Silence...

Somedays words are too much and silence is all that I need.

Sunday in the Country...

A beautiful day.  One to relax.  So an ideal day for a drive in the country, to Aberfoyle, Ontario to check out the Antique Market on it's first day of the 2012 season.

I found  nothing at all.  The mister found a few 45s and a duck decoy for an excellent price.  

I don't mind coming home empty handed.  I'm trying to declutter ... but if I had seen something that said "I belong to you", that would have been a different story!  I simply enjoyed strolling, looking and remembering and scaring myself because some of these "antiques" seemed like I used them not that long ago!

I could handle a 3 wheel trike just fine these days...

plenty of salvage...

sunlight glinting off the glass of the large frame...and I wonder who she was...

my parents had one of these ashtrays, a focal point in the room...there was a spot for the lighter on the top and the ashtray itself weighed a ton.

such a shame we didn't find this beauty before we bought the Kohler that is in the bathroom now...

or this one...

this car is just my speed...and there is the mister in the background, flipping through box after box after box of 45s...

I know where there are some "spares" for this!

lots more salvage and statuary...

heading home...driving east along the Gardner Expressway coming into downtown Toronto...

and of course, the CN Tower...the photograph is not crooked, we are going into a bend in the road...

Friday Thoughts...

For a few minutes this morning the sun was shining down through the trees on the front lawn and it made the bleeding hearts seem almost transparent.  I loved how they stood out from the rest of the garden.  The sun is now back behind the clouds where it seems to have been hiding most of this week.

I'm feeling a little like this today.  The bathroom renovation is complete.  The guys were out of here by 6 p.m. after a whirlwind day of last touches.  The only things remaining to be done are the installation of a new window and a shelf that is being custom built.  And of course there is the dressing and finishing accents to be done by me which I am very much looking forward to.

I'm tired.  It's been hectic here living in the midst of chaos.  If you have lived through a renovation, you'll know what I mean.  And it was bliss to get up this morning knowing that I didn't have to race to be dressed and have everything ready to go for people moving about, in and out of the house.

The bathroom is everything that I had hoped it would be.  I'm delighted and pleased and I think I step in there at least once every 30 minutes just to "look" and admire.  And smile.  I've been doing a lot of smiling.

So a day "off" and then I will set about putting the rest of the house back in order and I will do a reveal when everything is done from top to bottom.

Loving Hands...

There is only one thing I want to say today.

Please click this link to view the video and read the words on Lisa's blog.  It's worth 5 minutes of your time.

I promise.

Through the Ages...

My grandmother and my mother - circa 1949 taken in Haliburton, Ontario

I love this photograph of my grandmother and my mother taken when my mother was 20-21, and given that my mother is wearing shorts, I'm going to say that this was taken at the time of her birthday.  My grandmother died in 1953 and I regret that there was never the opportunity for us to have a 3 generation photograph taken.  With the advent of technology I know I could super impose myself in a photograph with them, but it just wouldn't be the same.

I often wish and regret that I did not know this grandmother (both of my grandmothers died in the same year 9 months apart) and she has been both a fascination and an obsession with me since childhood.  That could be because my mother spoke of her so often in the effort to keep her alive for my sister and for me, but also for herself.

I believe I have had a strong connection with my grandmother in our personalities our life histories and our physical features.  I've shared the same qualities and characteristics with my mother and as I age, I see those similarities played out more and more and more...

I look in the mirror these days and I see my mother as she was when she was the age I am now.  At the age I am now, my grandmother had 6 years left of her life before she died of breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver.

I have her grey hair (though I do not wear it in this fashion and I wonder just how long her hair was all plaited and pinned to the top of her head).  I notice that my skin has changed (a lot) and because of menopause I am developing that "sag" at the chin.  I remember that in my mother and I imagine that she inherited that from her mother.

I wonder how my sister would look if she had lived beyond 39.  "Who" would I see of her in photographs from the past.  

These women of mine, they had short lives...one left at 39, one left at 47 (my paternal grandmother) one left at 61, the other at 68.  My "plan" is to keep going and see my 60s, 70s, and even my 80s.  None of us know what lies ahead so it's a goal and one that I hope to achieve.  Sadly, once I've reached my 70s, I'll have no blueprint to look back on to see how I compare.  I will be the unique woman in this family who continues to move forward.  I see that as a challenge.  And a gift.

Let's Start This Sh*t Up!!!

