Does this dog make my butt look smaller?

If' you've been hanging around here much, you probably know how much I like exercise.  Like...
Not.  At.  All.

(this is obviously not an exercise picture)

I've had a time-and-a-half the past year with fibromyalgia, and exercise has ranked right up there on my list of things I'm dying to do right along with:
 * gouge my eyeballs out
 * pick up a spider without at least 3 wadded-up paper towels, and
 * dilate past 3 centimeters without an epidural.
Seriously.  I am that averse.

Unfortunately, I'm now at the age where my skinny-girl jeans (not to be confused with "skinny jeans," the cut) will not fit beauteously unless I make sure I'm not cheating on my Weight Watchers points and yes, exercise is helpful, too.

I want more energy.  My kids range in age from 4-14, and they are a million miles an hour.  My soul is only really energized when I'm "creating" and dreaming and being engaged.  And being exhausted like I have been is way-stifling.  It is totally cramping my style.

I hear exercise is energizing.  This knowledge has been around since the dawn of time, probably, but I've been ignoring it.

So I'm getting a toe in the water, thanks to our 'doodle.  I'm now dog walking.

I swear this dog is good for my figure.  He needs to go walking every day, so we go all over the place. Up to this point I've had a tiny dog whose exercise needs - I have maintained - are fully satisfied by running circles around the dining room table from time to time.   

But a 'doodle must walk. Therefore I walk.  And I don't even hate it! (I guess all the experts are right about the positive effects of exercise... who knew?)

We've been chatting a lot about happiness, and today I want to shift gears only a little, to encourage you to take good care of yourself.  (And it's not selfish.  So don't even start....)  

Most of the friends I have are not wrestling with how to do good for others or how to be generous or how to be selfless.  Maybe I just have a weirdly wonderful group of friends?  But seriously - you do a lot.  You give a lot.  And that's good.  It's what really blesses us inside our hearts the most, right? 

There is something else I know about you, though... 

If there is something that's allowed to fall through the cracks in your life, my friend, it's probably you.  And I care about you too much to sit by and say nothing.  

You have your own set of challenges that tug at your energy and your spirits.  You hide them away most days, but sometimes you peel back the layers and let a glimpse of the hurting places be seen.  

The only way I know to get past the hard places is to refuse to hide them away.  Instead, I whisper my story, because somewhere in the telling is where I'm most reminded that God is still writing good stuff.  

And there is relief from pain, and there is rest, and there is a way to choose joy.  

A goofy dog has been part of making "taking better care of myself" more fun (and more likely to happen regularly, since I hear that exercising him will make him less likely to destroy my house as well as making my butt smaller).  

Are there things you know you should be doing to take care of yourself, but you put it off, because it's not super-fun or there are so many other people who need your time and energy?  

Today, I want you to know something:  You are worth taking good care of, too.  You are worth treating gently.  You are worth the gym membership or the long walk, the time curled up with a good book, or the new journal to write down your "best thing of the day." You are worth the evening out with your husband or the morning laughing with a friend over coffee.  You are worth the nap, girlfriend.  You are worth pushing for answers to why you don't feel well.  You are worth that college course you keep toying with in your mind or that photography class you think would be great "just for fun." 

Not to get all sappy here, but...

You are precious.  And loved.  

Giveaway wrap up, "Yank" your corn chowder, plus more of our questions answered by The Yankee Chef!

Have you entered the GIVEAWAY for a copy of "The Yankee Chef," autographed by Chef Jim Bailey? 

You still can!!!!  Click here: a Rafflecopter giveaway

(My daughter was so obliging to photograph me "from above," since I insisted that "the experts" profess this will make me look as thin as possible.  Have you tried that trick?)

The giveaway is wrapping up, but you can enter through the weekend, ok?

In the meanwhile, Chef Bailey has a few more things to chit chat (do men say that?) with us about.

