Noteworthy
Happy Tuesday, friends! Yesterday, we (as in the dogs and myself) had the perfect snow day. We woke up to a BUNCH of snow and it continued to dump all day long. Emmett braved the snowstorm and still went into work, but my meetings were cancelled and I was able to be productive, brainstorm new blog ideas in front of the fire, and watch the pups play in the snow from the formal living room. It was the best way to kick off the week. There’s just something about a blizzard and a snow day that excites me, like it did when I was a kid. I figured a Noteworthy post was in order. Click through for life & renovation updates, inspiring links, and plenty of photos from our snow day!
This Noteworthy post is little different than most in the series, because I’m packing it full of images from our snowy Monday. I’m not sure what possessed me to get out my camera and capture the snow day, but I sure had fun snapping a few pictures.
I suited up the dogs and sent them out to play. Trust me when I say, they’d rather wear these hilarious suits and snow boots than have giant snow mats in their fur. They do look ridiculous though! I’m just glad they’re comfortable (and clean).
I love our house covered under a blanket of snow in the wintertime. I swear this colonial was made to live in a snowy scene. Speaking of our home, ready for a quick renovation update? The basement bath is going well! We finished the floor tile and I actually have a heated floor tile DIY coming to the blog this week… in case any of you would like to install heated flooring in the future. It’s honestly not difficult! That’s a luxury we’ll certainly enjoy on snowy days like today! We’re hoping to start tiling the shower this week (helllllllo marble!) and move onto installing the plumbing fixtures shortly after. This is when the renovation starts to get fun.
I’ve shared this tidbit about our home repeatedly, but we moved in knowing there was an expiration date on the plumbing. That basically caused us to renovate the guest bathroom first, and also influenced our decision to tackle the basement bathroom shortly after. It’s probably no surprise to hear we’re currently having plumbing and leaking issues in another bathroom… the master. While it’s a bummer, it *might* lead to that space being our next BIG renovation (although we have some saving to do). We’ll have to see how it plays out and just how bad the leaking is. I really wanted to move onto something “easy” next… like a bedroom, my office, or even the entryway / staircase, but like I always say- the house typically tells you what to renovate next. Ha! We shall see.
A little life update from me… I’m still not feeling 100%, but I’m definitely on the up and up. January was a rough month over here! I really appreciate your kind and caring messages checking in on me! What started as bronchitis turned into walking pneumonia, which then led to pleurisy- which has been a crazy combination given my history with asthma. All of that to say, my lungs are mending and between frequent breathing treatments and lots of medicines, I’m finally starting to feel more like myself and my body is thankfully showing better oxygen levels. Thanks for hanging in there throughout January as I was MIA. You guys could probably tell through my writing, that I wasn’t feeling great, creative, upbeat, or as inspired as I typically am. I’m hoping February is a month of healing, so I can officially “start” the new year on the right foot. I’m feeling good about things and I think my body is finally getting the memo!
I saved a bunch of inspiring links over the past month! Ready to see what I’ve been reading? This article on why we are yearning for traditional decor again was so enlightening! I’m all about it.
I also really liked reading about how one man turned nursing home design on its head. That one really hit home for me as my grandmother permanently lives in a nursing home that is the exact opposite, in terms of design. I could certainly see why seniors would be much happier in the realistic neighborhood model.
This article made me laugh and was pretty fun… the best and worst movie homes of all time! You guys know I enjoy analyzing set designs.
I thought this blog post shared awesome tips for mixing dining chairs and bar stools! This is trickier than it seems and these are all principles I use and apply.
I’ll admit- I’m not a goop reader, but I was intrigued when I stumbled across The Goop Lab series on Netflix. Emmett agreed to watch it with me while I wasn’t feeling great, and we were both sucked in. It was actually super interesting, if you’re looking for something to watch!
We also watched Troop Zero and it was such a wonderful, heartwarming film. I’d definitely recommend that one too, if you’re in need of a movie night.
Lastly, I wanted to send a thank you and big hug to everyone who supported and encouraged me last week after finding out my basement image was used (without credit) in the latest issue of Reveal Magazine. Initially I was very emotional about it, but tried to remain calm and professional. I have a call with the editor later today, but after chatting via email, I’m confident they will make things right. Human error happens. Credit a big issue in print publications, but also on social media- I’m glad I was able to shed some light on this common occurrence. All of that to say- thanks for having my back, friends! It will all work out as it should, I’m sure. I’ll keep you posted!
As my snow day came to a close, I was very tempted to make snow day hot cocoa cupcakes, but didn’t have all of the ingredients, so I settled for a regular mug of hot cocoa instead. If this is what a snow day is like as an adult, I’ll totally take it. It was a slow, productive day, spent inside by the fire, watching the snow fall and dogs play. Does it get any better? I think not. Maybe skiing would’ve been the cherry on top, but hey- my lungs aren’t quite up for that just yet. Hah!
I hope your week is off to a good start, too! Before I sign off, I wanted to link some of my recent purchases (just for fun… most are for the basement bath). I’ll pop those into a shopping slider below. Did anyone else have a snow day yesterday? Is it cold where you live or unseasonably warm? It’s crazy to me how much the weather can affect our mood.