Paint Swatches and Scrambled Living

My dining room table is currently located in the foyer of my home. The chandelier is laying on the couch in the room off the kitchen. Dinning room chairs are scattered from here to there. And with it all, I seem to have lost my mind.

Last night I went to the grocery store, and as I was checking out, I realized I didn't have my car keys. I called Ty to tell him I'd locked my keys in the car and he needed to come unlock it for me. As he pulls into the parking lot, I discover that my car is unlocked, my keys are in the ignition and my purse is sitting in the passenger seat.

Help me, Rhonda!

I don't do well living in disorder. Clearly. I woke up at 3 a.m. Sunday thinking about how my house is a scramble right now. I didn't go back to sleep until 5 a.m. and my house is still a scramble. It was a very unproductive moment of panic.

This is not the way we normally live. But if you want to rip down wallpaper and paint your dining room, you've got to handle a little scramble. Our painter is supposed to start working on the dining room this week and finish it up by Friday, and in the meantime I've been focusing on the things I can control ... and regularly saying the Serenity Prayer.

I've been sampling numerous shades of orange paint in hopes of finding the right shade. I've come nowhere close to finding "The Orange," so in a moment of crazy, I broke down and called the hotel where I originally got the idea. I told them I loved their paint, and I wanted to duplicate the look in my home and I was hoping they could tell me the exact color paint they used. I could hear them thinking I was crazy on the other end of the phone, but what did I have to lose?

Several hours later, the hotel's chief engineer called me with some very good news. He'd found the brand, finish and names of the paint colors I asked about. How's that for hospitality! It kind of blew my mind. So, without further introduction, let me present to you to my very illusive paint swatches:

This is Benjamin Moore's Jack O Lantern. She's a Virgo, and despite her name and orangish hue, she believes Halloween is the "devil's holiday."

This is Jack O Lantern's perfect match, Spice Gold. He is the ying to her yang. Calm, subtle, soothing. If paint swatches could walk, he would enjoy long walks on the beach.

After those descriptions, I'm sure you're worried about my mental condition, as well. I just personified paint swatches. See, I don't do well living in the scramble.

I've been looking for accessories and other touches to tone down and add some rustic elegance to our dining room. And I think this is the rug that will make that happen:

I heart tartan.

Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll have some progress photos to share. And my table back in my dining room. And my mind working at full capacity once again. Fingers crossed!