Shrimp for two.

Like this bouquet of hydrangeas? I hope so, because we spent $15 on it while laughing in the face of a nationwide recession. Haha! Now that we're official lifetime residents of Benson we're supporting local businesses whenever possible, which this weekend included these flowers and a half dozen dinner rolls at a new bakery that just opened on Maple Street called Sweet Georgine's. And really, thems are some pretty hydrangeas.

Mike and I had a little cocktail party to go to hosted by someone who worked with me in faux finishing but is leaving the business. You can be sure you enjoyed a party when all your laughing muscles hurt by the time you leave. We made our exit around 8 pm and were famished, but didn't know where/what to eat, so we just headed downtown. By the time we found a parking space we were starving and it was raining hard, so we literally dashed across the street to the nearest restaurant, which happened to be Vincenzo's in the Old Market.

Apparently it was prom night, because half the tables were taken by young ladies and gents in formal wear, which of course prompted much reminiscing about high school and how lame our proms were etc. Mike ordered Shrimp Scampi with angel hair and I ordered the Shrimp Trittata with bow tie pasta. I never prepare seafood at home but it's often an indulgence for when we eat out and have limited vegetarian options (or particularly appealing seafood options). We were served warm rolls (fine, not great) and house salads (ditto). I thought the pasta and sauce were fairly good, but the shrimp was quite tough and had very little flavor. Overall it was a pleasant enough meal but I don't think it will make the list for a return trip... there are far too many other restaurants we'd like to try before we'd even think about going back to Vincenzo's I'm afraid.

When we got home Mike brought out our high school yearbooks and we played a little game called "guess which people were my friends." Mike did pretty well. I badly misjudged the girls in his class - all the girls I picked as the pretty, popular ones were actually outcast, cigarette-puffing headbangers who hung out by the auto shop. I say he missed out, lucky for me perhaps.

The Master Bedroom

Unfortunately we have no photos of our bedroom before its makeover. The listing didn't show it and I never took any because it was so unremarkable - duh, all the more reason to capture it for contrast's sake. The master bedroom, as I like to call it, is the entire top "half" floor of the house. It is a dormer ceiling but high enough for Mike to walk comfortably at six foot two. Right in the center is a low but roomy closet that bisects the room into sleeping area and dressing area (the latter could be used as a nursery someday).

Before, the walls and ceiling were flat white and the wooden floor had been painted a matte brown that was not terribly attractive. I knew immediately that I wanted to paint the floor in a high gloss white urethane paint, and Mike & I agreed on blue walls. The green-blue trim was Mike's creative idea that I think looks very nice. The results:




The bedroom perfectly embodies the peaceful quality that I wanted up there. It feels clean and quiet and soothing. Shown above is the one area rug we've bought so far and that our dog has of course fallen in love with. Hairy black dog, white rug, makes sense, right?

One small oddity: this post at the foot of the bed. The inspector said that it's the exhaust chimney coming up from the furnace. It's a bit weird looking but ergonomically not a huge problem. We still fit our king sized bed easily in the space. This is the first time since buying a king that we've had a frame for it, and wow the difference in comfort is amazing. Who knew (everyone but us). The bed, rug, night tables (not visible) and dressers below are all from Ikea.

Our dressing area on the other side of the closet. Could use another area rug. The dressers are cute and roomy for their size, but mine is all screwed up... the bottom drawers don't slide in and out so well which is kind of an important quality in a dresser.

Russell approves.

Living Room Before & After

Living Room Before: The walls were painted a pale beigey gray, with the wall facing the door being the dreaded accent wall in a dark taupey gray. The main sofa, just barely pictured, faced the front door and front windows, which we felt was a bit of an odd arrangement.

Living Room After: We painted all walls a greeny blue, which makes the natural woodwork and floors pop nicely. (Oops, please ignore the stack of plastic bins in the dining room there.) The TV setup is temporary until we get furniture in the family room downstairs. The TV will then reside downstairs and this room will be a sunny, electronics-free sitting room where we can read and entertain.

The hallway going up the stairs is painted in the same blue, which transitions nicely into our paler blue master bedroom. The sofa here is a piece we bought when we first moved to Omaha, at Nebraska Furniture Mart, at a significant discount because it's an incomplete sectional. We think it just looks like a groovy asymmetrical sofa (and the right end is finished so doesn't need to be hidden by a wall).

Dining Room & Kitchen Before & After

Dining Room Before: In the photo this room looks sunny and cute, but IRL the yellow had an icky orange tinge that was a little stale Velveeta. Plus, yellow just didn't really go with my plans.


Dining Room After: Green! These two photos show pretty well how the color changes in different lights. At times it's yellowy green and springlike, and in some lights it's quite cool and minty.

Kitchen Before: This photo is deceptive, as it makes the kitchen appear light and expansive... but what you see here is just the cabinets and backsplash. The wall color was deep red, and overall the kitchen looked small and dark. Also, the cabinets look pale yellow here, but the "after" photo below is more accurate in showing their hue.

Kitchen After: I painted the walls and backsplash but left the cabinets for now. I want to paint them a warm off white, but this weird peachy yellow will do for now... we are getting anxious to just move in and start living there! So we've got a little green and red thing going on with the red tile counters.

This past Sunday Mike and I had a successful mission to the Twin Cities Ikea. A few hours into the trip we realized we were a little off our rockers for driving 5.5 hours each way for an hour's worth of shopping, but how else can you get a king sized bed, two dressers, two nightstands, and assorted accessories all for less than $600? Well worth it. We've already assembled the dressers and bed and we're so ready to move. Photos of the master bedroom, living room, etc., will follow as we get the furniture in place.

Lastly, I would like to draw your attention to the updated Bad Vanity Plates List, as I spotted TWELVE awesome plates today alone. I almost crashed the car at least that many times.

The Yellow Dining Room is Gone