When I arrived home Friday after work, a package was waiting on the front stoop.  Dan had given me specific instructions to ignore anything that may be sitting by the door, so believe it or not, I did as I was told.  Although... I was dying to know what was inside.  As if barstools weren't enough, when Dan got home I was able to open another Birthday surprise.  This time I unwrapped a handmade, custom leather camera bag.

Gone are the days of lugging around my dorky old black, stock camera bag.  Thanks to my new friends at Porteen Gear, I am now the owner of a fashionable + professional camera bag.  How exciting!!  

Now we HAD to get to Duke Gardens on Saturday so I could sport my new camera bag and catch a glimpse at one of the top ten public gardens in the US.  Luckily the weather was in our favor- off we went, Abbey in hand, early Saturday morning.  The gardens cover around 55 acres so you won't be surprised to hear that the hour and a half we were there didn't give us a full tour (we will be back, of course!).  Our time was spent walking the Asiatic Gardens and the Rose Garden.  What a fun time!  Since I can't remember the names of basically anything we saw, I will let the pictures speak for themselves...

Don't even think about throwing your own bread into this pond-  it affects water flow!  Just buy some duck food at the Terrace Shop.

Check out those butterflies!

I also met someone this weekend who has changed my life.  Meet Ana White.  I'd heard about her from a friend who had recently convinced her husband to build a sideboard with the help of the "Free and Easy DIY Furniture Plans to Save You Money" touted by Ana White's website.  When I came across another person who had used AW to construct a fabulous dining room table, I navigated my way to her site and felt the inspiration bubbling inside of me.  I let my mind (and my mouse) wander for a while at the plethora of ideas and designs that we could now easily bring to fruition thanks to this life changing website (please click the link to understand exactly what Ana White has done for the DIYer-  blueprinted projects laid out down to the precise cut and measurement of each piece of wood, size and number of specific nuts and bolts, etc).  Then, I reigned myself in and thought realistically about how we could utilize this resource in the here and now...plate rack!  We have been displaying our china in an absolutely fantastic piece passed down from generations in my family.  Problem is, it's not a true "china cabinet" so it does not safely hold all of the dishes we want to proudly display.  I have been racking my brain trying to figure out how we can show off the left over pieces that did not make it into the cabinet and thanks to Ana White, we have a stunning solution.  I stumbled upon this gem and knew it would be a piece of cake for my Handy Dan.  

Here you have it-  our pallet to plate rack in under an hour!

What do you think?

We are closing in on two months of residency in Raleigh, can you believe it?!

Which means I have more restaurant insight for you.  Notable eateries include:

1.  Beasley's Chicken and Honey -  Holy cow this was good!!  Don't believe me?  Just ask Southern Living.  I had the chicken biscuit drizzled with sticky sweet honey + a side of pimento cheese macaroni and cheese.  Ahhmazing (and got me thinking I can totally create my own version of this mac & cheese)!

2.  Lilly's Pizza -  Organic, no frills (don't forget to grab some paper plates up front after you order) pizzeria aptly situated in the hipster part of town- Historic 5 Points.  We ordered the Cowtipper covered in feta, ground beef, and black olives- yum!  Definitely going back to try more interesting combos like pesto, roasted red peppers, and pistachios.

3.  Centro -  Intimate space serving authentic Mexican dishes- makes you forget you're in downtown Raleigh.  Loved the vibe and the friendly staff.  The Enchiladas de la Familia were tasty and filling.  I even liked the cilantro rice when I mixed it with my refried black beans.   We will be back!

I can now also tell you from experience just how cool the Red Hat Amphitheater is.  This is where we saw O.A.R on Sunday.  The whole event was enjoyable (until it started pouring down rain) starting with easy parking, no line to have your ticket scanned, and clean bathrooms again with no line (unheard of at concerts as far as I'm concerned).  The first hour we lucked out with mild weather while the sun set.  Check out the view from our seats-

Then, the thunder rolled in and the rain started.  We toughed it out for a while until Dan (who didn't bring his rain coat like me) was soaked through.  And it wasn't letting up.  So, we discovered another cool thing about this place.  From the right level in the paring deck, you can see and hear the show (closer than I've been at some concerts in Atlanta).  We enjoyed more music while we sat and dried off on the tailgate of the truck just out of the rain's reach.  

The purple lights are the stage.  Not bad, huh?

Our shed is back in working order and (almost) good as new.  After it took a big hit from the storms that came through (remember this eye sore?), we opted to look into replacement parts instead of making a claim on insurance.  And good thing!  Turns out this baby is under a ten year warranty so they sent us a door, gable, and roof panel all free of charge.  Thanks US Leisure!

Apparently the new roof panels now come in black...better than a gaping hole I guess!

Our deck also has a new look-  we finally got the lattice put up that we bought the first week we moved in.  As you can see, Mickey is wishing he could still hide out underneath.  I hope Abbey, on the other hand, is thankful her toys will no longer get lodged under the stairs and in cobwebbed corners.  

Lastly, to kick off the last year of my twenties (I CANNOT believe I just said that!!), Dan surprised me earlier in the week with bar stools I have been anxiously waiting for since we set foot in our kitchen the very first time.  After vacillating for weeks at a time on aesthetic + comfort + function, we'd decided on these vintage iron tractor seat stools from Plow and Hearth.  Little did I know we would get to welcome them home this week!

And for myself...a mix your own batch of cookies from Whole Foods that I picked up today on my way out the door.  Hey, you only turn 29 once and I even got an employee discount!  Can't wait for dessert!

