Dining Room Redo

I have neglected my little blog lately. We have had so much going on, but I promise to be better.

One little project I have been working on is a makeover for my dining room. When we moved in last July, it looked like this:

Well, we are not really red people, not to mention this was not a soft red, we are talking fire engine red. My mother in law volunteered to come the day after we closed and paint it for us. Between trying to pack up our old place and all the craziness that a house closing can bring, I had not properly prepared so I made a quick decision and chose a chocolate brown, so we got this:

I really liked the color and it turned out great, but with the dark walls, it made the room look small and since it wasn't a large room to begin with, I decided it needed a new look. I wasn't sure if I wanted to use a neutral or go with a color, so I had several different paint samples on the walls for probably a month. I finally got sick of looking at it and now we have this:

I love it now! I used Sherwin Williams Interesting Aqua, we have also used this color in our breakfast room and master bath. I painted it early one Saturday morning and when Chris woke up the first thing he said was how much better and bigger the room looked. I am so happy with it, our living room opens up right into the dining room so it brightens up that entire space. Now onto the next project :)

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Chris!!

Happy, happy birthday to my wonderful husband!I love you!! xoxo

 

Cesare's at the Beach

If you find yourself in Clearwater, FL, you MUST go to Cesare's at the Beach. Hands down the best Italian food I have ever had! I know Italian is not customary beach fare, but it's worth it! Cesare's was recommended to us and since Chris & I aren't huge seafood fans, on the night we got to chose dinner on our vacation, we picked Cesare's. Everyone at the table got something different, and it was all delicious. I think we would all agree that Dad's meal was the best. He got the lasagna, a family recipe so secret that it isn't even shared with the kitchen staff. The owner's mom makes it at home and delivers it to the restaurant every day. The tirimasu was wonderful as well, also made by the owner's mother and delivered daily to the restaurant.They have a nice little patio so you can enjoy your dinner outside and the portions are quite large. They have quite a few daily specials and everything is made fresh to order to pretty much any dish can be tailored to your liking. I am going back to the Clearwater area next week for a work conference, I hope we can go again!

Click to Give

Breast Cancer Awareness is a cause that is near and dear to my heart. I lost my grandmother to breast cancer almost 5 years ago and have had several friends and family members affected by breast cancer.While Breast Cancer Awareness Month is not until October, I wanted to share an easy way you can help fight breast cancer year around. The best part? It's FREE & it's as easy as a click of your mouse. Follow this link to The Breast Cancer Site and click on the pink box in the center of the page that says "Click Here to Give". The site's sponsors donate mammograms to women in need. I have made clicking on the site a part of my daily work routine. I shared the site with my dear friend Whitney soon after we met almost 4 years ago and she told me the other day that she still clicks everyday. It's easy, it's free, it's worth it! Try to make it part of your daily routine.