Well. It sure is a good thing I committed to posting every day in October. Let us feign that day nine does not exist, shall we?
Good. We have an understanding.
On Monday, I wrote that I was "inspired" to finally start painting the wretched peach walls that cover
Every.
Single.
Inch.
of this house. Seriously. Even the ceilings. Gives me the peepee shivers.
Two years we have been here, and we have not done anything about it.
TWO YEARS!
We have only ourselves to blame.
So, the children and I were in town on Monday and after co-op and piano we stopped at The Home Depot. Did you know that Home Depot can match other companies paint colors? It is true, it is true.
So I gave Mr. Home Depot my paint color from my parents' new house, as I planned to shamelessly steal it from them. Like a good daughter does.
He began asking me really hard questions, like what sheen did I want it in and did I want the primer/paint combo and, well, basically, my head starting spinning.
Because what do I know?
I told him I simply did not know and that I basically needed something that was easily washable. Then I pointed to the four children, almost as if to further prove my point. I also told him I was painting my entire house and I was not sure if I would like the color, so I would only be taking one gallon at this time.
Mr. Home Depot had a brilliant idea!
He told me about paint "samples." You can get any color in a small little container for $3. So, as I took all 9 paint stir sticks away (again) from Little Dude and put them back in the container, I said:
"That would be the best plan."
Then I remembered another color I saw on The Pinterest! Has anyone else seen this pin floating around?
The pin says under it, and I quote:
"Described as the best paint color ever. Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter."
Well! If it is the best, then I must have it!
So, I told Mr. Home Depot to throw one of them in a handy $3 container, too.
Teller is painting the peach, people!
So, we went to check out and we were waiting in line. Little Dude was touching the items of the cart in front of us and I asked him to come back and not touch.
Man Behind Me: Excuse me, miss?
I cannot tell a lie. I really, REALLY, like it when people call me "miss" instead of "ma'am."
Me: Yes?
Man: Are your children homeschooled?
I panicked. I looked at them all. They seemed to be dressed fairly normal. I was not wearing my denim jumper with apples and bears stitched to the front. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon and most kids are out of school by now anyways.
How did he know?! How did he know?!?!?
Me: Yes, they are.
Man: I figured as much.
And then he was silent for awhile and I was trying to figure out what I was missing.
Man: Usually you can tell if kids are homeschooled. They seem to listen to their parents more.
Hmmm. My kids? Listen? Get out of town.
Me: Oh! Yeah . . .
Man: You go to church?
Me: Yes, we do.
Man: I figured as much. Homeschooling and church seem to go together.
Me: Yeah, it seems so.
As we are talking, my children have made it their goal to touch every single candy bar in the aisle. Which was awesome. I kept removing them and they kept trying and I was wondering if Mr. Stranger was regretting his earlier comment about how good my kids were at listening.
Mr. Stranger was called to the next row to check out and I checked out my things and started to leave the store.
Then Mr. Stranger came running after me.
Mr. Stranger: Miss? Oh, Miss?
Me: Yes?
He handed me four candy bars that I saw him pick out in line.
Mr. Stranger: You give these to your kids, if they keep listening to you and all. They are good kids.
Me: Wow! Well, thank you that was awfully nice of you!
The kids all thanked him and he nodded and started to walk off.
Mr. Stranger: Keep good care of them. I hear they are like a quiver full of arrows or something!
As we walked back to our car, two other strangers stopped, smiled, and waved at the kids.
And I still don't know why.
***
You will be disappointed to hear that neither paint color will work in our house.
Here is the color I shamelessly stole from my parents' house:
You cannot even tell. That is the first clue that this is not the color for us.
Here is the Revere Pewter:
We do not feel it is the best color ever.
We need something with more color to it. So, we will continue to look.
Today's blessings:
*Finding out you can buy $3 paint samples at Home Depot! True, I will probably spend $30 in samples, but at least I might get the color I want!
*Having a complete stranger bless your day by telling you your kids are a blessing. All to often in the store, I hear:
"Wow! Are they ALL yours?"
"Wow! Are they ALL yours?"
"Don't you know how that happens?"
"Do they all have the same dad?" (grrr)
"You have your hands full!"
"Oh, you are brave. I don't envy you!"
Instead, he made me feel like I was lucky to have my kids. He even seemed to think they were . . . good kids.
And you know what?
They are. And I am.
"Children are a heritage from the Lord . . . blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."
