White Walls & Washing Machines

We knew that the dark red walls in the dining room would be difficult to cover up. We initially thought we'd just choose a lighter shade of red--but, well, the shades we thought were nice had red that is either BRIGHT and a lipstick shade, or too dark. Babak has a serious love for yellow rooms (can't fault him, that crazy yellow in Boston did really brighten things up!) and I've always thought golden dining rooms are elegant. It was an easy choice to choose yellow, but tricky to find the right shade and even trickier to cover it up.

After one coat of heavy duty primer, it was a nice pink-toned white:

But after carefully rolling on a second coat to make sure I didn't miss anywhere, it was a nice white:

I literally turned our dining room into a white-out box! I painted the ceiling (which was a dirty looking beige) white as well.... it also took two coats, but I'm guessing more because it is REALLY difficult to get perfect coverage in one coat (especially if, like me, you've never painted a ceiling before). You can see the much nicer colored ceiling in the last picture.

Today, my washing machine and dryer came! I think many of you know how excited I've been about this for months and months now. I bought a (cheap, but good) washer/dryer when I first moved to Mississippi, but I had to give them up when we went to Boston. Owning the pair really makes me feel settled (I know, ridiculous) and saves me so much time and energy when they are right in my own space. LOVE IT. So I had been shopping for months, since January when we put the contract on the house, for the perfect pair. After much Consumer Reports-reading, numerous visits to several stores and websites, and nearly driving my beloved husband insane, I settled on Electrolux. They are like my own little domestic dream come true! I got them in "Silver Sands" (red was soooo cool, but Babak sensibly said... you're going to have them for a looong time, get something you won't get tired of and won't look outdated, and I agreed completely).

Check these babies out!

Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned. The delivery truck brought the machines, but forgot the stacking kit so my future freezer can hang out next to them. They also thought the cord was included with this pair, but as with most dryers, it wasn't, so the dryer is not hooked up. Additionally, turns out, the washer was a bit less than perfect when I got up close and personal with my new loves after the delivery men left. As you can see if you look closely, there's quite a nice dent on the right side by where the door opens. There are also deep scratches by the control panel, and when I opened the door? "Creeeeeaaaak!" (The dryer, on the other hand, totally silent!). I ran the installation cycle and made sure it worked before I called Lowes, as I wanted to make sure I knew as much as I could about what wasn't right before I called. And this, my friends, is why I buy major appliances at Lowes: They reordered me a new one, over the phone, no questions asked, as soon as I told them these three issues. That is service! So, in the meantime, while the new washer is ordered and the stacking kit located, I'm washing in a dinged up brand new amazing washer and using my clothesline :)