White Paint

Is white the new gray?  Well, after much deliberation over the entire summer, we chose a new paint color for our common areas. 

And. 

We chose white.  Yep, the boring color we have avoided over so many years. 

Gray interiors have dominated recently, but this year, many designers have been choosing different shades of white.  Monochromatic looks using the same paint from the baseboards to the ceiling are the thing. 

Our ceiling and trim colors are a bit different, but not much of a contrast.

We labored over shades and hues.  Samples were painted in various places to coordinate with our wood flooring and checked with sunlight and shadows.

We settled a soft white with a yellow undertone called Polar Bear by Behr.  Our wood floors have so much yellow in them, many white with gray undertones look muddy or even brown on our walls.

This color is white, yet warm.  The idea is not to look sterile, yet happy and bright.

The project is still in process, but hopefully you can see the fresh new look on the picture I posted.

As with any of our projects, it’s all cats under the bed.  Except the one that just got under the covers.

And as with any of our projects, the house is destroyed.  Furniture moved, décor displaced, pictures off the walls.

We’ve had a sample of the white on our hall wall for about two months waiting for the painters’ schedule to clear.  It will be nice to have the rest of the house match.

New Rug

A few weeks ago, I sent hub to TJ Maxx to scope out the beautiful Ralph Lauren area rug I admired.  He came back without it.  And then went back the next week and got it.  On his own.  No encouragement from me.

It’s so pretty and warm without look dingy.  It will be perfect for upcoming fall decorating and I surely do hope I love it with the new white walls.

What I’m Reading

On Kindle, I downloaded a detective novel at no charge.  Greed: An Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Book 1 by C.M. Sutter was so-so.  Luckily I didn’t pay, so no loss.

On audio was Cold Mourning by Brenda Chapman.  Neither of these authors was known to me, but the stories were similar enough to each other that I kept getting confused.  My fault.

Both stories involve lead female detectives.  One is in Canada and the other in Wisconsin.  Both on Lake Superior.  See how I got mixed up? 

Downloaded and finished Nameless book 3 by Dean Koontz, The Praying Mantis Bride.  At least I won’t get those mixed up with anything else.  I really got addicted to the series.

Ready to move on and find something juicy for the weekend.

What I’m Eating

Hub recently purchased a smallish George Foreman grill.  I know this is very old technology, but a couple of things inspired us, and the price was right so we took the dive.

Out of the gate, so to speak, I marinated chicken tenders in Greek yogurt (my Greek Chicken recipe).  While the grill heated and the chicken cooked for seven minutes, I got mashed potatoes and green beans all finished.  Having everything done and hot at the same time was really nice.

I am not sure why I didn’t take a pic, I thought I did.  Bottom line, the chicken was done quickly and came out tender and juicy.  However, both sides didn’t brown equally, so I turned the tenders and gave the other side a quick sear.  They were done, but looked better evenly seared.

This grill is so simple, not one button, not one control.  Plugged in is on and high.  Unplugged is off.

This meal wasn’t for me, but John liked it.  Giving the indoor grill a thumbs up and knowing it will be handy for days when it’s too hot to go outside.

Wrap Up

When the house is finished, I’ll share more pics of the boring (yet thrilling for me) white paint we chose and see if you agree it’s just as pretty and modern looking as gray.

I have some thoughts for sprucing up a couple of other areas and will share those next blog post.  Stand by.

Have a wonderful and restful weekend.  God bless.