Harvest Gold dilemma

Ok, so the fixtures in our downstairs bathroom are Harvest Gold originals ;) They really aren't that bad without the horrible wallpaper that covered the walls. I was going to paint the bathroom the same neutral color I'd chosen for the rest of the house, but Zach protested and said he wanted something a little different. Once he complained, I realized that there were going to be a lot of walls painted our neutral Valspar Woodrow Wilson Putty. That's when I decided to ask Ann McGuire, with Beehive Studios on the Color Buzz blog (a Valspar supported blog where you can get advice), what I should do. Her suggestion was Cake Batter or Woodlawn Lace. This weekend there will be samples procured and tried out on the walls. It's nice to have professional advice! Thanks, Ann!

Here is the bathroom before, with the horrible wallpaper.


Here are the Harvest Gold fixtures.



This is Cake Batter.


This is Woodlawn Lace.


I can't wait to find out what works best!

Wallpaper, wallpaper, argh

I hate wallpaper, or at least I hate ugly wallpaper that I have to take down or cover up in some way. There are actually some wallpapers that I love with great patterns and fun colors, but all of the wallpaper in my new house is hideous. I honestly would have rather had them throw up on the walls and left it there to dry. That would have been infinitely easier to take down.

One day soon though, the ugly wallpaper will be all gone and my chosen colors will allow my house to attain the beauty potential that has been smothered by ridiculous wallpaper choices.

Here are some swatches of the horrible wallpaper I'm having to deal with. You might not hate it as much as I do, but it is ugly all the same.

This is the wallpaper in the dining room.

Why would anyone use flowers like this, let alone have them in stripes up and down the wall?

The downstairs bathroom, that was the master bath.

This is the worst wallpaper I think I've ever seen. A plaid used in a bathroom that has harvest gold bathroom fixtures - sink, toilet, and tub. Does it seem like this would match?

The wallpaper going up the stairs.

I tend to like fun paisley stuff, but this is dark, making the stairs darker. Definitely not the worst wallpaper in the house, but not a good choice for the location.

The upstairs bathroom.

This isn't actually all that bad. I'm not a fan floral decorating patterns, but I am a huge fan of purple, and I love violets, but I'd rather see this on a decorative pillow, or as an accent for something, not on a bathroom wall.

The kitchen wallpaper.

This was only put above the chair rail molding, with white paneling at the bottom. It's too dark and heavy for that, and looks like prison bars in what should be a great room to spend a lot of time in.

This is the last example, the wallpaper that is in what used to be the master bedroom, but is going to be a guest bedroom instead.

I'm not a big fan of pink except for accents. How did a man live in this room? It had pink carpet to match.

Soon my walls will be covered in the following Valspar colors:

Our basic neutral for all walls that a color wasn't selected for - Woodrow Wilson Putty.


For three of the walls in the converted garage/party room - Sandy Cove.


The accent wall in the party room - Gypsy Teal.

This is the closest color sample I could get to it, although it seems lighter than this one.

The kitchen - Filoli Honey.

This seems so much more yellow in real life.

The dining room - Silver Dusk.

Seems much paler in person.

The library - Savannah Red.

Looks much redder in real life.

Well, what do you think?

Yeah

So I haven't updated my blog in months. However, lots of things have happened. One, I'm getting married in 26 days! Two, I have a new house with my soon-to-be husband in Smithfield. And three, well, there is no three, everything is related to those two things, but lists are always in threes, right?

Here is my ring!









Isn't it beautiful?!? I love it!

Here is what my invitations looked like



And here is a picture of our new house!



We are in the process of painting and removing wallpaper and things like that, and when we are closer to being done, I'll post the before and after photos.

Long overdue...

So, I finished! I finished my triathlon! I was able to swim 750m, bike 17 miles, and run (walk/jog) 3 miles! I wasn't even last, people, and that's a huge accomplishment! There were five other people that finished after me, and one was a 38 year old guy that started almost 12 minutes before me. It was an awesome experience, with other racers giving encouragements at every opportunity. It was something that I'll never forget, and definitely something that I will do again!

Sorry it took me so long to post this, but that's life - busy.

Not lazy

No, I have not been lazy, I've been training for my triathlon and just haven't had the time to think about putting up a new post. My tri is June 15th! Only 9 days away! I'm not exactly prepared for it yet although I know I can do it. I'm still just worried that I won't finish in time. I'm determined, but slow. I guess we'll see what happens.

