Anything Goes at the Broadway Rose Theater

While there was not as much tap dancing as I would have liked in Anything Goes, this was a very fun musical! It had a great Art Deco set and costumes (rented from the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, so you might get to see them too), memorable songs, and fun shenanigans.

It was a lovely afternoon at the theater.

Valance in Progress

The curtains are gone, but before I put them in the fiber recycling bag, I took the diamonds with birds off of them so that I can repurpose them as part of the new valance.

As I was planning the renovation, I realized I never shut the curtains in the bedroom because I had a shade, so it made more sense to make a valance.

Here, I have cut out the backing material (it was an old sheet of Matt’s) and am testing the best layout for the birds.

Here, I have put the official material over the backing material, but I have not yet moved the birds.

This will be a project that is done in fits and starts.

It Turns Out I Can Wallpaper

When I got the bright idea to wallpaper my closet, I wondered if the fact I watched my mother wallpaper thirty to forty years ago meant that I had absorbed skills and that I could also wallpaper.

You know what doesn’t exist anymore? Wallpaper stores. I wanted to go to a store and flip through some books like I did thirty to forty years ago. I made an attempt, visiting a paint store whose website said they had wallpaper, but it turned out the wallpaper had moved to their Lake Oswego location and no one had updated the website.

What does exist now that didn’t thirty to forty years ago is the internet, the place where I bought my wallpaper, and the place where I watched five to ten videos about how to wallpaper.

One of the last videos I watched said, as if this was common knowledge, that if you have textured walls, you need to skim coat them before wallpapering. Cue watching several videos about skim coating.

My painting friend S. North pointed out that this was one and a half walls in my closet, and maybe I didn’t need to skim coat? Because I had to buy two rolls, I figured I would do one panel to see how it went with textured walls.

It was fine. If I was wallpapering the main room, I would have to skim coat, but for my purposes, the textured walls were fine.

Having put one panel up, I kept going and two to three hours later I was done! I did have the skills!

Here’s the wallpaper. I liked the trees and the autumn colors, plus there was orange to go with the green, and orange is good to work into everything.

One of the videos I watched suggested using painter’s tape to mark where the drop was, and that worked very well. This pattern had a big drop, which was annoying.

But look! Done! I hadn’t thought about what to do about that shelf support, but I took the screw at the bottom out and had Matt hold it away from the wall when I was hanging that panel. It worked great.

I probably should have watched a few more videos about turning the corner, because that was a little rough, but overall okay.

This was a super fun project (that I dithered about for quite some time before starting) and I’m pleased with the results.

Now to put the closet back together. In that first picture you can see most of the closet contents waiting to go back.

Matt and the Mud Sweat and Blooms Race

I missed being an athletic supporter for this race last year when it was called Mud, Sweat, and BBQ. It’s now Mud, Sweat and Blooms. Perhaps the BBQ was cutting into the fundraising.

Woodburn Rotary runs this race and it takes place at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, which I’ve heard about every spring when the tulips are in bloom but have never visited.

They had some fun things for people not running, like these tables of farm-grown items. In the back you can also see a fun haybale structure that children climbed on. It was not, however a race where I could easily get to any of the obstacles, so my photos are limited.

The route was not long and Matt was done lickety-split.

Here he is muddy with all his spoils.

Another athletic supporter takes a picture.

I really like how these three oak trees have come together to create a large spreading canopy, as if they were all one.

Matt after he rinsed off.

That Edge Performance Fitness shirt has been to a lot of races.

Checking in on the Bedroom

You can see full-on before pictures, an update including new items, and the last day of blue walls. And now, here is the picture of the green walls, with (nearly) all the things returned to their places. Or holding a place, while I wait for a few things to arrive (ahem, Murphy Bed, ahem).

Here’s the closet door angle. You can see the soothing green color and that my desk area has been reassembled, nearly unchanged. My closet has not yet been put back together (a very large undertaking, given the three shelves that have to be reinstalled, plus I have a lot of things on the walls in there).

The rolling file cabinet has been sold, and the cat tree has been put out for someone to grab it. I’ve moved one of the Billy bookcases into the room, grabbed one of the storage ottomans to serve as a bedside table, and my mattress is on the floor because I gave away my bedframe.

I bought a new duvet cover. The other one was bloodstained due to Antares’s open wound lump, and I also needed a change. This may be temporary bedding. The bedding came with two pillowcases, and I needed two more for laundry purposes. Ikea didn’t have any in the same pattern, so I grabbed a package of orange. Turns out Ikea sells their pillowcases in singles. I had to go back and get another one.

You can also see the above-bed shelves that I would knock my head into once or twice a year are gone as is the wall-mounted reading light.

While I have taken down the curtains and pulled the bird diamonds off of them, I have not yet finished the valance that will replace them. Though I did get the curtain rod back up.

Here you can see that the postcards are back. I was able to reassemble the lower curtain wire with no trouble, but the top one sags. I will buy a replacement and change it out the next time I rotate postcards.

The drying racks are back on the wall, but the fun hanging desk is gone (via OfferUp) and has been replaced by the Ikea folding table. The two black lumps are my sewing machines. I have plans to make new covers.

Outside the door, you can see my dresser upside down. The rails for the bottom drawer broke, and I ignored it long enough to have the sides of the dresser start to come apart. I have hammered and glued things back together, and asked my neighbor Leo if he can make new rails.

One more look at the other corner. I hadn’t realized until today that three of my four walls have doors in them.

Now we wait for the Murphy Bed.

More Pictures from the Lincoln City Trip

This first batch was from my subpar Let’s Go Lincoln City Scavenger Hunt. There were a lot of tasks that began “Take a picture of your team…..” As my team was me, this was not a super fun way to spend my time.

Something with texture.

Tidepools.

I think I was “being a devil” because I was at Devil’s Lake Campground.

My room had gorgeous woodwork.

The lamps were nice too.

I read about the Connie Hansen Garden Conservatory, and it turned out to be just down the street from where I was staying, so I stopped by on my way out of town.

Apparently Ms. Hansen love growing irises, and made her very large yard into an amazing garden. When she died, other gardeners created a foundation and the garden continues today.

I really liked this meadow-type section.

On my way out of town, I opted to grab a salad and cottage cheese for breakfast so I could watch the sea while I ate. Plus, it wasn’t going to take as long as ordering breakfast.

Overall, I had a good time on my weekend getaway.

Trip to Lincoln City

Matt left town for GenCon, so I took the car and visited Lincoln City. I stayed at the Whistling Winds Motel, which had quaint accommodations. And it also had an Oregon Coast staple: glassed in walls to keep that whistling wind away from you as you huddle by the fire.

I went shopping at the outlet mall, and did a Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunt (which was not very good. Riddle Routes doesn’t have a route for Lincoln City, but if they did, it would be worth your time).

I also visited an artisan fair and took myself out to lunch.

Unfortunately, walking in the sun and the wind along with the salmon salad I ordered was not a great combo with this otherwise tasty cocktail. I had to buy some goldfish crackers at the convenience store across the street so that I could sober up and drive back to my motel.

The beach was quite pretty.

I did some good people watching.

I found Lincoln City to not be the most walkable place to stay on the coast. Plus, there are so many houses blocking views to the beach, it’s hard to even see the ocean or find your way to the sand.

Still, a fun weekend away.