More of This and That

I'm following up on last week's post, aptly titled "A Bit of This and That," wherein I moaned and groaned about the heat and humidity and being without our central air for almost three days.  Mr. Forest Manor and I are so thankful to have a new A/C unit installed.

We did get to go out of town late Thursday afternoon, and we were glad to get away for a few days.  We spent two days in this relaxing place...

 We were supposed to have three days there, but the A/C installation cost us one of our days.  We still had a wonderful time, and it was such a relief to come home to a nice, cool house.  You can read about our previous trips to the Blue Waters Mountain Lodge Here and Here.

In my previous post, I mentioned the birth of Kate and William's baby boy.  While we were vacationing, one of the women said she didn't understand why they named him George; she said it sounds like an old man instead of a child.  It does rather sound that way, but I think they named him that in honor of Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI.  His middle name is Alexander, and they could call him Alex; I've always liked that name for a boy or a girl.  I imagine they'll call him George, though.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the little summer touches I had added to our den.

  I mentioned my idea of painting the paneling and the built-ins SW Dover White and the rest of the walls a soft khaki. I asked what you thought of this idea, and you kindly responded with your opinions on the room.  I really enjoyed reading your thoughts and ideas, and I'm grateful for your input.  You guys are great about answering and giving your honest opinions and suggestions!!  I'm sure I'll have more questions to ask in the future.  :)

I thought I'd let you know what I decided to do.  Many of you said they loved the idea of the white paneling and bookshelves with khaki walls.  I, too, think that would be really pretty.  But a few of you mentioned how painting one or two things always leads to more things needing to be changed (Thanks Cindy and Mary!)  :-D  Believe it or not, I had already started to consider that, and when you voiced your thoughts, it reinforced my decision.

I talked to Mr. Forest Manor, and while he was agreeable to having the room painted, he felt the same way that I did in the end.  We're going to leave it as is (at least for now) and here's why:  

• This is real wood paneling, not the cheap, faux stuff, and it's still in good condition 

• The paneling isn't just in the den -- it extends all the way down our hallway where the bedroom and bathrooms are 

• The paneling is not floor to ceiling, it only covers the bottom third of the walls, so it doesn't actually make the room that dark  

• Last of all, we recently bought our plantation blinds, and they match our paneling and bookshelves perfectly.  If we painted the room, they would no longer match.

I love the way the wood paneling makes our den look and feel cozy in the winter.  I like for the rooms in our house to flow nicely, but I don't want them too much alike.  I like the contrast this room brings to the house.  As I mentioned before, I do like color, and I don't want a house full of white.  So because of this, I think we'll continue to enjoy our room as it is.  I like the fact that I can change up some accessories and give the room a somewhat different look throughout the seasons.  Hubby and I are in agreement that the next big changes we make need to be some exterior updates and improvements.

Lastly, I hope that my North Carolina blogging friends who live in Catawba County and surrounding counties are okay this week.  They had severe flash floods this weekend and serious damage to roads, cars, and homes.

Thank you all for stopping by and have a good week.
 
Denise