How to "YANK"your Corn Chowder.  It's The Yankee Chef''s other favorite meal.
(Click here if you missed his recipe for his #1 favorite which is a yummy lobster dish.)

"Corn Chowder. So simple and you can add whatever you like and make it even more hearty or delicious. 

For example, instead of using plain milk, many use canned milk (evaporated), or they like their chowder thickened (by whisking in roux made with1/4 cup melted butter with 3 tablespoons flour for every 2 cups dairy used in the recipe). 

I often add cooked vegetables such as peas, corn, carrots, green beans. 

Use fried pancetta or proscuitto instead of bacon if you want less fat in the chowder as well."



Ok, I confess:  I asked about the history of the Whoopie Pie.  

"The history of the Whoopie Pie (as mentioned in my book) is debatable and often times unreliable. Many claim Maine and others claim PA as the birthplace. I may have to give it up to PA although, because when they were first called Gobs, it was in PA by the Amish. I adore Amish cooking because they parallel Yankee thrifty ways. My favorite Whoopie Pie has to be Lemon, which is in the cookbook."

"I must end this interview by honoring someone who has always had the brightest outlook of anyone I ever knew (with the exclusion of my father and mother). In this lady's eyes, 'wrong' wasn't a detrimental curse that you had to bear the rest of your life. In fact, in her eyes, if you made a mistake in your life, regardless if it was intentional or not, it tempted her into giving you a call just to tell you, "I love you Dear!"

 Now you would never mistake kindness for meekness in this lady, on the same hand, she would let you know in the kindest way possible the alternatives to your actions. This lady truly has a personality that instantly lets you know that you have a friend for life in her. NO wonder my father adored her and her husband. 

I know my Dad would have had a much tougher time dealing with his teenage years without her, and when Dad and I spoke of her and her husband, I had never seen such adoration for anyone more-so than he showed for this couple. Even with Dad gone a decade, this lady still exudes the same motherly warmth, parental security and ancestral pride in family as she did when she proudly agreed to take my father in. I will always love and adore Aunt Marion and Uncle Woody."

(Big humongous thanks to Jim Bailey for popping by the yellow couch to talk food and his great new cookbook, "The Yankee Chef."  It's inspiring to see people who dream big and do work that matters.)  

3 Places to Invest in Your Happiness Today

There are so many to-do lists, appointments, errands, chores, blah blah blah... all this stuff that we "must" do, so we run around frazzled and disconnected and irritable (or is it just me?) and miss some really easy ways to have a more joyful day.  

Here are 3 ways to increase your happiness today:

Invest in friendship.  

Think of one person you'd love to know better, and invite her to get together for coffee or lunch.  Stop saying things like, "We should get together sometime," because it probably won't happen (and nobody really believes you when you say that anyway, right?).  Grab the calendar and mark down a date.  Get it planned.  You'll feel really energized today and on the day you hang out with your friend. 

Have an old friend you think of but keep not-getting-in-touch-with?  Send an email, or make a phone call.  Or get really old-school and send a letter you wrote by hand.  Or (wait for it) stop by to say hello in person.  One of my best friends from high school and I don't see each other as often as we'd like to, because of kids and life keeping us so busy, but we call each other whenever "California Love" is on the radio, because we remember driving around for hours in 1996 in my old Nissan Pulsar with that playing on repeat in the CD player that was velcroed to my dash.  

Do you have some inside jokes with a good friend?  Text a photo that will make her laugh when you see something only the two of you will appreciate.  Pick up that silly little item that will make her laugh.  One of my friends gave me a "Goats in Trees" calendar at Christmas, so every day I smile at a goat and feel loved by my friend for remembering something silly about me. A new friend at church recalled my love of all things peacock-feather and suprised me after a service one Sunday with a purple satin pen that has a humongous (like, humongous) peacock feather sticking up at the top.  These ladies invested in me, and I remember them every day when I'm surrounded by goats and peacock feathers, and I bet they had some sparkle going on when they were choosing these fun gifts, too.

