"Show me that smile again"...Favorite TV shows from my childhood :)

Anyone who knows me at all knows how much I LOVE television shows. I could literally watch shows all day long. I don't think I have ever uttered the phrase: "There's nothing on TV" because there's always something on that I love!! 

So I decided to share with you a few of my favorite shows from my childhood. Hopefully you can reminisce along with me! I mean lets be honest, there is no shame in singing the theme songs we all know and love :)

Growing Pains (1985-1992)

This show...oh man, I can hardly describe how much I LOVED this show. I know the theme song by heart. I recently watched an episode while cleaning up my room and as soon as the theme song came on, I immediately started dancing around the room singing the song word for word. Not ashamed to admit it, I seriously loved this show. I loved the family and all their relationships and how they grew throughout the years. I mean, even Leo DiCaprio was in this show!! On top of that, I found this show hilarious as a kid. I never missed an episode. 

And I can't mention Growing Pains without mentioning my HUGE crush on Kirk Cameron. Mike Seaver was the coolest kid in school plus he was a great guy/brother/son. I mean that's the dream guy right there :)

7th Heaven (1996-2007)

I had a picture of the cast of 7th Heaven taped onto my nightstand as a kid...yeah a little embarrassing but I loved this show a lot! I still remember running around my house singing the theme song at the top of my lungs. I used to want a family exactly like the Camdens': A wonderful big brother like Matt, then two daughters (Mary and Lucy), another boy (Simon) and then a little Ruthie. I can remember the drama of every episode along with the tight family love seen in every member of the Camden family. This show taught me a lot about life and about seeing the best in new people. Yes, needless to say, I was obsessed with this show:)

Boy Meets World (1993-2000)

Probably one of my all time favorite shows I have ever seen. A friend of mine recently gave my roommates and I season 1 and 2 of Boy Meets World. As I watched the first few seasons every episode quickly came back to me. It was a funny show that had good family morals at the root. Cory, Shawn, Topanga, Eric, and Mr. Feeney.... Feeney.... Fee-eee-eny..... Feeney!!!!!!!!! I followed this show from start to finish. Every show from the first time Feeney taught Cory a lesson over the fence, to the episode in Disney World where Cory confessed his love for Topanga, to the Halloween episode, to the wedding, to the finale. Every episode, I remember. All 7 amazing seasons, I remember. Boy Meets World...my childhood in a nutshell.

Hope you've loved your trip down TV memory lane :) 

Latest obsession: Chalkboard paint!

Looking for a fun vintage way to spice things up? Chalkboard paint is your answer. You can paint anything and everything. And best of all, it's easy to do!

Recently my roommate had a great idea of a way to spice up our apartment. We got a large board at Home Depot and painted it with chalkboard paint. Now it sits above our couch and definitely adds fun to the room. We put wall sconces on the side of the board, but instead of flowers we filled them with chalk!

Another fun thing to do is chalkboard an entire wall! It looks unique and, unlike regular paint, if you get tired of it you can erase it for a new doodle! Here are some of my favorite chalkboard walls :)

This is a scene from the movie 500 Days of Summer. The entire wall behind his bed was chalkboard! 

This otherwise boring and small kitchen is 10 times cooler because of the chalkboard wall.

Such a neat idea to fix an awkward space!

This would make any bathroom more fun!

 If you don't want to paint an entire wall, what about a door, dresser, or even a refrigerator?

CHALKBOARD REFRIGERATORS!

This is from one of my favorite kitchen sets in a movie... Because I Said So

This is such a neat way to use chalkboard paint!

How fun is this??

 If any of these projects are too big, there is always the simple and creative framed chalkboards!

 If you don't have a frame handy...draw one out of chalk!

 Perfect in a wall collage of frames!

These are display plates with the center painted with chalkboard! Such a clever and creative way to spice up a kitchen!

Now, I have to include something that is 2 of my favorite things...

A CHALKBOARD COFFEE MUG!! 

All these ideas are simple and fun. They are great weekend projects for you to do by yourself or invite friends to have a chalkboard craft day! The beauty of chalkboard is you can create anything on it. Draw a picture, display photos, write your favorite quotes, create grocery lists, etc. And once your tired of it? Erase it and create a brand new masterpiece! I hope you saw something that inspired you! 

A new mug

So today I got a new mug. I didn't buy it for the purpose of adding another to my collection. In fact, I don't really ever buy mugs just for the sake of furthering my collection. But as I was driving home I started thinking about all my mugs and how my collection grew, so I decided to dedicate my next post to explaining why my blog is titled "Reflections from a Coffee Mug".

When deciding what to title my blog I was hit with a bad case of creative block. I had complete creative freedom and although I usually LOVE that, I did not that night.  My blog doesn't really have a theme, only that I write about things I love and that bring me happiness in hopes that they do the same to you! So that created even an even greater freedom for a title choice. And then my mom mentioned my collection of coffee mugs, and that idea sat on my mind for a good while.

After awhile I realized that it had everything I wanted in a title. It was funny with the irony that I don't actually drink coffee, honest because I do have a collection, happy because of all the memories attached to them, and similar to me in that they sit around serving as third party observers, which is like me because I love reflecting on things I see!

Also something my old youth minister had said to me a few weeks ago, had just stuck with me lately. We were talking about bonding nights with roommates and she said: "When I was in college we used to leave a note on the door that said 'Friends at 8. Bring your mug!". When she said that, I started thinking about all the fun moments I have had snuggled up with a cozy blanket, a good book or movie, and a warm coffee mug (filled with hot chocolate of course :). And those have been some really beautiful moments in my life, simply because they were effortlessly wonderful.

So! My blog title was born. I was so excited! So excited to share my reasoning behind the name, the good times I have had using mugs, and the specific ones I have collected over the years!


In the near future I will post pictures of all my mugs and share some fun stories about them! But until then, try thinking about the last time you sat with friends, wrapped yourselves up in blankets, and reminisced with a coffee mug in your hand. Or the last time you went and sat outside, looked at a beautiful view, and just simply reflected on your life with a coffee mug in hand. If its been awhile (or even if it was just yesterday) I encourage you to grab some friends or just a blanket, fill up your coffee mug and reminisce and reflect on your life and the things that bring you peace and happiness. Everyone needs moments like that.