Workin' It Wednesdays - Cozy homes

 Today's link up is all about coziness and the home and I am someone who loves everything cozy! There are five things that I believe every home should have to appear and feel cozy.

 

1. Blankets

 

I love a good blanket - my linen closet full of blankets is proof of this. I have been given many knitted and crocheted blankets over the years and have made my own as well. I also love those soft blankets with the fluffy inside, and electric blankets? I can't even. They're just the best. There is nothing better than laying on the couch with a good blanket.

 

The blanket in this picture took me way longer than I'd like to admit to make. I had to take out and redo many parts and connecting the pieces was a pain in the ass, but the results were awesome! We call this the napping blanket, because if you pull it over you, you're sure to have a delicious nap ahead.

Blankets just make a room seem cozier. I also equate coziness with warmth, so it's a good blend :)

 

2. Fireplaces

 

Since we bought a condo, and most condos do not come with fireplaces, we purchased a standing faux fireplace as part of our tv stand. I love that I can turn it on with or without the heat because sometimes I want the warmth and other times I just like to have the effect of flickering flames on a cold day. One of the things our new home must have is a fireplace, preferably one in the bedroom. I wish wish wish we could have a real fireplace, but they don't build homes with those anymore and the houses that we are looking at are in relatively newer areas (probably no older than 20 years), so they don't have those amazing real fireplaces that need chimneys and firewood.
I don't have a picture of our fireplace turned on, so I'll leave you with this photo of it that I found online

Not bad for a fake fireplace amiright?!

 

3. Candles and Diffusers

 

Not a particularly good picture (at all, really), but I recall this evening as super cozy and the photo evokes those same feelings. Plus the smells are amazing. The middle one is custard!

Oh how I love a good candle. We always have an abundance of candles and I burn them all day - usually in the fall and winter (summer doesn't really feel like candle-time) and always the fall scents with pumpkin and the winter scents of either apple cinnamon, or vanilla (vanilla Noel from bath and body works is forever my favourite). At night I diffuse lavender in the bedroom. There are conflicting views about the safety of essential oils for cats, so since our bedroom is largely off-limits to the felines, that's where I diffuse. If I'm resting in the bedroom, which is pretty rare, I'll diffuse frankincense. I love that scent and it just screams cozy to me, but it is so expensive that I don't want to use it, haha. I also love the sound that the diffuser makes. It's got this soft bubbling that reminds me of using a humidifier when I would have a cough/cold as a child. That sound always comforted me because it felt like healing. Doesn't really make sense but there we are. It's hard to control smells when you live in a condo, but we do our best to make sure our home always smells inviting and candles and diffusers help immensely!

I love how you can actually see it diffusing

 

4. Warm drinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's nothing cozier than curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea. Tea is always my preferred warm drink at home, but every now and then the husband and I will indulge in a hot chocolate (only in the winter) with marshmallows. There's something incredibly cozy about sitting on your coach with a warm drink while snow and wind blow around outside. I also love sitting in starbucks with a good friend and enjoying a chestnut praline latte in the winter. Warm drinks = cozy!

5. Seasonal decorations

 

This is something I've just recently gotten into (aside from Christmas and Hanukkah) and am loving it! Husband is not loving the money spending aspect of it, but that's nothing new. I think there's really something warm and inviting about a home that is decorated for the season - tastefully. This is more specific to fall/winter, because spring and summer aren't really known for coziness. But I love having little accents of fall around the home. It brings a room together and makes it seem more welcoming, but also more comfortable. I think the idea of the colder seasons alone has something inherently cozy about it to most people, so those little extra bits just take it the extra mile. I definitely feel a little more love for our home when it's decorated for the holidays, so now I've extended it to the whole fall/winter season. Cozy cozy cozy!!

 

When it comes to cozy, I can't get enough. It's my favourite feeling and something I strive to achieve. I love sweaters, blankets, hot tea, Christmas movies, fluffy socks, and delicious scents. Check out the other blogs in this link up to see more posts about coziness!

Friday Favourites

 

 

 Happy Friday! It's been another whirlwind of a week with too many late evenings and way too much lieu time accrued. But hey, who's complaining?! I actually enjoy my work, so aside from being tired, I don't mind the late evenings.

 

As with all busy weeks, I have completely neglected to take enough photos of my favourite things. Shame really, because I have many. So this will be a short but still worthwhile FF. Since I didn't have time last week, this week is really a compilation of two Fridays. I am linking up with some fabulous ladies who you can find in the Friday Favourites image above!

 

1. Hitting my steps everyday.

 

This has been tough. I don't have a whole lot of steps to accomplish for my stepbet, but working in an office is a very sedentary job. Getting steps is somewhat of a challenge. Last night I had to hit my stretch goal of 10k and it was too late to go for a run. I was able to convince husband to go for a walk with me and easily hit my goal! He hates walks and I love them, so it was lovely (once he stopped complaining). It was a crisp fall evening and just a bit chilly wearing only sweaters. It was nice to finally have it feel like fall, even without an appropriate coat to wear. Note to self: buy fall jacket

(last week). I still have two stretch goals to hit this week (I took my rest day on Monday), so this evening might call for a run! Hope the rain holds off!

 

2. My new panda mug

 

 

I have a serious mug obsession. Not even kidding. I buy them everywhere. When we travel, when a store has a new collection I like, whenever! My mug collection is currently taking up two shelves and I have no shame. they don't match, not even close, but that's how I like them.

I also love panda bears (I even have a tattoo of one!) so after my zoo run, we had to hit up the gift shop for some panda-themed goodies. I got a little stuffed panda and this delightful panda mug. Husband told me it's the last mug, but I'm pretty sure he's been saying that for the last two years.

