New Floors Woooohoooooo!!

I went to the Habitat Restore in my town to look at laminet hardwood floors I have a small house I wanted to do the living room and hallway. I figured it out it would cost me 232.00 for the flooring, and 60.00 for the paper that goes under the floor. My ex husband would put them in for me,(will post about that in another blog)  so it wouldn't cost me any labor. I talked to my step dad he told me to look under some of the carpet to make sure there was good floor there that I didn't need a sub floor becase that would cost me more.
I left the restore without buying the floor to go home and look at the floor take a picture to send to my step dad. I got home pulled out the couch, wanted to bringthe carpet up in a spot where it wouldn't show, and what to my surprise did I see but beautiful old hardwood floors. I was so excited I was beside myself. I have always wanted to have old original hardwood floors in my house. I texted my ex husband sent him a picture of the floor asked him instead of putting in new floors could he sand and stain these floors? Or at least check them out to see of he could, he said it is alot more time consuming and alot more work but yes he could. I was so excited that I may have original old hardwood floors.
He came down brought 2 sanders, a nice brush and  knee pads to do the job.
He started pulling up carpet and said wow these are original 80 year old oak hardwood floors yes I will sand and stain them.

We went to wal mart bought stain, and sandpaper for his belt sander and he got to work pulling up carpet and padding. It was really disgusting someone who lived in this house previousley did not take care of the carpet there were pee stains all in the back and through the padding. But here are what we discovered when the carpet was pulled up.
Someone was very carless with paint and didn't care what how they treated the beautiful wood floor.

Took him a day and half to sand the living room and hallway but looked good when he was done.  This is after the sanding was done, before the stain.
I chose a stain called Early American was a medium color didnt want them too light or too dark. If I had it to do over I would have gone a little lighter but I still love them.
He worked another day staining the floor, We didn't get the polyurathaine top clear coat when we got the stain he said I will come down again adn finish them with the top coat. well he got to thinking no I htink we need to do it npw to protect them. So at 7:30am on saturday morning we went to Meijer and got the top coat, very expensive I thought(17.00 for a little can) but well worth it. He spent another half day putting on the top coat.
But I am happy to say the floors are done and looking beautiful I love them, and have the floors I have always wanted.

This is my project for the week, Today I had to sweep and mop all the floors, wash all the comforters, dust vaccuum, yesterday I washed walls, clean everything as the dust from sanding went everywhere! I still have some work to do but nothing I can't live with as I do the work little by little.
I am next working on painting the window trim in my entryway greyblue, then painting the 3 steps into my home in the entryway grey blue, it is just too plain. that will be another post.
thanks for stopping god bless!!!

The Good and The Bad

well the last week has has not been very good , a week ago my van started acting up I was told it needs a alternator, the van is old and I am not sure if I want to put any money into it or not. MY daughter has a SSI hearing in August if she gets approved ( keeping ours fingers crossed) we are going to get a good van or suv so we will see, my computer is running real slow and internet keeps going out, and then my clothes dryer doesn't want to heat up. It has been acting up for a couple months, but now I think it is headed for junk yard heaven. I paid $50.00 for it 3 years ago so I can't complain I have certainly got my money out of it, but now I have to go hunting for a new one. (well not new but a good used one)
so it seems as though everythign wants to go out at the same time. I am hoping my laptop lasts me another 6 months I can not afford a new one, but a dryer I have to have.
I have also been havign trouble with the DHS, they cancelled my daughter's case for soem reason she was going to the Michigan works program and receiving medicaid, cash assistance, and food stamps they just close her case with no reaosn given. The thign that really made me upset about it is along with her case being closed my grand daughter also had her Medicaid cut off and i can not afford to get her health insurance on my own.
She has 2 U of M appointments comming up this tuesday and it takes so long to reschedule there I didn't know what I was goign to do, but thankfully her caseworker worked on it and just got it back so no worries there.
I have been paying for health insurance through the Cobra plan at work, which is very expensive but after this month I can no longer afford to pay it. So I am hoping I can get Medicaid for my self. We will see.
I have a work lawyer which is free to me and they are helping me apply for a hearing for disability. They work for the insurance company paying my work disability every month, and all they do is help clients with disabilty they just filed for me to have a hearing. Burns me up because I have worked and paid taxes since I was 16 in my 20's I worked 2 and 3 jobs and I get turned down for disability and have to get  alawyer int he first place. Just doesn't seem fair to me, but I have learned life isn't fair.
I am really struggling financially I don't have a car payment, I cancelled my car insurance as of August 1st I hate it that I won't have a vehicle here but I just can't afford it anymore, I am not paying health insurance after July, I do not have any loans, no credit cards. I just have rent, utilites, and what I call cosmetics (shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, laundry soap etc)  and I just can't make ends meet, but I do ok.
I am also still struggling with lots of pain to where I still don't drive, still don't do much shopping at all, I miss out on things like parades, I  can not see myself going to the fair things like that. I take what I think is lots of pain medicine all day and evening long, I don't sleep much approx. 3 hours a night I have been staying up till 4:30-5am every night.
Soon I am goign to have to buy my grand daughter school clothes she goes to a school that requires a uniform and she has a whole page of school supplies she needs, seems a little much for a 1st grader but what can ya do? I will be shopping online the next couple of days at Sears and Kmart they have a layaway I can pay on the items in installments for the next 6 weeks and make it alot easier fianancially. Think I may go shopping on the net when I am done with thise blog post.
I go to my ortho Dr Monday morning then to the pain Dr monday afternoon. so it will be a busy, hurting day for me.
well going to close it is 3:17am going to internet shop then hopefully to bed at 4:30.
Everyone have a great week!

