happening. right now.

ohmygod, i am kind of ridiculously happy that the whole christmas thing is over.  i mean, don't get me wrong, i do love a good celebration, but the stress of getting everything done that needed to be done was too much this year.  just too much.  

so the holing up solo (save for my husband and dog) for a long weekend was a delight, we did nothing except eat and make a mess.

how was your holiday?  lovely i hope?

and now, it's time to actually get my shit together and start taking these final touches on the house seriously.  i mean, it's been SIX MONTHS.  can you believe it?  i can't.  in fact i'm slightly embarrassed to admit it really.  but whatever.  we've made a lot of progress and just because there is a lot left to do, doesn't mean it isn't fun.  we really are done with the nitty gritty, i think.

annnnnyway.  i've a few days off this week, so i've decided to go ahead and start the gingham vestibule project.  when i saw the above picture on design*sponge a while back i knew there was no changing of my mind.  i had to have these walls.  mas thinks i'm ridiculous for even attempting.  but whatever.  today is the day i start.  i mean, taping the walls is a v. good first step, right???

happy christmas.

two of my most favorite things on the internets these days.  i bought one for myself for christmas, it was a bit of an indulgence.  but it kept popping up in my dreams over and over and over again .... 

{pom hat by yokoo, chair from organic modernism}

white.

i really wish i could pull off this hair color, and i really wish these shoes would show up on my doorstep.




{hair via jeana sohn, shoes via jak & jil}

i caved.

i've done a lot of painting in this house of ours.  and when i say a lot, i kind of mean it.  if i told you how many audio books and episodes of the office/parks & rec/gossip girl and harry potter movies i've listened to while painting, you might wonder about my sanity, or at the very least my efficiency.  but this painting thing is kind of a craps shoot at first.  like when i painted the entire foyer/upstairs hallway this very pale grey and it ended up looking like BABY BLUE.  i had to repaint it.  a nicer grey.  one that actually turned out grey.


then there are the ceilings, we left nary a ceiling untouched, and with the majority of our rooms being darker than 75% grey do you have any idea as to how many coats that takes?  also, there was the painting of some old furniture we thought needed a facelift.  the painting of kitchen cabinets, which were COVERED in grime.  and the trim.  this house has trim all over the stupid place, and it's old, and it's been re-painted, at the very least, 18 gazillion times.  oh, AND, apparently the woman who used to live here had a thing for leaving her dogs in rooms until they scratched their way through doors.  so shit had to be fixed ... or just covered with paint, which maybe took longer, because getting into those damn nooks and crannies takes a while.


so when the thought of picking up a paint brush and attacking the bajillion linear feet that was left of 6" trim made me want to hurl myself off of our roof, i called in a dude and he brought another dude and they are now currently just doing it.


i've mixed feelings about this, because really, i could do what they are doing.  i've actually turned into quite a good little house painter.  and you know what?  i wouldn't break that porcelain skull i had sitting on the dining room table either.  (yes, there was the breaking of one of these, and yes i could KILL them, and yes, it's fine, i've patched it up with some glue) but at the same time i've watched my social life dwindle since living in a city where i could actually have a social life.  i've also seen some of my favorite items of clothing become splotched up with paint because i'm just going to touch up this one spot, why would i need to change?  and then i saw nothing getting done with the bastardly trim day after day after day.


so that's it.  they came in yesterday and will leave today.  tonight i'll decorate the christmas tree and revel in the delight of just being DONE.  i've put some sparkling in the fridge in fact, just for this very occasion.  now it's on to hanging more things, like antler hooks that came with the most absurd anchors i've ever seen ...


though from here on out, this house will not own me, or ok, maybe it will, but i'm heading out for happy hour waaaaaaay more often.


