Lamps.com provided me with a product to review. All opinions are my own.

Can we talk about the situation that is my living room?

We've lived in our house about 3 and half years now and we've made some pretty good strides in the decor department.

We've gone from a random hanging light, vertical blinds, and nothing on the walls.

To this:


We've also swapped out the blinds for curtains (which you'll see in a bit).

And then we've kind of stalled. It's not that we didn't have ideas -we had plenty. It was more the fact that we couldn't make decisions on what we wanted our space to look like.

We got comfortable. So comfortable in fact - we lived with this for more time than I would care to admit.



The plastic lampshade broke off after being jostled one too many times of closing the curtains. But it still worked. So lived with it we did.

Until the nice people at Lamps.com decided to help us step our lamp game up. We were able to browse hundreds of lamps on their easy to navigate site all from the comfort of my couch.


I had a hard time deciding a midst all the choices but ultimately chose to upgrade to a similar style floor lamp with one distinct feature...

Adesso Remote Control Floor Lamp

 A REMOTE!

How cool is that? I didn't even know that was an option for lamps! I can sit on the couch and control my lamp with a press of a button. It has certainly been clutch when I'm already snuggled under the covers, ready to watch the latest episode of True Blood, Last Ship, or the Leftovers (my Sunday nights are busy).

Another thing I like about this particular style of lamp is that it will look good even when I decide to change things up in the living room - you might remember this inspiration board...


I dig the polished chrome look - so my new lamp can easily be incorporated and doesn't have to go anywhere. Win!

Lamps.com is a great site to check out for quality lighting and great inspiration. Their Instagram feed is also pretty droolworthy - definitely worth a follow if you enjoy seeing pretty things.

Going to the pool about 3 days a week. It has been far more enjoyable than I thought it would.

Trying to not start the back to school countdown. It's JULY people! I'm guessing only about two more weeks until the anxiety laden dreams begin. I will always worry about missing the first day of school due to oversleeping.

Planning a 5th of July BBQ after the Cardinals game. I'm thinking cheesy potatoes and pork steaks. YUM!

Starting to pull together a plan for really decorating the living room. I've learned over the past three years that I have decorating paralysis. I'd rather not do anything out of fear of making the wrong choices. But I will fear no more! I pulled together an inspiration board and I think I'm going to make the first purchase towards this design tomorrow...that sweet-ass fireplace TV console from Wayfair.
Itching to go shopping - birthday month is fast approaching, so I must hold off. I can't wait for all the coupons to start showing up in my inbox.

Waiting ever so patiently for Erin Condren to launch their notebooks. Somehow I've earned $40 to spend through referrals and I'm giddy!

Wanting to be more active - it is so tempting to lay (lie?) on the couch all day and I may have indulged myself a time or two already this summer.

I have a confession.

I've lived in my house for two and half years and up until Friday my beautiful basement built-ins (one of the reasons why I loved this house) looked like this:


Empty! For over two years. Unbelievable.

When it came time to picking items to put there or even thinking about what they should like, I was just overwhelmed. It was too blank of a canvas.

But as Chris and I prepare to host a couple of holiday gatherings we decided that built-ins could be bare no more. So over Thanksgiving break, I did my best to fill those shelves with Christmas cheer.


Taking a tip from Young House Love, I lined the back of the shelves with some burlap looking wrapping paper for a temporary change. And then just started putting things up there and tinkering with them until I liked their placement.

How I wish I already owned most of the items but there was a little cost associated with this decorating adventure. Thankfully Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Pier 1 all had great sales and coupons. I also shopped Goodwill and tried to get creative with things I already had - like the green "present" on the top left shelf are just my high school yearbooks wrapped in pretty paper.

Now that the basement is decorated we are officially ready for the holidays - at least decorations wise. Shopping is another story!

That's "I Like Friday" for those that didn't stumble through 3 years of high school Spanish like I did. But it's true, I do indeed enjoy a good Friday.

Here are 5 things in no particular order that I am digging this week:

1. The gym and I have become friends again. As I type this I am getting ready for "Butts and Gutts" class - sore midsection and glutes hurrah!

2. Craftiness. I have been killing it this week in the craft department but haven't shared much on the blog. More to come about the fabric covered boxes ( a la Jen Jones at IHeart Organizing) that I'm working on.


3. The 5% I save at Target every time I shop there. Check out these cute pillows I scored. Regularly $19.99 but they were BOGO 50% off this week plus the 5% off making them $14.24. Boo-yah!



4. I got my Cardinals season tickets this week, yippee! More like 10 games but that is way more than I've ever been to in one season before. And did I mention that were a present from Mom and Dad? So we get to see the boys of summer for free...all summer. :)


5. I just discovered Spotify this week. How have I been missing this awesome FREE online streaming music service that has over 15 million songs? So far seems way better than Pandora. My go to songs right now are "We Are Young" by Fun and "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye.

