Wow! Thanks Mom!

I’m kind of a stickler for pleases and thank yous from the girls. So much that when Ella wanted something from Lily awhile back, Lily was very adamant on not giving it to her, saying, “Ella! Say manners! SAY MANNERS!” Lily’s a little bossy overall, I like to think it’s moxie and she’s a natural leader.

Yesterday, I got a little itch. I’ve been staring at the same/only stretch of carpet in our house for seven years. The stairs is covered in a beat up, greyish blue Berber carpet. When it’s warm out, the carpet smells like Corn Flakes. Corn Flakes! It’s weird. I’ve cleaned them and vacuum them and they’re just unappealing. And, because animals only like to vomit on the only piece of carpet in the house, more than once we have found cat vomit on the bottom step in the morning. Nothing like that cold squish to wake you up in the morning.

Wondering how I’m going to tie in manners with our crusty stairs carpet? Hold on.

So back to this itch. I’ve *hated* this carpet since day one. But I never took the time to peek underneath. I felt fairly certain there were stairs constructed of nice wood underneath given the age of our house. Yesterday, I could take it no longer. With only a half hour before the bus was scheduled to drop Ella off, I grabbed a pliers and flathead screwdriver and ripped the carpet off the top two steps between the landing and the upper level. It was refreshing, and gross. The wood needs a little TLC and some paint on the risers, but it’s definitely doable. After the bus dropped off Ella, I did two more stairs. I then took a break so I could finish dinner and leave the stairs not covered in gross carpet padding and staples. I figured that was safer since the girls live upstairs. 

With only four of the 11 stairs uncovered, you’d have thought I’d created something amazing. Move over Sistine Chapel. This momma has taken some carpet off of some stairs. The girls were IN AWE! And boy did they show it, I got hugs from Ella, Lily just gushed over the “new stairs” and they were so eager to try them out as they went up to bed. “Mom, thank you for the new stairs!” “Mom! You made new stairs!” “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Now, the carpet was bad, but it wasn’t that bad. This morning, you’d have thought it was Christmas when the girls remembered the “new stairs”. They both raced to the stairway, excited as can be to walk on the stairs.

They’ll probably vomit in sheer joy when they see the rest of the stairs uncovered this afternoon. While I appreciate the over-the-top gushing over my accomplishment, what I really appreciate is the girls noticing that their mom can do this project. I want them to realize they are capable of creating, or destructing things on their own. They can use tools, successfully. They can build, alter, fix, remodel, refurbish, and recreate things on their own. When I walked into the local hardware store this morning, they were eager to help me find my way around the store. I politely waved them off, and the female cashier, who recognizes me, told the older gentleman offering to help me, “It’s okay, she knows her way around here!” Yeah! GO me! Rawr!

I’m proud that I can instill the girls with the knowledge that they can use power tools and then turn around and whip up a pan of brownies. They aren’t limited to kitchen appliances, but rather can create things throughout their nest.