It's taken me more than four years to decorate our house from top to bottom; not that it's a particularly big house, but because I'm lazy.
However, in that time, we'd not bought a new carpet. So today we had four delivered and laid.
Getting the rooms cleared and the old carpets lifted was always going to be a test (for a man of my patience). But then on Monday, I lifted the landing carpet to have a gander underneath - and noticed how naff the skirting boards looked.
And the thing is, it's never easier to paint skirting boards then when the carpets are up - a chance that doesn't come along too often.
I had a five-minute think before concluding that I couldn't be arsed.
Then I felt guilty.
And 24 hours later, several miles of skirting boards (OK, maybe just one mile or perhaps a bit less), five door frames, four doors, one banister and several wooden railings had received two grumpy coats each.
Then the furniture moving began, finishing just a few minutes before our men arrived this morning. What a hero. (Vanessa did move some stuff too, but she's much better at cleaning up afterwards).
And was it all worth it? Well, Charlotte certainly thinks so.
Little Missy has been stuck with some pretty awful carpet since we moved in here and, when we went to the warehouse, was determined to make up for lost time.
Cue an order in sparkly pink.
Prior to our visit, I wasn't aware that you could get sparkly carpet. But I learnt something and, crucially, it wasn't even expensive.
And, well, she's rather pleased with the result.
So much so that Mummy thought her dollies might like to share the treat, by way of an off-cut.
Methinks there will be sweet dreams in two houses tonight.
