Painting With Pizazz

This weekend in St. Paul, I got to enjoy celebrating with my best friend on the signing of her new home. She got her keys the day I arrived. 

That meant lots of errands to run, rolling up our sleeves and diving into sprucing things up before she and her hubby move in. But first, celebrating the big day by christening the ice machine on the new fridge! I'm not sure I've ever seen Mitch this happy.

After our first day bringing a load of boxes over, hitting up Menard's and the paint store, and prepping the neutral walls with tape and tarps, it was time to get painting.

Mitch chose a warm, buttery saffron for the dining room and a toned down dijon for the living room to enhance the natural light.

The first strokes quickly turned to a finished corner.

And before we knew it, two rooms were ready to soak up their first coat.

Happy housewarming! Nothing like spring to motivate projects and new beginnings.

California or Bust

At the Oakland Museum last week, I especially identified with their extensive history exhibit on settlement and migration so prevalent to this state.

Just a little over a year ago, I too immigrated here from the East Coast, a pioneer anxious to stake claim on a new life.

I never needed propaganda to send me west.

This looks alarmingly similar to my first car I drove west to California from Wisconsin right after college, complete with a "California or Bust" sign in the window. My dad wasn't kidding when he said we looked like Okies.