Tuesday Thrifting No. 2

This is my sugar canister. I got it for free at Pier One about a year ago. (Yay for coupons!) It’s super cute, durable, and easily customizable.

It’s also heavy, awkward, and constantly on the verge of being dropped. For all those reasons (and the recent dearth of any decent Pier One coups), I never bought the matching jars for my flour, coffee, or what have you. My flour lives in its bag (inside another plastic bag to keep it from leaking everywhere – classy, I know) and my coffee lives in an ancient piece of Tupperware. My sugar alone remained hip, stylish, and impossible to use.

Consequently, I’ve been on the lookout for new canisters for a while. I love the look of vintage metal sets, but hate the rust they inevitably all come with. I love the lightness of plastic or Tupperware, but hate the way they look. I saw a couple of sets I liked at Pier One and Williams Sonoma, but was off put by either the color (Pier One), the sizes (W.S.), or the price (Both!). So the search continued. Until today.

On Tuesdays, Goodwill stores in the DC Metro area offer a 25% discount on all clothing. I have THREE Goodwills within ten minutes of our apartment (I couldn’t have planned it better myself!!!), so it’s quickly become my official thrifting day. I usually end up just buying housewares, but I figure if I’m going to shop anyways, it might as well be on Tuesdays in case I do see anything good.

Today was kind of a bust compared to last week, so by store number three, I was ready to call it a morning, do my grocery shopping, and head home for lunch. And then I saw these. (*Cue the Patty Mayonnaise Music That I Can’t Find On YouTube But Sounds Like Happy Angels And Has Its Own Facebook Page*)

They are glass, but they are light. They are old, but they are not gross. It was like a match made in NickToons heaven. At first, I only saw the Tea canister, but after a quick recon around the aisle, I found the other two nearby. (Who separates a set like that?! Gah!) I realize none of them solve the problem of my sugar jar, but when you pay $10 for three, you can afford to shell out Etsy or EBay prices to complete the set. (If I can find someone selling it separately. Egad! I can never win!)

(But on that note, I added a few things to the previously empty shop yesterday. Check it out!)

There's only one other unforeseen problem: The flour jar is only 2 liters, which does not equal five pounds of flour. That means I still have a bag – albeit tiny – of flour tucked away in my cupboard. And it looks like the matching sugar jar is only 1.5 liters, which means I'll have the same problem with my sugar whenever I find it.

Oh well. You win some, you loose some. And overall, I think this was a definite win!

Cupcakes No. 3: Red Velvet Cupcakery

I was excited about going to the Red Velvet Cupcakery from the get-go, if only because they reaffirmed my use of the word “cupcakery.” (Which is more than my spell check can say.) I actually went there twice last week – once to the one on 7th Street with Cousin Emily and once to the one in Reston with my friend Amy – and while I was a bit concerned about the condition known as Too Much Sugar, multiple trips to the same cupcakery turned out to be a good idea, as I feel it reduces the margin of error in this very scientific survey. Legitimacy: always a good thing. ;)

On the exterior, the DC Red Velvet Cupcakery totally rocks the ‘Main St. Quaint’ look, but the inside is too small to convey any sort of feel. You’ll need to jockey around in line to get a glimpse of the cupcakes, which are artfully laid out on a Mancala-like board, and shimmy past the rest of the line to make it out again. (Hopefully, you have not had too many cupcakes before entering. ;) There’s seating available at the adjacent frozen yogurt joint, but we took ours to go.

The Reston outlet was the opposite. It’s inside Reston Town Center, so they don’t have much leeway as far as exterior appearances go, but the inside was spacious, with an open ‘kitchen,’ dark wood floors, and modern seating. Their cupcakes were displayed on raised cake plates that, while not as clever as the mancala boards, did make the baked goods a lot easier to see.

Over the course of my two trips, I tried three different cupcakes – Summertime, Hazelnut Café, and a seasonal Orange & Serrano creation – which was really easy to do because Red Velvet definitely has the most creative flavors so far. (Amy ordered the Peanut Butter Cupcake and you could literally smell the peanut butter wafting off of it!) Summertime, lemon cake topped with cream cheese frosting and shredded coconut, was my favorite, with Hazelnut Café, hazelnut cake frosted with “sexy espresso buttercream” (How is buttercream sexy?), not too far behind.

