Scenes from a Frozen NC

Six inches plus of nice powder with a coating of ice on top!

Next came blustery winds swirling the snow through the air.

The start of the thaw resulting in long, lovely icicles.

Today will be 50 degrees, so let the mud slides begin. Bob has just ventured out to get some supplies for the first time since Thursday. We are always behind everyone else in the thaw being that we live in the gap.  Hopefully Bob gets to GA this week, we have a senior coming from Alabama!

My First Decorating Job!

First off, let me apologize for my morphed wide-lens photos and black circle photos, still learning this new camera!  My friend Debra has decided to sell her home and move to a condo.  These are the only condos in our town, and rarely become available, so now was the time for her to decide to downsize, and I think it will suit her.  She has asked me to be her decorator and help her with color choices, tiles and furniture placement, and I couldn't be more excited.

As you can see, it is very peach! Debra is lucky in her reno to be able to have a contractor and painters so everything will be done lickety split unlike my reno which I am doing myself.  When I walked in, I saw her color choices for the room, all with a yellow base.  Not gonna happen!  We have now chosen the color "Walnut" by Ralph Lauren, a rich, deep golden brown, with "Linen" by Ben Moore as the trim and ceiling.  

Debra had already chosen wide hickory boards for the flooring without the sheen, very natural and light.  These floors will be ripped out after painting is completed.

I brought with me my "go to" sources of books, catalogs and paint chips.  This is so much fun!  Much more fun than the deposition I had this week of a CPA, for sure!  Debra has a swatch of her chair fabric on the wall, which was a big help in choosing the colors.  It is a toile print from England, almost has a leopard pattern feel.  Her style is very different from mine, but that lets me be creative and have fun with something new.

It took some convincing, and I don't believe her sister who was there, Judith, is with me on this, but the fireplace mantle will be painted in a metallic paint called "Black Pearl".  Debra was laughing, but I convinced her if she hated it, I would buy a can of paint and re-paint it, it's that easy to change.  I think it is going to be a beautiful focal point with her brass fire screen and black and white painting above.

I also convinced her to keep the wall of beveled mirrors, which will look fantastic with her antique sideboard in front of it.  She has antique fox sconces that will go on the mirrors on either side of the sideboard.  Let's hope they don't crack the glass!

This is Tessa, Debra's new rottie rescue girl.  When I met Debra 20 years ago in Georgia, she had seven rotties!  She is now down to two.  She is downsizing in every way.

Her kitchen will still be red, but a brick red and not this pinky red.  She ordered stainless appliances and took a slab of my Silestone countertop home to see how it looks.  There are also two bedrooms, two baths, a laundry room and office which I did not photograph that will all be painted in a soft gray. 

In the corner of her bedroom is this beautiful mercury glass, hand blown light that she and her sister hate with a passion.  I'm sorry, but this light is an art piece.  I tried to convince her to hang it in her foyer area, and that was a definite NO.  She has a little closet bar off the living room that has glass shelves and is going to be painted the black pearl like the fireplace.  I may have convinced her to hang it in there and change the white cord to black.

All I can say is if she hates it that much and decides not to hang it, she is giving it to me, and that is payment in itself!  Don't know where I would hang it in my home, but I'll take it!  Next photos should be of the place painted, so my blog will have two renos going at the same time.  

Chimney Rock, Part II: Hickory Nut Falls

Took the opportunity Saturday to go back to Chimney Rock and hike the Hickory Nut Falls Trail.  It was the perfect time to see the falls after having weeks of flooding rains.  The falls were loud and rushing.

An old stone lookout point by the falls.

My birthday present!!  It will take me some time to learn what all I can do with this camera.  A few lenses came with it and a tripod.  It is the camera of choice for my mentor Bill Wise, Director of the Walton County Shelter in GA. He is a wonderful photographer and does all the shelter animals' photography and has a section on his website with tips and techniques.  He also photographs nature in his off time.  Check out his work at www.williamwisephoto.com  Bob and I signed up to walk dogs and do photography at our local shelter to give us some practice.  The new camera explains the sideways video.  I'll get it right next time!

Fog Instead of Frost

Weeks of rain, humidity and mud.  A hot, humid Christmas like no other.  I saw someone post a mud snowman which was right on point.

Hard to get up the mountain to get supplies with all the fog. 

Swollen streams.

For Christmas dinner, spinach lasagne with bechamel sauce.

Dessert was rum raisin tiramisu, too much rum . . . thank you Ina Garten.

And more rum, Debra's rum cake, which I really liked.

Okay.  So for Christmas week we temp fostered Abbey, a 14 year old husky shepherd who eventually went to my friend Stephanie in CT.   Guinness the week before knocked the tree over, but no broken balls or damage.  Abbey, on the other hand, broke a lot of balls and managed to bend the tree in half.  

This is Abbey.  She had a lot of fun staying at our house.  I really liked her and wish she could have stayed permanently, even though she destroyed the tree.

The only good thing about this rain was the size of the camellias.

Huge!  The size of my hand!

Had the neighbors over New Year's Day for a buffet and to discuss our washed out road.

A chance to use my hammered tin serveware.  Turkey meatballs in a bbq sauce.

Homemade thumbprints, chocolate pepper cookies and gingersnaps with a cream cheese chutney spread.

Eggnog, which Ken from Sweden had never had and seemed to really enjoy!

Definitely a throwback to the '50s with dips and meatballs.

The downpours are now gone, time to clean up, pack up the decorations and get back to painting, scraping and sanding!  Maybe another foster dog and a few hikes thrown in!!