Weekend Recap: House Projects Galore

This past weekend was a good one.  It wasn't as long as I had anticipated - I ended up having to go into work on Monday, but it still was nice.  Since Monday is a holiday, it didn't feel like a 'normal' workday so it wasn't all that bad.  And as someone pointed out, it wasn't necessarily a nice day to be out and about doing things, so might as well work.  Although, I could have probably argued that point, but I will just go along with that train of thought.

I ended up working from home on Friday.  We were supposed to get some snow / ice / rain, and I was not about to mess with any ice.  It did a little something in the morning, then stopped and didn't really start until the evening.  I don't think it ever got as bad as they were thinking, at least in my area, but I was still glad I played it safe.  And I didn't mind working in leggings all day, either!  The evening was pretty uneventful - just what was needed after a long week and before a busy weekend.

My parents did end up coming on Saturday, which I was so happy about.  Friday morning the weather was looking kind of bad, but by Friday evening they were saying it wouldn't be as bad again.  Back and forth and back and forth!  We played it by ear, though, and it all worked out.  I spent the morning cleaning a bit for their arrival and getting ready for some of our going ons.  Once they got in, we hit the ground running.

First up was the plate rack my dad made.  Unfortunately, the bottom pieces of wood weren't quite wide enough, and some of the plates were slipping and the platters didn't lay quite flat.  My dad decided he would just have to remake it, but instead of taking it down to leave holes in the wall, we left it up.  Even empty I think it adds some warmth and character to the space, so I am excited to get the new one in place with the plates and platters.

Next up was the TV stand.  This was a bit of a surprise - I ordered this earlier in the month, but the latest communication said that it wouldn't be shipped until this week or next.  You can image my surprise when it came last week!  It worked out really well, though!  I purchased the same style as my bookshelf, and I like how the two coordinate.  I thought at first that I would be able to put the TV more to one side, and use the extra space to decorate a bit, but it wasn't quite as long as I had imagined.  Since my dad had put all the cords to the side already, we waited until Sunday to center the TV and redo the cords.  I ordered some baskets to go into the bottom shelves, and can't wait for them to get in to finish off the look!

I got a special delivery on Saturday - my Peloton!  This is my merry/happy everything present for the year, haha.  I originally was going to get a treadmill, but ended up just going all in on the Peloton.  The delivery guys were awesome - so very nice and knowledgeable.  This might sound silly, but it honestly made me think of the Chick fil A workers.  Like the same caliber - if Chick fil A did delivery, these guys would be it.  As far as the bike goes, I have only done two rides so far, but really like it.

Back to the house projects, one of the big things we planned on working on was my master bath.  It was looking rough - the previous owners didn't hardly patch anything, and what they did patch wasn't done well, and I also had shower doors on my tub that I was ready to get rid of.  My dad made quick work of the doors, replaced a bit of drywall and got to patching.  While he did that, my mom and I ran out to the store.  I grabbed a new shower curtain, hooks and rod, and then we stopped to get some food.  My mom offered to make me some things to have on hand for dinners this week since it was going to be another busy one - super thankful for that!

The rest of the day/night was picking up all the messes we made, moving my bookshelf in the guest room, eating pizza, making a last minute Home Depot run, and finally relaxing.  In there, too, my brother FaceTimed us with my littlest nephew, who is WALKING a bit!  That was pretty exciting.  Just a few steps from the coffee table to the couch, but goodness is he moving!

Since it was a long weekend, my parents stayed a big longer than normal on Sunday.  The patching got finished up, metal shelves were brought in and assembled in the basement, and then before I know it they were off.  And I was tuckered out.  I rallied though to do my first Peloton ride, and then called it good for the day as far as productivity goes.  It was chilly - winter finally arrived temperature wise this weekend, and I bundled up on the couch, catching up on some shows.

Monday it was back to work!  

Linking up with Lindsay.
  

Home Tour: Guest Bedroom

Last year I started sharing a home tour, but didn't quite get everything photographed prior to putting up all my holiday decorations.  I wanted the home tour to be a more of an everyday look at things, so I wanted to wait until my decorations were down before sharing the rest. 

I am still in the processing of making my condo a home, so things aren't all 'done', but I thought it would be neat to look at how things are currently, after having lived here about a year and a half, and then down the road see how they change.   

If you want to take a peek at the rooms I have shared thus far, you can check them all out in the 'home tour' tab at the top of the page, or click here.  As I share the last few rooms, I will add those there, too!

