Basement Remodeling

Merle says that he is done putting the studs up in the basement. Now we wait for the electrical work to be done. He still has to get a heating plan in place. Still checking out flooring and ceiling plans. The ceiling has to be low due to plumbing, so we don't want flooring that raises the floor too much.



I've been checking out different websites about the best flooring to have in a basement. I don't want any moisture problems to ruin the floor. Not that we've had any leaks, but we do have a humidity problem. What gets so confusing is the different opinions on what to put down for flooring. I've seen some awesome stained concrete floors that I think are absolutely gorgeous, but would be too cold for grandkids - not to mention too hard, for them to run around on.

Found some plastic stuff that you can put on the floor to help it breath and control moisture, but not too sure if I like the looks of some of the carpet squares that can go on top of it.

I do know that I DON'T want ceramic tile. If I wanted something hard on the feet, then just staining the cement would work. It confuses me to see it even as an option. I know ceramic tile looks good, and I know it gives a floor a really nice look, but in the basement. Ah, no.

Have thought about lamanite flooring, though the jury is still out in that area. More research and
prayer needed.

Though, I'm not even sure about anything to do with the basement at the moment. April's decided to get her own apartment afterall. Wish she would have decided before we really got working on the basement. Hopefully her work hours don't change back to later in the evening. If they do, she'll still have to pick up the kids from here because it's just too hard for Merle and I to take them to their apartment and put them to bed, like we had been doing. Things we could have done when we were younger are alot harder to do now.

Invisible Stories

I have a 5 year-old grandaughter who loves, "Invisible Stories," not pretend, not made up, but "invisible stories." Every night when I put her to bed, she has to have an "invisible story." Usually a frog is involved - though I haven't figured out why. The "3 Little Pigs" have become the 3 unicorns with a purple and pink poka-dotted grizzly bear instead of a wolf. And there always has to be a Doctor Emily who fixes the bears burned paw and then gives him 4 purple lollipops to give to the unicorns when he tells them he is sorry. They all become neighbors of course and live happily ever after. "Goldilocks and the 3 Bears" has gone through many transformations, with a frog - and "Little Red Riding Hood" has been nicely rearranged, also.

Part of the time, I will be telling the story and then she stops me and says, "Oh, no grammy, this is what happened."

Not only has this been a great bonding experience for the two of us, but it is devoloping her imagination. When she was younger it was hard for her to imagine things, but since she discovered "invisible stories" - her words, not mine...her imagination has taken off. It was like something suddenly clicked inside her head.

These stories have kept me on my toes, too. No letting my grandmotherly mind go to mush with her around. Especially now that we are starting to branch out into stories that don't have a basis in a book we have read together.

What fun it is to watch her face light up, and hear the giggles that erupt over the tiniest things. How much more relaxed I am with her than I was with my own children. What a joy.