Psalms 127:3-5 paraphrased
Even though we don't know each other you always make me laugh. I'm a stay home mom of four, but only two in homeschool right now. It seems a lot of your daily experiences are similar to mine! Make me feel like I'm not so crazy! I hope you find the right paint color. We just recently reprinted our living room. But I didn't know about the sample things and we bought two whole gallons of the green I thought I wanted. It only took two paint strokes to know I hated it! We ended up trading them with my mother in law who used that color in her rental house, and she bought the color I now have and love!
ReplyDeleteYes, you are blessed, and they are blessed, and so are the rest of us who are out there in the world watching all that's going on in your family as you go about your days. I love seeing the large homeschool family out and about, and just like Mr. Stranger I am apt to say something encouraging to you and reward the kiddo's. I know I love doing it for my 5 homeschooled grandkids every chance I get! (and I know my daughter loves getting the encouragement...it never gets old) Perhaps the one who REALLY needs the reward is Mom though, right? Oh I forgot, you have all those chickens and rabbits as your reward...
ReplyDeletei hate to tell you this but i bet your walls will need to be primed before you can put color on (top of the peach)...there are types of paint out there that will cover any color without primer...ask your friendly home depot man about that.
ReplyDeletenext time someone offers your children candy, tell them that they are only allowed to accept college tuition from strangers =o)
Maybe Mr. Stranger was an angel? I'm pretty sure there are those walking about JUST to encourage homeschooling moms. It's a full time job, you know.
ReplyDeleteWe just painted our entry a lovely Home Depot color called Rhino. It's a grey-blue-green, depending on the light. It's color, while still being light and neutral. It goes with everything, well, at least that I've put it with. :) Everyone's house has different lighting. It's surprising how much that matters!
Sheen: I recommend eggshell. You may be tempted by semi-gloss for its wipeability, but don't do it! It will show every single flaw on your walls because of the way it reflects light. And flat is horrible for cleaning (which is why people typically only use it on ceilings). Satin might work fine, but it has a higher sheen. I use it on my kitchen walls but stick with eggshell for living areas. Handprints wipe off nicely.
ReplyDeleteI love what Mr. Stranger said about your kids and that he bought them candy bars. Makes me so happy. And makes me wonder if his own children or grandchildren are homeschooled. ;)
Very true! Paint can look different even in your own house at different times of day and even in the same room on different walls.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I disagree that you can't tell there's a color change on the first photo. You'd be surprised how completely different it can look when everything is painted, especially when you're going from a tone you don't like to one you do. I went from a light taupe that had kind of a pinkish cast to a beige that was neutral, and while the change didn't look substantial while I was in the process, I felt like the overall transformation was huge because there was no more hint of pink. Just a thought. :)
ReplyDeleteYou probably need to paint a wall white, then do samples. Everything looks crappy next to peach.
ReplyDeleteWalls should be eggshell, trim and doors should be semi-gloss white, and ceilings should be white eggshell. Kitchens and bathrooms can have semigloss paint because it's easy to wash and repels steam a bit better.
In our last house, we painted our family room Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams and I LOVED IT. Also, Filmy Green at SW is nice.
Make a mood board! Take some home decor magazines and a pair of scissors, glue and a big piece of cardboard. Cut out images/ fabrics/ designs/ colour combinations that you like and stick them to the cardboard. You may be surprised at the result! It'll certainly help you come up with ideas for your house. It'll be a good project to do with your girls, maybe?
ReplyDeleteyou might need two coats though so you might play it safe with the primer mixed paint.
ReplyDeletei love eggshell! i dont like the shiny. grab as many swatches as you feel like, take them home, take your favorites back and get samples.
ReplyDeleteI painted my entire house 2 years ago...okay I lied, someone else painted it, but I spent a long time messing with paint samples. I did NOT paint a wall white first and I had some red red walls, some purple, some blueeeeee walls. You can get that paint with the primer in it if you're worried but I think peach will be fine to paint over. Don't give yourself more work.
I first thought about what color I wanted. More of a gray or more of a tan? then I couldn't decided and grabbed swatches from each. Grab more swatches than you think you need. You'd be amazed how different they look in your house.
Fun story: Once I saw a yellow I liked in Better HOmes and Gardens, got the sample, painted part of a wall. It looked awful. So I painted another wall. Then another. I painted every wall in my house a little bit of yellow because I really wanted a nice happy yellow.
And that is how I got my husband to help me paint the whole house the first time.
I love Mr. Stranger. He is the best person ever. I am sure he was not exaggerating when he praised your arrows.
That is a fabulous story about the lumberjacklings!