Happy 4th of July

I am sorry I haven't written anything in awhile but my fingers have been hurting really bad too bad to type a blog.
 I visited another pain Dr here in Monroe wanted a second opinion on a spine stimulator. The new Dr did say I could get one she told me how it usually only controls 50% of people's pain, every person is different may only control 10% of my pain. i watched the dvd they gave me almost all the people that have stimulator that talked on there said they need to take pain meds when there pain becomes bad enough that the stimulator doesn't take care of it,  the internet and a pamphlet I was given said the battery in the stimulator usually last 5 years which if I live 20 more years I will need 4 more surgeries to have the battery replaced, if it loosens or comes out of place I will need surgery to put it back. So I have decided I do not want the stimulator.
It seems too much trouble for me. I am taking pain meds every evening and before I lay down to sleep, today I had to take one when I got up I laid too long, more than my body could handle. I haven't been sleepeing much maybee 2 hours a night and I guess last night I just needed sleep. I hurt every minute of every day.
The insurance company that poays me my diasability insurance from work sent me a letter and a form for my Dr to fill out, it stated that my orth Dr and my 2nd pain Dr didn't put any restrictions on me for working and if they aren't goign to then they aren't goign to pay me. I could hardley believe it. I can hardley walk maybee 5 mins before my legs give out, have to ride a motorized cart when I go shopping which is only maybee twice a month,  have to use a cane 100% of the time I have a walker when both my hips hurt, only sleep 2 hours a night because of pain, I can no longer vaccuum, plant flowers in the yard, go downt he basement to do do laundry and I have no work restrictions? I called noth the Dr's offices one sent me the last office note and it said nothign about work restrictions that I could or couldn't he is the Dr that put me off work so I figure he didn't think he needed to put it one way or another. I am still waiting for the office note from the pain Dr.
Not sure what I will do without that money I can not work, I was getting $92.00 in food stamps they got cut down to $16.00 a month like anyone can eat on that per month. I piut in a application to get mediciad because after this month I can longer to pya my insurance through the Cobra plan its 472.12 a month and I just can't do it anymore, the DHS has to deem me disabled to get it my file has to go before a committee. If they deny me not sure what I will do without insurance can't afford all my Dr's and mediciation. That's another reason for not wanting the stimulator if somethign goes wrong I woil dnever be able to afford to get it fixed.
On a happier note I am goign to Houghton Lake on the 10th for a whole week, boating evening fires with smores and the fresh air. I can not wait a friend is letting us stay at his trailor up there and use his boat so it is a cheap vacation for myself and my grand daughter, just some food and gas. I won't be able to do much but just sitting on the boat going slower than normal will be a treat.
Well I am closing going to my mothers for a 4th of July cook out. everyone have a wonderful day!