Rainy Day Pursuits

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were spent sanding and staining deck railings.  We have finished slightly more than one-fifth of them. 

Rain was predicted for the first half of the week, so we planned on a few days off.  

We woke Monday to a wet world and enjoyed a relaxed morning. 

Then we went to a matinee showing of the movie ARGO.  It was as good as the reviews said it was. It is definitely worth seeing, or if you are not a movie theater person, putting on your future DVD list.

Although it didn't rain on Tuesday, it was a bit too cold and damp to return to the sanding project.  Instead we did a few things around the Alfa including running the generator and the engine.  Craig also installed some hooks and eyes in  the table and the wall to help keep the table from tipping over when we are driving.

Pendleton Blanket on the Alfa couch

I have been looking for some fleece fabric with an Indian print ever since we bought the Pendleton blanket at Crater Lake.

They say when you are decorating a room you should start with an "inspiration" piece. This is mine. Anything I bring in will either echo the colors, the pattern, or the spirit of the blanket. 

Last week I finally found the type of fleece I was looking for. The colors are a little different, but it reflects the spirit of the blanket.

Several years ago, when I was having back pain, Craig bought me a vibrating, heating, chair-pad.  I have used it often and it was kept on a chair in our family room.  It is black, which was fine for a room with two black leather couches and two black leather recliners, but not compatible with the Alfa decor. 

Sunday, while Craig worked on his part of the sanding, I made a cover for the chair pad using the new fleece fabric.

I have also been looking for a new back support pillow to use in the Alfa when I want to read or watch the TV. For years, I have used the type of pillow that has arm rests, but feel that since the bed in the Alfa is only a queen size, the arm-rests would take up an unnecessary amount of space.  So I wanted a different kind of reading pillow.

Of course, I couldn't find exactly what I wanted.  So I had to create it. 

I bought a foam rubber "bed wedge" pillow at Bed Bath and Beyond. I cut it in half, and combined the two halves to make a fatter wedge. I added a rolled piece of "egg crate type" foam mattress pad, along the top edge. And then I covered it with my new fleece fabric. 

I wish the background color of the fleece had been a dark brown instead of black, but you can't have everything!

I have also replaced the original light colored throw rugs I bought last fall with some dark brown ones.  The light ones just got too dirty too fast, and really shed a lot of lint in the dryer each time they were washed.

The rain forecasted for tomorrow has been cancelled. So it will be back to work on the railings once again. 

I'd rather be making things for the Alfa!