Oscars Party 2018

Every year we have a little Oscar party and this year we had it at our house, since it’s the first year we’re living here. If you’ve been following along with us for a bit, you’re probably noticing a trend that we’re having all of the major holidays and events at our house. That will probably wear off by the end of the year, but it’s fun to celebrate new memories in a place that’s filled with so many great old ones.

Thomas’ mom and his brother’s girlfriend Mariah got started in the kitchen, and PJ joined in after that. We made bacon wrapped asparagus and three different kinds of homemade pizza: pepperoni, pesto, and magerita. They were all great but the white garlic pesto sauce was probably the overall favorite.

We have been wanting to make homemade pizza for, no joke, at least 5 years. There's always been something holding us back though but we finally did it and it was seriously good. Like, really good. We got the dough at Publix for $2.79 a piece so it was pretty affordable too. We know what we're making this Friday for dinner :)

We had a few people over so we busted out these markers that you can write your names on wine glasses with and they just wash off under water. How cool are they? 

Did you watch the Oscars this year? We saw 3 out of the 9 best picture nominees so we felt like we were missing out. Apparently they were the least watched show in modern history, so maybe we weren’t the only ones feeling left out? We spent most of the night pigging out and laughing anyway, and the show was sort of on in the background. However, The Shape of Water is at the top of our list now after it won Best Picture. We'll let you know what we think!

Letters

We can't tell you how elated we are every time we receive a letter from y'all in our PO Box. We love learning about you; your life, your struggles, your triumphs, your past. That you feel comfortable enough to share all of that with us makes us so grateful for social media. The fact we can all connect to each other from all over the world (we received letters from Australia and Tanzania!) can make everyone not feel so alone, you know? We went to the post office today to find our PO Box so full! Some of these letters brought us to tears, but all of them put a smile on our faces.

We spent Saturday night responding to them and can we just say how wonderful it is to send and receive snail mail these days? It's like a special treat that you only get to have once in awhile and when you do get it, man it makes your day. It takes so much longer than sending an Instagram message, text message, or even an email, which makes it all the more special, knowing that someone spent their time writing to you, and trusting you enough to share bits of their life.

If you would like to say hey, our address is PO Box 939 Cleveland, TN 37364. And if you haven't written anybody in a while, you should give it a try! Go on, we guarantee it will make their day.

xx

Friday Night Lights

We finally had a beautiful day today, all day! It’s been so miserable here all week, though not as bad as they’re getting it up north, but still pretty rainy and dreary. It’s like a horrible fog was lifted today and we were left with the most beautiful winter light bouncing all around us. 

We had a quiet Friday night which was so refreshing because we had absolutely nothing to do. PJ cleaned up around the outside and cut some rosemary to put in a vase and Thomas folded some clothes. And we can’t tell you how thankful we were for a sunny, calm Friday night. 

After that, we headed out to dinner downtown to this new burger place called Stack that we've been meaning to try out. We actually have a real burger joint now and it was packed! It's so nice to see more and more people coming downtown. There's a coffee shop opening this spring right around the corner that we're excited to try out, too. Exciting times, y'all!

We stopped by Thomas' mom's house and chatted with her for a little bit and planned our little Oscar party for Sunday night. We're going to make homemade pizza for the first time! We've been talking about making pizza for years now as a fun thing to do on a weekend but for some reason we've never gotten around to it. We do a little Oscar party every year with the family and a few friends. Do you do anything for the Oscars? We have ballots and everything haha.

Doesn't it feel nice to not have any plans? To be able to do whatever you want on your own terms and not have to commit to anything? We're feeling grateful for nights like those and for spending Friday night at home with the winter light all around us. 

(Early) Spring Cleaning

Hey you,

It’s been a short while, hasn’t it? Things have been so crazy busy around here lately, especially with preparing for the home & garden show, that everything was sort of placed on hold. But now that it’s over, it’s back to life as we know it! 