Cross your fingers the weather holds out through the weekend-  I am dying to hitch up Abbey and get to the Duke Gardens with my camera in tow.  Hope to share pics with you soon!

  

How we've been staying busy lately:

- Visit to Durham.   No more than 20 minutes from Raleigh, we did a quick drive by of the Duke campus (pretty! looking forward to checking out the Duke Gardens on our next visit), walked around and dined in the Historic Tobacco District (super cool and yummy-  fried green tomato BLT, mmmm).

- Raleigh Flea Market.  Perused the tent filled parking lots and the indoor booths.  Exercised restraint when it came to looking through knickknacks (no more colored glass bottles and jars here!) and found a few dealers worth revisiting from time to time.

- Appeasing Abbey.  All this rain has not made it easy on our backyard obsessed K9.  Easing the pain of not being able to snatch the frisbee and leap for the ball by turning every night into a free for all toy fest.  

12 toys here alone!

Even when it's not raining, the backyard has not seen as much doggy action.  Thanks to the second rainiest June in NC history the backyard has gone...

And mud does not go well with Abbey's white paws and our clean house.

When the rain takes a break and the steam comes out, walking it is- burning as much Border Collie energy as we can.

- Work.  Going well.  I now know where the seaweed is!  And the gluten free pasta (directed a lady straight to it today)!  Now if I can just help my interns straighten the jams and jellies without dropping a jar of blackberry preserves...whoops!

- Making it official.  2 hours at the DMV and a passing score on the written driver's exam (yes, we had to take a written exam!) gave us our temporary driver's licenses on Saturday morning.  Permanent ones set to arrive later this week.

We did it!  Insulator lights are up and shining in the kitchen after just an hours worth of electrical work this morning.  With the help of Girl in Air, we got just what we needed at Home Depot this morning to get our inspired light fixture up and running in no time.  The insulators were purchased a few months ago at 8 dollars a piece.  The new sockets and bulbs we bought today were 17 bucks.  Add in the drill bit and it brings our grand total to just over 60 dollars.  Wow!  Don't forget how much these puppies retail for...$$$.  Dan never ceases to amaze me with how handy he is-  The island we are working up will look ab-fab right underneath.  Cant wait!!

I cannot believe the fourth of July has already come and gone!  The expression "time flies" does not even begin to describe how quickly life propels us at a warped speed.  And we're having so much fun around here it's moving even faster!

We were finally given a reprieve from all of the rain and were able to spend the 4th of July at the pool.  It was super crowded which gave us an opportunity to meet more neighbors-  some of who live right on our street and bonus, are our age with no kids!  Hoping to get together with them again soon!  Afterwards we grilled out, let the animals enjoy the outdoors, and then headed downtown for the fireworks display.

I suppose the rain hasn't been all bad-  it has our new anniversary plants in full bloom, vibrantly decorating the front porch and back deck.

Our herbs aren't looking half bad either!

When the sun breaks through, the heat is sweltering ( I didn't think it got this hot up here in NORTH Carolina!).  Abbey finds relief after a rousing game of fetch by laying on the register in the dining room (wearing our curtains like a veil)...and Mickey under the shade of the loropetalum.

Lastly, this weekend we are hoping to get one of our first DIY projects in the new home underway.  You remember the insulator pendant light fixture I talked about here.  At last we discovered how to drill holes in the insulators without cracking and ruining them.  If only I'd been present to document the process while Dan and a coworker utilized heavy machinery on a slow day at the fab shop to drill three perfect holes...  I can, however, show you the after picture-

Oddly enough the existing light fixture in our kitchen is just what we need to make this project a reality:

So now it's simply a matter of removing the current globes and sockets, replacing them with the new ones, and voila!  I hope it's that simple anyway.

Oh!  The headboard is up-  master bedroom complete (except for the sanding and painting of the sewing table but that's another blog for another day)!

I made it through the first week job coaching my two interns at Whole Foods!  To say I was exhausted by the end of the week would be an understatement.  Working at a grocery store is no joke and I'm convinced that Whole Foods takes it to a whole new level.  I spend five hours a day on my feet not only helping the world's most finicky customers bag their groceries but also helping them locate items like dried seaweed and distinguishing between fifty different brands of gluten free chocolate chip cookies.  Not a job for the faint at heart.  To think a customer got irritated with me because Whole Foods no longer carries regular potato chips in the brand he wanted.  No, ruffled potato chips would not do, he NEEDED regular and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time (the potato chip aisle).  But the real job I am there to do, training my interns how to face products on the shelves, bag groceries, wipe tables, and corral carts and baskets is going quite well.  By the time the project ends in August I have no doubt they will be eligible for employment.

Life is good all around in Raleigh (with the exception of the rain that scarcely acquiesces) -  Can you believe we've been here a month already??  A typical night looks something like this...

But yesterday wasn't just another typical night.  It was our first anniversary!  We cooked a fabulous meal at home, eating off of our china and drinking out of our crystal for the first time.  But before we sat down to toast our first year, Dan took me plant shopping where I picked out a ton of green and budding additions for our backyard.  Cannot wait to share pictures when we get some blooms coming in!  In keeping with the tradition of the gift of paper for the first anniversary Dan also got us concert tickets to see O.A.R at the end of the month and I surprised him with a watercolor portrait of our precious Abbey girl painted by a local watercolor artist, Laura Azzi.  

We ended the night with one freezer burned bite each of a cupcake from the top of our "wedding cake."

Cheers to many, many more happy years!!