December 30, 2014

'Tis The Season! Our 2014 Holiday Recap


Oh hi there! Basil was hoping to lead the tour, kicking off our 2014 holiday recap, if you care to see...

December 29, 2014

On Stockings & Belonging

Perhaps the most heartwarming and sentimental part of this holiday season for me was the addition of this Christmas stocking hanging along the fireplace mantle:


While the name of our blog signifies our age difference, it's not a topic that we frequently dive deeply into and today I wanted to share one of the more special aspects from the holiday and the nuances of our own blended family.

December 27, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson

Whew! We made it through the holidays and are starting to wind down from all the food, friends and family from the past week. While it's always a time for excess and cheer, we cherish these moments with everyone in town and are ready to begin planning for and ringing in the new year ahead. Today we're back again, sharing all the smaller things we're into (or fancying, hence the series name) that might not fit into a single post for one reason or another. Sometimes there might be a long list of randomness, other times it might be a single gem — whatever the case, here's what we're into right now.

December 26, 2014

The Perfect Holiday Brunch with Relay Foods

Image by John Robinson


If you are still celebrating the holidays and getting ready for a crowd at brunch, I recently put together a brunch menu with Relay Foods that we have been looking forward to sharing here on the blog!

December 25, 2014

Happy Christmas!


Basil is donning his Christmas finest for you this happy day: "Wait, what do you mean my sweater looks tacky?"

We wanted to pop in today to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season — we hope it's a time for celebrating with friends and family, and perhaps a time to rest and reflect. We're looking forward to sharing more pics from this year's decorating — including the full story behind our makeshift Charlie Brown Christmas tree you see peering out from the background of today's pic.

Christmas Wishes & Pictures:

December 21, 2014

Over on eHow: Storage Trunk Bench & Coffee Table


Our latest project could basically be considered a small-space wonder. If you've been following along with our progress on updating the 1976 airstream that our friends, Josiah and Jocelyn, recently purchased, you'll know it's a small space that could benefit from creative, multi-purpose storage solutions.

December 18, 2014

Small Joys


It's the small joys in life, like trying on your aunt's giant boots, that brings a busy time like the holiday season into perspective. A couple weekends back, we got the chance to see our niece and nephew at my mother's home down on the James River. Whenever we visit, the Hunter boots come along for the ride and usually camp next to the door while we're inside. The kids are at such a fun age right now — the kind where trying on a pair of "thigh high" boots, then trying to walk is all the entertainment they need...

December 13, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Reclaimed Wood Bath Caddy


Remember that weekend trip we made to Restore in search of a reclaimed board? Well, this rustic-modern bath caddy was the end result of our hunt — and the full tutorial for how we made it can be found in our latest project post over on eHow.

December 10, 2014

Farmstream Updates: Painting & Backsplash


A few weeks ago we made it back out to Lockhart Family Farm to continue working on updating the 1976 airstream that our friends, Josiah and Jocelyn, recently purchased to house on the farm. It's set up as a camping-style AirBnB rental where guests can come stay on the farm through their travels.

December 9, 2014

Dearest Mine Initial Art Locket Necklace Giveaway

Today we're excited to be hosting a giveaway for one of these personalized initial art locket necklaces, from the Dearest Mine jewelry collection:

Aren't they just beautiful? These initial lockets are part of the larger jewelry collection by Lori Patton, self-proclaimed Locketeer, and are all lovingly made by hand in her California studio. Lori recently collaborated with chalkboard artist extraordinaire, Valerie McKeehan, of Lily & Val to introduce this collection of special, personalized chalkboard-style locket necklaces.

December 8, 2014

Weekend Basics

Hi there! We're checking in this morning from Brooklyn, where we'll be spending the majority of this week. From the looks of our various news-feeds, it seems as if everyone spent the weekend selecting and decorating Christmas trees. If we didn't have travel plans, our weekend may have looked very similar, alas it was still filled with a good mix of treasure hunting, good eats and travel.


First up, treasure hunting! Saturday morning we went on a mission to find the perfect piece of reclaimed wood to use in an upcoming project post we're working on (spoiler — you'll get to see the final result this week!). We decided to stop into our local Habitat ReStore to see what they had on hand and luckily found what we needed pretty quickly.

