this:
I took about 30 pictures of the acid-stained floor because 1) I am fairly proud of it and 2) soon I'll never see it again:
You can also see, right next to the imaginary bookshelf, the cat door leading to the furnace room, which is where we keep the litter boxes. It is also, coincidentally, the only room in the house the furnace effectively heats, effusing the entire basement with the gentle hint of warm poop like some kind of Glade plug-in from Hell.
Of course, we'd get the same effect if we heated behind the upstairs couch.
You did that floor yourself?! How? Cause that's awesome and looks fantastic and I *so* need to get my husband to do that to our basement floor!!
Posted by: Kelly | March 06, 2008 at 03:19 PM
How I so wish you lived next door to me and could be my friend! I would laugh all the time, chuckle when I wasn't laughing, point my husband in your direction when he needed to lighten up (or appreciate the non-infested state of being called "home"), and besides, we need some girls in our neighborhood (my next door neighbor just had her 5th boy!!!).
Posted by: Krys72599 | March 06, 2008 at 04:36 PM
I'm proud of that acid-stained floor, and I had absolutely nothing to do with its completion. It seems almost a shame to cover it in Webkins and such.
Posted by: Burgh Baby's Mom | March 06, 2008 at 05:11 PM
Twenty years ago, acid and spontaneous combustion meant very different things, am I right?
Posted by: loren | March 06, 2008 at 06:03 PM
I have that Ikea table and chairs you drew in - best purchase ever, they are indestructible and can hold 200 pound grownups AND they add an awesome Dr. Seussian vibe to your room. Your storage idea looks nice...Never thought I'd come to lookydaddy for decorating ideas, but you sir are talented!
Posted by: JoAnn | March 06, 2008 at 07:29 PM
Best opening blog line EVAR!
Posted by: Victoria | March 06, 2008 at 08:07 PM
Oh, thank GOD you're back. I needs the humor.
Posted by: jess | March 06, 2008 at 08:47 PM
Dude - awesome decorative concrete! You were so right to go with the acid stain. And I agree with Victoria - fantabulous first line for this post. Hope the little ones are feeling better and will soon be enjoying their swedish meatballs at Ikea.
Posted by: Heidi #2 | March 06, 2008 at 09:19 PM
Great Avatar reference!
Posted by: Ruth | March 06, 2008 at 09:57 PM
Oh the joys of shit in a box, or is my partner the only one who refers to litter trays as such?
Posted by: blue milk | March 07, 2008 at 05:29 AM
Great job on the floor. It's no small task, I know.
Posted by: You can call me, 'Sir' | March 07, 2008 at 08:22 AM
But did you know that there is a new webkinz snake? Huh? Did you? Did you look at it? Did you see it here? -- Our weeks of illness and snow are filled as full of webkins as your basement - with no cool floor!
Posted by: Liz | March 07, 2008 at 12:16 PM
Why is it that, normally when I see a picture of some cute little kiddles I say "Awww wudda wudda qoooooot!," but when I see pictures of your kids, I feel kind of nervous and scared?
Posted by: Joy | March 08, 2008 at 12:07 AM
It sounds like your week(s) has(have) been bad. I am in a similar dark place, with a similar fun three digit number emerging from orifices problem. (A sentence I never imagined myself saying before, which I now realize was a lack of imagination on my part.)
I like the IKEA-gram. I am from an IKEA-less state, and upon moving out east, was instantly made aware of how horrible it is to be without an IKEA really nearby.
Posted by: Scylla | March 08, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Nice floor!
Perhaps you could build shelves and chairs out of all of the stuffed animals? Kinda squish 'em together and use a huge amount of glue.
That oughta do it!
Posted by: Hatchet | March 08, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Hatchet - you are on to something! Follow the link to see a chair made out of panda teddy bears that retails for more than my car. This is from Moss. Maybe the dad is a closet crafter. After all, there were those flowery crocs....neat. Good times.
http://www.mossonline.com/product-exec/product_id/41316
Posted by: Heidi #2 | March 08, 2008 at 02:22 PM
My daughter and I looked at your pics one by one without peeking at the next.
I laughed right out loud at the stuffed animals. Great job. And your imaginary furniture is wonderful artwork!!
I know the blog is a pain in the ass but man, I do enjoy it!
Posted by: Rebecca F. | March 08, 2008 at 05:36 PM
Joy: You, too? I'm glad it's not just me.
Posted by: Brian | March 08, 2008 at 08:26 PM
Gosh I'm glad you're back. Missed these moments with just the two of us.
Kel
Posted by: Kel | March 14, 2008 at 05:36 PM
i love avatar
Posted by: tiffiny | July 25, 2008 at 05:08 PM