Some thoughts on paint...

Here are some thoughts on paint.....

Brands:
I've painted my whole house, every room, from one time to another.(and my old house) I've used Behr, Valspar, BM, SW, and Glidden. 

Behr (Home Depot): Thin, thin, thin. If you love a color, get it in BM or SW. I used the premium paint for my spare room (striped one) and it was just like using plain BM. 

Valspar (Lowes): thin, thin, thin. I had to do FOUR coats of white to cover a pale blue in my bathroom. FOUR coats. I could understand if it had been a dark color I was trying to cover, but it was baby blue and I STILL see pieces of blue come through in places when I'm in my bathroom. Someday, maybe this summer, I'll do another coat of higher quality white paint. Thank GOD it was on a gift card! 

Sherwin WilliamsW: I like Sherwin Williams, BUT it was actually a little too thick for me....

Glidden: A little thicker than Behr and I liked the way it covered in two coats. I did my bedroom in Glidden.

Benjamin Moore: Ahhhh, love it. I did my living room in BM. LOVED it. It was smooth, the roller and cutting brush strokes blended nicely and two coats covered evenly without looking thin or too thick.

My winner: BENJAMIN MOORE!

And, I don't really love the whole "primer built into the paint" trend that's going down these days. You can't beat a good caot of Kilz primer (oil based for wood projects and latex for regular wall work) followed by two even coats of paint. I hope that helps!


Finishes:
For the most part, paint finishes are dependent on the space you plan to paint! I tend to stick with eggshell or satin finishes for bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. For the kitchen and bathroom, you want to stick to a semi-gloss or gloss finish so the wall is washable.

House Tour Update

I've been home from graduate school housing for two weeks now for winter break. I didn't snap any photos of my holiday decor (Why?!? I have no idea! It looked cute too!), but today, I took down the tree and put away the yuletide decorations and set the house back to normalcy. Since everything was neat and in its place, I figured it was a good opportunity to post an update!

I have a small ranch house and the front door opens up into a nice open space. It's small, but it's more than enough for just me and my pets!

The green pillows were a set from Home Goods for $29.99, the patterned and cream ruffled pillow are about a year old and from Pier 1 Imports. (Other items--rug: Target; coffee table & tv stand: Pottery Barn;  curtains: Target; wood blinds: Lowes)

I scored the great new tablecloth ($19.99) and runner ($12.99) from Home Goods; rug: Target.

A month at Harvard....

So, it's been a month so far and things are going great! I've settled into my temporary home in Cambridge, have met some wonderful people and made a few new friends, and have been thoroughly enjoying my courses and how much I'm learning about the world of education!

Here are some photos from my journey so far!!!

Orientation begins!

First day of classes!

Harvard Yard

Even though I've been a Sox fan forever and had already given up on them for the season, a random person walking by my friend and I at an outdoor bar gave us tickets to a game because she couldn't attend! How could you say no??

Shots from a run on the Charles!

A star side plank on the John Harvard statue! 

(Yes, I cleaned my hands afterwards!!! I guess people pee on it!)

Fall foliage outside my building!

And here are some shots of my room and bathroom, decorated just enough to make me happy and not break my bank on things that aren't permanent! The vinyl wall decals were already there from the previous tenant, so they matched my West Elm bedding perfectly so I kept them up there! And, the four mirrors in the second shot were leftovers too....left those up as well!

 

And just a great quotation from an article that I think all teachers would love!

How to make use of that hollow door!

So, I have old hollow 1950s doors in my house. I only have one hallway closet and I wanted to make more use of the space by using a over-the-door shoe rack. I hate using the actual over-the-door hooks because the door never closes cleanly and they gauge the trim. I researched and learned that they make special anchors for hollow doors---yes!

I grabbed a packet of these from Lowe's for a few dollars and a 5/16 drill bit from my dad's toolbox.

Here is the door:


The lovely anchors:


First, I used the over-the-door hooks to place the rack and used a pencil to mark the holes. Then, I drilled the holes and inserted all of the anchors:




Then, I place the shoe rack up against the holes/achors and threaded the screws through the mounting holes rack and screwed into place (the screw heads are larger than the holes).

All done and ready to go!

Easy 5-10 minute project!!!

When you want to procrastinate: organize a closet!

Tonight, I tore apart my hall closet's storage bins and shelves to avoid grading some tests (#I'llregretthistomorrow).

I learned a few things:
1. I hold onto half used bottles of body lotion WAY too long.
2. I have a phobia of throwing out perfumes/lotions/body scrubs/etc. that come in gift sets that I have received from family & friends on holidays. If I don't like the scent, I just shove it into the closet and pretend it's not there. I'm bringing them into school and putting them in the faculty bathroom so someone can benefit!
3. I have A TON of travel size toothpastes and flosses!
4. Pet hair somehow finds its way into the closet?
5. I have enough Wallflowers (Bath & Body Works) refills to last 4-5 years.
6. I have enough tampons to last 1-2 years (see the photo of all of the boxes!)

I ended up throwing out this:

And, ending up with this--a  much less cluttered version of what was there before. Next to the brown bins on the second and third shelves, I had clear rubbermaid bins that I hadn't opened in a year....maybe 2. So, I knew it was time to purge.

I had these rubbermaid drawer organizers already but now they contain much less! Purged everything I don't see myself using in the foreseeable future!

 Happy organizing!

Spring blooms!

Last April, I traveled to Holland and purchased some tulip bulbs. Over the last two weeks, I've had the pleasure of seeing them bloom in all of their Dutch glory!

Never thought this would be my life...

I looked back in my journal last night and I found an entry from March 9, 2009. It was only three weeks after my marriage ended and I was left feeling very uncertain about where my life would go. I wrote about how I couldn't imagine every day life without him---no weekends hanging together, no kisses upon arriving home, no dinners together anymore...I even said "I just can't imagine a few years form now when we have no contact at all" and here I am, knowing what it's like today and not really caring about it any more.

Well, the me in March of 2009 could have never predicted what great news would enter my life in March 2012! About 6 months ago, I was on the phone with a mentor of mine, my department head at school who just retired, and she encouraged me to take some chances in my professional career and finally go back to school for my Masters degree. She said I shouldn't settle for just any old place or any old degree and that I needed to strive for the best that was out there--Harvard University. I just sort of shook my head at her like "C'mon, Harvard....you've got to be kidding me...." I explored the website and found I'd have to get my butt in gear to study for the GREs as it had been 10 years since I've graduated from college and 14 years since I did any math in high school. My friends and colleagues at school tutored me in math and I even audited some precalc and geometry classes at school--my students got a real kick about Ms. M being in the classroom with them! Nov 11, I took my GREs and came out having done pretty well!

I  met with my superintendent about taking a year leave from school to go to school fulltime. He was really supportive and very enthusiastic for the daring endeavor I was about to take on.

Then, on Nov 19, my dad and I went up to Harvard for an information session for the Graduate School of Education. It became pretty clear to me that all of this was moving into action.

My application was due on January 4th. I wrote, rewrote, revised, and revised my statement of purpose a few times. Then, it was all done. All I had to do was wait.....until March 26 for the school's decision on my application.

Much to my surprise, on March 5, I received an email saying my decision was ready to view.

ADMITTED!!!!

They picked ME!!?!? I read the decision letter over and over, trying to make sure I was reading it correctly.

I cannot believe I was accepted and that I get to study for one year at one of the world's best universities. It's all so surreal.

Here's to life taking us down a pathway that we never expected! If I had stayed married to that liar, I know for a fact this would never be happening in my life! The universe has a way of balancing the scales, doesn't it??