What I've Been Up to...

 I just returned from a 7-day vacation in Colorado -- hiking, skiing, shopping and visiting with my good friend and ex-college roommate. We had a blast. Sharing some of the beauty... morning hike:

 Prairie dogs!!! They were everywhere...

 Summit of Mt. Sanitas...a big climb we did on the second day.

Finally, skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek and Arapahoe Basin (My fav):

Like my Vanna White pose? They were trying to eliminate the chance of avalanche while we were skiing so we heard a lot of snow cannons and rumbling going on...they shoot the missiles into the area where a cornice of snow is forming; this causes an avalanche and they shut down the road while it is cleared by a snowplow. Very wild.

Ahhh, Spring and a Fresh Look

 I recently had 50 people for dinner and I cooked! Pulled chicken and homemade wedding soup. I made everything ahead of time and froze it, so it wasn't that hard. What was hard was cleaning and sprucing up everything. My house is a lot lighter and brighter now...nothing like company to get you moving! We repainted the basement and it looks so clean...wish I could show it to you, but the pictures turned out terrible because there's no natural light (except two itty, bitty windows). Here's my family room instead:

As far as 40 bags in 40 days goes...I have successfully filled 20 bags of clothes (4 bags) , household goods and magazines (10 bags/boxes), toys (2 bags) and trash/recycling (4 bags) and I really seem to be in a bind to find more things to purge! I guess that's good because I must have done a great job last year! I did manage to get rid of an old toy box and a chandelier that should surely count for two bags, right? My bags went to charity, friends, relatives and the trash. I won't be blogging for a bit. Heading out west to ski with my ex-college roommate (my Christmas present from my hubby and kids)!

Powder Room Reveal: Don Your Sunglasses

So, this room is bright. I'm getting used to it and stenciling has toned it down somewhat. I used a maple leaf stencil that a friend of mine designed about 17 years ago. The old stencil was in bad shape so I traced it onto a new stencil film. Since I dislike math, I just eyeballed the placement. It worked out well.
I love this stencil.
I also added dots to make it a little fun. Anyway, I told you my maple leafs make me happy, so here they are in all their glory against a bright lime background...whoa!

 Took these with my cellphone and the lighting isn't perfect, but you get the picture (no pun intended).

I spray painted the bottom part of a birdcage to hold magazines.

 I'm still working on accessories such as my wastebasket. Why are they so darn expensive? Seriously, you throw trash in them. I just spray painted this one and paint lime dots on it in the meantime.

A friend told me to purchase some daylight lightbulbs and she was right, they do make it look better...especially at night. I might just get used to this lime.

I'll Have a Lime With That, Please

So, after becoming best friends with the sales clerk at Sherwin Williams -- I spent almost every morning there last week, I decided on a color for my powder room. What I really wanted was a beautiful soft lavender. Then, I tried periwinkle, then a light green. I ended up with this: Sherwin William's Gleeful #SW6709.

My bathroom is glowing. Not sure if I will get used to it, but for now, it stays. My husband and kids love it.
What I learned about color: In this small room with no natural light, pale colors didn't work. Believe me, I tried, and I am so thankful that Sherwin William's provides paint samples that allow you to cover large areas. Pale colors tend to look gray or dirty in this bathroom. I tried warmer pales; I tried many things. So, I am gleeful that I choose Gleeful. My bathroom reveal will be next week when I am completely done stenciling and accessorizing it. Yes, I plan to stencil it with maple leaves again. That stencil made me happy every time I looked it.