Whirling Dervishes
I took this photo just before I fell asleep last night. I was so surprised to see Grayson and Whitey actually touching. I thought it was a miracle, at last. But, not so much.
Yesterday, one of the cat bloggers asked if I still look at Whitey and am amazed at how well they all get along. Yes. I truly am amazed. However, while the 3 boys get along much better than I ever dared to hope, all is not idyllic. You see, Whitey loves Gandalf. Whitey grooms Gandalf constantly. I’m surprised that Gandalf does not have a bald head by now. He will allow Whitey to groom him for a few minutes, then tires of it and simply meows and takes his paw and firmly tells Whitey “That will be all, thank you”.
But Whitey and Grayson? Well, they are another story. Grayson and Whitey frequently have at it with that gawd-awful, scary-sounding male cat growling and multiple whapping at lightning speed. Before Whitey, I had never heard Grayson growl.
Just hours after this photo was taken I awoke to the shrieking and hissing and whirling fur ball of these two at it again. No blood was shed but many furs were thrown from the single ball of fur which was Grayson and Whitey. This is still a fairly common occurance, although my parents tell me they mostly get along fine when I’m not home. Of course, they mostly sleep during the day! I’ve cautioned my parents not to interfere if they fight when I’m not home because Whitey has bit me once. Quite a nasty bite, in fact. I had the misfortune of being in the middle of a disagreement between Whitey and Feather not long after I got Whitey. When I picked Feather up, Whitey sunk all 4 fangs into my leg. SUNK. Serious puncture wounds.
Also, since Whitey came to live with us, Gandalf has taken to sleeping out in the garage frequently. Whitey has taken Gandalf’s place on the bed. Next to Grayson and me.
So. That’s where we are after 3 months of cohabitating. It’s still shaking itself out. It’s much better than it was, but hopefully not as good as it will be one day. Would I rescue Whitey again knowing how it has upset the balance of Gandalf and Grayson? Yes! He’s adorable. Despite that one bite, Whitey is the sweetest kitty. He purrs almost constantly. He started playing a few months ago. He loves his mousies. He deserves a loving home. He just needs more time to feel safe.
Pre-Hurricane Ida
I thought I’d give you a photo that wasn’t a messy remodel-in-progress for a change! Isn’t he adorable? I ♥ Basset Hounds. I don’t know who he belongs to and have never seen him before this morning, but there he was at the end of my driveway as I was leaving for the Swamp. He didn’t even bark, which is a shame because I love their distinctive bark!
So. Yesterday I didn’t go to Bingo after all. I decided I really wanted to finish the last coat of mudding on the paneling so I can get it primed and painted and move on to the next project. I also have to do the same thing to the mud room off the kitchen, but it is a very small room and won’t take much time at all. Ha! Well, we’ll see, won’t we?! 
I woke up this morning to the news that Hurricane Ida is on her way. I haven’t watched much news lately. Can you tell? My mother also did not mention it at all, which is very surprising since her nickname is The Weather Lady.
Well, I’ve got to get busy sanding the walls to get them ready to be primed! I hope you all have a fabulous day! Big Hugs ♥xo
Lake Painting with happy little clouds
This was painted by my BIL Rick. He gave it to me years ago. It’s an early morning sunrise up at the lake in Maine. See the birch tree? I ♥ birch trees. We don’t have them here so I really enjoy looking at this painting. I use to hang it in my office in Florida, but it’s been in my closet since I moved to Georgia because my colors didn’t really work with it.
Well… guess what?! The colors in my kitchen/living room remodel go perfectly with it! This and a cutle little wall hanging I have were my inspiration pieces. Not really a stretch as reds/greens/creams are my favorite colors! I’m planning to take the canvas out of the frame and paint the frame black to match my other accent pieces and hang it next to my Grandfather clock, probably over the TV. Yay!
I came to the Swamp today to do a few little things and some paperwork. I’m cutting out now because I sorely need a break. I discovered a Tuesday Morning at the end of the little shopping center about a half mile from here. I’ve got some measurements with me for a few items I’m going to need, but mostly I’m just going to explore and have fun! I may even stop at a little used furniture store down the road to look for some coffee tables for my mother.
Enjoy your weekend! Big Hugs ♥xo
Stripes are No Good!
My Peace Globe post is just below this one!
Stripes? Or prison bars?
Boy! If you want to make a big room look small, just use stripes! This room is about 15×15, but it sure looks and feels smaller with these stripes! I decided to mud the grooves in the paneling so it wouldn’t look like paneling.
I get a brief reprieve in choosing the wall color for at least 24 more hours because we’ll sand and do another coat of mud today. Then a final sanding tomorrow (hopefully) and then we can paint.
I’m pooped. But its coming together!
Big Hugs ♥xo
Opinions. I need yours.
So. The 3 arrows are pointing to the only walls to be painted in the kitchen, other than the bay window, which I’m painting raspberry. For some reason, I can’t get the color to actually look raspberry, so just Think Raspberry! OK?
The paneling will be a light neutral tan which is one shade lighter than the cabinets, currently on the wall where Arrow #1 is pointing. I know it looks the same color as the cabinets in the photo, but color never translates completely accurately to the computer or the web. You’re going to have to trust me on that! 
