pretty.pretty.paper

nailed it no. 7

2012-05-29T16:46:00.000-04:00

i was seriously half way (ok maybe more like a quarter of the way) through my neon nails when i remembered that it is tuesday, tuesday before wednesday, wednesday the day i have an interview i've been anticipating for way too long. i couldn't possibly have neon nails for such an interview. i mean really, the whole navy/white/totally preppy and clean look i've been planning IS NOT going to work with neon nails. so instead i'm hitting up the perfect summer red, clambake. yup. another simple, but awesome, manicure for me.

japanese maple.

2012-05-29T13:34:00.000-04:00

we've got this weird tree in our front yard that turns bright pink towards the end of summer but is fairly lackluster for the rest of it's days. when we were first trying to tame our out of control teeny tiny front yard i begged mas to let me dig it up and plant a japanese maple. japanese maples are just soooooo dc. and plus, i grew up with a few in my back yard, i've a soft spot.

he said no. we had a healthy tree, why trash it? well i'll tell you why ...

i mean, the geisha? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? you are perfection. and hana matoi, well i think you're pretty stellar as well.

WRENxVIVIER

2012-05-23T10:25:00.002-04:00

oh my god, could it get any better?

GIMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE.

{wren x vivier, but please don't buy them all, i need time to figure out where i'm getting the dollars for my very own}

nailed it no. 6

2012-05-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

i gotta say the nail art, while fun, isn't totally and completely my style. i like to do it every once in a while, but honestly i can't remember the last time i had a solid color on all ten fingers, and that gets to me, in a weird you shouldn't be thinking about your nails so often kind of way. from now on i'm going to start sprinkling in a few of my most favorite every day colors. it too will be fun, i promise, there are some really good colors out there these days.

let's start with sand tropez by essie. i used to be an absolute nut for essie's jazz, like went through an entire bottle in a summer, but after that summer it became hard to find and sand tropez popped up in places like target. so i just kind of switched. next week i'll add a bit of color to the mix, but for now, i'm completely content with a nude nail (and a flannel shirt, because summer is coming and it won't be long before it gets put back in the closet, even though it is a summer weight flannel).

summer dresses.

2012-05-21T12:33:00.000-04:00

every year around this time i begin to mourn the loss of my jeans. which is funny because i don't consider myself one of those people that loves their jeans, turns out, i do. also it turns out that i really love them. i want to always wear them. always. but at the same time i am not a fan of over heating and dc in the summer equals overheating when wearing jeans. it is stupid hot here. stupid hot.

which leads me to the summer dress search. i've a few in my closet that have lasted me for forever but mostly i find that my tastes change on a yearly basis when it comes to dresses. this is frustrating because i find myself wanting to spend a cool five thousand dollars on light and airy swathes of cloth when my budget is approximately thirty seven.

this year i want tunics and relatively shapeless. also, apparently, navy. done am i with those elastic cinched waists* and belts**. though if eastern market this weekend was any indication of what is to come i'm in the minority because everyone was wearing a big ol' giant belt with their skimpy little summer dress. oh dc, why, WHY?

MADEWELL / VINCE / ZARA / ALEXANDER WANG

* i am fully aware that the madewell dress has an elastic cinched waist, i'm giving myself one, old habits die hard
** i've never really liked the super wide belts with dresses even when they were super popular ... three years ago

getting there / bedding.

2012-05-17T12:34:00.000-04:00

right now our bedding is all stripey and yellow edged. right now i find myself wanting something that is not stripey and yellow edged. right now i want this bedding.

also right now blogger is driving me crazy and i'm having problems uploading images.

two favorite things.

2012-05-15T15:48:00.000-04:00

we've been in dc now for just about eleven months. of those eleven months mas has been away for work for six of them - or something stupid like that. poor kid. sometimes we'll be walking down a street that is three blocks away from home and he'll be lost until he spies a street sign. no seriously, that happened.

we make the most of the time that he is here (fighting over the best burger, attempting to redo some part of the house, etc) and i'm finding dc to be quite hospitable when navigating solo, or with frances. it is so weird to think about where we were just one year ago. things were different, our lives were different.

it's not been the easiest of times, mas and i have had some of the worst fights of our relationship since living here, but we've also had some of the best days. and together we are figuring it all out ... and eating ourselves silly. you guys the food in this city is dangerously good. something we weren't exactly expecting.

but after nearly a year i find that my two most favorite things have stayed the same, which for a creature of habit, is maybe not so weird? they are:

1. walking around the capitol. it happens daily and i'm still not sick of it. i wonder when, if ever, the awe will be wiped off my face as i look up.

