The Best Everyday Drinking Glasses

The first of the dishes we received as wedding registry gifts have done what most dishes do eventually--they cracked. It happened within a span of about 10 days. A bowl slipped from my hand while I was washing dishes and it landed on a mug. They both suffered small but noticeable chips.
The salad plate wasn't so lucky. A few days after the first incident one of our small plates shattered and we had to toss it. It made me a little sad because they weren't just dishes, they were wedding gifts.

I'm happy to say though that our Duralex drinking glasses have not endured a single casualty (and not for lack of a few swift run-ins with the kitchen floor). I grew up with Duralex glasses and have always loved their classic design so they were an easy choice for our registry. We have the Picardie tumblers in both the small and large sizes plus a few tiny hand-me-down juice glasses from my parents that are probably 15 years old, and still good as new.

Now that I have my own kitchen I appreciate these glasses beyond their classic French bistro look. They are really affordable, especially for how well-made they are. They stack well. The tempered glass is suitable for both hot and cold drinks and they stand in quite elegantly for a stemmed wine glass. They feel nice in your hands, both the shape and the weight of them. And I love the variety of sizes available. The juice glasses are adorable.

Best of all the design never changes, so I'll be able to keep my kitchen stocked with my favorite glasses forever.

Tell me--what in your kitchen are you most loyal to? I want to hear about your favorites!

DIY Large Scale Photo Art

I've found that while my design and decor style definitely leans traditional in some ways, I also like making dramatic statements in my home. Not in a hot-pink-chairs, super-modern-art, bright-turquoise-walls kind of way, but in the sense that I don't shy away from a good dose of unusual, quirky, eclectic, or even daring when it comes to how I put together our home. My funky ideas don't always work (I have a post coming later in the week about a paint color that didn't at all turn out the way I thought it would i.e., it looked terrible) but when they do work, I always feel so happy that I made the less typical choice and went with something a little more interesting and unique.

A Marriage Refresher

Blurry but lovely all the same!

This weekend, we went to the wedding of a beautiful friend of mine from college. She looked exquisite and filled to the brim with joy. I just love seeing my friends find their soulmates!

One of the many things I love about weddings is that they're like little marriage refreshers for me and my husband. We listen to the homily and think about our own relationship and the little ways we can love each other better. We reminisce about our wedding day and laugh and smile together. We remember the exact moments when we stated our vows and get a little teary (I do, anyway!). We think about how our bond has changed and grown and been strengthened over the course of our marriage so far. We always leave weddings feeling so happy for our friends and thankful for our marriage and glad for this wonderful thing called love.

So thank you, J and J! For sharing your special day and allowing us the chance to renew our own love.

Waiting Makes Everything Sweeter

I never thought we'd have to wait 2.5 years to open all of our beautiful wedding gifts, but I have to say, there's something very exciting, something giddy and happy, about performing this newlywed ritual months and months after we could realistically be called newlyweds. Our gifts had been boxed up and tucked away until this past week when we finally retrieved them and starting going through each special package, one by one.

Some of them are things we carefully picked out online for our registry when we were first engaged and we're just now getting to see in person how perfect those simple white dishes are. Some are bridal shower gifts that bring back the sweetest memories when I see them again (of a day positively brimming with the most heartfelt kind of love) and it's such a pleasure to show them to my husband and tell him a story about that day. Some are gifts that we took the quickest peek at the morning after our wedding before catching the train to New York. Now, when we open them again, we can savor them and turn them over in our hands and re-live that morning. With each gift we're reminded of how thoughtful and kind and generous our families and our friends are. And we're reminded of that most special time in our lives when we were just becoming husband and wife.

You'd think I'd have learned this lesson by now, but please feel free to remind me of it whenever I'm acting anxious/impatient/sick and tired of waiting.

The waiting makes everything sweeter.

Houses And Homes

Noah Zinsmeister Photography

A house....a home....I've got them on the brain in a big way these days. Why they're important and what it is that turns brick and concrete and wood into a space that feels like "home" and why these spaces mean so much to us.

The timing is almost eerie. My husband and I are looking for our first house to buy--and while that may not happen, and we may just rent, we're looking and hoping and trying to determine if this is the right path for us to take. Meanwhile, my parents have just sold my childhood home in Upstate New York. While we play the role of the buyer my parents have been playing the role of the seller, and it's made for some interesting perspective.

