It's a Beautiful Day

One of our favorite things is to enter a weekend with zero plans and see where the days take us. That was the case yesterday. After 3 consecutive weekends of being out of town, Ed and I were very excited to have a weekend home to catch up on house projects and catch up on local flavor.

We spent Friday night hanging out with Grandma Basile while Mama and Papa Q. were at a wedding. It was a classic date night - dinner (pizza) and a movie (Grandma friendly "Morning Glory"). After a great night of sleep, we awoke to a gorgeous day. Ed had plans to go to the shooting range with some of the neighborhood guys, so I decided it was time to trek out to Tyson's Corner to pick up the plant stands I have been eying from Crate and Barrel. Of course the purchase turned into more than just plant stands...but how often do I get to go to one of my favorite stores!!! And I didn't stop there. I then headed over to my new love, West Elm, and picked up all kinds of stuff that I was lusting over in the catalog. The shopping outing ended at Pier One where I needed to pick up a dish that we broke and found a few cute things along with way. All in all, I say it was a BIG success!


P.S. I'm OBSESSED with owls lately and West Elm fed right into my obsession!




After my shopping spree and Ed's shooting spree (in a gun-range mind you!), we decided it was time to get down and get dirty. More dirty then down. :) It was time to finish our landscaping project in the front of the house. Luckily the weather was not at brutal as it was when we dug the flower bed out. So here is the before:


...the digging...


...the plant purchases...


...the planting...


...the Lucy...

and finally, the after:



We are LOVING the way it looks and can't wait for the plants to perk up a bit now that they are in the ground. And how much are we loving the JMU garden flag?!?!?? A job well done!

Our Saturday continued with a visit from my bestie Beth Belluzzo who happened to be in the neighborhood for a baby shower. Beth is not only one of my dearest friends from college, but one of the MOST fun people I know. It was so good to see her...but I think Lucy was the MOST excited. She gave Auntie Beth LOTS of love and kisses.

The evening then carried on with an impromptu BBQ with some of our neighbors - Mr. Chris Newland (who was sans wife and kids for the weekend) and the Miller family, Shawn, Laura and their beautiful daughter, Ariana. The adults shared in a delicious meal (complete with venison steaks and wine) and some great company, while Ariana basked in the glow of "Toy Story" and her new Barbie doll. We are SO lucky that we not only have our dream house, but that it is in a neighborhood with such wonderful people. Seriously...a house is just a house. It's the people that fill it that make it a home and we are so happy to have people like Chris and Kim, Shawn and Laura, and Ed and Michelle (who sadly were out of town) over to make it swell with joy and laughter. It was a great night and we look forward to many more.

College Bound!

I love when good news comes in the mail. Not over email...not on a website...not on Facebook, but in an envelope in the mailbox. Sending letters through the good old Post Office is a dying art. The only things we receive these days are bills, ads and magazines for Yeon Kim (previous occupant). But yesterday, when I opened the box, there was a lovely little surprise for us...well for Ed.


It was the news we have been waiting on for a month....looks like someone is going back to school this Fall!!!!! Ed finally received his acceptance letter from George Mason University!!!!!


We couldn't be more thrilled about the news - I'm half out the door ready to buy school supplies and every piece of Mason apparel I can get my hands on! :) Ed will be finishing his degree in Accounting over the next 2-ish years while working full time - looks like we are in for many a late night. Does anyone know if there is a Waffle House around here? That is how me and my friends spent late nights studying while at JMU. Hopefully an IHop will do. :) Congratulations Bubby!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Bubby

Those are the words that woke me up yesterday morning reminding me that my birthday had arrived. Another year had gone by and year 33 is here ~ how the heck did that happen?! I decided to take the day off (from work and the blog) and spent some time in our nations capital with Mom and Grandma who is in town for a visit (love it!).

Unfortunately, Ed had to go to work so it was just us girls headed to DC for a day of Old Town Trolley Tours. Ed and his Mom did the tour when she visited back in January and had a great time so we thought it would be a great way for us to show Grandma the sites of DC.


