Adventures in redecorating

Since I moved into my current apartment over Memorial weekend 2009, I have HATED the color of my bedroom walls. Well, actually only three of the 4 walls, because the 4th wall is the "accent" color. The remaining 3 walls, though, were an awful brown...a mixture of what I call a poopy-orange. Definitely not my color palate or choice.

But, I didn't try painting my room because I knew that I might want to change my bedding at some point as it was time for an upgrade. Still, almost a year into our 15 month lease, I hadn't found bedding I liked nor did I paint the walls. That was until this past weekend.

My new roommate, Stephanie, moved in on Friday, and our first task Saturday was to get our living room decorated. Which meant we were painting our accent wall in the living room to fit our styles. While Stephanie and I talked about what color to paint the living room, I told her that I hated my room.

I took her back to my room, opened the door and showed her the gloriously tacky color on my wall. She sort of laughed and said it "wasn't that bad." To which I replied, "Yeah, for you! Try staring at the wall with that color on it." I also told her that part of my hold back in painting my bedroom was that I didn't want to paint it to fit my current bedding, because I was looking to get a new set but hadn't found one I really liked enough to buy. (Actually, I found one a few at West Elm but couldn't rectify spending $200+ on just a comforter when I could get a whole set at Target or Carsons.)

So, when we were out running errands at Target before heading to Home Depot to stock up on paints and supplies, we went through the bedding. And voila! I found a set I really liked. Just so happened that this set was the same that Steph had been deciding against the one she ended up buying. I'm learning we share a lot of the same tastes....

With the new comforter in toe, we went to Home Depot. We picked out a slate blue for the living room. And I then turned my attention to getting my paint picked out. I decided to go with Behr paint, because I've heard good things. And it was cheaper than the eco-friendly paint. (Why is all the stuff that is GOOD for the Earth up to 30% more expensive? I know we need to save THAT question for a Coffee Tawlk discussion.)

Roll this around on your tongue...Mushroom Bisque. "A yummy soup?," you might ask. Indeed, it is; however, it is now the color on 3 of my walls. It's a neutral, so the next tenants won't be shocked by a poopy-orange wall. As for my accent wall, I ended up using the same slate blue as we painted in the living room. And while it's a little darker than the seafoam blue in my comforter it goes...but it doesn't match. Ladies, you will understand this concept more than men.

Steph and I painted the living room that Saturday night, but I knew my bedroom would have to wait until Sunday. The bed room was a bit larger project scale after all.

Sunday @ 7:30am, I hop out of bed and start taping off my walls, door frames, window sills, outlets, vents and baseboards. 9:06am rolls around and I finally am finished. I couldn't believe it took me just over an hour and a half to tape off my room. I started to get scared at how large the project was. I still had a few things I needed from Home Depot. So, out I ventured again.

Coming back, I told Steph I was going in for the kill. It was party time. Sure, I had a few hiccups. Like when I thought that it would be a good idea to NOT paint the wall that was already the lighter shade already. I mean, the colors were so similar. Yeah, but when I went to put some touch-up paint on that wall where a crack was showing, it revealed the colors were NOT that close. So, I ended up having to paint that wall, too.

Or how about when I dropped my wet "mistake" cloth on the floor, bent down to pick it up and hit my head on the wall which resulted in THIS:




When I hit my head, all I could do was say an expletive, close my eyes, shake my head and keep going. I didn't look at my hair until after the entire room had been done, and all I could do was laugh. I consider myself to be a great painter, and I haven't had paint in my hair like this EVER. Just minor splish splashes.

The re-decorating was all worth it, because now, I live in THIS room....





I'm quite proud that I did it all by myself. I took ownership of it and got it done around 3pm that afternoon. It was fully dry and aired out by bed time. Going through this, I realized that one reason why I didn't hang out in my room more was because I couldn't stand the color in it. It's amazing how much our environment can influence our moods. But now, I don't think I'll be worrying about that. And yes, I realize I have only 4 1/2 months left in my lease, but I'd much rather do this now, enjoy the rest of my time and know what I will be doing in my new apartment if I move out at the end of August.