It’s been unseasonably warm lately (though pretty rainy) so we thought now is as good a time as ever to pick up a little bit. We haven’t mopped our floors in we’drathernotsay so saying it was long overdue is an understatement. Tonight we swept, vacuumed, and mopped all the floors in the house and suddenly there’s a weight lifted, a lightness that you can feel throughout the entire house. Why did we wait so long to do this? 

In other news, we are going to be making some small, subtle changes to the look of the blog and its purpose. We will still be keeping Feature Friday’s, but we are leaning more towards a journal style blog, where we can write daily details about stuff we don’t share on social media. Some of it boring, probably, but nonetheless it will be things we can look back on and reminisce in years to come.

As always, thanks for being here with us. You mean more to us than you know.  

Our First Cruise Together

We recently got back from our first ever trip out of the country together and wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. That’s pretty much all we can say about it. Wait, no, that’s not right. We have a lot to say about it! Those are just the first words that come to mind. There’s more, though!

We went on a Caribbean cruise with our good friends Beau & Matt from ProbablyThis and had a blast. Celebrity Cruises was kind enough to host us on board the Equinox for a seven day cruise (be sure to check out the hashtags #sweetheartsatsea for some fun photos!) where we visited San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts – three of the most beautiful old cities and beaches we’ve ever been to. The old cobblestone streets of San Juan had us feeling nostalgic for a time and place we’d never been to before. The beaches of St. Maarten and St. Kitts were breathtakingly gorgeous. Why did we wait so long to go to the Caribbean?

First, the ship itself is so cool. It’s ginormous and has everything you can think of on board and more. It has a movie theater, a casino, a library, multiple bars and restaurants, a café, a cafeteria, an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a gym and spa, and even a grass lawn on the top of the ship. The cafeteria is open until midnight, so you know we were snacking all day. One night, at 11:45p, we went up there and ate pizza and dessert just because we could. And it was glorious.

It took us a full 3 days to visit almost every part of the ship, as we discovered new floors and areas almost every day. One of our favorite areas to chill by far was The Lawn Club on the 15th deck on the stern of the ship. Oh, that’s another thing. You’ll have to get familiar with the words used to describe ship directions (stern, bow, starboard, etc). We heard them a ton on this trip and had no idea what they meant at first, but did our best to learn them by the end of it. But back to The Lawn Club! It was this huge yard, basically, of beautiful Bermuda grass where you could lay out and relax and work on your tan. There was a bar serving you ice cold drinks and blue skies/ocean views everywhere you looked. Is this what heaven will look like?

Other than the food and various fun parts of the ship, we had so much fun on the port excursions. The first day we stopped at San Juan, Puerto Rico and went on a food & walking tour of the old city. We drank Puerto Rican coffee, enjoyed some local dishes (and got to make our own mojitos!), and ate some flan, which we haven’t had in forever. The old buildings and charming cobblestone streets of San Juan stole our hearts. It was hot and humid, but the tour guide told us it was their winter. It was 80 or so degrees! As you know, Puerto Rico was hit so badly by the hurricane and it devastated much of the island. Tourism is a billion dollar industry there and helps their economy immensely, so they want everyone to know they are back in business and gladly welcoming tourists to the island. It’s a beautiful place and we plan on going back as soon as we can.

The next port day was in St. Maarten, which is the Dutch side of the island, not to be confused with St. Martin, the French side. This island was also hit badly by Hurricane Irma and we saw a lot of destruction that it caused. It was heartbreaking to see, but also inspiring to learn how the locals are coming together to rebuild and grow again. We went to Kim Sha Beach where the water was a beautiful turquoise and the sand was snow white. We luckily had gorgeous weather most of the time, though there were a few scattered showers here and there. St. Maarten marked the first time Thomas officially stepped off of U.S. soil and into a foreign country! For lunch we had shrimp tempura on a French baguette and it easily became one of our favorite meals on the trip. After we walked around a bit, we all loaded back onto the ship and headed towards the next port.