I'm glad that I've had this very apt distraction while my parents' home is changing hands. It's sort of poetic actually. I know that I haven't lived in my childhood home in 7 years, and that my husband and I made a home of our own 2 years ago. But this house I grew up in was home, it was familiar in a way I haven't really had since. I always felt so proud of it and loyal to it. I'll always treasure this photo my brother snapped on the morning of my wedding. Me, on the most important day in all of my 23 years, heading to my parents' room to look at myself in their full length mirror right after getting dressed, in a hallway I traipsed through thousands of times over many years. This photo juxtaposes "once-in-a-lifetime" with normal, familiar, known.

And now, my husband and I are searching for precisely this. Our first home. It may not be in the cards just yet. A rental is still a home and we'll fill whatever place we end up in with our things and our particular scents and our love and struggles and joy. It's ok if we have to wait.

Either way, I know we have a lot to look forward to. If it's in 2 months or in 5 years, someday we will have the opportunity to make a home, a home, for ourselves and for our children, just as my parents made one for us.

Two Years of Marriage

We were married two years ago today in an absolute wonderland of a winter's day. A perfect, dreamlike evening. Lights twinkled and candles flickered and we said our vows with happy smiles quivering in our voices. It was a day overflowing with magic and love and beauty. Exactly two years ago, we became a family.

it is an ever-fixed mark 

That looks on tempests and is never shaken

Thank you, S, for loving me with all the steadiness and grace and compassion in the world. With the kind of love that looks on tempests and doesn't falter for even one second. Marrying you has been the best decision of my life.

Wedding Photo Booth Shots

Speaking of weddings!

Back in September we traveled up to Newport for my cousin's wedding and her photographer had an adorable photo booth set up for the guests, complete with funny props. This was the first time I've ever done a photo booth and I loved it. With all of those props to get you in a playful mood, it's easy to ham it up a little in front of the camera! I went up to the photo booth three different times during the evening, and I thought I'd share some of the silliness with you today!

Three generations of women. My grandma, my mom, me, and my mom's sister.

With my cousin and her brother's girlfriend. 

Striking a new pose...

I love this one of my mom and aunt. You can tell they're sisters! And so beautiful and fun!

I got my beau to come take a few shots with me at the end of the night!

One thing I love about wedding receptions is that everyone seems to be a little bit giddy. And no, not because of the wine. I think after witnessing such a beautiful profession of love and commitment in the marriage ceremony, it's hard not to feel this light-hearted, joyful, playfulness for the rest of the night. Giddy is the best word for it! Have you noticed this, or am I just a hopeless romantic?

Anyway, all this to say that I think photo booths do a pretty spectacular job of capturing the giddiness. And that's something to be treasured.

Waiting And Learning And Loving

     I had to include this photo from our wedding. We're doing the "Civil War Era" pose where everyone    looks off into the distance in different directions! (The groom-to-be for this weekend is on the far left.)

Tomorrow we're leaving for Charlottesville, VA, for the wedding of some good friends of ours. I'm so excited for them! Weddings are such a beautiful celebration of love and these two are just perfect for each other.

Since the anniversary of our own December wedding (unbelievably, it's already been two years) is creeping up on us, it's gotten me thinking about my own marriage. How we've grown in the past two years and how we've been growing in the seven years since I first laid eyes on the man I would marry.

We all have a different story and God teaches us so much through the particular paths He asks us to follow. I like to think that our relationship has been like a quietly simmering winter stew, slow to cook but developing the richest of flavors as the hours tick by. It requires patience and strength because this stew needs time. The beauty of it is in the way it changes and deepens and transforms into something incredibly delicious and satisfying if you only have the willpower to wait.

In the seven years I have known my husband, in the almost-24 months we've been married, we've only lived in the same house for about 13 months. And on top of those 13 months, there were only a few additional months where we lived in the same place--two semesters when we were in college together, and one summer we overlapped in New York. The rest of those many months, which spilled into years, we loved from afar, we grew in fortitude and endurance, we spent hundreds of hours on the phone, and we learned what trust and faith really mean--believing without seeing, relying on more than our own insights, letting go of our pride. It wasn't easy.

