homestretch.

After three years of distance, Ben and I have less than one month left to go!

I can't wait for him to be back in DC. It isn't as though that much will change but because our days together are packed when we see each other, life will have more a routine when he is back. It sounds so trite, but even just enjoying the seasons together - I am so excited for snow this winter on a weekend when we can just hang out and cook in the house together! I can't wait for the occasional weekend trip to new places like Asheville, Tennessee, the Outerbanks, Lancaster, and Shenandoah (though I will miss regular visits to Ann Arbor). I want him home so we can tackle some house projects together like the backyard and painting. I will appreciate even more now on a weeknight being able to talk about the day together with some wine and having more time for friend time.

One month.

parented.

Ben sent me this today with the message "lets be like this". I love it. These parents bring stage scenes with toys to to make their kids think they have come to life while they are asleep. Amazing parenting!

vested interest.

Genius! Look what Lululemon has going on - a vest-pullover. I don't know why they named it the Fluff Off Pullover but nevertheless, this just made my morning!

colorblocked.

I wish I wish we had saved all of our color-blocking winter gear from the 80s/90s because this Colorblock Ski Jacket from JCrew is amazing and bringing the 70s back big time!

coloring.

It has been almost six months in our house. And now it is time to paint. People told us we should "live in it" for a while before we do anything and so we have given it some months. This weekend was step 1 - initial paint colors. I headed to Fragers very early yesterday morning. Here is the story.

We are both partial to cool grays. That is to say, a gray with more of a blue in it. However, since we have decided to keep our wood trim (instead of painting it white), warm grays will go better. The difficulty is that I am not big on greens or beiges (both key to a warm gray). All this is to say, step 1 with colors is to try and be open and consider all options. So, I came back with a couple and threw them up on the wall. I am not in love with any of them, though of all of them, I like the third one down. Hopefully next weekend I'll have time for a second trip to get some lighter versions. We want to go lighter in the downstairs to make it feel fresh and easy...

Thoughts?!

con-tact made.

A month or two ago I was running errands and happened upon Con-Tact paper in a store. I am on the hunt to find it cheap someplace...so that I can start lining drawers and cabinets with it. Let me know if anyone has suggestions or thoughts!

stored up.

Ben graduates in just about 5 weeks and I am beyond ready to have him back in DC. One of the things I am most looking forward to is having weekends to really enjoy and explore. When we have weekends together they tend to be packed and rushed and we don't have time to do anything different. So, I'm looking forward to Saturday's in Virginia or Maryland or wherever nearby...here are some shops I am collecting for us to get to at some point soon...

• Stylish Patina - out in Falls Church, Virginia

• Trohv - Baltimore, Maryland

• The Old Luckett's Store - Leesburg, Virginia

open your world.

Ben and I took a really long walk on Sunday morning and I was loving this mural at 6th and H Streets in the parking lots of Murrays. Have you seen it?!

12 Years A Slave.

Sunday afternoon, Ben and I went on a movie date. I think the last time I went to a movie was over a year ago so it was about time. We went to see 12 Years a Slave. Have you all seen it yet? It is intense. Seriously. I was so tense watching it that Ben had to massage my back this morning. Not kidding. But, it is well worth the watch.

It is powerful and hard to watch. The scenes can be uncomfortably long and the director uses sounds and silence to make an impression. You should definitely go see it.

Also interesting is that in 2009, Ben and I went on a date in NYC, one of our very early dates and we went to see Hunger at the IFC Center. I still remember it because the movie was so intense. After, the director/producer was there and spoke. Hunger was based on the hunger strikes in Ireland. Anyway, the director/producer was Steve McQueen - the same for 12 Years a Slave, and you can recognize his style and hand throughout it. I remember the way he used sounds and silence in Hunger and his reluctance to cut away from a scene when it is uncomfortable. Not to mention, Michael Fassbender starred in Hunger and absolutely deserves an Oscar for his role in 12 Years a Slave - he is brilliant. In short, I am taken by McQueen's work and you should go see this movie. Trailer below to peak your interest even more...

wedding bells.

