Tag Archives: furniture

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The search begins.

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The weather is getting warmer and that means the barn porch furniture needs to migrate from the man cave to its outdoor home.

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Which is going to leave a big hole in the room. Solution? Two manly leather club chairs and a table. Unfortunately this meant prolonged shopping excursions with the husband. And trust me… when it comes to picky, women have nothing on my other half. When we need new furniture, I usually do the scouting and narrow it down to 3 choices. Anything more than that overloads his senses. So imagine my unmitigated horror surprise when he suggested we make a day of it.

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Yes, that’s close.

Off we went down to Portland. First stop was Jordan’s furniture which is a truly massive multi level store. They had a nice selection of leather but nothing pleased the husband.

This was the first chair we saw and I thought it was perfect.

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The husband liked it, but wanted to keep looking.

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This chair? Too saggy.

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This chair? Too deep.

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This chair? Too small. Store after store after store and he didn’t like anything.

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Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a big purchase and I want him to be happy but after visiting 8 stores over the course of 6 hours, Goldilocks still wasn’t satisfied.

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The first chair had my vote and I lobbied hard. Nice grade of leather, perfect size, good color, and firm cushions. Husband wanted another look, so back to Jordan’s we went. He gave it a second test drive and agreed it was the best we’d found. I thought we were done and gave silent thanks to all the Gods I don’t believe in. Shiva, you rock!

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I positively swooned when the husband had a salesman print out an estimate thinking the ordeal was over…. but when my spouse found out their warehouse was in NH and there would be a $150 charge to deliver the chairs to Maine? He said we would drive to NH the following day. Five hours on the road, in his old 8 foot bed Ford pickup just to save $150. It will probably cost us that in gas.

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To be continued.

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Toys.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten loves to play.

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Which is why we have an entire drawer dedicated to cat toys.

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He loves his toys long and hard … and his favorite mouse is looking a little worse for wear these days.

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But then so am I, so I shouldn’t judge.

His favorite new thing to do is carry a ball to a spot under the coffee table….

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And then wind himself around a leg.

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He goes around and around in a circle and it’s quite comical to watch.

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Until I took a closer look and realized most of the coffee table legs now look like this…

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Sigh.

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Random drivel.

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A while back my husband dragged an ottoman into the living room. The fact that it barely matches the armchair and doesn’t match the sofas at all drives me crazy….

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But it’s perfectly Lord Dudley Mountcatten sized and he loves it …

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So it stays. Sigh.

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Can someone please explain this to me…. because honestly, I’m flummoxed. Who in their right mind craves alcohol free gin?

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Live your best life… without alcohol? People really do be crazy.

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Why am I posting a photo of our water heater? Because the insanely expensive, fancy schmancy hybrid heat pump unit we installed barely 3 years ago is dead. After 2 visits from our plumber and one from the company’s rep, it was determined the computerized control board has malfunctioned. It’s a rarity, but once in a while you get a lemon. And we all know if there’s a lemon to be found? We will find it. Problem is, the boards are expensive and no one has them in stock.

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But along with the aggravation comes a new appreciation for why people only bathed once a month in olden days. Heating pots of water, and schlepping them to the tub is bad enough, but trying to duck in out of the cold shower spray long enough to wash and condition a head of long hair is torture. Maine well water in early spring? Like a quick dip in the Arctic Ocean…. minus the penguins. So if you happen to see me in the grocery store this week? Be sure and pass upwind. I haven’t showered in 3 days..

🤢

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One chill little dude.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten is relaxed and finally feeling like this is home.

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He’s adjusting to our routine and no longer runs at loud noises.

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The vacuum cleaner is still regarded as an evil entity, but he’ll happily sit at my feet while I blow dry my hair.

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The living room furniture seems to be his favorite…

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And I have to say I’m a bit jealous at how much sound sleep he gets.

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Life is good for this little guy.

And us.

😊

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Catapalooza.

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The crazy cat lady Facebook algorithm is in full swing.

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Does my furniture require cat feet stockings?

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It most definitely does not.

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That goes the same for my feet….

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And my lips.

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Cat ear beret? Okay, I admit I could almost see myself wearing that.

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Is it me, or does this cat look like he’s plotting his owner’s slow and painful dismemberment?

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Unisex? On what planet….

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But there.

At least they got something right.

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Chairs are a beautiful thing.

