Duke Manor Farm Notables Vol 8 - Duke Manor Farm by Laura Janning

Duke Manor Farm Notables Vol 8 where I am sharing a little bit of this and a little bit of that from the week….including my latest project and the project that I can’t wait to start on.

Happy weekend! Even though things are starting to slowly open up from the shut down, it still feels weird. Doesn’t it? I refuse to call it the ‘new normal’….cause it just isn’t normal. This week, I sent all my children into their dental appointments without even leaving the car. I have never not gone into a doctor or dental appointment with my kids. Although I used the time in the car to my advantage and caught up on some reading, the normalcy of not checking them in at the desk, not talking to the doctor ‘in’ the office and not walking them out myself when the appointments is over, is going to take some getting used to….if in fact this is the standard going forward. Have you had any similar experiences?

Speaking of similar experiences??? Who’s with me. Forget about the ‘Freshman 15’, I’m going with the ‘Covid 20’. Not really….. but it sure does feel like it.

Best deal of the week

I told you about the cute stripped umbrella in my last notables that I found here. The umbrella is such a great price so I ordered 4 more. They arrived this week and I got them all set up in the backyard. For fear of fading too fast, I did spray a UV protector that I got here on all the umbrellas. Hopefully it will help.

This weeks ‘completed’ project

Yay, I finished a project that I started! This was an easy one and didn’t take but a few afternoons while working on the front porch. I wanted more comfortable seating on the front porch so I swapped out the bench for a chair and a table that I had around the fire pit. I have 3 rockers and a couple of garden stools on the other side. Once the chair and table were cleaned off, I painted them with some exterior paint in a color called Misty. I may do another chair this week. I like that it looks and feels way more comfortable then the bench did. Speaking of which, I moved the bench to the back dining table that you can see that in the above picture.

Here’s the before:

and after I painted:

The project that I am working on

I finished painting the two smaller sections in the family room but I have stalled out on getting the two bigger side walls painted. The walls are so high that I need my husband to set up the scaffolding for me. That of course also requires moving everything out of the room. The color I am using is Iron Ore from SW. I am really loving the cozy vibe the darker walls are giving off but more importantly I love how it is framing the outside views. You can’t really tell from this picture because the sun was so bright. You may have noticed that I have curtains up in the kitchen area. I also ordered some for these windows too. This was a great option as I am trying to cut down on the light and summer heat while not spending a ton of money. Some day I would like to get motorized shades for all the windows on the backside of the house. These curtains felt like a good interim step and better yet, I am able to pull them back throughout the day when the sun is not an issue.

A project that I can’t wait to start….when the others are finished

I have been slightly uninspired with what I want to do in my bedroom for a while now…. until I saw this bedroom the other day. Because I am not spending a lot of money these days , I plan on doing some changes that won’t cost a lot. I won’t be replacing the carpet or furniture (except maybe some new nightstands) . Changes like painting, window treatments and a new bench for the end of the bed. I will also be replacing the french doors for a window that we got several months ago ( that project is long over due). Long story short, we took off the deck right outside of our bedroom and no longer need a door.

I’ll keep you posted on the plans and how this project is moving along in later posts. Until then you can see how the room was previously styled here and here.

Well, that’s about it over here. The kids are officially out of school, I have my sunscreen and favorite reads ready and our pool is open for business. That can only mean one thing, summer has begun!

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Duke Manor Farm Notables.Enjoy your weekend!