Thanks to Kim for sharing this on facebook today -- before I watched the video I was feeling blah and tired and worn down.  After watching it?  Invigorated.  Motivated.  Humbled.  I'm off to gather my dull pencils and get to work....

Bleeding Hearts...

click on photo to read the quote

Caffeine post 8:00 p.m. is never a good idea for me.

Last night it was a lot of tossing, turning and being awake and since I was awake my brain decided to do a little work without my desire. 

Too much time spent thinking about the past and the people.  It wasn't bad thinking, but it was thinking nonetheless.

I seem to be focused quite a bit lately on the past, the places, the people.

It seems that the further I go forward from the past, the more appeal the past seems to present.

I'm now seeking a way to put the past where it belongs and leave it there undisturbed for awhile.

And taking a page from this Sufi proverb, because as much as there is sadness in what has passed, there is joy for that which is found and remains to be discovered.

*the bleeding heart were photographed yesterday in my garden and my husband keeps asking me when I am giving credit to the "grower".  He sees himself as the grower when in fact, he is the planter.  I can give him credit for the planting but not for the growing.  That one is out of his jurisdiction!

Surviving a Renovation...

Day 5 of Bathroom Renovation - April 20, 2012

We've completed one week of the bathroom renovation -- we've gone from a complete knock down to the walls and ceiling being put back, electrical work done, bathtub installed and the taping and mud has been done.  I think it's very nice of me to use the royal "we" considering I really haven't done anything but provide cream for the coffee they make themselves, provide some laughter and I stay out of their way so they can get on with what they are doing.

I have been sent on various errands.  I've purchased the flooring (which we picked up today -- and I am part of that "we" as it was my husband and me) and the adhesive.  I've purchased the paint (and changed my mind on one of the colours...the white dove will still be the trim, but Gray Mirage an understated green with tones of gray will now be on the wall).  The light fixture was also purchased.

I'd really like to get to the "decorating" part but that will only be another week.  I was shopping this morning and looked at towels and accessories and art work and purchased nothing because that will wait until everything is "done" and I can really decide what I want.

Additional wall alcove - April 20, 2012

I smile when I think of how this room was first envisioned to how it changed slightly from the choice of vanity to what it is turning into now.  I've changed my mind not only on the vanity and the paint colour, but I've since changed my mind on the flooring and I'm no longer having bead board put on the walls.  I have a nice feature with this additional wall alcove they built...a few shelves and a place to hang a towel rail or hooks.  I'll still put plantation shutters on the window and the with large baseboards I think that will be enough.  Other features in the room will create the "drama" in a subtle yet classic way.

I do realize that I am blessed with the two men who are doing the work here.  Both are professional and skilled and easy to work with.  They listen to my ideas and if possible we make changes.  I've listened to their ideas as well and it works both ways.  That's life...being able to listen, to understand and to accommodate or compromise where necessary.  That's a skill set all on its own.

I don't mind the dust and debris (they cleaned up after themselves on Friday afternoon...another good sign of good workmanship!) and the disturbance to the daily life because the end result will be worth it.  But I have to admit, it was a treat to sleep past 6 a.m. today and know that no one would be working...and we could stay in our pjs all day if we wanted to.

Spring with Jeanne d'Arc Living...

Leaving everything else behind today, I am just going to relax and enjoy flipping through my Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine.  I've never read one before and have seen them mentioned often on other blogs.  I was finally able to purchase one and it arrived the other day.  Amidst the chaos and turmoil of a renovation I hadn't had time to browse or read anything within it's pages.

These photographs were taken from the magazine and are just a small sample of the beauty within.

Wishing you a weekend filled with the joy of spring.

Coming Along..

The renovation is moving along and much has been done today while I was out.

I had had an idea for the floor which I had seen here, and thought it would look lovely in the bathroom.   The difficulty was in finding what I wanted.  And then of course you reach the point of no return and everything begins to either look the same or look "blah".  I was eventually able to source the flooring in white and beige and thought if I didn't like it with the beige I could follow the DIY project on the blog. 

This morning after coffee with a friend, she and I went to a local flooring store and asked about the Armstrong tile.  They didn't have it in stock but could order it without any difficulty.  In the meantime the woman who worked at the store suggested I browse some of the other products that they carried in case I saw something else I liked.  I was happy to do that and much to my pleasant surprise, I did find something else.

