Comic Relief.

not having a job, all i've done today is lounge around in one of max's old t's.

no make up.

no brushed hair.

glasses.

and a moment ago, he said how cute i look in his shirt.

comic relief, indeed.

i really love roadtrips with my future husband.

he is the most careful driver i know. Who else can drive 20 hours non stop? We have so much fun on these little road trips, talking about anything and nothing while eating hot funyons and sipping gas station coffees.

When he first got the job in VA and left last September (before i moved with him in January), i gave him the audio book of David Sedaris' essays.

i can now forgive him that he never opened it during that whole trip.

only because it entertained us on our drive back from Texas. Sedaris is darkly entertaining, and most usually with a deeper punch as the conclusion. It was our first audio book experience, and it was the best kind because the books were read by him.

and Tillie you'll love this-- in one of his essays, he mentions being on a music show in Europe and guess who he says was there? ROBBIE WILLIAMS!!!




i do so love our little roadtrips of love.

a micaela adores claire package.

remember the beautiful package my dearest friend Claire sent me? gifts that were a little her, a little me-- a lot us.

before i left for Texas, i sent off my care package. If there's anything i truly delight in, it's putting together pressies for my friends. In such a short time, claire has become one of my closest girlfriends. We talk like we've known each other for years. This i love, and it's all thanks to our blogging world.

what i sent (so you can get a better idea of us) -- and even better : her sweetest reaction on her blog.

Claire & i are both very much loyal to our home state. She's a GA peach. When i found this vintage retro Georgia souvenir tray, i had to get it for her (perfect for perfume bottles or cocktail glasses). Both of us could not live without coffee, so i sent along coffee beans from my favorite local cafe, Starlight, along with a vintagesque coffee mug (the kind i collect).

If you know me, you know Italy is my heaven on earth. i sent her one of my favorite reads about an italian romance, reminding me of my own dolce vita. The glass snail is something personal between us : she had sent me a VOGUE article (ironically about an italian romance) in which a glass snail was given as a gift. "snails carry their homes wherever they go" was the sentiment. Shortly after reading that article, i finished reading "Eat Pray Love." Wouldn't you know that exact sentiment was in the pages of the very book that changed my life.

The print is from the talented illustrator Alli Coate. (Claire had blogged about looking for art for her new space and if you know Claire- you KNOW her passion for poetry & creative writing)

the last one from Every Little Counts (my favorite online boutique) is perfectly Claire. She enjoys no love story better than Anais and her Henry. I just knew it would be beautiful on her (luckily unlike me, she has the boobs to pull it off! ha)

i love you Claire! this was a fun little thank-you for your friendship and what you sent me. I truly believe only the closest of friends can share such personal gifts-- i'm still touched by my little Hemingway baby shoes.

You touch my heart.

xo

Sharing Sundays... Letters She Wrote.

Lauren Nicole Scott of Letters She Wrote : this one, i adore more than words. 

Sometimes when talking to her, i forget she's only 19. She's got such a kind heart, creative soul, loves: john mayer, indie films, kristen stewart; and sends out the most beautiful letters i've seen. (if you're like me and lucky to be her pen pal, she also spoils you immensely) In a word she's precious. In two, she's lovely. 

L. Scott also has a penchant for capturing beauty with her camera lens. When she first shared her photography with me, i was blown away. I told her she needed to turn her passion into a profession. I mean look at these photographs:

luckily for us, she did. You can find these beautiful images at her etsy shop she opened recently:

you can also buy postcards of her images, which is just perfect for this girl who believes that a simple postcard can instantly make someone's day. (in fact, some of you lovies received a postcard from the above set as part of a mail experiment--- before L. Scott opened shop, she sent me some to "try out" and get opinions on durability/quality etc. - THANK YOU for those who played along!)

seriously, if you love beautiful images / letter writing / kindness for everyone... you'll instantly love Lauren. I do. I can't thank her enough for always being there. xo

"A ship in the harbor is safe -- but that is not what ships are built for."

-John A. Shedd

(image: we heart it)

c'est la vie.

The reason we had to cut our trip so short and drive home Thursday was because our realtor is trying to sell our house and called to say that someone was going to look at it today at 4 p.m.

We told him we were in Texas, but that we'd leave in time to be there and moreso, so i could clean up the casa. Honestly, i hated his timing... my family from Germany would be there for at least 2 more weeks and the last time i saw my niece and nephew was 5 years ago. But what could we do?

OF COURSE the realtor would call and cancel the showing; rescheduling for next week.

of course.

i'm so angry and sad.

but at least I'm angry and sad in a clean(er) home.

^the main living room wall. This painting is my latest gift from my Pappa- a truly talented artist. This is one of his first works and i have begged for it since childhood. It was an incredible surprise when he brought it over to me as I was packing. (my auntie said he gave it to me not just because he loves me, but because he's proud of me)

pillow 1 is from my bestie & pillow 2 says "forgiven," a gift off of etsy from my twinkie.

^full bookshelves, pillows my momma made, and carnival mirror & antique one (i have a thing for mirrors)

^the entry way leading from the living room into the dining room/kitchen. The black mirror is one of my favorite estate sale scores (black with gold etching)

^there is no rhyme or reason to how i hang up our art and seeing this pic- it's pretty obvious! the dining area wall.

^looking into the kitchen

^the kitchen island : remember the funny story i told you about why my kitchen is primarily of roosters? this one near our coffee maker says "le coq." I had to get it! The chalkboard was my very first ever giveaway win from Playing Grown Up.


that's just two of our main rooms. Looking at these photos i realize how much stuff (or as max calls it "junk") i have.  But seriously, can one ever have too much art or too many books?

thanks for stopping by Casa di M! and i'll try not to sulk the rest of the day that we should still be in Texas right now. xo

VA is for lovers.

hello my darling lovies!!!

me & Max got back into Virginia early this morning. What a wonderful time being back home surrounded by my family and my greatest joys (my nieces/nephew-- seriously, please go to my twinkie's blog and swoon! i am just in love with them).  What made it extra wonderful and much more meaningful was that last Thursday Max drove 20 hours non stop to be there with me.

i am in love with this man. 


(ps. thank-you whole heartedly for the sweet letters that welcomed me home! replies soon, promise.)