bliss list ~ january

Where did this month go? I feel like January just started but then again, when one has part of the first week off due to holiday break and the second full week off due to inclement weather, I guess it's bound to go quickly! Thinking back to this month and things that have made me happy, I've found I have quite a diverse list. Let's dive right in to January's bliss list, shall we?

Castle ~ Have you seen this show? If you have not, you need to start watching it NOW! There aren't too many shows I can say I've watched from the beginning but this is one show Hubby and I have been hooked on since it first hit TV. We try to never miss a show and now thanks to DVR, we never have to! Each week Hubby and I look forward to seeing what kind of mess Rick Castle and Kate Beckett will find themselves in. What a great way to spend a Monday night.

Cereal ~ I am loving cereal right now. I'm typically a lover of cereal and enjoy having a variety of kinds at my disposal. Right now, I have A LOT in the pantry. Organic granola, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honey Nut Shredded Wheat, organic cinnamon shredded wheat, Grape Nuts, Lucky Charms. Don't you love the mix of organic and Lucky Charms?  A girl has to balance out her diet.

Real Housewives of Orange County ~ I should be very embarrassed to admit I watch this show but I'm not.  After all, I know their lives are far from reality and every once awhile its fun to spend the entire afternoon, on your couch, far from reality.

Down Blankets ~ Our family room gets quite chilly during the winter seasons.  And of course, this is the room where Hubby and I spend most of our time.  Good thing I have a nice warm down blanket to keep me nice and toasty during these cold months.

Naps ~ I loved them before this month, especially loved them this month and know I'll continue to love them.

To see past Bliss Lists click here, here, here, or here.

etsy find

While perusing Etsy, I stumbled upon anakim's shop and found her beautiful handcrafted organic jewelry.  I can't decide which I like best - the metal or the stones.  Maybe both.

pretty space

{via design sponge via penny de los santos}

to-dos

Now that our home improvements are nearly over, I get to start the clean up process.  Oddly enough, I'm actually looking forward to it.  There is so much dust and grime that I am going to have to do some deep cleaning but I'm okay with that - I really like the satisfaction I feel after I give rooms in our house a good clean.  I've been working on a to-do list to follow for the weekend.  I'm going to try to make things manageable.  For example, I'm not planning to deep clean the whole house (just yet).  The rooms in major need are the kitchen, family room, and half bath (the room that suffered major destruction).  So I will focus my energy on those rooms.  I'll save the rest for another weekend and spurt of energy.

I'm a list maker.  I love to make lists, check my lists, add to my lists, and cross items off my lists.  I recently found an online list maker.  Enter Evernote, which is basically an online notepad. 

I'm just experiencing with this (I've only made my one list) but can see there are many features to this online note space.  And, it's free.  And if you're hip (unlike me) and have an iPhone or a phone that has internet or email capabilities, you'd really like this service as you can access and add to your Evernote account via your cell.  I'm going to give it a try for awhile although I do love my random, sketchy handwritten lists.

sale!!!

There's a big sale at Mod Cloth. I will admit - I still have yet to purchase anything from this site but always search and think of the cute and fun things I would love to buy. They're having a big sale now but items go FAST! Here are some steals I found:

I'm most likely browsing and not buying (spending money on our house mess right now, not clothes...) but someday I swear I will buy from this place!

in a new light

The repair process has begun following our unwanted holiday surprise. Thankfully home owners insurance has allowed us to hire out this work so there's little worry for Hubby and me aside from cleaning up the nasty dust. Really, I can handle that considering all the work is being done while we're both at work. Even though the mess is not wanted, it's presenting itself with some nice opportunities.

Opportunity #1 ~ Our family room, half bathroom, and kitchen ceilings are all getting a scrape and fresh coat of paint. I've been eyeing our less than fresh paint job in our kitchen so quite some time. SO excited someone other than me will be tediously painting above all the cupboards!

Opportunity #2 ~ Our bathroom tile floors are being cleaned. Deep cleaned. Our wonderful contractor took a look at them and said, let's just have those cleaned when the guys are finished with their work. Fine by me!