Invest in strangers. 

There's something so unexpected about a stranger extending kindness, that it's really so invigorating!  

Give a sincere compliment.  Women are so often really catty.  You know it's true, ok?  Next time you see someone with a great haircut, let her know you love it!  (Please do this in a sincere and un-creepy way.  And I recommend complimenting someone of your same gender, lest you be misunderstood as trying to put a move on someone.)

Offer someone you don't know to go ahead of you in a line.  Are you still mulling over whether to get the skinny latte or the 2% milk?  Just say, "You can go right ahead.  I'm still thinking," to the couple behind you.  

Tuesday an older gentleman at the grocery store checkout said to me, "You only have two items.  Why don't you go in front of me?"  I declined at first, but he insisted.  And it was a really big treat, because I was slightly panic-stricken about the gallon of ice cream that was probably starting to melt in my trunk. (I didn't plan my errands well, apparently.)  His kindness to me probably made him feel good, and it was a little sparkle in my morning. 

Invest in you. 

Wake up a little early to read something inspiring. 

Go on a walk outside. 

Choose the sparkly one.

Take more slow, deep breaths.

Eat it even though it's fattening. 

Don't eat it, because it's fattening.

Stop cheating on your Weight Watchers points. You will never eyeball 2 tablespoons of peanut butter properly.
Try that nail color you secretly love but wonder if you're too old to wear.
Stop feeling guilty for not loving to climb through the playground equipment at the park with your kids.
Pray.

Let your teenager take you on a four-wheeler ride, even though you scored a literal "0" in "excitement" on some type of personality profile your mother had to do on you for grad school.

Remind yourself of all the times God has been really good to you.

Allow "it makes me smile" to be a legitimate reason for choosing household decor.  Even the yellow couch.

Keep little notes and mementos in a "special things box." 

Try that project you've been wanting to tackle.

Get the goldendoodle.  

(These are examples from my personal list... feel free to adapt them.)

(a few photos of my sparkle-makers)

Why your happiness matters.

Recently I've been on a quest:

"What can I do to cultivate happiness?"  

Is this way-self-centered for a mom to even say out loud?
Can Christians really be worried about things so un-spiritual as happiness? 
Isn't that a really shallow thing to think about?

You know what?  I've pushed against those very questions myself.  I've even felt a little (or a lot) guilty caring about investing in my happiness.

(A disclaimer about my self-inflicted guilt trips: My husband doesn't put that on me. My kids don't put that on me. God doesn't put that on me. I put that on me. So I'm the only one who can stop it.  Same for you, friend...)

Behaving selflessly is what is expected of us and what we often love to do.  I'm learning day by day that chasing happiness - finding sparkle - can exist right alongside living selflessly.  (Please note I don't profess to have cornered the market on selflessness by any stretch.)

You and I can choose some things.  Other things, we can't.
I can't choose my way out of fibromyalgia really sucking.
I can't choose my way out of waking up at 4am with my hips too sore to lie down on anymore.
But I can choose what I do next. 

There are always things we can't change. But nothing steals your sparkle without your permission. 

My BFF grew up on a farm.  She taught me the art of watering house plants.  Believe it or not, "own living indoor plants" was one of the life goals I wrote down a few years ago.  I'm a very remedial case when it comes to agriculture.

(My husband wishes I'd formed this friendship before his decade-old rubber-tree lost its final leaf and died a lonely death in the corner of our dining room.)

My friend told me one time about soil and how the nutrients in the soil really matter in terms of the quality and nutrition of the food that's grown there.  This sounded way too complex to me.  But I couldn't properly water a houseplant before she came along. So what do I know?

She laughs, because I often tell her that my secret dream is to be a farmer.  And to own a goat.   (She's not the only one who laughs at this.)

But I can see that there's something important to take away from all this soil talk.

We can cultivate our hearts in ways that give us rich "soil" for our relationships to take root in and that can produce good harvests. 

