Day #243 - Doing desk duty...

It doesn't look like much yet, he's still putting it together, but Lew finally has himself a new desk! He's been using a folding table thing for the past couple of years and I finally got him to bite the bullet and get a real one. He also got a file to match so his office mess should be a little more manageable now. After we get all the family room junk out of it, of course!

Day #242 - Buried treasures...

I was rummaging around in my desk drawer today, looking for something to take a picture of, and came across this pretty pen/pencil set that I forgot I had. Lord knows what else is in there - wouldn't mind stumbling across some $$ I forgot about though! ;)

Day #241 - Oh, what a tangled web...

Now if only the area behind my desk looked nice and tidy like the rest of the room! *sigh* One more area that needs attention, we still have to do the cable wrap thing - I so hate wires hanging all over the floor.

Day #240 - Piece o' cake...

Seems there's nothing you can't get through the mail anymore, including birthday cake. This red velvet goodie came today, compliments of Susan, Lawrence, and Winston. Impressively packaged, it was surprisingly intact, except for a little messed up icing - which didn't affect its goodness one little bit!

Day #239 - Shadow image...

I liked the shadow the hose reel made...

Day #238 - She sells seashells...

One of many in a decorative seashell ball I have...

Day #237 - Red letter day...

My red pantry letters got put on the back burner when the boys were here and with all the family room upheaval, but I finally got back to them today. They're going to take a bit of work to look right - at the very least, several coats of paint. I hope I don't have to do a lot of sanding - not my favorite job. :p

Day #236 - Green grass in August???

Amazingly, the grass isn't brown and crunchy yet, an unusual occurence around these parts this time of year. A few well-timed thunderstorms in the past month or so have rewarded us with the green stuff.

Thank yous and responses...

Thanks everyone for the nice birthday wishes. I had a lovely day! Thanks too for all the nice comments about the floor - he finished up today. we are soooo pleased!

Also wanted to answer some comments...


Stacy, I did get the bookends at Target online. they're nice and weighty too.

yes, the shades were custom-made for our doors - none of the ready-made would fit and still allow the door to be opened. they're also lined, which might help with the heat/cold but we have those low-e reflective windows which helps with the sun too.

Desert Song, way cool that your sister lived up this way! small world, huh?

yep, I'm really looking forward to the unclutteredness (is that a word?) of the shades. now we just have to find a way to keep the cats from playing with the cords - totally didn't think of that when we ordered them!

Big E, hah! I'll never catch up to you - you're always going to be my older sister!! heh, heh ;)

Flossie, cool beans! Bethesda's only down the road apiece - when you come to visit Taneka maybe we can get together too!!

I think that's it - sorry if I forgot anything - thanks again everyone! :)

Day #235 - Shades of brown...

It's always been a real challenge covering the patio door and we've tried everything - drapes, vertical blinds, French door curtains, etc. I think these Roman shades are going to be perfect. The beasties can look out the door without tearing or knocking things down and we can still have privacy. The window has the same treatment.

Day #234 - The End...

Well, I finished it last night, and I'm sorry it's over. It was a great read and a great series. And that's all I'll say about that for those who haven't read it yet. Rumor has it that author Rowling may be working on a crime novel. Oh joy! I love crime/detective books and if it's anywhere near the writing style of the Potter books, we're in for a real treat!

Day #233 - Reading receptacle...

You can't see it that much, but when Lew built this bookcase way back when, he built it flush to the uneven floor in the family room, making it somewhat higher in the middle than at the ends. Now, with the new floor, it has a bit of a space between it and the floor but, oh well, it'll still hold books just fine!

Day #232 - Floor decor...

Buster, being Buster, has to check out the new flooring by plopping his chubby self right in the middle of things. The installer started today and should be finished tomorrow. I finally won't have look at the existing ugly floor ever again! Happy Birthday to me!! ;)

Day #231 - Early start...

For the last few days, I've been receiving cards in my mailbox from friends and loved ones. Yesterday I also received the softest, most adorable stuffed kitty from the SC grands, and a beautiful glass bead necklace from daughter Ginny in TX. I came downstairs this morning and was greeted by a message-filled balloon floating over my computer and a dozen beautiful red roses on my new mantle from Lew. Earlier this afternoon I was greeted by a rousing song from my brother, sis-n-law, nephew and his new wife in NC when Lew handed me the phone. My birthday is tomorrow and it's a celebration! :)

Day #230 - Monumental visit...

We took a ride into history-rich Frederick today and finally visited Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Among other notables buried there, Francis Scott Key, writer of the Star Spangled Banner, lies in a crypt beneath this monument erected in his honor in 1898.
We also stopped at the gravesite of Thomas Johnson, the first governor of Maryland.

Mt. Olivet is also the final resting place for outspoken Barbara Fritchie of "Shoot if you must, this old gray head" fame, as well as many Civil War members, blue and gray. It's an absolutely huuuuge place, containing more than 34,000 graves and served by 8 miles of paved roads inside its boundaries. It's also very well-kept, and carries the distinction of being known as "Cemetery Beautiful." An interesting place.

Day #229 - Holding up his end...

I usually keep my pile of waiting-to-be-read books on my dresser, held up on one end by the side of the mirror and on the other by whatever has been handy and heavy enough to keep them from falling over. Lately it's been a pouch of cosemetic goodies Susan gave me for Mother's Day. After much looking, I finally found me a pair of bookends that I liked at Target. They came today and I put them right into service. They're going to work great... and they look better too!

Day #228 - From the desk of...

