Three Years Together

Today marks three years that I've been married to this wonderful, blue-eyed Virginian. As I sit here typing this post, I think "three years? How is that possible?"
 Time passes so quickly-- it seems like only yesterday I was standing in the basement of our wedding venue, clutching my bouquet in both hands, my heart tumbling around in my tummy and throat. I was so impatient to walk down the aisle that I hurried my dad out to the carriage that would take us to the ceremony site. We ended up sitting in the carriage for several minutes because my bridesmaids hadn't even walked down the aisle yet.  "It's not quite time yet, honey," my dad reminded me. But I was ready to go! 

When I heard the first piano strains of an instrumental Hanging by A Moment (yes, that old Lifehouse song), my heart leapt right into my throat. The carriage lurched forward. 
I know you're supposed to be serious and somber on your wedding day, but I could not stop grinning. I beamed the whole way down the aisle and giggled through the entire ceremony. And then, to my utter surprise, threw up a fist-pump when we were announced husband and wife. Poor Mark certainly got a big dose of spunk in his tiny wife! 

Don't you wish there was a rewind on life? I'd give anything to go back and relive that day. To feel the butterflies, the nervous tummy, the burn of tears in the back of my throat. To hear the guests singing one of our church hymns, to hear the piano keys tinkling our wedding march, to hear the cheers of our friends and family. I guess that's why we spend so much on wedding photography! Because the photos and the memories are all we have once those fleeting hours pass by. 
On our wedding day, one of our elderly relatives offered this blessing: "May this day be just the first of many happy days together." Our wedding day was -- in my opinion-- an absolute perfect day. But I cherish more the days I've had with Mark since then. Each one brimming with its fair share of laughter, tears, smiles, and adventures together. 
I can honestly say that I love him more today than I did the day he proposed or the day I walked down the aisle to take his hand. As we learn about each other and ourselves, we discover new reasons to fall in love all over again. I don't know how or why God chose me to be this man's wife, but I'm so glad he did. 

For more wedding pictures, check out Our Wedding series of posts.  I'm a sucker for wedding stories as well, so share yours in comments below!

Guest Posting at Whitney Ann

Happy Monday, everyone!
Today, I'm guest-posting over at one of my favorite blogs Whitney Ann as part of her women-who-work series. I'm so honored to have been chosen to share my work story with her readers! Head on over to her blog to read all about what a writer/painter does everyday! 
Also, while you're at it, give Whitney a follow on BlogLovin. Her blog is one of the few I actually check every day. If you love good photography, definitely keep up with her. 

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Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Ya'll. This bread is slap-yo-mama good. I'm not even joking. One bite into this moist, soft bread tastes like an explosion of holiday goodness: cinnamon, chocolate, pumpkin, nutmeg...

Need I go on? 

After I made this bread Monday, I told Mark, "Babe, I'm gonna be the official Queen of the Holidays." Because this bread is absurdly yummy. And this is coming from someone who isn't a huge pumpkin-flavor fan. I want to be-- after all, it's pumpkin spice season! But I can't help it-- it just tastes like squash. To counteract the pumpkin flavor, I loaded this recipe with chocolate chips. Ya'll know me, if it has chocolate in it, I'm probably going to like it. And this turned out perfectly. The mix of pumpkin, spices, and chocolate is just perfection.  Paired with a strong cup of coffee? Mmmm. 

Ingredients: 

1 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 c. coconut oil (melted)

1 and 1/2 c.pumpkin puree 

2 tsps. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

14 tsp. ground cloves

chocolate chips

Tip: You can substitute the above spices with pumpkin pie spice if you want. 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350F.
Spray a 9x5 bread pan with cooking spray. I used Pan baking spray.

1. Whisk together your dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, mix your eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. I like to mix ingredients like this using a spatula.

3. Add the pumpkin puree and melted coconut oil to the egg/sugar mixture. Don't worry-- your bread won't taste like coconut!

4. Mix ingredients together, being sure to mix to fully incorporate the dry ingredients.

5. Slowly fold in your chocolate chips. I kind of just "eyeballed" how many chocolate chips I wanted. I probably used a little less than a cup. For some people, that may be too much, but I love chocolate! I would recommend adding chocolate chips maybe a 1/3 cup at a time until you get as many as look good to you.

6. Slowly pour the batter into your baking pan. Bake for about 60-70 minutes. Time will vary depending on your cooking conditions and oven. After about an hour, I started checking the bread to make sure that it wasn't browning too much on top. You can check to see if it's done by inserting a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's done.

Tip: Lower your oven rack to prevent the bread from browning too much. 

Once I removed the bread from the oven, I let it set for about 5-10 minutes to cool. Once ready, I couldn't wait to feel the sink and give of the bread knife into the crust. The melty chocolate chips smeared the blade and made my mouth just start watering.  I love the way that baking bread fills the entire house with that warm, spicey smell. No candle can do that. 

A cup of coffee, a good book, and a slice of this bread was the perfect recipe for a fall afternoon at home. Try it out this weekend and let me know what you think! 