It was a great weekend. The weekend focus was Kate & Doug's wedding on Saturday!

It was beautiful and classy and classic. And we got all dressed up. We also finished the night with a 2 am stop at the diner for a full stack of pancakes and eggs, here are some of the highlights...

It was a noon time ceremony and post-church included burgers at Tombs but not before Kate & Doug made their getaway in a red convertible...

We rested and rebooted, got ourselves dressed up and headed out to the party...but made a quick detour up to Union Market for an espresso at Peregrine Espresso.

At this point, we went to go find a taxi on Florida Ave. Standing on the corner, in the cold, after about 6 minutes, instead of a taxi, this old guy Leroy (nicest man we have met in a very long while) drove by and offered us a ride in his van. So we hopped a ride with Leroy. He told us stories about his life on the way over to 16th and we thanked him profusely for picking us up! Yup. That happened.

The rest of the evening flew by. Meridian Place is actually Katherine Graham's old home and is a stately venue. We danced, ran into bunches of friends and acquaintances, hit up the photo booth, sent them off in the night by sparklers, headed to an after-party at a bar nearby, and then finished off the night at The Diner. Can't get much better!

oswald read.

My sister sent me this piece from the NYTimes Magazine, Lee Harvey Oswald Was My Friend. Really interesting read. I recommend if you need some interesting history on this Monday night!

new neighbors.

It was a good week for NoMa. Whole Foods announced it will be opening a store between 6th and 7th streets on H - just a five block walk from us. And to top it off, Landmark announced they are putting in a movie theatre over on North Capitol.

warmed up.

I have been meaning to write this post for a long while now. When we moved into the house in June, people were so generous and thoughtful with housewarming gifts. So, I thought I would pass on ideas for great gifts to warm a home. Here we go...(note: this is in no particular order).

• Planters with your favorite flowers: Molly and Rags brought over these two amazing planters! We needed some bloom and green so bad in the front and they didn't even know it. Molly personally picked and planted everything. 

• Personalized Stamp: Emmy gave us this stamp which I adore. It was actually our first gift upon moving in and couldn't have been more fitting (here is the original post from May!)

• Grill Tools: Ben's first and really only priority in the lead-up to moving was to order a grill. Alex and Brittany got us fantastic grill tools that were immediately put to good use. 

• Salt n' Pepper Shakers: if you are like me and can't get enough of mason and bell jars, it doesn't get much better than miniature jars in the form of salt and pepper shakers! Emily brought these over and we love them. 

• Turkish Towels: we have a feeling Emmy had some touch on this gift too - Ryan gave them to us and I love them. I love them so much they are in a place where they won't get too much use because I am not ready for that! 

• Heath anything: Hannah and Jordan gave us this bowl from Heath Ceramics and it is one of the most beautiful things we own. It is so simple and looks great as a center or side piece - just gorgeous. 

• Guest Book: we have a tried and true tradition to guest books. Grandpolly always had us sign her guest book on visits and my Mom has continued the tradition. It was only appropriate that she gifted us our first guest book on her visit last month. 

• Funny Gift: Mike brought us this Guest Book for the bathroom. It is to be kept in your bathroom and has funny sections inside for your guests to fill out.

• Tools: Ben's parents brought us down tools and not only do we love having a full tool wall but it has been the most useful gift to date. For a first time home-owner a tool wall is a must-have. 

• Vintage Book: Kate and Doug picked us up this vintage Do-it-yourself Manual. It is old school but an encyclopedia of ideas. I love it as a coffee book but also a reference guide. 

• Bowls, Bowls and more Bowls: I love bowls! They are communal. Not to mention, since the beginning I have been very focused on getting great bowls in our kitchen (see here for a post all about it). Alison got us these bowls that I am in love with and they go perfectly on our shelving!