Catching Up and Still Puzzled

I'll start off with great news. My Baby (26 yrs. old) just got engaged to a sweet young man from Fiji, who is a chef. The wedding is tentatively Labor Day weekend 2010, although they are considering the $$$ advantages of waiting till 2011. She already knows what dress she wants, but since Mom (moi) likes to make wedding dresses, we are going to the bridal shop next week to see if I can copy it. We will keep you updated on these developments. She wants to get married outside at home (which means all the ugly flower beds will have to be cleaned for sure next year.)
Next item on the agenda: the pictures and updates as to what kept me busy2 weeks ago, as per previous blog:
1. Yellow Socks : Mystery Sock pattern for the Sock Challenge on Ravelry. Started Sept 2, Finished Sept 27.














2. Second Pair of Socks: Seaweed by WendyJohnston, also for the Sock Challenge.














3. My nephew's Kilt Hose--I am using these for one of the October Sock Challenge socks: Men's Socks.















4. Honeycomb Sweater #4 in black. I am almost finished the last piece: only the assembly and neck/button/buttonhole band left to do.















5. All the decks are stained. Only the balusters (slats) left to screw on. Will do this when all the cleanup in the garden and the tree nursery are finished. I think maybe Friday I'll get this done. After we go to the dump again. Notice that the flower pots are all gone.















I love the redwood stain, but couldn't face the prospect of that much red on the deck floor, so I chose a more sandy version. For the rails I used up some old semi-transparent, but prefer the look of solid stain, so, for the under-parts I bought solid stain and I will re-do the rails next year.















6. The swing sets are gone. The old play fort is gone. In their place, due to the damaged trees from the storm, I planted 4 Fat Albert Blue Spruces. They will nicely screen off the damaged part, but maybe not in my lifetime.















My Current preoccupation: The Renovations

Here is the new floor--the kitchen/dining area, adjoining laundry room and the main bathroom. It is a high-end lino, but when Daughter #2 came over--she being a porcelain tile advocate--she thought they were tiles. She was so impressed with the excellent grouting. Only when she got down to check the grouting, she realized they were not tiles. The floor is deeply textured like slate. It is a very matte finish--very slip-proof. We really like it.















See the end wall (dining area as seen from the kitchen).--These are my color samples done in primer. I am strongly leaning towards the sage green on the right, since I want this to be the main color in all the common areas of the house. I'm having trouble with what to do with the trim. I want the trim to be ivory--that's a given. I will put fairly wide crown mouldings around the ceiling. I would like to stack mouldings and make the windows look like in older houses, but I don't want to do this to the doors. I don't know if I can get away with that. Also, we have such lovely oak passage doors to the bedrooms, that I don't want to paint or replace them. Right now all the trim is mahogany stained to match the oak cupboards. I don't know how it would look to paint the trim and leave the doors wooden. And I want to widen the baseboards and paint them also. No rush. We can live without the trim and baseboards finished. Before I finally choose the color, I am going to the city tomorrow to choose the ceramic tiles. Perhaps they will suggest a color.
The dated "country" look knick-knacks will likely be packed away.















This is the wall of oak cupboards on the left side of the dining area. I'm toying with the idea of (assuming that the sage green is a go) using a rich chestnut brown in the space where the plates are hanging. These plates will stay, because I love them, and because they were a Christmas gift from Daughter #2 the first or second year she was away from home. I'd like to paint the bi-fold closet door the same color as the wall, so it disappears, but none of the other doors are going to be painted, so I don't know....















Since we had to remove the toilet in the main bathroom, and it sits inside its own alcove, and the length of baseboard that fits behind the toilet can't be inserted with the toilet in place, I bought the paint for the bathroom and painted the alcove, and also did the baseboards in the alcove. I will post these pics next time. Scary thing: On Wednesday, I'll have to cut 3/8" off the bottom of the passage door, since new underlay was needed and the new lino is very thick. Lots of Painter's tape to prevent the wood splitting, and a brand new skil-saw blade. Kubota Man has already set up the sawhorses.
Tomorrow's Agenda: Go to the city, meet with the Custom Cabinet Saleslady (we are making a second kitchen downstairs for canning and for extra cooking for family gatherings --4 or 5 times a year, about 30 people come over). Also a visit to the LYS, since I don't think I'll have enough yarn for the kilt hose, and I want some teal alpaca yarn to make my OWN honeycomb sweater. Then groceries--for our Thanksgiving this Sunday. And lastly, lots of building materials: the suspended ceiling for the downstairs kitchen, the crown moulding for the upstairs, the ceramic tiles, some more paint for the bathroom, and some millwork samples so I can play with the window design and possibly the door trim.

Till next time: Sweater, n.: a garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly. (from Chicken Soup for the Soul Like Mother, Like Daughter)