Ok, now to today's room, the guest bedroom.  When I first moved in, all that I had in there was an air mattress.  So it's evolved quite a bit since then!

Here's a look...

And here's a little 'behind the scenes' of how things came together...

I purchased the dresser from my pastor and his wife.  It reminded me one my parents' had growing up, and I love the wood tones.  I wanted a pitcher and bowl in my master on my dresser, but never found one I liked and ended up going another route.  I never got that out of my head, though, and found this one just down that street for a dollar at a garage sale!  

When I redid my master last year, the guest room finally got a real bed, nightstand, and chair - what a world of difference that made!  

My mom and I were out shopping one visit, and I came across some bedding on clearance at Pottery Barn that I just fell in love with.  My old bedding was looking a little blah, and adding in a new duvet cover and shams gave the room a nice refresh.  

The lamps were a hand me down from my parents.  My mom redid my old bedroom, and she wasn't going to be using the lamps any longer.  So into the guest bedroom they went.  The pink gingham shades go really well with the bedding!  I'll probably update them to something a little more neutral down the road, but they really are cute for now.

A basket from my grandma gave me a cute place to store quilts and add a bit of softness to the room.  

Then, just this past weekend, we moved the bookshelf, which was previously in my loft/office area to the room, and it feels like it should have always been there!

I am hoping to focus a bit more on the guest room this year, so hopefully there will be updates to share throughout the year!

Linking up with Erika.

Friday Favorites: Tea, Easy Peasy Lunches, Metal Shelving, Family & A New Pillow Cover

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that any clicks/purchases may result in a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Happy Friday!  Goodness am I glad to see the weekend - a long one at that!

I was all out of sorts this week.  I thought Tuesday was for sure Wednesday, and then Wednesday morning when I woke up to my alarm, I was soooo confused as to why my alarm was going off because we were to the weekend...or so I thought.  Thursday was quite interesting, too.  My office was experiencing a power outage so the office closed, then reopened in the afternoon.  I decided to go in instead of working from home all day, because they are calling for snow/ice today and if that forecast stays the same, I will definitely be working from home!  All that to say, I am ready for the weekend, especially considering I thought it was here already on Wednesday!

Here are some favorites from the week...

1.  Hot Tea.  I was on the biggest coffee kick for awhile.  I went from having it on the weekends to making it almost every morning, and sometimes having multiple cups a day.  I loved it!  Well, lately, my body has decided that coffee and I are no longer the friends we once were.  A lot of times when I drink it now I feel very blah after a cup, my head hurts, and even worse, I start to feel super jittery and anxious.  Since I had been drinking so much coffee, I kind of stopped having my daily cup of tea.  So when I started feeling blah, I turned back to my old faithful this time of year, hot cinnamon sunset tea.  And goodness, did I forget how good it was!  It's super flavorful, while still being light, and the cinnamon taste / scent is perfect on these winter days.  Enjoying a cup mid morning, or mid afternoon has been such a nice treat this week.  

2.  Chopped Salad Mixes.  Like most people, I am trying to eat healthier this year.  I enjoy salad, but don't always enjoy chopping up all the veggies to make a really good salad.  So, instead, I have been grabbing chopped salad mixes at the grocery store.  Easy peasy!  So far my favorites have been the Chipotle Cheddar, Sunflower Crisp and BBQ Ranch.  I just divide the bagged items into two tupperware containers, then dress it right before I eat it.  Also, I will tear up a bit of spinach, or whatever plain lettuce mix I have at home to add in some extra greens.

3.  Rotisserie Chicken.  Another lunch essential for me lately has been rotisserie chicken.  I will get all the chicken off the bone, make individual portions, then freeze it.  That way, I can grab some to add in with my salad for protein.  It's also nice just to have on hand, too, because it makes certain meals so darn easy (like enchiladas).  And, at least most of the time, I have found it's cheaper than getting chicken breasts and making shredded or cubed chicken myself!

4.  Metal Shelving.  Ever since I moved, my basement has been a dumping ground.  Which is pretty normal for an unfinished basement, but it's gotten a little out of control.  I always knew that I wanted to get a few metal shelving units to place all my tubs of decor and whatnot on, and I finally did!  Using some Christmas money, I grabbed a few sets of the Husky shelving from The Home Depot when they had a sale earlier in the month (and used Ibotta to get 1.5% cash back on my order!), and they just arrived yesterday.  I am super excited to get them all set up.  And to finally clean things out and get them all in order!

