One of the things we knew we had to do if we wanted to sell this townhouse was to replace the carpet that ran up our stairs and into the master bedroom. We had it installed when we first moved here, a long eight years ago. At the time, we were more focused on putting a good wood floor in the main living areas than we were buying half-decent carpet for those areas, so to say it was crap carpet might be an understatement. It was Serious Crap Carpet. Really Cheap Crap Carpet.

Eight years of pets and general It Was Already Crap had it looking worse than the stuff you would find in the basement of a college frat house. It was AWFUL. So, we decided we would get it replaced before putting the place up for sale. Only thing was it turns out that getting someone to come right out to your house and install carpet isn't quite as easy as it sounds, especially since we were all about The Cheap. There was NO way we were installing anything other than the cheapest carpet we could find since we weren't staying to enjoy it.

Somehow we ended up not getting the carpet installation scheduled until a week after the house went on the market. If you've been keeping score at home then you know that the house wasn't on the market for a week. Nope, not at all. Instead, we had the extreme pleasure of spending $800 on carpet for a house that somebody else was already committed to buying.

It kinda sucked sitting at home all day waiting to spend money for someone else's carpet. I mean, it still had to be done, but as I trudged through the "we'll be there between 8am and 6pm, but don't even think about so much as going to the bathroom because we WILL show up the very second you can't answer the door and we'll leave and you'll have to repeat this whole production all over again" all I could think about was how it wasn't fair that I was buying carpet for somebody else.

A total stranger, no less.

Once Mr. I No-a Speak-a English and his sidekick showed up to install the carpet, it was insult added to injury. Not only did I get my ass kicked by a 4-pound (very scared) cat, but with every single loud noise, and there were thousands, it was like they were saying, "BAM! Lot's of money! Not your carpet! BAM!" Stupid jerks. Especially the cat. Who drew blood. Because I was BEING NICE and freeing him from the confines of the room with the Scary Strangers. Stupid poopyhead cat.

Anyhooooo, once the carpet was finally installed, I trudged upstairs. As I gleefully squished my toes through the soft chemical-laden man-made fibers, I wondered why we hadn't done it sooner. You know, like at a time when we could have actually enjoyed the new carpet. Completely ignoring the part about how there was a 55 gallon aquarium in the bedroom that was absolute hell moving out of there, I was super-annoyed that we hadn't done the carpet for ourselves.

I have an answer to this carpet envy thing, though. All those little scraps that shed from new carpet? I'm collecting them. By the time we actually move in mid-July, I should have enough to make a decent-sized rug for the family room. Good thing, too, since the last time Mr. Husband was over at The (New) House, it was raining in there. Not to worry, it only rains in the family room if someone tries to use water in the master bath.

We'll probably fix that right around the time it's time to sell again.