Mannington Aurora Sistina

The woman at the store made various suggestions but I told her that when I saw it, I would know it immediately and when my friend and I flipped to this sample I made her stop.  We looked at it, took it out of the sleeve and applied it to white, to dark brown and it looks wonderful.  I knew this was going to be the bathroom floor.  And it's a vinyl sheet.  I have to say that I was leery of vinyl but vinyl has changed over the years and it's an excellent product by the feel of it.  My contractors have both said that it's an excellent choice for bathroom flooring.

What I like is that I can "play" with this.  The photograph doesn't adequately pick up the colours in the tile but there is a light blue and plenty of grey, a little bit of white and some cream.  I'm sure that the blue paint I have chosen will work with the tile but as I stood looking at it in the store I kept thinking -- I've got brushed nickle hardware and an off white bead board on the bottom.  Maybe I'll go with a pewter colour on the wall!!!  ooohhhhhh!!!  And the fun of choosing towels and a shower curtain....I feel like a little kid in a candy store!

I have to say that this is one part of a remodel, or any decorating project that I like...choosing colours and textures and making things work together.  It might mean that I change my mind a few times but when it's right -- it's right.

Work Table Wednesday...

Not much for me to share this week on Work Table Wednesday.  My house has been turned upside down this week with the bathroom renovation, which is a GOOD thing...

 

We're down to the bare bones and the rafters and this was day one (Monday)...

Progress continues to be made each day -- Monday was the total tear down.  Yesterday was spent extending one wall to accommodate the width of the new bathtub and getting all the necessary work done in order to put the bathtub (a soaker/jacuzzi) in place.  Today has been working on plumbing, adding electrical and fitting in pot lights as well as the fan/vent combo.  To think that this house was built without a fan/vent...it was one of the first things I requested in the renovation!

As for my work table...it stays exactly as it was by the end of last Wednesday.  My Santos now has a proper head and I was working on adding the structure for the features.  Paper clay becomes mucky when it is being used too much so it is recommended that you let it dry and you can wet it again to continue to work with it.  

Thursday was a lost day as was Friday when I made a quick flying visit (4 1/2 hour drive each way) to Ottawa with the first born to check out the campus at the University of Ottawa.  He has accepted the offer from the Faculty of Education and will be doing a one year programme at their teachers college starting in the fall.  He hopes to teach high school when he completes the post grad year.  Add the weekend and now the renovation and it means I haven't been back to my work table or my Santos.

lunch at the Byward Market - Ottawa, Ontario -  April 13, 2012

My only "concern" about my Santos isn't really a concern...it's more the fact that she makes me laugh every time I look at her.  In trying to get each side of the face symmetrical I erred then corrected, then over corrected and by the time I knew I needed to give it a rest, she looked more like The Hag or Alice the Goon from the old Popeye cartoon.  Perhaps I could just leave her as is and stick a corn cob pipe in her mouth.

I look forward to getting back to the work table with this and doing a little plastic surgery, especially on that nose!!

Be sure to check out what is on Barbe's work table this week and what Heather has been doing as well.

Carving a Path...

Atlantic Ocean at Tybee Island, Georgia - February 2012

Oprah was in town yesterday, doing her live aired life class for her OWN network (Oprah "owns" it in every sense of the word and I don't just mean her network).

According to the newspaper article this morning, there were more than 8,500 people in attendance at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  That's a lot of people (mostly women) wanting something of what Oprah "has".  Along for the ride on this tour are Tony Robbins, Iylana Vanzant, Deepak Chopra and Bishop T.D. Jakes.  The reporter wasn't completely impressed with this tour (could it be because he is male?  Could it be that he is someone who already "owns" who he is and isn't looking for self help?) and what he was saying in essence is that the other "master teachers" in Oprah's entourage could learn a thing or two from Oprah and that OWN is floundering because not everyone can be an Oprah, except of course Ms. Winfrey herself.

I'm not an Oprah fan.  I watched her show periodically but it's probably closer to sporadically...if ever.  I read her magazine for awhile until I became "over cooked" on rah rah, you can do it, go you preaching. To me, it seemed to be too much preaching.  That said, her work and her message has meaning and it has it's place.  And yes, there were times and moments when things "clicked" for me.  But I'm not a group hug person which means that initial interest soon wears off.

Here's what I know (yes, I'm stealing that right from the back page of Oprah -- deliberately because it suits my purpose here)....self help is a wonderful tool for improvement and changing life.  It has it's place in our psyche when we have reached the "pit" and want to get out.  But self help isn't for everyone.  Yes, it's true.  It is not for everyone.  All the rah rah, go you, you can do it will not work on every.single.person.  Because change, true change has to come from within and a desire to make a difference -- to yourself.

