mmmm

So, I am currently in California, a stop on my recent Tour of the US (seriously, just this month, I have been to: 4 cities in VA, DC 5 times, San Francisco, Philly, New York, and now California again. Let's not count out a trip to the Midwest next weekend).

There has been lots of talk about hitting up the local In n Out Burger today. I have to say, I am excited!

Does anyone know if the burgers are as tasty as everyone says they are?

Wedding Wednesday: Save the Dates

My Save the Dates made it all the way from Wedding Paper Divas in California! I have to admit that I checked the tracking number every day. The great thing about the process is that you can order samples of some of the more popular designs, so I had a good idea of how the final product would look. Now I just need to start addressing them...should only take about a month.

Facelift!

Thanks to Ellie from Rainy Day Templates for giving us a much needed makeover. We were looking for something to wake-up the site and make it feel fun again! Kind of a like a facial for the blog, don't you think? :)

Wedding Wednesday: The Registry

Although now very excited about my registry, it hasn't been the smoothest process. I am still eight months out from the wedding, and really wasn't planning on registering until the fall. Due to some requests, the fiance and I decided we would put together a very small registry at Williams-Sonoma, just so people could get an idea of the sorts of things we (um, I?) like. Unfortunately, he had to work late the evening we were supposed to meet at the store, so I was left to look over everything on my own. This turned out to be a real blessing in disguise. No matter how easy you think this is going to be- it isn't. Suddenly I was in a panic- there are so many options! Will I still like the color blue in three years? Will my future kitchen be sleek and modern or quaint and cottage-y? Anyway, it didn't help that the Williams-Sonoma in Columbus Square had basically nothing in stock. Then I started to notice that all the glassware was not only jumbled, but...awfully dirty. About twenty minutes in I was standing in the barware section next to a very irritated little man. Apparently he was throwing some sort of major party and needed 100 of something (glasses? bowls? I'm just not sure). Anyway, he started sort of talking to me, and it went like this:

Whhyyyyy do they have nothing in stock? And it's completely fiiiilthy in here. [Well, no argument there.] I mean, they say no one shops, but it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. What's the enticement? Why would I want to be here? [Again, no argument on my part. Plus, I wasn't going to disagree with a middle aged, cranky male party planner, even if he was six inches shorter.] And, on top of that, there's a mouse. [Huh?] No, really, there's a mouse right over there.

And sure enough, a little mouse was scampering across the floor. Now, mice are a given in Manhattan. They just are, and I would honestly take those over roaches or rats. But not in dear Williams-Sonoma, when I really just wanted to have a lovely registration experience. Not to mention that the store is directly over the Whole Foods where I buy my produce...hmmmm. I think I need to go out to the suburbs for my next registry, not to mention my grocery shopping.

Tuesday is Free Pastry Day at Starbucks!

Print out this coupon and take it to your local Starbucks before 10:30am on Tuesday, July 21. With the purchase of a beverage, you can score free pastry!

Favor Time!

Looking for a fresh favor idea for a bridal or baby shower?
I am loving the candy buffet idea (I know, I know, people have been doing them at weddings for years). The candy buffet does triple-duty, serving as a favor, decor, and activity all in one! Oh Nuts! has a great selection of candy sorted by color, and they ship very quickly. Check out some recent examples below from two showers where I was a hostess and one where I was a guest!

Watermelon Tequila Cocktail

After seeing this drink in last month's Food and Wine, we gave it a test run over the recent holiday weekend. Although the juicing of the watermelon is a little labor-intensive, it did not disappoint!

RIP 2009

We are sad to announce the recent closing of two of our favorite companies: Promise DC and Hollywould.

As many of our long time readers may remember, Promise is where Farrell bought her lovely wedding dress. Farrell prepared the following statement regarding the store:

I love Promise- the parking, the customer service, the funny owner Jessica, the purple walls, everything...

Lauren discovered that Hollywould is "on vacation" when searching for wedding shoes. She prepared the following statement regarding her beloved Hollywould flats:

Hollywould made the best quality flats I ever bought. They are as sturdy as a well made man's shoe, yet delicate enough to wear with dresses (and their heels weren't bad either).