This is how you make buttercream sexy! Mmm...not so much. ;)

The only problem with creative flavors is that they don’t always work. I was really intrigued by the whole Orange & Serrano concept, but it turned out to just be…strange. Citrus and heat lends to an interesting aftertaste, which is kind of an awkward attribute to a cupcake. Mad points for trying though!

The cake itself is a little more dense than I prefer – kind of like when I try to bake from scratch and OD it on the butter – but stays within the lines of “cake” without veering over into the heavy world of muffins. The hazelnut cake was a bit dry, but that always seems to be the nature of the “cooking with nuts” beast. Their buttercream was not heavy, and struck the perfect sweet note for a Frosting Hater such as myself. I also loved how they piped it on in discs, rather than the traditional ‘circus tent’ look. Very modern.

The consensus? I'd definitely go back. (There's one in Arlington!) And order a normal flavor. ;)

Cupcakery Design - Three out of Five Cupcakes

The Cake - Four out of Five Cupcakes

The Frosting - Three out of Five Cupcakes

Top 100 Signs I Married the Right Man No. 82

82. When we go to the outlets, he braves the Vera Bradley store with nary a blink. And he doesn't even sit on the 'man bench' by the door. Like, he actually walks around and stuff. (Kate Spade and Ralph, however, are too much for him. Thank goodness for his iPhone. It gives him something to do whilst standing with all the other good-sporting hubbies outside. ;)

One more striped shirt? Pretty please? :D

Cooking No. 11: Dinner Partay

We christened the new homestead last night with our first ever dinner party. It was quite the occasion: I left my coupons at home and shelled out seven bucks for a cup of pine nuts. (Oh yes, you know it's going to be a crazy night when. ;)

Cousin Emily came over early to help get things ready. We started off with a Spinach and Strawberry Salad (accented with what is apparently an endangered nut, judging by how much they charge for them) and an amazing Bacon, Apple, Bleu Cheese, and Onion Galette that my friend Elise made. (I had no idea what a galette was. She had to educate me. But it was so delicious, I don't think I'll forget!)

The apps were followed up with two, vegetarian-friendly pasta entrees: Pasta with Squash, Brown Butter, and Rosemary and Spinach and Artichoke Baked Pasta. The former is already one of my favorites, although I usually substitute a different pasta for the lasagna noodles - I can never stop the lasagna from sticking together - and leave out the pine nuts, and the latter will definitely be added to the rotation. So yummy!

I tried to make chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert, but I seized the chocolate and it ended up in the trash. (This happens to me all the time, even when I use a double boiler. Any advice?) I didn't have any more chocolate, so I ended up making a batch of Chocolate Bottom Banana Bars instead, substituting Peanut Butter M&Ms for the chocolate chips. The M&Ms sunk into the batter and melted, the way M&Ms always do when you add them too soon, but the bars were delicious, nonetheless. :)

Good good, good people, and good times. Makes a party anytime. :-*

DC's Best Cupcake No. 2: Crumbs

At the risk of alienating cupcake-eating city folk on both coasts, I'm just going to come right out and say it: I didn't really care for Crumbs. I know. That sounds ridiculous. How can anyone not care for cupcakes, regardless of the brand. So let me explain. (And before you judge, I promise it has nothing to do with the fact that they are a national chain. I love chains. Me and Dunkin Donuts? Tight.)

My cousin Emily is in town on February Break - she's a middle school English teacher, God bless her - and graciously volunteered to accompany me for an afternoon of cupcakes and culture. (In between bakeries, we spent a few hours at the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. I had never been to either and wanted to check out the Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage exhibition before it closed. Her photographs were cool, but I definitely fell in love with almost everything in the Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery instead. I miss MASS MoCA. However, I digress. This post is about cupcakes. Not art. My bad.)