If you are depleted, you don't have what you need to give when there's an opportunity to be part of blessing someone else.  And you might be kind of lame to hang out with. (I may just be talking about myself here....)

We all have circumstances that threaten to dictate our happiness.  And each of us can practice making little choices each day to hang on to some sparkle and live more beautifully, right where we are... no matter the circumstances outside our control.

Today I give you permission to do something "just because it's fun," as long as it's not illegal, immoral or fattening.  Ok, fattening is allowed - I'm not as extreme as Dr. Laura.

If you want to share your sparkle stories, you can leave a comment or post on my Facebook page!

Giveaway!!! And The Yankee Chef answers our burning questions (and gives us his favorite recipe).

Last week, I asked my Facebook friends, "What would you ask a chef, if you could ask anything?" (or something like that).  You all came up with some really great questions.

And because I love you so much, I schmoozed my way into a blog interview with honest-to-goodness chef and author Jim Bailey, who's new cookbook "The Yankee Chef" is ah-may-zing. 

Ok, I didn't really schmooze.  Jim was really obliging to take time out of his crazy schedule of trips to NY, work, writing, cooking, publicity, etc,  to come by and hang out with us and talk cooking AND he is giving one of YOU a copy of his new book (which, by the way, is continually sold out on Amazon because, yeah, it's that great). 

To enter the giveaway click this link: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jim is actually a cousin of mine, which is nifty, although I feel like I should have inherited a higher degree of cooking awesomeness. Or is that not genetic?

Before moving to Maine, I had never heard of a "whoopie pie."  For a long time I could not find ONE RECIPE for these things (until my friend's mom gave me her coveted recipe - whoopie pie's are like one of the most highly guarded secrets of life, people).  

"The Yankee Chef" contains over a dozen whoopie pie recipes!!!!

(You had me at "whoopie pie," but there are a bunch of classic New England recipes plus some modernized favorites, comfort food galore - oh my word.  Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post if you didn't use the link to "Rafflecopter giveaway" posted earlier!)

On to YOUR questions! (big thanks to the FB friends who contributed)


What is your favorite meal?

My favorite meal? 

Butter Poached Lobster! 

(I know Thomas Keller is credited with being the first to create butter poached lobster during the early 90s, but I must say that us Yankees have been preparing lobster in this fashion for many, many decades. IN fact, the first Yankee Chef at his Clam Shack here in Maine, began simmering lobster in butter in the early 30s. This poaching liquid he used I am going to show you today. I recommend Maine lobster but spiny or rock lobster will do just as well.)

Butter Poached Lobster

2(3/4-1 pound) lobsters
1 small plum tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons water
1 cup sweet butter, cut into pats


Boil or steam lobster for 3 minutes. Remove from water, cool and pick claws and tails, trying to keep them in single pieces.
Over medium heat, bring 2 tablespoons water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, a pat at a time, until melted. Do not let the butter come to a boil, just above scalding. Keep butter on low and add the lobster meat, making sure all lobster is covered. Poach in this beurre monte for 7 minutes.
That's it!

What is your favorite cookbook?

My all-time favorite cookbook would have to be From Julia Child's Kitchen. She is probably one of my idols because she is no-nonsense and tells it like it is (just like a Yankee).

What is the very best way to cook asparagus?

The easiest and best way to cook asparagus is by simply snapping off the tough stem part at the bottom of each stalk and peeling(with a vegetable peeler) only if the asparagus stalk is large around. If it is small, you need not peel. Otherwise add a little olive oil and minced garlic(to taste) to a skillet and saute over medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes, rolling the asparagus so that all sides are evenly cooked. Remove to a serving plate and top with some grated Parmesan cheese.

What is the best way to cook chicken without a sauce and have it come out moist?