{image of stairs that look absolutely NOTHING like ours via happy mundane}

acrylic, paper mâché, foam + wood

i kind of can't get that wreathy one out of my head.


found on pinterest, made by lauren clay.


ps - HOW ARE YOU GUYS?

boots.

last night, around 6:30, i kind of made what some would call an impulse purchase.


you see, about a year ago j.crew was selling some of the most amazing coral bottomed sperry's (seriously, i love them). but, they sold out in like a MILISECOND, leaving me without and thinking about them non-stop, for like, a year.


so ... when i saw these in the j.crew catalogue last night, there was quite simply nothing i could do.  they were on the first page, i was sitting next to my computer, it was over in less than a minute.

sometimes ...

after i haven't blogged consistently in MONTHS i get nervous and don't know what to blog about.  it leaves me second guessing and nixing posts.  also, it makes me little verbose, you know, like i have to tell you every last little thing that has been happening in my life - around the house, on the internet, and in the yoga studio.  i go to proof read my 85,000 words, and delete almost every single one, leaving a mere sentence behind because it is just simpler.  then i'm embarrassed, who am i am to think i am clever enough to boil things down to just one sentence? so i delete the whole stupid thing, close my computer and go to work.


i forget that finding a wonderfully simple bracelet is sometimes enough.  well, that and telling you that you should maybe also buy this one to go with it?


ANNNNND now since it has been a bit since i told you our kitchen was functional, i should probably tell you a secret ... we hung two shelves in a couple weeks back.  feeling all proud and happy we went on with our lives.  then a few days ago, one of them fell off the wall.  none of my precious wecks (filled with baking ingredients such as flour) were harmed in the process, and thankfully frances was asleep upstairs so we didn't have to endure her THE APOCALYPSE IS COMING NOW meltdown.  we just had to spend two hours in the shitty dc home depot hemming and hawing over the various dry wall concoctions that supposedly allow you to hang upwards of 600 lbs from the worst wall building material ever.


{bracelet by son of a sailor}

happy november!

last night we passed out candy and made a ridiculously delicious mushroom soup.  it felt so comfortable, so homey, so ... normal.  and now, i'm sitting in our kitchen sipping coffee and enjoying being just about DONE (with the kitchen that is).  and you know what?  it is super satisfying.  


also, it's november, my most favorite month of the year.

james & tilla waters.

apparently i like grey, and white and a bit of bright.  also ... circles.


{james & tilla waters ceramics}

tarantula.

a piece of the tarantula nebula taken by the hubble.  i can't stop looking at it.

it's obvious.

i need this bag.


{kate spade's spring line via pinterest, of course}

kitchen.

i cannot believe that it looked this nice.  it is beyond unrepresentative of the filth we have been scrubbing away for the past couple of months.  i guess that is why we bought the place?  the grime was so well hidden?  we're getting there guys, we are getting there!  i'll post some in between photos in the morning.  my computer is quickly dying and i've left my charger at work.  BOOOOO.
  

whoopie pie war.

did you know there was one?  i didn't.  i mean, i've been a fan of the little cake sandwiches since i can remember, but i never knew two states were attempting to claim them as their own.   apparently pennsylvania and maine are duking it out over the title "creator of whoopee pies."  to which i must reply ... pennsylvania, who are you kidding?  i had never even heard of a PA pie until this past weekend.  so give it up, the mainers deserve the credit for this one.

{images from whoopsies whoopie pies, a local fave that you can find here on saturdays}

my plates.

you guys, this shopping for the house thing is FUN.  it changes things when you are considering staying in the same spot for more than 18 months.  we can kind of consider getting rid of our ikea and cb2 plates and exchange them for nice ones, like these - the ones we registered for and got none of, which is better, they would most likely be dust after that last move of ours.  and i'm kind of digging the gold flatware, because wouldn't it be fancy on our wood dining table?  yeah i think so too.

ps - can you believe it is THURSDAY already?  where did the week go?

when i sometimes just make it up.

two nights ago i was talking to mas, most likely about frances, and i said something like "she's been quite lacksadaisical as of late."  mas responded with "you know, i've heard a few people ... like reporters on tv ... say lackadaisical ... without the S.  isn't it funny that they are getting that wrong?"

well, that was awfully sweet of him, an ego boost for sure, but wouldn't you know it ... those reporters actually had it right.  we looked it up.  i've been saying it wrong for, well, forever.  so now i've been trying to say it a few times a day to change that bad habit of creating fake words that kind of sound like real ones.   so here goes, lackadaisical, lackadaisical, lackadaisical.


you're welcome.


