Come and knock on our door

This has got to be one of the THE most random blog posts ever.  My husband is constantly amazed at how random I can be.  And because I amaze him so much he often makes me 'retrace' my thoughts to explain to him how on earth I ended up on said topic.  And what on earth made me think of Three's Company?!Anyways. 

Being a 'condo' owner versus a 'home' owner severly limits home decor, landscape opportunities, etc.  We can't deck the halls w. holiday lights or those tacky plastic moving reindeer unless of course we trimmed the hallway, something I'm sure my neighbors wouldn't appreciate it.  One way that I can express myself or our home is through wreaths.  Good old wreaths. 

And since I'm kinda a scrooge when it comes to fall I thought maybe if I found a pretty, fun fall wreath it might make me welcome fall a bit more instead of shooing it away. 

I know the humidity is not enjoyable, but I really love the heat and sun beating down.  What can I say, I'm a summer girl.

This last one is by far my favorite.  How fun for a house full of kids or a teacher?  Someday...have I mentioned my hubby wants 6?  Yes, 6.  That will not be happening!

I still haven't found the one yet.  I'm hoping I can find one wreath that can span the entire fall season.  All of these creations can be found on Etsy.  I didn't add the links but I did add them to my Etsy favorites so if you're dying to know where to buy, email me.

In other news, 3 days before we left for Greece our washer broke.  And it was going to cost $500 to repair.  Not worth it.  So we used our neighbor's washer to get us through and finally had time to price and shop for a new one.  A new washer & dryer turned into replacing all of our appliances.  We were planning to replace all but not this soon and not after a month of travel.  But it was too good of a steal to pass up.

Yay for a fifth burner on the stove to cook giant pots of soups, chili and stew!  We're one step closer to getting our place ready to sell in the spring.  All that's left are hardwoods.

Greece was absolutely, hands-down amazing. I need to get my pics in order and then do a recap, or 20.  The food was slap your mama good.  I ate enough olives and greek salads to last a lifetime. The views and sunsets were out of this world.  We are so blessed to experience it and will definintely be going back.

Stay tuned for a mega blog sale later in the week!  Including Citizen for Humanity jeans, Coach, Lilly, Banana, shoes (NIB), etc.

cBv

Crushin'

Charleston was absolutely amazing, except for the insane humidity {and I thought VA was bad!} but we didn't let that get the best of us!! It was such a fun girls trip and my sister was totally suprised. 

We started off our morning on Saturday with pedis and I discovered two new polishes that I just had to share. 

Essie Saint Lucia Lilac

Essie Saint Barths Blue

I'm not normally and purple and blue polish kinda girl but these two colors won me over. 

I also discovered this amazing band while in Charleston.  They. rock. and play everything from rapping Nelly to belting out Springsteen.  Total crowd pleasers.

Very sad I'm no longer in Charleston but excited for Greece in 4 days!

Hope y'all have a good week!

cBv

Charleston Bucket List

I'm en route to Charleston for my sister’s bachelorette weekend. Next up, Greece in 6 days (If my passport ever arrives, God willing)!! I’m so looking forward to a girly weekend full of gallons of sweet tea, non-existent in DC, w. or w. out Firefly, southern cuisine, shopping, cocktails, pampering and sun galore. Just for kicks I’ve put together a bucket list for this sweet city.

• Try fried green tomatoes
• Get my fill of hushpuppies…nom nom nom
• Take a cheesy tourist pic in front of the pineapple fountain at Waterfront Park
• Sip cocktails at the rooftop bar - Market Pavilion Hotel
• Take a ride in a pedicab
• Soak up some sun at Folly Beach
• Find the best shrimp n’ grits around
• Retail therapy at Affordables & Palm Avenue
• Eat my way through the city by way of Macaroon Boutique, Magnolias, Fleet Landing, Hyman’s and Cupcake
• Visit Magnolia Plantation

I leave you w. a picture of the cupcake toppers I made last minute to adorn the Funfetti cupcakes (my sister’s favorite) we’ll be enjoying.

 I'm not even going to talk about how sad I am that summer is almost over.  Unlike everyone else, I so CAN wait for fall to arrive.  I like my flip flops, barefeet, sundresses, crab feasts and tomato sandwiches far too much to welcome cool temps and turtlenecks. Have a great weekend!

cBv

Catty Cat

I tweeted this earlier today but it was too good not to share via le blog especially for anyone that shares my dislike for RHODC's British-bitty Cat, which is probably the majority of you. 

could her face be any more frozen?

