We finally did it.

After 4 years of bitching about our front door making this horrible noise everytime you open it, we have FINALLY fixed it!! Hurrah!!! It will no longer sound as if we are stepping on a cat's tail when we open the door. I think that sound it made was probably the most annoying sound on the planet. Besides, as often as the boys go in and out in the summer, by the end of the day, listening to that noise, my nerves were fried. Speaking of the boys in and out all day long.....

Whoever built our house did a pretty good job with a few exceptions. One of the biggies, in my opinion is that they laid the carpet all the way up to the front door without laying any type of entry tile or vinyl for a "foyer" or landing zone as one enters. Therefore, my carpet was constantly being tracked in with grass, leaves, wet feet, etc. The rule of the house is take off your shoes, but for some reason, boy #1 seems to have a major problem following this rule. Getting him to comply is like toilet training a cat....next to impossible. I'm forever more asking him why he is wearing his shoes in the house? It wouldn't be so bad, or such a big deal, but they are in and out 4711 times a day and they are boys and I know they don't wipe their feet well. And besides all that, my carpet is a solid color kindof dark blue......shows everything!

So.....today we laid down a ceramic tile foyer. It's drying and tomorrow I'll grout it. Right now even in the ungrouted state it looks fantastic. I'll call my friend who works at the Carpet Center and she'll send a carpet crew over to do the re-lay of the carpet, to butt it up to the edge of the tile. If we were not on a slab we could have done it ourselves, but dealing with concrete is too difficult for an amateur. Besides, they can make it look perfect. I think I bought enough tile when I bought tile to do this job that I can do our bathroom. If I didn't, I have a darn good start and won't need very many to finish. I see us doing our bathroom soon since the floor in there sucks too. It's half carpet and half vinyl. Strange huh?