an honest look at painting

We painted the dining room last weekend.  I can't think of many things I like less than painting.  War.  Injustice.  Itchy socks....... Yup, that's all. 

Now that it's over and I am enjoying the finished product, I can almost fool myself into thinking it was worth it, into thinking I could survive doing another room, into thinking it was not that bad.  I think this is the same forgetfulness principle that causes people to have more than one child. 

I thought that the dining room would be the easiest room in the house to paint.  There was hardly any furniture to remove.  We would barely miss it if it was out of commission for a few days.  There wasn't even too much to take off the walls. 

I forgot about the molding.  (I am shaking my fist in the air right now, in the general direction of said molding).  There is crown molding at the ceiling.  There is a chair rail.  There is wainscoting below the chair rail.  All this molding makes the room beautiful every day of the year except for painting day.  It looks real ugly on painting day. 

The good news (other than the fact that we are done) is that we are head over heels for the color.  Committing to a paint color has never been an easy thing for us, mainly due to the fear of painter's remorse.  But this color is... perfection.  It's gray, it's blue, it's green.  It's the color of sea glass, it's the color of tropical waters, it's the color of the eggshells we find in our ferns each spring.  Last night, as we were taking down the tape, Steve declared that the color managed to be both classical and modern at the same time.  He's right. 

It's called "Winter in Paris".  Isn't that romantic?  I totally choose paints by their name, and the name was what pushed me over the edge on this one.  I also choose books by their cover and have never understood why one should not do this, but that is a conversation for another day. 

I am giddy over this blank slate of a dining room to play with.  I can imagine at least 70 colors that would look amazing in there now and will probably try each of them, in the form of placemats and curtains and such. 

My only complaint about my new sewing room today is that I can't see the dining room from it.  But I'm anxious to finish this bag, so I will have to take a couple hours off from dining room gazing.  I'm really excited about how the bag is turning out and can't wait to share pictures of the finished product!  It is HUGE and as soon as I finish it I am hoping that Steve will whisk me away somewhere for the weekend so that I can pack in it.  Every trip is more exciting with a new bag. 

I hope that you are having a great week (it's already halfway over!) and that you don't have to paint anything.  I wouldn't wish that on anyone.