Thank you for shopping with us - we'll see you REAL soon . . .

So we are trying to get the family room, well, not finished - but more finished than it currently is before the big b-day bash. The past two weekends have been all about painting. Oi.

The only way to handle painting is to just downshift your heart rate, accept that it will take 3 times longer than you think it will, put on some mellow music, grab a brush, and try and slip into your happy place while you enjoy the relaxation of slowly drawing the wet color-soaked bristles across the newly primed walls and wood work.

BUT FIRST YOU HAVE TO DECIDE ON A COLOR

Yep - that would be 8 different colors representing 6 different trips to Home Depot. All I can say is, I would like to find the man who came up with the idea of the $3 tester can and kiss him full on the mouth.

Used to be, you would buy a gallon for $20, take it home, then bring it back, wrangle with the paint jockey about how the 1x1 inch swatch looks different than the 10x10 foot wall you painted blah blah blah . . . now you just buy a tester, go home and realize you were wrong - all for the low, low price of $3.

We did get the room painted BTW - in 38 separate colorful squares - I call it the "Quilt room" - my wife just refers to it as "Patches".

"Honey, where's the stroller?"

"Patches has it."

Just kidding.

On my second-to-last trip to HD on a Sunday evening, I asked the paint jockey how late they were open. "8-o'clock" was the reply. "Good," I said. "That means I have time for three more return trips."

The PJ looked at me with a pained "Man, sorry you're having a tough time," expression.

"Oh, don't worry," I replied. "My wife doesn't mind one bit . . . ."

That got a laugh.

So what colors did we decide on?

"Slow Decent Into Madness" blue and "I'll Eat This Paintbrush Before I Go Back To Home Depot Again" brown.

And it looks great.