Our last port day was spent in St. Kitts, another beautiful island in the Caribbean. This was probably our favorite excursion we experienced because we had to travel by a catamaran to get there! Neither of us had ever been on one before so it was such a treat to sail the 45 mins from St. Kitts to a little cove with clear blue waters and lots of fish. We snorkeled with the guys and drank a locally made soda called Ting, a grapefruit drink. Snorkeling is no joke. Have you ever been? It actually takes a lot of lung capacity and we found ourselves short of breath a lot, but it was still a blast. We were wiped out by the end of it, so we hopped back on the catamaran and sailed back to the island. On the way back, we met some folks from Columbus, Ohio that were So. Much. Fun. They told us how they’ve been going on cruises together for more than 10 years (there were about 14 in their group, all friends since high school). They told us about all the places they’ve visited like Europe and Punta Cana, about their kids, and best of all, how they will be at the home & garden show this month (!!) which is where we will be speaking at! Once we were back on the ship, we started settling in the make the 2 and a half-day journey back home, starting with an invitation to watch the sail off on the helipad. How cool is that?!

The next two days were filled with lots of food, sun, shows in the theater, massages (thank you Nikky and Risper!!!!), more food, pool parties, trips to Café el Bacio (our favorite spot for coffees and cappuccinos) and walks around the ship at night.

Every night we went to a new restaurant and experienced different cuisine that was equally as good as the previous one. The first night we went to Tuscan Grille, an Italian restaurant with low lighting, candles, and such a sweet staff. We got the lobster alfredo and lasagna and man was it delicious. The next night we went to Silk Harvest, which served Asian cuisine, and they had the best shrimp tempura we’ve ever tasted. We also visited Murano, a French restaurant and also got the lobster there. They grilled it right in front of you and the whole place smelled like garlic and butter. Does it get any better than that? We decided to try out Sushi on 5, their newest restaurant on deck 5 and it was amazing. It was so amazing, in fact, that we went back 2 more times after that haha. Also worth noting is that we went back to Tuscan Grille again for dinner because it was that good. For lunch and breakfast, we mostly stuck to the OceanView Café, a huge cafeteria with every type of food you can imagine. Have we mentioned how we ate too much on this trip?

It’s crazy how a cruise ship operates. It’s like a little city, with SO many people operating it and working together to make it function. We got to know the staff and looked forward to seeing their familiar faces every day. Rex, the man who always made sure to turn down our room each night before we got in. Alexander, the executive head chef who was kind enough to give us a private tour of the kitchen during peak dinner action. Madalina, the sommelier who knew exactly what kind of wine we should drink with dinner each night. Miguel, one of the ship executives who kindly escorted us onto the ship and shook our hand every time we would pass him onboard. And even our favorite singer on the ship, a girl & guy duo called Devico, who had the most beautiful voice we’ve ever heard. It makes you feel like you’re not in the middle of the ocean, miles and miles away from civilization, when you have such amazing people to look forward to seeing every day.

So all together, this cruise was amazing. Just the idea of visiting different countries, meeting so many different people from all over the world, sharing the sea with strangers (at first) who become friends in 7 days, and being that far out in the ocean with nothing but blue waves all around you, it’s kind of mind boggling. It’s also wonderful when you can go with great friends. This is the third time in 6 months we’ve had the chance to hang out with Beau & Matt and we always have a blast each time we do. They’re absolutely hilarious and so smart when it comes to business. We’re lucky to know them.

If you have never been on a cruise before, we highly recommend it after traveling with Celebrity Cruises. They're actually offering a special offer with their Sail Beyond Event, where you can save up to $300 on select packages plus unlimited WiFi. Click here to find out more about it! We want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Beau & Matt from ProbablyThis, Elizabeth from Celebrity Cruises, and all of the staff and people behind the scenes who made this trip possible. We wont soon forget it and will cherish these memories forever.

Love, PJ & Thomas 

Our First Trip Out of the Country Together

We woke up at 3:45 this morning to head to the airport. Thomas’ mom came to pick us up and drive us the 30 miles it takes to get there, dropped us off, and took this picture that we both look only half awake in (ugh).

