first order of business: paint

Wow. I have hit a record for longest break in between posts, and for that I apologize. It’s not that I think many of you are sitting around waiting for me to post every day, but I guess I’m apologizing more to myself for ignoring my goal of posting at the very least, every other week. Lame? Yeah, a little. Feasible? I thought so…

So guess what I’ve been up to lately?

Yeah. Paint and lots more. So I wanted to update the blog with the few but significant projects David and I have accomplished at the house, with some incredible help from my sister, brother-in-law, and parents. I am having an amazing time working on house projects. I know, most of you who have been homeowners for some time are probably snickering in your office chair about how naive I sound. Sorry, I don’t really care. For now, I am loving it and I’ll take that feeling as long as it lasts. We have painted, we have cleaned, we have rewired every last outlet in the place (more on that later), made some exterior updates, furniture shopped, furniture shopped again, and taken a crash coarse in plumbing (well David has, that is) in order to unclog 20 years worth of hair from our shower drain. You can ask David or my dad about the details of that one as I have resolved not to post the picture of that hot mess.
Today though, I’m showing the before and afters of the four areas of the house that are boasting a fresh coat of paint in colors that are a little more personalized to us. The disappointing thing about the paint colors is that they haven’t changed drastically from what they originally were. I thought the previous owners had decent taste and had made good choices about which rooms should be which color, but I just wanted that color to be a slightly different tint, shade, or hue. Yes, I am picky like that. So the blue dining room is still fairly blue, but a smidge lighter and with a little more green for added interest. The living room is still gray, but it’s lost that purple twinge that came out glaringly in different lighting situations, etc. etc. etc. I think the rest of the rooms we paint will have bigger impacts, but these ones were the most public so they were first on the list.

Room #1: Living Room

Color: “Fawn Brindle”. (Whatever that means. I really didn’t know so I looked it up. “A brownish or tawny color of animal fur, with streaks of other color.” I guess. Whatever, it’s gray.)

After three coats of paint on this bad boy, we learned how to properly paint, use the correct rollers for your wall, and to go sloooooow and even so you don’t get roller marks. Yes, I was a little cranky during round 3 of paint, but hey, now I am loving our gray walls. I could paint every room in the house this color and be totally satisfied, even though I love color a lot, too. There’s just something about gray that has me at hello, which is nice when you’re talking about the first room people walk into in your home. At least I think so.

Room #2: Dining Room

Color: “Underseas” (Ooh. Island-y.)

Here’s the decision process that I loathe love so much.

Room #3: Stairway

Color: “Mushroom” (Pretty accurate. Looks like a mushroom.)

Room #4: Guest Bedroom

Color: “Salvia” (It’s a plant. A purple plant. So, obviously Martha Stewart had had a few too many mamosas the morning she named this color. Silly Martha.)

More house projects to come, my friends. We may have been real busy around here lately with them, which may or may not have something to do with how much blogging has been going on. Just sayin’.

JR