May these two favorites of the well dressed woman rest in peace.

Big City "Manners"

I have become aware of something frightening recently: I am becoming a New Yorker. Well, not entirely, and I am fighting it, but I'm afraid it is going to take some work. I first became aware of this about two months ago when walking across the street and talking on my cell phone to my mother. I was in a suburban neighborhood where people normally stop if someone is in the crosswalk. A car didn't stop (something I would not have thought twice about in Richmond) and I was infuriated enough that I started yelling at the driver. There was stunned silence on the other end of the phone. I don't know if it is being tired, impatient, or just indoctrinated, but my manners have gone to the dogs. The truth is that when your daily commute looks like this

you have to find ways of protecting your privacy. In many ways it makes sense- when you are facing this after a 10 hour day, you don't really want to chat. In many ways it is POLITE in New York to avoid eye contact and more than the minimum amount of verbal interaction. Unfortunately, it means that I have really lost any ability to interact with people on a normal basis. When trying to get by someone who has stepped aside for me I inevitably mumble "sorry" rather than saying "thank you". A nice tourist stopped me in the grocery store the other day and I just stared at him confused. Finally I realized he was asking if grocery stores stock wine, since he wanted to buy some for his wife. I was very helpful, but at the end of the interaction I realized that I hadn't smiled once and when he thanked me at the end I just nodded. UGH!!! I can't even say "you're welcome" anymore!!

When I started to realize this I chatted about it with a friend who has been in Philadelphia for about five years. A lifelong Virginian (until Philly), she has retained her southern accent but admits to having changed in some other ways. The truth is, I don't really know if the south is even a polite place anymore. Some people tell me it isn't. Some people remind me that even when I was there I wasn't the most bubbly person : ) However, I would like to believe that Virginians are polite, and that I can one day return to being someone who says "please" and "thank you" without having to think about it.

Taking Lauren's Lead....

1. What kind of SOAP is in your bathtub right now? Irish Spring soap and Keihl’s Cherry Almond body wash
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? Yes! Bought it yesterday.
3. What would you change about your living room? New paint? Surround sound? Really, it is best not to ask me about home improvement desires. We could be here all day.
4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Dirty
5. What is in your fridge? Skim Milk, OJ, Cranberry Juice, a Brita, Iced Tea, Watermelon, yogurt, salmon, white wine, Baby Spinach, 4 cucumbers from my garden, CHEESE!, corn on the cob, Abita Strawberry Ale, more condiments than you could ever want.
6. White or wheat bread? Wheat. Or pretzel bread!!
7. What is on top of your refrigerator? 3 boxes of cereal, dog treats, and assorted snacks (we don't have a pantry, to speak of).
8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? One is pastel paisley and one is white seersucker. The third shower has a door.
9. How many plants are in your home? None, but lots are outside!
10. Is your bed made right now? Yes.
11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Scrubbing Bubbles and Comet
12. Is your closet organized? Organized is such a relative term
13. Can you describe your flashlight? Silver and small. Not that useful.
14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Golden Retriever Tervis tumblers from Lauren
15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Yes!
16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Does a carport count?
17. Curtains or blinds? Roman shades in most rooms, with some curtains thrown in.
18. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two plus a body pillow
19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No.
20. How often do you vacuum? Not often enough, considering the amount of dog hair balls that I find floating around.
21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Electric.
22. What color is your toothbrush? White.
23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes. Does it count if it doesn’t actually say “welcome?”
24. What is in your oven right now? Nothing!
25. Is there anything under your bed? A box of my husband’s old tshirts that he will not part with.
26. Chore you hate doing the most? Changing bedsheets
27. What retro items are in your home? Our awesome 1971 orange Formica bathroom in the bonus room. It looks so lovely with the rosebud wallpaper.
28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Yes. It is also currently serving as a “baby shower supply staging area” among other things.
29. How many mirrors are in your home? Six
30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? If I do, can someone tell me where it is??
31. What color are your walls? Taupe, blue, white, gray, green
32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Lucy, the ferocious golden retriever.
33. What does your home smell like right now? Hopefully something good?
34. Favorite candle scent? Yankee Candle StormWatch. So sad when it was discontinued.
35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? Claussen Dill
36. What color is your favorite Bible? Black?
37. Ever been on your roof? No. But my husband has.
38. Do you own a stereo? Yes.
39. How many TVs do you have? Three.
40. How many house phones? Two.
41. Do you have a housekeeper? Yes, her name is Farrell and her assistant’s name is David.
42. What style do you decorate in? Hmmm
43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? Toss up.
44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Of Course!
45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you'd grab if you only could make one quick trip? The dog, photos, jewelry, computers, files. I am not that quick, so let’s hope this doesn’t happen!

