It’s been a week since we made settlement on the house and things are proceeding apace. The wallpaper has been removed and the living room has been painted, no thanks at all to me, who has banished from the job since I was basically told that I suck at it. Chris, Lisa Evans and Gina did the bulk of the work with some Friday night help from Joanna and Tom Bags. It was a gargantuan task made worse by the fact that I was sold the wrong primer and Chris and I being total novices, applied it in error necessitating a crazy amount of coats to go over it. John Baliski was suggesting we take out a Sopranos like contract on whoever gave me the bad advice at Home Depot.

Speaking of which, I have been in Home Depot and Lowe’s every single day since we moved. I like Lowe’s better, but there seem to be more people around at Home Depot. I also really like our local shop, Westmont Hardware, which is very old fashioned and the people really know their stuff. My good friend Reney Coburn, Queen of Hardware, scoffs at us when we shop at the big stores and tells us that we really ought to patronize the little guys. She’s right and I have been doing just that a bit. Their pricing is not that far off the big stores and the advice is invaluable.

Lynne was here all day yesterday helping paint the kitchen. She’s like a whirlwind! It has been great having so many people pitch in to help us. We’re thrilled and overwhelmed by the generosity shown to us. Gina has been slaving in the dining room for days, with Lily and Jack even taking turns with the brush. Those kids are amazing!

Today we are supposed to take delivery of our new appliances. We ordered a range, fridge and dishwasher. The kitchen is shaping up BIG TIME!

More updates as I get a few minutes. Photos soon too.