-and-

2. good stuff eatery ... my FAVORITE burger place in the city.

this move has been good for so many reasons. i'm so happy that after only a year i can already see that.

ps - i totally screwed up my nails this week, but here's hoping i figure it out by next! it promises to be good ... i think.

corn cookies.

2012-05-14T09:16:00.000-04:00

ok, ok, ok, this is my second recipe (in as many weeks?) from milk bar. but what can i say? i see a kindred spirit in christina tosi. i mean, it's like she's gotten inside my head and taken all of my guilty sweet pleasures and turned them into some kind of mind blowing reality. and for one of the best cookie recipes ever here we go :

CORN COOKIES

a few notes to start

1. tosi highly recommends using plugrá butter and i gotta say i don't disagree. i first made these with the butter i had in my fridge, and then went to the store, bought the plugrá and decided it would always and forever be the butter we used for our cookies.

2. if you don't have corn flour (or can't find it) you can substitute it with 40 g (1/4 c) of regular flour and 8 g (4t) of freeze dried corn powder. i've done it both ways, and the corn flour is most definitely the way to go. try to find it, it is absolutely worth it.

3. freeze dried corn. ok so you go to whole foods and buy this. i put the whole bag into my food processor and grind it all up at once, you won't use it all, but you'll be ahead of the game for the next time you make these cookies, and trust me there will be a next time.

4. grams vs. cups i wasn't exactly a kitchen scale kind of person until i started obsessing over the tosi recipes. and now i'm pretty die hard. i use my scale at least three times a day (coffee, baking, etc) so if you don't have one and can't justify the expense, send me an email, we can chat. i've included the non-weight measurements as well, just in case.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED!

225 g (2 sticks) room-temperature butter
300 g (1 1/2 c) sugar
1 egg
225 g (1 1/3 c) all-purpose flour
65 g (2/3 c) freeze-dried corn powder
45 g (1/4 c) corn flour
3 g (3/4 t) baking powder
1.5 g (1/4 t) baking soda
6 g (1 1/2 t) kosher salt

WHAT YOU WILL DO!

combine butter and sugar in a mixer with the paddle attached and cream them on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. they should turn fluffy and pale yellow. scrape down the sides of the bowl.

with the mixer at a lower speed, add the egg. increase the speed to medium-high again and start a timer for 8 minutes. mix and mix and mix. the mixture will become pale, almost white, and the will almost double in volume.

after you timer goes off, turn the speed down to low and add the dry ingredients. i'm pretty bad at adding while mixing so i tend not to do it. i turn the mixer off, add a third, turn the mixer on for about 5 seconds and repeat until all ingredients are just combined. you must be careful to not over mix. it will really change this cookie. i know it sounds silly, but it is perhaps the most important thing to remember ... do not over mix!

take a big bowl, something that will be able to hole 18 - 24 round balls, and put it on the counter.

start balling your dough. i use a bigger spoon, like a soup spoon to aid the process, but technically you are supposed to us a 2 3/4 oz ice cream scoop. the choice is yours.

after you make your first dough ball, place it in that big bowl. then repeat until all of your dough is resting quietly in said bowl. (i will sometimes just throw these into a freezer safe storage container, mostly because i like to always have corn cookies in the freezer, but also because if i cook off the entire batch i will eat the entire batch. that is no good. so i save about half of the dough balls, maybe more and eat them throughout the month)

place the bowl/storage container in the freezer for at least and hour. i've never skipped this step, but apparently if you do you will get giant melt balls instead of cookies. something about the amount of butter ... it needs to be cold going into the oven in order for the cookies to maintain their shape.

wait an hour ..... it's hard, i know.

pre-heat your oven to 350

place cookies on cookie sheet, just like any other, they will spread as they flatten, so don't have them touching.

cook for 18 minutes -OR- until their edges start to brown. i cook mine for 15 minutes, because i like them a touch underdone and my oven runs a tad hot. the brown edges are the key, you don't want any other brown other than the edges.