Free money!

Ok, so the $600 I saw in my bank account this morning from the government is not really free. If anything they owe me 20 times as much for misappropriation of funds, but I'm glad that I got it! Of course, I will not use this money the way that they have planned for me to use it. There will be no beneficial economic investment from me by buying something new that I don't need. On the contrary, I have already put that $600 towards eliminating my past habit of buying something new that I didn't need. As of this morning, I paid off three more credit cards! When I decided to take control of my spending habits and get myself out of credit card debt, I had 18 credit cards. Most of them were store specific like Pier1, JCPenny, and Gap, but now I'm down to only 5! I can't quite believe it myself, but I am rolling down the road towards being credit card debt free!
So, thank you President Bush for helping me along this road, it's not what you expected, but it works for me and that's what counts. I'm not sure what will save the economy, but I don't think this is the answer. Please God, let us have an intelligent President in office next term!

Training blunder

I swam 1000 yards in Jordan Lake on Sunday,

and then as I was walking out of the water, I gashed my left foot on something in the shallows. Now I have to wait a week to swim and switch from the treadmill to an elliptical trainer. Of course to run or cycle, I need to be able to wear real shoes other than my crocs,

which I have been wearing to work for the past two days because they don't hurt my feet as much as anything else. Sigh. It's just my luck to do this sort of thing.

Forgiveness...

How many people are able to forgive someone that has irrevocably hurt them? I wonder what the statistics would be on a large scale public opinion poll.

Would people lie and say that they are more likely to forgive than they would be if the situation were more than a hypothetical question?

If people did lie, how would they justify it to themselves? Would they tell themselves that they will be more forgiving in the future, or that they can't let anyone know how unforgiving they would be?

I wonder if people would even be able to admit to themselves that they are less forgiving than they would like to think. The idea fascinates me, but then I need someone's forgiveness at the moment and so I'm dwelling on forgiveness.

Ah, to be forgiven....

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. (Psalm 32:1)

"To understand is to forgive, even oneself." ~ Alexander Chase

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)

"Life is an adventure in forgiveness." ~ Norman Cousins

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:20-22)

"He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven." ~ Thomas Fuller

Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ~ Mohandas Gandhi

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. (Luke 7:47)

"The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods." ~ Elbert Hubbard

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)

"When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future." ~ Bernard Meltzer

"One forgives to the degree that one loves." ~ Francois de La Rochefoucauld


"Forgiveness is the final form of love." ~ Reinhold Niebuhr

My first 5k!

I am officially a runner! (Ok, so not a good one, but I ran as a competitive participant in a local race!) On Saturday (Apr. 12), I ran the Cary Road Race 5k at Regency Park in Cary, NC.





I not only finished, but I did not finish last! Of the 283 registered runners, I finished at 253. There were 122 women in all, and I finished as 113. Of the 19 women in my age group, I finished at 17. My time was 41:53, a 13:29 minute mile pace. Not great, but not bad for my first 5k :) I had set a goal for a 38 minute finish time, but of course did not accomplish that. However, now I have something to push myself towards in my next race.

A special thanks is due to Josh...I would have given up or finished absolutely in last place without him. Sorry I held you back, but thanks for sticking with me!

One of those days...

Yes, it may be Friday, but that doesn't mean it's a good day.

Some companies use Fridays as a cover... http://www.slate.com/id/2106864/

Some people fear certain Fridays... http://www.justmorons.com/articles/day040213.html

Normally, I love Fridays. Today I'm just in no mood for the obvious joy of my coworkers. I'm derisive of Friday festivities, because it's just been a crappy Friday. Yay, I'm down before the weekend even starts. Nice.

Will I survive?

This is a hilarious commercial for Clif Bars.

It does not make me feel good about how the swimming portion of my triathlon is going to be, especially when I was told that this commercial is only a slight exaggeration on the craziness that is the triathlon swim start.

What have I gotten myself into?

North Carolina Renaissance Faire!

Yay! It starts this weekend, and I can't wait to go! I have a complete outfit to wear and I love dressing up and going to these things. I know, I'm weird, but it's fun! How can you resist seeing people in strange clothing, having the chance to look like you belong in a historical tableau, and watching a joisting tournament? I know that I can't!

Here is a photo of me in my costume:



I know the look on my face is a little funny, but I don't care, my costume is awesome! And I made my gable hat!

