everybody makes mistakes

and i make lots. especially when making paint choices.

how 'bout this one?

what the h*** were you thinking, you crazy woman? hello, it's the worst orange i've ever seen. it looks like a school bus. or a hunting vest. or a school bus full of hunters. in a construction zone.

egads.

but, the nice thing about making mistakes, is there's this thing called repentance.

1. sorrow for sin - i think i felt sorry the moment i opened the can. and continued to feel sorry while cutting in, painting 3 coats, and then each time i walked in there.

2. confession - i confessed to my husband (who was nice and just asked me if i really liked it), to my kids (who thought it was very bright) and to everyone who came to my house and saw my boys' room. and now i'm confessing to you. i made a really, really, big mistake.

3. abandonment of sin - i will never, ever, ever, ever, ever paint a room this particular shade of school bus orange again.

4. restitution - done! i did it! i have repaired the damage that my actions caused!

5. righteous living - i went beyond just making it right! i made it awesome! i not only fixed the ugly orange walls, i also fixed the ugly orange-y bunk beds, and the ugly mismatched bedding! it's not perfect, but SO much better!

i feel like a new person!

goodwill peacock

i don't think i had been to goodwill (or salvation army or d.i.) for probably 10 years until i moved here. i shopped there all the time when E was a baby, we were poor and it was a good place to find cheap stuff. i don't know why i stopped - i'm guessing i went in there pregnant and morning sick once, and the smell almost sent me over the edge.

well, the goodwill in our little town here is quite good, and sometimes i take my kids in there when we need to kill half an hour while waiting for karate class to finish.

we found E's halloween costume there a few years ago. i wish i had a better picture - she had a walker and knee-highs and orthotic shoes and an old lady purse. (i know you're catching a whiff right now, just from looking at that picture!)

i now go in every few weeks. sometimes i totally strike out, and sometimes i hit the motherlode.

i found this treasure about a month ago, just after i finished repainting and paneling my dining room:

i loved his mottled turquoise coloring. but he had some very special blue rhinestones glued to the center of each tail feather. i wasn't so sure about those, but since i wash everything i bring home from goodwill (you REALLY never know where it's been!) i stuck him in a sink full of sudsy water, and the blue sparklies fell right off.

he still smells like goodwill, though. i think its coming from inside, where the ceramic has not been sealed, and therefore absorbed stale cigarette/old person smell in his previous home.

i wonder if i can spray some polyurethane inside and seal the ceramic. what do you think? do you think that will stop the smell?

in the meantime, he is sitting in my newly painted dining room, making me happy. i just use a lot of air freshener.

Dining room

I've had a busy month or so. Late winter can be really depressing here in Ohio, so every year I make a list and try to keep myself busy until spring comes. A few weeks ago I changed a few things in my dining room.

before

after

I really love how light and fresh the room feels now! I love the contrast between the white walls and the dark furniture.