Dear Cat

via the Washingtonian
By Sophie Gilbert Published Thursday, August 19, 2010

Dear Ms. Ommanney (or should that be Davies, since you’ve split with your husband? Or can I dispense with the formalities and just call you Cat?):
When I first read that there was going to be a British character on the the Real Housewives of Washington, D.C., I was very excited. Because there aren’t that many British people in Washington and I didn’t have anyone to watch the World Cup with, and frankly it’d be nice to have someone in the cultural zeitgeist who knows about things such as cricket and Pimm’s and the importance of keeping one’s voice low while discussing things such as marital discord and hemorrhoids in public.
But now that I have actually made your acquaintance (i.e., seen you twice on television), I have begun to doubt that you are, in fact, an authentic Brit. Here’s why:


1. You’re horribly, unforgivably rude. Any well-raised Brit would rather spend a whole evening drinking battery acid than question his or her host’s quality of beverage (out loud, at least). My father once opened the same present (an excruciatingly boring book about airplanes) three times at a birthday party and never said a word to any of the givers. You know why? Because we’re raised to be polite, and politeness means that when you’re invited to sweet Aunt Frances’s house, you don’t swan in, demand a drink, and then make a face when your wine looks more like Salahi Chardonnay than Château Lafite. You accept what you’re offered and say thank you.
2. You’re unbelievably boastful. Common practice, when one is British, is to be humble about one’s achievements. This is something I admittedly found tricky when first moving to the United States. If someone compliments you on your appearance, you don’t smile and talk about how people mistake you for Angelina Jolie’s younger sister all the time. A more appropriate response would be “Me? I’m an absolute pig. My acne’s terrible, this sweater has a chocolate stain on it, and my husband calls me Plumpy.” When people ask you about your husband and the President, you don’t brag about how it was all thanks to Charles that Obama was elected, and how 43 actually responded to an invitation you once sent him. Instead, you embrace discretion. Which leads me to . . .
3. You don’t kiss and tell! It’s tacky. When you’re trying to persuade people that you’re an upper-class Brit who was raised properly and knows that the correct term is “riding,” not “horse riding,” don’t sell a story to the Daily Mail (the tabloid for rich people who are too stupid to read a broadsheet) about the time you snogged Prince Harry. It makes you look like a lush and, even worse, a cougar. Nobody likes the slovenly aunt who hangs around at family weddings and tries to grope the 17-year-olds—it’s embarrassing. And nobody likes a 34-year-old woman (I’m being generous) who tells the world about the time the six-foot-three prince took said fragile (98-pound) woman in his manly arms and kissed her. And don’t brag about the fact that you weigh only 98 pounds, because if this is true, I’m Cindy Crawford and Michaele loves Tareq for his personality.
Granted, there are a few authentically British things about you, such as your overwhelming passion for alcohol, your generic blond highlights, and your seeming inattentiveness to your children. But I’m disturbed that the above discrepancies mean that you’re giving British women a bad name. So please, hold off on the booze, be nice to people, and cut out the snotty attitude for a week or two. It’ll be better for everyone in the long run.
Kind regards,
Sophie Gilbert

I couldn't have said it better myself!

cBv

Help, please!

So behind on life right now. 

Last weekend the hubby surprised me with a trip to Boston for my 27th birthday! We had a great time and between the two of us we managed to plow through about 8 pounds of lobster while we were there. Needless to say I’m a bit over lobster for a while. But it was the most delicious lobster I’ve ever had and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect, sunny, 80s and no humidity! And it was the one time I didn’t bring a pashmina, cardigan or long sleeve shirt and actually needed one, go figure!

This weekend my mom, sister and I made the dreaded trek to New Jersey. I can confidently say that all three of us will never, ever be visiting that deplorable state again. My sister’s shower was nice but aside from that the entire trip was astonishing. The only good thing New Jersey has going for it is full service gas stations. Someone needs to send some southern manners and etiquette books their way. Thank God I was born with a mother who taught me how to act like a civil human being. The other humorous thing about Jersey is apparently black is the new blonde. My sister and I were pretty much the minority w. our blonde locks; to be cool in the dirty jerz you need black hair, fang-like neon nails and tattooed makeup, wowza! The only picture I have to show from the weekend is the Welcome to Virginia sign reassuring me I was back in my neck of the woods and boy have I never been so glad to be back on VA soil!