As for grilling chicken to come out always moist, the best thing to do is make foil packets. Simply encase whatever chicken you are cooking tightly in a large piece of tin foil(crimping very VERY well) and throw onto your outdoor grill. I always add a marinade(not much)as well. If you don't want to fuss over foil packets, always, and I mean ALWAYS grill chicken over indirect heat. Off to the side in other words. Low and slow is the motto. There are just so many different ways of cooking chicken outside, but these two are the best 'general' ideas of cooking chicken outside. 

How can I get potato wedges to be evenly crispy?

Potato wedges should be cut, oiled with a light layer of olive oil and put on the grill grates just until they are barely tender. It all depends on the size of the wedges. Start the wedges over direct heat to brown slightly then move them over to indirect heat to finish cooking. 

Add some spices if desired, but wait until the potatoes are almost completely done or these spices and herbs you add will burn and just plain be disagreeable in sight and flavor.

The Yankee Chef's hope for us:

"My focus has always been to get people back to the table to eat. 

Who doesn't have fond memories of sitting at the kitchen table with family and enjoying not only the food but the conversation, stories and love that was so prevalent while eating dinner? 

If it wasn't for those times, I wouldn't have had these great stories to share with everyone and to get them thinking about their own family gatherings and memories."

I had to ask about the pink chef's coat!  (and if I'm supposed to call it a "chef's coat" or "jacket"?)

"My pink chefs coat is not only my favorite color, and my fathers as well, but it quietly symbolizes my attention to breast cancer awareness. 

As many of you know, my mother succumbed to breast cancer when I was 18 and it is a silent momento to her and allows me to bring her with me everywhere I go."

There is more from The Yankee Chef coming later this week. 

He'll tell us another favorite recipe, 
how he can teach YOU to cook (you asked!)
and about a woman who holds a special place in his heart.

Ok, peeps, now it's your chance to enter the giveaway!!!! 
(small disclaimer: I'm using Rafflecopter for the first time, so we'll test this baby out together....And please let me know if you find any issues with it.)

The giveaway runs all week, so you can enter every day, I think!


Click the Rafflecopter link below to get entered. 
You'll see the directions for how to get MULTIPLE entries. 
Easy-peasy.
(Here's some info in case you need links for my FB page and Yankee Chef on Twitter for extra entries - you'll see the ways to enter when you click below)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I have not been compensated for this review/giveaway.  The Yankee Chef book is provided by Jim Bailey for you, and I will mail you the copy when a winner is selected.  All the opinions are my own, and I purchased the copy of the book I own.  Does that cover all the legal mumbo-jumbo I'm supposed to include when doing a review/giveaway???

My maiden voyage into upholstering: a pictorial guide.

If it's possible to have an addiction to chairs, I think I could be diagnosable.  When it comes to chairs, shoes and crunchy peanut butter (in no particular order), I cannot get enough.

We found this great antique desk and chair set at a downtown antique shop, and it was (I say "was" as in past tense, because that's just the truth about furniture in a house with three kids and two dogs) in phenomenal shape and not very much money at all.

I negotiated a lower price, because that's how I roll.  My husband sometimes wants to leave the room when we go to purchase things - be it vehicles or antiques or even yard sale junk - because I am from a strong Yankee stock of people who just don't feel pleased about paying full-price, ok?!  My sweet husband, he just wishes I would agreeably pay sticker price, but friends, I cannot.
(He's wild about me anyway.)

So, I dis-love the fabric on this chair, and after a mere 4 years of living with it this way, my friend gave me a crash course on upholstering!!!  It's been on my 'to-do' list forever.  

Cool thing: When I wrote down that goal, "Learn to reupholster chairs," and posted it out there on Facebook, I had someone step in and say, "I can teach you!"  So there really is something to the whole "write down your goals" idea. 

 
This is my extremely unprofessional and inexperienced attempt to put new fabric on a chair.  
I'm sharing it because:
*It may amuse you.
*You may actually find it helpful.
*It turned out to be pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself, and I do.

