Smugglers Cove Whidbey Island

Interior paint.  Really hard to decipher, but I think that is a good thing.  It should reflect and absorb all the colors around it.  Today, we could see the blue-green reflection of the dark green porch roofing.

Notice the size of those walls.  I can envision the enormity of the possible art work to be done.  Working large is part of my future.

Today, the floors are being cleaned; not polished, just cleaned.  In the next couple of days, the kitchen cabinets will be installed.  The tile work is soon to follow and the countertops will be poured Sunday.

We are hiring a crew to help move all of the boxes from this house to the new house.  The rerfigerator, stove, washer, dryer, dishwasher, lighting fixtures, and so on.

Did I mention our new home is scheduled to be in the SICBA Home Tour?

Oh, we are so in tune with everything that is being done with our home.  We drive there frequently to see the progress and we shop for things we hope will complement other things.  We ponder colors, textures and sizes.  We stew over concrete, wood and metal.  It is cumbersome.

Today, we visited the house twice.  Once in the morning, with the dog pack – yes, we officially have a pack of dogs.  The painter had been there and we saw the “Misty Gray” on the walls.  It was overwhelming.

We took the dogs back to the rental, regrouped and shopped in Oak Harbor.  We needed to replenish the goodies we leave for the workers.  We also bought school supplies for our grandson.  How totally cool is that?

Back to the house to meet an old friend and show him around.  I noticed the color was not done and that made me happy.  It was obvious where the painter had hit and where he had not.  Love the color.

Up drives a truck.  Out climbs a long-haired young man.  “Hi.  I’m the painter.”

I told him I loved the color.

Oh – that’s just the primer.

Oh.

Naivete.

Spice drawers – who ever had those?  Soft-closing drawers – ditto.  Aren’t we supposed to slam drawers shut?  One of my favorite things to do when I am really angry is to slam a door.  In addition, my father used to know I was upset when I would walk around pounding my feet into the ground.  I have big feet.  I could make quite a bit of noise. I like noise.

Well, scratch slamming doors.  I think I can put that energy into clearing trails in the woods.  Today, we took the dogs to a forested dog-park that has great trails throughout.  That’s exactly what we need.  A forestry guru told me to follow the deer trails.  I do not want to wreck havoc in the woods.  I just want to be able to walk without breaking any bones.  Breaking bones; stories for another day.

Look at that hickory!  Beautiful.  You are looking at the side of the pantry.  The doors are under construction and once completed, we expect our kitchen cabinets will be phenomenal.

We feel so good about choosing a custom cabinetmaker to complete this task.  We had the opportunity to tour their shop and I was ready to apprentice myself to them.

When the doors are all completed, they will line them up and make sure they “flow”.  Seriously?  Methinks the big box stores skip that step and many more.

Next week, we will hire a crew and start to empty out the garage.  We will take over the mass of appliances, lighting fixtures and bamboo flooring for upstairs.

I should make a calendar of how much longer we will be in this rental.  Winter in a new house.  Winter in the woods.  Bring it on.

Choosing an interior house color is daunting, especially when the ceiling is 25 feet high and the whole house is open.  We have to get it right and I have no intention of repainting if we don’t.  So, I was looking for a soft gray to complement the “pebble” colored concrete and the dark concrete counter tops.

Gray is a color that only exists in my imagination – apparently.  It seems to either be green or blue.  It has this tint or that tint.  It leans towards beige or sometimes pink.  No!  Not acceptable.

We selected an interior paint color a week or so ago and then yesterday, we went back to square one.  Today, we went back to another paint store, perused the internet and finally selected a gray that seemed to be gray.

We went to the house and, luckily, our wonderful drywall guru was there.  He had a slight grimace (from 25-feet up) when I showed him the color.  Too white, says he.  I agreed.  So, he suggested the color in the middle of the swatch was better.  I cannot tell you how much I value the opinion of people who have done this many times over.  We get one shot at this.  I am never building another house.  I want to get it right and then relax.  So, Misty Gray it is.  It better not show up blue…or green…or pink!

