paper.

I couldn't not post this. I had it saved somewhere in my bookmarks and can't remember where I originally found her-- but just look. Yulia Brodskaya's art takes paper to a whole 'nother level. I'm more than blown away by her work. Can you believe the portrait??




Amazing, right?

Last week in the trailer...

Moving is exciting. Thankfully, it hasn't been stressful at all yet, so we'll see! We're only moving a little ways down the street, which probably saves us a lot of spent emotions. We get our moving truck on Saturday, and that'll be our first official day in our new place! I'll post pictures when we're moved in. We've actually been having a good time packing and preparing for our move, and it feels SO GOOD to throw things away. I am a minimalist by no means (the thought is actually laughable), but it feels good knowing that we're not moving any sort of trash or mess to our new place-- just the things we want and need. A fresh start! In celebration of having a little garden in our back yard, I bought a basil and cilantro plant as well as a little heirloom tomato plant. There's nothing like a fresh tomato... can't wait to get it in the ground!

Anyways, the thing that we've discovered about a new place is that, especially when you're starting out, you buy things and decorate to suit the place you first live (that tiny bit of wall space in between rooms, that one large wall in your living room...etc.). Every piece of furniture in our trailer was strategically chosen to fit into a certain spot in that room. Unfortunately, those things rarely carry over into the next place you move into, so there's a lot of getting rid of furniture and getting new things. This little mid-century modern-ish end table was one of my recent thrift store finds, and I can't wait to figure out what to do with it! (Side note... look at how bare our cabinet and wall are :( we've packed up everything but the furniture in a lot of our rooms).


I have stockpiled a bunch of photos in my inspiration folder over the years-- here are some ideas that I'm considering for this baby:


A bright POP of color, like this one (This photo also inspired me to get a lemon tree. how gorgeous! I'm in love with this photo. You should see the rest of the house...)


Painting the main body of furniture a selected color, then leaving the drawers natural, kind of like the above picture..

And there is always leaving it natural or refinishing the wood. I'm more of a color person, and I would rather make a statement than let the piece go ignored or unnoticed while in the room. We'll see. The piece was so cheap, I think a lot of that was because it lacks hardware, which was just perfect for me. I can't wait to pick some out! Here are a few I've been considering for the table:



(All hardware from anthropologie)

Let me know what you think!

The Wake-Talking Chronicles.

I know I say this all the time, but living with Colin is endlessly amusing. I've posted a lot about his sleep-talking habits, but what about his wake-talking habits? He has a tendency to mix up words when he's excited or talking too fast. It's super cute and really funny. I took to writing these moments down as they came out of his mouth, many times on the back of a receipt that I kept in my wallet, but that piece of paper was accidentally thrown away. Darn. Here are a few of my favorite word "mix-ups" that I can remember, or had written down on a sticky note on our computer...

"Oatmeen and raisel cookies"
"We should give Atie and Koliver a call tonight."
"I was reading today in Jesus:12..."
"Arcelona and Barsenal are playing tomorrow..."
"...Bed, Bath, and Body Works"

And one of my recent favorites, not a mix-up but funny nonetheless...

"Could you get me some lipstick?" (I think he meant chapstick).


Love him.

bread box.

So, I stopped by the thrift store on my way home from work to haggle over a certain piece of furniture. Always, always double and triple check a piece when you're looking to buy it-- check the drawers (that they slide out easily), hardware, and especially the back. Some places will try and trick you into believing that it's a great quality, real-wood piece... then you turn it around. plywood, anyone? Anyways, It was a beautiful mid-century modern hutch, but no cigar on that one. Cheap furniture doesn't last and doesn't make the same impression as a quality piece.

As I was leaving I spotted this awesome bread box on one of the shelves! It's a little rickety and the hardware needs some tightening, but I love that the wood is worn and I even love that some of the lettering on the metal detail is missing. It adds to the rustic look of it. It's not monumentally exciting but I still really like it. I can't decide whether I'll paint it, leave it, or stain it... suggestions?





grace and peace.

chai.

Just thought I'd share one of my new favorite things as of three nights ago! I found this Spiced Chai Concentrate recipe on Tasty Kitchen, and had to try it. So many times I find myself craving a cup of chai but don't want to go through all of the trouble of making it. This recipe is wonderful because you spend the time to make it once and then you have the stuff to make yourself a hot (or iced, my favorite right now!) cup of chai in seconds. Chances are, if you cook (especially any sort of ethnic food), you'll have a lot of these ingredients on hand like we did. I've been mixing myself a glass before work in the mornings and it is perfect! So here's the recipe. I personally doubled it, and put the concentrate in 3 mason jars with lids.


- 4-½ cups Water
- 1 stick Cinnamon (I added more, I love cinnamon)
- 1 piece Fresh Ginger Chopped (I used about an inch chunk)
- 7 whole Cardamom Pods (I used black but I think green would be better)
- 2 whole Star Anise Pods
- 10 whole Cloves
- ¼ teaspoons Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoons Freshly-ground Nutmeg
- 10 teaspoons Green Or Black Tea Or 10 Tea Bags
- ⅔ cups Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla (I added a splash more!)


Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add the spices and the tea/tea bags, remove from heat, and steep for about 15-20 minutes (I did 20, it depends on how strong you want it). Strain with a fine mesh strainer to catch all of the grains and bits, and while it's still hot add the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Pour into seal-able containers and cool.

To enjoy, add one part concentrate to one part heated milk, or do the same over ice! If you want your chai stronger, try two parts concentrate to one part milk.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

sickly, chapter 3.

1. Peaceful days, where I can sleep in with Colin, sit in the living room with the windows open, listen to music and make grocery lists. I'm actually almost thankful for being sick this past week-- it forced me to relax, because I couldn't do much else. Not work, not scramble to get things done... just wind down. Now, I feel rejuvenated to go back to work and do the things that need to be done this week!

2. I know the whole internet world is abuzz about Adele, but if anyone's worth the hype, this girl is. She makes me believe that there is talent out there in a world where every voice we hear on the radio is auto-tuned. It's hard to believe that such a mature sound can come out of such a young person... her first album (which is incredible) was recorded when she was 19 years old!



3. So much coming up in the next months-- to top it all off, we're planning our second wedding anniversary trip! I can't even believe it'll be two years of marriage in July. We already booked our hotel and flight (thank you, thank you, tax returns!). Since we did something very Rachel-friendly last year (not that Colin didn't want to do it and didn't love it, but laying in the sun is definitely my thing), we're going to do something different this year. We'll be spending a long weekend in D.C., seeing the museums and sites, going to a nice dinner on our anniversary, then we're going to go see Manchester United and Barcelona play at Fed Ex field! We are so excited! We feel blessed to be able to do things like this together.

4. I'm also on the hunt for the perfect everyday shoe. I've had two pairs of TOMS now, but honestly the two things that attracted me to them in the first place (them being different and also the company's philanthropy) have come and gone. Literally everyone in the world has a pair now, but mainly the allocation of their (abundant!) resources and their stewardship is kinda sketchy. I like the idea of a shoe that goes with anything and is effortless-- I've been eying a few pairs of keds but can't commit. Any thoughts?

5. Kevin comes tomorrow! We get our friend back for the week. It's a harsh reality of post-college life that people move away and you rarely get to see them. Fortunately, sometimes you do :)

Hope you're enjoying your rainy Sunday!