Well.

Yesterday Sister and I went to Home Depot so that I could look at a few paint colors.

After all, I’ve only been talking about painting our bedroom FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS. I figure it’s high time for me to buckle down and maybe look at some paint swatches so that I can have the entire project finished just in time for Alex’s high school graduation.

Lofty goals!

Right now our bedroom is a really deep burgundy color that we inherited from the previous owners. You’d think that it would be right up my alley what with my love for a certain college team that wears the maroon and white, but living with the burgundy bedroom for the last three years has pretty much convinced me that I most like colors in the purple-ish brown family when they’re on spirit wear and in end zones. But bedroom walls – not so much.

There’s a lot of blue / blue green / green in this house, so I figure I’ll repaint our room with some color in that family. Honestly, my first inclination is to go with a light taupe because I just think that’s what you’re supposed to do – PAINT WITH THE LIGHT TAUPE – but I fell in love with the turquoise-ish color of the Drapers’ living room in the first season of “Mad Men,” and every single time I think about painting our bedroom some form of beige, I remember how Betty Draper’s decorative choices inspired me, and I resolve to be a little bit bolder.

It’s totally fine if you want to pity me for being inspired by the choices of someone WHO ISN’T EVEN REAL.

So here’s what I brought home from The Depot.

Okay. Obviously the second swatch card is waaaaaay too blue, but the second color on it reminded me of my imaginary friend Betty Draper’s living room.

Have I mentioned how much I love my imaginary friend’s imaginary living room?

These colors were Sister’s favorites, and they look much more green in real life than they do in this picture. I think the second one is really pretty – and it would look great with our bed (which is dark wood) and our white bedding.

David’s favorite is on the left, and that’s not really a surprise because he loves dark colors. I think our bed would get lost in the middle of all that dark brown, though.

This one, surprisingly, is my favorite. IT’S BLUE. And I’m not really a blue person. But there’s the prettiest touch of green in this shade in real life, and, well, I am intrigued.

What about y’all? Do you have favorite paint colors you’d recommend? Similar OCD tendencies when picking out paint? Temptations to throw all your paint swatches in a hat and pull one out and then yell WE HAVE A WINNER?

Any suggestions?

A few days ago David helped Mother / Martha / “Martie” move into a garden home (oh, the stories. THE STORIES.), and when he made it back to our house Sunday afternoon, he walked in the front door with a special treat.

GIN!

Oh, I kid. Kiddy McKidderson Kid.

Because do you know what’s really inside that box?

CHINA!

I know that might not seem very exciting to a lot of people, but let me tell you: I am such a fan of pretty dishes. Apparently I inherited the loves-pretty-dishes gene from my mama, and I have been crazy about china since I was in high school. It makes me laugh that I can be so sentimental about, you know, PLATES, but I totally am. I remember all the dishes my mama has ever owned, and if I ever happen to run across a full set of the everyday pattern that she used when I was a little girl, I’ll probably cry just a little bit.

Now I feel like I should go hide. Perhaps I’ve overshared.

Anyway.

Since Martha’s new house doesn’t have quite as much storage space as her old one, she was very sweet to give me 12 place settings of a china pattern that David’s daddy bought when he was stationed overseas back in the 50s. I can’t even tell you how much I will treasure it. The pattern is Noritake LaSalle, and I LOVE IT. It’s so different than anything else I have – I think it’s delicate and retro and modern all at the same time.

By the way, I’m pretty sure that you’re officially a grown-up when you enthusiastically snap a picture of a covered vegetable bowl.

But DID YOU NOTICE THAT FUNKY HANDLE? ISN’T THAT THE GREATEST THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN?

It took me all of five minutes before I started trying to figure out how I could mix the new-to-me pattern with dishes I already have. My fine china is Lenox Eternal, and I love how it looks with the LaSalle salad plate. I think they’ll look sassy on top of some charger plates I bought a few years ago at Old Time Pottery – they were a whopping $1.50 a piece, I think.

Won’t they all be so purty together on Christmas day? Is it wrong that thinking about all the mix-and-match china makes me a smidge giddy? Do I need to go hide again?

Maybe I need to go hide again.

I love the cups and saucers, too – even if the cup will only hold about two tablespoons of coffee. Because those two tablespoons of coffee will look fab next to that kicky handle, now won’t they?

So what about y’all? Do you use your “good” dishes on Christmas day? Do you have a favorite Christmas pattern? Do you like to mix and match the dishes you have? Or do you save yourself the headache of having to wash a bunch of dishes and just break out the paper stuff instead?