Tuesday's Picture of the Day

I'm excited to be hosting a cook-out tomorrow night. . .we've decided to eat outside but want to set some tables up in the garage for shade......the count is somewhere between 25-30 people -- yea!

Tom is brilliant. . .he had the idea of moving the van into the grass there so there will be shade in the driveway too :)  One table will be in the sun so I will sit there -- I can never have too much sun!

This is moving me forward into what I hope will be my big summer project -- and it will be a SUMMER project, not a year-long project. . .

This is my inspiration.  Sarah went from this:

 To this:
Exact same room!  Can you believe it?!?  I love these colors, the board & batten. . .look at this gallery wall:

So, even though I realize this is an office and I'm trying to do a dining room. . .I just love, love, love the colors, the style, everything.  I have been following Thrifty Decor Chick for years and have seen her "lighten" up her home the exact same way I would like to do mine.  If you haven't ever been to her blog go-go-go. . .you will LOVE it.  Click on this link to get to her home page or this link to see her finished office.  She has even so nicely, kindly, linked all of her office re-do posts at the end of this post so I can re-visit time-and-again to get all of her hints, tips, and tricks. 

She's also done a fabulous job on her living room. . .again, more inspiration for another time :)

Years and years ago Sarah inspired me to do my very first, on-my-own-didn't-ask-anyone-first, project in my house.  This is TDC's door, not mine!!!!  Anyway, she did this bold thing with it:
And I printed out the paint can picture, took it to my local paint store, asked for help, came home and did it myself :)  That was almost 3 years ago I think.  I didn't paint our stair step, we don't have a railing, and I never got around to the stencil but she gave me the courage to try.  Thank you so much Sarah!!!  Blogging is such a funny thing. . .I talk to my husband like I know her, tell my mother-in-law about her. . .so funny.

So. . .now that I'm a few years into "trying new things" this will be my first real, true make-over from top-to-bottom. . .
I'm still trying to convince Tom to put a window in on that left wall. . .????