ReplyDeleteYou know everyone is going to throw in their paint color suggestions, right?
I like a white ceiling. I know grays are the thing now, but it doesn't feel warm to me. My house has color, a red kitchen and navy on my living room and dining room walls. My family room, two story foyer, hall and one bedroom are all a neutral-ish very livable Benjamin Moore shade called-Ladyfinger. The bedroom doesn't get a lot of light but my foyer does and the color looks totally different in each one. I love it! Good luck with the paint...you'll figure it out and whatever it is it won't be peach : )
Mr. Stranger sounds like a very smart angel! It must have made your day and it must make you feel that everything you are doing for your children is definitely worth it! Good luck with the paint! I know you'll find a color, just keep trying samples!!
ReplyDeleteOh. this post makes me get all choked up. Seriously, Taylor, I want to be JUST like you! That was the sweetest post ever. I have shivers and not peepee shivers!
ReplyDeleteHeat water to almost boiling in the micro, stir in hot cocoa mix vigorously. The foam that rises to the top - that's the color I used for Neil's room. Perfection. Loved it, never regretted it. Trim in bright white. Everyone who sees it loves it too. Remember, once you find your shade, get two shades lighter. It dries darker. Plus it's darker in the house.You don't want a too cold color, it's wintery and white and dark and cold and gray there already. There are brownish tannish grays like taupe. Brown adds a little warmth. I see you're getting much advice.
ReplyDeleteLove awesome strangers. Hope you have many more blessings like today :)
ReplyDeleteSo do you still have paint left in your sample cans you could paint a set of shelves with? or does your sample on the wall take up the whole can?
It never ceases to amaze me how good my kids listen to others, but totally ignore me.
ReplyDeleteAnd the guy at the paint store last weekend told me that primer in paint is a marketing ploy, that most any paint now-a-days will have primer in it.
ReplyDeleteMy sis in law loves to paint her walls, shes a freak lol. The first time we went to visit them in Florida I called her house the Dr Seuss house. Her living room walls, bright yellow, dining room/foyer, half green, half orange, and the colors met on a diagonal strip, lol. Master bedroom, red and black.
ReplyDeleteGood point about how it darkens, Auntie Datenutloaf.
ReplyDeleteSuch a blessing! I love your story.
ReplyDeleteI hope you find just the right paint! I picked out a yellow once, many years ago, for a kitchen, and it was YELLOW! So, the advice go lighter is good. :) I liked my yellow kitchen; it was cheerful. Our walls now are boring.
the Mr. Stranger story made me teary ... clearly he was impressed with your kids, but I'm willing to bet he was also impressed with YOU and how you interacted with them. I think you should have gotten a candy bar, too! Best wishes on the paint choice adventure :o)
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you that when I first read the line about the man asking if the kids were home schooled, I was a little afraid to keep reading. It seems that so often, if random people want to talk about homeschooling, it's to point out why it's not good. When I kept reading your story, I actually got tears in my eyes! What a great compliment from that man. You are very blessed, and you are a great momma!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Mr. Stranger made me teary eyed. We never know when we're a testimony, huh? Hot mess and all!
ReplyDeleteDon't get discouraged with all the color suggestions. I always approach it like it's life or death and it's not. It's just paint (and time and money). It took me forever to choose a paint and in the end I went with the one that my sister in law used in her new house. It looks different in my house, but I still love it. Maybe you should paint a wall white and then try your parents' color again.
ReplyDeleteTwo things: How nice that this man acknowledged your lovely children's behaviour! It is a rare thing to hear something besides criticism from strangers!
ReplyDeleteSecond, the other commenters are correct: the colours you've used are too 'cool' and your house needs more 'warmth' based on the light you get. A helpful hint~look on the colour chips for the Benjamin Moore colours, as they have a little sun or snowflake symbol on them to let you know if it's warm or cool. Choose warm.
P.S. They also make a washable flat paint which helps to hide an imperfections on the walls. Use semi-gloss or glossy for the trim.
I'm betting Mrs. Little Brown House could help you!
They are indeed. And darned cute too!
ReplyDeleteYep, you met an angel and you are blessed with your family. What an awesome story.
ReplyDelete(I still get riled every time you say you get asked if your kids have the same father. How rude can people be?!)
Awww. What a blessing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOk, so maybe you should just try posting each weekday in October....
ReplyDeleteI vote for posting once a week and calling it a day. All of us loyal fans can just read your "31 days" into January. Happily.
ReplyDelete