Are the Clampetts moving in or moving out?

Is it more absurd to store your furniture in the entry way
Originally uploaded by egret's nest.

Neither! We are getting our carpets cleaned. All my living and ding rooms furniture can easily be stored in the entry way to my house -- or as my mother dubbed it, the lobby. You can't see it in the picture, but there is a path to the front door that is easily navigated.

Getting the carpets cleaned yesterday was SO wonderful. We bought the house with white carpets in it. White! We had, at that time, a 3 year old and an 18 month old. Our decision was to live with the carpet until we couldn't stand it anymore and then to tear it all out and put in something more practical. Well. Best laid plans.

Now the kids are nearly 7 and 8-1/2 and we still have the damned white carpet. So, each year before the holidays, we have it cleaned. My mother-in-law pays for it and we gratefully accept. It feels sooooo nice to walk in and see the carpets clean that you can ALMOST understand why someone would pick that color to begin with -- almost!

Two things happened with the cleaning though.

1. The kids went wild with the wide, open spaces. Running and wrestling ensued.

2. I went wild with the wide open walls and decided that we needed to paint the living room too. My husband (whom I count on to talk me out of such things) thought it was a swell idea -- even when I started talking about such insanity as paint techniques and pulled on my Debbie Travis overalls.


Insanity, you say? Here is my living room . . . it's so big that one shot won't give you the full impression.

(There are more interior shots here).

I've been watching Debbie Travis and have been inspired to make bolder choices. So, I chose a yellow color out of the stonework of the fireplace. Greg suggested I be bolder than I intended so it contrasted enough with the white beams, etc. So, I did. It was clear upon putting up the samples that the yellow was too yellow. No worries, I'll do a glaze technique over it to make it look like linen wallpaper. It'll be gorgeous!

And it will. But OH MY GOODNESS that's a lot of wallspace to cover with paint and then cover again and then drag a brush through. And, that is a tall ceiling and did I mention that I'm afraid of heights?

I'm really hoping that in the light of day, a 2nd coat of yellow doesn't seem necessary! Fingers crossed.

While I was at it, I painted an accent wall in the dining room green. Now that turned out good and was an accomplishable goal for one day.

But, it will look gorgeous when it's done. This is what resulted the last time I lost my head and did a paint technique on these walls.

And, yes, my friends, that is the world's largest TV. It's 80 inches and great -- although you have to be across the room from it to see it and we worry about neighbor's being distracted and driving into a tree when we watch it with the blinds open!

So, with that, I leave you with a link to a post at 10000birds to a great poem about birds and the depths of winter . . . {click}. Enjoy!