iseecerulean

The new windows and doors didn't get installed last week.  Rain delay.  They're being installed next week.

The flooring is in!  It's beautiful.  My favorite part is that we ran the vinyl all the way from the kitchen to the front door so that we can now carry in groceries without having to step in onto slate, then walk over five feet of carpeting in wet boots to get to the kitchen.

I told them not to put the appliances back when they were done with the flooring since I wanted to strip wallpaper...which is a shit job by the way, in case you've never had the pleasure.  I am kind of regretting not hiring out the stripping and painting, but it's my belief that the renovation will be more appreciated if we have some sweat into it.

This wall needs to be finished today in order to get the stove and refrigerator back in place, then the walls behind the washer and dryer.  From there I can take my time.  I have to strip both the kitchen and the dining room.  The 80's layer is coming off very easily, but the 70's layer is a real pain.  I had thought about leaving the watch-bicycle-fish wallpaper in place in the backsplash areas, then putting a coat of poly over it to protect it, but the paper was damaged on the wall behind the stove.  I suspect it's not going to be in good shape over the sink either.

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The original floor that would have gone with the awesome wallpaper.  This I am not sorry to cover up.

You can also see the original dining room floor, because why not, in an open concept floorplan, give each room it's own distinct floor and wall covering.

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I'm busy, busy, busy with real-life-size house goings on.

The new windows and doors are being installed next week.

The week after that new flooring is going in every room except my studio and the bathroom.

Next month, I think, or maybe in October, the new roof goes on.

Sometime in the next few weeks the tree guys are coming to remove a large pine and trim all the other trees.  I'd like to have that done before the roofers come.

This past weekend I got all the garden art picked up and put away for the winter, and removed the glass bottle and rusty gears border from my shade garden, as it was under four pines that are getting trimmed.   I don't want the tree guys to get hurt.

Next on my to-do list is to pack up everything in all the rooms of my house except large furniture and the contents of my kitchen cupboards, to stow away in my studio and the garage, so that the flooring guys can do their thing.  I also need to take down all the window treatments for the window guys.

Busy, busy, busy.  I'll see you guys again in a few weeks.

A gratuitous cat picture, to tide you over.  This is Milo, my daughter's newest; I'll tell you his story later.

Before I forget...Ester is doing much better.  :)

I have been busy enjoying our short summer season, so haven't worked on the build as much as needed to stay on schedule.  If I want to photograph it outside while the trees are still green I've got to have it done by the end of September, at the latest.  I don't see that happening.

A good decision then is to finish the exterior first, photograph it, then make books and whatnot to complete the interior during autumn.  I can prop scenic pictures outside the windows for a backdrop in order to shoot the interior photos inside my studio.

Before I can put on the exterior siding I have to finish the wiring.  I had intended for all the wires to run in the empty foundation space under the floor, and had pre-drilled holes for that purpose before I glued the carpeting in.  Since I changed the build from a hotel room to a library none of the pre-drilled holes are in the right positions so can't be used.  Since the carpeting is glued in I will need the wires through holes in the walls, down the exterior wall, and back through to the inside foundation area.

Before I can finish the wiring I have to make a firm decision on furniture placement.

I played around with it most of the day yesterday, this is where I'm going to leave it.  I'm not absolutely positive I won't change out a chair or two later, but that won't impact the lamp placement.  I had a difficult time deciding on the addition of the filing cabinets.  I had envisioned a table there, but didn't have a table the right height; the cabinets are the right height, they're already in my stash, and I can't imagine what else I'd use them for.  They make the white seated chair look crowded in that corner, so it may change places with the chair in the corner opposite, which may mean it will be reupholstered, depending on the layout of colors around the room.  Sigh. 

The furniture placement left me with a problem.  I very much like the lamp on the center table, but having it there means I need to run the wiring through the pedestal of the table, through the carpet, into the foundation.  I can't drill a hole through upholstery fabric without unraveling it into a giant mess.  I scrubbed some glue into the fabric in that spot, once it dries I'm going to use my wood burning tool to carefully burn a hole through the fabric, then drill down.  Wish me luck.

While I was playing with the lighting yesterday I made a lamp.  The top harp/bulb/shade are from Charlene's inherited minis, it just needed a base.  I had a couple of brass finials in my stash, I cut the threads off the tallest one, then drilled a hole through it.  I still need to make a groove in the base for the wires to exit.

I may or may not work on the wiring today; my husband has the day off and it's beautiful outside.

It looked, last Friday and Saturday, as if Ester were getting over her cold.  Sunday she was worse, yesterday she was absolutely miserable....so much snot she was gagging on it every time she had a sneezing fit.  We took her to her doctor, who diagnosed an upper respiratory infection and prescribed an antibiotic.

All she wants to do is lay on me and rest.  Every time I shift she meows in complaint and gives me the evil eye.  She's very cranky when she's sick. 

She is still eating and drinking as usual; she isn't running a fever, and isn't dehydrated.  The doctor says she should be back to her purry self in a week.