Impulse Shopping

Yesterday, I was in the natural foods section of my grocery store, looking for a Game On!  approved cold cereal, when I discovered these:

I've heard about Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products.  Somewhere--but I can't remember where--I've read extremely favorable reviews.  Supposedly, they are made with natural ingredients and they smell incredible.  In the last few months, I've been leaning towards a greener (read: fewer chemicals) home, so I've been wanting to try out Mrs. Meyer's stuff.

There was only one problem: when I looked online for their retailers, the only one listed in my area was Wal-Mart.  Have I told you about my issues with Wal-Mart?  We won't go into that, right now, it's enough to say that I have sworn never to darken the doors of any Wal-Mart, anywhere, for the rest of my life.  So, if it's not at Target....I'm out of luck.

We're Making Progress

I'm happy to report that we've made so much progress this year in taking down our Christmas Tree.  It's only January 19th, and we already have the ornaments packed (or close to it), the lights off, and the branches are down!

I know, I know, some of you are shuddering right now at the thought of having Christmas decorations up past Martin Luther King Day.

I've been busy!

"Hmmph," you must be thinking.  "So this is going to be one of those blogs."  The kind where the blogger posts lots of entries in just a few days.....then posts NOTHING for days and days.  (Perhaps even months and months.) 

I will reply to those of you who had the above thoughts with the following pictorial evidence.

Exibit A:  The back hallway and several kitchen walls BEFORE.  Okay, okay, it is really DURING. 

For those of you who may be thinking, "What color is that?"  My answer is, "Exactly."  That color is not due to my lack of photographic skill alone.  That IS the color of my walls.  I call it, "Gacky Sage."  I don't think Ralph Lauren will steal the patent on it.  It has been this color since we bought the house.  Previous Owner obviously loved it, because it is EVERYWHERE.  (Cue the scary music.)  We're talking on every wall of the 800 square feet of kitchen/great room, plus the front entrance, stairway, and upstairs hallway. 

Please understand, I love a good sage green.  B and I installed the coolest countertops in our Connecticut Cottage kitchen (first home) that were several shades of sage green.  They looked fantastic.  I'm just not a fan of Gacky Sage.  Everywhere.  And would you believe that before B installed new lighting, there were only three overhead lights in the entire 800 square feet?  Yes, three.  It was dark and dreary.  Sort of like vampire lair in a mossy cave.  That bad.  Anyway, new lighting helped considerably with the cave effect, but the walls were still Gacky Sage.  It has hampered my decorating considerably.  (Or at least been a great scapegoat.)  The reason we haven't changed it before now was there were so many other rooms that were WORSE.  Color-wise, I mean.  (Moldy Chocolate in the Master Bedroom, anyone?)  But I digress.  Let's move along to Exibit B, also known as AFTER:

Not the best picture, here.  Sorry!  But look at this one:

I'm so excited!  I've only finished four walls, and it took me several days to get them just right.  There was lots of prep work.  And lots of touching up.  Next, I'll be moving on to the dining area of my kitchen.  I want to get this project finished before our big fall party at the end of October.  Wish me luck--and don't expect to see daily blog updates until I'm finished!

Oh, and let me mention one other thing.  I forgot to mention why I'm so utterly proud of my work on this silly little hallway and two walls.  This is my first solo home improvement project.  B, my husband, is the most talented (fill in the blank, here) EVER.  I'm serious about fill in the blank.  Whatever he touches turns to gold.  The results of his home improvment projects are stunning.  So I tend to give him a few suggestions that lead him to believe something was his idea, then turn him loose.  When it comes to painting, I'm very good at prep work and trim.  This is the first time I've ever attempted the entire project myself.  I'm so proud of me!  (And so is B.)

Fall Garden

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

I am an intermittent gardener. That means I don't spend everyday in the garden. Sometimes I even go weeks without remembering to do anything to my gardens. But when I'm out there, I love it, I really do. I must have Gardener's Attention Deficit Disorder. So I purposely design my gardens to be very forgiving. (The results are disastrous and expensive if I don't.)

So, here are some pics of what my front garden beds do in early fall when just left to their own devices. Note: this requires lots of bark mulch and pulling out the stalk of corn growing randomly near the birdfeeder before taking pictures in order to achieve a similar outcome. Enjoy!