The Kitchen Reveal

Okay, you've waited long enough. I haven't finished the china cabinet, but it is not in the kitchen proper. I'll post pics when that's done.

For those that are just joining us, a run down of the colors. The walls are a bright sunny yellow, the upper cabinets and island a very pale lemon yellow and the lower bank of cabinets are a jadeite green. Not a color for the shy. It's such a change from my stately shades of grey/sage greens and I am loving the vibrancy of it all. These pics where taken yesterday morning before it was light out. It seems easier for the camera to handle colors without the window light distorting the contrasts.

Paints are all oil because it is exceptionally durable. I'm told they are working on a latex that will be just as durable but so far, nothing comes close to good old fashioned oil based paints. I used satin finish on all the cabinets.

The stools will be painted a cherry red, because I just love those 40's colors. One of these days I might have to scare up myself a set of Fire King, Syracuse or some other vintage restaurant ware dishes.

Parting shot: Tiny Toadies Squeezed in Tightly

Stop the Madness

I am thoroughly sick of painting, but the kitchen proper is almost complete and the last bank of built-ins on the china cabinet (lower) just needs its two coats and it's DONE! It will be nice to wake up in the morning and not have to smell oil paint fumes all day. The stuff takes days to really gas out. I couldn't have done this in the winter like I had planned that's for sure.

Now all work and no play make me a dull girl. I have had some play time between coats. Unlike latex this paint takes a full 24 hours before you can do the next coat. The silk scarf is almost done and needs to get gone. I have decided to gift it and the event is coming up quickly. The wool overshot has also seen some action and with luck, that might free up loom Hollandia quite soon.

In other off painting time news, Jack, in his infinite doggy wisdom decided to eat gravel. It made him sick Saturday and after a long afternoon at the vet doing x-rays feeding him some food and then re-xraying him, it was decided he was going to pass them. He had thrown up so much he required additional fluids, so we hooked him up for spell to rehydrate, took home potassium pills and did small amounts of water/salt/ pills every half hour for a good portion of the night. I was just happy we didn't have to open him up like we had to do five years ago. It was almost deja' vu so close to the same date. We don't call him the Gold Brick for nothing

Along with weaving there has been some sewing. I wanted to make curtains for the kitchen and settled on this fabric made into lined valances.

Just need some curtain rods. I also made a very sweet little blouse from Colette's Violet pattern. I made long sleeves for mine since I prefer them and it extends the wearing season to almost all year.

There is a lot of other news but it will have to wait until another post. Off to start painting.

Parting shot: Queen of the Rock

Or Maybe....

a full fold-over!

I can assure you, he is not covering any bald spots though. :)

Stella has done a fine job of keeping those little boy ears good and clean too.

Kudos Stella! You're a good big sister.

So, What's it Gonna Be Boy?

Ears up, down

or both?

Robin just gives me the raspberry when I ask.

The State We're In

Literally, Oregon, or if you are politically inclined, a real hot mess, but I'm referring to my kitchen. After a week of having all the top cabinets torn apart with food, dishes, glasses and other sundry stuff scattered from here to there we're finally putting shelves (painted) back in and putting the "there" back here. I'm taking a break from now until Monday, when I start all the lower cabinets. Oh..... Joy.

In 10 years I had forgotten how truly awful oil paint smells, how slow it dries and how thin those coats need to be. I ended up having to do 3 coats to bring my light green cabinets to cream color with a slight hint of lemon. They look great too and I am pleased although I was ready to pack it in after one coat it looked so crappy. The weather has been warm and sunny and that has helped everything dry as quickly as possible between coats. No humidity here to speak of during the days. Cool at night for airing out. For all the hassle oil is to use, nothing lasts as well. To it's credit after we cleaned all the cabinets off and such Gene asked me again why I was painting them. They looked still fresh and you would have never known the use and abuse the finish had taken.

