Paint-by-Numbers

When my hubby and I first bought our house three years ago we had one goal in mind:  DECORATE! 

My idea of decorating:  Jewel-toned walls with cozy fabrics and overstuffed occasional chairs in stripes and coordinating non-flowery pillows.

His:  white walls. 

His reasoning for white walls was a simple one, formed from the very recesses of male logic:  "If we leave 'em white - they'll go with everything."

I calmly told him in my most docile, high-pitched voice,  that walls do not need to "go with everything" they will not hike up their drywall skirts and move - they stay in one place and therefore only need to "go with" one thing  - the room.

Finally - we settled on a color to paint the majority of the house:  Toasted Almond.  Which was the darkest cream color I could get. I wasn't happy.  I wanted reds and yellows and greens to adorn the walls - I wanted COLOR.  But it was better than white. So I let it go.

Now, we're having to repaint our downstairs living area due to the infamous water leak that left a good portion of the wall - on the floor.  They no longer make the paint we used originally - so we can either have one lighter/darker wall or choose another color.  I'm thinking  - "no biggie - we just go up to Lowe's - plop the old lid in front of that color-match camera doohickey and - VOILA!  Good to go."

Harry has a different idea:  "How about a real color?" 

After I pick myself up off the floor I ask, "What do you mean 'a real color'?"  

"Like, I dunno,"  he started, "Yellow?  Green?  Maybe even a red?"

My forehead breaks out in a cold sweat as I begin to think of the possibilities. 

So we go to Home Depot.  That's where Johnny, our friend and resident water damage expert, told us to go and look at Behr paint.

I loathe Home Depot. But I go because I'm giddy about the prospects of picking out real, honest-to-God-non-cream-colored-colors!

I'm trying to stay reasonable and picking colors sure to pass Harry's aforementioned "go with everything" test.  I pick a nice light green and then move on to the brick reds.

He picks out bright neon orange.

After standing in front of enough colors to make a gay pride parade blush, we go home with a color trio that Harry has picked out himself:  Eucalyptus, Applesauce and Cocoa. 

 I'm amazed. 

I'm proud. 

And - a little hungry.