It was a rainy day...

and the hubby was out of town....so, what's a girl to do but break out a paint brush or two?

I was tired of my plain white doors and happened to have a gallon of glossy black out in the garage and....

Voila!

Before and afters:

Front door:

Back door:

Garage door:

My son & I were talking about our house while I was painting and he said that it feels "cold" to him.  Well, that's all this mom needs as confirmation that she needs to warm things up with some color.  I've been on this neutralizing kick for a while but we just love color, so I'm looking forward to bringing it back.

I just have to make up my mind on which ones to use.

Hope you have a great week.

Neither One

Gotcha!

We didn't end up using either of the colors that I teased you with last week.

They both turned out a little too "green" on our walls than I actually wanted, so we ended up choosing......

Cliveden Sandstone from Lowe's.

It's on their Historical Colors list and I've been real pleased with the results.

Here are some Before/During pictures:

You can see the difference when they're together but overall it's a subtle change, but one that makes a huge difference in the overall feel of the rooms.

(The darker color is the new one, BTW.)

Here are a few afters:

Ok, on my computer screen it doesn't seem much different but trust me - it is!

I'll post more pictures once I've gotten my rooms back to normal.

Hope you're having a good week & enjoying this beautiful Spring weather.

Finally painting

Well, we've been in this house a year and a half, and I have FINALLY gotten around to painting our ugly family room walls.

When we moved in, I realized that I could not stand the pinky-beige, flat, chalky paint that covered EVERY wall in this house. 

I've been busy, but patient, as I've waited for a time that I could remedy that situation.

The time finally came last week when I couldn't take it anymore and ran out, got some paint samples and threw them up on the wall to live with for a couple of days.

Hmmm. Which one did I choose?

You'll have to wait to see - I've still got accessorizing to do.

Hope you're having a great week.

Please Help!

Hello fellow decorating obsessed ladies (and gentlemen).

I'm in desperate need of your opinions.

My very expressive eight year old daughter has decided to change her room decor. That's not the problem.

She has picked out zebra & purple for her colors - that's the problem.

The bedding actually looks rather cute, however I'm having a very difficult time trying to decide on a paint color.

As you can see, the paint is now a pinkish beige that the realtor had the WHOLE house painted while it was on the market.

Please give us some advice on this major decision so we can get the room done.

(I should also tell you that G thinks EVERYTHING is supposed to be purple...or zebra.)

Oh, and one more thing I need you to chime in about - what about the furniture....white or black?

Thanks for your help!!

First Signs of Fall

Do you know what today is?

It's officially The First Day of Fall!!

I don't know about you, but for us, it's been a long summer.

I'm ready for the cooler temps, warm drinks, and the smell of apples & cinnamon floating through the air.

I've still got a ways to go, but Autumn is starting to make an appearance around our home.

Take a peek:

I'm just getting started and still have lots to put out so beware there will be more Fall to come.

One other favorite thing about Autumn is all of the good food that comes with it.

I saw this on Darlene's blog and thought I'd give it a try.....Taco Soup.

It was delicious (although I did make a couple of minor changes to the recipe).

I highly recommend it if you're trying to mix up your dinner routine.

Yum.

So, tell me......Have you put out your Fall fufu yet?

Eye Candy

I woke up in a very bad mood this morning.

I won't bore you with all of the details explaining why this occurred as I'm working really hard on trying to forget that I'm in a very bad mood today.

It hasn't been working as well as I'd like, so I thought I would distract myself with some pictures of pretty things.

These are just some pics of rooms and things I've seen around the net lately and I'm very sorry that I don't remember exactly where each picture came from.

Just know that they aren't mine.

No room in my house looks like this (unfortunatley)....uh oh, I feel that mood thing coming back.

I'd better hurry with the pictures and distract myself.

Hope y'all are having a great day - I'm off to change mine into that now.

Favorite Kitchens

Probably my favorite room in any house is the kitchen. I guess it comes from the amount of time I spend in there. I love for our home to always smell like it has something in the oven. It's such a welcoming feeling to walk in and have the wonderful aromas of chocolate chip cookies or brownies baking for the children to enjoy when they come in from playing.

I have a long wish list of things I'd like to do to my kitchen but for now, let's just browse some of my favorites that I've found online.

So, do you like my inspiration kitchens as much as I do? Which one is your favorite.

I like bits & pieces from all of them, but overall I think my favorite is.....the 3rd one up from the bottom. I love the brick walls & the coziness of the overall room.

Now, I wonder what my husband would say if I started adding a brick backsplash to our house......nah, I'd rather not think of that right now.

(All photos found at Southern Living or Better Homes & Gardens. Go check out all of their inspiring ideas.)

Southern Living Goodness

I don't know about you but around this time every year I kind of get a little blue.

It's cold outside. The excitement of the holidays are over and my home usually feels a little empty after being dolled up for Christmas.

We've been in this house for almost 5 months now.

I have a long list of things I want to do here.

My problem is that I'm impatient.

I want all of my projects done yesterday.

I read this post over at The Inspired Room last night and she is so right.

Now I'm looking at my blank spaces in a whole new light.

So, while I'm waiting for the right inspiration to coordinate with the budget and the calendar,

I'll leave you with this lovely room that I fell in love with

while browsing through my favorite magazine.....Southern Living.

Enjoy & have a great weekend.

(I just love that coffee table.)

(Look at those rectangle dishes mixed in with the pictures - lovely.)

(Dishes, dishes everywhere.)(Cozy dining area. Just look at that symmetry - a girl after my own heart.)

(A close up of the console table she uses as a sideboard.)

Simply beautiful.