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Fall Crafts // Wooden Autumn Blessings Sign

Sunday I sat down to edit and schedule this week's blog posts... only to discover that I had lost my laptop charger! Ack! Thankfully, I finally found it--left behind when I left work last weekend. Poor innocent little charger, left abandoned to its own devices all weekend. (Pun intended.)  I'm so glad I found it! But hence the lack of posts this week so far. Thankfully, we're all plugged in and back on track now! 

Today I thought I'd share this little "Autumn Blessings" sign I made a few weeks ago. It's relatively simple and fun. If you ask me, SIMPLE and FUN are two major necessities of any craft or DIY. I can paint, but when it comes to power tools or complex procedures... I'm lost. If you fit into this category too, then this DIY is for you. 

Last month, I completed a commissioned art project for a local couple. They wanted some cutesy wooden signs for their Harpers Ferry cottage. When finished with their project, I had some left over scrap wood. Rather than let it go to waste, I thought "Why not make a cute fall sign?" I got out my chalkpaint, brushes, and sandpaper and got to work. 

What You'll Need:

- Scrap wood, sanded (mine measured 18x6, cut to size by the hubs)

- chalkpaint (I used FolkArt chalky paint)

- acrylic paint

- assorted brushes

- paint markers

- sand paper or sanding block

- paper towels

What You'll Do:

- Cut the wood to size. 

Because this was a scrap piece of wood, I went with the size it already was. It measures about 18 inches by 6 inches. Mark did the cutting for me since I have a silly fear of saws and blades!

- Prep the wood. 

I bought pre-sanded wood when I made the commissioned signs. It's easier to paint and saves you the trouble of sanding down the entire piece. However, I did have to sand the edges after Mark cut the wood to size. You don't have to do this step, but I think it makes the end result look a little nicer.

- Apply your background color. 

I used two FolkArt chalky home decor paints: Sage and Savannah. First, I applied the Savannah color, a dusky tan. I let it dry almost completely. Then, I applied a second coat of paint in the pale turquoise Sage color. I intentionally applied it when the base coat was still slightly tacky, resulting in a somewhat streaky, blended color. I just liked the shabby-chic look it gave the piece. 

Note: If you're using treated wood, you should only paint one side. Treated wood needs to "breathe." 

- Once the base coats are dry, use the paint markers to write your quotation. I chose the phrase "Autumn Blessings" because it seemed like it would continue to be applicable into the Thanksgiving holiday season. 

- Add decorative touches. I went with two shabby-chic style pumpkins. I drew the design with the paint markers and then filled them in with acrylic paint from my studio stash. 

These final two steps are optional. 

- Seal the sign using a spray lacquer or polyacrylic.

I prefer the spray kind because it doesn't streak like the other kind. Just follow the directions on the spray can. I bought mine from Home Depot. 

-Add hanging hardware to the back of the finished sign if you plan to display it somewhere. 

See? Simple and fun, just like I promised. The whole project took me about 30 minutes. I plan to display the little sign in our dining room until it sells from my Etsy shop. 

Happy painting! 

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Dill House Diary // Bathroom Makeover

When we bought our house a little over two years ago, the very first room we tackled was the bathroom. After receiving the house keys, I strode upstairs and told the hideous linoleum that it's grungy days were numbered. Honestly, I'm not sure I could even lived in the same house as that dreadful flooring! As you can see above... yikes. That's all I have to say. 

On the plus side, the gigantic marble shower and bathroom vanity were relatively new-- requiring very little work. All we really needed to do was paint and redo the flooring. Luckily, our family stepped in to help us lay the tile--something neither Mark nor I had ever done before. We chose gorgeous charcoal grey tile with swirls of white and tan running through it. The entire project was a whole family-effort DIY--start to finish. 

We decided to lay the tile diagonally as this gives a small space the illusion of being bigger. For the walls, I chose a warm light brown rather unimaginatively named Brown Alpaca. It's more like the color of coffee with cream. (In my humble opinion, "Latte" would have been a much better name than "Alpaca," but you know Behr didn't ask me personally, so. You work with what you've got.) I also decided to repaint the white vanity in a high-gloss black paint to give it a more classic look. 

Mark and his cousin Trevor laid the subfloor and designed the layout, while Mark's dad cut the tiles for us. Somehow, those three men all managed to fit into that little bathroom at the same time! I don't know how-- but they got the job done. And it turned out great! I was so amazed at what difference those simple renovations made. See for yourself... 

 Since then, I've replaced the blinds with homemade curtains. You can find the No-Sew Tutorial at this older post. I love curtains in the bathroom. Its kind of eclectic but somehow made the space seem more "luxurious" somehow. Maybe it's just in my head-- but I love it. And that's what really matters. If you love your decor and your home, that's what counts. Because after all, you're the one living there. 

There are still one or two little things I'd like to do in there. Namely, replace the sink faucet and hang a new mirror above the vanity. Renovations are somehow never really done, are they? But every week brings us closer!

Thanks for reading!

