Splaine this to me, Lucy

Well......a little of this and a little of that.
The interior painting is about as done as it is going to be for a couple of weeks.  We may have the muslin color redone, but that will have to wait.
The wood floors are in the house....not installed, but in the house.  Acclimating.  My understanding is next week the floor will be laid.  (More than I can say for me!)
My life is filled with Terrys.  Terry C is a fellow Exit 99er and thespian, and Terry T is the tile guy and Ren Fair performer.  He was busy this week on the bathrooms and utility room, but he did not have to walk on stilts or wear his street cleaners outfit. (This makes sense only if you know he performs at the Bristol Renaissance Faire from mid July to Labor Day weekend, dressing as several characters during the course of the fair.)
When we ordered the tile I was sure we were right.  When the tile arrived, I was sure we were wrong.  (I have the same problem with dining out....my choice is always wrong and everyone's plate is better.) Once the tiles were laid, it was obvious they are the right choice.  These are 18 inch tiles, which makes the installation and maintenance a little easier....less grouting, less sealing of the grout ... and less for me  to maintain in my doddering golden years.
I have some pictures of the garage doors in place, the outside lights, the basement.....all on my suddenly missing little Nikon.  The last I remember using it was to take a picture of a heron while riding the bike path.  Clarification:  I was riding, the heron was wading.
I have looked in both cars, in all the pockets I can find and nada...zilch.  My fear is I put it into my backpack and when I took out a sweatshirt, the camera got tangled and fell.  But that doesn't seem possible since I put the camera in a smaller, zipped compartment.
That's another problem with age.  I forget. And I repeat.
Tim the electrician was hard at work installing Jackie's dining room light.  The light was made in my favorite manufacturing country.
Here are steps 7, 8, 9:
7     To the downward by Glass Shade  to Arm assembly, after a component of the overall penetrate up Stem.  (OK, I think its code for pornography.
8    Hooks small ring into side rod's the other side.
9     Up from under Cap to Stem incasive and stability with Finial locks, adjust the depth of Finial's Nipple locked to make Arm can bears the weight of the glass, Glass Shade and Cap will be anastomosis is OK
I personally followed all the steps, right to where anastomosis is OK.
I also point out the hidden porno agenda:  Penetrate, stem, Nipple, anastomosis....... oh those Chinese are sneaky!
I think I'll go back to look for my little Nikon again.
And some pictures to share:

nobody answered the door

Remember:  anastomosis is OK

Part of our wood floor

hall bathroom

downstairs bathroom in really weird light

And now, something different

The painting is all done, sort of.
When you get those little squares and you are sitting in a paint store, the colors seem fine.  But do a room in them and wow!!!  What a surprise!
We have a couple of projects to redo.  We don't think Julia would be able to sleep in the blue room...and the yellow room is bound to keep the neighbors awake!  We will keep the yellow room, but we already have paint for the blue room.
The basement is my project.  I picked up some paint for the bathroom and will work on that this next week.  But the rest of the painting will be done over the winter, when I don't have anything else to do.  Not that I have anything to do now, but I really don't like to paint, so I'll put it off as long as I can.
This week I am going to move out all the lights we bought, and the fans, because the electrician is installing fixtures.  We may have to redo the bulk of the house because the paint may not have covered in all the areas.  It's hard to tell though, because the lighting hasn't been great.
Not to mention any names, but someone is driving me nuts with looking for new towels, curtains, rugs....I feel like I have to pull in the reins a little.  "Wait until the house is finished," is my new mantra, said at least 10 times a day.  We did order blinds and they should arrive next week.  But one of the lights we bought on line had a broken glass and we are having a little trouble getting a replacement.
Speaking of ordering on line, funny story.
I am plump.  No arguing there.  I ordered some jeans on line and they did not fit.  So I took them back to the Eddie Bauer store in Rockford.  This was about 4 months ago.  I usually get 36 loose fit ....but the store does not carry that style.  When I took the pants back the extremely attractive young things working there encouraged me to try on the classic fit.  I did.  They were snug.  "They don't look snug....you look good," they cooed.  So I bought two pairs.  Fast forward to last week...I can't bend when I have them on.  And I have to breathe in so deeply it hurts.  So after the giant paint spill ruined my good jeans, I ordered more on line.  But I ordered relaxed fit, not loose.  Size 36 waist.  They came Friday and guess what?  They must be mismarked because I needed another inch of fabric to button them.  So I went to the store in Rockford with jeans to return and the sweet young things suggested a larger size.  I tried them on.  They fit.  Size 38 waist.  Never in my life have I worn a size 38 waist.
When I got home I rode my bike.

Trim around doors is finished

We went with a multi color kitchen nook

Same color on bottom as in the nook....chair rail to follow

Yes, it is a bright yellow

Little boy blue is getting toned down 

Looking from the kitchen into the nook.

