I’m guest blogging over at Bloom today.  It’s a post all about easy and unique ways to make your home more personal.  Click here to check it out.  If you’re wondering what Bloom is, this is what Emily and Anne have to say about it…in their own words…

“Home is the definition of God; a place of infinite power”
Emily Dickinson

We believe that. We also believe that it takes a mighty effort to make it so.
We believe in making the effort.

We also believe in:
mindful parenting
whole foods
kindness
creative play (for children)
creative outlets (for their parents)
graceful living
great books
home making
finding your passion
keeping your sparkle
“Living the life you’ve imagined” (a la Henry David Thoreau)

Lastly, we believe in evolution – that getting from where we are to what we imagine is a process.

If any of those ideas ring true to you, then you should hop on over to their blog for some inspiration on insightful living.  {See this amazing house tour for example.}  They’re proof that a passionate life indeed exists after childbirth.

Happy blog hopping!

images:  from Jordan’s Cicada Cottage House Tour via Emily & Anne at Bloom

To knock #2 off my 2011 Room For Improvement list, I enrolled in the Sheffield School’s interior design course.  It’s a home study program, meaning I have the freedom to work from home at my own pace – which, right now, is pretty tortoise-like.  I have 3 years to complete the program.  Good thing.  With everything else going on {work, family, kids, tweaking my own home, blog, paying down our debt}, I’m hoping to devote a few hours every week to the design course. You may recognize a few Sheffield graduates.  Lauren Liess from Pure Style Home and Layla Palmer from The Lettered Cottage have both completed the same course I’m taking.  They’re brilliant.

It feels very strange to be ‘in school’ again.  Although, so far, it doesn’t feel anything quite like my college days.  It doesn’t feel as ‘do or die’ like an organic chemistry lab {aaah!  I still have nightmares about that}; there aren’t any nerve-wracking presentations; there aren’t any parties or 25¢ drafts on Tuesdays; and ‘Friends’ nights will only happen via reruns.  I started working through the course material last week. Boy, do I ever get sleepy sitting on the couch and ‘studying!’  I don’t know how single moms with jobs do the whole school-on-the-side thing.  Kudos, if you’re one of them!

What do I expect to do once I finish the program?  Better knowledge of the field?  A further developed designer eye?  The opportunity to offer design services?  I’m not really sure.  I’m trying not to get too far ahead of myself.  Any big changes definitely won’t happen overnight…just like any home improvement projects that happen here.  One thing I know for certain is that ever since I started blogging, I’ve realized how unhappy I am in my current career field.  I do have a well-paying job that allows me to work part-time, be available for my boys, and contribute to our income.  In that respect, I’m very fortunate.  However, I feel totally stifled, stagnant and uninspired at work.  Don’t get me wrong…I work my butt off while I’m there because I do believe in good work ethic…but I’m definitely not satisfied.  With the way jobs are waning, I feel like I shouldn’t whine.  Still, I’m motivated to try something new that I find truly fulfilling.  An early mid-life crisis, you think? Whatever it is, I’m so grateful for Handy Hubby.  He is 100% supportive and encourages me to chase my dream.  He lets me put holes in our walls for decor stuff, takes on DIY jobs that are too much for me, cooks, entertains the boys when I need to work on something blog/design-related and never complains while he’s doing any of these things.  I don’t know what I did to deserve him. {Sorry, for the mushiness here, but it needs to be said.}

So, that’s what I’ve added to my plate recently.  I’m a little scared about going off the beaten path but more excited than anything.  How about you?  Dying to learn something new?  Have you ever contemplated a career change?  Missing anything in particular about college life – whether that was 10 years or 10 days ago?

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.

images:  1) Pure Style Home  2) The Lettered Cottage  3) The Parenting Myth…all linked within

Lori over at Thrifty Decor Mom nominated me for a blog award.  Thanks, Lori!

I was flattered and thought it would be fun to oblige to the rules of accepting the award.  You might just learn something new about me.  There are 4 duties to perform to accept the award:

1.  Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.

2.  Share 7 things about yourself.

3.  Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.

4.  Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

So, I guess this is where I share 7 things about myself…

1 – I don’t color my hair. I’ve recently fallen in love with Frederic Fekkai’s Salon Glaze which adds crazy shine and silkiness to my otherwise dry, frizzy hair.  I use it once a week only on the ends of my hair.  A 5-ounce bottle lasts me several months.

2 – My favorite non-neutral color is green. My favorite neutral has to be gray.

3 – My second child’s birth was insane. 48 minutes from start to finish.  No joke.  No packing of last minute items {which meant no camera}, no drugs, no pushing {honestly, I was trying to hold him in}, barely a doctor or hospital in sight and LOTS of foul language.  {No pictures for obvious reasons.}

4 – I think I would like to live in New Zealand even though I’ve never visited. Handy Hubby has been to NZ twice for work-related travel and loved it.  I think I could handle the gorgeous scenery and laid back lifestyle he’s told me about.

5 – I’d be very comfortable in any Scandinavian or Danish interior. The neutral palettes, simplicity and modern lines speak to me.

6 – I lived in a barn until I was 14 years old. I could devote an entire post to that topic.  Hmm…maybe I will.

