Wow, has it been four months?  Yes, indeed.  Four months since my last post.  Six months since my life changed forever.  Oh, I’ve been busy alright. Little did Richard know when he came with me to Indiana at Christmas that in just four months, we’d be moving our household on a return trip to Indiana.  “Never again!” were his parting words as I jetted away in March to seal the deal on our condo.  I have to agree.  I’m not going to move again anytime soon. All the while, my husband and our dog, Auggie, have held down the fort in Billings – packing, packing and more packing.  It’s a huge undertaking.

Auggie has done her share of ridding our Montana yard of the rabbit population, which she believes detracts from the beauty of her domain at our Billings home.  (It’s her way of improving the value of our property.) According to a reliable source who was counting eyeballs, she’s snared two this week.  Wish she had been more vigilant when the varmints were eating my flowers . . . oh well. Here I am at the mobile command center.  I’m old enough to still be amazed by the ease and speed of modern communications.  I mean, I bet Abraham Lincoln was overjoyed when he found a printed dictionary.  I feel that same sense of awe.

 

Richard and Auggie arrived safely in April. Because the condo was empty at closing, we decided to have the interior painted – and I mean every room.  Wow, it is intimidating to go through paint colors.  Even if you settle on a manufacturer, changes in color are subtle, and if you play around with color generating websites like colourlovers.com, your head will be sent spinning in no time.  I’m not the personality type to be obsessed with color, so leafing through all the options was not a pleasant task. However, when faced with an overwhelming amount of gold paint in every nook and cranny, I challenged myself to find a color solution, no matter what.  UGH!! Gold paint!

Ouch! is right!

This is a lot of gold paint.  I selected a popular Benjamin Moore color named “Revere Pewter” for the main rooms.  I didn’t choose the color because I had an epiphany.  I choose it because professional interior designer Candice Olsen called it one of the most universal, no fault  colors, excellent for wide open spaces and all-in-one type floor plans.  Revere Pewter is kind of a light greeney-gray that is supposed to work nicely with a variety of furnishing styles.  It is meant to be a back drop rather than a focal point.  And I brought the color through the kitchen/dining room/laundry room/living room/guest bedroom/guest bathroom areas of the floor plan.  I’m not disappointed.  The color will work well with the variety of 1930’s vintage dining room furniture I have, as well as the 1980’s-style kitchen.  Even if we change the furniture choices, Revere Pewter will continue to perform as an excellent backdrop. Here are the paint colors I chose: I know the all look pretty similar.  I selected Revere Pewter, because it is a good universal paint color that goes with a variety of styles in an open floor plan.  I picked Chat Room, because the family room/office as painted almost this exact same color, and I liked it a lot. Silver Fox matched the fabric I plan to use in the Master Bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s how the painting turned out in the Living Room/Dining Room: There’s a real difference in the lighting in our condo.  So while the paint may look a different color, it is all the same. Forgive the blue vacuum in this next shot . . . and the next . . . What a heck of a difference, eh?? I’ll post more pictures as the rooms come together.  I am so totally pleased with the way the interior is going so far!  My husband brought in the majority of our furniture, but with the different layout, I’ll need to supplement with additional pieces.  I’ve discovered on-line shopping on Craig’s List, and am overwhelmed with the variety available. Stay tuned as more improvements develop.  I’m waiting for my sewing supplies to arrive next week to begin curtains, valances, and bedding.  Can’t wait!!!