Crumbs was our first stop and initial impressions did not disappoint. Walking into that place is like walking into Willy Wonka's version of a Norman Rockwell painting. That’s the nice thing about chains – they have the bank accounts to invest in legitimate branding. The ‘hometown photos’ on the wall looked like staged ones that came with the frames, but the two Emeco Navy Barstools at the one counter made it okay. (Those chairs are expensive, yo. I’ll cut your budget some slack there.)

The cupcakes themselves are absolutely beautiful and look like mini works of art - like when bakers make fake cakes out of cardboard to showcase their frosting skillz - but in this case (and probably most), art doesn’t really translate well to food. Why?

In high school, my best friend invented a bagel/muffin hybrid (aka “a buffin”) that she was sure would granted her instant fame and fortune. (She’s still working on it, so please don’t steal her idea.) Crumbs seems to be attempting a similar cupcake/muffin monstrosity - A mufcake? Ew. - that is too dense, too sweet, and too big. (And that is coming from a girl who earned the college nickname “Hover” because of how much she ate.)

And the frosting, while beautiful, is overkill, with enough candy bits to keep the Tooth Fairy in business for generations to come. Em and I split a Baba Booey and an Elvis, and the combo of the two left me gasping for my water bottle to wash it all down. (In their defense, they also have a full service coffee bar, which most cupcakeries don't, so maybe I just wasn't eating it right.)

My rating? I wouldn't go back, unless it was to order a cup of Joe. (Dunks are hard to find down here. I guess we haven't been so tight lately...)

Cupcakery Design - Five out of Five Cupcakes

The Cake - One out of Five Cupcakes

The Frosting - Two out of Five Cupcakes

NTOTD No. 16: Being Told I Already Sound Like I'm From Here

16. And no, I'm not talking about accents. (Nothing personal, but I'd much rather lean towards Boston than Birmingham. Laugh at me all you want when I say "wicked." You know you're just jealous.) Yesterday, when my friend Amy asked me how far away a church we visited was, I replied, "Well, it's not really far. But it takes forever to get there. Like 20 minutes."

And that cracked her up. With good reason. In New England, its normal to measure distance in time rather than miles because there's never a good way to where you want to go - Have you ever tried to drive from Hartford to Providence? - but the fact that I now consider 20 minutes a long drive is agreeably ridiculous. We drove 15 minutes to church in NEPA and never thought twice about it. I use to commute 45 minutes every morning for work, then upped it to 90 minutes twice a week just for kicks. (Well, no, not really. But I told myself that to try and make getting up at 5 a.m. more fun. It didn't work.) Unfortunately, a NOVA minute is usually accompanied by lights, traffic, and at least ten cab drivers who (cue Chris Traeger) *literally* cannot drive. Multiply that by twenty and you feel my pain.

What about you? What do you consider a "long" drive?

Tuesday Thrifting

Isn’t it amazing how quickly stuff just piles up? Yesterday, I took our second, post-move carload to Goodwill, which was in addition to the two carloads we took prior to ever leaving Pennsylvania. Where does this stuff come from? Sadly, I don’t know, because I don’t even remember what most of it was.

Well, no. That’s not true. I do know where some of it comes from. Because yesterday, after I dropped the stuff off behind Goodwill, I immediately parked, went inside, and spent $15 on more stuff. But it’s stuff we need, I swear. (Isn’t it always? ;)

The first thing I saw was this matted frame. I have a few vintage DC postcards I’ve wanted to gussy up and it seemed like the perfect match. (The frame was originally a chestnut color, but someone had painted it black. I paint frames black all the time, so it was nice to have the work already done. ;) I tried hanging it up a few places around the apartment, but eventually it landed next to the TV with some other framed art. I long for the days when I can bang nails into the wall without worrying about touching them up before the next move, but the freestanding display works for now.

These next guys were me thinking outside the box - big, glass candlesticks aren't something I usually buy. I walked by them about three times and stood in front of them for a full five minutes before finally taking them home. We have a couple of tight corners in our dining room that need an extra something, but I can’t hang anything on the wall because our plantation shutters swing out and block most of the space. I haven’t been quite able to sell myself on the “dead sticks in a vase” look – It’s the dust. I dread regular dusting. Imagine how I feel about dusting dead foliage – but I wasn’t sure what else to do until I saw these. Candlesticks have a purpose! I thought. These I might actually use!