7 – I’ve had a reoccurring dream over the last 8 years in which water is leaking, seeping, or pouring into my home. It’s not always my real home – just whatever house I happen to be in in my dream. I’m sure there is a psychological explanation, but I like to think it has something to with our first home.  The basement flooded 3 times in 7 years.

And here are 15 blogs I’ve been checking into recently {in no particular order}…

1 – Stylizimo

2 – The Happy Home

3 – Bloom

4 – Simplified Bee

5 – Simply Grove

6 – 7th House on the Left

7 – Rambling Renovators

8 – 6th Street Design School

9 – Simply Seleta

10 – haus maus

11 – Kara Paslay Designs

12 – b*spoke

13 – Door Sixteen

14 – My Scandinavian Retreat

15 – whatever

As you can see, I like to dabble in a little bit of everything.  Keeps me grounded and well-balanced. Or, at least, that’s my hope.  Thanks to all the stylish bloggers in web world who give me inspiration and motivation daily!

images:  1) Dana Miller for H*T  2) Ulta 3) Gridley & Graves for Country Living 4) Virtual New Zealand 5) bolig magazine 6) Joe Brown Insurance Agency, Inc.

In blogging years, I’m considered a rookie.  {I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year now.} But I enjoy it and have so many ideas to implement and share that I can see myself doing this for years to come.  That’s why, every once in a while, I like to survey you readers and make sure I’m staying true to what House*Tweaking is all about…tweaking houses into homes with a lot of creativity and a little bit of money…with small doses of mom humor thrown in to keep it real. With a new year upon us, what better time to take inventory and figure out what you guys are thinking of H*T?

{I don’t know that woman.}

So, if you don’t mind, please take a few minutes over the next couple of days to answer some questions about H*T.  Even if you’ve never spoken up before, make this your first time!  Let your ideas and opinions fly.  I won’t be offended.  I see it as constructive criticism. Believe me when I say that I read every comment made here. My hope is to use your feedback to make this a better place for you…and me.

2010 H*T Survey

1. Who are you? {gender, age, location, career field, marital status, family, pets}
2. How often do you read H*T?
3. What type of post do you like best? {tutorials, mood boards, giveaways, etsy finds, family life, DIY, etc}
4. What type of post do you like least?
5. What’s been your favorite H*T post{s} to date? {Feel free to peruse the archives!}
6. What other blogs do you enjoy reading? {not necessarily home decor blogs}
7. Anything new you’d like to see from H*T over the next year? {certain topics, an area of my life you’d like to know more about, design services}

Thank ya in advance!

image: Super Stock

This is officially my 100th post here at House*Tweaking.  Not really a milestone to brag about in the blogging world…many professional bloggers have 1000′s of posts under their belts…but it’s a milestone to me nonetheless.

(courtesy of The Mailbox Blog)

It’s a strange coincidence that I’m on vacation with my family this week.  So please excuse my leave of absence for a few days.  We’re actually going back to our Illinois stomping grounds (where Handy Hubby and I lived for nearly 7 years before moving back to Ohio) to visit dear friends and special places.  Seriously, sometimes we wonder why we ever left!  But back to my Happy Hundredth…I’m asking for your help this week.  Help with my blog.  I’ve heard from several “successful” bloggers that feedback is the best tool in improving a blog.  So, I’m asking for feedback.  And in an effort to get your feedback juices flowing, I’ve got a bunch of questions for you!

1) What types of posts do you like/dislike most on my blog?  (i.e. DIY, inspirational, randomness)

2) What do you like to read about on my blog?  My home, my daily life, my kids, my Handy Hubby? 

3) Would you find my blog more attractive with an updated web page and/or header (i.e. the big space at the top of the home page which now includes a homemade graphic)?

4) Is there something I haven’t written about or included in my blog that you would like to see/hear about?

5) What do you like best about my blog?  The photos?  The ideas?  My writing style? 

6) Would you be offended or turned off if I started offering advertisements on my web page?

7) Would you like to see a “Home Tour” page?

8) How many posts would you like to see me churn out in a week?  1, 2…20?

9) Are the photos easy to see?

10) Is my site easy to navigate?  Do you have suggestions for improving the way I have it organized?

11) Have you commented on my site ever?  If so, what made you leave a comment and did you find it easy to do?

12) What has been your favorite House*Tweaking post to date?  Why?

Of course, you don’t have to answer each and every question I’ve asked…I’m just trying to conjure up some thoughts.  Even if you have never commented before, please…please…PLEASE (can you tell I’m begging?) offer up any ideas, criticisms or suggestions you may have.  No need to worry about getting spam or junk mail from leaving a comment.  I do not give out email addresses.  In fact, even though I’m pretty new at this stuff, securing a spam-free site was my #1 priority when I began this adventure.  If you’ve never left a comment before, it won’t pop up right away as I must approve or deny all new commenters.  Since I’m on “hiatus” (i.e. vacation) this week, I won’t get to check comments until Thursday or Friday. 

So, when I get back I expect to see LOTS of comments.  And you can expect me to read and consider each and every one of them.  Speak now or forever hold your peace.