Little Surprises, Big Gratitude

Maybe some of you are like me, and looking at all the exotic paint names makes the tedious task of picking a color among a sea of similar colors just a little bit more fun. When I was painting the old house to get it ready to sell, I went with a neutral that was recommended to me by our real estate agent’s assistant, who happens to be a good friend of mine. I liked Grey Screen, but I was eager to choose my own colors here in the new house. I have painted A LOT since we moved in, and much to my disappointment, here are the names of the Sherwin Williams paint colors I chose: Accessible Beige (are some beiges inaccessible???) and Livable Green (meh, I guess I can live with it...).

I had one more chance to find an exciting paint name, as I was picking a color for our bedroom. I wanted a color that reminds me of the ocean/beach. I brought home an array of paint swatches. Which one is my dream color? Mystic Sea? Aqueous? Nope. You guessed it: Tame Teal. Seriously? I guess I am, in my heart of hearts, kind of boring.

My paint budget has been cut off temporarily so I can't paint the bedroom immediately, but I went ahead and picked out the color anyway. That way I will be ready to go buy paint when the time comes. We have had some unexpected expenses mixed in with some expected ones (read “It’s Only Money, Right?"), to the point that painting the bedroom has to be considered as a want and not a need. I do not care for the current peachy color, but I can wait to make my changes. And truth be told, I am tired of painting. I think I have found a new repetitive motion injury: paint roller shoulder. Most mornings my hands and shoulders complain a little at the thought of moving again, but then they get over themselves and do what needs to be done.

My paint-y, tired, achy hand

One pretty big thing I accomplished lately in the grand scheme of “wall colors and paint” was to remove the crazy-busy wallpaper in the kitchen and replace it with my peaceful Livable Green. I didn’t even fully realize the visual tension I was experiencing with that wallpaper in sight every day. I prefer less visual clutter, and this change decreased that significantly.

So busy!!

Be gone, wallpaper!!

Before...

After!

Hey, guess what??! This is an aside, but for those of you who read my June blog entry referenced above, you know that our refrigerator was having some issues. I was tasked with finding as cheap a replacement as possible. I did it!! I found exactly the refrigerator I wanted, which was $650 on its “best” sale, for only $500. How? Well, I needed to be OK with having a bisque-colored appliance. It took me a while to convince myself that I was OK with having a bisque colored appliance. I would have gladly taken a big scratch across a white appliance instead, but bisque was what God had for me. Something happened inside of me that I can’t exactly explain, but I went from dragging my feet on getting that refrigerator to completely loving it (as much as one CAN love an appliance – which it turns out is actually a lot). I will admit to hugging it intermittently. It is beautiful and spacious and quiet and NOT hot to the touch. It is a very welcome addition to our kitchen.

Did you know that bisque is two shades lighter than almond? The things you learn....

My big task for this past week has been painting the living room. We found a handyman to add a wall for us, replacing a wrought iron railing by the split level entry stairway (upstairs). We wanted the wall so we would have a sound barrier between our upstairs living space and Em and Eric’s downstairs living space. I knew what color I wanted to paint the living room, so I borrowed the handy man’s six foot ladder and tackled the task of painting the peak of our highest wall. It was scary being on the top step of the six foot ladder, but I conquered my fears long enough to get the job done. Though they have boring paint color names, I do like the Accessible Beige of the living room and dining room next to the Livable Green of the kitchen.

Too high!

Accessible Beige next to Livable Green

The handyman finished building the wall and taping and sanding the drywall on Tuesday. I had completed my task of staining the trim, but he gave me time to paint the new wall before he added the trim. No trim makes painting so much easier, so I was happy about that. The living room side of the wall was a breeze – two coats of primer and two coats of Accessible Beige, and it was done. The stairway side of the wall was a bit more intimidating. In a super generous gesture, the handyman left his extension ladder for me to use while painting that wall; the problem is, that is a crazy high space to paint and the ladder is way higher than the six-footer that had my knees knocking. I was not sure I could stand on the ladder at that height, much less paint from it. You probably understand by now that heights are not my thing!! (Insert short joke here.)

Before construction started

The railing is down.

Our handyman and assistant, hard at work.

It's a wall!

Wayyyyy too high!

I was psyching myself up to climb that ladder and paint that wall, as long as someone else was in the house to witness my likely impending demise. Conquering fears is empowering, right? My first step was to paint everything I could reach without that ladder. I used an extension roller and my smaller ladder. I gave that area 3 coats of primer, but there was probably a five foot square area that I simply could not reach without the extension ladder.  At the last minute, my knight in shining armor stepped in. R.J. offered to climb the big ladder and paint that last patch of drywall. I did all the prep of the roller and he rolled. It worked great (because I did not have to go on the ladder)!!

My hero!!

With walls painted, our handyman came back and finished the project by adding the trim. The electrician will come tomorrow to finish off the outlet we are adding to the wall. I think it looks fabulous! It will seem odd not to have paint cloths in a pile in the corner, ready for the next project, but I think taking a break will be good.

That wall is perfect!

Just about 13 months ago, we started the arduous task of getting our previous home ready to sell. It has been quite a journey, with many lessons along the way. I love the little surprises, like choosing (boring) paint colors that make me so happy, or finding a bargain refrigerator, or having a handyman who doesn’t mind leaving his ladders behind, or  a having a husband who will come to my rescue. There is so much joy in life, if I just take time to look at it. I am thankful beyond words for that truth.