Cognitive Disconense

Do you remember the term "cognitive disconense" from your college psychology 101 class?  The prime example given is when you purchase an item such as an automobile that you continue to seek out data to make certain that you made the proper decision.

The set of chairs that I purchased a few weeks back for $69 per chair was a binge purchase.  But, I really loved the lines and scale of the chairs and took the plunge.

Restoration Hardware, 18th Century French Burlap Chair

$1495



Consignment shop $69 jewel

  Translation, I have been psychologically been put at ease by the knowledge that the style chair is popular enough for Restoration Hardware to reproduce, as well as the fact that a recent addition of "Architectural Digest" featured the homes of Rob Lowe and T. Boone Pitkins and both of them had similar chairs in their homes.

Let me just pat myself on the back ;^)

Pine Kitchen Cabinets and Appliances For Sale @ Re-Build 4 November

This appears to be a well cared for set of Kraftmaid, solid pine kitchen cabinets with a laminate counter top and Maytag stove and dishwasher that came out of a house in McLean, VA this past week.  They have for sale fourteen (14) pieces total for the asking price of $3,000.

One of my friends thinks that his in-laws could use a replacement kitchen cabinet set and I am posting for his benefit.

But, for those others who view and read.  This is an example of what you might find at Re-Build or any one of the other local re-use warehouse stores in the DC metro area.

If I had a country cabin, these would look warm and splendid with a swap out of hardware to an aged copper and a stone counter top to match the reddish shade of the pine.

House Project: Back Door (future project)



View from sun porch into house after refrigerator removal (current double doors)



Double mahogany doors procured to replace 1983 metal & glass doors



Once again, "I did not get out alive" from Re-Build.  They had these wonderful solid mahogany exterior double doors that came into the warehouse yesterday afternoon (donated from a home owner in McLean).

I immediately placed them on-hold (you snooze you lose when it comes to this style of shopping).  Pulled out my note pad, measuring tape and camera and got all of the vitals that I needed to take home with me to make a proper determination if the doors were the proper size for the door frame or not.

As you can see the exterior sides of the doors are carved and weathered.  Translation, sanding, oiling and some protective finish will be required.  Also, the homeowner decided to keep all of the hardware for their replacement door.  Therefore, I will need to find hardware suitable for this particular set of doors at a later date.

The interior side of the eight (8) panel doors is actually in decent shape and has a traditional look.  Though, most doors only have two (2) to six (6) panels.  Eight (8) panels is rather unique in design, as is the carving; which is why I was attracted to them.

There will be the trade-off of less light in the kitchen and den area.  Though the option is to just open the blinds a bit more during the daytime to let in more day light.

The benefit, I hope, is that these solid wood doors without glass should be more energy efficient than the original 1983 builder's metal and single pane glass double doors.

As far as design and color scheme, the mahogany is a wonderful addition to the Indonesian hardwood sun porch set that I already have in place.

This particular refinishing and replacement of the rear doors project is something that will have to take place after the man cave/library project is completed. 

Why?

As of this AM, my dining room, den and living room are littered with the library cabinets and shelving that Re-Build staff delivered this morning.  It is going to be a monumental task just to get all of the books out of the basement and upstairs in order to remove the carpet, clean, put down new tile and paint the walls, etc. 

Stay tuned for a later posting when this project gets underway.

Annual Far Hills Benefit Horse Races - The Hunt



L-R:  Jon, Sal, John & Bruce


One of my friends has been hosting an annual outing to The Hunt in Fall Hills, NJ since the mid 1990's.  Proceeds from the ticket and private tail gate slot sales are contributed to Somerset Medical Center Foundation is a non-profit organization that solicits and administers funds on behalf of Somerset Medical Center, in Somerville, New Jersey.

Our first year of attendance, it was raining, cold and muddy and we were newbies who did not realize that having a paid slot closer to the rail and a small buffet of food to nosh on during the day was the way to go.

A view of the rail from behind our buffet

Since that time, my friend's family business has annually procured multiple rental spots a row away from the rail.  We all buy our individual admission tickets and then contribute for the spread of food and drink.

There have been many a year that in spite of the day being bright and sunny, previous day(s) of rain, have muddied the grounds and made for a muck festival with slipping and sliding of humans and vehicles.  This year we were spared the mud.  Hurrah!

Unlike Virginia Steeple Chase Races, The Hunt is not held during a time of the year that is advantageous to sun dresses, hats and dress shoes, etc.  Over the years, I have noticed that the attire for the day has become more in tune with the late October weather and a potential day of walking among muddy fields.  Denim jeans and rubber stable boots and/or wellies were the staple footwear at this year's event.