Restoring Living Room

Among my twelve semi-annual initiatives, one that gets propagated every six-month cycle without fulfillment, has been to entertain guests in my home on three occasions during that half year.  With Shavuot on is way, an opportunity for an elegant milchig dinner on a Sunday came along.  Since I have no friends and my wife keeps on better terms with people, I delegated the selection of guests to her while I function as the baalaboosta.  A veto.  Our entertaining spaces appeared too shabby for guests who have real jobs and wear nice clothing.  That took me to a branch point, find my own friends who were as slovenly as me or spruce up the living room and dining room.

Both rooms have possibilities.  We use the dining room for fleishig routinely.  Carpets were expertly cleaned for Pesach.  It was the curtains that irked my wife most, particularly the living room.  OK new ones for the living room, wash and rehang the ones in the dining room.  The latter went on Gentle Cycle yesterday.  On emerging from Delicate Dry, they looked cleaner and felt relieved of whatever had risen to the top of our dining room's ambient air.  Removing them, though, exposed neglect to the window.  Yellow paint faded, some vacuuming needed, a wash with diluted detergent on a damp sponge added to the tasks, and some Windex.  The hanging hardware needs to be anchored better into the drywall. Then put the curtains back.  Except for a full length seam tear.  So off to Boscov's for new ones, easily installed on the existing rod, which is not the right option for the curtain style.  Obtain and install a more elegant rod.

The living room was a whole other matter.  Drawstring curtains actually frayed.  Sofa broken in the frame.  Cats over the years made territorial claims on the chairs.  Tables, though, in good shape, except for one obtained at a yard sale that should be repainted a more vivid color.  So start with curtains.  Easy to buy online?  Just go to Wayfair, type in dimensions, and pick one.  Most out of stock.  Decided that rods with grommets would be easier than what we have now.  After failure with online sites, I just went to Bed Bath & Beyond, picked the style, only to find that they fell one package short on the shelves.  No problemo.  Ordered it online.  Out of stock.  Substituted a gray color for taupe, and now in possession waiting to be installed.  Have to take down panels for washing, decide if we need one or two rod fixtures, then measure and install, but first vacuum and wash the window frames.  And in order to get to the windows, we need to move stuff.  

Once done, it's off to IKEA for the sofa.  Looked at local stores, more than I want to spend, more sturdy than what I need for relatively infrequent use.  Or Wayfair.  

Paint table.  Replace a table lamp.  Dust everything.  

Too much trouble for a couple of guests.  We really need to inaugurate with a party.  Once it's done.

Dining Room Chairs

Our dining set gets used every week, at least the table and chairs.  It has been an ordeal in some ways from its initial purchase about forty years ago.  Unknown to us, the Van Sciver Company, a seemingly stable small regional chain of furniture stores, was about to go under.  We ordered our set, paid the deposit but it never came.  After a while I complained to our local paper's consumer reporter, who investigated my inquiry.  His response was the delay was caused by customized seat covers.  No way.  It was caused by Van Sciver not paying its contractors.  Eventually the set came, with the seat covers as ordered.  The breakfront got filled quickly, extra leaves put away for use when needed, which has been hardly ever, and we have shabbos dinner there pretty much without fail, along with most of our fleishig meals over an extended time.

We've never had a problem with the table, the breakfront needed repair of the doors which had come off alignment.  However, the chairs have been a challenge.  Some have back pieces that shattered needing professional repair.  The glue has come undone.  I replaced all the seat covers myself after teaching myself how and ordering some very sturdy fabric.  The screw alignments have some faults and screws fall out.  It might be easier to replace them all, but we invariably opt for repair.  This week, too many cushions had come loose, so I took and inventory of missing screws.  There were nine.  Off to the hardware store, purchased at a price well above what I expected for standard hardware, and before you know it, eight of the missing nine had been restored, though not all screwed into their sockets fully and for the ninth I couldn't locate the socket which had been covered by fabric.  Three screws anchors the cushions adequately, so project completed.