Tuesday, July 8, 2008

So Much

I was telling Ty last night that I have so much to blog about that I don't know where to start!
A. We got my long-awaited new furniture on the 4th, which clashed insanely with my living room walls (never underestimate how many tones of "tan" there are out there), so Saturday we painted an "accent wall." I am not a huge fan of accent walls, as I have always been under the impression that they are for those too timid to commit to design, not to mention how trendy they are (and I am, by principle, against anything too trendy). Well, I have been converted from such unthinkable thoughts. I now realize the many virtues of accent walls:
#1. They are EASY. It only took a mere two hours from start to finish (including taping and clean up) - a quick project by my standards.
#2. They dramatically change the dynamics in a room with little effort.
#3. I was a lot more brave in choosing a color than I would have been had I been painting the entire room (I've always been drawn to dark colors, but restrain myself for fear that my house will look like a cave).
#4. There is no way, in my home's style, to paint an "entire" room. It's either an accent wall or the whole house, cause all the rooms flow together.

I now scurry from room to room imagining all the accent walls I can paint! I am addicted.

Now I need your opinion. Brown pillows/brown & olive pillows/brown bear rug (imagine an iron and glass coffee table and some cool shapey art on the wall), or striped pillows (I only offer this as an option because it would allow me to incorporate red - my favorite color, and would be more casual and allow for more options in decorating. The pillows look weird in this picture - they're actually very cute). I need help!

B. Next, our Fourth of July deserves a little attention, seeing as how it is my favorite holiday:




We parade-watched, fire works-lit, real fireworks-watched, BBQ ate, and pool-swam. Whew.

C. Samera got into my freshly-baked (not too hot for me to eat an entire row already though) mint brownies last night. She told me, "I told you have to put 'em up so I can't reach 'em," in her most it's your fault tone:



D. Sylas got a haircut finally. He was starting to look like a Hobbit (you know how their hair grows over their ears). Ty kept threatening to give him a mohawk, but in the end the good ol' nerd-do stand-by won. Here he is, all wrapped in plastic, ready for the cutting to begin:



E. Our garden is coming along. These are pictures from last week cause I'm too lazy to take pictures today. We thought everything was dead, thanks to some genius who sprayed the field behind our house, but everything seems to be perking back up. We're keeping our fingers crossed that there is no permanent damage.



I could probably go through the entire alphabet if I didn't need to leave RIGHT NOW to get to the cannery for a ward can-a-thon.

8 comments:

Marianne said...

A. I love your furniture! And I LOVE the accent wall! It looks so nice. I bet you're loving it. As for the pillows, I think I like the striped ones in the picture. I also like red and I like stripes. I also think that brown or olive pillows would be too much brown and olive. The splash of red is a nice accent. Only my opinion, though. I'm definitely not a professional!
B. Sounds like you had fun!
C. I don't blame Samera. I'd do the same thing. Everything you make is delicious.
D. Did he let you cut it? Noah just barely started letting us, but he's done after about five minutes, so I have to be really fast.
E. Your garden looks great! Looks like everything's thriving, despite the helpful genius.

Hope you had fun at the can-a-thon!

Marianne said...

(This is in response to your comment to me)

I agree with you about the fireworks, but I always thought I was alone in that opinion. Everyone's always so excited about fireworks, but I'm okay without them. So, I was fine that we didn't see any. I know Noah would love them, but he'll have plenty of 4ths in the future. The only time I really enjoyed fireworks was a couple years ago when we decided to go to the Huntsville (the town where Pineview Reservior is) fireworks. It was fun because there was a small town feel. We layed a blanket on the grass and layed on our backs and looked up at the sky and the fireworks were right above us. It was a good show too- much better than some big city firework shows I've been to. Anyway, that was fun, but even still, I don't freak out with excitement at the thought of lighting fireworks for the 4th of July. I think I like the 4th for the same reason you to: family, lazy summer fun, and good food.

Rindee said...

Your furniture is beautiful. You are brave to have white with little kids still. I like red, too, so I vote for anything that would bring red into a brown room. We have 2 accent walls, and I love them. I love color, but I don't want to live in psycadelic cave, either. Our living room is light tan, then we have one dark brown wall, and then we have a dark red wall in the kitchen (that you can see from the living room). I'm getting the urge to paint again. The bedrooms are still too white.

Samera is too funny. She makes me laugh out loud everytime you mention her. I wish I could get to know her in real life.

