color me exhausted

Our kitchen makeover is chugging along....slowly. The cabinet guys first arrived on August 1st. Now, over a month later, our cabinets are installed (although we have a couple of things that weren't measured properly that we are haggling with Lowe's about), my floor is in (extends from the kitchen and into the laundry room), and counters have been ordered. We finally have our stove back, but we don't have a sink or dishwasher....so I am washing dishes in a bowl on our makeshift plywood counter. Nothing like a makeover to make you appreciate your kitchen. We are thrilled over every small step! This weekend I have been painting. I picked out colors for the laundry room and dining room this morning and have been working all day,,,,literally, since dawn until about 5 minutes ago. I love painting though. It's so much bang for your buck, such dramatic improvement for $30 and a day's work. And much to most people's surprise, I pick bright colors. My laundry room if freshly painted in bright peach,,,tomorrow I will paint the shelves in there a pretty blue. The dining room will be the same blue with a pale yellow colorwashed into the dark wood paneling. My grandmother is horrified, and my mother in law probably will be too when she sees my handiwork. My grandmother believes in painting for the sale...that is, you should decorate your house in neutral colors so that it will be easy to sell someday. I don't care about painting for some hypothetical person that might be buying my house in 5, 10, or 15 years. And I don't like my walls neutral colors! I rented for years, and I have grown weary of white walls and beige carpet! Now, I have seen lovely houses decorated in neutral colors, don't get me wrong...these houses are usually owned by people that can afford to buy beautiful furniture, tasteful paintings, and carefully selected accent pieces. See, bright colors have another advantage for me. When you decorate your house in the Early American Garage Sale motif as we do, bright colors help you pull off a cozy, eclectic cottage look. When you pair the Early American Garage Sale motif with white walls and beige carpeting....well, it just looks like you shop at garage sales.