I like their shape, their simplicity, and the fact that they tie in nicely with our chandelier. I’ll have to write up an apartment tour soon so it will all make more sense. (And maybe convince the huz they were a good idea, although he's giving me the benefit of the doubt for now. I tried comparing them to Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair, but then I remembered he hates Starck. My bad. ;)

I always do my best not to buy more mugs, but I’m a sucker for diner-style ones with donut shop advertising. (No one ever said I collected normal things.) These might go in my Etsy shop, or they might join my collection of vintage Dunkin Donuts mugs. I’m undecided.

This enamel saucepan pretty much leapt off the shelf into my cart. Pyrex and enameled cookware are my weakness, but I can count on one hand the number of latter pieces I’ve been able to thrift. The top is not original – this line came with matching orange enamel lids, I believe – but it fits perfectly and comes from Belgique – not a bad brand. If it was red or turquoise, this baby would be staying put, but as it is, you’ll be able to find it in my Etsy shop in the next few days.

How about you? Any good thrift store finds lately?

February Flowers

When Mr. C and I originally came to scope out our apartment with our realtor, these little guys were just starting to poke through. (Mid-January, you seem so long ago!) This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous - all the snow was west of here - and they magically popped up when we weren't looking!

Lovely? Yes. Would I trade them for two feet of snow? In a heartbeat.

DC's Best Cupcake No. 1: Alexandria Cupcake

I don't know who can take credit for starting the whole cupcake trend, but thanks to the show DC Cupcakes, I'd like to think my new home has some sort of claim on the title. (Because TV makes things official. Everyone knows that.) While Mr. C and I walked around Old Town yesterday, I spotted at least two bakeries specializing in cupcakes - a "cupcakery"? - and a whole slew of other pastry shops that had at least one or two mini cakes thrown into the mix.

For me, this immediately begged the question: "Who has the best cupcakes in DC?" And - like most things pertaining to food and/or driving skillz - I immediately decided I could be the best judge of that. (Yes, The Post has their own list, but I feel my "new resident" status gives me a one-up in the impartiality department.) Let the cupcake war begin!

Who has the honors of breaking the ice? Alexandria Cupcake, the instigator of this whole idea. While cupcakes themselves are innately cute, selling them out of a "boutique" in Old Town only ups the factor and their cute, little logo sucked me right in.

The shop is decked out in "European contemporary minimalist style," which every recovering architecture student knows is design-speak for "empty with a touch of glass and/or metal." The line does have a tendency to get long, so I'm sure the extra space is needed, but it did feel a little...well...empty. Granted, a cupcakery does present a bit of a design problem: how do you display a small, constantly rotating product in a manageable, but attractive way? Eek! Never mind! (Please note, I did say "recovering." Some times I still slip up.)

The cupcakes themselves retail for $3 each, which from what I've gathered online, seems to be the average price across the board. If I was alone, I might have ordered a Raspberry Vanilla Cupcake, or a Rosewater-flavored one (their signature cupcake), but Mr. C and I decided to split a Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter creation instead. Since it was almost dinnertime, we ordered it "to go," which meant it came in a compostable, upside-down cup instead of a napkin. Too clever! (And it really worked too! It survived a couple hours in my purse and dinner with no problems. And on a side note, Daniel O'Connell's lamb burger with goat cheese? So yum!)

The dark chocolate cake was good, but nondescript. I hesitate to compare it to a box mix - No shame! I love box mixes! - but it was flavorful and moist in a similar way. The peanut butter frosting, however, was amazing, and that's coming from a girl who hates frosting. Whipped, light, and peanut buttery - I may or may not have licked all the leftover frosting out of the inside of the cup as well. ;)

My rating? I would definitely eat again. (There's probably going to be a lot of that in this contest. ;)

Cupcakery Design - Three out of Five...Cupcakes? (Sprinkles? Cherries? I guess cupcakes works for now.)

