July Begins & Window Coverings Near Completion

The window coverings are nearing completion & just in time as the heat from the sun is so intense.
The sun room aka covered in porch, & my bedroom were in full production this past week.
I also had Bill here to help with the installations of both. Oh what a difference window dressing makes!
July 1st - Canada Day, the love/hate relationship continues with Boris & Tommy. Here they're snoozing together in the sunroom.

Notice how Boris hugs his own pillow, it's a 'love day today'. Oh Canada! This was one of the first quilts I made when Bill & the boys went to a race in the USA on Route 66 in the mid 90's. I wanted Canada to go with them. Quilts are memories & that's the story to this quilt...all three Richardson generations were there & there's more to this story but that's for 'the ones that were there!'

Bill way out enjoying the view as he mows...

He sees me & waves but has to watch out as he's near the breaker wall.

The royal wave now. lol  He's yet to show me the install of the rake as the lawn mower died & is in for repairs... I can hardly wait to haul the empty trailer into town to go pick up the John Deer green tractor for mowing this week! Seems everyday has its own adventure out here.


Now for something I'm more familiar with.

Here are the eight roman shades finally cut & ready to sew for the eight windows in the sunroom. It took nearly the whole day to measure & cut everything out.

Don't let these windows deceive you in size, they're 52"x 52"  & they're eight of them!  making a very bright sunroom.

 Well this job was going to be harder that I thought as each window blind took three hours of sewing & I only had Bill here for the week to help with the installs. So I only got half way finished with this job & had four ready for him. What a huge difference it makes with the blackout lining with keeping the heat out. A make shift of clothes pins are holding them up to let in the morning breeze from the west.

 With the width being a finished 53" I couldn't find doweling that long, so I ordered in plastic battens from Colorado USA. The pro to using plastic out of wood is that it will not warp over time & believe me these blinds are there for a long time!

 The finished product has been worth all the time & effort. The battens & cording will be installed next month with Bill's visit, his 'Honey Do List' does fill up month to month. I love that man! he says it's just job security for him. LOL

 Another install by Bill, an owl bird house on top of my clothesline. It was made by the same man that sells his wares at Carroll's Bakery. I often buy wooden things out of that bakery but the yummy treats are too tempting & I always leave with something delicious, a favourite being oatmeal raisin cookies.:-)

 How cute is he! perched way up on top of the clothesline with the woods in the background.

 Bill also planted a garden of metal flowers. I will be doing the weeding & planting of the perennials & annuals that were picked up this week. I really don't like the mosquitoes, they really like me & I know this job will make me sweat sending out 'there she is- let's get her!' Ode to deet will be my perfume for the garden, fingers crossed it works.  

Walking on the beach Bill found an old anchor & chain washed up from the winter. He added it to his metal garden on an old stump. His garden is going to be a tough act to work around, it looks great! I'll do his weeding for him whilst he's away.

Bedroom drapes with black out lining are done. I used two table clothes that matched the bedroom collection & cut them in half. It worked out perfectly as the fabric direction would change halfway as it was turned around for the border to be on the bottom. It was also a perfect size with no leftover fabric, just cut in half, lining, & tab headings were added the same way as the great-room drapes.

It has an English cottage look to it. I also had Bill install the mantel under the window to add more interest in the bedroom.

The overall look is now complete & very cozy. Boris thinks so too, he's already curled up under his blanket.

Bill had a very productive week on his visit. He installed a full length screen door on the side going to the new porch, removed the sweating toilet from the downstairs bathroom & installed the energy efficient one from the other cottage in Eel River. Replaced that toilet with a new lined toilet, painted the ceiling & walls in the sunroom, mowed both lawns, it was the second mowing when the John Deer died & he had to take it into town for repair(not a happy man, but did look at bigger newer tractors), cleared the laneway of bushes growing inward, changed out my washroom light with a stained glass one, removed tack lighting from the kitchen & installed a fan & light, installed the small A/C in the laundry room, did electrical work to make an outlet work again, moved pictures around, installed the cows head way up high in the great-room, installed an A/C unit upstairs, moved my desk, two dressers from the wee cottage to here, installed the curtains & blinds,installed door lock on the patio door, placed trim around the kitchen island, installed the doors on one of my Billy Bookcase, shopped in town at the Kent for his next trip, & I'm sure more as he was in the basement for hours moving 'his stuff' in order to cut with the saw.
He arrived back from a week in China on a Thursday in Toronto, then on Friday he was with me & the following Saturday I took him back to Moncton to fly back to Toronto for work on Monday. He had quite the vacation here with all his talents, he's a Jack of all trades! Bill even had time to read on his Kobo before bedtime. Did I mention how much I love this man! &  you can see why. And with his sons the apples did not fall far from the tree. As a family unit we are quite dynamic with all our talents. God truly has blessed us. Bill just says that you get ahead by being lucky or working hard & in this family we work hard. I know I was born a Saturday Child, with the saying 'will work hard for a living.' I'm also a Virgo, a bit of a perfectionist.

I found a saying that made me think of our family - 'We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.'

 Bill sent the message out via text that -  'Heads Up' to the boys, they never expected it to be this   photo! The height was too high for me, even on a ladder, yes the heads up & the cottage is nearing completion. Just in time for Bill, Donny & his family's visit in three weeks.
Awe August & the 'Dogs Days Of Summer', it will be a time for rest & relaxation...some days more than others! The list has already started as Bill will now have 'man labour' with the son & grandson.
He plans on a new roof for my studio, a new tub surround installation in the wee cottage, freezer brought up from the basement( I was not strong enough for the job)& I'm sure he'll find other things to do. It's not all my doings you see. LOL
Well that was another week, hope you too had a good week too. Mine just move too fast!

This week is Thursday rug hooking in Rexton & Friday & Saturday working the Myer Quilt Show in Hardwicke. Blog to follow on these events next week. Drop by & have a view.

Have a great week everyone!