Month: April 2020

That’s It, I’m Giving In

Lauren1 Comment

Well, I cracked.  I did it.  I gave in.  I decided to listen to my inner mental health cheerleader and paint the wall!

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Yes, this bland fireplace wall is gonna get an update.

And the hubs will be so relieved that he no longer has to listen to me complain about it.  Heck, I will no longer have to listen to me complain about it!

Right now I’m in the color selecting process.

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I did that by going online to various paint-related stores and searched their online catalogs.  Lowes and Sherwin Williams both had tools where you could upload your own home photo and see what the color would look like in the room that way.

I narrowed it down to two colors, both in different color families.

HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Caviar Interior Paint Sample (Actual Net Contents: 8-fl oz)

Caviar by HGTV Home By Sherwin Williams.

HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams Dark Night Interior Paint Sample (Actual Net Contents: 8-fl oz)

And this is Dark Night by HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams.

Now I am choosing the colors by not painting them on the wall but on a canvas.  I have no access to posterboard right now, and I have the blank canvases in the house and I figured, why not.

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This method helps me choose a color without committing to painting the wall should I decide that I dislike either color.

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Use as many coats on your sample as you would on the wall for maximum opacity (is that actually a word or did the beauty gurus make it up?).

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Each color is so very different.   I have one I am leaning towards though.  Which one do you think it is?

 

We Made Our Dining Reservations!

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I woke up at 5 AM and did it!

I made our Advanced Dining Reservations!

And yes, yes you should clap for me, cause that was 5 in the morning!  The sun wasn’t even out yet!

We got The Hollywood Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios for lunch because the burger looks amazing!  We also procured a reservation at The Jungle Navigation Co LTD Skipper Canteen (isn’t that a long name) in the Magic Kingdom for dinner.  We also got Tiffins in the Animal Kingdom for dinner.  For our arrival date we got Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge for dinner.  And last but not least, we got Raglan Road in Disney Springs for lunch with the family!

See, both the hubs and I have family in Florida.  They live about an hour and a half away from Orlando on either side of the state, so we get to see them while we are there!

We don’t have ADR for every day we are there because Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival will be going on.  We will be eating all the food that day!

I am so excited for our trip!  Let’s eat all the things!

A Musical Day

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Like so many us, my mental health hasn’t been great lately.  I have generalized anxiety, among other things, so pretty much everything has the opportunity to make me anxious.  And lately, there’s been a lot to be anxious about.

So I decided to take a day for me.

That’s right, I’m taking a self-care day!

I know I’ve talked my friends and family to death about this on social media because it makes me happy, but this past Friday all the musical things came out.  There were two Disney musical experiences and Phantom of the Opera!  I also watched some Golden Girls in between my musicals.

Yup, my self-care day was full of musicals and the Golden Girls.

And also cake!

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I made a vegan chocolate cake the other day, so I can eat as much of it as I want and not upset my egg allergy! Mind you I only had one piece on my self-care day.  It’s a self-care day, not a make yourself sick on chocolate cake day.

Time for self-care has never been more important.  If you can’t break away for a whole day, try for an hour or two.  Just make some time for yourself.

You deserve it.

 

 

 

Social-Distancing as an Ambivert

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I’m an ambivert.  It’s a fancy way of saying I am both an introvert and an extrovert.  Which is just a fancy way of saying that I am both comfortable at home with no friends to spend time with, or I am comfortable out with all the peoples!

And yes, the hubs and I are still very much into our social distance practicing.  And so should you.

I have to say, I miss the peoples.

But not hugely.

Not missing people, but still missing them, one of the joys of being an ambivert.

And, because I have anxiety, it is both a blessing and a curse.  Apparently, I get anxious when I don’t get to leave my house and do things like go to the movies by myself.  And my anxiousness expresses itself through restlessness, otherwise known as that feeling of “I don’t know what I want to do but I do know that it’s none of the things we have in the house and omg I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t figure it out”.

Those moments are usually accompanied by a lot of turning the tv on and back off again, picking up a book only to get bored of it two chapters in, followed up by moments of “I should bake something” only to realize I don’t actually want to bake anything.

Thankfully, I’m also perfectly happy just relaxing on my couch with my cup of tea, blanket, and a book.  I love being a walking contradiction.   It fills me with joy.

Are there any other ambiverts out there?  If so, how are you handling your time at home?

 

My Crafting Space

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I built a dresser (pre-Covid-19).  Well, the hubs and I built the dresser.  Basically, I started it.  I did the body, he came in halfway, said “I want to help”, then built all the drawers cause he’s awesome like that.

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It’s like legos for adults.

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After many hours we got it finished!  Huzzah!  All is right with the world!

It is now in its proper place in my craft room!   See how nice it looks with my pegboard.

Why yes, I do have a ribbon habit.

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I’m really happy with how much storage this dresser has in it.  Right now I have one drawer empty.  I’m assuming that will get filled up with fabric.  Or, quite possibly, I just need to go through my fabric collection and donate what I never plan on using so that other drawers are freed up.

Nah.

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And with that, my craft room is mostly done!  I say mostly because whose craft room is ever actually finished.  I am patiently awaiting the day I want to add more stuff.  It’ll happen.  Just you wait and see.

 

I Feel the Need to Change a Thing!

Lauren2 Comments

I want to do a house project!

I get the urge every now and then.  Something has to give.

See, I have this wall.  And on this wall, there is a fireplace.

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It looks a little boring, don’t you think?  I mean, the ceiling is the same color as the walls.  In every room in the house!  And the fireplace is the same one in every house in our neighborhood.  But I can’t change the fireplace without contractors.

I don’t want to use contractors right now.  Also, the hubs won’t let me at this moment in time.  His logic is sound.

There is a plague happening right now.

But, I could paint the wall.  I even did a little mock-up from Sherwin Williams to see what it would look like.

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Of course, my painting job would be better than my artistic rendering of the paint I did here.  Accent walls for the win!

I tried a variety of different colors, dark browns, light blues, greens, oranges, even brick reds.  Nothing really worked with the wall color.  But I really like the one above.  It’s called Dark Night.

Of course, I have yet to actually see the color in person.  Again, because plague.  I’ll get there eventually.

Here’s hoping I get to paint this wall soon.