{paint on paint, tangier from victoria hannan via teenangster's pinterest}

over the knee.

dear internets.

how do we feel about over the knee boots?  i mean, will i be able to wear them for the next five years?  because if i pay this much for them i will have to wear them, a lot, for thenextfiveyears ...

xo.

.cevd

{riley boots, loeffler randall}

gold pants, mint mittens.

because can you tell me one person that doesn't need a bunny in gold pants or a mole in mint mittens? yeah i didn't think so.


{tiniest of dressed creatures from courduroy found via @woolandmisc}

i've gained 10lbs.

it might be a little more, or a little less, i don't own a scale and haven't since my college days. even back then it was a MISTAKE. so i guess i can't be 100% certain, but i can tell you that my running shorts are uncomfortably tight ... and they are made of spandex.  it's been a chore eating anything healthy for the past two and a half months because we've been mostly without a kitchen and apparently allergic to the grocery.  i've stopped by whole foods a few times on my way home from work, but i'm in such a hurry i grab a frozen pizza, lettuce and beer ... that lettuce sits untouched in our fridge to this day because it is jsut too much effort. and then there is the whole no exercising thing.  i run about 3 times a week (at most) despite the fact that i promise myself i will go daily, and as far as i can tell, i have to commute 40 minutes to the closest good yoga studio*.  

but, GUESS WHAT?!  our kitchen is fully functional!  and with the exception of changing out a few electrical outlets and building our island/bar/table combo we are nearly done with making it pretty.  so we are going to take a break on all of the eating out, seriously people it has been NUTS, and stop with the refined sugar, french fries and meat.  we might even go vegan for a spell to cleanse our poor and abused bodies.  but i think i need to have the walls painted and that island thingy built before i start getting serious about complicated recipes, which i feel we will need if going vegan.

but in this two and half months we have found some seriously good (and bad) places to eat in our neck of the woods.  i cannot tell you how lucky we are.  we are six blocks from the best pizza, gelato and coffee in the city, but those will be in a future post, a big one.  for now i'm off to walk frances, because the thought of running in my too tight shorts depresses me.

*does anyone in dc know of a good yoga studio in capitol hill?  something that is hard and will make my legs hurt for the first few weeks back, PLEASE?!?

picture of our first meal, at what has become my most favorite burger in the city, good stuff eatery, on our first night in dc.  i like it more than the shake shack, THAT is how good it is, mas on the other hand is a ray's hell burger type of guy.  how are we still married?

hi.

we've been in OUR HOUSE for who knows how long now, and you know what?  it is still a disaster.  as in i'm embarrassed when anyone passes and i'm entering through the front door.  the boxes and paper and clothing and shutters and random pillows and strange pieces of furniture lying ALL OVER THE PLACE do not look like the inside of any respectable person's house.  in fact i do believe we might qualify to be on an episode of hoarders.  it is simply horrifying.  i haven't yet broken down and sobbed uncontrolably upon returning from work, but i think i am close.  poor mas, every night our conversation goes something like this :

c : i'm gonna loose it if we don't get it together.
m : i know, i know.
c : NO REALLY I AM GOING TO LOOSE IT IF WE DON'T GET IT TOGETHER ... SOON (said while shaking ever so slightly and with a completely crazy look in my eyes mind you)
m : i know, i know (offering up a hug instead of doing what he wants to do, which is get the hell out of there)

and then we have the schedule conversation.  we promise to spend the rest of the night organizing some corner, and the next night too.  only we go upstairs to the bedroom and then promptly pass out.

but this weekend, well this weekend it is going to be different.  i already made mas call our out-of-town friend from high school and cancel the plans i set up because i might LOOSE it if someone that isn't mas or myself walks into this place.  i've decided that i do not need to repaint the horribly colored laundry room before we actually set up some shelves.  and you know what?  the trim in the entire house - well it will just have to wait.  we can move furniture away from the walls after all, when we are ready, and have some actual free time.  and oh yeah, our kitchens are being pulverized and rebuilt sometime in the next two weeks.  i keep telling myself that once we can actually put all of our glasses and plates away we might be able to walk through the dining room.

but dc is lovely and so is that new shiny job of mine.  mas is pretty happy too.  turns out this move is going to be worth it ... one day ... when we aren't tripping over piles of t-shirts and margarita glasses.

