The most beautiful light (and a winner!)

First of all, the winner (chosen by random.org) of the Joey and Chase Designs giveaway is number 17, Rebecca from Growing Up Our Style! Rebecca, please e-mail me and I'll connect you with Rachel!

If you have a few minutes to spare, go take a look at the comments from that giveaway. I asked you to name an event you would put on the bracelet and you did not disappoint. Many of you mentioned you were "boring" to put your wedding date, but I find that inspiring! Do you know how wonderful it was to hear from so many women who are happily married? That is a GREAT thing!

There were so many other amazing dates -- of course birthdates of children, but also birthdates of children who were lost. I had tears in my eyes so many times reading through those. And dates of parents who passed and other loved ones too. Dates of adoptions, dates of the discovery of cancer, of organ transplants...and even divorce! :) All are dates in your lives that changed you or started something new and wonderful, and it was inspiring to read.

On my bracelet, I am pretty sure I will get the numbers 11, 21, 08. The date of our first kiss, the date we got married and the date our son was born. All the most meaningful days of my life. :) Don't forget, Rachel has offered all of you a ten percent discount through this Friday, using the code "TDC10" at checkout!

So, now onto the light fixture. THE light fixture. I decided over the weekend I wanted the dining room redo DONE. I mean, there comes a point when I just can't take it "almost there" anymore.

Needless to say, I'm whooped. I mean, I kissed my husband last night just for insisting years ago that we get a hot tub. Uh, yeah. I have never enjoyed that sweet bliss of boiling hot water more than the past two nights. My body has been spanked by this room.

The chairs are done, but having the room together finally tonight, I'm going to tweak them just a bit tomorrow, and then I'll show you. Redoing those chairs was a fight of wills -- their will to break me in the process and my will to break them into a thousand pieces before I was done. ;) But, they are GORG. And dare I say, worth it.

The light installation kicked my butt today too. If you've never installed a light, the actual connecting of the wires is so easy it's just silly. The process up to that part can take a very. long. time. Making sure the n.i.p.p.l.e (that's what it's called and I don't want any weird searches!!) is the right length to hang the light just about puts me over the edge.

But again, it was so worth it I can't even tell you. I knew what I wanted for the room, and what I wanted was this ($400 plus shipping!) Pottery Barn light fixture:
And what I got was a cheaper, Home Depot version with free shipping:
I had a new medallion up, but it didn't work with the light fixture (the canopy didn't fit inside the medallion for anyone that knows anything about light fixtures), but it turned out to be a good thing. The one we had up is simpler, albeit a little small. (I have read to go smaller or larger than the light fixture, just not the same size. I have no idea -- but that's the consensus.)
This light was a serious splurge, even from Home Depot. But after the pain I went through with those chairs, I figured I deserved it. :) See how I reason??
The little candle things are yellowish and don't look right, so tomorrow I'm going to spray paint those white:
But oh dear Lord, I love it. Like, it was worth-the-pain-in-my-rear-putting-it-up, love it. It makes me soooo happy I installed a dimmer in here years ago.
But on all the way, it gives off a TON of light, which our old light did not. That drove me batty!

Isn't it magnificent?? This is shaping up to be one of my favorite rooms in our house. LURVE. I will be back tomorrow with the chairs. If I can move that is! :)

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