Out and About - March 2015

♫Across the Universe♫

The month of March has been a mixture of Out and About.  I finished the painting on the 1st and was ready for the floor to be installed on the 2nd, but it turned out they weren't planning to come until the 4th.  It only took them one day to do the dining room.  Poetry immediately claimed it as her space. . . .

But because the quarter round they brought did not match we couldn't put the furniture back into the room.  They were nailing the molding down when I noticed it was too light and made them stop!  I said I'd stain it myself.  You can see mine as compared to the light one they brought. . . .

Because there was so much defective wood they wouldn't be coming back until the new order came in.  Therefore, Poetry had the room to herself for two weeks.  Once we put the table back in place I found her lying in the same spot in the room only because the table is there now she was on the table, something she never did before.   The workmen would not have been able to come back the next day to finish anyway because we had a snow storm.  You can see the birdhouse was inundated with the 10 inches of snow that fell. . . .

So when my neighbor called to say her friend was unable to go to the terrarium class at Ashcombe Nursery in Mechanicsburg, PA on Saturday, and would I like to take her place, I jumped at the chance.  I needed a break.  Before the class we browsed the miniature plants. . . .

We brought our own containers.  This is Edie's completed terrarium. . . .

Mine is one I showed you last year when I bought plants at Longwood Gardens.  Several of those plants did not survive, so I'm trying again. . . .

Because of the snow I had to reschedule my dentist appoint-

ment.  Finally, I got my permanent crown. . . .

When we arrived to babysit Olivia June we discovered she'd starting walking. . .but not very well because she lost her balance and banged her head on the sliding glass door, then slid down to the wooden edge and promptly cut her forehead.  The ensuing swelling, bruise and blood were traumatizing.  Thankfully, her mommy was working from home that day and was able to take her to the doctor to make sure she was all right.  She was.  It was grandmommy that wasn't.  These were taken before. . . .

This one was afterwards. . . .she took it all in stride once she got over the shock of it all. . . .

The next weekend we went to a garden and flower show.  I was hoping for garden displays, but did find these vendor displays that were a breath of Spring on a cold rainy day.  I loved the gated arbor in the first photo.  The idea of using a ladder to display your plants was inventive, and the bird cage planted with ivy in a mossy basket was charming. . . .

That evening we met the rest of our family in Baltimore to celebrate our other daughter-in-law's birthday.  Olivia June acted like she owned the place, grinning at any waiter that passed by trying to catch their attention.  The music was loud and the patrons noisy, but it didn't faze her one bit. . . .

Finally, the wood flooring came in so they could do the kitchen.  They ran into a new problem when they tried to nail down the wood through the tile.  They'd had no problem going through the old cork floor in the dining room.  But not to worry.  While everyone stood around debating whether the two layers of old floor could be ripped up I suggested that they just float it, which the enclosed instructions said was one of the options using glue in the tongue and groove.  The blue tape was keeping everything in place.  You'll see the almost-finished dining room (the mantle is coming with the countertops) at the end of this post, but I'm saving the kitchen photos until my countertops come in. . . .

Meanwhile, I couldn't just sit around while they checked to make sure they did not invalidate the warranty, plus they'd have to get the new supplies they needed, so I went to Lowes and bought sheers for my bedroom and hung them.  I LOVE how so much more cozier the room feels now. . . .

The day after the kitchen floor was laid it SNOWED again.  It was a beautiful snow, though, and only lasted a couple days.  I'm sure the deer were glad it didn't last long because they had to dig down in it to find something to eat. . . .

The snow was also a beautiful backdrop for the Maple Syrup Festival that several Tasha Tudor kindred spirits and I went to at a nearby State Park the next day. . . .

Later that afternoon was my second dulcimer get-to-gether at my neighbor's cabin next door. . . .

We babysat again the next Wednesday.  Olivia June had a cold!  So she was a little cranky at times.  Here is one of her happier moments.  She was so cute with Gabriel, growling at him and then later when she tried to kiss him. . . .(but then I think she's even cute when she's grouchy!)

I planned to paint the hallway that Friday, but came down with a stomach virus Thursday night.  I won't share any photos of THAT night.  When I felt better on Saturday I painted another one of Edith Holden's paintings from her March diary. . . .

Meanwhile I discovered two engorged ticks on Gabriel so hustled him off to the groomers as soon as I was recovered.   I wouldn't be able start him on the flea and tick preventive drug for the season until 3 days after a bath in order for his body oils to lubricate his skin again.   He was there for 5 hours!  Poor guy.  Boy, was he glad to see me!  When we got home he was at the front door before I was. . . .

We finally picked up our countertops on the last day of the month.  Now I will have to put the protective stain/water sealant on them and let them cure for a couple weeks so you'll have to wait until next month's Out & About to see them.  Here is what the dining room floor used to look like as I was painting the walls a darker yellow. . . .

We removed the doors to the kitchen and hallway, putting a curtain on the doorway to the hallway since the bedrooms are along that hall.  We also removed the lanterns on the wall.  . . . .

All the walls are painted the same color, but you'll notice how they change depending on how the light hits them. . . .

 I did not put back everything that had lined the walls.  I don't need to hide the floor anymore. . . .

This is the view from the kitchen. . . .

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Take Joy!