Back at the homestead

I'm writing at the end of a (mostly) relaxing four days off. It's rare for me to have this amount of time off and to be home. Any thoughts of traveling for the holiday weekend were quickly brushed aside for the prospect of being in my own house with uninterrupted time.

Tried not to over schedule the days, leaving enough time to play in our baby pool (see below) and pick out peaches at Pepper Place Farmer's Market.

But we did get a lot done. Major kudos to Shane, for painting the entire kitchen during his only break from teaching this summer.

Although we've been in our house for three and a half years, we never could get it together to put colors on the walls.

We didn't have a lot of time to begin with, since we welcomed Nate five months after moving in (his was the only completely decorated room in our house). I constantly went through paint swatches trying to find the exact right color, deciding, then changing my mind, then running off to tackle something outside our home.

Then there is the sweat work. Home improvement shows always tout how paint is the easiest thing in the world, but it's really so crazy time consuming (all that taping and prep work - ug). And I've been put on moratorium from handling the actual brushwork myself after one too many over excited tries that ended up with paint splattered all over our stone tile (uh, downstairs bathroom for those who've visited).

Maybe it's being on the road so much lately that has really focused me on the house. Oprah says (and go ahead and laugh that I'm quoting the mighty Oprah) that home "should rise up and meet you." 13-year old contractor grade paint just wasn't doing it for me anymore. Then there's the issue of boxes of photographs, art, and books (not to mention a stellar collection of tiki glasses) that have been boxed up in the garage just waiting.

As someone with a great love for design and color, I never quite felt at home until the past few days, when the shades we finally picked out popped on the wall thanks to the professor. The photo above is of our breakfast area. The adjoining kitchen is slate grey, and we're working on turning the family room into a deep tan. So I sort of feel like I am living in the mod mid-century downtown that I've always wanted ... in the suburbs of course. Next up: concrete counter tops and built in bookcases, plus a gold dining room perfect for showcasing my Elvis tree at Christmas (and Buddhas rest of the year of course).

Once again the lesson: over perfection can be paralyzing. And there's nothing that a little paint can't fix.

In other news, here's what else I've been doing - hanging out in our fancy pool, going to Pepper  Place for the first time this year (and Tater's first time ever). I'm back on a plane tomorrow, but it's good to be home today.

 

Comments

[Mallorysue]

LOVE the paint in the breakfast area! It's such a refreshing color (plus it looks great with the clock)!

[alisa]

The kitchen colors look awesome! As do you in your bikini, hot stuff!