I'm going to enjoy my last weekend of spring break with some more crafting, spring cleaning, and grad school work. Doesn't sound like much of a break does it?

Have a great weekend!

P.S. I'm linking up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk for her High Five for Friday link party. Head on over at check it out!

I can't believe it has already been one year since getting the keys our abode. I remember closing like it was yesterday...how nervous I was signing all the papers, getting the keys, and the crazy whirlwind that followed.

Chris and I were a little too focused on buying furniture, picking paint colors, and finding friends to help move our stuff to take any day of closing pictures which totally bums me. Heck, Chris moved the sold sign within 5 minutes of walking in the door! Oh well, I still took plenty of pictures from that first week (actually the house inspection) of when it was mostly empty while we painted.

The blog has been an awesome record keeper of almost everything we done so far, from painting the mauve counter tops...

To installing a new kitchen faucet, painting the kitchen (and the guest bedroom and the entire first floor.)

We celebrated our first holiday (Easter), our 5th (dating) anniversary, had our first house party, and put up our first Christmas tree.


And we tackled the outside too - mostly with paint but we definitely made it our own.


And surprisingly a lot more. No longer should I complain about our house looking like we just moved in after seeing all the tasks we've completed in one year. It may not be an overhaul but hey, we are beginners and we have time on our sides :)

Here's to many more house anniversaries - looking forward to how we will continue to grow!

I've been busy this Presidents Day, building and prepping my new project table!

 Excited doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about this baby. I am ecstatic! I keep going downstairs just to stare at my handy work.

Update: I finished the project table (like a month later but hey it's done!) Check it out here!

The design might look familiar...a quick search for "craft table" on Pinterest will bring up plans for the lovely Modern Craft Table by Alaskan furniture goddess, Ana White.


The plan to make this table has been on the books since the beginning of the year and this weekend was finally the right time to get to work. My very handy aunt helped me put it all together and it was really quite simple. However, I have to make a huge disclaimer. I had all of my wood cut for me at the hardware store. The only tools I own are a hammer and screwdriver so cutting huge pieces of lumber just wasn't doable for me. Luckily, the awesome folks at Hackmann Lumber helped me out by cutting everything perfectly to size. They even labeled all the pieces so I wouldn't have to remeasure. Some truly awesome customer service!

Right now I am in the prepping stage for painting my new table, filling screw holes, caulking seams, sanding, and priming. This is the first time I have ever used oil based primer...the label was not kidding when it said to use in a well ventilated area. Holy fumes, Batman! Luckily, I'm still breathing but just a little lightheaded. Not too different than usual ;)

I'll be back with the finished product hopefully by the end of this week even though it absolutely crazy town this week at school, two nights of parent teacher conferences, a field trip to the botanical gardens, and I am teaching my first ever online class tonight. But it will be so worth it to get it finished!


What did you do this long weekend? Tackle any projects that you've meaning to get done for some time? Or did you get your party on for Mardi Gras? Tell me all about it!

Look what arrived on my doorstep this past week.



While I wish I could say this was some great find as part of my goal to start searching out great pieces at local Goodwill's and antique stores, I can't. It was my boyfriend's mother who found it. A woman she works for was getting rid of it and Chris' mom had no room for it so to our house it came! And it was free! Picture me doing the happy dance.

Not quite sure if I will leave it be. I dig the yellow but Chris wasn't quite feeling it. I just keep yelling throughout the house that "We NEED some color!"

For now I have moved it into our spare bedroom that currently has no other furniture, hopefully within the next few weeks I will figure out exactly what I want to do with it. Maybe a nice coat of white paint and some sleek chrome drawer pulls and handles (although I secretly lurve the clear ones) We shall see!

I even like this darker gray but it might pushing the limits.
I realize the common denominator between both of the rooms pictured is the immense amount of light streaming in to brighten up the space. Which brings me to my next to -do.


2. Lighting - Even with the huge window in the front of the house we don't get a whole lot of sunlight streaming into the house due to the direction the house faces. And once the sun goes down the current lighting situation sometimes feels no better than candlelight and it is driving me bonkers! Thus there is the need for lamps.


Me likes the idea of putting a side table next to the oversized chair with a bold lamp - I thinking something in turquoise, like this beauty from Target for $49.99 (not exactly my perfect price point)

Via Project Home

Via Make Under My Life

Via Centsational Girl

Via Ana White

Via Anything Pretty

Via The Container Store

Via Apartment Therapy

And since I am constantly blabbering on about what I see on Pinterest to my mom, she went out and found three mirrors from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and wrapped em up for Christmas. We hung them up last week and they look great!