The Cake - Three out of Five Cupcakes

The Frosting - Five out of Five Cupcakes

One Cupcakery down. And thankfully, many, many more to go. ;)

PS Did Sister V. start the cupcake trend? Maybe. Check out these cute ones she ordered back in the day for my bridal shower. The cake and the cupcakes were both from A Little Imagination Cakes in Middletown, CT. My favorite part? The fondant Scrabble tiles. ;)

On Confusing Town Names

Years ago, during my first week at college, I was really surprised that there were so many Hokies from Austria. I remember thinking, “There must be a military base there or something. There cannot just be a random enclave of American suburbia smack in the middle of Vienna.”

Au contraire, little Sarah. It was quickly explained to me that Vienna was, in fact, American suburbia at it’s finest, smack in the middle of Northern Virginia. (Soon after this, I also learned that the Washington Redskins were not from Washington State. And who says you learn nothing at college?!)

I am thankful Vienna is not in Europe, because I had to drive up there twice this week on wedding business. (Unfortunately, I’ve learned that our apartment – lovely as it is – is not really well suited to driving anywhere. Is there any alternative to the Lee Highway? It has quickly become my nemesis.)

My friend E. is getting married in two months – you might remember the beautiful couple from here – so the bridal shower and wedding prep are in full swing! Thursday night I drove up to address shower invites with another bridesmaid – more on those soon! – and Friday afternoon I drove up again for E.’s almost-final dress fitting.

Is there anything more wonderful than seeing one of your best friends absolutely glow? No, I think not. Effortless beauty is the best kind and that girl’s got it pegged. :-*

After the fitting, we went over to Cafe Nemooneh for some overdue ‘coffee and’ time. Somehow, out of a whole wall of delicious-looking nuts and Iranian pastries, I ended up with a very unethnic raspberry cheesecake, but it was amazing all the same. The coffee was quality as well. Is there anything better than splitting a French press with a bestie? Mmm…probably not a whole lot.

Near the café was a little consignment shop called Wardrobe Rescue, so we popped in there for a few – okay, maybe more than a few – minutes before we left. Neither of us bought anything, but it was not for lack of wanting to. (I am praying that Armani Exchange jacket will still be there when it goes on sale in a few weeks!) They had a lot of nice stuff and I know we’ll be back. Definitely worth the drive, no matter how far away Vienna feels!

Top 100 Ways You Know You Live In NOVA: No. 100

100. The Harris Teeter Dinner Shoppers

Last night at about 8 p.m., I found myself in a long line at Harris Teeter. And no one was buying food.

I don’t like grocery shopping at night, and after the “Frozen Pizza Sale Incident” I swore I wouldn’t do it again, but when I discovered c. 4 p.m. yesterday that this week is “Super Double Coupon Week” at our good ol’ H.T., I knew my resolution would be short-lived. Because it’s not every week that you can get four boxes of Cheerios and a half gallon of ‘fancy’ milk (Smart Balance) for a cool five bucks. (This household keeps General Mills in business. You have no idea.)

So after dinner I set off, leaving Mr. C to his work homework, in search of cheap breakfast food. Our H.T. is a ‘city’ grocery store – small, with an elevator to an even smaller second floor – but it’s nice because it’s in a hip neighborhood. And here is something I learned last night about hip people:

They don’t cook.

They eat rotisserie chicken and premade sushi and frozen organic meals and laundry detergent. (Okay, maybe not the last one, but you get the idea.) No one was buying actual food!

I know I shouldn’t judge a person by their grocery cart – after all, mine screamed “Mother of a Five Year-Old!” which technically is true if you count Nora – and H.T. is probably not the best spot to do your ‘major’ grocery shopping at anyway, but I am always such a snoop in these situations. Why did that grumpy old man just cut me off with his detergent and frozen pizza? (The frozen pizzas again!) What's the rush? Is frat boy going to eat that entire chicken? Who actually eats pork rinds and how are they still alive?

Am I the only crazy person like this? Do you like snooping in other people’s shopping carts?

His & Hers

I'll give you one guess as to who bought which card.