My poor boyfriend will be dragged along with me this weekend as I can't get into my dress very well by myself, and I want to show him why I love these fairs, whether he agrees to go with me again in the future is another story. It's our one year anniversary tomorrow though, so he couldn't turn me down! ;)

Jim, you are awesome! :*

W-W III!

W-W III, a game of word-wars, this looks like the most amazing board game I've seen in a while beside my old favorites, Scrabble, Boggle, and Trivial Pursuit. I've heard that it's almost like a mix of Scrabble and Chess! What could be a cooler board game than that (without having a real Wizard's Chess board)?

Check it out for your self! http://www.genco-games.com/ww3.html

Pllleeeaaassseeee....

If you are reading my blog, then you know a little bit about me. Lately, I've signed up to do a triathlon to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a member of their Team in Training program. I need to raise $2200 to do the event, and I really need help getting that money. I have sent emails to all of my contact, asked people at work, and offered babysitting services in exchange for donations. I'm still really far away from my goal though.

Recently I joined The Point, which is a community where you start campaigns to get something done. If it is to raise money, then people sign up to give a certain amount that they only have to pay if the goal amount is reached by the closing date of the campaign. Everyone has to accomplish it together, or nothing happens. I have posted a neat little widget in my right side bar for people to look at my campaign and contribute if they want to. I don't care how little or how much you say that you'll promise to give if the goal is reached, but I would like you to consider signing up for a buck or two. Every little bit can help, and the more people that contribute and spread the word about contributing, the possibility of reaching my goal will seem brighter. Right now I'm a little down about being able to reach the half way point by April 3rd, which is when we have to decide if we can really reach the goal or not. If we can't we have to make up the difference out of our own pockets. And while I think that what I'm doing is for a great cause, I just don't have the funds to make up the difference.

Please help and consider joining my campaign on The Point if you don't want to instantly hand over any money. If you don't mind making a direct contribution, then visit my Team in Training website at www.active.com/donate/tntenc/chorton.

Thanks for your support!

I want one!

I'm a big fan of laser tag, and this makes it even cooler.



Halo 3 Life-Size Plasma Weapons

Plasma Pistol
o Features: Laser tag battle action; game accurate lights and sounds; overheat function with pop up panel; regular and super shot; LCD ammo counter; force feedback recoil with each shot fired; separate target/shield generator unit with belt clip
o Batteries Pistol: 4 AA (included); Target/Shield Generator: 3 AA (not included)
o Dimensions: approx. 11.5" x 8.5" x 3"


Plasma Rifle
o Features: Laser tag battle action; game accurate lights and sounds; overheat function with pop out panel; rapid fire shooting; LCD ammo counter; force feedback recoil with each shot fired; separate target/shield generator unit with belt clip

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/a1f7/?cpg=68H

Thank you ThinkGeek! You are soo awesome!

Ha!

100%ALCOHOLIC

Another quiz lifted from my boyfriend's blog, but he only got a score of 94%! Of course what does that say about me? I'm really not a drinker though....

Thoughts on Neil Gaiman's Stardust

I have not read any of Gaiman's books, but last night I set up the cycling trainer that my friend Dan let me borrow so that I could cycle while watching and a movie, and the movie I chose was Stardust.



I really enjoyed the fairy tale story of Stardust and the idea of a world beyond a wall, stars that fall as people, and pirates that poach lightening bolts from thunderclouds.







The part that I really enjoyed the most was hearing Neil Gaiman talk about how he got the ideas for writing the book, and it made me rather envious of his ability to put down his imaginings on paper and profit from it. I tend to indulge in my own fanciful notions on a daily basis, and I'm beginning to think that perhaps if I just wrote them down and developed them that perhaps I could have a writing career. I would not perhaps be the next J.K. Rowling or Neil Gaiman, but perhaps there is a place for my fancies on your shelf. I think that is something I'm going to develop for the future, a little notebook of ideas for possible writing fodder. We'll see if it gets me anywhere. You just never know.

I must be insane...

I have signed up to do a triathlon sprint with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as a part of their Team in Training.

Do I have any experience swimming, running, or biking in competitions? No. Do I have a history of engaging in exercise activities on a regular basis? No. Have I exercised and been in shape at any point of my life? No. Am I going to kill myself trying to get in shape to participate in this event? Maybe. Hahaha, but I'm still going to try!