{image via remodelista .. on a side note, we'd take that light}

life lately.

ohmygod i cannot even start with the stories of the past two weeks, but they kind of involve the following :

- movers coming and "packing" our stuff.  they say they are going to give it all back to us, but it's been a week and we've heard not a peep.  it's interesting, and slightly worrisome.
- TWO stomach flues ... for me alone.  one might have been food poisoning, or maybe not, but either way it sucked.
- we moved out of our hotel and into OUR HOUSE!  ok so we're in the basement apartment ... or as they call it here ... the in-law suite.  the kitchen doesn't exactly work, and the internet is still unavailable due to comcast taking their sweet time getting us our modem, but the shower sprays hot water and we have a working ac unit.
- the floors upstairs are nearly done being refinished!!!  you guys, this owning a house thing is FUN.
- mas has started work, frances has become insanely popular amongst her neighbors and i've, well, i've gotten a job.  this working for myself has been fun, but it's also been a bit lonely.  when we found out we were moving to a city, where people actually live and work, i kind of got excited about being a part of something again.  and let me tell you, i think i scored the jackpot.  i'll be working with Suann and helping her set up her new shop, Fifteen Eleven!  you can read a bit more about it, and check out my summer MUST HAVES on her blog. 

for now i must run back home and save frances from the fumes that are trickling down from the refinishing of the floors.  i'm not sure exactly what we are going to do this afternoon but it might involve the weed-fest in the front yard.

{ginormous ring from catalina brenes, from my summer picks, which i'm pretty sure esb linked me to a while ago though can't remember when or where.}

confession #2.

every time i get out of the shower i place a small dollop of moroccan oil in my palms and douse my ends, it smells delicious.  i then take a fair amount of that MOST AMAZING PRODUCT, bb texture, and massage it through all of my hair.  it's gooey and weird, but seriously does the most amazing things to my hair.  and then after my bangs are mostly dry i spritz them with some of that renee furterer dry shampoo ... you know to keep them from going all gross and greasy.  yet still EVERY.SINGLE.DAY my hair is up in a top knot.  i might make it five minutes at my desk before it gets there, but without fail it's up before lunch.

maybe i need a haircut (ok that is a definite) and maybe i am a little lazy (another definite) but i'm starting to feel, well, a little lame.

confession #1.

i bite my nails.  it's a BAD habit, i know and i kind of gross myself out with it.  which is why i always keep them painted.  so last week when i saw this i went to my bin full of *crafty* stuff and pulled out those martha stewart glitters i bought before christmas.  finally a use for my michael's impulse purchase!  and let me tell you, it has quickly turned into an obsession.  last week, grey and green.  this week a pale peach (which i cannot find anywhere and can't remember the name of! super frustrating.) and rose gold.  mas thinks i've lost my mind and i'm not sure i disagree ... all of this sparkle, it's not my norm.

washington, dc.

in seven days mas, frances the prius and i will pack up and leave nc.
in seven days mas, frances the prius and i will be dc residents.
in eleven days we will close on our HOUSE.
in twelve days i will return to nc and watch the movers pack us up.
in fourteen days i will watch the movers come back and put our stuff in a truck.

why might there be two days in between the pack up and ship out despite the fact that we NO LONGER LIVE IN NC you ask?  i have no idea.  this move has been a logistical nightmare.  when we first called they told us they couldn't get us out of nc until the end of july.  THE END OF JULY.  are you kidding me?  with a lot of phone calling on mas' part and the world's nicest land lords we finally figured it out.  like today.  we are offically outta here on the 8th ... which should give us just enough time to have the floors refinished before our furniture makes the nice day trip north.  another questionable part of this move ... nine days to make the five hour drive?  whatever.  at least i don't have to pack.

oh, and in fifteen days i will be back in dc, for good.

{image}

new favorite sea creature.

