Hey gang! I’m wrapping up the saga of my new flooring today, can I get a woo-hoo?

Previously, on The Story of My New Floors, I left you with a cliffhanger.  Was tearing out tile and ripping up carpet going to be the death of me?

Kinda sorta yeah. It was the worst. And for a long time my house looked like this:

But now …

It looks like this! Hooray and yay!

Everything is installed and put back together and we are loving it.  I’ll share a few more details at the end of the post, but for now, pictures!

The kitchen floor used to consist of this uninspiring 12×12 gray tile. It really seemed like the type of flooring you’d find in the waiting room at Big-O Tire or like, the bathrooms at Jack-in-the-Box.

But now …

Oh yeah. That’s an improvement.

I hated this area where the carpet from the hallway met the kitchen.  It was a one-way ticket to Grossville on the Grunge Express.

Now it’s just one solid expanse of floor! It makes the house feel so much bigger now that the flooring extends all the way down the hall.

This hallway is like the main artery of the house. It goes from the front door to the kitchen with the living room and laundry room on one side, and the office and dining room on the other, so it’s nonstop foot-traffic through here all day everyday.  And sometimes scooter traffic. Carpet just can’t handle that.

But let me be really real with  you. I’m about to hit you with some truth. There is something I can’t stand about these floors. Can you see it?

THIS TRANSITION PIECE. It seems like a little thing, but I can’t get over it. The type of flooring we used is considered a ‘floating floor’ and basically as far as I understand it, the amount of area we wanted to cover was greater than the flooring specifications allowed, so a transition piece was necessary to combat any shifting and spreading of the planks. It’s a little strip that matches the flooring perfectly, but it’s slightly raised, and to me is glaringly obvious. Much more obvious than the picture shows.

However, I learned from a flooring expert that there are ways of possibly getting around it. Of course I learned this now that everything is said and done.  But I have some ideas floating around of ways I can potentially change this so it doesn’t make me so cranky. And crazy. Crankzy. It’s a thing.

BUT! The other 99% of my floor I truly am happy and in love with.  And it’s definitely a step up from what we had before.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions I’ve received about my floor:

What is the name of your flooring?  Delaware Bay Driftwood by Lumber Liquidators.

What kind of flooring is it? 10mm laminate with pre-attached pad

Laminate? Oh no! Haven’t you heard the news??  Yes, I’m aware of the big laminate flooring controversy raging right now. I talked about it in my last post. Going into this, I had no idea about any of the allegations and claims against Lumber Liquidators.  The news broke about two days after my floors were installed. It was kind of a nightmare. Fortunately, my particular flooring was not affected. My advice is to just to inform yourself as much as possible and make the best decision you can for you and your family! I do believe that laminate flooring is safe, and I know there are tons of regulations and tests in place that are supposed to ensure that. You are also just plain better off choosing products that are made in the USA vs. China.

Whew. Ok. I feel better. So, is it hard to keep clean? What about footprints? I think it really depends on your finish, not so much on laminate vs. hardwood.  My parents used to have a super glossy hardwood floor, and you could see every single speck and smudge.  I specifically chose a very matte finish for this reason.  So far, so good! I clean it with just water, using an ever-so-slightly damp mop.

I heard that laminate makes a ‘hollow’ sound when you walk on it, is that true?  In some cases, yes. However, my flooring came with a pre-attached underlayment, and also features a thicker, sound-reducing core, so I haven’t noticed a hollow sound at all.  There are also many different types of pads you can lay underneath to help cancel out sounds.

Is laminate extra slippery? Again, I think that just depends on your finish. It’s no more slippery than my parent’s hardwood floor.

Is it safe to put laminate in the kitchen? What if it gets wet? Laminate has made some big strides in the past, and is more durable and water-resistant than ever. My particular brand came recommended for moist, high-traffic areas like the kitchen and even the bathroom.

Let me know if you have any other questions, and I’m happy to share my answers!

Disclosure: Lumber Liquidators provided me with product for this post, all words and opinions are 100% my own.

>>This post is in partnership with Blue Apron.

Cooking is not something that comes naturally to me. At all. I like food. I love eating food. But I do not love the process.

Just thinking about is paralyzing.  First I have to plan a menu, make a list, and go to the store, all of which is like a complex mathematical equation. Factor in food that we have on hand, plus food that we need, divided by food that everyone actually likes, cross multiplied by what’s on sale, subtracted by how long the baby will allow himself to be in public before a having a nuclear meltdown.

Then I get the the store and inevitably discover I have forgotten my list (EVERY TIME!). Then I get home and realize I’m out of some necessary staple like butter. Buttermilk is close enough, right? Wait, I’m out of buttermilk. Chocolate milk? Close enough.

Then my kids eat two bites of food. Then we clean it all up. Then I do it all again. I’d rather just order a pizza and spend my time spray painting something. Do you feel me?

So when Blue Apron came along and told me they could help make the cooking process enjoyable, haha! I seriously doubted it. But I told them I’d give it a shot.  Here’s what I learned.

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that sends everything you need to create a chef-designed meal to your doorstep. Everything. Even the two tablespoons of butter. The ingredients come in a refrigerated box and are incredibly fresh.

This was what I received to make Seared Flank Steaks with Roasted Potatoes and ‘Creamed’ Kale. Have I ever made seared flank steaks or creamed kale before in my life? No. So it was actually kind of fun to be pushed in a new direction.

Here’s me begrudgingly having fun cooking. And concentrating, and being pale. Look at that mountain of kale! It seems like you could never eat that much kale, but it shrinks down a lot, so now you know.

Not only is everything fresh and often even sourced from local suppliers, it comes in the perfect proportions. No measuring, and no waste! You can feel like one of those chefs on TV flinging around their little pre-measured bowls of ingredients, cooking a meal in five minutes without even trying.

Actually, Blue Apron meals are designed to take 40 minutes or less from start to finish. It’s all mapped out. That was my very favorite part. Your meal comes with a recipe card that tells you what to do step-by-step, so that everything finishes at the same time, and poof! Dinner is served.

Here is another thing I learned.  WOW, it is SO HARD to take pretty pictures of food. Especially while you’re in the midst of cooking it. And the sun is going down. Picture me crouched on a stool over a pan of cooking kale while shooting a picture with one hand and stirring it with the other so it won’t burn, and then not even being able to use any of those pictures. While creamed kale is surprisingly delicious, it is not at all photogenic. This is why I’m not a food blogger. Besides for today.

The potatoes were pretty darn good-looking though. (Tell me about it, spud).

So, what’s the verdict? 

Yay! We loved it! It was fun! It was easy! It was new!

Our portion was for the Family Plan, perfect for feeding a family of four. My husband eats like he’s a one-man family of four, but we actually had leftovers, so that was unexpected and nice. There’s also a two person plan, and shipping is always free!

The price for the Family Plan is $69.92 for a delivery of two four-serving meals, so $8.74 per meal.  Not cheap – I couldn’t make this an every-single-night kind of thing – but it’s less than eating out at a restaurant, and they use such high quality ingredients that it’s definitely worth it.

So, whether you want to get out of your rut of always cooking the same old thing, or would enjoy the luxury of having everything you need to create chef-worthy meals delivered straight to your home, give Blue Apron a try!

The first 50 readers will get two meals off their first Blue Apron order free! No commitment, cancel or skip anytime.

Check out their entire collection of recipes here.  I could definitely go for that Chili Blackened Cod or Spicy Thai Chicken Noodle Soup. Yumz.

Enjoy your weekend!