... me!! Back in the day, when I worked for a living, I used to use these all the time. I still do occasionally, but mostly for notes to family, friends, etc. It's taking me awhile to use them up - I think I still have about a half-dozen pads - but I do hate to throw perfectly good stuff away! (Ha! I just checked their website and they still, after all these years, have the same design!! Unbelievable!)

Day #227 - Dumping ground...

Poor Lew! His office has become the repository for almost everything that was in the family room while we're redecorating - he can barely move in there! He should get most of it back next week.

Day #226 - Creekside...

Several years ago, nearby Frederick created a river walk-type park alongside Carroll Creek as part of a flood plan and to provide commercial, residential, cultural, and recreational development for the city (which, by the way, is the second largest in Maryland.) We had a beautiful break-from-the-heat kind of day today, so on the way home from a doctor's appointment, we stopped for some pictures and took a stroll along the promenade.

Day #225 - Floor on the floor...

We have floor... 26 boxes and about 800 lbs of Bungalow Oak floor; two rolls of underlay and a bunch of feet of molding. Lots of floor sitting on the... well, floor! Seems it should "acclimate" itself to its new environment, so we get to look at it until next week's installation. The cats love it - something else to climb on.

Day #224 - Busy brush...

At the risk of boring y'all simple and having you get sick to death of redecorating photos, here's yet another of Lew doing some touch up painting. The contractor comes back tomorrow to repair some ceiling damage from the tile man, then a short wait for the floor and cabinets.

Day #223 - Bathtub blues...

Along with all that's going on downstairs, we had to have the plumber out too to install a new drain cover in the bathtub. The old one had gotten really nasty - rusty and corroded - and no amount of cleaning was going to fix it. Sooooo, after much effort, he put in a new type that won't be as hard to remove if necessary.

Day #222 - Oh bother...

Shoof! Like the man doesn't have enough to do! We decided to keep the old hearth because there was really nothing wrong with it and it would save a few $$. However, after the wood trim around the fireplace was removed, there was a distinct difference in the slate where it was covered by the trim. Soooo, poor Lew has to wet sand the whole thing to remove the build-up of 30-odd years of wax to make it all the same color. Then he'll seal it for protection. What a job!

Day #221 - Stormy weather...

After a couple of 100+ degree days, we enjoyed a respite from the stifling heat when a welcome summer thunderstorm came through. After turning ominously dark, the skies opened up and cooled things off delightfully. Hope it's cooled down where you all are too!!

Day #220 - Cool stuff...

Beating the heat at my house with a couple of scoops of dulce de leche ice cream w/caramel sauce. Shoots the hell out of any calorie count, but oh my... yummy stuff!

Day #219 - Wheeee! More progress...

Okay, now I'm really excited! I am loving this look! With the two sculpture pieces we got for the mantle, this is gonna be so striking.

The tile man returns tomorrow to grout - we opted for a dark color - and add some trim. This is fun!

Day #218 - Foreign objects...

A couple of the souvenirs (shot glass, keyring) my stepdaughter brought back when she returned from duty in Iraq. They've been sitting by the phone in the kitchen for about 3 years... I think it's time to find them a permanent spot, yes? lol :D

Day #217 - Family room progress...

A little up-date on our progress...

Since the fireplace wall is the focal point of the room, it's getting a lot of attention. Lew spray painted the metal surround with fire-resistant paint and it almost looks new. The wall itself will be covered in a gold-coppery-brown glass tile around the fireplace/mantle with cabinets on the other side of the fireplace.
The room is long - about 25 feet - and is used for numerous activities. Relaxing, TV viewing, office, exercise, crafts... it's always been difficult to pull together cohesively. So, a half wall has been installed that will define two separate spaces yet keep it open and light. The support beam (beside the chair) - a stupid post that's always been a real pita and looked dumb, has been covered with wood and will be painted to match the room - looks so much better.
I'm loving the new lighting! Before, we had a ceiling fan light fixture (which I hated but we needed some light) and a couple-three lamps, along with my desk and craft table lights. Now there are five ceiling lights that throw a wash of light on the fireplace wall, as well as two wall sconces, one of which is on the stairs. These three and the sconces, are at the other end of the room. There are also two more ceiling lights in the middle of the room. Fourteen new lights! They add such a warm ambience and glow to the room.

We're getting there!

Day #216 - Father and child reunion...

Our half-way, drop-off point is just outside of Roanoke, VA in a Long John Silver's restaurant. We've made this trip some dozens of times over the years and "our" booth/seats are always there waiting for us!! I think we've only sat somewhere else maybe twice. Anyway, everyone was happy to see each other... it was good to see a little sibling love going on!... and the boys are back home in SC.

Day #215 - Bags are packed...

... they're ready to go. Well, not really, but go they must. Driving to our traditional half-way point in the morning where we'll meet up with Jim and he'll take the boys on home. *sigh*

Day #214 - Games people play...

Just some of the games that we've played almost every day since the boys have been here... Sorry, Chinese Checkers, Trouble, Yahtzee. They'll be going home on Saturday... I'm not sure what I'll do with myself and all my "free" time!! ;)

Day #213 - Sneak peek...

Here's part of the new fireplace wall - the mantle that was finished today. There's been a delay with the cabinetry and wall tile but hopefully the tile will arrive tomorrow or Friday and be installed next week. The cabinets will take about 3 weeks. The electrical work is complete and the floor is scheduled to be installed around the middle of this month. Lew has painted the whole room except for the metal fireplace surround and we're just waiting for the dirty work to be be finished before we install the window/patio door Roman shades. We still have to find cabinets for the other side of the room, but work is progressing very nicely. It's hard to believe it's the same room!