Your garden looks beautiful! I'm trying "square foot gardening" this year for the first time. So far, so good. But you have the beautiful white dividers. I just pounded some nails into my wood grow boxes and wrapped twine around them.

Our ward had a can-a-thon today, too. I don't know. Maybe your can-a-thon was different. We just had our canning day. I don't know how it is in Idaho, but you can't get into the cannery these days. It's crazy. You'd think the world was coming to an end or something. Our ward got their turn and only 12 people were allowed to go. 24 signed up, so our RS president had to draw names from a hat. Each person was only allowed 36 cans each, so we made sure that everyone that went used their 36 cans, even if they had to do some canning for the people who couldn't come. So...36 times 12... we canned 432 cans of food in 2 hours and I was assigned to fill the boxes. It was quite a work out, and I'm pooped, but it was so exciting to see everyone working so hard.

Sorry to take over your comments section. maybe I should get myself a blog ;)

Amber said...

I love both looks because they both accent your beautiful furniture so well. But I would have so say the stripes are by far my favorite. They look casual, yet contemporary and stylish. All things I dream of being, but fall completely flat in reality. I am putting a lot of trust in you to decorate a beautiful living room so I can live vicariously through you. Although we do have an accent wall, it is only because my husband forced me to do it. I am so afraid to do anything because I have NO imaginations and cannot visualize something unless I have seen it. Makes for a pretty boring home.

Um, so as far as the 4th is concerned. It is my favorite holiday of all times. I love it more than Christmas. I love it more than Halloween and Thanksgiving combined (and that is saying a lot based on the sheer volume of candy and food consumed on those 2 holidays!). And it is not because it is so close to my birthday (which is an entire blog topic so I will save all the gory details). I would much prefer it was like 6 months after my birthday so I could look forward to 2 dates equally! And I am sorry for the novel, but you posted about so much so I have so much to say. Like how Samera is a child after my own heart, only I wouldn't have just stopped at just a row! Or about how stinkin cute Sylas looks in that plastic! Or how jealous I am of your garden. See I could go on all day!

Emily said...

I am also a believer in accent walls. I painted one wall in my girls' room hot pink without thinking twice because it's just one wall! My bravery hasn't made it into our real living area yet though. You are inspiring! I like the red pillows too (uh oh, red isn't trendy is it?), but I also love that bear rug. Mmmm. I want to come over & have a nap on it. What are you doing with two full sets of accent pillows? Can I have whatever you decide not to use? ;) & are those couches as white as they look? And are they in the same house as that cutie with the brownies? Your garden looks awsome. I keep hoping mine will perk up enough to post pictures of it - any day now, I'm sure!

Sharlee said...

I was surprised how light colored your couches are. Do your kids get to sit on them? I love the first look of your furniture with the browns and the rug--so retro and fancy. I like the other pillows too, but what it boils down to, in my ever so unprofessional opinion, is casual or fancy. The striped pillows give the room a casual look (although, I'm sure with the right window treatments and art could be just as fancy) and the brown pillows look fancier. Maybe if I saw it in real life I would think differently but just judging from the pictures that's the impression I got. Two very different looks for sure. So if your heart's desire is modern go with the rug and the art. I love the wall color too! Good job. I might have to try an accent wall at my house and see what happens.
Samera kills me. I love that you can see each finger scrape print in the brownies. You're garden looks great and it sounds like you guys knocked yourselves out for the 4th! Wow! All that fun in one weekend. And your husband even tagged along for all the fun. How lucky are you! I had to take the kids to the parade by myself and it was a nightmare. Never again!

Jason said...

Hey. I LOVE your new furniture and Im so excited for you! I know how long you have been wanting that! I have to go with the striped because I love red and I think they look really good with the accent wall too. But even if you decide to use the brown, you can still use some red to decorate. Their aren't many rules to decorating now-a-days... It's like, anything goes... the more color the better. I am still pretty conservative and Im guessing you are too. Anyways. From what I have seen, I love your house and your garden looks awesome! Great Job!! And I want the recipe for your mint brownies. I remember you made those the last time I hung out with you at your house and they are soooo tasty. Love ya!

Christy said...

Wow! Love the furniture!! Beautiful colors. I like the red striped pillows best, but I would also put in two of the brown pillows in between the striped ones, added a little more depth?? But whatever, it's totally up to you obviously!! ;) Looks like you guys had a fun Frouth! I am glad someone did! hehe...we are slackers! And you garden looks awesome!! I wanted one, but didn't know where to start, what a great excuse huh?