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Currently // October

It's been awhile since I've shared a Currently post, but the start of my absolute favorite month of the year seemed like a good excuse to share one.

Starting the day with coffee and a good book. I've been getting up about an hour earlier than I really need to just to take advantage of the early-morning coziness with my favorite pup, favorite book, and favorite brew.

Listening to Brandi Carlile, Sam Lewis, Avett Brothers, and the Civil Wars-- in short, my fall playlist.

Reading (or rather re-reading) The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

Watching the best Western ever: Hell on Wheels. Seriously, that show makes me want to demand that Mark grow out his hair and start wearing vests and boots.

Going on long walks with the Solo-Bear in the mornings. Thank goodness for the RuffWear harness, the only thing between Solo and total squirrel annihilation.

Eating crockpot meals, the savior of a working lady's evenings. Some of my favorite crockpot recipes lately have been pulled pork sandwiches, chicken caticcatore, and barbacoa.

Drinking caramel macchiatos like they're going out of style. Lately, I'm not a huge fan of the pumpkin spice coffee craze. How about you? Did you fall out of love with the infamous PSL?

Planting mums in every available container. I absolutely love mums and pumpkins on my front stoop in fall. This year, I did an all orange and burgundy theme in honor of the hubs' favorite football team. Can you guess?

Enjoying the autumn rain and the first chill creeping into the air.

Smelling my new fall Yankee Candle, Autumn Fields. I love the woodsy-spice scent it fills our house with.

Understanding that sometimes the best course of action is what makes for peace and striving to be more willing for that.

Ending the day by jotting down a few journal notes. Having just a few seconds to write before bed really helps me prepare for sleep. I can write down any worries or ideas I have-- clearing my mind so that no pesky thoughts keep me awake.

What have you been up to lately?

Link to your Currently post in the comments below!

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Living Small // Solutions When You Have No Entryway

Have you ever noticed that the websites boasting "solutions for small entryways" always somehow have ideas that only work in homes that well... have entryways? Oh my goodness, y'all. Every time I read one of those posts-- with their oh-so-helpful tips for entryway or storage storage-- I think to myself "Yea but what if you have NO entryway? Like, not even a nook or a hallway?"

Am I alone in this? Our front door opens straight into the living room. There's zero space for a small bench or entryway table. You swing open the front door, and it's "Welcome to our living room." What little space our entry does possess is dominated by the living room's radiator. So in other words: we're warm, but we're tracking footprints all over the house.

When we bought the house, having no designated entryway didn't seem like that big of a deal. But one month into a Maryland winter, I realized how annoying having no designated entryway could really be. Translation: you step off the salt-encrusted sidewalk and onto your hardwoods. Ugh.

Today I thought I'd share a few simple tips for how we carved an entryway out of nothing. I'll be honest, sometimes we still feel frustrated in the midst of a Maryland winter, but for the most part, we've made our lack of an entryway work for us. For the most part.

1. Get thee an entryway rug.
After our first winter began, I quickly realized we needed an entryway rug. I just couldn't stand the thoughts of dripping water all over the original hardwood floors-- one of my favorite features of our home. I picked up a small Threshold rug at our local Target. Now, we have a place to wipe our muddy boots, and Solo meanwhile has a place to lie and stare at passerby.

2. Hang the coats.
Another big issue with having no entryway? Coats all over the living room.  To solve this problem, we simply installed a few decorative coat hooks. Now, we have a place to hang the rain jackets and Solo's leash. Whenever they're not being used, I try to round up the coats and take them to our upstairs coat closet. But sometimes necessity outweighs decor preferences.

3. Hide the shoes.
We don't really have a "no shoes rule" in our house, but my husband has always taken his shoes off as soon as he walks in the front door. His habit transferred to me. And before I knew it, a pile of flats and tennis shoes had become our new welcome committee. To corral the mess, I put a small basket beside the door. Now, as soon as shoes come off, they go in the basket. It's not a perfect solution, but it hides what would otherwise be an eyesore.

4. Stash the keys.
The final problem I had with our lack of entryway... nowhere to toss my keys! I don't know about you, but I like to just toss my keys onto a surface when I come home. You can't very well toss keys into the middle of the room. For awhile, our TV stand served as the gathering place for the odds-and-ends that find themselves by the front door: gym cards, car keys, doggy bags, random golf tees.  A few days ago, I saw this marble tray in HomeGoods' clearance section. That'll work, I thought. Now if I can just get the husband to put his keys in the tray rather than beside the tray.

5. Make it pretty.
This suggestion may seem a little flippant but, in my opinion, having a pretty entrance makes coming home a happier occurrence... and maybe make you forget the annoyance of the non-entryway. Our front door is a bright poppy red-- a color choice that cheers up even the dreariest rainy day. I also tend to go overboard decorating our little stoop with seasonal flowers-- right now we've got more mums than any home really needs. Finally, the seasonal wreath and our custom stained glass transom (from Terraza Stained Glass in Baltimore) give our front entrance a unique flair.

What tips do you have for the non-entryway?

How do you make your space work for you?

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