A perfectly imperfect Thanksgiving

Perfection........

ahhhhhh the word puts a visual in my head of one of those rooms I drool over as I am looking at the latest Home and Garden design magazine.

Image credit

Image credit

But as hard as I try.......I can't just get my room to look like one of those rooms from a
design magazine.

As I look around and see the floor covered with dog hair and notice that there a dishes in the sink
....I am quickly reminded that

LIFE 

is getting in the way of 

Perfection.

In the last two months I have been striving for Perfection.

Unfortunately this pursuit of perfection has created a health issue to the point that I am currently back on blood pressure medication after being off it for almost a year and one half. 

I am still in denial that the reason I am on blood pressure medication

is because I have set unrealistic goals.
All the goals certainly seemed reasonable at the time I made that 5 page single spaced project list.

Come on is it really that unrealistic to completely redecorate 

an entire 2800 sq ft house in less than 45 days?

I have done major remodels in less than 4 months........redecorating is a piece of cake.

I wasn't knocking down walls this time...or putting in a complete kitchen......or re-landscaping.....

I was simply doing the following:

Painting 800 sq ft living room

Painting bathrooms

Hanging wallpaper in Master Bathroom

Hanging Wallpaper in Downstairs Guest Bathroom

Painting Upstairs Guest Bathroom

Painting furniture

Painting Kitchen Island

Painting downstairs Family Room

Painting Hallways

Painting Kitchen

Painting Master Bathroom

Adding custom striping to Upstairs Guest Bathroom

Container landscape twelve large pots

Order new furniture and assemble when arrives

Unpack and assemble new large coffee table

Unpack and assemble Two Wingback chairs

Unpack and assemble King size Headboard

Order new range, hood, refrigerator, and dishwasher

Remove old oven

Coordinate the installation of new appliances.

Hire electrician to install new track lighting

Okay so after typing that list it is a little long.......but the list for a REMODEL project is huge!!!

So I am a little lost as to what is different this time.....

That is of course until I look down the hall and see my husband up on a ladder caulking.......and then I hear him say I am getting that microwave in tonight.

It is then I realize........Oh  I know what is different.......

This time my husband and I are doing the majority of the work.

On all of our previous remodel projects my husband and I are the project managers.......
not the laborers.

But alas even as laborers
(a job I would prefer to hand over to someone else)
ALL the work was completed by Thanksgiving.
  I am thankful it was all completed but I do have to question whether or not it was
NECESSARY 
to practically kill myself in pursuit of what I thought was perfection.

Truly our Thanksgiving PERFECT.

Albeit during the course of the four days with fifteen guests in my home...
there were moments where it certainly didn't look perfect.

In fact with every one's lap tops, cell phones, cameras, jackets, shoes......
there were times every surface was covered with STUFF.

But as I stood back and observed the room that was
filled with fifteen bodies, two dogs, lots of clutter and plenty of laughter
I realized no one cared about all that STUFF or the dirty dishes or the chaos.

What I saw instead of chaos was
laughter, smiles, and just pure JOY!!
It was a PERFECT scenario.

I realized that the reason it was PERFECT....was because it was SOOO IMPERFECT.

While seeking perfection I accidentally happened to created the perfect setting and had
 perfected imperfection.

The guest are gone.....The house is quieter......and I am currently resting and recharging
so that in less that 24 days those fifteen plus guests can return and enjoy a
perfectly imperfect Christmas.

What plans are you making for your perfectly imperfect Christmas?

Wednesday Wowzers - WHY I LOVE PAINT

Oh my I am a little late for this post so I apologize.....

but when I show you what I have been busy doing perhaps you will give me a pass.

So as you know

I LOVE COLOR....

and of course there is no better or quicker way to make a big impact than with paint.

I mean I love wallpaper.....

I love textiles.....

I love tile....

BUT OH MY DO 

I LOVE PAINT!!!

The reason I love paint is because you can make such a 

BIG IMPACT 

for such a small investment.

Yes painting can be scary but oh so rewarding.....and as my husband so fondly puts it......

it is only paint.....and heck if you don't like the color....you can

REPAINT.

You should know you do not need to be a rocket scientist to paint.  

Yes there are a few tricks that make things easier.....but honestly if you are willing to get some paint on your clothes and in your hair.......

you can do it!!!

I am going to show you two projects that I have ALMOST completed.  

In these projects I used the following:

1 qt of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is : Caliente

1 qt of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is: Truffle

 1 gallon of Benjamin Moore Aura Color is : Linen White

 First up is my kitchen island.  I found it at a consignment shop many years ago for $250.00. 

It has a 4 inch solid maple top.  The base is also made of solid maple.   Over the years the base has yellowed and the solid maple top was in need of sanding.

Of course my husband volunteered (wink...wink) to sand the island for me and his little helper was right there in the thick of things.

That is such a weird angled shot....because the island looks so small....

it actually measures 30" wide by 48" long.

This is the top of the island before my husband sanded it. 

This island is sanded and all ready for a little MAGIC!!

The first magical thing was applying Butcher Block Conditioner to that freshly sanded maple.

Yep then it was time to put that quart of Benjamin Moore Aura : Caliente to work. 

Isn't that the most amazing RED you have ever seen!!!!

The paint has a built in primer....which SAVES so much time!   It goes on like thick cream.  Eggshell is my favorite sheen.  In my opinion it has just the right amount of shine.   I also use a foam roller and but on thin coats.  I let each coat dry about two hours before re-coating.

SO.......I mean I had TWO HOURS......and TWO HOURS  in my world is like FOREVER!!!!

So you can be sure I wasn't going to stand around and watch the paint dry....at least not this time. 

I had this most awful guest bathroom.....I mean really it was 

SAD and EMBARRASSING!!!

I am sure when the prior owner of the home picked this butterfly wallpaper in those lovely Mauve shades of the 80's it was right in style.....

but ugh 30 years later this wallpaper needed to 

GO...GO...GO!!!

Bye bye Butterflies......hello Benjamin Moore Linen White and Caliente!!!

I painted the walls Linen White and the ceiling Caliente.  

Now I couldn't just leave those walls Linen White.....that would be BORING!!!  Plus I still had almost an hour before I could get back to my kitchen island.

Then I had a fabulous idea which involved

BLUE PAINTERS TAPE, A  CARPENTERS LEVEL,

and some random

creativity!

 

I have continued the stripes around the room.   The red is the Caliente, the white is Linen White and the Taupe is called Truffle.   It is a great color palette that took this bathroom from sad to

WOWZERS!!!

and that Kitchen Island from uninspired to

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT!!

I had a little more Truffle colored paint left and of course decided while 

I was waiting for the stripes to dry 

and 

multiple coats of paint on the island to dry

heck why not add a couple of accent walls in the kitchen

And so 

WOWZERS.......

I was definitely multitasking in the paint department......

so I hope you understand why I am a little late with this 

Wednesday Wowzers

and now you also know

WHY I LOVE PAINT!!!