Friday, July 26, 2013

A little of this a little of that.



II've been painting.  If I were in elementary school that would be the topic of how I spent my summer vacation.  Taping, priming, painting, and soon cleaning the residual off the wood work.  I have climbed up and down ladders.  Recently balancing on a ladder on stairs.
Good thing I'm still pretty agile.


 I have to scale up again to touch up edges, but then I'm done with the stairs.  All that will remain is the laundry room.

I've been knitting. Started the color affliction shawl.


I'm nearly done with a pair of scrap yarn short socks. Very vanilla.

Have another baby sweater underway.

Dd2 got us started watching Dr. Who.  The season with David Tennant.  I'm hooked.  Makes for good knitting time.

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Art everywhere

On a walk at the lake I spotted these by the side of the road.  

Mad from bits of old kids bikes.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Adventures in prepping for downsizing

Last week was some serious work in the preparing to downsize adventure.   I spent last weekend taping, priming, painting and repairing walls.  I made great progress!  All that remains is the difficult task of painting up the stairway.  It will require a different ladder and some gymnastics.   I don't quite remember how I did it last time, but I can  figure it out.   Dh finished taping and sparkling in the garage.  So we have begun painting there too.  He is convinced that the garage needs to look bright and shinny .   

I organized another large batch of donations.  A neighbor stopped by and announced several of the pretty framed mirrors would look perfect in her house, so she left with as they would say on the old game shows " lovely parting gifts".  She will take my living room lamps at a later date.   The charity pick up arrived on Tuesday.  A week before I had it on my calendar.   My mistake not theirs.  I was home so I was able to get all the stuff out to the driver.  Including some additional holiday stuff in the garage.    The scary part was since I wasn't expecting him, the only thing on the porch where I'd said pick up would be located was the delivery of my new days on vacuum.   But it all worked out. 

I loaded more of the things from our semi finished storage room in the basement into clear boxes for long term storage at the lake place.   While reaching for a box in the back of a higher shelve I managed to drop a dehydrated mouse on my head.   Guess it could have been worse, he could have been alive.

And I between there has been knitting.  I finished a hat for Pine Ridge reservation and a baby sweater for Bundles of Love.  

This weekend, back at the lake.  A friend is coming for the weekend.  So there will be no painting or packing.  There will be reading and knitting.  There might even be a movie.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

One project done...another not so much


 I finished my FlatFoot socks.  I used the vanilla sock pattern and only knit a 3  1/2 inch leg.  In theory these should have matched perfectly....in reality another pair of fraternal socks.

 Kitchen and entry painted. On to the family room.   The new paint will be neutral, i.e. devoid of personality.  Which I guess is what it should be if your hope to sell it.  It will be a pale pale grey. Which in bright sunlight actually looks blindingly white.  I used to be medium grey/green.  I was told that was too dark to be appealing.  I'm sure that the realtor is correct.  

Monday, July 8, 2013

Finished

I finished my modified I.e. I missed a line of the pattern, Royal Baby Sweater.  I spite of my lack of attention it turned out.
Slightly kimono style. Found four reddish buttons that match the reddish color in the yarn perfectly.   Buttons and yarn from stash.  I have enough yarn left that if I pair it with some other leftover I should be able to make a hat.

The other thing that I finished over the weekend was my last task as executor of my parents estate. We drove to my mothers hometown and buried their ashes.  My uncle did the local leg work picking out the site, working out the details of the headstone, minister, etc. so I just needed to write the checks.  My sibs showed up.  The sun was shining.  The headstone recognizes the important career choices they made and their anniversary.   It is the perfect.  Both dd's were there.  They were unable to attend the memorial services so the burial provided much needed closure.

Now back to work on the house.  Today I begin the dining area.