I'm not saying that we can't change or improve.  If you've known me for even a brief period of time, you'll know that I am a firm believer in change.  But you see, a lot of change happens to us with or without our permission.  Yes, how we "look" at things plays a part in how we cope with that change and we can adapt our thinking to make it more pleasant or "doable" but the desire and inspiration still have to come from within.

Like the water...it carves it's path where it is going to go.  You don't need to stand at the edge of the ocean and encourage it or cheer it on.  It doesn't think at all...it just flows.  It is inspired in the direction it will take in some ways by the earth and the sun and the moon and all that other sciency stuff that I never really cared about (and still don't to tell the truth).  I think that we are  like this as well.  Our path is carved as we go sometimes by the decisions we make, sometimes by the way our lives are affected by others.  The difference between us and the ocean is that we can change the direction of where we go by how we think.  I find that inspiring.  For me, that's all that is necessary.  To simply be inspired to make change.  Without those who want to preach to me about "how" I'm going to achieve that.  I take nothing away from any of these speakers on Oprah's tour because I know many people who firmly believe in their messages and their way of connecting to others.  Everyone needs and benefits from having a mentor or a role model who can say the things we hear in our hearts before we hear them in our heads.  But it still comes down to the bottom line of wanting and desiring to be inspired and change our way of looking at the world.

Knocking Down Walls...

Literally...and figuratively.  As you can see, I could not wait to take a hammer to these walls but I did manage to contain myself.  I smashed into only the part of the wall that was soft and really had been driving me crazy, getting under my skin and being such a "blot" whenever I sat on the toilet...to do my pedicure of course.  That's what a lady does...

It seems that my post from yesterday struck a lot of chords with so many and while it feels good to know that I am in excellent company, it also makes me sad.  Sad that we have fallen into the trap or been sucked into the abyss...of being interested but unmotivated.  We look outside ourselves so often for motivation, for inspiration and for guidance.  For someone to show us the way or to give us lessons and instructions about how to create something or live a better life, or lose those hard to lose 10 pounds (they are THERE honey and they may always be there.  And maybe it's more like 40 than 10 but we say 10 because it sounds better to us and makes us feel less hopeless about ourselves), or decorate our homes better or be a better blogger or a better person or a better anything.  The saddest part is that we think we need to be "better".   I'm not discounting the fact that there is always room for improvement in every aspect of our lives, but we fall into the trap of thinking and sometimes believing that others have it figured out or that others know the magic formula that is going to make everything in our lives brighter.  The reality?  The only one who knows what is "best" for you is you.  The one who can put the brakes on when it seems to all be sailing out of control...is you. 

My motto for today as I continue my purge is "if you don't love it or don't use it, lose it".  Adopt this motto for yourself if you are so inclined.  Or....go and create a BETTER one!

Go and knock down some walls and create some space for yourself to breathe....the remainder of the walls in this bathroom will be smashed in about 30 minutes...better go do "a pedicure" before the contractors arrive.

When It's Too Much...

image found on google

Sometimes it all just seems like too much.  Life I mean.  Oh I don't mean it in the tragic, dark sense of drama with me in a "Camille" pose on the settee, one arm posed artfully over my eyes (though I think I could rock that look...).  I mean too much of everything.  Too much information, too much responsibility, too much internet, too much expected of ourselves, too much debt, too much sickness, too much strife and war, too much angst and anger...too much of everything in this world.   And then it overflows.   Because it can no longer be contained.  I feel like this cup where the foam has risen to the top and is now spilling over because there is no more room.  No more room in me.

I don't give a flying rip about celebrities...who did what to whom and who is dating another celebrity or who is marrying or divorcing or cheating.  I suppose in some ways this is escapism for many, to read about the highs and lows of people they don't know and never will and maybe it helps them to feel more superior, more settled and balanced in their own lives.  But the "news" is filled with this tripe and it sells magazines/newspapers and keeps media programmes on the air.  And really when it comes right down to it, who ARE these people?  To me...to you, to anyone but their own friends and family.  And what makes them any more special or important than the people in my life or the people in your life?

