Looking Ahead | What’s coming in 2016

I guess it really is taking me awhile to get back into the swing of things after the holidays!  Sorry I’ve been MIA for an entire week since posting the top 15 posts of 2015! Anyone else struggling to snap back?! Please tell me I’m not alone!

Starting the week of Christmas, it went a little something like this…Away for 5 days at my in-laws, then back home on Christmas eve where we captured a few moments like this…

[That’s what it’s all about, right?]

…hosted for 3 days, then had a few days of downtime and before a super fun New Year’s celebration & mini kid-free getaway for 2 nights for our friends’ wedding in Milwaukee. We had a blast! New Year’s Eve Day we were on a mission for a bomb bloody mary (you have to have missions like that when you are without your kids!) and we found this tiny spot called Sobelman’s with some serious bloody Mary biz going on – like a meal in a glass kind of biz!

If only boozy brunching was acceptable more often!

Now, January is here, more like a third over, but I’m finally feeling like a normal person again! Of course the house has seen better days, at least a few…ahem… designated rooms. If you saw my post on Instagram then you what what I’m workin’ with over here right now! Other than some much needed decluttering and organizing, we are getting back into our daily routine. The biggest is back in preschool, the littlest is home with me creating chaos with every step, BUT, I’m seriously feeling ready to rock and roll, dive in and get my blogging groove back!

As for where things are headed and what I have coming your way…well, a lot. I so loved the momentum of the holidays with the 12 Days of Christmas Tour of Homes and the My Home Style Christmas Tree Blog Hop, that I really wanted to be able to bring you a dose of that organized blog hop / blogger challenge type of posts this coming year, too. For me, it has been incredible rewarding and inspiring to collaborate with other bloggers to tackle a project or simply participate in a series (see my Back to Basics series posts here). I know that I can’t operate at the pace I was going at during the month of December (a couple weeks with 4 or 5 published blog posts), but I’m happy to announce a few notable and exciting things on the calendar so far this year for This is our Bliss.

Want to see what’s coming? Let’s take a peek ahead!
1 | New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge

I’ve teamed up with 10 other bloggers to bring you a mini room refresh series that kicks off tomorrow! Yay! I’m not going to spill all the details until then, but basically it’s going to be a scaled-back version of the One Room Challenge. If you aren’t familiar, the One Room Challenge is a design challenge that takes place in the spring and fall each year where participants have 6 weeks to transform a space of their choosing. Intense, I know! I absolutely had a ball when I participated last year in the Spring 2015 ORC. I really wanted to do it again in the fall, but I just had to say no. Tomorrow you’ll get to see what space I am sprucing up as well as my design to help bring it to life!

2 | It’s So Ugly, It’s Cool
This one is going to be GOOOOD! I literally can’t wait to see what these fabulous gals come up with each month! I know when I feel like I’ve scored some amazing thrifted find, I literally feel like I’m Queen of the world and no one can mess with my vision! Not my husband, not my schedule, NO ONE can get in my way of transforming my less than desirable looking something or other and turning it into the most gorgeous who knows what! HA!

The last Tuesday of the month, a group of bloggers and I will be sharing a thrifted find that we’ve transformed into something great! I like to mix old with new when creating spaces in our home, so this challenge seemed like a good fit. I mean, who doesnt love a steal of a deal? and better yet, a total score that becomes so fabulous that it looks like a million bucks! Who does? I do! [Have a look at some of my thrifted find posts here] Some months there might be a designated item we all work on and other months might be sharing anything we’ve found!

3 | Knock it Off DIY

Its a date! Another Tuesday hangout for you and me 😉
Themes are still in the works, but here is the team! Hoping Monday nights and Tuesday mornings aren’t too tough for me. I’m going to tell myself the deadlines are on Sunday, so I’m not working up until the last minute into the wee hours of the morning. I don’t need to be pulling all-nighters like I’m in college studying for finals. #mamalikeshersleep

4 | Basement Bathroom Reveal

This one has been a long time comin’.

She’s still talking about that BASEMENT!

We did finish up the basement project last year, but “finishing” each space and having it ready (or ready enough) to share with you all has been a real struggle. I knew taking on the project was going to be a lot for our family with the noise, the sawdust, constant in-and-out with the contractors, etc., but it was a lot for me personally, trying to keep everything on schedule, coordinating contractors and sub-contractors, picking out the finishes (paint, carpet, flooring, bathroom fixtures, lighting throughout, cabinetry, shelving) and then the decorating. My spastic tendancies came out in full-force when it was time for me to put my “stamp” on the space.

Where do I start?
What’s the budget?
Which space needs to be done first?
How do I best share all of this excitment and commotion with all of you?!

It caught up to me and I sort of just stopped doing anything at all down there.

I shared the Basement Bar progress and after that, it was a lot of on-again, off-again (mainly a big OFF) type of work. Well, I picked up again a liiitttle bit in the fall and then stopped again before Thanksgiving to be able to focus on getting the house ready for the holidays where I shared our Merry, Bright & Blissful Holiday Home and prepped for Christmas like everyone else – gathering wish lists, shopping, wrapping, baking, packing, etc. Does that list ever stop in December?
But now I can say the bathroom is ready finally ready so the reveal post will be coming very soon! I’m aiming for next week, so please stay tuned.

5 | Get to know me (more) + in-home photoshoot recap

Late into the fall, our wonderfully sweet and talented family photographer, Robin of Robin Joy Photography came over to do a mini shoot. of the house. with me in it. It felt super strange to have my picture taken without the boys or with anyone else, period. I felt like I was posing for senior pictures – Volume 2. You wouldn’t think I needed help feeling comfortable in my own home, but I DID! Robin helped me to relax and just be in the moment. I’ve wanted to share these pictures for a little while now, but other projects and posts took priority. I’ll be sharing some of my favorites from the shoot in the next week or so. She did an awesome job!

6 | 2015 To Do List Update!

At the beginning of 2015, I set up a number of goals for myself personally and professionally (for the blog), so thought it only be appropriate to share the progress I made and then reevaluate any lingering goals & half-finished projects to see if they are still priorities. Focus may have shifted for one reason or another and other things may have made their way to the top of the list. I love a good checklist, so I can’t wait to get this post ready to roll-out just to see how many checks I made!

Ok, so those 6 items are a done deal, but the coolest part about it all is that there is still so much on its way and even I don’t know about it yet! Inspiration finds me, an idea sparks and before I know it, a whole new project is in full-swing. This year is going to be busy, but awesome – I can just feel it!

While I admit I have a lot on my plate right now, I’ve never felt more energized and inspired to create and share my ideas with you guys. This blogging gig has slowly evolved and I can’t believe This is our Bliss will be celebrating its 2 year anniversary in March. What the WHAT?! I mean, it doesn’t even seem possible that I’ve been blabbing about my diy projects and decorating adventures and blasting it all out on the internet for nearly 2 years now! I truly believe I’ve fallen in love with this whole thing, especially all of you!

So thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there through the excitement, through the crickets and moments of a missing blogger! and for the words of encouragement & sweet comments. You are all just the best!!!

Cheers to 2016, everyone! May your year be filled with all things that make you happy!
See you back here tomorrow to give you a glimpse of what’s going on in one particular room in our house right now! There is a REFRESH about to go down! I hope you’ll come back to check it all out!