After over 4.5 months, my finished basement has been restored from the over 4 feet of flood water we got on September 1st. Thee space is reopened and we have half our house back. Pics below, including the cats exploring. They are very happy to have this piece of territory back.

We rescued some things from the flooding that we can now put back down there, and people have been giving us books and boards games, so we are slowly rebuilding those collections. Both collections were large so it will take time.

The basement is laundry, storage and the large space will eventually be my husband's library. He will go back to using it as his office in the meantime. He wants it to look Victorian/Edwardian... not just inspired, but as literal as he can make it. It will need significant renovation but he's going to hold off for a few years. Among other things, he wants built-in bookshelves. We just wanted it back as it was for now.

Our dryer survived the flood (floated), kind of. It turns on but doesn't seem to dry. We need to explore if it can be repaired, or else replace it when we order the washer.

I can now re-focus on the areas of the upstairs I wanted to decorate. My office is about done, so the bathroom, hallway and bedroom are next. I want to put in some peel and stick wallpaper or tile on at least the bottom halves of walls of the bathroom and hallway, because one of my cats is constantly sneezing all over the white paint (her condition is harmless but chronic at this point). The resulting stains can be removed but by doing so, we will rub away the paint over time. I want to paint the whole bedroom. I've ordered pain chips and wallpaper swatches. Very exiting!