Card No. 1

(from Paper Source)

Card No. 2

(from Etsy seller JulieAnnArt)

Apparently, my husband is about 500 times more romantic than I am. But he still hogs the bed. :-*

I originally bought this wire frame/clothesline contraption at Pier 1 to display photos at our wedding and it's made the "to Goodwill or not to Goodwill" cut through two moves - the definite mark of a quality piece. Yesterday, I hung it up under the cabinets in our kitchen/dining room pass through. I'm a little OC about keeping my counters clean, so I thought it might help. What do you think?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Anything special planned tonight? Mr. C's making shrimp scampi and chocolate-covered strawberries for dinner. I can't wait! (For my part, I'll be picking him up at work, BOGO Caribou Mocha in hand. We all have our love languages. His is coffee. And not having to ride the bus. ;)

I like to call December through March "The Gauntlet," as Mr. C must fend his way through Christmas, our anniversary, Valentine's Day, AND my birthday in four consecutive months. Thanks to our move, I was actually in Virginia for half of our anniversary, so we celebrated the night before instead. Mr. C picked me up at the front door with flowers - like it was a 'real date' ;) - and whisked me away to the O.G. for a romantic evening of breadsticks and never-ending salad bowls. (And crazy people watching while we waited for a table. And I thought I got cranky when I was hungry!)

We came home afterwards for a bottle of Asti - a wedding present from friends, intended for the occasion - dessert, and a movie. I didn't save any of our wedding brownie cake (Year-old cake is gross. No discussion.) but I made a batch of mint brownies in homage. Delish and low-key. Just the way we like it. <3

NTOTD No. 15: NOVA-Inspired Pick Up Lines

And the winner is...(drum roll, please)...

"Why don't you give me your number so I can show you around the clubs in Ballston?"

Bonus points if the line is dropped in a Safeway checkout line, you just bragged about your "business dealings" in Philly, and the harried object of your affection is just trying to get out of the grocery-shopping-on-a-Sunday craziness alive. (We were out of coffee. And the frozen pizzas were on sale. Curses! I'm such a sucker for frozen pizza sales.)

Consequently, Mr. C has been informed that my wedding band needs a bit more bling. I am getting too old for this kind of thing.

Culture No. 37: DC, Week One

I. Am. Tired. Omg. So tired, I had to take a 30 minute nap in the middle of writing this post. That tired. And I'm not even the one with the job. (Neither is Nibbles, but she's always up for taking a nap for the team.)

I know from many past experiences that the first week in a new situation is exhausting no matter what, but the change of pace from NEPA to NOVA has probably been the greatest shock so far. I feel like a big country bumpkin. The District is entirely way too caffeinated. No wonder no one's allowed to drink on the Metro.

Monday was Mr. C's first day at the new job. We're trying to keep Geoff out of the gridlock as much as possible, so Bert's taking one for the team and doing the public transportation thing. Our apartment isn't really convenient to any of the bus lines he needs - there's about 3 miles round trip of walking involved, in addition to the bus - but he's made it work so far. (With mostly success, I'd say, no thanks to the folks at SmarTrip. Don't add money to your card online. There's a country mouse lesson we learned super fast.)

For my part, I walk to the bus stop with him in the morning and extol the benefits of all that free exercise. The walk is especially exciting on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesday is recycling day, when I must suppress the urge to rummage through my neighbors' trash for free coupon inserts and Thursday is "Bulk Trash Day," when everyone puts unwanted furniture out on the curb and dares me to take it home. So far, I have conquered all temptations, but I can tell that's not going to last very long. Sorry Bert, I might have to stay home those days.

Mama V. arrived on the train Tuesday afternoon for a few days of Arlington County fun. Picking her up at Union Station was an adventure in itself - one that began with me getting trapped in my Old Town parking spot by a tractor trailer and ended with me losing the car in the Franconia/Springfield Metro station garage - and the fun continued from then on. (Why did no one tell me Springfield is so far away? Omg. I felt like I was on the moon.)

Mom and I walked around Shirlington, got some 'coffee and' at Best Buns, did some shopping, splurged on pedicures, and ate out at The Burger Joint in Old Town. I brought her back to Union Station yesterday morning, but I learned my lesson and just paid for street parking near the King St. Metro station instead of driving all the way out to the 'burbs. Consequently/Thankfully, dropping her off at the train station was much less exciting than picking her up.

