Succesfully avoiding the post-Christmas blues

The first week of January is usually a rough one for me. I get used to the holidays and all the good times that go along with them, so when real life gets back into full swing I lose my mind a little. However, I'm happy to report that this year's transition has gone better than most, thanks largely to the following:

1) Jazz game with our good friends Hansol and Morgan.
An outing to Crown Burger and the good old ESA was exactly what I needed after my first Monday back at work. Thanks for hooking us up with tickets, Hansol. We like you.




2) A new Netflix addiction.
It's taken us over a year to get through three seasons of 30 Rock, but I'm happy to announce that husband and I now have a new show to watch together:

Yep, we love us some FNL. Something about the mixture of sports and dramatic plotlines has got us hooked to the point where we've watched at least one episode every night this week, eager to find out what kind of shenanigans those Texans have gotten themselves into this time. Mostly I just like it when the players screw up and the coach gives them a "You've gotta (insert reprimand here), son!" speech. It's strangely exhilirating.

Add a bowl of Farrs peppermint stick ice cream topped with crushed oreos to the equation, and this nightly ritual is becoming something I look forward to with the kind of anticipation usually reserved for Christmas morning.

3) "Out with the old, in with the new." (Furniture, that is).
Mike and I have had hand-me-down furniture in our living room ever since we got married. It was nice furniture and we were happy to have it, but it wasn't really my style. We've been wanting to replace it for a while but haven't been able to justify the expense of new furniture. Then last week a New Year's miracle occurred in the form of a KSL listing for the couch, oversized chair, and ottoman pictured below for a measly $100. Done and done.

Now I just need to get some fun throw pillows and figure out what to do with that red plaid armchair that is the last remnant of the old furniture. I'm toying with the notion of re-upholstering it with a more modern fabric instead of getting a new one but have no idea where to get it done and I've heard that it can get pretty pricey. Anyone have any advice on the matter? I wish I could just do it myself like some crafty folk out there, but I am hopelessly handicapped in the sewing department. My junior high home ec teacher Mrs. Bridge even told me so.