eat. and eat again. these cookies are so beyond delicious it's ridiculous.

recipe by christina tosi from the second issue of lucky peach, but it's also in the milk bar cookbook and i'm sure around the internets.

getting there // master bath

2012-05-10T13:05:00.001-04:00

BEFORE

calling the interior of these four walls a master bath is a bit of a stretch, but it is the only bath in the house with a shower, and it is upstairs ... so i guess that means it counts.

we didn't do much, it's such a tiny space you can't really, but we did paint, yay white! and added a few shelves (ikea ribba shelves UPSIDE DOWN, best idea ever), a snazzy shower curtain (west elm, though not on their site) and a not lame towel rack (so important). also we replaced our hot water heater. this was by far the biggest upgrade of the entire house - quality of life wise. we had a total of three minutes of hot water when we first moved in. then sometime in february we decided it was too cold to not have a hot shower. new water heater = best investment EVER. we can now sit in the shower forever. i frequently come out pink skinned. it is wonderful.

AFTER

maybe one day kind of soon we'll replace the sink and the pathetic piece of carpentry it's sitting on. maybe one day not so soon we'll add an actual master bath. until then i'm basking in the white walled brightness and it's all pretty ok.

ps - sea salt soap, it's the best ever. both mas and i are deeply, madly in love. i'd highly recommend it.

nailed it no. 5

2012-05-08T14:08:00.000-04:00

so last week was busy, there was travelling and family time and eating more than i can even think about right now. there was stress and shopping and a butterflies in my stomach for more than 16 hours (that is the worst, and also a little bit of the best). there were life changing events and then there was fog and 45 degrees in chicago.

there was also the seeing of some pretty fluttery numbers by dvf that left me more than just a little bit in love with pastels.

all of that being said, my nails today are a little lackluster, and a touch juvenile ... maybe because this is the way i would paint my nails in high school? alternating nails and colors. never forgetting the GLITTER. seriously if i could pile up all of the glitter i used in high school, particularly glitter polish, jesus, i could refinish our floors.

next week i'm exploring the wonders of gold leaf, watch out, but for now, you get 1. essie's mint candy apple, 2. essie's tart deco and 3. butter's the full monty (a very good gold glitter might i add). also, gold sparkly pinkies are awesome.

nailed it no. 4

2012-05-01T09:58:00.001-04:00

i have to say this one scared me a little bit. it just seemed so intense, so complicated. turns out, it is semi-complicated, but not exactly hard. in fact it's pretty easy.

what you will need :

- dark base coat, i used a metallic blue (essie midnight cami) because it seemed appropriate
- glitter (opi for sephora spark-tacular)
- white (deborah lippmann amazing grace),
- a smattering of etc colors. this time around i used essie's luxedo, mint candy apple and chinchilly. but really it's totally up to you. the only recommendation i have is a mix of dark and light. this helps create the depth of your galaxy.
- makeup sponge

what you will do :

1. base coat, clear
2. two coats of your dark base coat
3. one coat of glitter. i used the glitter very sparingly as i didn't want to be glitter CRAZY, it's a fine line, that glittery one.
4. i went ahead a did a layer of my quick dry clear top coat here, but that's up to you.
5. sponge on white
6. sponge on etc colors, alternating lights and darks, and don't stress. it's a random process made better if you just let go of your more particular tendencies.
7. one more coat of glitter, here and there. i only used the second glitter coat on a few nails due to that fine line mentioned above.
8. final quick dry top coat.
9. clean up cuticles if necessary.

a few notes :

- i used the same makeup sponge for all colors. they blend on your nail anyhow so there is no point in creating more waste.

- the glitter i used was big chunky multi-colored glitter. it also happens to by my most favorite glitter polish ever. but you can use anything so long as it is the big/chunky variety.

so much food i need a special dress.

2012-04-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

this week i'm going to next. it's my first time. i kind of want to celebrate with a new dress. a new dress that will allow me to eat and drink everything placed in front of me, and there will be a lot, i will need room. also, there will be cocktails, because it's the week before election day, and my mom is running.

{dress}

crack pie.

