We Bought a House!

Yesterday, we closed on our very first home! We signed about a million pieces of paper, handed over a very large check, and just like that, we were homeowners. We drove over to the new place and just walked around in the empty rooms - this place is ours! And it's such a good feeling.

You should make this bread

While I love me some fresh bread, I don't have the time to spend all day making it like I did here. When I saw this recipe, it looked fairly simple and didn't seem like it would take that long so I gave it a whirl on a random week night. And I'm SO glad I did. This bread is flavorful and perfect for toasting for breakfast. Add a little cinnamon sugar or strawberry jam on top and you're good to go. The best part is that this bread is so easy and simple. I whipped up the dough of only 5 ingredients, let it rise while I watched a TV show, baked it in the oven for 30 minutes, and then let it cool. I actually halved this recipe and it worked really well!

A post about stuff

We have 8 days until we close on our first home.

8 days to pack, declutter, and prep for the move to our new place.

In the past few weeks since we made our initial offer on the house, I've found myself scouring the websites of World Market, Pottery Barn, Target, Ikea, and Joss & Main for things to fill up our new home. It is so easy to get caught up in all of these things I think we need - a sectional couch for the living room, a new bedspread for the master bedroom, Pottery Barn drapes, a large bookshelf. In all honesty, we have all of these things already in one way or another, and we are not going to be "house poor" by any means. The new house is not really any bigger than our current rental, so we don't actually need anything. Yes, we will probably buy that sectional couch because we do actually want more seating in the living room. It would certainly serve a purpose. But we can live without it for a little while.

On the other hand, I find myself rummaging through all of our things and looking for things we can pitch or give away. Does this make any sense? Probably not.

Etsy Faves

I have been going crazy with Etsy lately. So many things, all unique, and usually a decent price. A few of my purchases are things for myself, but a lot of my shopping has been gifts for friends and family. As the holidays approach us, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite shops and items. Some are recent purchases, some are long time loves, and some are just on my wishlist*. Enjoy!

Craft & Candor

"Start jumping" print

$10

Perfect for fall decorating (if you're a Hokie anyway).

She also has some other cute state prints and stationery!

New York City: Day 4

New York City: Day 3

New York City: Day 2

New York City: Day 1