Hello! Are you surviving this never ending January? I'm huddled up in my office looking out at the snow and longing for sunshine. I've been working on my sister's kitchen transformation for the past week but I am taking the morning off to get caught on on computer work. I thought I would pop on here to share with you my favorite finds from 2018. I usually write this post in December but that month ended up being NUTS. More so than usual. If you have any favorite things that you discovered I'd love to hear about them in the comments!
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When we FINALLY got the upstairs shower done (I waited 4 years) I wanted it to look its best. I knew I wanted to order some bottles for my soaps. I love the look of amber glass but didn't want to risk them falling, breaking, and scratching the tub. These plastic bottles with waterproof labels look like the real thing!
I love the weathered look of these frames. They come in all sizes and I have a lot of them. They are in the family room, my sons' room and soon to be in the stairway.
Retractable Screen Door
In the warmer months I love to have windows and doors open to get a nice breeze. My cute pup also loves the door open so he can sit and sunbathe while watching for neighborhood cats to walk by. This retractable screen door was a lifesaver this summer as it allowed our house to breath without letting in those pesky flies. It was SUPER easy to install. Less than 30 minutes.
I bought two of these as a Christmas gift for my two youngest. They have been a big hit! I bought one and then a couple weeks later decided to get another and the price had changed. The first time it was $35 and the second time it was $49. Right now it is at $40. So if it is on the high end, maybe wait a bit for it to drop. But either way, it is a good price for what you get. It is waterproof and comes with different mounting options like a Go Pro camera. My boys have loved wearing it while sledding, biking, ect. They have made litle movies, and have tested it out underwater. It has kept them busy and happy this winter.
Earlier last year I shared my hallway makeover where I added my kids' artwork to the walls using this system. It is so easy to switch out their pictures! I wish I would have done this sooner when my older boys were younger. It is available at IKEA but if you don't have an Ikea close and don't want to pay for shipping, here is the link for it on Amazon: Ikea curtain wire
Persian Carrots
I saw something on facebook about Persian carrots and thought they looked adorable. I found seeds on Amazon of all places. I scrubbed them really well (since you can't peel them easily) and severed them steamed with butter and brown sugar. YUM!
Speaking of gardening, I have always bottled things from my garden and even dehydrated, but have never vacuum sealed to freeze. My garden was on steroids last year and I had more than I could handle of certain things that I don't normally can, like bell peppers. I LOVED using my new "toy" and my boys were fascinated too. It is also good for sealing batteries and other things for 72 hour kits or for when you are going backpacking. Since I won't use it very often, I didn't want to spend a lot of money. I found this inexpensive one with good reviews.
I know it might sound weird to profess my undying love for a sweatshirt, but I LOVE this one. LOVE it. It is so unbelievably cozy and isn't too bulky. Normally I feel frumpy in sweatshirts but this one is thin enough that I don't. The inside is this smooth, fuzzy goodness that even after a million washes is still soft. It is long too. I wear it far too often. It comes in other colors too and won't break the bank at less than $20.
I am not a super girly girl nor am I big into fashion. I am more about comfort so I am not usually a big fan of wearing dresses. THIS dress, is the best thing ever. It is so comfortable! And better yet, it is flattering. I have a (chubby) hourglass figure. Okay, we'll call it FULL instead of chubby. It is hard to find things that fit up top that don't make me look frumpy everywhere else. This hangs nicely and I feel good in it. And as an added bonus, it has pockets! It also doesn't break the bank at just over $22.
One day while shooting my family room for an upcoming post, I lifted my tripod up and it hit my beloved globe light and shattered it. Pottery Barn does not sell replacement shades. I am a cheapskate so I was waiting to buy a new light when they went on sale. They got discontinued before that ever happened. I have two lights in my family room so if I couldn't buy another one, I was going to have to buy two new ones. Don't worry though, my other globe light has found a new place in our home. Shane took this opportunity to let me know he would like a shorter light. He always hit his head on the other lights. I fell in love with these ceiling hugging schoolhouse lights. I bought these lights on amazon but when I went to grab the link it showed only a white shade and not the clear. I also found it on Lamps Plus as well with the clear shade.
While we are on the topic of lights, I was faced with a challenge of finding lights for both boy bedrooms that wouldn't hang too low. Our basements ceilings are a little over 7 feet high and I have a tall husband and ever growing tall boys. I needed something that really hugged the ceiling, wasn't too "girly", and had more than 1 bulb since this is the main light source. I found these that only hang down 6 inches and have 3 light bulbs. Whew! Mission accomplished.
Did you find products or items that you loved this past year? I'd love to hear about your favorite things!
That flush mounted light looks like just the thing I need to fix the cluster that is on the ceiling in our new nursery. We had this horrible square inset fixture that screams 1965 on top of popcorn ceiling. While I would have loved to have scraped that ceiling off, I'm also a realist about how far my patience would go in creating a new smooth ceiling, so popcorn it is. But the patch job is horrendous, and we need to just do a flush mount fixture. And, TBH, the new one we got isn't really a big enough fixture for the space. This one looks perfect. I've bookmarked it and as soon as I can justify replacing it {while still saving my marriage, lol}, I'm going to order two. One for the nursery, and one for the guest room. Thanks for the tip!
I just recently discovered your blog and I do believe I’m going to like it! I like how you keep it real, and so relatable! Loved all your thing you loved for 2018, right up my alley. I’ve been trying to get my life partner to get this garage of his built going on 13 years now. Instead we’re living an episode of hoarders being the house is literally bursting at the seams! For real, I can’t even discuss the matter with him without him blowing up at me. I don’t know how much more I can take. I see a move in my near future. Thanks for keeping it real about you’re weight as well. Not all of us are toothpick thin and perfectly coiffed like most bloggers you see.! I’ve asked they include in their top favs lists that they include a shirt that come in full figured and plus sizes too? It cant hurt to ask and if you want someone to support your blog financially, then offer a little something for everyone, you know?? Sorry for rambling on, lol, hope you have a good weekend. ? . Love your blog!
We have that flush mount light in our master and we love it!! It is my favorite light in the house.