About that Safari Rally ...

It's likely I will never pull off another April Fools post like last year's.  I had a few of you for a paragraph or two, but after last year, most of you are on to me.  Still ... imagining the Safari Rally and writing about it was pretty good fun and some of it was true.  Coty did say he'd drive a nicer car and I do love Africa and we did see rally cars plowing through mud in Nyeri province in the early '80's.

The truth is ... for now, we are staying put.

I hung a little plate on the wall yesterday.  I bought it at an antique store near Erin's former home in Hoosick Falls, NY (they arrived in Montana yesterday).  The plate has sailboats in a harbor with colorful houses along the shore. People are waving from the boats.  It's a lovely little plate and it makes me smile to see it.

It reminds me that this home is meant to be a safe haven, a harbour, a port ... for the wandering barks, those children and friends that have sailed away and find their way back here from time to time.  I want them to know that they can always come home and when they do, they will find a warm welcome, a strong hug, a cup of tea, a meal.

Coty and I have been the wandering barks in the past - California, Kenya, Massachusetts, Cameroon.  We've gone to the far away places and lived the adventurous life, at times.  Now, when our nest is emptying, we could contemplate doing it again.  But, we sense that this is a time to be the home port.  It's our children's turn to sail away, and for us to be the settled ones and this place to be the fixed mark.

Not that we won't ever travel or perhaps even live abroad again for some period of time.  But for just now, we are quite content to be right here in NC.

Open invitation, folks.  Come visit Port Pinckney.  We promise porchtime and colorful meals.  Standard fare, here.

The porch ...

is tidied and ready for the spring.  I spent a warm Sunday afternoon sweeping, cleaning, moving furniture (with help), rearranging, "fluffing", getting it ready for days and evenings of porch time.

For a couple of weeks, the porch was piled high with furniture taken out of the house while the floor work was going on.  Some of that furniture was moved back inside, some has been relegated to the garage for the time being and will NOT reappear in our house.

One piece has been given porch status.  It is an old recliner, one of the first pieces of furniture Coty and I purchased for the very first house we bought in Virginia, long, long ago.  It's been with us through six children and two moves.  It has burn scars and stains, but it's still in good shape and I'm just not ready to part with it.  When Joel saw it on the porch this afternoon, he approved.  I said, "It's not really a porch chair."  He said, "That 's a good chair for sitting and reading.  I'm glad it's on the porch."

I expect we will use it and love it on the porch for a good long while.  So many memories connected to that little mauve recliner.  

Last week ... This week

Last week ...

the floor was partially done in the big room and the rest of the wood, the piano, and other furniture from the living room shifted onto it so that the wood could flow into the next room ...

This week ...

the floor is done, a bit of furniture has been moved in, and Joel read and had a cup of coffee in the morning quiet of the bright, big, open room.  It's still spare.  No pictures on the walls yet, some furniture and an area rug still to come.  But, oh my goodness.  It sort of takes my breath away.  It almost feels like a completely different house!

Last week ...

Ben and Nick discovered a big "dip" in the floor in the living room.  Not level a'tall.  They removed the subfloor, added some shims to the top of the joists and now this spot is probably the most level spot in the entire house!

This week ...

Most of the furniture is back but not the pictures.  This room is also still a bit spare.  It needs an area rug, pictures on the walls, warmth and color.  But, for a while I will just enjoy gazing at all. that. beautiful. wood!

Last week ...

 Dark, dirty, walnut parquet.

This week ... 

Bright, light, pretty, clean oak flowing from one room to the next.  There's always been a bi-fold door between this hall and the dining area.  It's not going back up.  Open. Open. Open. Teapots on the shelf.

Won't  you come for a cuppa with me?

Progress

Well, it's a mess alright.  But we (meaning Ben and Nick) are making progress, while the rest of us look on.

The fridge and stove are sitting in the front foyer.  No cooking to be done for a while, but at least the fridge is plugged in and we have access to it.

The dishwasher is sitting on top of the kitchen counter ...

A layer of popcorn dust from the ceiling and spackling dust from all the sanding covers everything.

BUT

The tile is down in the kitchen, ready for grout today ...

and the flooring is here, stacked in the living room, curing.  It may start going down tomorrow.

Our job tonight when the guys finish up here today is to paint the ceiling.  Off to buy primer and paint.

Hello ...

... open space and light!

Good-bye ...

wall that makes the dining area small and blocks light to the family room ...

dirty, hard to clean, old cracked linoleum ...

water damaged spot covered by carpet

dark, walnut parquet entry-way floor ...

old, raggy, dark green carpet 

and the only thing I would not mind not saying good-bye to ...

painted gray floor.  I loved it for a short time, 

but it is rather cold since it's only painted subfloor.

Light and beauty coming.

Pinned, not sewn

A little tutorial for a wreath you can do in a jiffy.  You too, Kathie, can do this!

I used a straw wreath form.  These are very inexpensive.  $3-$5 depending on the size.  I had lots of fabric scraps in my stash and corsage pins leftover from a long-ago wedding.

1. Measure around the wreath and add an inch and a half to this measurement to overlap your fabric scraps and turn under the edge.

2.  Cut fabric strips the length that you determined.  You can vary the widths if you like.  I cut mine 2 1/2 inches.

3.  Fold the strips in half lengthwise and press.

4.  Now just start wrapping the strips around your wreath.  Pull the strips tightly, overlap about a half inch, turn under the raw edge, and pin to secure.  I  wrapped 3 to 5 of one fabric and then changed to another fabric.  With some fabrics, you may want to just wrap one strip as an accent.  You might notice the bird fabrics on this wreath are used in this way.  When pinning, it looks nicer to vary the placement of your pins so that they are not in a line so you will vary where you overlap the strips.  Does this make sense?  It will.  Just do it.

5.  Wrap and pin, wrap and pin til your wreath is covered.

6.  I embellished the wreath by wrapping it with some rick rack and lace scraps that I had.  Little fabric flowers or an arrangement with vintage buttons would be nice, too.

For this season, I love the way the red pops on my new blue door.  I'll be wrapping another wreath with different fabrics when spring comes around.

Blue door

and a red wreath.