December 5, 2014

Over on eHow: Tomato Cage Christmas Tree Lights


It's beginning to look more and more like Christmas around here! With the help of a couple planters, string lights, floral ivy and festive ribbon, we created this simple yet welcoming pair of seasonal topiaries to help brighten up our front stoop. The full tutorial can be found newly published in our ongoing project series with eHow.

December 2, 2014

Pup In The City Natural Dog Treats Giveaway

Today we're excited to be hosting a giveaway for Pup In The City all-natural dog treats:


Pup in the City is an all-natural dog treat company specializing in American-made jerky, sweet potato chips and mongrelbread cookies that are all homemade, free from fillers, flavorings or preservatives and safe for both pet and human consumption. You gotta like that!

December 1, 2014

Local Cheer: Our 2014 RVA Holiday Gift Guide

It seems as if we blinked and now it's December! This is a favorite time of year for us, where seasonal smells and traditions seem to be around every corner — a busy time, and a chance to catch up with family and friends without the normal hustle and bustle of our daily routine.

When heading out to holiday gatherings, we always like to bring a little something along with local origins — it's always a great conversation piece and makes us feel good about spreading a little local cheer. Today we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some of our choice gift picks this river city has to offer. Whether looking for a select option to bring to a holiday party or ideas to knock out your entire gift list, we've rounded up some of our favorite local goodies and offerings from Richmond spots to make it a very RVA season!

RVA Foodie

November 25, 2014

Hello, 32!


Yesterday we celebrated my 32nd birthday. Mom reminded me this was the same age she was when she had me and the only year I'd be half her age...

November 21, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Himmeli Christmas Tree Star Topper


If you keep up with us on Instagram, you might already know my Sunday night consisted of sock weather, a lit fireplace and a pile of Slurpee straws as I worked out a prototype for this year's Christmas tree topper. Little did Tim know it would mean he'd need to climb up into the cold attic to retrieve one of our faux Christmas tree topiaries for a little early holiday staging, ha!

Jalapeño & Chorizo: Kicked Up Grilled Macaroni and Cheese Sandwich


Ever since stumbling across this grilled macaroni and cheese sandwich a couple weeks back, we haven't been able to get the idea out of our minds. Yep, a grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with macaroni and cheese — we went there.

November 18, 2014

Natural Dog Treat Recipe: Peanut Butter Protein Bites


While recently dreaming up new recipe ideas for homemade dog treats (that's a thing, right?), it dawned on me that I could use our mini muffin mold to make little bite sized "tarts" with a peanut butter filling.

November 15, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

Today we're back again, sharing all the smaller things we're into (or fancying, hence the series name) that might not fit into a single post for one reason or another. Sometimes there might be a long list of randomness, other times it might be a single gem — whatever the case, here's what we're into right now.

November 14, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Closet Door Gift Wrapping Station


We're getting on top of our organization game this holiday season, especially with the addition of this latest gift-wrapping storage system we installed along the interior closet door in Brandon's room.

November 11, 2014

Third Annual 2014 Ledbury Quail Hunt


Saturday we spent the better part of the afternoon soaking in the crisp fall air and early sunset at Ledbury's 3rd annual Quail Hunt gathering.

November 10, 2014

Weekend Basics


Hi from the Jersey Turnpike! Yep, that there is our view when driving home from NYC and we're happy to now be back. Friday night we cooked at home and literally kicked up our feet. After a great week in Brooklyn, Tim and I were ready to be here, relax and spend some quality time with this big guy:

November 7, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Reclaimed Wood Holiday Card Display


It's starting to feel a lot like the holidays around here! As you can see, we've been sprucing things up a bit and have a fun holiday project to share from our latest collaboration with eHow's Home series.

November 5, 2014

From Leftover Loaf To Brandied French Toast


Usually when Mary and I order takeout we ask that they leave out any bread that comes with the meal. We're suckers for ordering 2 large amazing greek salads from Robin Inn every so often (I take mine with anchovies and no tomatoes, Mary takes hers with tomatoes and no anchovies), which usually comes with an entirely separate bag containing a loaf of white bread that would most likely go to waste.

