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Friday, August 8, 2014

Patience Young Grasshopper

Ran across this guy while puttering around the house and lawn today. On a high note, I don't think we're going to have to mow the lawn this week... Mainly due to the fact that we haven't gotten any rain in a couple weeks so we're now scrambling to figure out how to water our three acres before we end up with three acres of dirt.
In the process of watering today I heard the racket of the cranes and realized they were in the field right behind us. Yeah, see the marks still present from the last weeks mowing? That's how little the yard has grown this week.
It just figures that the cranes are finally visible and near the house for some quick photos, and I don't have a decent camera or lens to zoom in.
So sorry.
I'm sure we'll get around to replacing cameras someday here soon.
The dogs and I are just laying low today as I do some needed things and it dawned on me that I needed to get a blog post up. Perhaps this evening I might even catch up on reading some blogs? Yeah... Keep dreaming boy-o.
Wednesday I took the boys back to the Provin trails for a walk before going to knit in Rockford. I noticed all these little spider spun nests all over the pine forest floor. Kind of Harry Potter-Prisoner of Azkaban'ish, but then those people like me who find such things kind of neat, if creepy. Every tree had them at the base.
Not that the boys paid any attention. They were just happy to be out and about with me. They actually stayed with me all day. We knit on the porch at JT Stitchery and then a friend and I went to the new restaurant Ramona's Table (Excellent Nosh) and sat on the back porch while the kids chilled in the grass beside the porch. Then they ran my errands with me.
All in all, a pretty good day with the boys. On our first walk of the day we found this neat weed on the trail. They've been blooming for the last couple of weeks but I just noticed this ones flower unfurling for the morning sun. Had to snap a quick shot with the phone.

So, I know I've been promising to have house photos up, so I'm finally going to get to it here in just a minute, I have to go move sprinklers, so why don't you enjoy this artist I just discovered today on Youtube.



It looks like she is more than just a youtube artist and is getting big, I've just never heard of her before.



So I had to share with you all here, since I haven't done a Tune-Tuesday as of late.



Be right back.

Okay, let's get started with these house photos.
We'll start in the dining room. It's the room I didn't change, just freshened up a bit. Haven't put art up yet. The chair rail was previously distressed and I just repainted it and we took down the maroon blinds.
I know, I know. In a blue gray room, who puts up maroon shades? And to boot, they were tore up by their dogs.
Next, we'll move to the living room. Here I could understand the maroon shades with the red and gold walls.
Again, the front window shades were canine shredded. So, for security and privacy, the torn up ones were the first to go.
Even before we repainted. Like all those holes I had to fill? I keep finding random nails and screw in the walls we haven't gotten to. and isn't that a lovely wall sconce? Between the CFL bulbs that are two big and poking out, to the one that is broken and dangling, they all just say "classy", don't they?
So, we started by covering the red with a deep chocolate brown. Remember our Wyoming "cowboy" art in black frames and brown matting? They will all go in a montage over the fireplace. I should have gotten a new picture today that has things a bit more picked up and together. So sorry.
The end walls are a tan and the long wall is an off white that will set off that big black and white picture I had over the fireplace in Casper.
And let's not forget the new wall sconces that are rated for higher wattage bulbs and three instead of two.
Not really needed now, but come winter we will appreciate the extra light, I'm sure. We are going oil rubbed bronze slowly though out the whole house as we replace things.

I even found two fans I like in wood and bronze to replace the "kiddie" fans in the spare bedroom and F & F (fiber and firearm) room. So lets head there.
Remember the pink and green room *herk*?
Yes, it was quite lovely.
It's now a happy gold and white.
It's a bit much right now, but I think when we get low setting sun through the windows in the winter it will warm it right up and seem like a sunny retreat.
The spare bedroom we just toned down from this bright key lime pie.
Unfortunately it's kind of the upstairs "work room". Especially since we yanked out the carpet that was particularly fragrant with dog urine. Now we can spill paint all we want since we'll be covering it back up with a wood of one kind or another in the near future.
This picture makes the green still look rather bright, when it's more of a mellow green with a touch of yellow in it more like the previous picture shows. You can see the fans that I would like to replace in both these rooms.
The master bedroom wasn't bad. It needed holes patched and sickly sweet decals removed from the wall. It was just rather blah with a taupe/putty color on all 4 walls.
It probably went very well with their bedding. I decided we were ready to return to blue and bought a nice light blue for the short walls and when I got it on the walls, I realized it made the putty color a little nicer. Since I wasn't able to locate any left over paint I went and bought the sandstone you see here to compliment it. Again, we put up the roller shades in this room. Mainly we needed something for privacy because there was nothing left here, and something to block the sun from heating up the south facing rooms.

As we finish up rooms and polish them off, we will have new flooring to install, art to put up and I will be putting curtains in all the rooms. Curtains will make things look a bit more finished and help insulate come winter. They just aren't a priority right now. Any of you that have redone a place of your own, know the art of prioritizing. These shades are good for the moment, and will be incorporated into the finished room with curtains to hide the top of the window roll and sharpen it all up. On top of that, they were affordable, as window covering often are not. At some point to I am looking to get a real bedroom set. A head and foot board, matching night stands, that sort of thing. It all may be down the line a bit. A nice floor, and the electrical and plumbing work are higher priorities for us.

Now that the tour is done, fiber has fallen to the back burner. However, I did finish my last tour related yarn.
My four ply fingering came in at over 300 yards of cushy softness in a merino, super wash, silk blend.
I finished up my September socks.
Started Octobers retro looking socks, and started designing the Mystery Knit Along piece for the store as planned. And that's it for me guys. You all have a great weekend and I'll post again soon!

4 comments:

  1. it's looking great..i better get out and walk the dogs.

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  2. Looking good, Q! That weed is Queen Anne's Lace; I always remember it because whenever it was done blooming and drying out, it meant school was starting. Midwest lore for you there.... and I totally agree with the curtain prioritization. Took me a year and a half to finally put up some in my place.

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  3. Thanks for the tour of the house. Love the way you reworked it to make it so enjoyably your house. Hope you get some decent rains and don't have to water very much. Take care - Joe

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  4. So glad to see things coming along with your new house. The paint colors are great and I love the new sconces! All that painting in the middle of summer?! Whew! Kudos to you. I'm impressed that you've found time to knit with all that going on. I'd be a total zombie. However...speaking of painting...must dash! Off to start a new project! :)

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