2012-04-29T12:11:00.000-04:00

okay ladies and gents. start your week of right and make a crack pie. i kid you not, everyday you come home and have some of this scrumptious pie waiting for you, will be a good day. i've made it a few times now and everyone who has nibbled on it has also turned around and made it (if that isn't a good recommendation i don't know what is).

a couple of quick notes:

1. there is an overnight chill required to let the pie gooeyness set-up. i didn't read the directions very well and didn't allot for that time. in the end it was fine, i just chilled it as long as i could, but then again i did overcook it.

2. it is stupid easy to overcook this beast. and i did, every time i tried. but i now know that you take it out of the oven when the center still looks uncooked. it will be all wobbly and the sides will be barely set and you will think that you need a few more minutes. but you don't. those few more minutes will effectively cook the center and give you a delicious, though no longer gooey, pie.

3. they say serve cold, we did not. maybe had i not overcooked it to the point of turning it into something closely resembling toffee when chilled then it would have been fine. but ours needed to be room temperature in order to enjoy.

4. dry milk powder, it took me four groceries to find this stuff. but you should know i was limited to what was within walking/biking/i need it fucking right now distance. in the end i paid way too much at our thoroughly over priced organic market. maybe whole foods sells it? i dunno, but our harris teeter and safeway people looked at me like i had lost my mind when i asked them.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED!

Crust

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
5 1/2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt

Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
6 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (for dusting)

WHAT YOU WILL DO!

Oat Cookie Crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper; coat with nonstick spray. Combine 6 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat until pale and fluffy. Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto prepared baking pan; press out evenly to edges of pan. Bake until light golden on top, 17 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking pan to rack and cool cookie completely.
Using hands, crumble oat cookie into large bowl; add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar. Rub in with fingertips until mixture is moist enough to stick together. Transfer cookie crust mixture to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Using fingers, press mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of pie dish. Place pie dish with crust on rimmed baking sheet.

Filling

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Whisk both sugars, milk powder, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add melted butter and whisk until blended. Add cream, then egg yolks and vanilla and whisk until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie 30 minutes (filling may begin to bubble). Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to bake pie until filling is brown in spots and set around edges but center still moves slightly when pie dish is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Cool pie 2 hours in pie dish on rack. Chill uncovered overnight. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.
Sift powdered sugar lightly over top of pie. Cut pie into wedges and serve cold.

my week.

2012-04-27T11:19:00.001-04:00

i'm one of those people who would happily shell out eight dollars for a small box of granola. it's one of my most favorite things in the world. but then, i realized, it was stupid to pay eight dollars for eight oz. of granola and instead i've started to make my own. with olive oil and maple syrup and pretty much anything we have sitting in our pantry. it's delicious and we eat it by the pound now, not the ounce.

frances finally got over being scared of the new piece of furniture in the house and now is busy making it filthy. i've covered it in a ridiculous number of blankets to keep her paws, and her mouth, off of the very light upholstery. so far it's working.

and then, that's about all that happened this week. it was pretty blah. there was some rain, a little bit of cool weather, and a whole lot reading. today i'm planning on spending some hours looking at art. it's been too long. also, maybe the prius will be done? i'm feeling trapped these days without a car. honestly, you people who live in a city that is not new york and don't have a car, how do you do it?! it's not been super hard, and i've totally taken advantage of the new little smart cars scattered about town, but it's seems silly to pay for a morning jaunt to target to just look around and maybe pick up some toilet paper.

this weekend i'm purging our house. we have too much crap. it's ridiculous there is stuff everywhere. also i think i might make some corn cookies, because it's been too long. and mop the floor. i've yet to mop all of the floors since we moved in ... ten months ago. yikes.

getting there // seating

2012-04-26T12:33:00.000-04:00

yes, yes, yes i'm still talking about what in the world we are going to sit on in our living room, and for now, we've figured it out.

you see, a few weeks ago i came across the jason wu + canvas collection.

that couch? we need it. that bench, another need. they are perfect. beyond perfect actually, they are everything i've dreamed of.

they need to be in our living room across from one and other with our soon to be awesome reclaimed wood coffee table. but, our budget right now for anything, let alone living room furniture v.5 doesn't add up to seven thousand dollars. if it was even close i'd jump on these bad boys in a heart beat, but alas, we've decided to go a different route, one we can AFFORD. one that gets a couch into the living room and doesn't look stupid.

