Beach Photo Vacation

I feel I'm swirling into a creative slump. Don't know what brought it on, but if I could quote Liz Lemon, "Ahh, my period! You're all fired!"

I never feel like sewing or cooking or doing anything other than laying in the sun on my awesome fake fur coverlet and reading. Mostly I want to go stay at a hotel for a weekend alone. Just me and my iPod and maybe some food.

There should be a Groupon for Momcations (patent pending), where we can all escape, cheaply, money and guilt-wise, and relax watching whatever we want on a TV with nary a Dora to be heard. Maybe there's a cooler full of Diet Coke and Thin Mints. And sandwiches. I love a good sandwich. And an entire King sized bed to myself! A shower without worrying that Bee found a Sharpie! Watching Working Girl or Captain Ron all the way through without pausing to referee a toddler altercation! Listening to music full of expletives! Going 30 minutes without washing my hands or dishes!

Now's the part where I say I'll miss my kids. I might. More likely I'll miss the chaos. Like when I grocery shop without the boys I can't concentrate and end up forgetting things. And wander the store looking for random items because my brain is entirely focused on the task instead of bouncing from kid to kid and keeping all the fruits and veggies out of their hands and scales and then back to my mental list.

Or when I get to go clothes shopping alone, I end up with so much extra time, because I'm not buckling and unbuckling kids and talking them into getting out of the car, losing them in the store, going on the immediate Tommy Lee Jones-esque manhunt, the reunion, the harried checkout, the losing them a second time, etc...with which I do not know what to do.

So maybe I would have too much time. And no chaos. And that would be worse. Because at least in the middle of the chaos I get an occasional, "Mom, you're the best chef ever!" whilst I pour them a second bowl of Cheerios.

Oooh! A blue door!

Me: I'm gonna paint the door.
John: (wait for iiiiiiit) Shocker.

 I am currently looking for a hall runner. Any ideas?

Happy Valentine Birthday, Hartwell!

Little Pink Cabinets

 

I spent a good part of yesterday scrubbing the muck off of my blue dishes.  They used to reside on a shelf above a ventless stove. So all that grease collected on their exteriors. I used 3.5 Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, turning them black in the process. But, look! Lovely!

I also got to give Buddha a bath and then have this conversation:

Hartwell: Mom, who's that guy?

Me: What guy?

Hartwell: THAT guy!

Me: Buddha.

Hartwell: Where did you get him?

Me: Gramma Janice got him for me in Thailand

Hartwell: PIE-land??!!

Me (laughing): What's Pieland?

Hartwell: It's a place with pies and NO restaurants.

Here's a pic with all the colors together:

P.S. I like you just fine, but I'm not cleaning my kitchen for one photo.

And here's the before:

Showin' the Pink

Ahhhhhh...pink. Delicious. I finally covered up the yellow that was starting to crawl under my skin and lay eggs. I think I made a good choice. I decided to go a few tints lighter than the coral on the north wall. Since I'm filling the open cabinetry with a mix of dishes, the coral would be too dark. But the pink is light enough to complement the dishware with out taking over in a bloodless coup. And I really needed something warm over there to bring the room together.

This weekend we have big plans to finish the trim and the painting. And then I can breathe for awhile. As my computer station is facing all the rooms I've just finished. Except I can see a sliver of hallway. Oh, hallway, you have no idea what I'm planning.

The House that Bee Built

I don't know why his Lego skills fascinate me so. Perhaps because he's 3 and barely has the motor skills to play with them. Or because Bee always builds "worlds" and proceeds to play in them.

I have nothing to do with any of it except I maybe hand him a Lego and watch where he puts it.

 

If you look in the upper left hand corner you'll see that this house even has an attached garage! Of which we do not have. To be fair, there's also a dungeon window, so...

Pee-nk

Just a little lighter.

(John doesn't want pink. When my bathroom stops smelling like pee, I'll paint it whatever color he wants).

99 color ideas go by...

I finally got the right green painted in the hallway. Sherwin Williams Hep Green. The hallway seems dark, but it actually, somehow, was too bright for the last green, so I went down a swatch on the fan deck. It perfectly matches the tea kettle we have. P.S. the weird light bulb we have is making it look crazy in the photo. Just so you know.

Now,...my problem. What do I paint the interior of my open cabinets? Right now it's a sort of medium yellow. I was thinking of painting it Frolic, the last green I had in the hallway and the green I used to make the floral design on the cabinets. Not quite so dark, but still lime-y.

Or white?

Or more pale blue?

Or coral?

I plan on filling the shelves with turquoise dishes and such, so I wanted something that showcases them without making them change color. Maybe a lighter coral. Like Jovial.
Wow! Those colors are WAY off from what my fan deck says. I'd write to SW, but I think they're sick of my opinions. Well, then, stop sending me surveys!

I'd love your two cents. I can't figure out what to do.