We leave for Greece in 16 days and I’ve yet to begin packing, organizing or compiling anything! I’m starting to freak. To complicate matters I’m out of town the next two weekends leading up to our trip so all of my packing and prepping has to be done during the week in between the gym, appointments, dinners, etc. Aye yi yi! I’m really hoping y’all can help me with this and give me some tips for packing. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a bit of a ‘heavy’ packer, usually stuffing a large suitcase for 3 days. Clearly I’m going to have to be extra efficient in how and what I pack.

So PLEASE help a sister out! I’ve been googling and reading various websites for packing tips and so far I’ve jotted these down:

• Pack extra Ziploc bags (in various sizes)

• Email myself a list of all the emergency/stolen credit cards #s to contact in the event a CC gets lost or stolen

• Email myself our travel itinerary and deets

• Use the roll technique for all clothes to maximize space

• Split up valuables - cash, travelers’ checks and credit cards in different pockets, bags and wallet. In case you do get robbed, at least you won't be strapped for cash (unless you have all your bags AND your wallet stolen of course!)

I’m not sure how I feel about the last one. I feel like it’s the perfect way to misplace valuable items. Thoughts on this one??

Seriously if anyone has any travel tips please send them my way! I’m trying to get my butt into gear for a blog sale to make space in my closet for some new fall items period, so stay tuned. I hope you’re all having a fabulous week!

cBv

And Now I'm Starving

This weekend was huge in the B household.  Not because we did anything uber exciting but we set 2 new records for ourselves.  

1. We managed to eat e.v.e.r.y. meal at home this weekend, with the exception of Sunday brunch courtesy of my parents. 

2. We went to the gym every day this weekend.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  AND on top of that, I had 2 of the best workouts ever.

Both of these things never, ever happen.  You see we live within a 2-mile radius of at least 50 amazing, non-chain restaurants and we can walk 2-3 blocks in any direction to at least 20 or so of these.  Therefore eating out is quite a temptation and normality for our lifestyle. 

We've decided that in preparation for Greece we're going to eat out less frequently (with the exception of restaurant week) and hit the gym extra hard and watch even more so what we eat. Below are some of the yummy, but healthy, things we noshed on this weekend.

Shrimp Tacos/Fajitas

Yum, yum, yum!  These have become regular weekly meals in our house because 1. they're healthy and 2. they're quick and easy.  The original recipe came from Gina and is actually a Weight Watchers-Friendly recipe.  Trust me, you'd never know it.  We've tweaked it a bit for our liking.

Cilantro & Lime Shrimp, brown rice, black beans, cilantro, fresh pineapple, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, salsa = low-fat, high protein taco!

Healthy Substitutes:

avocado instead of guacamole

brown rice instead of white rice

whole wheat tortillas instead of flour tortillas

Homemade Mozzarella, Proscuitto & Tomato Pizza

This recipe originated from VA Belle and it is delicious, I'm so glad she shared.  The best part is that we saved time by using T. Joe's whole wheat pizza dough. 

T. Joe's whole wheat pizza dough, fresh basil, EVOO, mozzarella cheese, homegrown tomatoes (fresh from my granny's garden), proscuitto.

Healthy Substitutes:

whole wheat pizza dough instead of regular pizza dough

non-fat mozzarella cheese instead of mozzarella cheese

extra virgin olive oil instead of veggie oil or canola oil

4-Cheese Tortellini w. Alfredo Sauce

This was definitely the least healthy meal we ate this weekend, but it was quick and easy and I spruced it up w. some sauteed veggies and a salad.

Fresh cheese tortellini (store-bought)

Alfredo Sauce (light)

Healthy Additions:

added: sauteed peas, tomatoes & broccoli

When cooking pasta we only buy/cook whole wheat pasta so this is a splurge, however, I've had zero luck finding pre-made/fresh whole wheat pasta in stores.  Has anyone seen pre-made wheat pastas?!?!

As for exercise and working out, currently I'm loving these things at the gym.

+

cBv

My Big, Fat Vacation!

Well, it's official!  In 41 days the hubby and I will be here

Our flights are booked and we're finalizing all of our accomodations and activities. I cannot wait!  If you have any recommendations on place to see, stay or things to do in Athens, Santorini, Crete & Mykonos I'd welcome them. 

My biggest fear...how I'm going to pack everything for this trip.  The last time I flew, was for a business trip, for 3 days, to San Antonio, by myself, and my luggage was 4 pounds over the weight limit!!  Let's just say I have a little problem with packing the essentials and not my entire closet!

Speaking of my closet...the Nordy's sale this morning was a success.  Have a great weekend!

cBv