November 4, 2014

It's Dinovember! What The Dinosaurs Did in RVA


Have you heard of Dinovember? If not, it's that magical time of year when toy dinosaurs come to life at night, getting into all sorts of mischief during the month of, you guessed it, November. It originated with Refe and Susan Tuma who live in Kansas City with their four children and a herd of plastic dinosaurs. The Tumas began documenting their dinosaurs' antics in 2012, sharing the nightly adventures on social media.

November 3, 2014

Celebrating 10 (or is it 11?) Halloweens Together


It's hard to believe November has rolled in. It's one of our favorite times of year, and means we have a new Halloween roundup to share from all the weekend activities if you care to see! We mostly spent time hanging out on our front steps with our last-minute lone jack-o-lantern, a couple glasses of spirits, our big cauldron of candy and Basil by our side to keep a watchful eye out for all the trick-or-treaters. Trick-or-treating can be hit or miss on our street since we're just outside the swell of Hanover Avenue, where the streets are closed down and the real Halloween crowds congregate.

Weekend Basics

Happy Monday! We're checking in with a recap of our weekend from NYC today, which is brrrrrrrr!



We kicked off the weekend brunching at the newly re-opened Perly's Delicatessen, which is quickly becoming a new favorite haunt. We'd been in for lunch and couldn't wait to try breakfast — and man, oh, man it didn't disappoint. I went with corned beef hash and eggs (a favorite breakfast memory from my childhood) while Tim opted for the schnitzel and eggs. Definitely a place to put on the "try list" if you haven't stopped in yet or might be passing through Richmond anytime soon.

November 1, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

Happy November! Did you have a good Halloween? We hung out on the front stoop with Basil, our lone jack-o-lantern and a couple glasses of wine and scotch while passing out candy to all the trick-or-treaters.

October 31, 2014

Before & After: Exposing a Brick Chimney Under Plaster Walls


We've sort of been all over the place with house repairs around the upstairs of our home lately — we've been tackling a few plumbing issues, repairing wall damage in two rooms and even opened up the plaster wall in Brandon's room to expose the brick chimney hiding underneath. While we've got a lot going on, the most solid progress has taken place in Brandon's room and we're finally at a point where we share a pretty substantial "before and after" progress update for this space! As you can see from the picture above, Basil asked if he could do the honors of revealing today's makeover.

October 28, 2014

Halloween Skeleton Cookies


While our niece, Virginia, stayed with us over the past week, we'd lined up several little activities to do with her after picking her up from kindergarten each day. Tuesday was cookie day, and with Halloween in mind, we decided on skeletons!

October 27, 2014

Weekend Basics


As mentioned last week, we had out 5 1/2 year old niece staying with us last week as a house guest while her parents were out of town. As you can probably imagine, she kept us busy and on our toes in the best of ways. Highlights in between school included the pumpkin patch, our first time watching Frozen, baking cookies, and a trip to the Science Museum of Virginia to see Pandas: The Journey Home in the IMAX theatre.

October 23, 2014

Over on eHow: Floating Fall Leaf Placecards


These autumn leaf-shaped place cards are simple to make and add a touch of seasonal whimsy to any tablescape. I made these in about an hour for our latest eHow project post, using actual fallen leaves from around our neighborhood as the templates for the leaf shapes.

October 22, 2014

Over on Etsy: The Poison Apple Halloween Cocktail


With Halloween around the corner, we've been getting in the seasonal spirit, concocting up a handful of sweet ideas. Yep, we've really been getting our "creative juices" flowing, har har har...

October 20, 2014

Weekend Basics: Pumpkin Patching it!


Over the weekend we took the chance to hit up the pumpkin patch with my sister's children, which is shaping up to be a fun yearly tradition.

October 17, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

Today we're back again, sharing all the smaller things we're into (or fancying, hence the series name) that might not fit into a single post for one reason or another. Sometimes there might be a long list of randomness, other times it might be a single gem — whatever the case, here's what we're into right now.

October 16, 2014

Over on eHow: How to Cut & Recycle Wine Bottles Into Modern Glass Vases


Ever wondered how to cut glass bottles to recycle into everyday useful pieces like vases, drinking glasses or even candles? So did we — so we tested the process on several different bottles, then detailed what method worked best in our latest project post for eHow.