5.  My Parents.  My parents are set to visit this weekend, and I am really excited about it.  Of course, it's all dependent on the weather, but fingers crossed it is looking ok for their travel as of now.  We have an ambitious list (as we always do) of things to get done, and I am hoping we can make decent progress on all the to do's.  One of the rooms I want to tackle this year is my bathroom.  While I don't be doing a full overhaul by any means, I would like a fresh coat of paint and some things on the walls.  In order to get to the painting, there is a lot of prep that needs to be done.  And that is just what we are, or rather my dad is, going to hopefully be doing this weekend.

6.  New Pillow Cover.  One of the ways I like to change up decor is new pillow covers.  I am a big fan of Pottery Barn pillow covers.  They are super good quality and you can usually get a deal on them, too!  I got a new plaid lumbar pillow cover to go with my Christmas decor, and I really loved it.  But I felt like with my winter decor, I needed something less colorful.  I decided just to browse and came across this really pretty navy and cream/tan plaid pillow.  When I saw the price ($17), I knew it was a winner!   

I am also just really excited to see them.  Even though it hasn't been that long since Christmas it feels long.

On the blog this:
  Weekend Recap: Rain & Snow 
  Book Review: January 2020
  Christmas Bucket List 2019 Recap 

Have a great weekend!          

Linking up with Erika and Andrea. 

Christmas Bucket List 2019 Recap

I realized on Monday, after reading Lindsay's post, that I never recapped my Christmas bucket list.  

I kept things short and sweet with my bucket list this year, but for my memory's sake, I wanted to make sure and document it!

1.  Decorate for Christmas.  Check!  As in the past, my mom came down one weekend and helped me decorate.  It's always a fun thing to do together, and so very helpful, especially when decorating new spaces.  It came together so well and I absolutely loved it.  So much so I ended up keeping my tree up until this past weekend! (home tour post here)  

2.  Send Christmas cards.  Check!  I had all these grand plans to have my cards ordered early so that I could drop them in the mail right after Thanksgiving.  I had such a hard time picking one out, though, that it took me way longer than anticipated to decide and order.  I ended up on the one below, because it reminded me of my shiny brite Christmas tree that I love so much! (post here)

3.  Bake cookies.  Check!  Cookies were made for my church's cookie walk, which made over $5,000 that went to helping women and children.  I opted for my Aunt Becky's Chocolate Chip Cookies for the cookie walk, and they went over pretty well! (post here)

My mom, dad and I had what has become our annual sugar cookie afternoon/evening.  We made what are my very favorite sugar cookies, topped them with buttercream frosting and sprinkles.  Then proceeded to enjoy them for a good week. 

  

4.  Drive around, looking at Christmas lights.  I hit up my favorite subdivision around here, my own neighborhood, and then did the same back home with my parents!  Of course, my parents' house is by far my favorite.

(Don't mind the portion of the lights missing around the door.  My poor dad, as we were driving around a few nights before, I saw that some of the lights on one of the bushes were out.  He was able to fix that no problem, but then when I went to take a picture of the house, I noticed a section of lights had gone around around the door.  That one was not a quick fix, unfortunately!)

I also saw the Lights at the Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!  That was for sure a highlight.  One of the best parts was hearing my nephew say, 'it's beauuuuuutiful,' in a wondrous tone.  So cute!

5.  Christmas movie night.  I saw my fair share of Christmas movies, that is for sure!  I got in my fill of Hallmark Christmas movies, as well as my usual favorites.  And I made sure to 'plan' some movie nights, too, where I popped popcorn, and just sat and enjoyed, rather than trying to multitask or deciding to watch a movie at random because there was nothing else on.  Why that made a difference, I don't know, but it did and it was fun and I plan to ensure I do that more often!

Of course, the big one for the season was give back!  I did that in a few different ways, and it felt good to help others.  So much so that one of my New Year's resolutions was focused on giving back! (post here).

Like everyone else, I felt the Christmas season seemed wayyyyy too short, but focusing on some of the little pleasures, like looking at lights, or watching movies sure made it sweet!

Linking up with Lindsay.

Book Review: January 2020

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that any clicks/purchases may result in a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown.  This was a good one!  I really thought it was a clever story line and made me wonder who was actually the bad person in it, and of course, gave me a good love story. 

Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley.  I read this book of the course of a few months, picking up and going chapter by chapter.  I think there are some good little nuggets of knowledge throughout, but I honestly would suggest reading it in one fell swoop, rather than picking up here and there.

The Banker's Wife by Christina Alger.  This was a super interesting book.  It's all about a bank that deals with some shady characters, and how there is a leak somewhere, feeding an investigation.  It made you wonder who was good and who was bad in the situation.  I wasn't a huge fan of one little tidbit, though.  Kind of colored my opinion of one of the good guys.

The Mister by E.L. James.  For some reason, I totally missed the little plug on the cover of the book that this was the same author that wrote Fifty Shades of Grey.  It was ok.  A playboy falls for his housekeeper while dealing with his brother's untimely death and all that goes with it, as well as dealing with the fact that his housekeeper is hiding in the country from sex traffickers she was able to escape, and her arranged marriage.  A lot going on, and the books does go smoother than I explained it, but again I found it just ok.

The Hollow by Nora Roberts.  I read the first of this trilogy awhile ago, and while it wasn't my favorite, I still wanted to finish it.  I really enjoyed the second book, and I am glad I stuck with it!  You get the second love story of the group, and they further fight what is plaguing them.

I read some additional Christmas books since my holiday book review, and while I plan to add them to that post, I figured I would share them here, too. 

Finding Christmas by Karen Schaler.  I really loved this book.  It's cheesy and the main character kind of does some silly things, but it was pure Christmas.  And just super cute.  I feel like it had more substance, too, than other holiday books do, which I appreciated.

A Snowy Little Christmas by Fern Michaels, Tara Sheets & Kate Clayborn.  This was a really cute collection of three different stories.  I thought each of them were really good, although the first and second were definitely my favorites.    


Linking up with Steph.

Weekend Recap: Rain & Snow

Hey all!  I hope you had a good weekend.  Even with feeling not so great for part of the weekend, it still a nice one.

I was pretty proud of myself on Friday.  I had plans to go to the gym after work, and of course, by midday I had zero desire to actually follow through and go.  However, I made myself do it, and once I was there, I was so very glad I went.  It's like that saying / quote that I feel like is always out there about the working out - you never regret it!  I made it home before the evening storms rang down on us, and kept it low key with watching some shows and enjoying some pizza.  Growing up, I feel like Friday night was often pizza night and I definitely seem to be bringing that back for myself!

Saturday I originally had a church leadership retreat, but that had gotten cancelled on Friday, due to the weather.  I was bummed about it, because I feel like it would have been useful, but at the same time my whole entire day just opened up and I was ready to enjoy it!  I made a Target run, taking advantage of their spend $50 on household items, get a $15 gift card deal, grabbed a few books from the library and timed it all just 'so' to make it to the antique mall right as it had opened.  It had been awhile since I had checked out the mall, so I was excited to see what new goodies they had.  I was not disappointed, and walked away with a milk glass vase, two spools, and a shiney brite ornament.  Then it was back home to wait for the snow.  

The forecast kept changing, so I wasn't even sure if it was actually going to happen, but sure enough, sometime in the two o'clock hour, it started coming down.  And kept coming - I was so shocked at how quickly it accumulated!  Especially since we were in the 60's the day before.  I thought for sure the ground would be too warm for it to add up that much.  I had taken down my Christmas tree earlier in the afternoon, and while I was glad to get it done, I was also a bit sad, too.  It would have been nice to enjoy the snow with the glow of the tree.  

I hadn't felt great all day, and it really hit me in the late afternoon, so I pretty much spent the rest of the day on the couch, followed by an early to bed.

I had decided I wouldn't set an alarm for Sunday, and instead I would just wake up when I did, and see how I felt / what time it was to make a decision about church.  Well I slept in a lot later than normal, and still wasn't feeling great so I decided against church.  Work is going to get busy starting tomorrow and I wanted to rest to try and get back to 100% for it.  I headed to the couch and proceeded to watch a bunch of episodes of The Pioneer Woman.

As I write this about noon on Sunday, I am still on the couch, watching The Pioneer Woman.  I've started to feel better, so I did get a few things done in the morning, but I've been taking it slow and steady and plan to continue that through the rest of the day.

Hopefully as you read this I am fully back to normal, and taking on the work day at full speed.  Happy Monday!   