But they were a bear to hang since I have plaster walls. Our first attempts of putting a nail in the wall resulted in a couple of chips and plaster crumbling off the wall. What ended up working was drilling a hole, slipping in a plastic wall anchor, and then using a one inch screw inside the anchor.


It is amazing how just putting the mirrors on the wall instantly adds to the space. Don't you just love junk filled dining table? Unfortunately it becomes a catch all during the week.




In the picture above you can also see my other Christmas gift, a pretty wall clock.


While they are nothing too adventurous they do add something nice to the place. Now I'm on the hunt for a side table, colorful lamp, and some art for the walls. Still contemplating if I am going to change the wall color. Is it ok to paint an entire room after only 8 months? I do keep hearing that it's only paint...

How are you doing with your goals for the new year? Anything to celebrate?

With the start of another year, so come an onslaught of resolutions. I have been thinking the past few days on what I would like to focus on in 2012 but thought I should first revisit last year's goals to see how I did.

Goal #1: Complete 15 hours of coursework towards my Master's Degree. Check! Completed in July 2011


Goal #2: Move more, eat less. Can't say I was really on track with this one as I sit here in my stretchy yoga pants (trust me, I did no yoga) after eating yet another Jack in the Box meal.


Goal #3: Save more money/ pay down my bills faster. The real goal here is to save enough to buy a house but I still don't feel confident in doing that myself yet. So the goal will remain to save 30% of my pay every month and limit the shopping, even when everything seems so cute at the store! Done and done! I bought a house in March of 2011 and continue to save.

Goal #4: Blog more. Indeed I did, in fact I doubled the amount of blog posts in 2011. 61 total!

2. Finish my Masters. After an unexpectedly grueling fall semester I am registered for 6 more hours in the spring semester, leaving just three hours to complete in the summer. Gotta keep on trucking!

3. Make some decorating decisions. We have lived in the new house for almost a year and most of the walls are still bare, no curtains, and we have an entire room with no furniture.


This goal includes getting rid of those bloody vertical blinds, eck!

Yes, making a house a home is a process but it one I actually need to start. The short list of projects in my mind for 2012 include a craft area/office, lighting for the living/dining room, re-painting the kitchen, and a bedroom overhaul. Definitely going to try my luck at the thrift stores, Craigslist, and garage sales and get my DIY on!

4. Trust. This might seem like an odd goal but I have come to realize that I need to let my guard down and put my full trust in those who are closet to me and in myself. Only good things can come of this...I hope.

Are you making any resolutions this year? I find that writing my goals down helps keep me accountable. Here's hoping for a wonderful 2012!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing Christmas eve. Today I am just hanging around the house and enjoying being off work before heading to my parents' for dinner and fun.

The house has looked especially dapper this holiday season. It is has been so nice to come home to a warm and inviting inside. I am kinda sad that I will have to take it all down soon. I actually asked Chris if we could be those people who keep their tree up until like March but he quickly put the kibosh on that idea. Bummer.

But for being first time holiday decorators, I think we did a pretty good job with minimal expense, either borrowing or using items that had been passed down to each of us. The only thing that was bought this year was our tree and our stockings.






Chris and I were lucky that our parents collected ornaments for us each year since, we also have a few home made ornaments too.  Below are some of my favorites...




Grover! This is actually Chris' but my family has Bert and Ernie ornaments that we all fight over. I was so tickled when he brought this out.


Chris and I decided that each year we would get each other an ornament. I found this awesome glittery pencil in my stocking for St. Nick's day this year. I got Chris a Cardinal's World Series ornament to commemorate the awesome 2011 season, but it currently wrapped under the tree waiting for tomorrow. Shh!!


Another one of Chris' ornaments. I love the colors and the sequins.


My grandma gave me this ornament when I was in grade school when I played a variety of musical instruments...flute, piano, bells, and percussion.


There are quite a few penguins on the tree being that they are one of my favorite animals. This guy just looks so jolly!


A student of mine gave me this glass ornament this year and I absolutely love it.


Chris' mom collected quite a few of these rocking horse ornaments from Hallmark over the years. We are told that some of them are actually quite valuable. We have about 15 or so spread over the tree.


We put our Christmas cards up on our "mantle". I've seen a lot of great card holder ideas on Pinterest but never got around to making anything. Maybe next year.


And the house wouldn't be complete without some Christmas subway art. I found this over at Eighteen25. They have a totally cute new year's one I plan on printing soon for 2012.

Well, that is the tour. I have meaning to take some pictures of our outdoor decorations but haven't got to it yet. Maybe tonight!

Have a wonderful Christmas eve!