My Weekend, through the lens of my iPhone

Greg got a room in Charleston for our Anniversary. Can you believe this was our first time leaving Mae overnight? 14 months is way too long. Mae was probably glad we were gone because she went to the beach with my sister and nephew.

We stayed at an inn downtown, ate dinner at Rue de Jean and saw a comedy show connected with Piccolo Spoleto. Dinner wasn’t until 8:15, so we wandered all over town popping into stores. I decided I need this straw bowler:

And Greg needs to look more Southwestern, though he wasn’t convinced:

At dinner I tried really hard to get a picture of the restaurant’s decor. I have always loved the french bistro styling. Judging by the evil eyes I was getting, I think the man sitting one table over thought I was trying to get a picture of him. He was wearing a v-neck that went to his belly button, so it wasn’t a completely unfounded thought. I decided to give up after a couple of attempts so I didn’t give him a complex. Here is the best I took:

They have brick walls, huge antiqued mirrors hanging above the railing and around the columns, round modern light fixtures and painted red bentwood chairs. I love it.

Saturday morning on our way to the beach, Greg stopped at a bike store, of course. This sign was very inspiring. It almost inspired me to start riding a bike . . . almost . . .

And P.S. two tanks of gas in my car would make for a very inexpensive bike, so I will pretend like I am high and mighty.

It’s Weekend Time!

Friday mornings always put me in the Caribbean spirit, thanks to the Friday ditty they always played on our local radio station Isle 95. Here is a song to get the rest of you in my tropical mood:

 

Since it’s almost the weekend, I guess I should reveal what else I bought last weekend. It is extraordinarily boring, but I am excited by it!

Yes, that is a vacuum, a very basic vacuum. We have been living with a broken vacuum for months now. I told Greg he wasn’t allowed to buy new bike shoes until we got a vacuum, and guess what he immediately rushed out to get? (I shouldn’t say allow, it’s more like I asked him sweetly if we could get the vacuum first, right Greg??)

We have light-colored carpets, and with two long-haired dogs and a baby who still spits up at 13 months, they are not in the best shape. We needed something with a lot of power and a good warranty. A local Oreck store was offering a special, and we went in and found this basic one for $199 plus a free case of new bags. I have used it daily since we got it, and it is so much better than our old Bissell! The only problem is it does not come with the hand-held and attachments like all of the other models. We figure we can break out the Wet Vac, and use our old vacuum attachments when we need to do the edges and the furniture. I think Greg loves that Wet Vac more than me, so he loves the excuse to use it!

Speaking of loving his wife, Greg and I have been married for 5 years today! I can’t believe it’s been that long. He sent me some beautiful peonies and a potted plant. I had a bouquet of peonies and I have to give him props (yes I said props, mad props, in fact.) for remembering!

Plants and flowers never last in my house because we get very little light in through the windows. Does anyone have any suggestions to make them last longer?

P.S. My Leisurely Activity

Look what I’m reading for fun these days:

It is actually really interesting. And, seriously, look at that chair:

I love my veggies

In this morning’s post, I mentioned my CSA. That is Community Supported Agriculture for those not in the know. Community Supported Agriculture is basically a share of a farm. In today’s agriculture economy, local farmers are barely able to meet the costs of their production. CSA programs allow outsiders to purchase a share of the crop, which guarantees the farm is paid for it’s effort. I pay an upfront fee to a local farm and I receive a box of vegetables every 12 weeks.

My share is technically a small one, made for two people, but look at the amazing amount of food I receive weekly:

Starting on the left and going clockwise, I received a bunch of collard greens, a head of cabbage, 2 patty-pan squashes, 5 ears of corn, 3 zucchinis, 2 green tomatoes and a good amount of red potatoes.

Though this CSA has served to be a huge money saver for me, it can be a risk. If the farm has a poor season, our shares will be much smaller. I am fortunate that my local farm has had a very productive year.

If you are interested in learning more about CSAs check out these links:

USDA’s CSA Definition

Local Harvest

The Blog Explained

I’m not the most domestic of goddesses. My  husband does his own ironing, my bed is rarely made, and my cereal is still in its original packaging. As much as I wish to have a perfectly styled bedroom with organized socks and pretty drawer liners, I’m more likely to watch an episode of Bachelorette than to repaint the trim.

My Google Reader is stocked full of home design blogs. I follow a number of homes obsessively. So I finally decided, why not put my house out there for my friends and family to judge. If I am saying it “out loud” maybe I will get it done in a more timely fashion.

And here is a sneak peek of one of our rooms I plan to work on in the coming months. The room needs some work, huh? I left it exactly as is for you all to see – partially pulled up flooring, exercise gear strewn around and random box storage. The door also decided to break just in time for the picture, so I couldn’t even open it to eliminate glare.

Off we go!

Hi! I’m Kate. Greg is my husband. We have been married for years, five to be exact. (Here’s hoping the fifth anniversary comes with a really good gift.)

We have two dogs and one baby. All of them are pretty cute, but Mae might be my favorite.

All in all, I have a pretty awesome family.

But enough about them. I don’t want to create a site dedicated to what Mae had for breakfast and how far she threw it. Instead I want to talk about where I live. I have been dreaming about this blog for years, and, to start with a great cliché, there is no better time than now.

We own a house. A cute 1970s ranch, in need of a lot of work. We have owned it for 2 years and I have done very little. I can blame it on a rough pregnancy, then a newborn, but with Mae passing a year, I have no more excuses!

I don’t see us moving for a long time, and (ready for the next cliché?) it’s time to make this house a home. (I promise I won’t inundate you with terrible platitudes in the future.) I have big dreams and grand plans, none of which I have taken to fruition. Instead, I have sat on my tush and thought about what I would do sometime in the future. I have collected ideas, made mood boards and done a whole lot of nothing. With this blog I hope to actually make things happen! So, here we go . . .