I don't want to know ANYTHING MORE about the Titanic.  It's history, yes.  But it's reached the stage of being vulgar now.  Prying into deaths and it's morbid.  Those poor people (because most of the ones who died were poor -- sailing in steerage) who died or who were rescued and lost loved ones and had to live with that nightmare until they died.  It's been 100 years.  It's a chilling story and always upset me from the first time I heard about it.  But please I wish people would let it lie.  Leave it be.  Do not disturb it any longer.  Why do we feel compelled to revisit sad experiences?  Why do we need to have tragedy put in our faces ... does this make us feel "good" somehow?  I didn't watch James Cameron's film and have no desire to.  I know the ending.  And that song?  When I hear it on the radio I turn the station.  Even Kate Winslet is on record as saying that she can't stand that song.  So this is me saying loud and clear.  Hearing about the sinking of a ship that lost so many lives 100 years ago depresses me and I don't want to know anything more about it.  The candle light vigil that was held in Halifax, Nova Scotia was lovely.  And that was enough to honour the memory.

Still with me?  On a personal level of taking on too much...I realized this morning that I have done that.  I keep seeing classes that I think I want to take and I sign up and I enjoy some of them and others seem to lose me early on and as I look at all the art supplies I purchased for each course, staring at me, mocking me as if to say "here I am...what are you going to do with me?" I've decided that maybe some of these things I know I will never use will be donated to an after school group who could put them to good use.  They serve no purpose sitting here mocking me.  These were things I thought I would want to make, to create, to learn how to do.  But they aren't obviously or I would have done some of them long ago.  I just like to think that I will do these things.  I'll wager that I am not alone in that!

I am still surrounded by "things" that belonged to other people, things I did not choose but have held on to for one reason or another. Some of these things I cannot see -- they are in cupboards or stored in the crawl space in the basement, but I know they are there, and they drain me.  So it's back to purging and unless the object is something that holds meaning to me or to someone else in this house, it is GONE.  I'll be having a dumpster here when they start knocking out the bathroom tomorrow and I plan to make good use of it.  Though it will tire me to the core, and I tire easily these days.  Chemo in my life, even 6 years ago, has drained my energy level, but I keep going.  Sometimes when it would be wiser to slow down and stop.

I read something this morning and I didn't make a note of where I saw it or what it was written about.  Maybe it was when I was searching for an image to use for this essay (article, rant, diatribe, whatever you'd like to call it...).  We need balance in life.  We need to stop and really think about what we take in.  How much information.  How much we spend needlessly and frivolously.  How much debt we take on.  How many material goods we think we need.  Simplicity.  It's the key to living life comfortably and sensibly.  Whoever wrote what I read said that if we follow what it is our heart calls out for we will reduce the extra load we carry.  It might mean tuning out and turning off.  I might mean less need for escapism.

I'm off to listen to my heart...and start piling up what's leaving this house and my life.

Running Away From Home...and Nora Ephron...

I ran away from home yesterday...for a little while.  My son and I drove to Ottawa (to be absolutely honest, he did all the driving.  I've come to the conclusion that I live with males who do not like to be driven) yesterday -- a whirlwind drive where we were in and out.  We drove by the university campus and checked it out, had lunch at the Byward Market and then drove home.

deep fried dill pickles at the Auld Dubliner

steak sandwich and champ for me; onion rings for him

white wine for me; strongbow for him

Lunch was late so it was more like an early dinner.  We sat outside and enjoyed the sunshine and mild temperatures for the middle of April.  We chose The Aulde Dubliner pub.  We started with a drink (a white for me -- C.V. Coastal Sauvignon Blanc from California for me; and a Strongbow for him).  We each chose the steak sandwich -- he chose onion rings, I chose champ.

A much more subdued day today -- emptying cupboards and cabinets in the bathroom for the demolition; a trip to the library where I picked up Nora Ephron's "I Remember Nothing". 

I read Nora's previous book, "I Feel Bad About My Neck" which was extremely funny.  My friend Kath and I were discussing Nora's work when we met a few weeks ago and Kath recommended "I Remember Nothing".  Not as funny as "My Neck.." but equally as good.  It's about age and getting older.  And losing best friends.  And death.  And life.  And our parents.  How we wish they were different or we could "re write them".  The joys of google when we can't remember.  And how we just know that person's name begins with "C" when it fact it might actually be "Z".

As of this moment, here are some things that Nora is refusing to know anything about:

The former Soviet republics
The Kardashians
Twitter
All Housewives, Survivors, American Idols, and Bachelors
Karzai's brother
Soccer
Monkfish
Jay-Z
Every drink invented since the Cosmopolitan
Especially the drink made with crushed mint leaves. You know the one.

I have to say -- I agree.  The last one? Nora googled.  But I know it (for now) without google.  Mojito.  Tastes awful in my opinion.

