Changing Seasons

Fall is coming. I can tell this, not from the leaves on the trees, but from Cooper and Otis. Both dogs are shedding like crazy. Their soft summer coats are falling out and will soon be replaced by their thick winter fur.

It seems early to me for the dogs to be blowing their summer coats. Could this be a sign of a cold winter ahead ?

I keep vacuuming, but the dust bunnies seem to multiply. This is a warning to our weekend guests ;)

Hallway

We have finally  finished painting the hallway! The dining room and staircase still need to be worked on.

I thought that painting the hallway would be pretty fast, but painting the 4 doors (both sides) and the door frames and trim took several days. Even the wall's surface area was greater than anticipated - 2 gallons of paint were needed.

We will not be installing the existing Waterford lights until the floors are refinished. I know that the sanding will send dust everywhere and I do not want the lights impacted. Also, the 2 new Waterford lights are on back order. I love Waterford, but it seems that there is always a month or more delay between ordering Waterford and actual delivery.

Scent

When I saw these roses at the store, I stopped and looked twice, because the color did not seem real. The photo does not do them justice, they are a hot pink.

After I brought the flowers home, I noticed the wonderful scent. Most store bought roses do not have a smell.

When I close my eyes and sniff , I am reminded of cutting roses in my Mother's garden - warm summer days and bushes full of blooms.

Country Curtains

Two years ago, I purchased bamboo shades at Country Curtains for the office. I liked these blinds because they let in some light and the room was never too dark.

The other day, when I went to adjust the shades, the cord that held them in place snapped. This occurred on both sets of shades. It seems that the sun had weakened the fabric strings and they tore trying to raise the shade.

If I had purchased the product at Target or Walmart, I would not have been surprised. However, I buy Country Curtains because even though they are expensive, they are high quality.

I called Customer Service and was told that I would be given a credit for the original cost of the blinds. We returned the broken blinds to the Westport store and ordered some new UV blocking sunshades. The new shades were not in stock and will arrive next week.

I was impressed that Country Curtains was willing to refund the cost and keep me a happy customer. Of course, this was a smart business move, since I purchased additional items while I was in their store.

Karma favors dogs

Harvest

Jeff planted some onions in the deck planters this spring. Cooper loved to dig these bulbs up and I thought they would never survive.

 Jeff harvested the first onion. As you can say it is pretty big. I don't like onions, but he said the taste was semi-sweet but very strong.

The UNC Tarheels need to recruit this guy

Infinity

The infinity light which I ordered for the living room finally arrived. Now that it has been installed, the room is completely finished.

Owls and Growls

I heard Otis pacing and whining at 3:00 AM.  I reluctantly got up to take him outside.

We began to walk in the yard. From the trees above us I heard the Hoot-Hoot-Hoot of an owl. Otis began to growl - loud and fierce. Otis had no interest in doing anything but staring into the woods, growling.

I realized that the reason Otis had been whining was because he heard the owl. Otis did not need to go out, he was bothered by the owl's calls and pacing as a result.  We immediately headed back inside.

Family Room

The family room has been painted, new window treatments and carpet are installed and the furniture is back in place! This paint color is Antique Beige and a much lighter shade than the formal living room.

I was hesitant about buying such a colorful carpet. However, Jeff convinced me that it would be a good way to add color to the room, especially with brown furniture. The couch has tiny red flecks and I think the elements go well together.

You will notice that there is no television. We moved our old tv upstairs and are going to buy a new flat screen when things calm down. The cardboard is the size of a 46 inch tv. We are trying to decide if  a 42 or 46 would be better.

Cooper and Otis are enjoying the new carpet. I wonder how long it will stay  clean.

Cooper's Favorite Spot

Cooper has taken to sitting on the stairs lately.  Seems as though you can get a pretty good view through the new door if you're sitting on the right stair.  If you look at the picture to the left, you'll see his reflection in the top of the door.

Mission Control

When we renovated, we put a lot of thought into where we want the light switches.  Previously, we had to go to four different locations just to turn the outside lights on.  Going from the front door to the kitchen was always at least a three step process of flipping switches and walking back and forth.  Now everything is in one spot.  Of course, that one spot looks like Mission Control at Cape Canaveral.

5 minute fan

Now that the family room ceiling has been painted, Jeff installed the ceiling fan.  The Hunter fan box states that it is a "5 minute fan", meaning that it is very quick to install.

One hour later, the new light is now installed.

Crisp Autum Leaves

When we renovated, I thought that it would be nice to paint the dining room blue. That is, until I learned that in the world of interior decorating blue dining rooms are a big NO-NO. I realize that I can choose any color I desire, but the last thing I want is to have an unappealing room.

With blue out, I began to look at other possible colors. It seems that red is a dining room favorite. We had a red dining room in a previous home and I did not want another one. I began to think about a dark orange/pumpkin.

When I saw Crisp Autumn Leaves, I thought bingo! This color  is a cross between red and orange. In our beige home, it will be a bold  splash of color.

I painted a sample to see if I really love this color. Crisp Autumn Leaves will not go away easily, so I want to be sure I can happily live with it.

Potato Chips

I was snacking on potato chips at the kitchen table. Otis was sitting nearby looking at me with pleading eyes and drooling. Cooper was nowhere in sight.

As I was finishing, I gave Oti a chip. Immediately, I heard a thump,thump, thump. Cooper was stretched out under the table. How he knew that Oti had a potato chip is beyond me. However, Coop wanted to make sure that he too would get a snack.

Spoiled!

Open a wine bottle with your shoe

I don't know if this is another one of those "You can open a car door over your cell phone" things, but interesting anyway...

http://www.wimp.com/wineshoe/

Furniture

Finally, we have a place to sit ! The living room furniture has been moved from the garage to back upstairs. We still have some pieces stored in the guest room. Hopefully in the next few days the room will be completely  finished.

OK, now this is depressing

Read the story here.

Curtains

UPS delivered the curtains rods I ordered.

The curtains have been hung in the formal living room. I think they look great. I tend to prefer valances over drapes, but I think that these curtains give a more elegant feel to the room.

Thrill of victory