Tag Archives: dollhouses

Well, It Sounded Good

18 Jun

This morning The Squire announced that we were going to clean off the picnic table on the patio, so he can put it on Freecycle.  Now, cleaning it off is a good idea, but I am not too crazy about getting rid of it.  It would be lovely to be able to sit out there in the evening and watch the foxes play in the Back 40, or just enjoy a cuppa and a good book.

We dragged over the trash can and the recycling bin, and had at it. It really didn’t take too long to get most of the junk off there, and we found quite a few things that were either MIA or would come in handy.

And then, yours truly began the sneaky process of piling it up again! Back when grandson Matthew was about five, he and I collaborated on putting together a McKinley doll house.   http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/24504323   After it was finished, we decided to work on a lighthouse, but that project somehow died a-borning, so the kit went into the barn. Recently, Eldest Daughter, who is in the process of moving the South Carolina, offered one of my nephews a roll-top desk and chair that had belonged to my mum. He accepted and we brought the desk here, as it would be a lot more convenient for him to pick it up. Besides, he can collect his kids’ Christmas gifts while he’s at it. And by the way, would your sons want to build a lighthouse? The Squire and I spread out and checked out all of the pieces that are in that kit, and wrapped it back up.

“You know, with this table cleared I could bring Matthew’s McKinley down here and work on it here on the patio.” The Squire was not pleased with that suggestion, but the patio is cooler in the evening than the workshop, and I really do need to get on with this project. We shall see. It’s been sitting around, first in their basement, then in our barn, and now up it the workshop, and if I’m going to get it finished before Austin graduates from college, I need to hustle. he’s pushing two, already!

We also went through several of my parents boxes that had been stashed here and there.  Lawsy, the stuff my mum kept! A quart zip bag full of keys. A bunch of receipts for donations to every cockamamie organization in the world. A huge bag of L’eggs eggs – which are probably worth a fortune on eBay.

And books! Another of my nephews is giving serious consideration to following in his grandfather’s footsteps and going to seminary, so I pulled all of the books I figured he could use and packed them up. He’s going to have to come get them, as mailing this thing is going to be very pricey.

All in all, it really looks good out there. It may not be obvious to the untrained eye, but we filled two trash bags and two recycling bins – and we’re not really finished yet!

 

 

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Standard Time Blues

6 Nov

All last week, I had to be up at 5:30 to get myself scraped into a heap, made reasonably presentable, run a rake through my hair, and get out the door. Saturday morning – yesterday – Blazer decided 5:30 was time enough for me to crawl out of bed.

This morning, the silly dog was still on daylight time, and had me out of bed at half-past four. Thanks a bunch, puppy! I let him out, forgot to turn off the alarm, and awakened The Squire. And probably half the neighbourhood, to boot.

Gave him a short breakfast and wandered back to bed. Unfortunately, I was not able to get back to sleep as easily as I had hoped, as my Restless Leg Syndrome kicked in. Quite literally. I was all over the bed. Back downstairs, and took a second pill. As a result, I was honest-to-goodness staggering when The Squire pried me out from between the covers. Not a happy camper.

We had yet another supply priest this morning – a very nice lady named Retta.  She was very pleasant, understanding our little quirks, and preached a good sermon. We’ve had a few priests who wandered so far afield they – and we – seemed to forget what the message was supposed to BE.

And then, when we got home from church, Blazer met us at the top of the drive. No leash, and the kitchen door was wide open. Lovely. Apparently, The Squire had turned the latch, and I had followed him out without a) turning on the alarm, and b) hadn’t even pulled the door shut, which allowed Blazer to nudge it open with his nose.

I told you I wasn’t awake!

I spent most of the afternoon working on our grandson’s dollhouse. I made this up for Matthew when he was about five, and after he and his younger sister both outgrew it, the house languished first in the barn and then on the porch. Neither location was what you’d call “optimal” and it is in sad shape. I’ve ordered new wallpaper and carpeting, but the poor house practically needs to be completely rebuilt. I may invite his wife to come down and lend a hand if we want to get this job finished before he gets home in mid-January.

The original house is here: http://www.picturetrail.com/lady_anne   Scroll down to “Matthew’s McKinley”. I’ll post new shots here from time to time.

 

 

 

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Closing In On It?

8 May

My friend Kay is back in town, and I gave her all of the Tudor trim to paint. It’s something she can do while she watches TV, and frankly, it’s a job I hate.

tape sideI have been busying myself putting the roof on this beast. It seems to have an obscene number of pieces, and it looks as if it’s going to make actually thatching the roof very difficult, as it wants to “pretend” it is a thatch roof. Well, we shall see.

I played with arranging the furniture this morning and we are not going to be able to make two rooms out of the ground floor. Not quite sure yet what we’re going to do with the upstairs. Probably a bedroom. If I can figure out how to partition a space, we’ll make it a loo; otherwise, they’ll just have to use a thunder mug.

This is a county cottage, after all.

 

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Making Progress

3 May

 

My friend Kay has been away all week, and I brought the Country Cottage over here to work on it, so I’d have everything in one place. Well, if you consider the picnic table, the kitchen counter, the dining room table and the work bench in the back room “all in one place”…

I got all three walls up, and the doors framed on the outside. The Squire bought some textured paint to re-do the guest room and TV room, and I used that to “stucco” the exterior of the cottage, although it will definitely need some touch up work.

We (well, I) had decided to omit the stairs and have a complete upper floor, instead of a loft, so Tuesday night I hied me down to Michaels and got a piece of thin plywood to fill in the “hole” where the balcony would be. Got that all glued up, and I was going to cover the underneath with ceiling paper. Couldn’t find the partial roll I’m positive is around here, but I did find a piece of thin white cardboard that will work even better. It was a bit bent from having been stored, so once I had glued it to the floor, I stacked encyclopedias on it. Nooks and Kindles are nice, but they’re not much help when it come to holding things down. Or up.

glue job

I glued the floor in place last night. Since this house was designed to be open above the bay window, there were no slots in which to insert the floor, so I had to get creative. Books to support the front wall  so I didn’t mash the bay window, and then more books on top to hold the she-bang in place while the glue dried.

From here on in, it should be fairly straight forward – she said naively. The roof is already assembled, and I’ve ordered the thatching. The furniture is all on hand,  so now we have to decide how we’re going to finish off the upstairs.

Wish us luck!

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