the floors, they are finished! also - all about ME

When we set out to build a new house in our back yard,

I really had no clue

how,

exactly,

this was all going to work.

Obviously,

based on the bank account,

I knew that we would be doing a lot of the work.

But I sorta thought that 

"we"

meant what it's always meant

in these sorts of things;

"we"

meant Tyler and big kids,

with me holding down the fort,

and doing all sorts of running around 

and buying things.

Support.

It isn't that I thought woman can't build,

it's more that women don't build.

(as a general rule, mind you,

and certainly all of the women in my small circle...)

oil will continue to seep up,
so we'll go out 3-4 times a day for the next week to wipe it up

Tyler has a full-time job

(duh!)

and not only that,

he got promoted 

and moved to a new department

right around the time we started building,

which left him even busier at work than ever.

He simply wasn't home enough 

to do all of the building we thought he'd do.

and so,

I stepped in.

Every time there was a job that needed doing,

and I was the one available to do it,

I did it.

I worked with my dad,

whose graciousness and generosity towards us

knows no bounds.

I've worked with Brandon.

I've worked with My Love.

I've worked with all 3 of them together,

and with just my two men.

I've worked with Jeannie, and Eva, and Marin.

I've worked with all four of the younger kids,

together,

separately,

and in every imaginable combination.

And I've worked alone

far more than I'd have ever thought.

I've learned so much!

We've had some laughs.

and a few arguments

(really - only a few)

I've shed tears on many occassions

because I was in so much pain.

Or so overwhelmed with all we had left to do.

And let's be honest,

I've had some

'why do I have to be the only one who is working so hard'

pity parties.

(yes - I know how ridiculous that is.
just keeping it real, folks)

I've also had moments of euphoria

at a job well done,

and earned gobs of imaginary badges.

I'm not uber skilled or talented,

or knowledgeable.

I'm just a freakin' hard worker

(and I am highly motivated to get out of this house

and into my new one!)

From Friday afternoon to Tuesday night

I worked over 37 hours 

out in the house

on the floors

(sanding, staining, finishing with oil)

None of those hours were leisurely,

it was all hard, quick moving work.

Once you start putting stuff on your floors,

you can't stop 'til your done...

A lot of those hours were with Tyler,

some with the kids,

some with the whole family,

and a good chunk - alone

All of them added up 

to a pretty spectacular

(though quite far from perfect!) 

rustic floor.

At some point, I'll post a little more of the process
- what we did,
and what we wish we'd done -
both for our reference,
and also for anybody who is looking to 

stain and tung oil their floors
because there is surprisingly very little info
on the world wide web.