Check it out.  135 pages of honesty, truth, experience and joy.

And now for me?  A glass of red, a bath (if I can get into the bathroom) and early to bed.

24 Years Ago...

image found on google

It's hard to believe that 24 years ago, at this time I was in hospital after being induced into labour.  And even with being a week and a half past his due date, this baby was in no hurry to arrive...inducing or not.  So it was a VERY long day that went into the evening.  A very long day.

But one of the most worthwhile days I have ever spent despite the pain and discomfort and the sheer boredom of waiting and waiting and waiting.

This firstborn child is now well over 6' tall and he's incredibly bright, funny and sensitive.  He's got a good heart.  He's earned his BA and he's going now for his B.Ed.  Even talking about an MA.  Always thinking ahead and dreaming and often needing to be reminded to just be in "this" day.

There were ups and downs during his birth and my instinct told me I needed a C-section --  the doctor agreed.  We had no idea just how dangerous this birth was ... but with the cord wrapped around his neck (twice!) we knew we'd made the right decision.  Life has had it's ups and downs for this child, but he was stubborn enough to be born and let me know how it needed to happen and he's proven that stubbornness time and again -- usually to his advantage.

We're off shortly for a drive to Ottawa, the nation's capitol.  He's applied for teacher's college there and he has to make a decision between that University and two others in different cities.  A final decision needs to be made by Monday so we'll make that 4 hour drive to have a look at the campus and then head back home.  It's a beautiful city Ottawa.  And it's a beautiful day for a drive and to celebrate life and all the joys and possibilities it holds.  And a birthday lunch because we're worth it.

Choosing Paint Colour...

When it comes to paint I usually prove to be loyal.  I'll look at other brands and paint chips and once I used Behr paint (the red on the dining room wall), which was very nice, but I always seem to gravitate back to Benjamin Moore.

This morning after breakfast with a friend, I stopped at the local Benjamin Moore supply store (they've been in business for years) and asked for some samples of the two colours I've decided on for the bathroom.  I wanted to give them a test run and for $7 I was able to purchase a pint (vs. the $4.99 for a small pot).

I'm liking "Quiet Moments" (1563) for the walls...a soft blue with a hint of green

 

and "White Dove" (OC-17) for the bead board and trim...a soft off white

They look great together.  I put some on flat artist canvases and I can take these with me when I'm looking at towels, fabrics and other accessories for the room.

And they go well with a dark brown -- the espresso that will be the furniture in the room.

Bonus:  There will be plenty of paint left in these pints for me to create some art.

While I was at the paint store, I picked up a large paint chip to borrow, to see how it would look in the rest of the house -- living room, hallway and entry.  Hillsborough Beige (CC-330) was recommended by the woman who works in the store.  I have been thinking about Bennington Gray (HC-82) but seeing the colour on a large paint chip, I realize it looks too washed out compared with the red in the dining room.  The Hillsborough is a nice neutral but I'm not completely sold.  I'll wait and see what it looks like in evening light.  I hate to paint out the red wall as I've loved it for so long but it may well be that it's time to change.  Back to the drawing board on this one.

Work Table Wednesday...

Another Wednesday and time to have a look at what is on my work table.  Quite frankly, not much!

I am still working on my Santos but have not progressed very far.  As you can see I have chopped the body of the Papier-mâché form.  There are holes in the arm and shoulder where arms will be attached, and the neck and head have been affixed firmly to the body. 

 
The paper clay takes at least 24 hours to dry and having the head firmly attached was the first step as apparently I will be holding the form by the head quite often as I work.  There are a few cracks that will need to be smoothed out by adding more water and working with my fingers.  As I was out of town over the long weekend nothing more was done but today I plan to move forward with this piece.

Also on my work table this week are paint chips...handfuls of paint chips that I've collected from quite a few paint manufacturers.  I will be narrowing my choices to two -- one colour for the wall, one for the bead board and trim. 

If there could ever be too much of a good thing, it might be in paint colours.  Some are so very similar, some a slight difference in shade is all you notice.

Nothing has as yet been done with the bathroom renovation and the start date has been moved to the 16th.  Paint colours need to be decided by this weekend and I think I am thisclose to knowing exactly what I want.

Everything else has come together as to how I want this room to look and what other choices need to be made (bath/shower tile, floor tile and fixtures..I know what I am looking for, it's just a matter of sourcing).  Now to get a sledgehammer and smash down those walls!!  I wonder if the guys will let me have a go with that?!?!