Check out my Team in Training web site where I add weekly updates on my progress towards being able to handle this event, and donate if you feel like it. It's a great cause, and I could use the support as I have $2200 to raise in order to be able to do the event.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntenc/chorton

Thanks!

Interesting...

I picked this up from my boyfriend's blog. He was George H. W. Bush :

You're considered boring by people that don't know you well. But like Bush senior, you do crazy things.
Maybe you'll end up banning broccoli in your house, or puking on the Prime Minster of Japan!


And these were my results:

You Are Most Like Bill Clinton

No doubt, your legacy may be a little seedier than you'd like. But even though you've done some questionable things, you're still loved by almost all.

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

Need sleep...

I am sleep deprived. I have been going to bed well past midnight and getting up at 5:30 every morning to finish moving and everything involved in it. Making up hours at work because I had to take Monday off in order to work on moving has made it even worse. I want to find a coworker to lean up against so that I can sleep standing up at work. Although I'm sure that I could sleep standing up without someone to lean on. It just might be more obvious to others what was going on when I fell to the floor without someone to prop me up. All I want to do is get into bed and only get out after I'm completely rested, and even then I might stay in bed to read a book or something. Mmmmmm...bed. Thank God it's Friday. Now I need to go get a ginormous cup of coffee. Yes, I said ginormous. Now, coffee....

Grrrr

Living somewhere new is awesome; moving sucks. The end.

Moving!

This is it! This weekend, I am moving to the farm! I have to have everything out of my apartment by Sunday night. My boyfriend, my new house mate, and his friend are helping me move early Sunday morning. Three strong men and me. Hopefully we can get everything out. I've been packing up all the little stuff and moving the rubbermaid containers to the farm during the week. I still have a ton of the little things to pack and move on Saturday, but if I don't get sidetracked hopefully I'll have it all done before they arrive on Sunday to get the furniture.

Not only do I have to get everything to the farm, but then next week in the evenings I have to prime the walls of my apartment before I hand in my keys on the 31st. I really like painting, but doing it all alone is going to be tough. At least I don't have to prime and then paint them too!

Soon though, I will be a farm girl! :)

Challenge passed

I actually found a great dress when I went shopping for my "semi-formal" attire. Not anything like the ones pictured in my last post, but it was a steel blue strapless, backless gown that I wore with a wonderful necklace and a black velvet jacket. It was a red dot special, 30% off the last markdown, and it was a great find. I felt beautiful and got quite a few compliments, so I think it turned out well. If I get my hands on pictures from the party, I'll be sure to post them.

Challenges of "semi-formal" attire

So I have a business party to go to that has been labeled as "semi-formal" attire, but I have no idea how to dress the part of "semi-formal". I want to think this is a good excuse to wear a nice dress, but the question is, how nice? I'm going to go shopping tonight and ask someone who knows best, but when looking online, these are the dresses I was drawn to.

The ones that fall into the little black dress category...

Not sure I can pull off this first one...it's so fitted that I might not enjoy it on myself, but who knows! It's worth trying on if they have it in the store.






A couple long ones...



Prints...



Maybe one of them will look fabulous, not cost me an arm or a leg, and fall well into the "semi-formal" scheme.

Unfair corner on the cute market

Have you ever seen a goat? Not that great looking. Have you ever seen a baby goat? Pretty darn cute. Have you ever seen a baby goat that is less than a day old? Adorable! The farm where I plan to be living on by the end of January is expecting 6 or 7 baby goats in the next few weeks, and one was born on Wednesday. He's so impossibly cute! Black fur with some white slashes through it, and little curls at his haunches! His name is Flash, and he's got me wrapped around his little cloven hooves already. I'll have to take some pictures of Flash and the others when they get here so you can be awed by the inexplicable adorableness of a newly born goat!

These are great baby goat pictures I found online at www.cherokeemeadowsfarm.com.

Random

I've been trying to get shipping quotes for work, and in working on this, I thought that it might be fun to find out how much it would cost to ship some ridiculously large things across the U.S. with FedEx.

Did you know that you can ship a Porshe 911 from Raleigh, NC to Beverly Hills, CA overnight and it will only cost you $12,445.93?



Did you know that you can ship a 1150 lb horse from Raleigh, NC to Seattle, WA overnight for only $6,713.51?




Did you know that if I decided to ship myself to Kingston, London, England, that it would only cost $1,272.75?



Well, now you do! ;)