Happy Independence Day!

Saw this photo/post card holder thingee in an antique shop last weekend and today, being the Fourth of July, I was inspired to paint it red, white and blue and call it a table decoration! Me... Crafty. Who knew?

The raw materials...

Which brings me to my Lowe's and free Paint story! I resisted the urge to watch tennis all morning and went shopping instead... I figured that since we have finally decided on a paint color for the bedroom I should rush over to Lowe's to buy two gallons before either of us can change our mind... 

So I walk into Lowe's and just as I crossed the threshold I realized I forgot to grab a cart, so I turned on my heels to go back outside and just then, while standing in the middle of the doorway, the automatic door on my left slammed into my arm! The door hit me hard enough to knock my blackberry and wallet right out of my hand and push me back outside. When I looked down at my elbow I saw the skin was scraped off my arm - Ouch! So I got a cart, picked up my blackberry and wallet, and went back into the store and made my way over to the paint department. Now, Lowe's is running a rebate promotion on their paint this weekend so it made perfect sense that no one would be at the paint counter... Looking around, the cashier at register four caught my eye because of the gaping hole in her face that was the result of a huge yawn she projected my way without even the slightest effort to cover. Wanting to end her obvious boredom, I popped over to offer number four the opportunity to mix up some paint. Of course, she declined, saying that it, wasn't her department so I left her to contemplate her nap and went on to search for someone else. 

It took a while but I finally found a clerk willing to call someone over to the paint counter. Now when she arrived, Jennifer didn't look like she knew too much about paint to me, but I played along and pretended not to notice the vacant stare on her face as I handed her the little paint instruction card for my color and asked for two gallons of their best quality mix in the egg shell finish, please. Not wanting to make her feel any more nervous about the task by watching, I politely told Jennifer I would be back in a few minutes because I needed to also get blinds. Jennifer looked up from the instruction manual near the blending machine long enough to mumble her approval so I set out to find my blinds. And, that was the last time I saw Jennifer in paint because when I returned ten minutes later, she was gone and no one seemed to know whether or not she'd mixed up my paint before taking her leave. By this time my arm was beginning to throb so I decided it was time to find the store manager. 

From the customer service counter they called JB, the manager on duty. And, for his part, JB appeared rather quickly and was a very good listener. After seeing my elbow, he couldn't have more concerned or willing to do whatever he could do to improve my mood. I told JB that as much as I was enjoying my afternoon at his store, I really just wanted to get my paint and get back home for an ice pack to put on my elbow. JB responded by asking me to follow him back over to the paint department where he promised to get my paint mixed in record time. And that was it! JB instructed one of his paint wizards to whip up two gallons of Summer Cottage in their best quality paint in egg shell and then he escorted me over to a register where he told the register girl my paint was on him! On our way over to a register JB and I bumped into Jennifer, and when I pointed her out as the paint girl who abandoned me, Jennifer immediately answered, "Oh! your paint!" Then she explained to JB something about having to leave paint to attend to someone in blinds. Funny, I didn't see her in blinds! 

Free paint... It's a good thing. Bump on my elbow that's still throbbing eleven hours later... Not so much!