 

mas and i started oceans last night.  started, not finished.  i conked out around the 27 minute mark ... it was a long day ...

but don't you want an blanket octopus now?  isn't it one of the most amazing things you have ever seen?  if you've not seen oceans, i would recommend it* if only for the floating silk cloth that magically turns into a real life octopus.

*i'm actually a bit disappointed with the educational value of oceans.  i've yet to learn anything other than the name of the creature i'm now obsessed with.  it's a quiet and more poetic take on a documentary, which is fine, but not what i was really hoping for.

{image via wired science}

tutu.

the english national ballet has invited a few designers to take on the tutu.  and in case you didn't know this about me ... I LOVE A GOOD TUTU.  and pointe shoes, but that is a different story altogether. 

{1. wright & teague  2.  kinder aggugini  3.  roksanda illincic  4.  giles deacon}

bad day.

apparently that walk this morning ... down the block and around the corner to the market, was just a bit too much.  or maybe she's heard the rumblings about the move?  or perhaps it was the offensive manner in which i tossed cheerios her way?  whatever it was, frances is having a very bad day.

stripes and flowers.

i've spent too much time today talking about finances to have any brain power left. which is maybe why i spent the last hour checking out the resort collections and falling in love with theyskens' theory and stella mccartney, particularly the stripes and floral above.

since we last spoke.

-- we found a DIFFERENT house, signed a contract, had an inspection, and learned the seller's agent is a tart.  all is still well and closing is set for the first week of july, but i'm completely sour on the entire real estate business (except for our field agent, she is a keeper).  i mean really?  STOP FUCKING WITH US.  i hate the games and the back and forth and the lying.  although i am quite happy that the little smoker lady selling the house has someone looking out for her ...

-- we celebrated father's day a week early.  no one seemed to notice though, which was nice of them.

-- there was a ton of in-law time spent in denver.

-- i turned my lt. pink skinny jeans that always looked a little bit, well ok, a lot bad on me, into a fairly decent pair of cut-offs.

-- frances wimped out on every. single. walk. taken in the past few days due to the heat.

-- i made fruity pebble rice crispy treats and realized that if i just PUT THEM AWAY i wouldn't have to eat all of them rightthisveryminute.

-- we sold our second car.  mas' car.  the nicer, newer one that had fewer miles.  but also came with a cloth top, no jedi-like hauling ability and a monthly payment.  we are now the proud owners of one car and an almost house in a city with public transportation.  mas is only a little bit sad (about the car, not the move).

-- i realized that we are due to leave in less than three weeks.  LESS THAN THREE WEEKS.  i'm so excited i could pee.

{the vast wasteland will become one big landscape, 1 by michael cina ... isn't it wonderful?}

if you could live forever, would you?

last night mas and i watched a documentary about ray kurzweil, a documentary that was not very good, and it took us back to that endless conversation we seem to have ... would you live forever if you could?  neither of our answers EVER change and still we struggle to grasp the complete insanity of the other's.  mas is more than sure he'd take on eternity, while i would rather just not fuss with it all.  according to kurzweil we'll be perfectly poised to make this decision in our lifetime (another issue entirely), and mas and i have a wager going, so tell me, would you live forever if you could?

{snowy trees and diamond photo by sarah hermans via the aviary via esb, i've been melting over here the past few days and am looking forward to winter ... already}

summer sparkly.

do you need sparkly keds? do i even like keds?  i'm so confused.

{glitter keds no longer available here - helpful i know, but if you google glitter keds you can find a wide variety of locations that are partially sold out ... via esb}

the pss.

i.e the perfect summer sweater. & i'm a big fan.  

i USED to have a most favorite knit linen hoodie from the gap that i found my freshman year of college, but three years ago, i left it on a beach somewhere in belize while in a rush to get to the dinghy before the rain came.  i have mourned the loss of that sweater ever since, and have tried valiantly to replace it.  five sweaters later, i think i have finally found the winner.  loosely knit, so super airy, and i'm also digging the slight crop and dropped shoulder seems.  it really is perfection.

{vince sweater that i snagged while in dc last week, that can be purchased here}

me, in dc.

