When One Project Leads to Another

Yesterday was Bruce's 9/80 Friday off. In the morning the house was filled with the sound of the hammer as Bruce put the baseboards back in the dining room.

Here are Zoey and Lily helping me model the new floor in the dining room.

They kept getting into the pictures--I'd have a half a tail in one, and a wiggling back half in another! I finally decided that they really wanted to be in the picture, so I put them in the sit-stay and made like I was taking their picture instead of pictures of the floor.

The wood looks lighter in the picture than it does on the floor itself. Eventually, the actual color will darken further as the wood is exposed to light for a period of time.



When we put the wood in the hall and dining room, I touched up the pain where the baseboards had been because the floor is slightly lower now than the carpet was.

But I had no paint for the living room lower walls. The previous owners did not leave any for that antique green. That meant that we had to buy some paint that would match.

And I began thinking about that. I really did not like the actual color. It had too much yellow in it, and clashed with my hunter green leather living room furniture. And since we would have to buy paint anyway...well.

The other day I stopped at Lowe's and got some samples. The original idea was to paint it the same color as the kitchen lower walls. So I got that sample, and got some similar colors as well. Well the "Green Peppercorn" of the kitchen did go alright with the new floors. But the "Irish Paddock"--a lighter green with a little less blue really popped out when held against the floor. So Thursday, we came home with a gallon of it. And I started with the walls that needed baseboards put back on yesterday...

You can really see the difference here...The "Irish Paddock" is lighter and brighter.


Here, I have finished the wall between the entry and the back hallway.
The blue line at the top is actually painter's tape, put edge on at the bottom of the white wainscott border between the lower and upper wall.

I really like this color. It is lighter and brighter than the previous color, and I used a satin finish--it shines a little and is much easier to clean!

But now...well. I am thinking that the upper wall done in a rich neutral color doesn't work so well with it. I am thinking that maybe something a little lighter and creamier might work better there...this is how one project can lead to another one. I may paint the upper walls next. And that would mean painting the halls, too.


While I was painting, Bruce was putting padding on the bottom of the pellet stove platform. Then Bruce, N. and I put the stove back on the platform.

Then we put the dining room table up. It had little rubber pads on the bottom of each leg. But we had to put felt rounds on the chairs.

Bruce is holding the can of pre-cut, glue-on felt rounds that came with the Bella Wood Floor Care package.

Bruce and I took a hiatus for some paperwork chores (more on that later) and then N. and I went to the library and the skateboard park. N. bought a new board and new bearings with some of the money he has earned helping with the flooring. He's still using the old trucks and wheels, though. When the living room is finished he'll have those as well. When we got back, Bruce had the chairs done and the hall floor prepped for putting in the baseboards there. And it was time to call it a day and prepare for Shabbat.




After our baths, we set the dining room up for Shabbat dinner.

Yes! The first Shabbat in our dining room since the end of June. Whooo-hooo!

On Monday, a neighbor will come to help move the china cabinet in. Today we will move some living room furniture into the dining room--the living room is next!

But it was a Shehecheyanu moment.
This is a blessing that is said when you experience something for the first time, or haven't experienced it in a long time. It is also used on Holy Days.

In English it is rendered:

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, ruler of all space and time,

for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this special time.

We have done the hall. That was hard because of it's length. The dining room went faster. And now all we have left is the living room, and we will be done with the "public spaces" of the house. After that, we will take a break before tackling N.'s bedroom, and the two offices.


This morning we woke up to a lovely fog over Mountain Valley.

I got a picture just before the sun rose.

It was gone before we walked up to the high meadow to see our lot. That's right--we not finished the dining room and ate Shabbat dinner there, enjoying the new floor. We also signed the contract on our first choice lot in the high meadow.

What a good way to spend the last Shabbat of the year.

On Wednesday at sunset, the Jewish year of 5768 begins! May it be as sweet for you as this one has been for us!