Dining Room: New Painting

Olga's parents sent a great painting of the Himalayas.  I *believe* it has travelled from India, to London, to Vail, Colorado, and now Connecticut.  Olga says I'm making that up.  At any rate, in our first attempt to hang it, one of the hooks fell off.  Fearing that I'd do permanent damage trying to fix it myself, we took to our local frame shop.  They fixed it for free. 

The Living Room: Window Treatments

Ethan Allen wanted to sell us custom window treatments.  Really, really expensive window treatments.  At Home Depot we came across blinds that were similar to the Ethan Allen version, only cheaper by multiples.  They're bamboo-ish, with hints of blue/green.  They go very well with the blue walls.  We would never had thought of this approach so our designer at Ethan Allen does deserve credit.  They may not be our be all and end all window treatments.  But they're fine for now, especially at Home Depot prices. 

IKEA Special: The Step for Shorter People

Bridget's First Trip to the New Canaan Dog Run

The Rose Beige Grouting Project

My cousin Paul pointed out that the grouting in our upstairs bathroom was coming loose.  Water from the shower did the damage.  That, and a poor application in the first place.  So, off to Home Depot.  Of course, it's a special color, which required a special order.  Rose Beige.  We proceeded to patiently deal with the older gentleman who used Home Depot's ancient system to place the special order.  After he finished, I asked him if we could have ordered it online.  "Of course," he answered.  Good grief.  Well, two weeks later we picked up our special order and supplies for grouting:  sponges, trawler, mysterious de-hazing liquid.  Instructions basically told us to get the grout to the consistency of cake frosting.  DO NOT mix too much water.  Turns out, mixing was the easy part.  Getting the old grout proved the most difficult.  Flathead screwdriver + hammer seemed to be the most effective.  

The Alien, or Bridget's First Bath

The Study: Picture Shelf

A new picture shelf.  Not a big deal.  But, in many ways it completes the study.  Now, we just need one or two more pictures.  (I also need to take care of all those wires under the desk!) 

Newest addition to the B-Unit

Bridget became the newest addition to the Burke family on January 1, 2008.  She's a great new playmate for Dougan.