1. i've been thinking about chopping my hair for about 2 years now.
2. if i wear enough mascara my eyes might look like that
3. i could go blonde ...
4. i need to buy new city clothes, once i live in a city again, right?
5. i need a change*.

*maybe i should wait until AFTER the move before i make such rash decisions, i mean it might be enough of a change for me, i might want to keep my long hair after that.

{images by olivia graham}

my solution to self defense.

after 19 houses, one failed attempt to make and offer, four nights in dc and too many miles on the prius we have *maybe* figured out where we are going to live.  yay!?  we kind of rushed through the visit of our number one choice this weekend due to scheduling conflicts, so i think i'm going back north with my mom tomorrow to double check/make an offer.  (what? who? a house? for owning? and not moving out of in 18 months?)  there are things that we need to know, like, um does that crapped out ac unit REALLY work? and is that gross red carpet really hiding hard wood?  like hardwood that isn't all rotted out?  and then one last peek at the neighborhood, with a mom, to confirm we aren't crazy for believing our neighbors when they say that their only real complaint is that it gets loud.  though one did admit that there are fights, and the police will be called semi-regularly about those fights.  but it's safe, that was repeated.  they've lived there for four and six years.  they are all our age. one set of neighbors has a baby, and the other set, a garden! if that isn't a glowing review i'm not sure what is.

but mas was kind of skeptical.  so when we returned home from dc last night he did a bit of research on the area, an obscure corner of capitol hill called capitol east, or hill east, or something east ... and while the results were apparently not very helpful, the last thing he said to me before he left for work this morning was : you should look into self-defense classes today.  i smiled, and he said, no seriously look into them, closed the door and left.

i'm totally game for carrying around pepper spray or something, but self-defense classes?  i think i'd just prefer a bike, cut the walking alone at night out altogether. and if i'm going to be biking, i'm going to need a bike.  i mean, i can't be expected to ride my orbea around town, it has clips and i don't do clips in crazy city traffic. so, when i found these, via  design*sponge this morning, i knew it was obviously meant to be.

also i can't say another dog wouldn't be nice.  frances needs a friend to frolic around with in our YARD, which is outside of our HOUSE, which is about five blocks from eastern market and a whopping one block from the metro.  plus it's honest to goodness in our price range and has 2 working wood burning fireplaces and bay windows.

{1.  caferacer  2.  holymoly  3.  vinyl  - all by creme cycles}

eight dollars worth of bathing suit.

 

were you aware that i have thing for bathing suits?  it's more of a sickness really.  i just can't stop myself.  they are very nearly my favorite thing to buy, after shoes, i think ...

anyway, over the weekend mas and i took a last minute trip to asheville, and judging by the number of bathing suit pieces i nabbed and the poundage of button downs he scored i'd say it was worth it.  you see, we happened upon one of those warehouse sales j.crew does every now and then.  they sell madewell denim for $10 and all non sweater shirts for $10.  they also sell bathing suit pieces for two dollars per. 

everything is shoved into boxes or rolling around on the floor, they let you in by the herd, and crazies from the neighboring states come in droves wearing tank tops and leggings for better trying on scenarios - so it isn't exactly the most fun way to shop.  but every once in a while you'll find a nice little dress from barney's, you know, the one j.crew copied, and about 15 boxes of swim separates. 15 boxes of swim separates that are almost all my size.  it gets ridiculous really quickly and i have to put shit back because i am appalled with my want for consumption.  but then i leave with two bathing suits and a need for the beach.  good thing dc is close to the water, no?

can't shake the love of the light and airy.

when i saw these three things pop up one after the other on esb's pinterest, i kind of fell in love.

bright goes the bag.

you guys, i'm going nuts over here for this bag. i want to grab it and love it and use it all summer long.  it's kind of the perfect size, my total obsession with neon has only strengthened over the months, and dare i say it is affordable? plus, the colors are much better than those offered up by kate spade for the scout, which has been in my shopping cart for ages now. 