October 15, 2014

Basil's Blanket Season (aka Call Me Crazy)


Happy hump day! Well, we can tell the autumn weather is truly starting to set in now that "Basil's blanket season" has returned in full swing. What's Basil's blanket season? Well, it's the 5 months out of the year that Basil gets spoiled with his own throw blanket while lounging about — tell me we're not alone on this?

October 14, 2014

Sage Butternut Squash Gratin Recipe


It is officially fall in our neck of the woods, which means the food focus shifts from outdoor grilling and quick meals to slow cooking and comforting casserole dishes. After receiving a big old butternut squash in our CSA box last week I got to thinking about how to use it...

October 13, 2014

Weekend Basics

Not sure about you, but it's been a pretty dreary string of days here in Richmond — lots of cloud cover, rain and general bleakness:

 

Days like these make us want to hibernate at home under the throw blankets, which we did a great deal of over the weekend — Sunday Football and The Walking Dead anyone? You know who was right there to keep us company and show us how it's done best:

October 10, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

Today we're back again, sharing all the smaller things we're into (or fancying, hence the series name) that might not fit into a single post for one reason or another. Sometimes there might be a long list of randomness, other times it might be a single gem — whatever the case, here's what we're into right now.

October 9, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Geometric Concrete Bookends



One of our latest projects involved playing around with quick-drying concrete to make these geometric bookends that are now complementing our cookbooks on our kitchen shelf — and we're digging the modern architectural feel they ended up with!

October 8, 2014

Indoor Office Plant Updates: We've Got New Rubber Tree Growth!


Just wanted to pop in to share our excitement in finding what we're calling these little "rubber plant babies" sprouting up from our office plant:

October 7, 2014

Fed Up Movie — Have You Seen It?

Over the weekend we watched the newly released documentary, Fed Up. We'd been eager to see it ever since previews starting coming out earlier this year and pushed it to the top of our queue as soon as we saw it hit Netflix.

October 3, 2014

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

Today we're back again, sharing all the smaller things we're into (or fancying, hence the series name) that might not fit into a single post for one reason or another. Sometimes there might be a long list of randomness, other times it might be a single gem — whatever the case, here's what we're into right now.

October 2, 2014

Over on eHow: DIY Rustic Tree Slice Chalkboard


Our house is continuing to look more and more like autumn, especially with the addition of this rustic pumpkin shaped DIY chalkboard we made in our latest project post for eHow.

October 1, 2014

Vegan Red Lentil Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe


Can anyone else believe it is October 1st already? We love fall here in Richmond as the leaves change and the streets of our neighborhood become about as beautiful as any we have seen. With autumn comes all of the flavors it has to bring — greens, root vegetables and of course hearty squash varieties! Acorn squash is one of our favorite fall varieties to cook with and I've been looking forward to sharing one of my favorite ways to prepare it here on the blog.

September 30, 2014

Plant & Grow a Pineapple Top: Take Two!

Today we wanted to pop in with an update on our homegrown pineapple plant — you heard that right, we've been trying our hands at growing a container pineapple indoors here in Virginia over the last several months, and it's going surprisingly well:


This whole project began almost 2 years ago when we first tried to regrow a pineapple from the leafy top scraps of a pretty dried out fruit. Being completely honest, that experiment didn't go so well and after several weeks of trying to breath new life into that plant, we called it a lost cause — but that didn't stop us from trying again!

September 28, 2014

An NYC Moment


We're back from another busy week in the city, winding down and getting back into the swing of things here at home. While loading pictures from our stay last week, I came across a string of shots I'd captured from a city bench one afternoon while taking a moment to pause and wanted to share.

September 25, 2014

Over on eHow: Organized Vertical Storage


Over the weekend we gave the blank brick wall above my workbench in the garage an organizational makeover. With the help of a few key supplies like metal rails, hanging baskets and S hooks I've now got my frequently used tools within arm's reach and a workbench that's clutter free.

September 22, 2014

Weekend Basics


Good morning and happy Monday — we're checking in from NYC today, where we'll be spending the remainder of the week. Today we mostly wanted to share a few snaps from our Sunday walking around the city along with a few earlier highlights from the weekend if you'd like to see!
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