But I believe this has been the path God set for us. Some couples meet, get engaged a year later, get married a year after that, and have their first baby a year after that. This is beautiful and wonderful and these couples are so very blessed. Maybe if I had met my husband when I was 25, this would have been our story too.

But God brought him into my life when I was only 18. He wanted me to grow up alongside this man. He wanted him to be there with me when I graduated from college, when I got my first apartment by myself in the city, when I passed my audition into grad school. He wanted us to visit 16 states together before we were even engaged--a side effect of having to travel all over the country just to see each other for a weekend. He wanted us to face the trials of being apart while experiencing the gift of true and lasting love. He gave us the opportunity to grow in circumstances that could have broken us. We could have given up, but we didn't. Now, with my husband at my side, I'm sure I can face just about anything.

Waiting. This has been such a central theme for us. It's amazing, and a little funny even, just how much waiting we've had to do. Let me tell you, we've become experts at it. That's not to say that it's now easy for us. We're in the midst of waiting and hoping for some really big changes to happen in our lives, and at times the waiting feels unbearable.

But years of waiting have taught me--it is bearable. It is always bearable, but only through the grace of God. Only through the awesome power of prayer. Only by leaning on my husband and not putting up walls around my heart. It is bearable because "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." It is bearable because this is God's path for us. He knows best.

And you know what? The most difficult periods of waiting, without fail, have always opened up into the most beautiful seasons of my life. He teaches us and loves us like crazy in our most trying moments, if we only let Him in.

A different sort of waiting...this is right before we walked into our reception as husband and wife!

Vacation In Snapshots

We had the best vacation last week. We flew into Boston and spent two days there, and then headed to Newport, Rhode Island for the next two days to see family and witness my cousin's marriage to her high school sweetheart. It was incredible how much we packed into about 3.5 full days--we got to see two old friends, I made a new friend, we saw almost everyone from my mom's side of the family, we spent time with my parents and one of my brothers, and of course, I got to be with my husband 24/7, which was a treat. We ate great food, laughed a ton, soaked up the fresh, cool, energizing ocean air, and talked until our voices were hoarse. We had the best time.

Here's a little peek into our trip through some iPhone snapshots.

Waiting in Atlanta airport with the wedding gift.

We drove into Boston as soon as we landed to meet a friend for dinner, and came across this little fountain (meant for walking in, don't worry!). It felt so great on my hot and tired feet.

We're big seafood eaters and to us, New England means lobster. We found a perfect hole-in-the-wall place, and this lobster roll was even better than it looks.

My husband is a seafood purist--he always goes for the full lobster.

A lovely dinner in Portsmouth, NH with an old friend and his mother (a new friend!).

One of my best college friends who drove two hours from Maine to meet us in Cambridge.

All three of us together. Such a lovely time we had!

My grandparents' gorgeous Newport cottage. 

A shot of their great room and the fireplace.

My husband chatting with my grandpa. 

Look at the light streaming in! I love this house and this room.

My little brother found a gigantic chess set.

One of my uncles is a boater and he took us around Newport Harbor before the wedding.

We were all amazed by this beauty.

My brother and me after the ceremony.

It was the perfect temperature on the wedding evening and the light was lovely. 

 Time to dance!

Having a blast dancing with my brother and my mom.

Sharing a strawberry rhubarb pastry with my husband on the way to the airport. We were exhausted by then but full of joy!

DIY Gift Wrapping

We have a family wedding to go to in a few weeks up in Newport, Rhode Island, and we're so looking forward to it! My husband and I haven't attended a wedding since our own and we have a flurry of them coming up over the next year. It's really a joy to be a wedding guest, don't you think?

Something I always enjoy is picking out a gift for the bride and groom. Getting married is such a big, wonderful life change--there's nothing quite like it. And a wedding gift, as I see it, is more than just a material way of sending congratulations to a newly married couple--rather, it's a little token of support and love, a way of helping a newly married couple as they fuse their lives together.

After I picked out my cousin's gift (do you remember these tea towels from this post?), I decided that it needed some beautiful wrapping to go with it. 

First, I carefully folded the tea towels and tied them up with several bamboo spoons. A healthy mix of practical and pretty, wouldn't you say?

