I saw the word gray when I was looking for fabric for the Alki Point. You know how a word that you've been writing the same way for years suddenly looks completely wrong? This was one of those moments for me, because I find myself using the alternative; Grey.

Of course I had to Google it and find out if I've been a complete dork all this time, or if there really were two grays/greys. Here's what I found:

Gray vs. grey

Gray and grey are different spellings of the same word, and both are used throughout the English-speaking world. But gray is more common in American English, while grey is more common in all the other main varieties of English. In the U.K., for instance, grey appears about twenty times for every instance of gray. In the U.S. the ratio is reversed.

Both spellings, which have origins in the Old English grǽg, have existed hundreds of years.¹ Greygained ascendancy in all varieties of English in the early 18th century, but its dominance as the preferred form was checked when American writers adopted gray about a century later. As the Ngram below shows, this change in American English came around 1825. Since then, both forms have remained fairly common throughout the English-speaking world, but the favoring of gray in the U.S. and grey everywhere else has remained consistent.

Some people make their own distinctions between gray and grey. You can find some interesting examples in the comments below. There is nothing wrong with these preferences, but they are not borne out in broader usage. For most people, gray and grey are simply different spellings of the same word.

Both spellings are used for the participles, grayed/greyed and graying/greying, as well as for most of the words and phrases involving gray/grey. For instance, grey area/gray area, referring to an area having characteristics of two extremes, is commonly spelled both ways. So is graybeard/greybeard, referring to an older man with a beard, and gray squirrel/grey squirrel (which refer to closely related types of squirrels on opposite sides of the Atlantic). There are at least a couple of exceptions, though: greyhound, for the breed of dog, always has an e,while grayling, which refers to several types of fish, always has an a.

So apparently, both ways are okay! Just remember to use both versions if you are searching for anything in that specific color family. BTW... Dork actually means "infected whale penis", so be careful using that word around fishermen! :0)

Now - on to to fun stuff! 

Today was all about spackling. I spackled walls and beams and door frames. I really like the cool and creamy feel of spackle, so it was a fun day for me! I got to squish and spread and glop and get completely messy knowing I was just a hand washing and vacuuming away from being clean again! Next time I am feeling a little anxious, I'm going to break out the Dap and just play in it for a while! Very therapeutic! 

I used the punch out doors from the kit as the pattern to make two tall transom type door sandwiches. The thinking is that one part will attach to the outside and one on the inside with the "glass" sandwiched in between. I am not going to make them opening doors. I am hoping to figure out a way to make the roof come off to access the inside. 

I got to pick out and order paint and fabric. I'm going with grey and white and pops of melon. What do you think?

Sample from Home Depot Again

Sample from Home Depot Again

Acrylic Grey Accent Color

Acrylic Melon Accent Color

Bedspread Fabric

Sofa Fabric

I received the cellfoam today. Boy that was disappointing. It was dented, all 4 pieces had a big chunk of the corner broken, and it was not at all what I was expecting. Think really thin, cheap disposable cooler foam. I thought it would be more like a pool noodle. It is going back, and I am just going to reinforce the exterior of the walls with cardstock. I probably don't need it - the 1/8" x 3/4" extender trim (to add height to the walls) seems to be very sturdy. 

Tomorrow will be filled with dust as I sand all of the spackled pieces smooth. Then, I'll prime all the walls and clean up the mess I've made again this week. My thoughtful daughter is coming here for the weekend with presents for me! No special reason. She's just awesome like that!