The bulk of my tiredness, however, comes from going out to DC on a school night. Several weeks ago, my friend E. from college invited me to a play at the Folger Shakespeare Library. (Many thanks to her bf for volunteering his ticket. ;) The last show E. and I went to together was "Waiting for Godot" at school c. 2005, so even if I had seen her since the wedding - which I hadn't, so we were due for hang out time anyway - we were definitely due for some serious English-nerd culture.

We met at Union Station for some delicious veg at Chop't (Yes, I was at the train station three times this week. My new personal record.) then walked a few blocks past the Supreme Court and the Capital to the theater. E. was a good sport and even let me take several, gratuitous tourist photos:

I was in bed by midnight and up again at six, which really doesn't do much for my sunny disposition. However, I may or may not have gotten 14 hours of sleep last night, so my outlook is much improved. Bert and I are planning on doing pretty much nothing this weekend. (Other than adding to George Lucas' retirement fund by catching Episode One in 3D at some point!) Do you have any plans? I hope they're equally chill.

Craft No. 11: Wedding Scrapbooks

This post is way late, both purposefully and because I kind of forgot about it. (Unfortunately, my marbles got lost in the move. Still lookin' for those bad boys...) Before my reign as trophy wife came to an employed end last October, I spent a good portion of my unemployed summer crafting. Sister V.'s quilt was Big Project #1, but wedding scrapbooks for all the parents/in-laws was a close second. (Fun Fact: I was sitting on the floor, scrapbooking and watching Pawn Stars, when the 2011 Virginia earthquake hit. Except I thought it was a mine shaft opening under our house. Oh, the dangers of living in NEPA...)

Our photographer gave us the option to buy wedding books, of course, and I was somewhat tempted to splurge because I knew it would take me forever to make my own scrapbook. (I've yet to start!) But I couldn't get over the fact that they make the books out of souped-up chipboard. Don't get me wrong: the printing itself is lovely and I still toy with getting one just so I would have something to camp out on the coffee table, but I would miss the texture and depth that comes from an actually scrapbook. I'll admit, I do make digital photo books every now and then - you can't beat the convenience! - but not for wedding photos. They need a little TLC.

So for Christmas, I made three parent's books: one for Mama and Papa V., one for Bert's dad, and one for Bert's mom and step dad. (That's why I couldn't show them until January - didn't want to ruin the surprise! :) They all followed the same general template as far as colors, backgrounds, and lettering went, which minimized all those last minute trips to Michael's, but they were all personalized for each parent. Mama V. threatened to cry when she opened hers, so I took that as a good sign. Enjoy! :D

Woo hoo! Hotness runs in the family! ;)

On Becoming a Virginia Resident

For years I swore I would never move to Northern Virginia, which goes to show you that either a.) I don't know my own mind or b.) I need to keep my mouth shut more. I've never been accused of the former, so I'll stick with the latter and blame it on immaturity and an intense hatred of people who can't drive. Namely everyone. Excepting me.

I kid, I kid. (Except about the bad drivers. True story: I once made my college roommate sign a "I will not drive live a NOVAn" contract to borrow my car.) (Love you, E. :) NOVA is not nearly as bad as I recall and I've discovered that if I never drive anywhere, I never have to deal with traffic. Genius!

Our move went smoothly, our apartment rocks (Plantation Shutters, where have you been my whole life?), and Bert's first day of work went well. Nora is the happiest I've seen her since the pre-Miles Williamstown days and I can walk to a Caribou Coffee. What else do you really need? (A Target that didn't feel like a giant cubicle would be nice, but its exterior does look like a spaceship, so I'll give it props for that.)

We're still unpacking and organizing, but I hope to have some apartment photos up soon. Comcast gave me the cold shoulder when I refused to sign up for their 'Triple Play Whatever' plan - the lady was somewhat incredulous when I told her "I'm too young for a land line" - so we haven't had Internet - minus Bert's iPhone - until today.

So until then, I'll leave you with another GoRemy video. Talk about NOVA drivers... This one is Bert's favorite.