{the cambridge satchel company 13" fluorescent satchel found on HonestlyWTF via Fashion Squad}

matthew brandt.

these matthew brandt c prints are processed and then dunked into their subjects.  it's a pretty cool idea and the result reminds me of a project i did in undergrad ... giant 20x24 black and white prints of marshland completely obliterated with polaroid emulsion lifts.  my project, though well intentioned, kind of looked like shit.  i was young, and obsessed with boiling polaroids and playing with their tissue like emulsions ... matthew brandt just has style.

the sun is my enemy.

we all spent some serious time out of doors this weekend and no one left unscathed.  there was the minor mishap of forgetting sunscreen and then being in an awkward situation that didn't allow for the procurement of any. follow that up with an ocean, lots of sand and no umbrellas.  it took a toll on everyone, frances has only been awake long enough to pee (since yesterday afternoon mind you ... that's pushing 24 hours) and both mas and i are bright and splotchy pink in places ... there was a relatively fruitless attempt to lather up in face lotion that was spf positive. 

but despite the failure of grown-up sensibilities there was a wonderful time running around in the sand and flitting through charleston, great city, that one.  and now, it's back to the regular old week, and i'm kind of liking it.  we are going non-stop these days and it's always nice to catch a break.

food.

she has me smitten.

dc.

there were houses, there were shit holes, and there were more houses.  there were lots of low blood sugar moments that resulted in fewer squabbles than i would have guessed.  there was good food, and then there was bad (though, the bad came mostly during the low blood sugar emergencies and sometimes just made things worse).  there were three FULL days of house hunting and learning of all of the neighborhoods one tends not to visit while *just* visiting dc.  there is still no home, but there is a serious front runner.  there was also furniture :

well over 15 houses into the weekend we came across well built and promptly started decorating our new city diggs before we even really have a new city OR new diggs.  i'm totally pumped that this place is exactly 1.2 miles away from where we want to be living in a few months, and maybe after we re-coup all of that money spent on a place to live we might actually be able to furnish it.

{hepburn modular sofa via well built}

this week.

yesterday mas turned 30! we celebrated with cheeseburgers and fries and a chocolate cake.  there were red balloons, but no mylar numbers, party poopers (the ONLY party store in the area) was sold out of the number three.  unbelievable really.  i gave mas a TOOTHBRUSH and then we spent the rest of the night laughing at the fact that i gave mas a TOOTHBRUSH.  for the record he had been wanting that toothbrush for at least eight months. 

now, for the rest of the week, we are on the hunt for a house.  it's going to be a crazy few days and the weather in dc looks like a mixed bag (rain, boo, hiss - sun, cheer, yay!).  also i think there will be pho, i like pho.

{drawing by joe kievett via}

weekend burger.

saturday afternoon mas arrived from a week away. he landed at the awkward hour of 2 in the afternoon, but we had decided to wait and eat.  airport food sucks anyway no?  so on our way back from the raleigh airport we stopped in chapel hill for lunch at SANDWHICH.  we are kinda crazy about this place, it is delicious and close to our go-to venue for music, the cat's cradle, we go a lot. 

but this time was different, because they've started serving BURGERS.  while mas was blind to everything except the fresh farm egg BLT, i opted for the ulitmate 'which burger (in addition to the regular stuffs put on burgers this one came with avocados, bacon and roasted jalapenos) and it was heavenly.  i seriously haven't had such a scrumptious burger in ages. i think it was due to the delicate spice that came from the peppers and the quality of meat used in the actual burger.  it was a bit fattier than the grass fed beef we've been scoring from our CSA, and that is never a bad thing for a burger.

after we gorged ourselves we made it home and rushed to spend the rest of the day in bed watching glee and napping.  perfect.  and then there was sunday, which was spent in a pollen haze, but at least it was sunny and warm.

sometimes.

{photo of a most awesome cloud formation found on one of my most favorite flickr streams EVER, CubaGallery}

confetti animal dots.

animal prints, um, mostly not for me.  animal dots, especially those that look like confetti, um yes, yes please.