So. Who thinks the 3 arrow walls (behind the fridge, around the doorway and over the bay window should be the a) tan, b) raspberry or c) some other combination. If it’s c) please specify! I need your opinions because the first coast of paint will likely be put on this afternoon and I still can’t decide! Arrrggg!
Thanks. Big Hugs ♥xo
PS. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Blogblast for Peace! Have you made your Peace Globe yet?
Cabinet Doors Hung. Check.
Woo Hoo! They look good, don’t they?! Yes, they do. Unfortunately, something landed on 2 of the doors while they were drying, so I’ll have to sand them and re-do them, but I’m quite pleased overall. Seeing the fruits of your labor starting to come together is the most gratifying part of doing it yourself. So exciting!
We’ve started taking off all the ceiling and floor molding so we can paint the paneling. I’ve decided to buy new floor moulding as it’s breaking up as we take it off because of how many floors are under the existing floors and how it was put in. Yikes. Why do people always try to do it quick instead of right? I may reuse the ceiling moulding. We’re going to sand it all down and spray it. I think it will look pretty good.
I keep looking whenever I’m in Lowe’s or Home Depot, but I can’t decide on flooring. Right now the kitchen has 2 layers of linoleum (that I know of!) and really an awful light blue carpet is in the living room. I want to use the same flooring in both rooms to tie the rooms together. I’d love to tile, but I’m told the sub-flooring I have would have to be ripped up and concrete flooring would have to be installed before they can tile. That’s much more $ than I’ve budgeted. I’ve also been looking at floating vinyl flooring like I put in my office. I really love it, but I’m not sure how I’d like it in the kitchen. I’m sure I’ll find something I like, and I probably have a week or 2 before I have to make a final decision.
Please forgive me if I haven’t commented much. I’ve been a busy gal!
Big Hugs ♥xo
For a comparison of Before and After CLICK HERE - no more dark and dungeon-y!
Nice neighbors are… well, nice!
I’m taking a much-needed day off from painting. I decided to come to the Swamp anyway to do a little paperwork and play a bit on Facebook since I don’t have internet access at home anymore, except for my iPhone. So I’m sitting here and happen to glance out my office window and what do I see? One of my very nice neighbors was out in my front yard, ”stealing” my pine cones. My other very nice neighbor comes over and “steals” my grass when it gets too long. He also fertilizes it and does the edging.
I mean, really? How could you ask for nicer neighbors?
And I stopped at the stop sign just I was coming into the neighborhood this morning and snapped this through the car window.
It’s one of my favorite dogwood trees in the neighborhood, and it’s in pretty fall color right now. We don’t get much of that here in the Deep South, so I enjoy all of it that I can!
I hope you all have a Happy Halloween, although I’ll be in bed long before the Trick-or-Treaters get to my door!
Big Hugs ♥xo
Drawers. Check.
So. We went to hang the doors only to find out that I got the wrong size hinges. I’ll be making a trip back to Lowe’s sooner than I expected. Rats. We went ahead and put the drawer pulls on and put the drawers back in. I think they look great! Of course, they’d look a whole lot better with the doors on, but still.
As you can see, we had a pretty little Snoopervisor helping again today. That’s Feather. Some of you may remember that for 3 years Feather was my Office Kitty. She lives across the street, but if I’m here, Feather is here. I have a feeling she’s not going to be happy once I move in! She sure wasn’t happy once Whitey appeared on the scene, and adding 2 Gray Boys more won’t help one little bit!
Tomorrow I’ll be doing some mudding and sanding and getting ready to paint. Again. hahahaha. I’ve still got the window and door trims and the paneling in the living room. I haven’t made a final decision on the floor and ceiling moulding. What was there is real wood, but it’s seen better days. It would have to be sanded, primed and painted, and I have a few new pieces I’d have to match (because of the overhead cabinets and the bookcase which I took out). OR I may just go ahead and buy all new. And it’s already white. I’ll just have to worry about miter cuts. From past experience I can tell you that we’re a little bit “Hit or Miss” with miter cuts. And that was before he gave away “the good” miter saw!
Oh. And a preliminary opinion on my new computer that came with Windows 7… I love it! So far, everything’s peachy keen, Jelly Bean!
Well, I need to get some real office work done before the day gets completely away from me. Hope yours is going great!
Big Hugs ♥xo
Remove Bookcase. Check.
So. The 2nd coat of cabinet color is on the base cabinets, doors and drawers! Yay! I think it will take at least 3-4 days to dry because of the high humidity. Then we’ll be able to start putting on the new brushed nickel hardware I bought. Once that’s done we can begin hanging the doors and putting the drawers back in. We’re in the home-stretch with the cabinets! Woo Hoo!
We finally got around to removing the built-in bookcase that was basically a half-wall between the kitchen and living room. All it ever did was collect junk. It’s SO outta here! There’s just one patch we’ll have to make and some corner trim to be replaced and nobody will ever know anything was there. Once I get the new flooring in, anyway! In the duration however there is some pretty hideous linoleum looking at me!
While we wait for the cabinets to dry, next up is the paneling. I’ve decided to paint it for now. With all that’s going on, I didn’t want to rip that all down and deal with drywall. It will be fine, and at the very least much lighter and brighter painted a nice neutral color, don’t you think? That’s the plan anyway.
Well, I think I’ll take advantage of the short break and lull in between orders and see what y’all have been up to while I’ve been working so hard! Have a great day!
