Weekend Basics

My sister with her newest baby.

Today we're checking from NYC where we'll be spending the majority of this week, and it's been quite the busy past few days. As you know from our posts this past week, we've had lots of little visitors in our lives lately. With the arrival of our newest niece, we got a chance to spend some time with the other children, keep Sophia overnight and snag some more shots of the new baby.

Fun Brunch Idea: Bunny Bottom Pancakes

We were lucky enough to help watch my sister's kids for a while this past week after meeting our newest niece and as a special breakfast to wake up to, Tim whipped together some fun animal pancakes for Sophia, who was staying with us overnight.

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

We're back again this week, 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.

Chatting it Up on eHow

We're excited to announce a new blogging series we'll be kicking off with eHow and it starts today! Over the next 8 weeks we'll be sharing weekly tips, tricks and DIY projects for home decor. Find our first post in the series, an intro, right here: Spreading Our Urban Roots: A 17Apart Welcome!

Touches of Spring: Easy Bud Vase

Sometimes it's the little things, like a found vase and blooming bush, that make for the best updates and mood boosters this time of year.

Weekend Basics

Somebody's got a serious case of the Mondays today...

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

We're back again this week, 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.

Bringing Home Beechwood Jonquils

It's finally the first official day of spring and that means it's jonquil season! Weekend before last we mentioned heading down to Beechwood (my mom's house) to pick some jonquils and tried uprooting a few to bring back and plant at home. We've been eager to add some color in the form of flowers to our outdoor space and this has been a fun first step — especially since they're perennials that should return every spring with minimal to no upkeep. The reason we go to Beechwood each year for the jonquils is all over this image above.

Update: Regrowing Succulents

You might remember from back at the end of January when we shared starter pics from our efforts to try and propagate one of our succulent plants. We left off with high hopes and a few teeny tiny roots just beginning to peek their way out from the individual pods:

Weekend Basics

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Are you wearing your green today or did you celebrate over the weekend? Tim made corned beef and swiss sandwiches as an homage for dinner last night and if you're in a cooking mood, he's got a roundup of recipes fit for a St. Patty's Day feast published over on the Lot18 blog right here.

Speaking of spring celebrations, it's snowing here in Richmond. Womp womp...

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

We're back again this week, 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.

Our Start to 2014 Spring Planting

So! Tim filled you in on all the outdoor spring cleaning and prep we did over the weekend, but we actually got some beginning planting and seeds started while we were at it, too.

We're trying out heirloom seeds from Baker Creek Seeds this season — you can see all their offerings online and find some locally at Harvest Grocery here in Richmond. I'm sure we'll mix in more seeds we have leftover from past seasons, but are excited to try these new varieties out.

Spring Gardening Prep

This weekend we were eager to settle in back home and tackle some outdoor garden prep while the weather was so nice (over 70 degrees here in VA). Our front and back spaces have been looking pretty drab due to the freezing temps and winter just dragging on. Needless to say, we are excited that spring is almost here, and couldn't wait to get prepared. Here's how it all went down...

Vacationing in the Hotel Zone: Cancun, Mexico

Now that we're back home and setting into the week since our Mexican vacation last week, we've had the time to go through many of the camera and phone snaps we took while there and put together a roundup of our favorites to share here on the blog.

Weekend Basics

Did you remember to spring forward? Although we hate to lose an hour we certainly enjoy the extra daylight and since we enjoy being outdoors, it gives us that extra time to spend in the garden and a little bit of light left when grilling out. The weather was so warm here in Richmond that it seemed like the whole city was out and about enjoying spring.

Fancy That!

Original image by Tori Watson, Marvelous Things Photography

It's been a beautiful week vacationing in sunny Cancun, Mexico. Last night we ventured out on a dinner date to bid farewell to our little getaway. This morning we're packing up all the swimsuits and will traveling up the East Coast in hopes of a smooth trip home to Richmond. We're looking forward to seeing and snuggling Basil instead of getting glimpses of him from doggie daycare pics and will be putting together a photo roundup of some of our favorite vacation memories to share early next week.

A Little Dream Garden Inspiration

City garden image source

Hello, March! This time of year we're always itching to start planting seeds and get outside in the garden (plus, reading about all the plants you're excited to grow this season in the comments section of Tuesday's post has only intensified the feeling). Since the weather has been significantly cooler in our area and we've been out of town for long stretches, we're planning to get started a little later than we have in the past (March instead of February) — so today we thought it would be fun to round up some of our favorite garden themed images from across the web as inspiration for getting a little dirty when we return home.

Recipe: Strawberry Mango & Banana Smoothie

While vacationing in Mexico this week, homemade snacks like guacamole, salsa and fruit smoothies have been a few of our choice staples. With so many fresh ingredients outside our regular Virginia fare, it's been a lot of fun making these flavorful and refreshing eats.

Giveaway: Boulder Design Garden Markers

With spring literally around the corner, today we are thrilled to be hosting a giveaway for two full sets of these cheerful plant markers, handcrafted in Boulder, Colorado by Etsy artist, Lindsey Bricker of Boulder Design. That's right, two lucky readers will have the chance to win a set of 16 completely customizable garden stakes, a $64 value:

Don't they just make you excited for spring planting? Each set of 16 garden stakes is customized to your choosing — you choose the mix of herb, vegetable and fruit names that work for your garden.

Weekend Basics

Hola from sunny Cancun, Mexico! As mentioned in Friday's post, we hopped on a plane to spend this week as a little getaway — and from the sound of it, we picked the right week! Our friends and family have been sending us photos of the snowy weather in Richmond today, so we are feeling extra grateful for this time together in the sun.

Outside of soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean and getting a few poolside naps in, we've been busy over the past couple of weeks and thought it would be fun to share a some of the highlights in today's extended weekend basics post.