Going White
As I mention before I decided I wanted to go white in my den and turn it into a study. I have started on that little project, by painting the paneling and fireplace.
Unfortunately moving on from the paneling means that things got a little hectic. I took down bookcases, which thankfully break down into three pieces each and put them into the entryway so they were out of the way. The cats loved it. The entry was a cat playground for days.
This meant I had to find a home for the contents of the bookcases. That ended up being the middle of the room as I pulled everything away from the walls so I could paint.
At least it doesn’t look as bad as the living room back when I had the floors done.
Things are at least moving along quickly so I should have some more photos soon.
Taking Decorating Advice From the Cats
As a temporary window covering in the bedroom, we installed cheap vinyl blinds. After having the run of that room for weeks before the blinds were up, Nidalee and Neville were upset that there was something blocking their favorite perch at the time. The let us know by chewing on the blinds before finally hunting down different windows to hang out in. Ferrus and Mjolnir on the other hand hated that there were blinds in the windows nearly from the moment they moved in.
Rather than find a different windowsill to sit in, Ferrus just climbed through the slats. Eventually he started chewing through them to make his trip easier. It only took a two weeks before they looked like this.
Since the blinds were very cheap (maybe $13 total) I wasn’t too upset, just annoyed that the windows were no longer covered in spots. It was the incentive I needed to finally go hunt down come curtains for the room. I settled on black to match the furniture and keep out some light.
They don’t completely black out the room, but they do make it good and dark when one wants to sleep in. They are also not terribly expensive panels so if someone things they decide to claw or climb them, replacement isn’t that much. At the moment, all the cats seem to just think curtains are the best hide and seek toy ever invented.
New Faces at Eleven Seventeen
I think I suffered a moment of weakness. Well… two actually. A few short weeks ago, I adopted a new kitten. I had decided three would be better than two because Neville freaks out when he’s left alone. That way no one would have to be alone if someone went to the vet. The night I brought my little sleek black kitten home he cried half the night in the bathroom where he was kept until Nidalee and Neville were used to him. It was such a heartbreaking sound, we thought he needed a friend. That’s when we got a little grey fluffy ball.
Neville had always loved cuddling the little plush toy he stole and adopted from me, so I knew he would be the one to take to a new kitten easily. I was not proven wrong.
He bathes them and holds them. They seem to think he’s their mother now and one more than one occasion I have caught them trying to bury their heads in his belly an nurse (which usually ends in a swift kick to the head by him). The little grey fluffy one is named Mjolnir after Thor’s hammer. The black one is now called Ferrus Catus. They all seem to get along well.
Ferrus adores Nidalee and tries to curl up with her, but half the time she’d rather he not and leaves the room when he gets too close. Poor girl’s out numbered by boys.
Books, books, books
As you may have noticed, there are two new widgets in the sidebar pertaining to books. Is it obvious that I like to read?
I noticed recently that I had mostly only been reading well worn favorites of mine (mostly by Robin McKinley) rather than searching out anything new. I think my fear of character death puts me off of some current series. My library card has gotten more use in the past few weeks than it got all last year.
I do have a Goodreads account, but I thought it would be fun to keep track of what I am reading and plan to read here too. Perhaps I might post a review of a book or two that I particularly liked in the future.
My current reading list looks a little something like this:
What are you reading this summer?
Den to Study
Remember when I was I said I wanted to give the den a sort of cottage feel? I’m not saying that I don’t still want to keep many of those original elements I had planned to have, but I am changing things a little.
First, I don’t want to just have it as a sitting room. I have recently realized that me sharing and office space with Aaron will not work well if I plan to actually spend time focused on writing that book I have in my head.
Second, remember that white sofa I wanted to get? Well, as it’s not really in the budget to keep buying new furniture, so I’m keeping an old favorite, a pink sofa. Well, more salmon than pink, but those who have been to my house know which one I am talking about. It’s big, soft, and pink. This is why I am looking at giving the room the same neutral white base I had planned. All the wall trim and paneling will be a nice bright white, so the sitting area by the window will look a little something like this.
I do like the idea of having a pouf or two for extra seating, since I want to put a desk on the opposite wall, against the paneling, and that kills extra seating space for comfy chairs.
As for the office space, I am thinking that I will cover the paneled wall with some framed art, notes, quotes, and perhaps a large pin board for all of the above.
A few coats of white have already gone up on the paneling and mantel. The carpet is up in one corner and two doorways. I’ll have to start getting some pictures of the mess in progress, but it is definitely looking promising already.
(Images: Eclectic Revisted, Houzz)