{tsumori chisato tank, background image from nasa ... satellite image made using infrared, near-infrared and visible light amazingness.}

HELP.

i need a new laptop case for my most amazing 15" macbook pro.  after lusting after this clare vivier i've decided it is not as much protection as it is awesome.  and while i like awesome when it comes to things that carry things, i need something that will prevent my life (i.e my laptop) from cracking in half (or denting or scratching etc, etc) when traveling.  i'm a FREAK when it comes to protecting my electronics, so i need something sturdy.  for my black macbook i used this black incase sleeve.  it worked well, but i want something new ... and amazeballs. mmmmmm k?  thanks.

right now.

for the first time in my life i am going to have my hair done with an idea as to what i want.  normally i go, sit, say "not too much" or "chop it off," and then i leave it to the person who knows about that kind of stuff-the hair kind of stuff.  it's hit or miss, but it's just how i roll.  anyway, this time i want my hair to look like hers ... color wise ... i've already tried the side pony and it works.  i mean my just woke up and look this amazing isn't exactly AS AMAZING as hers, but i tend to stick to buns due to minimal effort.

{hair from, in case you live under a rock and don't know, a cup of jo}

woah.

for the past five months we thought we were moving to asia.  we didn't know exactly when, but we knew that sometime before the end of august we would be on the other side of the world.  we were thrilled.  i was half way to my end life goal of becoming asian and mas was planning weekend excursions to places like vietnam and thailand and beijing.  but then, three or four weeks ago, those people that make those decisions called and said no.  no to tokyo, no to seoul, and no to that wee little japanese island.  it was a bit hard to take.  we had been making plans, reading blogs, ALMOST BUYING PLANE TICKETS.  but then, we thought about it, and decided it would all be ok.  we would just pick up next january and move back to california.  california is almost like japan or s. korea, no?  it was fun few days.  we were making up new careers for ourselves (mas - sommelier, me - doughnut maker) and telling a few of our favorites that was the plan, we were coming back.  it was exciting, and scary ... you know the whole picking where you want to live thing.

and then ...

two weeks ago, the phone rang.  and it was them ... those people that make these decisions.  they said : mas come to dc and we will give you a job that you weren't even considering because it is so good, we promise it will be better than becoming a sommelier and living in the best state in the country.  so, mas says yes, has two interviews, fills out a bunch of paperwork and finds out last week that we are going to dc.  we jump and scream and laugh and high five.  the job is ridiculous and dc is a CITY, a city with things and people and snow and cherry blossoms.  we are to be there no later than july 31.  i am excited.  mas is thrilled.  and frances is ready to walk around where the people are.  i ask if maybe we can move SOONER.  mas laughs and says no.  then the phone rings again, or maybe an email was sent, at this point there are too many changes coming from too many directions i can't quite remember the details.  they say, come no later than june 30th.  so we are going house hunting.

i'm not going to say that i haven't finally found a way of life in this tiny town.  i like my yoga studio.  i like the coffee shop that lets me bring frances inside to sit and drink coffee.  i like the two block downtown/business district that has a train track (with frequent trains) running down the center.  i like the new little deli that opened up around the corner from us that serves ALL LOCAL food and sells dried beans and lentils in bulk and makes their own yogurt.  i like the bookstore.  i like our new house, i still haven't painted it even.  but i am also not going to say that the thought of living in dc makes me so excited i could pee.

a time to simplify.

i'm feeling a bit crowded with all of the shit we've been carting around for the past few years.  it really is amazing that despite the massive piles we've taken to the goodwill, we still have ended up with things we DO NOT NEED, or really even want.  i mean, that giant dog cage that's been sitting in an attic since we left chicago?  or the yellow and white polka-dot sling backs i purchased while still living in a city, and was apparently under the impression that white fabric flats were worth it.  those flats have been worn once for about five minutes (which is perhaps the only reason they are still white) and that dog cage, well it's just sad.  also we've suddenly become the owners of two desks and THREE dining room tables.  oh and then there is that couch that i talked a big game about ... it's still it's ugly, and green and gold, and somehow, in the last move, lost it's canvas cover.  so this time, FOR REAL, we are going to down size.  we just have to.  or else i will go crazy.

living room image from fernlund + logan architects via fine ting og sjokolade via ideas to steal on pinterest.

perfect outfit via totokaelo, all items can be found and linked on that page.

*i will obviously be wearing my hasbeens instead of these apc sandal-ey clogs