Opportunity #3 ~ A new kitchen light! Hubby and I have wanted to ditch the florescent box light in our kitchen for quite some time but knew when we did that job, we would have to paint the ceiling to account for fading. Well, enter in a new paint job and our old box light is history. We can't wait to replace it and have a few options in mind.

I know…two different finishes. But we have several different finished going on in our abode. Our cupboard and drawer pulls are a satin nickel finish as are all of our kitchen and bathroom faucets. We have some nice light fixtures in our foyer, dining area, and family room that are an oil rubbed bronze finish. Those mixes, I am okay with. I'm not as okay with the other gold brass light fixtures and door knobs in the home. Hopefully we'll eventually be able to fade those out. What is your stance on mixed finishes? Do you prefer everything to match or are you all right with some variety?

On a somewhat separate yet related note, check out this neat gadget I found at Lowes.

This tool gives you the ability to change what was a recessed light to a different style i.e. a pendant light. I first saw this trick at Thrifty Decor Chick and then when browsing for new lights came across the adaptor. We have a few recessed lights in our home. Generally, they aren't bugging me. However, the recessed light above our kitchen sink is a bit of a pain. The way the cabinets are laid out prevents adequate light flow. One of these little guys may be the solution to our problem.

surprise

Last night Hubby surprised me with these:

I have a sweet Hubby.

the obsession continues

I love these.  I want these.

pretty plates

I'm a sucker for dishes. I love plates, bowls, glassware, serving ware - I love them. Finding these pretty plates at La Plates doesn't help my obsession. They do monogrammed and personalized plates in the color and design of your choice. Here are a few pretty samples:

Of course, to really help my nasty fixation of all things glass, ceramic, and melmac I need a better place to store and display.  Someday I would love to own something similar to one of these:

not so matchy

Typically I'm a symmetrical thinker. For example, in our bedroom, our pillows line up, our bedding is uniform, we have matching nightstands with matching lamps. Even our TV sits** in the middle of our dresser. However, I'm slowly getting over the feel that everything has to be so matchy. An unbalanced look can appear just as put together and well-designed.

I really like this image which shows a somewhat unbalanced look that totally works. I like the diverse lamps, the bright bedding that plays on many different patterns and colors. Even though it might not match, the room looks quite put together.

{via Home Sweet Home via incandescentlywitty}

**I did recently move the TV a bit askew to add some photos to our dresser and it looks just fine!

thinking warm

It's cold here.  COLD.  And I know it's even colder other places.  One of the blogs I follow (leslie g.) had a post yesterday about taking a virtual vacation.  I like that idea.  I LOVE that idea.  Since we haven't had school for the last 4 days, I haven't stepped out of the house.  I need to brave the cold today for groceries and Hubby and I have deemed tonight date night - I need to get out of this house.  I know that first blast of cold air that hits me will be brutal but maybe if I think warm, it won't be so bad.  Here are a few pictures to help me think warm.  I wish I was there.  And I'm jealous of my friend, Leah, who will be living warm in 3 weeks.

mantel makeover

With the fall and winter decorations down, I'm finding my fireplace mantel is...boring.  I'm not quite sure what to do with it.  I really don't want to spend a lot of money but I would like to spice it up a bit.  Here's what I'm dealing with now.

See?  Blah.

Sarah, over at pewter + sage, changes her mantel several times throughout the year.  To see her various looks, click here.  Here are some of my faves of hers:

Here are few others I have found for inspiration:

We will see what I can come up with!

workspace

I wish I was a little craftier.  This is such a fun workspace.

{via home sweet home via align}

note of thanks

After a week of getting, getting, getting, now it's time to thank, thank, thank. Hand written notes are sadly becoming a thing of the past. And it's a shame. Who isn't thrilled to open the mailbox and find a personal note from a friend or family member? I absolutely adore receiving snail mail and try my best to avoid cyber thank you’s, birthday wishes, and thinking of you notes and instead send something tangible. Now that the holiday season is over, we have much to be thankful for. Thankful for gifts received, thankful for those who hosted us in their homes, or even thankful for family and friends who we might not have been able to see over the holidays. If you’re having trouble locating some neat thank you notes, you can head over to Papyrus and see what they have in store.