…the new wall color in the living room, that is. It’s a warm, rich, gray-brown. I love it. And it loves me. Every time I walk into this room, I literally feel like the walls are hugging me.

The progress on the room is slow, but sure. The white trim is coming along. One of the two big walls is painted. I picked up bamboo shades for the windows to match the dining room and kitchen. And if I ignore the fact that all the furniture is shoved into an island in the middle of the room…I start to see the potential! Loving the mirror above the fireplace, but realizing that the scalloped trim needs to go away, STAT.

Once the painting is done, I’ll start earnestly looking for furniture. Right now I’m thinking a sectional in the middle of the room with a side chair of some sort where the wicker one is. A new rug is high on the priority list. I want new lighting, too. Oh, and that big, blank, brown wall? I’m picturing a gallery wall. Maybe??

My pal Layla from The Lettered Cottage has promised to give me some design ideas, and I can’t WAIT for her input!! Speaking of which, her awesome blog (which I had the honor of designing) is up for a huge award! TLC is one of the finalists for The Homies (put on my Apartment Therapy). This is a big deal. And they totally deserve it. So please go vote for them!!

All for now. Happy Monday!

It’s that time of year. Bethany gets antsy. Needs a project to tackle. Reaches for a paintbrush. Spur of the moment, you know? This time, it was actually hubby who grabbed the paintbrush first. He decided it was finally time to finish off the white trim on the main level. I joined the fun, and splashed some paint on the brick fireplace. Why not? And while we’re at it, we decided the walls need a new color. Oh, and how ’bout a new front door. Window treatments. A new rug? Okay.

The list of to-do’s for Project Living Room keeps growing. I have a feeling we’ll be in the middle of a mess for awhile, a la Kitchen Refresh from a few years ago (if you weren’t around, I’ll just say it was an “afternoon project” which turned into a two-plus month ordeal).

Happy Monday!

Here she is! In all her shiny beauty. Making cooking more convenient again, and making my kitchen more mod. As per my previous post, she only meets half my expectations. That is, I didn’t get my bottom freezer. For the cost and extra time we’d have had to wait, it just wan’t worth it. Boo hiss. At any rate, I’m happy with the new addition, and happy to have a FRESH, CLEAN, NEW fridge! It makes grocery shopping actually, maybe, sort-of, kind-of sound fun! Okay. That’s not true.

I hate grocery shopping. As is evidenced by the lack of food in the new fridge. This is the hardy stuff that made it through a week in a cooler in the snow. Oh! And look! I got new shoes! Aren’t they great? I love them.

Ahem.

Did you know there are two types of grocery shoppers? There are market people and supermarket people. Market people go to the store as they need items, and generally eat fresher foods. They don’t stock up on stuff and think about only the meal in front of them. Supermarket people plan ahead, stock up on ingredients and probably only shop once a week… maybe even less. I am a market person. Planning meals in advance makes my head explode. WHO KNOWS what I’ll be hungry for later this week??? Sure, I can buy basics for breakfasts and whatnot, but dinners, no way. That is a shop-on-an-as-needed basis kind of meal. I would do so well living in Europe… running to the market for a tomato, a few sprigs of basil and a hunk of fresh bread. Bruschetta for dinner? Why not.

As you can tell I am in a steam-of-consciousness type mood.

Getting to the point.

Which type of shopper are you? What are the pros and cons of the two different styles, in your opinion??

Last week, our chalkboard fridge died. It was a very sad day indeed. Thankfully it’s winter in Minnesota, which means a cooler in the snow does a fine job of chilling the milk. The larger issue at hand, however, has been finding a fridge to replace our chalky friend. Apparently fridges under 67″ are few and far between. Couple that with the fact that I had my heart set on a stainless steel model with a bottom freezer. Not much to ask, right? Easy peasy. Yeah. Not so. My expectation of swinging by Home Depot and picking one out in a half hour between meetings was crushed when I discovered that we were looking at a special order and a two to three week wait. Patience is not my speciality. Long story short, after much searching and hemming and hawing and irritation, we have a new fridge. It meets half of my expectations, it was delivered today and now I’m not looking at two weeks of trudging outside every time I want an egg.

Pictures of the new addition soon! Also, I think I need a chalk wall in the kitchen. How else am I going to handle the loss of chalky??

When it comes to my home (and many other things, I suppose), I like things simple–understated even. So I don’t go overboard decorating for Christmas. Even though overboard is beautiful, it’s really not me. I do just enough to add some sparkle.

A glittery gold star garland is hung in the doorway between the dining room and the living room.

Our tree is decked with white lights, red and gold ribbons and balls, and a host of cheesy, childhood ornaments. A gold star is perched (crookedly) atop.

The mantle holds the nativity, and from it hang our two red stockings. I’ve been known to put them on my feet and dance around the living room. Shhhh. Don’t tell.

There are candles EVERYWHERE. I love the warmth and light they bring.

A string of white lights is added to the lantern that lives in the dining room. I’m quite fond of this arrangement, and might just have to keep it year-round.

For a recent party, I decorated the table with a string of colored lights and a handful of votive candles. Pretty and simple.

And that, my friends, is what Christmas at the cottage looks like!