The top three tiles are the choice for the downstairs shower.  The two on the bottom left are for the floor in the upstairs bathroom.  Hopefully, we have covered all the colors in the bathroom, from the mocha colored cabinet to the “pebble” concrete floor and the “Shaded Ice” wall color. Not too beige, not too grey.  Porcelain.  Easy to clean.

Today, we will venture to the cabinetmakers and look at their selection of drawer hardware.  If you are bored, look on-line for drawer pulls and handles.  There are about a bazillion choices.  Seriously.

Throw into the mix the color of the floor, cabinet, fixtures, sink, appliances and then try to get something that doesn’t clash.  I can’t wait to see all of this put together.  I hope it isn’t a disaster waiting to happen.  I want it to be peaceful.

…remember the one where I said I was going to be updating this on a regular basis?  Okay, so I’m a liar.  Flat out.  Sue me – I got nuthin’.

A myriad of choices are digging circles into the ground around my head.

Here’s where we are.

The dishwasher was delivered today.  Dishwasher?  I thought we weren’t going to have one?  Oh.  Change in plans.  However, this particular model is all of 18 inches wide.  I love that!  I love to wash my dishes in front of the window that looks out into the forest.  But…lately we have had a few visitors.  Dishes have a way of multiplying.  Time flies by and there is a pile of nastiness in the sink awaiting hot water and cleansing.  Hence…the dishwashing machine.

Color choices for the inside and outside have been made.  A very, very pale grey for the inside.  Sequoia Grove for the outside.  The outside color needed to complement the fabulous porch timbers and the deep green roof shingles.  The interior needed to NOT be white or beige.  I came to like the idea of a huge expanse of wall upon which to hang artwork.  The color needed top be able to complement all genres of art.

The bamboo flooring has been picked up and it has joined the mass of items in the garage.  We opened the ends of the boxes so the bamboo would breathe, but not warp.

We are currently looking at drawer pulls and door knobs.  Remember the myriad of choices digging the circle in the dirt around my head – the circle just got deeper.

We went to a tile store in Oak Harbor and selected porcelain tile for the downstairs bathroom and the upstairs floor.  That was a lot of fun – seriously!  Oh, and the bench and the shelves in the shower will be constructed from leftover marble.  Oh, yes they will.

The concrete color samples for the kitchen counter have been cast.  They are exciting to see.  When they are ground down a bit, the rocks show through!  Beautiful.

I am sure we have done other things and I swear I will try to update on a daily basis.  Do not, under any circumstances, hold your breath!

The third set of pendant lights are on their way back to wence they came.  I now know exactly what to look for.  No paper coating.  No weird spray insides.  Keep it simple.

The main bathroom countertop is ready to be picked up, as is the flooring for the upstairs.  Our rental garage is bursting at the seams!  The insulation in the new garage ceiling and the interior walls is complete.  The water is flowing from outdoor taps.  The drywall was delivered yesterday.

We have a new member of the crew; our son!  How amazing is that?  You have no idea!  We haven’t heard from the corbel artists.  I need to shoot them an e-mail.  We have a couple of ceramic tiles to test-out in the bathroom, but we keep forgetting to take them.

We snagged some free shasta daisies.  They were in a plastic bin at the corner with a cardboard sign offering them up.  I really wanted some daisies.  They seem to love the Island climate – as do we!

Next week is going to be very busy.  Moving right along.

Today, I received the third set of pendant lights.  They suck.  No rods.  Some sort of stupid spray coated sugar crap on the insides.  I am so over buying pendant lights and having them be disasterous.

On a good note, the insulation is in the house.  The metal piece is in the last of the concrete and it looks awesome.  The drywall is to be delivered tomorrow.  We are moving right along…well, some things are.

Not a great photo.  Sue me.

So, remember the pendant lights.  Uh, they are backordered until late September.  Really?  Are you kidding me?  Nope.  Cancelled order and back to square one.

I found others and ordered them.  They better be here soon.

Also ordered today – the laundry room sink and the laundry room faucet set.

This photo shows the three finish choices for the porch timbers – our timbers from our trees!  The photo leaves a lot to be desired, but we are going with the center choice – Sikkens Light!