(last week)

 

3. Fresh Sugar face polish

Image from here

 

 

Ah Fresh, how I love you. Everything they make is just the best! This sugar scrub is not at all rough and I usually use it once a week. If my skin is getting angry, one use makes it all go away. I have fairly sensitive skin and I don't get any redness at all! Plus, the smell is just divine! Seriously, if you're not already using Fresh products, what are you waiting for?!

 

4. My unanticipated new shirt

Morning elevator selfie. Not very clear but the bottom is peplum

 

I was getting in the car for work when I managed to slosh my smoothie all over my shirt. It was too late to go back up and change, so I thought I could clean it off while I drove. Well, the napkins and tissues basically just dissolved and made more of a mess. At lunchtime I had to go buy a new shirt (I had an evening meeting, so going through a 14 hour work day with a dirty shirt wasn't an option).

I went to winners, grabbed every decent looking shirt in my size in the work appropriate section and this is what I ended up with. Definitely not something I would buy on a regular day, but I actually really like it! I think it's the perfect fall shirt! Thankfully when I sloshed my smoothie all over myself again this week, I was able to clean it off with a sponge and soap since I was already at work. Clearly I need a smoothie cup that closes fully (mine has the starbucks type lid) and a washing machine beside my desk.

 

 

5. This sweater

Image from here

 

So soft, so comfortable, and so beautiful. I just love a good sweater! I am a cardigan-sweater-coziness junkie, so I have a billion cardigans and sweaters, but let's be real, can you ever really have enough? Plus, I needed a few thick ones for winter. Since I wear them all year 'round, new ones are necessary :)

 

6. Care packages

 

Image found here



Image from here



Image from here

Image from here

 

I could kick myself for not getting a photo of this, so online photos are my only option. I really need to work on that! I have a lovely friend in the UK (who I have mentioned before) and we send each other care packages a few times a year. She primarily sends chocolate and tea - two of the many things that I think the UK does better than most other places! Husband and I usually battle it out over the fudge fingers, but thankfully he only has my tea once in a blue moon (he's more of a coffee guy). So as I sit here drinking a mug of earl grey and day-dreaming about my chocolate at home, I hope Hana is reading this and knows how much I appreciate her!

 

Well, that's all for today. Our house hunting has come to a standstill while we wait for ours to sell. Financially, this is the best option since we'll know what we are going in with and will be able to buy without imposing conditions of financing. Fingers crossed that we sell quickly, because I am ready to go. In the "everything happens for a reason" mindset, I know we didn't get that dream house for a reason and we will find our real dream house after ours sells. Keeping the faith! Condos don't take too long to sell in this market, so I don't think we will have to wait too long.

 

Happy Friday and Happy long weekend! Hope all my Canadian friends have a delightful thanksgiving weekend with their families and friends.

Don't forget to be thankful for everything that you have. Tis the season :)

Friday Favourites!

My first ever Friday Favourites!
I'm linking up with some of my favourite blogs to take part in a post I've loved to read every week!


#1 Mix and Match Mama's Honey Pecan Chicken recipe
I had this last night for dinner for the second time and I just can't get over it. It is SO fast, so easy and so gluten free. I went with Shay's use of both white and dark meat and it was fantastic! I removed the thighs after 25 minutes and cooked the chicken breasts for another 15. It all came out wonderfully. This is definitely a favourite from our dinners this week! I'm not posting my own picture (because I forgot to take one), but I'll leave you to click the link. Her picture is amazing anyways :)

#2 My Lululemon Glide and Stride shirt
This shirt is so comfortable, so cute and I just can't get enough of it. I was able to get it for $39 from the sale instead of its original $74, which just adds to my enjoyment. I love that it comes with a built in bra, and I can't get over the sides. Sometimes I need to take a minute to just flit around in front of a mirror and look at it's adorable-ness. Hmm, that might be weird.
I also found it was true to size, and bought it in my usual 6. I wear a 6 in bottoms and tops religiously and have only deviated when I've read enough reviews to know I need to size up or down. Love those reviews.

 Images from here

#3 CSA Produce Day
I signed our home up for a CSA produce package that we pick up weekly from a home nearby. Unfortunately we don't live in one of the cities with delivery, but it's not much of a hassle to pick it up. It's actually on my way home from work. Each week we get a selection of local veggies and fruits, plus I added a $10 fruit basket. It's all organic and sooo fresh and delicious. It also forces me to think outside of the box for my meals, because I need to use up the produce! So far we have really cut down on grocery shopping. I still buy berries, watermelon and peaches/nectarines/plums, but I never really buy veggies anymore. It's been awesome! We have had some items that we aren't so inclined to use, luckily I can give those away to willing co-workers and friends who are only too happy to accept :) Case in point - those limes went to my co-worker today (he got them last time too!)
If you have a local CSA, I would highly recommend signing up. It is so worth it!

 

 

#4 teapigs Tea
This stuff is like the holy grail of tea to me. The chai masala and morning glory are my favourite flavours and I cannot get enough. I've seen them pop up here every now and then, but they never stick around in stores. They actually had it at picklebarrel the last time I went, but the morning glory was called English breakfast and didn't taste the same.

The tea temples have full tea leaves in them and are full of flavour like you wouldn't believe. My friend sent me some from the UK once, and now includes them every time she sends me a package, because she's just the best! If you ever see this tea - buy it. You won't regret it!! I am literally enjoying a cup of morning glory as I type this.

Images from here

 

Well, that's it for today. I'm sure that there is more I have loved this week, but these are the top 4!

Happy Friday!