+We are acid-staining the basement floor. Okay, Scott is acid-staining the basement floor. We tried to do laminate but didn't like it and it was too hard to keep clean so we're moving the laminate up to the guest bedroom. The reason why we're going the acid-stain route is because it's a basement and because it's the lowest possible maintenance. It's not super labor-intensive (not that I would know...); it's just about 4 to 5 steps over a 48 hour period and then it's done and you can just mop it with whatever to clean it and it's sealed forever and ever. Before the stain was applied, it was just regular old concrete.
A lot of bars and restaurants use this method and we actually saw it in a winery in Missouri and loved it. This particular part of the basement will be the living-room/movie-theater area. We do plan on dry-walling over the cinderblock.
+The water in Colorado Springs tastes awful. We have a well, so I'm always unpleasantly surprised when I have to drink the water at school. I can't do it. This is me, talking to my fellow teacher friend, about my plan to take in my own water.
This may seem simple, but it's a struggle.
+Did you read this article about Anna Duggar? My personal opinion: The absolute failure of these sects of Christianity is the way they treat their girls like less-than. That's all I can use to describe it: less-than. Less-than what? I don't know. Just less-than. Even the pioneer families didn't treat their girls like this; they had just as much value as boys, though for different reasons. Look at the Ingalls family. They sent their blind daughter to college!
If they'd have the technological advances and knowledge of today back then, I'm guessing the girls would've been treated in a rather equal way. Also, I'm aware that I'm in the least-feminist profession that exists. But the idea that girls can't do anything really bothers me. For reasons like this, I think STEM programs should be in all the schools (not that these Duggar girls would ever get to go to school...that makes me really sad). Also, I'm hoping to coach with Girls on the Run this fall because it's a program that encourages girls to be intelligent, thinking individuals.
+When I think about how many things are on my to-do list, I realize that writing this blog post is the absolute last thing I should be doing (literally, the last). And on Tuesday, as I was getting ready to leave the lounge and head back to the world of teaching reading comprehension, I got a picture message from Scott:
That just about pushed my fried nerves over the edge. And that is Scott's friend obviously taking a picture to share photo documentation with others.
+But then, when I got home yesterday, I saw Scott had cleaned the entire house before he left to go hunting. That made me happier than just about anything, and there may have been happy tears.
+And again, this blog post is the absolute last thing I should be doing right now (literally).
Oh my gosh his hunting picture! But yay for him cleaning the house and hope you got all your other stuff done!
ReplyDeleteI am super jazzed to hear about your new volunteer opportunity when you get going with it. That sounds like a great program that I would fully support. I should look into it and see if it's around here.
ReplyDeleteI'm saddened by the less-than aspect of these sects too. It pisses me off and upsets me.
I like the look of the floor in the basement.
The nasty water just isn't in the springs, trust me. When we'd go skiing and our other CO trips, we'd have to buy bottles and bottles of water because we weren't getting hydrated from the faucet water. We invested in a lot of bottles on our trips there, ha!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with GOTR - its a great program!
I am going to read that Anna Duggar article right now. I definitely agree with your "less-than" analysis, and the whole thing just makes me sick about how these women are treated. On a more positive note, your basement floor looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteYour water is bad at school? Ours is fine. Maybe I only think it's fine after drinking being in Oklahoma for 2 months. Seriously, their water was AWFUL! They didn't even drink it! They had brita filters but you could still taste the weirdness of it so they'd use water flavors to "fix" it -- still gross and I don't like flavored water. David & I spent SO much money while there on bottled water for us and the kids! We'd go and buy cases at a time! It was ridiuclous.
ReplyDeleteFun fact about Cement, Oklahoma -- lots of people there have developed forms of cancer....
Acid staining is such a cool look on a floor! Ugh our tap is kind of gross here too and I am super sensitive to water taste! We have a filter on our fridge water thankfully!
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about water in the midwest? Our water living in Oklahoma was utterly DISGUSTING - just like Amber said. Nobody drank it. It was bottled water or nothing (or let's be honest - soda, because Oklahoma).
ReplyDeleteThe floor is looking nice!
I've told Jonathan to save his money. If he ever wants to send me over the edge into "OMG THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER" surprise me with a clean house.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of acid staining, that seems pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love the Girls on the Run organization.
ReplyDeleteWe have STEM here, but I don't know much about it.
I've never heard of acid staining, but it looks like a great option for a concrete floor.
ReplyDeleteThis whole Duggar scandal is so sad. People are already attacking Christianity on a daily basis, and now, a family that was the face of Chrisitanity in many ways who was already under attack for their beliefs is making the rest of us look really bad. It all breaks my heart, and that article about Anna is sad, but true. I can't imagine being in that situation let alone being basically powerless to do anything about it.
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