Well, kinda–sorta. We’re still settling in to the new place, and between that and other things that keep on flowing, it seems that there isn’t much happening here that’s worth talking about.
And of course the transition between domiciles hasn’t been exactly glorious: I’m still trying to find stuff and instead I keep finding more stuff to try to fit into a small, already–overflowing kitchen; I’m trying to reduce the number of brain cycles spent on the fact that the downstairs bathroom has red and gold bordello–worthy wallpaper; and I’m trying to decide what color to paint my bedroom ceiling and walls. Why yes, I want the ceiling to be a different (and not white) color than the walls; it isn’t unheard of.
A few items to share, of possible interest to some of you:
Our Ballerina’s school year has ended. Because most classes are closed to observation, I’ve not seen her dance for several months; thus it was a lovely surprise to see how much she’s learned this year. She has an inherent grace (it didn’t come from me!) that will really shine if she develops a keener sense of rhythm. Considering how long she’s been dancing, she’s accomplished quite a lot already.
Our Karateka is up for promotion, and test day is rapidly approaching. He’s getting nervous about it (as well he should: although our sensei do not invite students to test if they aren’t ready, passing the test is by no means a given thing). Concomitantly, he’s being prepared to move from the children’s class to the adult class. Mr. Snolf has also been passed the lawn–mower mantle, to his trepidation (toe–eating machine!) and delight (cashy money!). He’s handling all these changes with aplomb. [I am not up for promotion—breathing issues kept me out of training for a month and I’m still working on getting back to where I was before they waylaid me.]
We have a few tomato plants, a couple of peppers, and some herbs planted. As usual, the weather has been cool and rainy since they were put in.
I have several knitting projects lined up as well as in progress, but one pattern has been kicking my ass. Stubborn Snake that I am, I’ve been focusing on conquering it, pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. The snolfs may grow out of the socks that I’ve knitted for them before I complete the seconds.
Lost in the Glories of Domesticity
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Home Sweet Home
I must admit your red and gold bathroom has captured my imagination. Can you add, say, light fixtures with beaded shades? A shower curtain with schools of gaudy tropical fish? Purple towels? The possibilites are endless! :-)
How could I forget?
The red part of the wallpaper pattern is velvety. And the countertop is 70s vintage bright orange. Alas, no tub or shower. Oh, and it’s also carpeted ... a medium–long chocolate brown (or so it appears to me).
family story to share
...a medium–long chocolate brown (or so it appears to me).
This sentence fragment reminds me of a story my mother has retold over the years.
When my folks got married, it was during the Korean War and they settled in a town that was near an active airbase. Housing was extremely tight, due to the influx of military families. My folks moved into an apartment that had been converted from a series of old hotel rooms. In the bedroom there was a carpet like you describe, medium-long chocolate brown fibers. My mother, creeped out by the general upkeep of the crumbly rooms, cleaned and cleaned. She included said carpet, which she scrubbed by hand with a scrub brush.
It turned out the carpet was actually a beige color. And it was taking her forever to clean it. Majorly upped the ick factor of their apartment, knowing how filthy the carpet was. When the opportunity came up to move into an actual apartment, they jumped at the chance. Mom was half way done with the bedroom carpet when they moved out ( they lived there 2 months), so it was half beige and half chocolate brown when they vacated the place.
I hope your carpet is really a nice chocolate brown (which I like). RE: wall paper, it sounds interestingly retro. The counter tops--- uggh!
The unthinkable is happening
Lewlew, your story is turning me off of chocolate brown. I don’t want to consider what all may have contributed to the shade shift of that beige carpet ... so gross. As to the true shade of our bathroom carpet, it could be a deep maroon; the room has no exterior wall and therefore no windows to allow natural light in—and the lighting in the room isn’t all that great (adequate to the customary tasks, though).
One thing the countertop has in its favor is that it’s a smooth, easily washable surface. In the kitchen, the countertops are yellow, and have just a touch of texture to them ... and there’s all kinds of mystery crud in them. I scrubbed and scrubbed (with baking soda) and got up a lot of embedded grime, but some was more stubborn than I—and of course, our use is putting more grime in. I don’t think I’m going to be able to advance my pie crust skills while here.
Colors
Red-and-gold bathroom ought to get you awake in the morning!
I’ve seen a bright, but muted, violet-purple (if you can picture that) on the bedroom ceiling, with pale pastel lavender on the walls. Of course the room was fairly large, and there was a large window, so it could handle the heavier color pushing down on it. But it was a beautiful room.
My three tomato plants suddenly sprouted six fruit, golf ball-size. Hope the weather starts cooperating with your plants too.
Color–full
I’m not a big purple fan, yet the room sounds lovely to me. I understand the logic of white walls as the “canvas” on which to create via wall hangings and other decorative items, but I think it is grossly overused. The right paint(s) or wallpaper can serve the same function, and with a greater sense of style and individuality.
This house has some splashes of color, but all the paint is flat—so the walls look dull in the overcast days that dominate our weather here. I’d been leaning toward trying to re–create the blue (ceiling) and yellow room I had a few houses back, but none of the paint chips we brought home really speak to me. I’ve always wanted a red bedroom ... my room is fairly spacious and has a northern and western window, so I think I could do it. Maybe a deep red base color and sponging or rag–rolling a second color (gold? ;-) over it. Whatever I decide, the paint will definitely have some gloss to it.
We’ve had a couple of sunny, warm days, but would welcome more. One of the tomatoes had a cluster of blossoms, but I pinched them off to encourage more growth. I hope yours are doing well.
What a memory!
I really feel for you with the mismatched Technicolor bathroom. When my first husband and I were married, we moved from his old studio apartment (REALLY wasn't going to work out there) to a house across the street. Unfortunately, the previous tenant had painted ALL the walls deep, dark purple. Including the kitchen and bathrooms. No carpet of any kind, thank goodness.
Anyway, I was not prepared to live with purple walls, especially with hardwood floors and a red brick fireplace. Oh, the nightmares.
We prepped the walls with a serious primer, then painted with the thickest white latex we could get. The landlord paid for the first coat... but it took four coats to tone it down to a nice, ugly lavender.
We moved out before I totally lost my mind.
I think.... :)
Purple people–eating walls?
For those of us old enough to remember the song ...
The original purple must have been truly hideous for you to call the lavender both “nice” and “ugly”, Mama.
How funny!
I honestly didn't notice the completely incongruent adjectives when I wrote that! LOL But yes, it remained ugly and only the contrast with totally hideous purple made it in any way "nice."
Obviously, I'm not fond of purple either. To me, "lavender" is a scent, not a color.
You should mirror your
You should mirror your bedroom ceiling so it matches your bath. :D
Ha!
The room under discussion is the powder room—the downstairs bathroom for guests to use. Apparently, this house was rather opulent in an earlier incarnation; the drapes in the living room attest to that, as does the aforementioned powder room, and the chandelier now hanging from a garage rafter.
Isn’t it bad feng shui to have a mirror in one’s bedroom? ;-)