Time for Some Celebration

Winter brought with it some obstacles that slowed renovations on the house. Paul was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo weeks of radiation and chemotherapy treatment.
When Spring arrived, Karen flew in from Seattle to assist Lee with Paul's recovery.

Since Paul's 50th birthday fell at the end of March, Karen commandeered the kitchen and plans were made to have a small dinner party in celebration. Here she is with Lee... she's just one of the boys!

Guests included Karen's friend Terry, who came up from South Carolina seen here on the sofa just as Annie happens to have a starry idea coming from her head.
A party ot our house would not be complete without Jack and Annie, or the chance to see Jack pull a slice of pepperoni from his eye. He did this without the use of his cell phone, mind you.

Donald and Anthony came by as well. Donald made Chicken and Beef Stroganoff for the occassion. On top of the vegetarian lasagna that Karen made, there was something for everyone.
Rarely do they attend a party of any kind that Annie and Paul don't seize the opportunity to dance, and this birthday was no exception. The house is looking pretty good these days, but we still have plans to get outside this spring to make it even better.

The Livingroom

Our livingroom was decorated in a random fashion, combining new purchases with furniture from each house. The woodburning insert kept us warm and added a finished look to the fire place.
We decided on a leather sofa that we ordered in January. The dark burgundy color was a nice contrast to the marzipan walls, yet blended with our new area rug and Lee's re-upholstered chair.

A bookcase was harder to find than we thought. We searched various furniture stores trying to find something that fit. We hemmed and hawed over style and size, we knew it needed to hold the fish tank and old books and the clock Karen gave us for Christmas. We finally had this custom built at Patterson Woodbench. It held everything we needed and it fit the wall perfectly.

Once complete, the living room was comfortable and inviting. The picture window offers plenty of light during the day and because of the location and position of the house it can remain uncovered at night.
It's the first room you see when you walk in, it was one of the last to be completed. The attention we gave it was sporadic but we ended up pleased with the results.