In other news, no sewing, weaving, knitting, riding or anything that might be considered remotely fun except of course playing with Robin and company. Daily walks have been maintained as has poop patrol. There is always time to put a brush down and have a little game of ball or tug outside, to pick someone up for a cuddle or go racing after a puppy with a contraband packing peanut in his mouth. The little bugger is getting fast.

And of course, there is football! Everyone got their act together (Congress take note, the art of compromise does still exist), and tonight the first of the pre-season games start. Oh heart be still! :) Fall is almost here.

Parting shot: Look! Up in the sky! It's a ......?

A Whole Lot of Not Much

As mentioned in the previous post the summer heat has finally arrived, although people in many parts of the country would consider it cool. We almost reached 90 on Friday and yesterday was a balmy 85. For me,anything over 70 is hot and I really slow down over 80.

The kitchen painting plan is taking shape. Next week Gene will take the knobs and handles off. One day everything will get a good scrub, the next a light roughing up and then I start in earnest on the actual painting. Colors have been picked and brushes purchased. There won't be a whole lot of cooking going on and plenty of simple sandwiches consumed for the duration. I will be grumpy, it is a given. Everyone is getting prepared except Robin, who has no clue that the center of the universe will no longer be him and his furry cohorts large and small. Jack is just happy the suitcase hasn't appeared.

We all had some fun this week though. I did some sewing and a little weaving, lots of play time with the dogs, some riding and some shopping. Gene is away camping and paragliding in CA while I hold down the fort, almost as well as he does for me in the spring.

A Simplicity shirt pattern was morphed from something just plain ill fitting on the muslin

to almost perfection.

I know the working muslin is black and hard to see. The shoulders were too wide, the empire waist no where near where it should be but hanging down almost at my natural waist after I added an inch unwisely. It looked like it needed it on the initial pattern fitting.... The sleeves channeling an outfit on Dallas (Oh god, why are they doing a remake of such an awful show), they were so tall and poofy. Changes made were to grade the pattern for my smaller shoulders. Adjust the sleeve cap width, put the Empire back in the empire waist by going with that bodice pattern piece as it was out of the envelope and add just a bit of length at the bottom of the shirt overall after adjusting the actual natural waist up to were it should be. This doesn't seem important but the flare of the bias cut lower portion wouldn't flare in the right place without doing this front and back. I love this style and wanted to make it work and did.

Not only do I have a great fitting shirt, I also have a sense of accomplishment since there were a lot of adjustments and I made them confidently...more or less. ;)

Stella spends her days looking beautiful and regal.

Robin spends them torturing Stella.

It makes everyone else happy that she is usually "It".

Parting shot: Zebra....headless of course.

High Summer

It's almost a state of mind rather than just a point on the calendar. For us this year it's late. For me it's marked by hot days starting to wane just slightly shorter, the wildflowers of spring giving way to the dryness and the wildlife. Oh yes, high summer is all about the wildlife. Fawns are big enough that you see them traveling with Mom, quite often little groups of moms. Everything is out and about with young; teaching, feeding, and preparing them in most cases, for fall abandonment. The sightings this summer have been plentiful. In a weeks time I have seen a grey fox on the property twice, coyotes, eagle, deer, skunk, raccoon, and once what I will swear was the hind end of a bobcat with it's short flicking tail leaving me with just a hint of the animal attached. I saw a Peregrine Falcon make off with a young ground squirrel snatched from the horse paddock while I was filling the water tank. Besides eye accounts there has been evidence of owls with their hard pellets filled with fur and bone. Dennett and Peter seem to be the finders on those but occasionally I am the scat discoverer. No bear, not this year so far and I'm not complaining. It's also time for me to start thinking about the kitchen painting project. Next week, handles and knobs and paraphernalia will all come off/out of the top shelves and cabinets of the kitchen, paint will be bought and brushes (all cheap because I hate cleaning oil paint off of brushes), painters tape and other such stuff as one needs for a hard week of tedious work. A bottle of scotch maybe...this might be the time to try again to acquire a taste for it? ;) For now though, the Red Stripe will grace the fridge for a late afternoon refresher.

