The Constant (Need For A) Gardener

This evening we got home from work around 7:30pm and checked the mail as we always do. In amongst the magazines and bills and, rather excitingly, an engagement party invitation, was a plain white envelope with the back unsealed. On the front, in a careful hand, someone had printed GARDENER. Inside, there was a business card for a gardener---the exact words were "landscaping and maintenance"---and nothing else.

Sean and I had two very different reactions to this envelope. Wait, let me see if you can guess which reaction each of us had.

Sep

05

2010

And Here's To Many More

Today is our first wedding anniversary! This time last year, I was sitting on the living room floor in my parents' house, making my bouquet. Right now I'm sitting in bed, drinking a mimosa and eating a pain au chocolat. It seems insane that a year has gone by, not least because I still haven't made a wedding album, had my dress cleaned (whoops!), framed that rather kind note from our close buddies the Obamas, or done anything with the postcards we had people fill out for our guest book.

Sep

13

2010

It Isn't A Disaster If You Don't Call It One

Our wedding anniversary started off really nicely. The Friday before it, we opened a magnum of champagne Sean's co-workers had given us when we got engaged (yes, two years earlier, talk about restraint) with plans to drink it throughout the long weekend. We had 8pm reservations on Saturday night at a restaurant called Chez Papa---all special occasions should be celebrated at restaurants with French names, I think---and we ate beef tartare and drank the second cheapest wine on the wine list and talked about all the things we couldn't wait to tear out and redo in the house.

Sep

15

2010

I Have Become Old And Boring And I Enjoy Talking About My House

I just spent longer than I care to admit googling a strange combination of words in order to find online a particular product for my downstairs bathroom.

Sep

19

2010

What Happens In Vegas Goes Straight On The Internet

Sep

21

2010

Adventures in IKEA

I have recently been spending an obscene amount of time at IKEA. I have also recently been spending an obscene amount of money at IKEA, but that's a different story altogether. Actually, it's not such a different story, really: the more time I spend at IKEA, the more money I seem to spend there too. Once I have made my third loop around the lighting department in as many days, I find that I just don't even care anymore. Do we need this SBVLARBD, darling? Maybe a new GORMSKP? Heck, do we ever! Buy three!

Sep

26

2010

Smashing Up The House

We're not going to have a kitchen sink for seven to ten days. If that's not something you don't want to hear coming from your husband's mouth while he's holding a sledgehammer, then I don't know what is. Or perhaps you would prefer him not to be holding the sledgehammer in the first place. I know I would, because then my kitchen wouldn't look like it does right now, which is like this:

Sep

28

2010

Splendid Things: Online Decorating Sources

It may not have escaped your notice, but I'm deep into the process of trying to make my new house look lovely. The thing about moving into a new house, I've found, is that suddenly you need five billion new things: there's more space to fill, your couch is a weird shape for the room, you get seized with wild inspiration and decide to repaint everything turquoise. (Ahem. Or maybe a slightly different turquoise from the turquoise you painted everything the first time.) Anyway, you get it: when you move into a new house, you start needing different stuff.

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