I went and did it now!

We're always doing something around here. For some reason we just find it hard to sit still.

It all started when we got a note from GM about the Canyon. In the note they boldly stated that they wouldn't honor the contract we signed when we leased the truck and that we were to take it back to the dealer at the end of the lease (coming up) and turn in the keys. None of this made much sense to me. But then, in the contract, they were supposed to move the lease into a buy without changing anything like payment and such and I guess they decided that they weren't going to do this any longer. But still, it was enough to make someone very angry.

We went to the dealer because they said they had an Envoy SE, certified used, for about the same price as the value of the truck. I really had my doubts but we went to look. I questioned Husband about it because it would mean giving up the truck with the pickup bed, the insurance on it and the high cost of registration. But he really liked that truck and it did serve some purpose. It was Husband's decision if he wanted to keep the truck or get another car. The Envoy is an SUV but it still won't haul some of the really big stuff we've hauled with the pickup. He decided that we could live without the pickup since we have most of the really big, heavy and dirty stuff we get delivered anyway.

When we bought the truck, we had to consider that it was new and that the other cars we had were older. I've been telling Husband that if I buy another car, I wanted a certified used one since we don't drive our cars hard, keep all the maintenance up on them, etc. It wasn't worth taking the huge hit on depreciation for the way we used them.

So we went to the dealer. When we got there, I told them where I stand with this, that I was angry about it and I didn't want a car salesman breathing down my neck about it. We went in with a print out of the contract we signed when we bought the Canyon, a print out on where the Canyon was as far as mileage, etc. and a print out of possible loan for buying it should we want to, including interest. I also told our salesman that I would leave that day without buying anything and if he wanted to sell a car, he'd better not give me a hard time about it. I am a car salesman's nightmare.

We looked at the car. We test drove it. It was nice, heavy, solid, missing some knobs to make some of the features work which I showed to the salesman when we returned. It was rather plain, without fanfare or bling. That was OK. It would sit outside anyway, so we didn't need the bling.

Then looking around we found a very nice looking (the color was perfect) Envoy Delani, same year as the SE, almost the same mileage but it was priced several thousand dollars more than the SE. But I wanted to see that one too. We took it for a test drive. It drove a little nicer than the SE since it had a larger engine. It had all the bells and whistles and bling you could want. It did seem like a bit much for what we were looking for, but I liked this car. It was pretty, classy and in a different category than the other one.

We talked to the salesman a little bit more when we got back and decided we needed time to think about this. We left the dealership and decided to go to the market while we thought about it. It was there that I came up with the unthinkable.

I presented to Husband the idea that we trade in the Canyon (since we didn't seem to have a lot of choice there) AND my 12 yr. old Sebring on the Delani. This was an option that just blew Husband out of the water! He figured I really liked the Delani to want to trade in that Sebring. I bought that car out of the showroom all those years ago and have really liked it and I've never gotten tired of it. It is a good running car, well kept, and still in perfect showroom condition.

Still, the Sebring is 12 years old and the possibility of it beginning to cause problems is very real. Our third car, or the workhorse, is a 2000 Cherokee Sport we found. This car is now kept in the garage since it fits better than the Canyon. We bought this one to replace an old Wagoneer that was beginning to show it's seriously old age and was falling apart around us when we tried to drive it. The floor on the driver's side was gone, the engine was beginning to need expensive repairs but the day I decided to drive the Wagoneer and everything went with me except the entire exhaust system, it was time to replace it.

Since we have a tendency to keep our cars until they literally fall apart, buying a new one on a lease wasn't a really good idea. This Delani would be a nice choice since it was fairly new, low mileage, certified with a very good warranty and it was a buy - no mileage restrictions, insurance would be discounted as well as the price of the car. Trading in the Sebring (same as cash) as well as the Canyon could hopefully bring the dealer's price to where we could easily afford it. The Delani was also a step up and wouldn't be an embarrassment. The Sebring, in it's day, was top-of-the-line with all the bells and whistles of the day. I wanted a replacement that had the same quality as the old one, if I decided to trade. Remember, that Sebring was what I wanted when I bought it and I've never gotten tried of it. This trade would also bring down the price of insurance, inspections, registrations, etc, and all our cars would fit into our garage. I like that idea too.

Right now, I have the Delani in the garage to drive it for a week before taking it back to the dealer to finalize the deal. They have my Sebring. We will drive around the Delani, get used to it, etc. We've already found that it does indeed fit in the garage (very important!). I'm pretty sure right now that we will buy this car. I really like it and it has everything except for the TV. That I really don't need.

A project in earnest

A few weeks ago we started a large project in earnest. Painting the house. About a year ago (summer of 07) we remodeled the bathroom into a bathroom that I wanted from the start. With that finished, I had to paint. So I pasted a whole bunch of sample on the walls while the guys finished the construction and spent evenings just looking at the samples. When I finally decided, I chose two shades of taupe. In the end I really like the color I chose for the walls but not the trim.

When I decided that the entire house needed a face lift, I wanted paint the same color or very close to the same color I used in the bathroom. However, the paint I used in the bathroom wasn't the paint that I like best. So I had to choose a color that matched as closely as possible.