Apartment: Lauren

I found this on A Southern Yankee in Manhattan who in turn took the idea from MMM more than a year ago. I stumbled upon the post this morning, and I thought it would be a fun exercise. Farrell lives in a lovely house- she has moved on from apartments, lucky girl- but maybe she will participate when she returns from her long weekend. Here goes (maybe it will shame me into improving my housekeeping habits):

1. What kind of SOAP is in your bathtub right now? Irish Spring and Fresh Milk Milk.

2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No : (

3. What would you change about your living room? We have two old man recliners, but no couch! Someday...

4. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? No dishwasher. Some sacrifices have to be made in exchange for having a "Junior Four" in the city.

5. What is in your fridge? Milk, fresh spinach, onion, three types of cheeses (!), bread, butter and other condiments.

6. White or wheat bread? Prefer white but generally buy 7 grain. Sigh.

7. What is on top of your refrigerator? Cereal, a blender, plastic wrap and sandwich bags.

8. What color or design is on your shower curtain? Plain white.

9. How many plants are in your home? 0- I kill plants, despite being the daughter of a horticulturalist.

10. Is your bed made right now? No. (My mother will be ashamed of my tackiness.)

11. Comet or Soft Scrub? Baking soda.

12. Is your closet organized? Yes! It is the most organized thing in the apartment.

13. Can you describe your flashlight? We have one...somewhere.

14. Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Tervis Tumblers with the UVA logo.

15. Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? No. Again, sad.

16. If you have a garage, is it cluttered? n/a

17. Curtains or blinds? Blinds, but would like to get some curtains.

18. How many pillows do you sleep with? Two.

19. Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No.

20. How often do you vacuum? I swiffer a lot...

21. Standard toothbrush or electric? Electric.

22. What color is your toothbrush? White.

23. Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes.

24. What is in your oven right now? Long casserole dishes, cookie sheets, etc. that don't fit anywhere else.

25. Is there anything under your bed? The fiance's college diplimas, a step ladder, and a drying rack. Oh, and some free weights.

26. Chore you hate doing the most? Picking up. I am fine with cleaning- it is getting all the stuff put away that I hate.

27. What retro items are in your home? The aforementioned recliners, one of which belonged to the fiance's grandfather and then moved to various uncles' frat houses throughout the 70's and 80's.

28. Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? Ha. We have a nook.

29. How many mirrors are in your home? One, over the bathroom sink.

30. Do you have any hidden emergency money around your home? No.

31. What color are your walls? White.

32. Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? The free weights?

33. What does your home smell like right now? Hopefully nothing, but sometimes I burn a really nice India Hicks candle.

34. Favorite candle scent? India Hicks Island Living Casuarina candle (I actually bought it at a sample sale).

35. What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? n/a

36. What color is your favorite Bible? White.

37. Ever been on your roof? No.

38. Do you own a stereo? We have some kind of nice radio...

39. How many TVs do you have? One big one, which was the fiance's gift to himself after her proposed : )

40. How many house phones? None.

41. Do you have a housekeeper? No, but tempting...

42. What style do you decorate in? Mish-mash of hand me downs, which I think of as a very "Virginia" way of decorating : )

43. Do you like solid colors in furniture or prints? I like a mix, but get very overwhelmed in fabric stores.

44. Is there a smoke detector in your home? Yes.

45. In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you'd grab if you only could make one quick trip? Pictures, jewelry, paperwork.