but man, do i want that jason wu furniture, and i mean BAD.

so, here we go west elm. it's the elton settee and it's fine. it's actually better than fine, it's pretty damn good.

though i do have a few gripes about the whole buying and receiving of west elm goods. there was one friendly person along the way and everyone else was kind of rude. also, the additional fifty dollars for removal of a cardboard box and styrofoam ... lame. and should i really complain about this? i'm not sure, it's kind of pathetic, but i had to put it together. i paid more for delivery of this small couch than i did for every bit of furniture we've nabbed from crate & barrel and that all came from friendly men and completely assembled. don't think i'm afraid of assembly, i'm not, half of our house is from ikea, i.e assembled ourselves, but the whole lack of customer service at every step was relatively annoying. i guess it was perhaps the final straw.

so now we have a place to sit that isn't totally wrong for the room, and actually looks pretty decent with my favorite chair (which apparently we can no longer order, which sucks cause we need a second). now we just have to get the new window and rid ourselves oft he eighteen bajillion paint cans hanging out near the fireplace and we'll be ready to go.

nailed it no. 3

2012-04-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

marbling. this one is tricky. super tricky ... or i am an idiot, it really could go either way. anyway i'm going to try it again, but for now here it goes. if you have better luck or come across any secrets, etc do let me know.

first, start with a base coat. i went dark, this cooler weather has had me wanting darker, less sorbet colored finger tips.

second, take a few colors of polish and a glass that is full of water. drop a couple drops of polish onto the surface of the water and manipulate the dots until you get your marble design of choice.

third, gently dip your nail into the water, just so it skims the surface. remove, again, gently. the polish will string off of surface and onto your nail, so be careful. it helps to flatten that excess and then just not worry about it.

fourth, repeat steps - first through third - until you've marbled as many fingers as you'd like.

fifth, top coat. you know the drill. finally go around and clean up all of the extra polish that will no doubt be all over your fingers.

then, sixth, once you get it down, email me your secrets so my future tries aren't as lame.

my week.

2012-04-20T13:50:00.000-04:00

there was a neon belt and gingham shorts, also gold boat shoes and a chambray shirt ... hello prep.

the viewing of a shuttle being shuttled to it's new forever home by way of a 747.

there was frances sleeping on the chair, putting her dirty paws where they don't belong.

there was the massive blooming of one of our very old and established rose bushes. anxiously waiting for the other two to follow suit.

and there was a delivery of eggs. ever since we signed up for our green grocer delivery we've received a dozen of these a week, until last week, when there was a shortage. it was one of the saddest weeks.

and then there is the weekend. we've a couple of friends coming to town and are planning on another million calorie weekend (will tourist season please be OVER, i'm eating way too much). there will also be live tapings of jeopardy, watched by us. oh and the destruction of a bookshelf ... you know to make way for a new window. what are you up to?

getting there // kitchen

2012-04-19T14:27:00.001-04:00

so this week, it's on to our kitchen. i'd say it's likely the most *done* spot in the house. with the exception of the electrical outlets needing to be replaced, and well, the dream of wanting to turn that whole back wall into giant glass sliding doors. also, if i can ever get my hands on a larger sized smeg, well, then we'll have to get a new fridge.

BEFORE

gross appliances that smelled of ketchup and cigarettes, tile floor with grout that matched the tile. oh wait, no, that was years and years of caked up grease and shoe dirt. fallen crumbs crushed one after the next into the floor. cigarette ashes fallen. and god only knows what else. it was DISGUSTING. the kind of disgusting that makes you want to vomit when cleaning. the kind of disgusting that takes two people seven hours and several wire brushes to clean. so um, yeah, it's kind of a light grey/neutral colored grout.

red countertops. the lady who used to live here, she really liked red. also a ceiling fan. which in retrospect, kind of a good idea. but whatever. when we took it down we found a good inch of crap and dust on every last one of those fan blades. again, GROSS.

the worlds most awesome window, which we are thinking about getting rid of. mas hates it, i love it, it's a constant battle. i think he's winning. but if we do get rid of it, where will our kitchen aid and deep fryer go? hmmmm, it's tricky this small kitchen thing.