Since I like Benjamin Moore paints, I went with a lovely Broken Arrow color, a medium taupe for the walls and a nice cream color for the trim which I liked much better. I chose these colors because they were close to what I wanted and also matched the ceiling paint called Kitten Whiskers.

For the kitchen I wanted something a little different. I had a nice wallpaper on those walls that resembled a sponged look. I liked that for my kitchen but Shalimar didn't like the paper and kept ripping it off. So we removed the paper and painted the exact same thing back on using the colors I had chosen. The only thing to be done to the finished wall is the ceiling border paper that will tie this in with the rest of the house. I cannot put crown moldings in the main part of the house because of the cathedral ceilings. So this wall will get the border paper to even out the top line.

So far we've been doing good with working on the painting. Other than the border, the finished walls in the kitchen are sponged nicely (one project piece complete). The all (except for the laundry closet doors) are all painted including the trim (another project piece complete).

Now, the question is, do I paint the kitchen wall against the garage? Now that's a tough one. It will need to be done as it is part of the house. The problem is, it is also 16 feet high at the peak.

Then there is also an artwork hanging there that will need to be brought down. This Divan was put there when we first moved in and hasn't been touched since. I wouldn't want to be the person responsible for taking it off that wall! The thing weighs over 50 pounds and has been bolted to the wall, straight through to the attic wall and supported on two different joist. It's a beautiful piece and fits there so nicely it's almost like we built the house around it. But to do this job it will need to be taken down, the wall painted and it replaced to it's original spot.

Getting up there to paint that will will be a feat as well. But once we get this wall as well as the wall at the opposite end of the public area, I will be happy. I'm simply happy we're not painting this ceiling which is why I had the house painted the Kitten Whiskers when we built. I simply didn't want to have to try and paint that ceiling. And I still don't.

With further thinking about the project again today, I've decided that I would like to sponge the guest bathroom. We should have enough glaze and wall paint to do that room too. I don't have the crown molding there yet, but that shouldn't stop us from painting the room and get it ready for the crown molding.

So I think the order I will continue with is to finish the moldings in the kitchen. There's only one door and two very short baseboards there. I can do that in an hour or so. Then move into the guest bathroom and do the trim and the walls since the whole thing will get a good shot of the same color. Then put on the darker sponged glaze. Since we're doing this on weekends only, it might be a few weeks until we get it done. But it will get there.

The crown molding should be easy to save up for. It's the hardwood floors and closet organizer that will cost some bucks and I will have to put away for that. Since both those items are for the bedroom suite, the bedroom will have to wait until I can afford the wood floors. The organizer will also cost some bucks. I saw the perfect one for my closet at a True Value today. Of course, Bob will build it but I will have to go look at it again so I can sketch it and take it home to see how it will fit in my closet and give him a plan. The closet will also get painted the house colors, but it will not get the crown molding.

I have the border paper for the kitchen, but I won't put it on until the paint has had a few weeks to cure. I don't want to put it on to early should we ever decide to remove it for something we like better.

We will do what we can over the winter but when spring comes, we'll be outside taking care of the garden. I'll see how far we get. We'll just keep working at it until it's done. The house is screaming for a new color. The color it is was nice in our other house, but not this one. The warm taupe and cream trim seem to be the ticket for this house. There are just a few areas where we need to be really brave.

Shalimar's new lease on life

Tootsie

Shalimar is doing very good now. It was a long, scary 5 weeks, but I think she is back on track and maybe even a little better than that.

I has to visit the vet's office yesterday to get more of her asthma meds, but I didn't take her along. Instead I did talk to the vet and told her about everything I was doing to help this cat and that she has finally improved enough to set up an appointment for her annual shots. Dr. DaLuca read through the book that I'd taken with me, listen to what I was saying and said that I obviously did something right that Shalimar had made such good progress. She also said that she's never used any alternative medicines before so this was interesting.

Today, Shalimar was coughing here and there. A dry cough and usually only one at a time. There has been no sneezing from her in over two days now. Her eyes are back to normal and she's been quite visible. The past two nights she's been sleeping in the bed with me. She's also been up to her usual attitude around Tootsie - "I'm the Bombay. I'm the beauty. I'm the boss."

She is definitely feeling better.

What do you think?

If you saw this picture of this rose and were in the market for a rose, would this picture make you want to investigate this rose a little more? Personally, being a rose lover and especially liking the polyanthas, this rose would definitely tweek my interest.

It actually did tweek my interest and this rose is in my garden. It is more than lovely, it is exquisite.

Pet Issues

Well, Shalimar is still sick. Can you believe this? However for the past week or so, I've had her on her aminophylline for her asthma and as a treat after taking the pill, I've been giving her about ¾oz. of moist cat food laced with stabilized oxygen (vitamin O). After about 7 days, she is showing stong improvment. She still has episodes of coughing and sneezing and snotty nose, but they are becoming fewer and farther apart and not as stong. For the past two days she's even played with Tootsie, becoming bolder each day.

If she doesn't continue to improve, I will be taking her back to the vet and see about something stronger for her asthma. I really don't want to do that. I would really like to see the stabilized oxygen begin to take over handling her condition and get her off the drugs. But right now that simply can't happen.

I want this bought with this asthma over soon, for her sake as much as mine.