So many colors in the rainbow....

Here is why I don't paint:

And in case you still don't see why, here is another reason:

Now the truly observant will notice the color on my hands and arms (and jeans, shoes, shirt) seems to match the color of the paint splattered on the floor (and wall, and box, and paint cans).
Coincidence?
Hardly.
Clumsiness???
Most certainly.
It all started when the monsoon rains came Monday.  I subbed, had a couple of stops, went home and decided to go out to the house to make sure windows were closed.
I saw all the paint sitting there and picked up the first can.  Then it slipped out of my hands and hit the floor, with the lid flying off and the paint flying everywhere.
There is about an inch of Hathaway Peach left in the can.  Luckily the painter had already done the room with that color and thinks it covered in one coat.  Thinks, because it got pretty dark here today and he isn't positive until the sun hits the room.
Then I had an ethical dilemma.  Should I fess up or plead ignorance?  After all, a passing Vandal might have entered the house and dropped the paint.  Or the wind could have picked it up.  Maybe we are building on an old graveyard and spirits did the deed.
But Jackie said I had to own up and accept the ridicule like the wimp that I am.
So I called the painter.  He laughed.
I have to call the builder to tell him I was the one to make the huge mess in an otherwise perfect area.
And folks, there was not a drop of paint on any of the cans.
Till I got there, at least.
Imagine the damage I could do on a ladder!

Hathaway Peach actually on the bathroom wall

Stonehouse....we thought it was much darker.

Whitewashing can be a good thing

Wow....seems like a long time since I wrote on this.
In the construction process, there is a point when things move exceedingly slow.  We seem to be at that point.
Little things are getting finished, but it seems to take forever.
One area where there is progress is the interior painting.  The walls have been primed and ceilings painted.  Next we are going to add some color.
Funny thing, colors.  There is a color wheel that we used to use in school.  That wheel showed the primary colors:  red, yellow, blue.  It also showed the secondary colors: green, orange, purple.
Now where does Sherwood green, or little boy blue come in?  How about wildflowers and Hathaway peach.....sounds like something we should grow in the yard, not put on a wall in the bedroom.
However I did not see any Cubbie Blue, which I thing would be a big cellar.  (Get it?  I should have said seller, but because they are so bad this year I made a pun...cellar.  The basement.  Worst. Bottom....As TC tells me, if ya have to explain it, it's not funny.  Which if you say real fast almost sounds like snot funny.)
And the bulk of the house will be in muslin...no, not the religion but the color.  Looks like a painters drop cloth and I think it will show up well with the trim we have.
any left over paint is going to be used in the basement.  I get tired of having eight or nine gallons of paint just hanging around, so I'm going to paint different sections with the left overs.  Like a quilt.  A little Van Alen green, next to wildflowers, next to Stonehouse, next to ..... you get the idea. I'll call it the Joseph room with a coat of many colors!
I am having someone paint.  I am slow.  I could paint, but it would take me several days and there is no guarantee I would be finished in a week.  I would get bored, distracted, tired..... and the painting would not get done.  So we are having it done quickly, efficiently and professionally.
Left to be done:  electric hookups of sockets and outlets, wall switches, doorbells, outdoor lights and interior lights; shower needs to be tiled, as do the floors in the bathrooms, then the sinks, toilets and all get installed in the bathrooms.  Then the wood floor gets laid and finished.  And kitchen cabinets get installed.  Next comes the trim and then the carpeting.  Finally the finishing of things like closet shelves,  door knobs, railings, grab bars....... and the walk through with the various trades to be sure all is what it is supposed to be.
But the light is growing larger at the end of the tunnel.  I still wake up sweating and dreaming of $$$$$$ just going out like crazy, but it is what it is.
Now, for something picturesque:

the queen surveying the hive

garage window

This is the cleanest the garage will ever be

One day at a time

No, this is not a trip down the memory lane of old tv shows.
Progress tends to slow at a certain point of construction.
Drywallers were working this week and part of last week.  All the walls are up, taped, mudded and redone.  They should be done this week end, which means the painter will be in next week to spray the walls and ceilings.  Then we get to add our color splashes.. purples, neon greens, black... and the rainbows over the windows.
Just kidding.
Once painting is done, final electric work and final plumbing work gets finished and the flooring gets laid.  That includes tile work in the bathrooms and the wood flooring in the bulk of the house.  Trim would be next, followed by cabinets....or vice-versa. Could be cabinets then trim.
We are selecting colors for the garage doors and the driveway still has to be addressed.  But those are the end of the tunnel projects.
I do have a problem.  My bizarre idea of having a patio instead of a porch has created a mini problem.  Look at the picture....tell me what you think.

fireplace in family room

new dining room furniture or bathrooms...not sure

chimney for Santa

Where the patio goes....do I need a railing?  How does the land need to go?  What about a wall and a step down?

just because