Baseball, Home Improvement, and a question...

I really wish that someone would quit switching the days on me without me knowing it. How the heck is it Thursday already?!!

I woke up this morning to soft rain. I love the rain. There is something so calm and renewing about it. It also means a probable break in a busy baseball schedule.

Jack's season is unofficially finished. They beat the 2nd best team last night in an 11-0 shut-out. But the coaches who are tied for 2nd (one of them from last night), want the guys to have to play 2 rained-out games next week. So...it's not.....quite.......over. But we're confident that they can hang on to their title. They have played SO WELL this year. It was so satisfying watching these 9-10 year olds learn to be team players. We have had an amazing coach. He really loves the kids. He taught the kids to play with good sportsmanship, to never give up, and to play YOUR PERSONAL BEST. The kids all love him to death and they respect him. I am just so thankful for this year in baseball for Jack.

If you've read here very long at all, you know that one of the ways that I TRY to keep my sanity while Race is away, is to stay busy with home improvement projects. Last year I ahad someone come in and rip the carpet in our Cape Cod style house and put down Pergo. Looks great. Except that this is a Cape Cod, and that means that there are steps.........and those steps still were carpeted. WERE. The other morning, I got Jack up from bed saying, "C'mon buddy lets go rip the carpet off the steps." Well, let me tell you, if I have nothing else in this world, I have an amazing demolitoion crew. You want something torn up, ripped, out and otherwise obliterated, we're your people. Construction? Call someone else.
So we yanked it all right out of there, and right out the door onto the porch. The boys pulled up all the padding, and began to pull out the 500 billion staples that were left by the crack smoking carpet people who put the stuff down.

Here I will pause and ask you NOT to ask me about what we found UNDER the carpet. Ummm....I'm thinking that:

1. It's a wonder that we're even ALIVE living in filth like that.
2. What is it that my vaccuume is actually doing when I run back and forth across a step? and
3. The need for someone to come in and clean is no longer being considered a luxury.


So. I've been sanding. And sanding. And sanding. The steps that I've finished are actually beautiful. I am sanding and staining the tops to match the Pergo (just slightly darker than natural), and then painting the sides and fronts a glossy white.

And if we can ever remove all the fine dust that has settled into every cranny of the house since I started it's really going to look nice.

But now. A question for all the Do-It-Yourselfers. What do I put on top of the step to make it more scrubbable. As of now, it just has a natural stain. I would rather avoid anything thick and glossy, but would still like to be able to scrub it. Any advice??

Have a great day!
Melissa