AFTER

lower cabinets and countertops removed. sink, fridge, stove, removed. upper cabinet doors removed. i really, REALLY wanted to toss them completely. i really, REALLY wanted to replace them with very cool wooden shelves. but you know what? if we had taken down those cabinets the walls would have crumbled and we would have been forced to build new walls. we did not have a budget to build new walls. so, alas, the cabinets stay. for now. maybe one day, when we end up getting rid of the back wall with the door and the window, maybe then we will run the risk of taking down those cabinets. but honestly it scares the hell out me. so maybe not.

goodbye ceiling fan, hello light fixture. we wanted two of these hanging, but we have neither the space nor the electrical capacity. whatever. one is fine. also, shelves. we did get a couple of shelves and for that i am happy. oh and then island, we built an entire island. that big empty space under the ceiling fan, it's quite useful these days. we eat there, i work there, sometimes frances even sleeps under there. it's great. also it increases the countertop space by about 1000%.

and did you see the living things? a few wonderful living things are living in our kitchen. it's been a while and they've not died yet. one point for me.

so how was your day?

2012-04-19T10:38:00.000-04:00

i'm keeping some pretty decent company today ... me and all my stripes.

nailed it no. 2

2012-04-17T12:46:00.001-04:00

FADING COLOR!!! ok, so these might just be my favorite nails to date, as in ever. i stole the idea from the beauty department and simplified. i fully appreciate the fact that they own so many different nail colors, and their addition of water kind of makes sense after trying these myself, but totally unescessary. really, the following is all you need :

2 colors of nail polish, or, you could just go with 1 i guess and have it fade into clear ...
1 make up sponge.

1. take the makeup sponge and paint a line of each color. make 'em wider than you think your thumb nail is and don't forget, they should be overlapping ... this is messy, but TOTALLY worth it. i started with dark, brushed it twice, then two brushes of light and then i alternated light over dark a few times ... you know to get a blend. i did not wet my sponge and i did not test on paper first, but if you'd like you can.

2. roll the sponge from left to right over your nail, once, twice and a third time. voila. fancy ass nails. cover with two top coats (this is important these nails are uber textured and look weird if you don't go crazy with the top coat). an aside, i had to reload my sponge every third nail or so and then did one final fresh roll over each, well minus one of my pinkies, because it totally didn't need it.

3. with a q-tip and polish remover, remove all of the polish on your skin. there will be a lot, but again, totally worth it. another thing i do is wait a couple of hours and wash your hair (or do the dishes). this takes the excess polish off of my skin/cuticles in no time. also, less of a risk in hitting your freshly painted nails with acetone. but i tend to have to wait at least two hours before dipping in hot water in order for my polish not to shrink up on me. what is that?

my shorts don't fit.

2012-04-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

over the weekend we did a little bit of celebrating. mas is one year older and i am about ten pounds heavier. we had crack pie, times two, and chocolate cake. also we went out with a dear friend saturday night and found ourselves eating frito pies (oh and tater tot pies) at two in the morning. it was fun, but let me tell you, sunday i woke up and thought i might die.

we converged in the kitchen for breakfast around 11, so late for me, had oatmeal because no one could stomach the thought of even eggs, and then we sat, drank water/coffee/orange juice, and attempted to rehydrate.

at 1:30 we went on a twenty mile bike ride through the city, it was warm. at 4:00 we were cleaned and STARVING. we headed down the street to have sliders and pizza (hello healthy, i know). i was a zombie. it was my first actual bike ride in about a year and it was SUNNY. i hate the sun, it drains me, so does biking for that matter. i had a slider, some salad and a piece of peperoni pizza. they boys had three cocktails a piece and the rest of the food. they were fine, maybe that was my mistake, no cocktail.

around 6:00 we ended up back home and the weather outside was lovely. mas was suffering from an oncoming benadryl coma and i was just suffering from the past 24 hours. we took a sheet, the dog and a bottle of water three doors down to the little triangle of a park. we slept for an hour. then we came home, mas took another nap, and i figured out that those shorts i purchased in january are far from comfortable. apparently my lifestyle of eating a lot and exercising not at all is catching up with me.

long story short, mas and i had a discussion about diets and personal challenges and exercise. turns out we disagree on just about everything (except for the fact that a diet is NOT THE ANSWER, we both agree that is the case) and doing this together doesn't seem to be the best idea. so, he's going to bike to work and exercise more and i'm going to run every day (yeah right) and stop eating solids. i kid, i kid, but maybe i'll not keep corn cookie dough in the freezer any more.