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And we’re so in love with ours right now I fear they’ll be occupying blog space for a while.

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Do you know how nice it is to actually be able to sit at our bar?

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Trust me, after weeks of standing? It’s seriously nice.

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And yes, I admit a fair amount of alcoholic beverages have been consumed in the short time we’ve owned them.

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Note to self – clear off magnetic bottle opener before guests arrive.

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Ah….

Chairs.

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Back in the Barn Mahal…

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It was recently brought to my attention that our barn was in need of comfortable seating in which to kick back after a vigorous session of drinking. And to that I say…

I’m way ahead of you.

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Okay, so it’s actually just the porch furniture we store inside every winter… but I’m thinking come spring, when it heads back outside? Two leather club chairs with a small table in between.

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Husband hung a few appropriate signs behind the (soon to be bar) the other day.

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Armpit lemon? Remind me not to over indulge in Puerto Rico.

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A  no sewing required  spot was found for the husband’s assorted patches.

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And a few more photos were carefully hung… while standing on a safe.

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As you can see, I have arrived … and finally been given representation in the man cave.

Yay me.

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A magnetic bottle opener was installed on the staircase.

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And a recent antique store purchase was displayed.

It’s time for Name That Crap!

What is it?

(Kerry, you be quiet. 😉)

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Ka-Ching!!

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That’s the sound my checkbook made when we drove down to the design studio to purchase the custom made bar chairs my husband had his heart set on.

We met the two very pleasant Lithuanian immigrants who own the business and found they do interesting work.

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Their furniture is starting to catch on and has been written up in numerous magazines.

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Maine restaurants and businesses have contracted large orders….

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And its only thanks to Covid that they considered a small order like ours.

These are the 30 inch swivel pub chairs my husband fell in love with.

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Made from 120 year old reclaimed barn boards and strong enough to seat an African elephant, they’re remarkably comfortable as well.

The designers explained it would take 6 weeks to make our 6 chairs because they just had to lay off most of their people due to the virus. A huge order from L.L. Bean had been cancelled, which while bad news for them… was great news for us.

They were even kind enough to let us take a sample chair home for a test run.

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We sidled it up next to the (still unfinished since the contractor seems to have taken a powder) bar and the height was perfect.

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I’m hoping to match the front facing of the bar to one of the medium shades on the chair.

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If the builder ever decides to return.

A few days later when we brought the chair back, I decided I needed some matching shelves for my liquor bottles.

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They’ll look like these. The wood will match the chairs… which pleases me, and the brackets will be made from old railroad spikes… which pleases the husband.

Two shelves on either side of the bar window for a total of four. What the hell. If you’re going to do it, do it right.

Ka-Ching!

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My husband shops in the strangest places.

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On our way home from the antique mall the other day, we stopped at a bar.

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You’re shocked, I know.

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One Paloma in…

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The husband started examining bar chairs.

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They were tall, sturdy, rustic… and swiveled.

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Two Palomas, a cup of clam chowder ….

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A Cosmo and a Cajun fried chicken sandwich later….

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The husband decided he wanted these exact chairs for his bar.

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After tracking down the restaurant’s owner we discovered they were custom made by a company an hour and a half away….

So away we went.

To be continued.

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The search continues.

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The search for appropriate height bar chairs goes on.

And on.

And on……

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After 4 more stores  we found one.

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The husband gave it  a test drive and was less than thrilled, with the design and the comfort level, but at that point we were ready to settle. Problem was that chair was the only one….  in the entire store. None in the back. None at the factory.

But this?

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This you could buy 5 times over.

Wow.

The 70’s are calling…. they want their velvet back.

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We found this chair at the next store. It was the right height, but had a tiny seat that was surely designed by the Marquis de Sade.

At the 6th store we visited that day, when we despaired of ever finding anything… we sucked it up and realized we’d have to pay a small fortune and go custom.

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Working with a salesman, we chose this.

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I won’t tell you what they cost per, but trust me….. it was enough to make you catch your breath.

So just when we were ready to pluck down a massive down payment to get the ball rolling, we were told that due to the pandemic….. the wait time on production was 12 plus weeks.

We’d have to wait 3 months to sit at our bar? Damn.

I didn’t like it…. but I liked the swivel, large seated, comfortable, attractive option so I was willing.

Husband on the other hand, was not.

The search continues.

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