Sewing will wind down, weaving pick up to get things off the looms. Gift warps are all planned, towels and such for the holidays and auction give-aways all taking place in the fall. The saddles will get dusty, the horses lazy and we will slip into mid August with a flourish of green and cream, speckled hair, splattered t-shirts and a fresh new look for the kitchen.

Parting shot: David & Goliath

For Every Rule an Exception

I just didn't have a great title for this post but it would seem this summer does have its exceptions to the typical "rules"! The first one being rain and lots of it. It poured yesterday, and Friday we got a gully washer of a thunder storm. That one brought a little fire up on Soda Mountain. While hard to get to, it lay down nicely after torching some trees and was contained to about a 1/4 to a 1/2 acre or so. Both Greensprings Fire & Rescue and ODF (Oregon Department of Forestry) were on it. The call went out around 8:30 pm and Gene was home sometime around 2:00am. The other exception has been the temps. We actually had to fire the outside boiler Rube up yesterday it was that cold and damp, in JULY! In the downpour I was out taking flymasks off wet grumpy horses.

The next rule, although not a hard and fast one, is pants should be a solid color. I know where this one comes from. Most people, myself included, when buying pieces for your wardrobe try to get the most mileage out of them. They have to go with other stuff, like shirts, jackets and sweaters, so I certainly fell into that rut when making clothes. Why can't I have patterned pants or jackets? I mean I can make what I want to match and am not left to the whims of the retail racks for either fabrics or style. Isn't that why I sew, or weave or knit? To make what I like? Of course it is!

So two beautiful Japanese fabrics came home with me last week, both patterned and both destined to be part of my fall wardrobe. I can't say enough about the beautiful quality of these fabrics, heavier than shirt weight and the cotton so fine, you would think they were a medium weight woven silk. I was smitten when I saw them last week (and a half a dozen other patterns too) at Fabric of Vision. And look, some beautiful shirt weight fabrics were in house and just begging to be tops for these lovely prints. The caramel is a soft woven and almost brushed silk, the other a nice weight cotton.

Even the spools of sewing thread look pretty together.

My folks have booked their much anticipated October visit and I'll be stepping out in style!

So, some sewing has gone on and a fair amount of riding still.

I had some company last Thursday to ride with and it was awfully fun to have an experienced rider to go out with and get two horses exercised instead of one in a day.

As an update, the fawn, sadly, did not make it. It stopped eating and the lovely folks who took it in decided it would be best to have it humanely euthanized.

There has been a lot of puppy attention too.

Both young and old have all had some quality time. Dennett has his highs and lows although truthfully, it's been mostly good these last couple of weeks. Every day is a much appreciated gift. Miss Bea has arthritis in her back and as she ages it has become more noticeable.

The damp cold weather we've had has not been comfortable for her, so each night before bed, she gets a nice and gentle neck and back massage and then I bundle her up in the blankets in a warm spot next to me. During the day I try to get her out for a walk too as it is helped by light consistent exercise. Jack, Pogo and Smoochie are taking Robin into their male circle, not without it's little upsets along the way, but he is fitting in nicely. Charlotte, as is her way, shows nothing but disdain for most of the dogs but Peter and Dennett.

Robin continues to change daily. My gosh puppyhood is such a rapid affair, if you blink, you miss something. I am trying not to blink. I will say he is one of the sweetest puppies I have ever been lucky enough to meet let alone have as a companion. He is a cuddler with a capitol C. No doubt about it, this pup is very people oriented but not obsessive. He's just as happy to play or sleep with Stella or Smoochie or both!

I even caught Bea cozied up to him, but if you want to reach down and pick him up and tuck him in with you, he will stay there as long as you want.

Parting Shot: The Flying Nun (Stella's ears did a similar thing at this age)