{image via instagram, i'm cevd, did you know?}

2012-04-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

i've been dying for a pair of every day studs.

these are pretty much perfect.

{mociun black diamond cut out triangle earrings via of a kind.}

2012-04-13T10:21:00.001-04:00

after wishing for a good week, it finally came. monday was a wash, tuesday sucked, but wednesday through friday = some of the best ever. there was lots of lasagna eating (kind of happy that's over), printing (!!!!), cake making (happy bday mas), and chilly mornings (curled and buried k-9, bottom right).

so goodbye week, hello weekend! here's to chinese burritos, birthday cheeseburgers, and eighty degrees. what are your plans?

getting there // living room.

2012-04-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

so, tuesdays will be for nails, and thursdays for house! watch out, consistency, here i come? we'll see about that.

onto house. as you know, or do you? about 10 months ago (holy jesus) we bought a little row house in dc. it smelled of cigaretts and mold. everything we touched magically turned to dust. it was and still is a real fixer upper, though not total shit hole, i'm only being slightly dramatic when i speak of it.

we're slow with projects. mostly because we have to save the money for the project first and figure out how to diy things like electrical (not the best idea) and painting (i'm a pro, no really i am) second. but we are getting there, i think i've mentioned that.

and now, without any styling and a whole lot of crap ... sorry guys that is just the way we roll these days ... here are some befores and nows. i'm not going to say afters because as you can see we still don't have the furniture figured out and there is a massive construction project that is going to be taking place in the next few weeks (see below for more on that)!!!!

BEFORE

this is what it looked like the day after we closed. what nice light, and a real wood burning fireplace!! but the carpet was rank (hello chain smoker and pet pisser) and the walls were red. i really don't understand red walls, but to each their own, i guess. check out that moulding! isn't it fantastic?

the real proof of the cigarettes is above, i mean visual proof, had you been standing where i was while taking this photo, you would be coughing. but that streaky funk that you can see in the upper spots of the book shelves, yeah that's nicotine. we scrubbed that grossness off, it only took some tsp and about four hours.

AFTER

ahhhh, now look at it. no couch, we're still figuring that one out, but WOOD FLOORS, GREY WALLS, WHITE TRIM, MOST FAVORITE CHAIR EVER (the one in the background, that is, the big white one is too big for the space and so it's being banished to the bedroom). as for the coffee table? i don't know where it's going, but it ain't staying there. also i convinced mas to let me take those shutters down. i know, i know, you love them, right? yeah so did he. but you know what? they are impractical and big and noisy and frankly, they are ughly. i'm sorry if you can't see that, we don't all have good taste.

ohhhhh, white bookshelf!!! isn't it so much better? yeah i know. and good thing because that bitch was a bitch to paint. have i ever told you that super shiny trim paint is my most hated foe? seriously such a pain in the ass. but wait, what is that on the left you say? the original scummy nicotine laced bookshelf?? why yes, yes it is, you are totally right. but, wait for it .....

in approximately six weeks it will be a window, a big one, and it will be awesome. which means - we bit the bullet and bought windows. well, signed a contract and put a deposit down. i didn't tell you this before, but our current windows are plexi-glass (i kid you not) and are falling into the storms. our electric bill in the summer is stupid and so is our gas bill in the winter. here's hoping this will help. either way it will be awesome. i'm such a nut for nice windows (WHO AM I?).

so, it's coming along this little house of ours, and you'll be happy to know that we have had people over. and we are again having people over. last time there was that chair and a half to sit on though, this time that's in the basement. maybe i'll purchase some floor pillows. or maybe, we'll have a fire and sit outside after dinner. that sounds lovely.

basics.

2012-04-11T12:27:00.002-04:00

i would like to be better about purchasing lovely, delicate and versatile pieces. not that my plaid button downs and jeans aren't wonderful, but i just think they might be a touch casual for my everyday life. i'd really like to be able to nail the casual look that borders the line of sophisticated (which is asking a lot, i know). basically i need to give a shit more often ... or at least look like i do.

shirt // shorts // tank // shirt

all from the french line oysho, of course, the french always do it well.