Kitchen update … before and after

Way back in October 2011, I commiserated with you about trying to choose paint for our kitchen. Originally, I was leaning towards the blues and greys.

But y’all screamed, NO, don’t do it! You commented, e-mailed and called me warning me not to go so dark. In the comments Kim Fasching (I would link to her, but the link no longer works) suggested, “Pull something pinkish from the granite and cut it by half with white.”

I looked at the counter tops again.

Hmmm. Mauve? Really? I dunno. I’m not really a mauve kinda girl. 1980s color schemes screamed in my mind.

But then I thought about it some more and hauled myself back to the store for more paint samples. Gee, if that many people thought I should go pinkish then I needed to give it some serious consideration.

I finally narrowed it down to two shades of mauve and then left it up to Jack to choose the final color while I took off for Vietnam. (I’m so helpful that way.) And when I came home it was all painted and done. My sweetheart rocks!

Here’s what it looks like today.

A little spit and polish

It’s rainy here today. Has been for the past two days. They say we’ll have the sunshine back tomorrow. Hmm, I feel a little sad about it. Last year we had something like 30 straight days of rain. It seemed like too much then. This year has been the exact opposite with practically no rain (or snow for our nearby mountains) and we could really use it. ‘Tis dry, my friends, too dry! Such a dry Winter does not bode well for the Summer.

I’m not complaining though, a little rain is better than no rain. I’ll take what we can get.

Gloomy weather inspires indoor projects though, doesn’t it? Indoor projects scream two things to me: cleaning closets or crafts.

I’ll take crafts for $1000, Alex!

Hell hath no fury like trying to choose paint

There’s a tiny room in the front of our house that has been the home to my mom’s former aesthetician business. She’s in her 70s and doesn’t work anymore, but the business holds a powerful meaning for her. I get that. I used to own a business, too. It’s tough letting go. However, after much emotional struggle she decided to finally sell her business once and for all.

This means that in two weeks that room will be empty and it will return to the warm and embracing fold of the house. This also means that we can repaint it. (Yay!) And replace the carpet, which is this really OLD crazy dingy commercial grade blue stuff. And since we’re going to repaint that room we can also take advantage of the opportunity and go ahead and repaint our office and kitchen, two projects we have been talking about for ages.

Jack’s standing in our office (checking out paint swatches painted all over the walls (you can see more swatches on the wall over the computer monitor behind him) and there’s our kitchen through the doorway.

It’s an interesting process trying to choose color with a fella that’s color blind.

Inspired to plant more flowers

When we were in Oklahoma we fell in love with these dark purple Calla Lillies. Jack’s mother had planted about a dozen in honor of Tara (her wedding flower was the Calla Lily) and they looked so beautiful. I had no idea they came in so many colors! My mom has the traditional white in her front yard, which I’ve always loved. Remember when we made her a Calla Lily corsage for mum’s day?

Jack and I kept looking at these purple beauties and telling each other, “We need to get some of those when we get home.”

So we did.