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day to all! I don't understand the people who don't believe in Global Warming or that our landfills could essentially kill the planet. Are you absolutely insane? Or can you just not read?

People need to start realizing that the actions we are taking can and will either kill or maintain the Earth. We've only got one planet to live on...so far...but we seem to take for granted what we have at our fingertips. I hear too many people say, "Well, I won't be around when the Earth dies." Wow, what great humanitarian ideals you have. It shows maturity and care for your kids, nieces, etc.

I tweeted some easy green tips today. That EVERYONE can do:
1. Recycle your plastic bottles/aluminum cans!
2. Turn off the lights if you're not in the room!
3. Don't leave the water running when you're brushing!

Sadly, I got the inspiration to tweet this today, because 3 of my best friends DO these things, and it drives me absolutely insane. I have never and will never tell them to change what they do, but it doesn't mean that it's not any less important. Everyone making small steps can make a huge difference. I watched Oprah this morning and couldn't believe some of the things I heard.

One family left lights on from 6am-11pm, even when they weren't home. The air conditioning was set on 68 with the windows open at the same time. Oh, and the external temp was colder than the A/C setting. This family also had 3 garbage cans of trash but no recycling. Oprah ended up doing her version of a green "Wife Swap" with a family from Oregon, and that eco-friendly Portland mom taught the new family to recycle, turn off lights and don't waste what you don't need at the time (i.e. electricity). All these things are easy to do and can conserve valuable energy.

Another part of the show this morning dealt with the huge aquatic landfills we've made of the oceans. There is plastic and garbage so sever that it can be as much as 90 feet deep. This debris is killing and contaminating our aquatic wildlife.

My parents have raised my brother and I do be aware of the little things we can personally control. My mom has a green thumb, and I remember having mini-compost bins at our house. The upkeep became overwhelming, and it ended up only lasting a couple of years. But I remember my mom saving our veggie and fruit "scraps" to feed the bin to create fertilizer.

Recycling was never a thought in our family--it was natural for us. My dad installed a pop can crusher in our garage right next to our recycling bins. And I remember my brother and I having a jumping war when we would crush the gallon milk jugs before tossing them into recycling. The sound they made as we both crashed our feet into the plastic was s0 loud. Back in the day before pop cans came in convenient sleeves, they came in 6-pack plastic rings. When we had finished a full ring, we would cut the rings because my dad would say we didn't want a seagull to get caught and die.

I just want everyone to care. Which is sometimes too much to ask. My brother says that people will live in the way they want and is most convenient for them. It just sucks we're killing mother nature doing so.

GLEE Auditions

So, Season 2 auditions are being held online via Myspace. I am determined to audition and get back into the world of the performing. It's something missing in my life. It's a void in my soul. I always wonder why I don't feel completely satisfied at work.

Probably because I'm getting bored with the everyday corporate scene...I need a little step touch, jazz hand action in my life....

Kitchen Tales: Wild Mushroom & Pea Risotto

So, I'm a mini-chef. I admit it. My friends know it (and love it). Growing up with a mother & grandmother who could cook, I sort of was born with it in my blood.

My family has their favorite dish of mine. Top family favorites: PB & chocolate chip cookies, Mediterranean Frittata & Fall Salad.

But the favorites might change after I cook this Wild Mushroom & Pea Risotto for my family and friends. Jennifer "Bacon" Blakeman got to try a bit of my leftovers this past Friday when she was in town for the 2nd Annual Chicago Snuggie Pub Crawl. When I told her she didn't have to tell me she liked it if she didn't, she turned to me, silent, with the spoon in her mouth. "It's delicious." She said. And I knew we had a winner!!!

Courtesy inspired by Emeril Lagasse.


I did add some differences in wine, which I truly believed made the best difference. I'm not telling you what kind I used; however, if you are nice, you can ask. This recipe really would be delicious with many other veggies, including asparagus.

I ended up making a huge batch but froze the majority of it. I took a couple servings out of the freezer last Tuesday. It defrosted and heated back up perfectly. You could add a teaspoon of water/cream, but don't do so until you are sure you need it.

Since you couldn't enjoy the deliciousness with me, here are pictures for your viewing pleasure:

BEFORE



AFTER