Thank you so much for your comments and emails. You all were thinking the same thing I was - the darker the better. I decided to go with Dark Walnut.
We're leaving tomorrow for a week while they sand, stain and poly. I might not have Internet access while we're away so I'll post pictures of the finished floors when we get back.
Hopefully you're still feeling helpful because I have another design decision to make. Railing or No Railing . . . .
My dear green friends, please look away. What you're about to see may hurt your eyes and your conscience.
My decorating self had a little battle with my environmental self. It was loud and ugly. And in the end - the decorator in me won. I'm about to pay people to perform a not so eco-friendly act . . . refinish my hardwood floors. 
I need your help in selecting a stain. If I was photo-shop savvy, I would have these samples numbered. So let's pretend - I'll start from the left.
1. Medium Brown
2. Provincial
3. English Chesnut
4. Dark Walnut (top right)
5. Early American (bottom right)
Hooked on Houses is hosting an Open House and you're invited. 
The last two homes we've owned were Cape Cods. I love Capes. They're traditional and charming. We did a lot of work to our last house. You can take a look at the before and after pictures here.
Another picture of the foyer. See the door to the left?
This is the view of our dining room from the foyer. I love these windows. Our lot is very wooded, so the view is beautiful from every window. Lots of wallpaper . . . and border.
This is the view of our living room from the foyer. Love these windows, too.
Here's our family room. I'm sitting in it right now typing this post. It's great space!
These doors in our family room lead to a roomy screened porch.
I'm sure we'll make changes in the kitchen eventually, but I'd like to live in it for awhile first.
Our move is over and we are slowly working our way through boxes. By "we", I mean my wonderful mother. My mother-in-law also came down and lined my pantry and drawers with beautiful liner.
It was so nice having my Fairy Godmothers here to help me get settled in my new home.
I'll be back in a couple of days with an Open House.
Preparing to move into our new house has my decorating juices flowing. I love the possibilities that come along with creating new spaces. I'm excited about the challenge of making this house a home that's suited for the way our family lives life.
With possibility comes responsibility.
The me of 5 years ago, would anxiously await the newest edition of Pottery Barn and "want" for everything on each glossy page. Because it's easy . . . and pretty . . . and easy. Don't get me wrong - I still love when a new Pottery Barn comes (they're one of the few catalogues immune to our attempt to stop our junk mail), but now I look at it for ideas.
I want to make different choices with this house. I'd like to find second-hand furniture and repurpose it, purchase items made from sustainable products, and use products that promote a healthy, safe environment for our family.
One of the first jobs to tackle in the new house is painting. There's border. Lots of border.
I've decided to use YOLO Colorhouse paints. I love their natural color palette of 40 hues. YOLO Colorhouse is formulated without VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These compounds are the solvents contained in most paints that evaporate and contribute to the depletion of the ozone. VOCs are also a part of the stinky odor in paint that is offensive and continues to off-gas which contributes to poor indoor air quality. YOLO is certified with the Green Seal® which means it's an environmentally responsible product.
I wasn't far along in the packing process, when I realized it was going to be impossible to pack up our whole house with boxes from the liquor store. Liquor boxes are great for smaller items and books, but how in the world were all the kids' toys going to fit in such small boxes? They have a lot of toys. Let's just say I had a small addiction to Fisher Price Little People toys a few years ago.
I'm also not fast enough to benefit from any of the free packing materials posted on Freecycle. We did discover Trader Joe's has some great sturdy boxes for smaller things, but the dilemma of packing all the larger stuff still existed.
I caved.
I hung my head in shame and went into a Home Depot. I bought boxes . . . . and bubble wrap . . . and foamy things for packing dishes. A few days later, I learned about a company that rescues truckloads of quality used boxes from large companies.
UsedCardboardBoxes.com inspects and sorts the rescued boxes by size and shape. They create "kits" and resell boxes through their website. They offer free shipping and guarantee delivery in 1-2 business days.