Ok, off we go:

Find your fabric.  I hit Marden's, because I'm frugal and highly likely to ruin this project before it's all said and done, and I would be very irritated to have spent more than $2.99/yard if that's the case.

Wash, dry and iron the fabric. I chose a very subtle animal print, because I have a lot of pattern in my living room, so I didn't want it to be too "graphic" (as in having too strong a line, not as in being inappropriate for children to see).

Plus I love animal print.  I realize that puts me in a position of always having to ask myself, "Is this cute or tacky?" but this time, definitely cute.

And animal print is a contemporary element to add to the antique piece, which makes it feel more modern.  

Turn the chair over, and remove screws. Take off the seat.  My 85-year old grandmother came over with her own high-tech screwdriver to help me do this.  I hope when I'm 85, I am that fierce!

After the screws are out, your chair frame will look sort of like this:

You will now need:

*Staples that are not too long (so they don't poke you in the butt when you sit) but long enough to go into the wood.  

*Stapler or staple gun.  After taking a pistol class a few weeks ago, I found myself not-terrified of the staple gun, and I was able to figure out unloading and loading it as well as firing it without my husband home. He'll be very impressed, I think.  So it's safe to say the gun class was a tremendous success.
*Your fabric & scissors
*Seat of the chair
*Work surface (I used the kitchen counter)

Place the fabric upside down on your surface, and set the seat upside down on top.  (please ignore the one stray sock, the hackeysack and the coffee mug in the background)

Leave several inches on all sides, and cut the fabric. (I was a smidge generous with my borders.... AND you'll see I did not take off the old fabric.  This is because my grandmother said leaving it would "give it body" and also because it looked like a ton of work.... to be honest. The "right way" is to take off the fabric.) 

Work on opposing sides (front to back, side to side).  Start with a front or back piece, pull the fabric and staple in the center.  I remembered the part about the "center" after having stapled an edge.  Oops. 

As you staple on one side, move to the opposite side. Use a lot of pulling so it's not going to look saggy after people sit on the chair a few times.  This fabric doesn't stretch much, which I think may be good for me and my skill level.

Do not staple all the way to the outside edges, in order to create a corner. 
My corner fold defies description, so I'll show you. The important thing to remember is that you will be happiest if the corners match each other.  Also, think about how the corner will LOOK from the other side, when it's on the chair.  Do you want to have a fold showing? Do you want crisp lines? Do you prefer gathers or a pleat?

You will not hurt my feelings if you laugh.  There is a reason people put that black fabric-stuff on the underside of chairs!  For crying out loud, I don't know what on earth to do with that corner fabric.... I tried trimming it.  It's not super-cute.  I know this.

Now you're ready to re-attach your seat to the chair!!!!!!

(I did not consider where the fabric was in relation to having to use screws to go down into the seat, but I fired up the power-drill and the rest is history.)

Oh for heaven's sake... there's a little light on this thing!  Adorbs.

After much exploration, I discovered that the Phillip's Head (is that a proper noun?) end is on the other side of the flat one.  So precious.  They've thought of everything. 

And voila...

The finished product!  DIY-licious.

Now there'll be no stopping me.... 

Do you have a favorite DIY project?  Have you done any upholstery?  I'd love to know what you're working on.

How to paint old plaster walls WITHOUT painter's tape.

Our Victorian home is from the 1890's.  In addition to tremendous charm and character, it has plaster walls which are not smooth where they meet wood moldings, and there is almost nothing perfectly straight or plumb. 

The word "plumb" is not in my normal vocabulary, but I notice my husband's great displeasure when using his favorite toys - i.e. the laser level or such - at the fact that whatever plumb IS, we are not. He finds comfort at times hearing from new-house owners that they are not plumb at their house either.  

My husband is a detail guy, a perfectionist and amazing at math, so when he does projects, he uses  things foreign to me such as measurements, numbers and things like laser levels and this string that you snap to make a straight chalk line (what is that called?). 

