Happy birthday to me!

The couch was delivered today. Fingers crossed it looked at least okay colorwise in the den, and it does. The cushions feel stiffer than they did in the store.

The mattress will not induce anyone to overstay their welcome, but it will be used maybe once per year, if that, so I'm not too concerned. A nice feature is the head of the bed can be propped up. The better to see the TV, my dear.

In other late breaking news, the deck repairs were completed yesterday to my satisfaction. And the countertop rep magically appeared today, to declare the countertop fixable. That means more waiting while they schedule that task. If I knew then what I know now about countertops, I would have made some different choices. Ditto bathtubs. Ditto just about everything that has been upgraded in my house over the past twenty years. Maybe I will remember some of this info in my next life.

I lied

This morning, while replacing some of the deck paraphernalia, I discovered the deck crew did not run boards down to the ground in the pit by the faucet. I'm sure Finn would relish (in more ways that one) having families of mice or chipmunks living under the deck, but not me. So that needs to be fixed. Also, the sales rep is discounting my final invoice to atone for the fact the deck was not built to spec. Once the above described fix is made, I'll pay up.

The sofa, on the other hand, is paid for and scheduled for delivery next Wednesday. Whoo-hoo! I bought a nine-cube thing from Target, thinking it could go behind the love seat in the living room, but once I assembled it, I did not like it there - too tall and not wide enough. I put it in one of the spare bedrooms and, once I get some fabric drawers for it, will use it for, well, fabric storage. Target has a different shelf thing that I think would fit better, but I decided I would look around more before committing.

STILL no word on the kitchen counter. I am looking at alternatives for that corner, like maybe stainless steel. The area is not very big but much used when I cook.

In the mean time

The remodeling is still on pause. There has been some missed communication, then I was out of town, then voice mail went unanswered, etc. I had to reselect tile for the area by the front door because the original selection (which supposedly had already been ordered - NOT) is no longer in production; installation is scheduled Sep. 30. There is an issue in the kitchen, too - besides not sealing the grout on the backsplash (which stains when tomato sauce is splashed on it - DUH), they did not seal the seams in the countertop, one of which is now humping up. I'm mentally rehearsing my kindly brontosaurus posture.

BUT. I did select a company for the deck and am waiting for installation to be scheduled. And I bought an apothecary (which I am slowly turning into a junk drawer condo) and a sofa. I've been rearranging furniture (and when I say "I", I mean "we" as my SO helps with the heavy lifting around here), so now the TV has been banished to the West Wing (which I think I shall rename The Den) and the livingroom is both fuller and more conducive to gatherings and conversation. That left nothing to sit on for TV watching, hence the sofa, which happens to be a sofa *bed*. I'm looking forward to hosting Women's Weekend once all the dust settles; there will be plenty of sleeping options.

Despite the snags, I am still very happy with the remodeling results. My house will never be in Better Homes and Gardens, but it suits me. I look forward to being here another twenty years or so.