Our first tour guide took us all around the National Mall hitting spots like the U.S. Capitol, Congressional Office Buildings, the Botanical Gardens and about a gazillions monuments including Washington, WWII, Lincoln, Jefferson, Vietnam, Korean, FDR and the new Martin Luther King Jr. (still under construction). There were many more that he mentioned but lord knows I can't remember. It seems like there is a statue or fountain on every block commemorating something!

We then switched to the Uptown Route where we were entertained by driver Caruso who took us up through Dupont Circle to the National Cathedral (the highest point in the city - who knew!). He then proceeded to name every embassy on Mass Ave (very entertaining) and took us back downtown through Georgetown and eventually back to Union Station. I've lived in the DC-Metro area on and off for 20 years and I think I learned more about our nations capital on this 3-hour tour than in all 20 years. It was pretty amazing ~ highly recommended. Click here for a visual tour of what we saw!

After our fabulous day in DC, I headed home and Ed treated me to dinner at Bonefish Grill - YUM! I'm not sure there is anything better than Bang Bang shrimp except for $5 Bang Bang Shrimp night!!! Pair them with crab cakes and a Mojito and you have got yourself one exceptional birthday dinner!


We ended the night at home on the couch watching Disney's Tangled (I'm a 3 year old trapped in a 33 year old's body!). It was a good day. I wasn't really looking forward to my birthday this year, but I have to say, I am now ready to conquer 33!

Landscaping DIY

The time has come for me to shed my black thumb and turn it green as we attempt to landscape the flower bed in the front of the house. I think I have mentioned once or twice that I am a plant killer - they see me coming and just jump off the bridge in order to save themselves from the torture. But I am ready to change that and it starts with our first major landscaping project.

After spending a lovely Easter weekend in NY with Ed's family, we decided to make the most of our Monday off and the sunny day by prepping our outdoor space. Since I'm a novice at this, Ed took the lead as Foreman on the job. We started our day with a trip to Home Depot to pick up the necessary tools for the job: Pitch Fork and Edger Shovel Thingy (yes, that is the official term). Of course while Ed was off in his man-aisle picking the tools, I was over in the garden center picking out a pretty pot and stand for our new indoor tree (thank you Sarah!). Leave it to me to find the girly stuff at Home Depot!


After stopping by Casa de Quartuccio to pick up our Lucy girl who spent the weekend while we were in NY, we headed home and got to work. We started by loading up the Scion with the paver bricks from both the front and back yards. We've decided that our landscape design will be 100% au na-tu-ral so the bricks had to go. Plus, Mow Cow will be by soon to place the sod in the backyard so it was time to get them out of there. After a quick trip to the recycling center to drop them off, we were off and running. Here is a look at our official "before".

We wanted to re-shape the flower bed so we used our hose to map out the new design. Ed then used the Edger Shovel Thingy to carve it out. It was hard work and the intense heat of the sun did not make it any better, but he did a great job! I played assistant by feeding him tons of water and keeping the cold, wet towel on his neck cold and wet.



While Ed was hard at work on the flower bed, I had the chance to prep my new pots for my herb garden. Lucy even shared in the fun and found herself the only shade available in the yard.

Once the flower bed was carved it out was time to turn the soil and that is where the Pitch Fork came in. We had to be careful of the newly buried drainage pipe, but all in all, it was a success. The area is now prepped for us to plant our pink azaleas, lily turf and lots of colorful annuals.


But the work didn't end there. You might remember that we have a miniature Dogwood tree in our front yard. In order to keep it alive for many more years, we needed to add more dirt and mulch to cover the roots. We also decided to attempt to carve out a perfect circle at it's base. This process included me, on my hands and knees in the dirt holding a tape measure as Ed made his way around the tree. It's not so perfect, but we are very happy with how it looks.


The day ended with a quick mow of the lawn and some watering. We are very proud of how it looks and we haven't even planted anything yet! We made a quick pit stop at Merrifield Garden Center after dinner last night to get an idea of what we want to plant (and how much it is going to cost!), and hope to get there tonight to make our purchases. The good news: Azaleas are on sale!! The bad news: We need a LOT more than just Azaleas! Stay tuned for the finished product!