I found the perfect-sized white gift box at Walmart (it was sold as a "shirt box") which made for really easy wrapping and resulted in clean, smooth edges. I also picked up a roll of Kraft paper and a white paint pen.

As a little side note--after doing this project, I don't think I'll ever buy regular wrapping paper again. Kraft paper is not only very cute and rustic-looking, it's also ideal for DIY projects. What could be better than a blank canvas waiting to be dressed up? It's also much sturdier than regular wrapping paper and really inexpensive (I think I paid about four dollars for a large roll of it, which will last a long time). 

To add a little character to this paper, I decided to cover it in white polka dots. I had so much fun with this part. It was easy and foolproof to just dot randomly on the paper (after measuring and cutting the length of paper I needed), and I think the end result is quite sophisticated. 

I let the dots dry for a few minutes and then went on to wrapping. Since I was covering a box and had carefully measured the paper, the wrapping was pretty simple. The Kraft paper is so durable that it really doesn't wrinkle like thin gift wrap sometimes does, and I love the clean look of these wrapped corners.

I then used some white paper raffia ribbon that I already had to tie up the present, criss-crossing it in the back. A few stems of faux flowers (also available at Walmart, for less than a dollar) lends the gift just a bit of elegance.

Finally, I added a gift tag (another item I already had) and tied up the gift with a simple bow.

And that's all there is to it! I was really in my element as I was dotting and cutting and tying bows--I love simple DIY projects with a really lovely end result!

Wedding Day Advice

Today, I'm linking up with Betsy Transatlantically, who is getting married on Saturday! She put out a call for wedding day advice and I couldn't resist. Betsy, have a beautiful wedding day.

Photo credit: Robin Fox Photography

When you first wake up, take a few moments to yourself to think about what this day is all about. It will feel a little surreal and so wonderful.

Take an extra luxurious shower that morning.

Save lots of time for getting ready. You don't want to have to hurry through putting on your dress, your shoes, your jewelry. Relish this time and make sure everything is perfect.

Allow your bridesmaids to do things for you (hold your purse, track down this person or that person, put your bouquet in a safe place at the reception). It will keep you from becoming frazzled and they'll be happy to help the bride.

Give your parents a few extra hugs and thank them--for everything.

Memorize the look on your groom's face as you walk toward him down the aisle.

Really savor the beauty of your vows, the beauty of the music, the beauty of your love being witnessed.

Don't spend too much time taking photos. It's more fun to be as present as possible and to enjoy each moment as it happens.

Show off your shoes.

Enjoy how the word "husband" feels across your tongue.

Notice your guests' smiles and laughter and bright faces and remember that it's all in celebration of your new marriage.

Remember how blessed you are to be marrying this man on this day.

Eat a full piece of wedding cake.

Find your parents again and hug them.

Most of all, fill yourself up with all of the love of the day. Your wedding day is about uniting two souls in love, and each moment will be beautiful.

Wedding Gift Ideas

When you hit your mid-twenties, suddenly it feels like everyone you know is getting married. It's wonderful! One of my favorite things is finding special wedding gifts for friends and family members, something unique I hope the couple will cherish for years to come. I thought it would be fun to gather up some of my favorite wedding gift ideas today, to provide a little inspiration in case you have some weddings coming up on your calendars. (I may even make this a regular series, as I'm always finding new shops and pretty things, and there's always another wedding to go to, right?) 

So here we go!

Studiopatró makes the prettiest tea towels (I really like this "All You Need Is Love" towel, which is currently out of stock, but worth checking back for). A set of these tied up with a few wooden spoons would make for a really sweet kitchen-inspired gift.

A slate cheeseboard (this one comes with its own soapstone pencil for labeling your cheeses) is an ideal gift for the couple that appreciates things that are rustic yet refined. A bottle of wine thrown in for good measure would be a nice touch.

These adorable salt and pepper shakers are just right for newly-married lovebirds. They're classic and cute.

A white, 100% cotton hemstitch tablecloth will never be out-of-date or unstylish. This one is so simple, and the beautiful hemstitched edging gives the tablecloth some texture and a lovely finish.

A set of golden dessert spoons--what could be more special? Tucked into a bowl of ice cream, these spoons would look absolutely stunning and would make dessert time feel extra indulgent and romantic.

Do any of these strike your fancy? What do you like to give to newly married couples?