Best Birthday Ever!

So every year after we get our tax returns, we take a look at our finances and see if we are able to do a big project of some kind. Last year we purchased the John Deere mower, and the year before was the truck. This year we talked about all kinds of home-improvement ideas. Now that our home is 10 years old, there are many things that we have talked about replacing. We thought we were going to have to get a new water heater...how much fun would that have been?! But thankfully we did some matienence to it that has allowed us to prolong its life.

Ever since we moved into this house there have been a few things about the house that I always said I would like to change. Obviously the changes weren't neccessary, but simply cosmetic. So every year when our tax returns come back, the changes always get pushed to the side because something else major comes up. A few of those changes I always wanted to do, were to replace our kitchen countertops (they are plain gray formica and are getting pretty beat up) and to replace our lanolium (sp?) kitchen floors with laminate, as well as our downstairs bathroom.

Just so happens that this was my year!!! We got an awesome tax return check this year and after setting aside a certain amount for Colt's arrival and for savings, we had enough "play" money left over to do something fun in the house! I was going to go with countertops at first, but I couldn't find anything I liked that would look good with the current floors we had, and take into consideration that I may one day change the floors. So we opted to change out the kitchen floors!!

A few weeks ago we went to a flooring store and picked out a few samples we liked and narrowed it down to one choice. We had an amount in our mind that we didn't want to go over, so when the price came back just a little higher than what we wanted, I was super dissapointed. I told Anthony that we should just forget it. But the awesome thing was that Anthony told me to go ahead and go with the one I really liked and it would be my birthday gift!!!! I was so excited!

So on Tuesday and Wed. of this week, the guys came out and installed our new kitchen floors! I gotta say, it's probably one of the best birthday gifts I have ever gotten! It makes the room feel like a whole new room, and for now it has motivated me to keep the kitchen really clean! The place we had do the floors was a small little place in Versailles and we were so pleased with them, that when we replace our carpet in a few years, we will problaby do it through them. So yes, I already have more projects lined up for the next 2 years.....1. new countertops and sink and 2. new carpet....that is if nothing else major comes up...I'll start praying now! :)

Here's some before and after pictures!

The Bathroom....

The Kitchen...

Thanks Anthony for making my birthday so special! And thank you to everyone else for their gifts, notes, cards and phone calls to me today to wish me a happy birthday! I started off the day by sleeping in because Anthony got up with Levi this morning and now they are at the gym together to give me some time to do my own thing! It's a wonderful birthday already!

P.S. I added the pictures of Levi on his 4-wheeler in my blog from last night, so be sure to check those out!