Linking up with Lindsay.
     

Friday Favorites: A New Sweater, Lilly Sale, My Christmas Tree, A Hair Spray, Pearl Hoops & Ozark

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that any clicks/purchases may result in a small commission at no additional cost to you.


Happy Friday!  I am ready for the weekend.  Overall this week was pretty good, although it was a little tough getting back into things.  I worked all last week (except for New Year's Day), but it still was relatively quiet with people taking time off, so this week felt like the first 'real' one after the holidays.  My weeknights were pretty low key and relaxing, and I didn't mind that one bit!  That alone could be a favorite!

1.  Free People Easy Street Tunic Sweater.  I have been on the lookout for this sweater for a few months now.  It's a bit of a funny story on how I ended up ordering this one.  I woke up SO EARLY one day last week and could not fall back asleep for anything.  After giving up, I finally got my phone and did a little online shopping at about 3:00 am, and ran across this sweater on Macy's website.  It's been on sale multiple times at both Macy's and Nordstrom, but they never had my size (I needed a size down).  I would definitely recommend for others to do that, too, as I tried on a small at the store on Black Friday and I was swimming in it!  Free People normally runs big, but this was extra big, haha.  Well, sure enough that had my size in the pink and I quickly hit order.  The pink is super pretty and really fun and bright for winter into spring.  Right now it's on sale at Macy's for 20% off, but with the code BIG you get an extra 20% off, matching Nordstrom, which also has it for 40% off.  It's still a bit on the pricier side, but the quality is really awesome and well worth the sale price.  

2.  Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale.  Earlier this week, Lilly had their After Party Sale.  I started shopping this sale a few years ago, and it's always something I look forward to in January.  First off, the sales are pretty darn good.  For example, the original price of one of the dresses I bought was $198.  On sale?  $69.  Much, much more reasonable.  Now that I think of it, I actually got all three dresses slightly under the original price of that one dress.  Another reason I like to shop the sale is because I feel like it's fun to shop all the bright prints and warm weather clothes in winter.  It's kind of like a promise that spring and summer are coming when the days might seem a little dreary.  Granted, we have been having some unseasonably warm weather recently, but it still is definitely winter with the bare trees and chilly winds.  Below are the dresses I ordered.  I can't wait to get them in!

3.  This View.

You may have seen this on instagram earlier this week, but my Christmas tree is still going strong.  I tuckered out last weekend putting away decor, and while I got everything else done, the tree stayed.  I intended to tackle it one night this week, but I have been enjoying it too much!  Usually I am itching to get the house back in order, with little touches of winter here and there, but having the tree up for a bit longer has been pretty enjoyable.  I think because everything else is gone, it still feels fresh and clean, but I still get that pretty glow of the lights and sparkle of the ornaments.  This may become a new norm for me!   

4.  Enjoy Conditioning Spray.  At my last hair appointment, my stylist gave me a little Christmas goodie bag.  In it was this Enjoy spray.  She told me to use it on my hair after it had been towel dried, but before I blow dried it.  I have been using it consistently for about a week, and really love it.  I feel like my hair is smoother, and healthier.  Granted, I did get it cut just over a week ago so it should be healthy, but I really do think it's better than normal.  I just spray a bit all over, brush it (with a Wet brush), then blow dry. 

5.  Pearl Hoops.  While my mom and I were Black Friday shopping, we stopped at Loft.  I was in line and noticed these really cute pearl hoops.  I mentioned how I liked them in passing, but since my mind was on my shopping list and Christmas gifts for others, I didn't think much more about them.  Well, fast forward to Christmas morning, and my mom had gotten them for me as a stocking stuffer.  I was so very excited!  I have really been into hoops - these Kendra Scott ones are my other go tos - because I feel like they just give you a little more oomph than your typical studs.  With these pearl hoops, I feel like you get the classic look and feel of pearls, but with a fun twist.  And they are on sale, plus an 50% off right now!

6.  Ozark Season 3.  I just saw that Ozark season 3 is going to be available on March 27th.  Ozark was one of my favorite 'binge' shows on Netflix, and I have been anxiously awaiting a new season.  Super exciting news!  I may have to start rewatching the first two seasons to prepare! 

Blog Posts This Week:
Weekend Recap: Goodbye Christmas 
Top 9 Amazon Purchases of 2019 
January Goals & Habits  

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Linking up with Erika and Andrea.