Obsessing

I am obsessively working on two things this week: finally priming the living areas of the house so we can retexture the walls and paint, and researching a digital single lens reflex camera to buy.  As a disclaimer, there a lot more words than pictures in this post.

Let's start with the first project I am obsessing over...I am not going to talk about paint colors again until I get one up on the wall, but I thought I would share our progress on our crazy mission to retexture our orange peel walls. I know there are many of you out there who, like me, are loathing the textured walls in your house but might be too scared (for financial or physical effort/pain reasons) to do anything about it.

We are just in the beginning stages, but so far it's not too bad. I have primed the entry, dining room, and (part of the) kitchen so that the mud compound has something tacky to adhere to when Ryan gets going on his part of the job. Today I will tackle the ceilings and the hallway, and the rest of the week will be spent on our living room with the lofted ceilings. Should be fun. I am taking it slowly so as not to get burned out. Once we retexture the walls, then I will have to go over the same areas again with at least two coats of paint, if not primer. Slow and steady so as not to get overwhelmed and walk away.

Looking at pictures like this grey living room by Jimmy Stanton help keep me motivated. It will all be worth it in the end.

I can't remember which online shelter mag these came from. Shame on me!

I love the rustic coffee table with the iron chandelier, the large scale art behind the sofa, and the bowl of moss balls. While my own living room will not feature such an awesome light fixture or a rustic table, I will be rocking some large scale art behind the sofa (hello map!) and moss balls. I have a weird obsession with moss balls. I think it's a color and texture thing...

Meanwhile, I am also researching digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR's). I want to be able to take better pictures of our home for the blog, as well as of the pooches, and eventually of kiddos when we get there. Ideally, the camera would also have the ability to record short videos. I really don't want to use a separate camcorder because that is just too much gear to haul around, in my amateur opinion.

I have been doing a lot of research, and I have narrowed it down to two or three models. Most bloggers and reviewers recommend either a Canon or a Nikon. I have zeroed in on the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (or T2i, a slightly older model that is almost identical), or the Nikon D3100. Both are entry-level DSLR models. The Nikon has better tutorials for beginners, but it got some negative reviews for not bracketing and I am worried I might outgrow it if I really take to this photography thing. The Canon is approximately $200.00 more but has rave reviews and was the most recommended entry level DSLR by two separate publications. Either way, it will be a huge upgrade from our current camera - I think my phone has more megapixels - so I really can't lose.

But I do want to make an informed decision so I am turning to you: Do any of you have either of these cameras? Or do you have something else entirely that you would recommend? Want to weigh in on the great Canon vs. Nikon debate? Any insight would be welcome!