Happy Easter!

I know it's Good Friday, but since we will be out of town this weekend in NY to celebrate the holiday, we need to wish everyone a Happy Easter now. The blog will be on hiatus while we are away, but we promise to say hello again on Monday.

My fabulous CEO closed the office at 1 pm today so Lucy and I are enjoying a lovely afternoon with the couch and HGTV. We had a visitor this morning which was very exciting for everyone. The lovely Mary Baehr came by and we shared "office space" (aka the kitchen table) all morning and then hit Ciro's for some pizza (very Lent friendly food!). Mary started her own company and also works from home so we decided to join forces and be co-workers for the day. It's fun to have someone to talk to that actually talks back (no offense, Lucy). :)

Tonight, we are spending some time with Mama and Papa Q AND a special guest: Grandma Basile!! My Grammy is in town for a few weeks and we could 't be more thrilled to see her. She is the sweetest, most loving person I know so I am very excited to have her here.

We head out to New York tomorrow morning so Lucy will be spending yet another weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Q. We'll be spending the weekend with Ed's entire family which is something I am really looking forward to since I haven't seen anyone since Christmas. So, we bid ado and HAPPY EASTER!!

What the Fuzz?!

One of my most favorite purchases for the house has been the rug in the living room. It's bold and fun and comfortable and has colors that really compliment the furniture in the room. I found it at Target - an internet return - and got it for a STEAL! Ed even came on board fairly quickly which surprised me since it is a bit bold for his taste.


So what's the beef? The darn thing is made of 100% wool and sheds more than my 2 cats on a hot day in August. It is not unusual for me to find wads of rug fuzz under the couch, behind the ottoman and even on Lucy's pretty face. It's like velcro - it sticks to everything and no matter how much I vacuum, I never seem to get it all.

Ed is over it and is ready to see it in a trash can. I feel more of an attachment to it. I do, however, think it needs to be relocated to a less trafficked location and replaced with something a little less fuzzy.

I've been scouring the Internet and some local stores to find something that is just as fun, just as bold, with similar colors and have come up with a few options. The first is a beaut from West Elm (my new go to for decorating ideas ~ love that store!). It is one that I have lusted over for quite a while - 3 years to be exact. I wanted it when we lived in Westbury and I want it again but alas it is a bit out of our budget range. Plus it is not quite right for the color scheme we got going on in the room.


This pebble rug popped up in my Inbox earlier in the week and I have to say, I am intrigued. It is also from West Elm and looks SO freakin' soft and yummy for the feet. I like the light blue color but I'm a little nervous about the loops. The fuzz fest we currently own is made up of little loops and I find myself on my hands and knees quite often snipping the loops that have unfurled. Not cute. But this one may be different and is currently on sale which excites me. It may warrant a trip to our local West Elm so we can see it in person and feel it under our toes.


Next up is another grey goose, but this one has a fun, big, BOLD pattern like our current rug. It's from Crate and Barrel and requires a lot of moola to own so I need to move on.

My new favorite blog, Young House Love, turned me onto a website where I found these beauties. These Bogart Flat-Weave wool rugs come in a variety of bright colors - 2 of which will blend nicely into our room (light blue and sage). I love the contemporary mosaic pattern and the best part is that they are reversible for double the wear! Houston...we may have a winner!


So what does everyone think? Of course I'm going to keep looking since I do love to beat a dead horse when it comes to choosing our interiors...especially rugs. If anyone has other good suggestions, we are all ears. In the mean time, you can find us over at Fair Lakes scouring the racks at World Market, Target and Home Goods.

A Little Lucy Loo at Lunchtime

You may remember that when we were in New York 2 weekends ago for Dominick Green's birthday extravaganza we made a special stop at the Cupcake Gourmet to pick up some anniversary cupcakes. Well, while we were there, we picked up a special treat for our Lucy girl - Pupcakes!!



I don't know what is in them, but she loves them. Here is some footage of her taking a taste when we got home:

She is currently staring at me as I hold the bag of pupcakes. Okay, okay Lucy girl...gotta go!