That having been said, you can appreciate why the not-straight-or-plumb-or-level state of things in our house can be troubling for him. He levels the planters outside.  He is amazing.  My brain hurts trying to think about this stuff.

I'm an "eyeballer." In college I studied art, and I am a much more free-handed person when it comes to how I do projects.  Measuring things, trying to figure out where to put the screw for pictures, all of that - it gives me an anxiety attack.  It takes me right on back to high school AP Chemistry (which I dropped), and I can feel the cold sweat breaking out.  Oh my goodness.... I can hardly take it. 

Me with every single solitary thing in our bedroom piled up in a heap. I took photos to avoid starting work.  Nobody actually cares about seeing a photo of me doing a Vanna White in front of a big ol' mess. I know.

So we painted our bedroom last weekend, and we have this plaster-meets-woodwork issue. The walls are not smooth (or probably plumb), so precision tools like painter's tape are not terribly helpful.  

I don't use painter's tape when I paint anyway.  

For me, it's like painting trim is like doing one humongous French manicure.  

Painter's tape won't lie flat on the bumpy surfaces of the plaster, so it's not easy to get a clean, straight line.  Eyeballing it gives me better results.  I'll show you a few of the things I do to get a look I like. 

I always start with the woodwork.  

Paint the doors, because, as you can see, the white I've added is much crisper looking than the aged white on the door.  

Brush along the grain, one segment at a time.  

Extend the white out onto the edge of the wall a bit, as you see here. 

This way you'll fill the spaces and uneven places. 

Here's a great example of the woodwork and the plaster not having a really super-clean edge.  If I taped this, there would be boatloads of space for paint to leak under the tape.  Not cool. The white trim paint going onto the wall serves as a sort of "caulking" effect, visually, closing the space. Or I suppose you could actually use caulking. 

If you're right-handed work from left to right as you move through the room.  That way, you'll always be able to see your work.  

Don't overload the brush, to avoid drips. 

HGTV asked me for permission to use this Instagram photo in their #lovehome campaign! Way cool!!!  

Take the kids up on offers to help.  Just kidding.  I had to suppress hyperventilating to let her try using the brush on a totally un-harm-able part of the trim.  She had a great time. 

My grandfather used to let my mom and uncle help paint the house every year.  True story! He is a saint.  I didn't inherit that gene.  

It's something I would like to get better at, whether it's cleaning, cooking, project-doing.... I'm working on it, but it bumps into my Type-A personality with a thud. I am trying to relax, though.... anyway. 

(Notice the trim paint on the wall between the mop board and window - that's exactly how I like it when I'm starting out.)

"Cut-in" the wall color, from left to right around the trim.  

Extend it at least 1" so your roller won't hit the freshly painted trim!

You can see in these photos, that the cutting-in is where I make the really crisp, clean line. 

Keep your eyes focused just slightly ahead of where your brush IS, so you are looking at where you WANT the brush to be next.  It's a moving the eyes with the hand thing.  You'll feel it when you're "in the zone."  

Let your gaze draw the line you want.  

It sounds artsy-fartsy, but it works.

After you've done the cutting in, you can begin to roll the paint.  I work in areas that are probably 3'x3' at a time. 

We only did ONE COAT to cover the red, because we rolled really thoroughly.  Both red rooms I've painted have covered like a dream.  The navy room needed two coats of taupe paint. 

Lesson: don't be afraid to paint over dark walls.  Seriously.  It's not a big deal.  

(This room we painted with Valspar paint-plus-primer.  I like it on the walls.  I don't think it was worth the extra money on the white trim paint.  That seemed much thinner.  I wouldn't buy that again for my trim.) 

 

Here's another peek at the finished product.   

If you have painting questions and would like my non-professional advice, ask away!!!!

 

And if you have advice for us, please leave any helpful hints right in the comments or on the Facebook Page, so we can all enjoy your tips.