If you’ve been following us on social media, you know we’re going on a Caribbean cruise with Beau and Matt, our friends from ProbablyThis! We’re going on Celebrity Cruises and we are so excited y’all! We’ve heard only great things about them and how wonderful their cruises are. This will be Thomas’ first cruise (PJ went with some friends back in 2007) and the first time we’ve traveled out of the country together!

We’re calling 2018 our year of travel. We’ve already been to a couple of places and have a few more trips scheduled to places we’ve never been before. We figure we want to explore and travel as much as we can now, while we are young and childless, because you never know if that could change in a few years ;). 

We asked you guys for some cruise tips on our Instagram post and you really came through. THANK YOU for all of the helpful insights! We can’t wait to utilize them on this trip. You also told us how much your fur babies miss you when you’re gone and how hard it is to leave them, too. We’re glad we aren’t the only ones that make a big deal of it!

We will be updating you on the trip this week from our Instagram so keep an eye out for that. By tonight we will be on the cruise ship sailing off into the Caribbean, so wish us luck! 

Thomas’ Mom’s Birthday Dinner

Last night we celebrated Thomas' mom's birthday at his brother's house. We had the family and all the significant others over for steak and wine. It was a windy, chilly night, which made family time by the fire especially sweet and comforting. We cooked, ate, drank, and all lounged around afterwards just enjoying each other's company. It's nice when everyone can get together to celebrate isn't it?

Thomas' mom isn't too big on cake so we did cheesecake instead! Thomas made a homemade strawberry glaze to put on top and it was the most sinful, perfect addition. We did our best to only eat one piece each (and we succeeded!).

We somehow forgot candles so Thomas' sister Sydney held the lighter above the cheesecake while we all sang happy birthday. Sometimes you gotta get creative, you know?

Happy birthday, Lila! You are so loved by so many.

Our Weekend in Atlanta

This past weekend we made the short trip to Atlanta, GA for the January market and then on Saturday, drove up to the mountains to stay at the most gorgeous cabin tucked away in the woods. Our friend Brian Patrick Flynn set up the whole weekend and brought together the most amazing group of interior designers and we felt so grateful to be included in the mix.

When we got to Atlanta on Thursday, we checked in to our hotel and immediately went to the market. Just so you have an idea of the scale of this thing, there are three huge buildings that connect to one another where the market is held. They each have about 18 floors and on each floor are around 20 to 30 stores, some that are just there temporarily for the market and some that are there year round. Our favorite area of the whole thing was the antiques area #ofcourse. Every booth was filled with the most amazing selections of old pictures, furniture, rugs, lamps, etc. We could have spent the whole day just in that area alone.

We were thisclose to buying these two prints below but at the last minute we changed our minds and bought a small, antique sailboat picture instead.

We wandered around the market and everywhere we turned were these crazy cool displays of art and furniture and if we had the money, we would have taken them all home.

After browsing the market all day, we finally met up with Brian for the first time in person! We've been friends with him for almost four years, but only online. If you don't know him personally, he is just as fun, funny, compassionate, and thoughtful in person as he is on social media. As soon as we met him it felt like we had been friends forever. There was never an awkward getting-to-know-you feeling. 

He introduced us to his designer friends that he invited to the market and, like Brian, we all hit it off immediately and connected so quickly, like we were just friends catching up from not seeing each other in a while. We went out to dinner and talked about our favorite designers, movies, food, and places to travel. Then we went up the elevator to the top floor of the Mariott Marquis (where they were all staying) and it was so breathtakingly fun and scary at the same time. Did you know The Hunger Games was filmed here? 

Stunning, right? Then we tried to take a bunch of photos and be artsy but it wasn't happening. So we just started laughing at ourselves instead.

The next day we went to a luncheon to hear The Beekman Boys talk about their new products which was such a treat. We heard about them way back in 2010 when Thomas' older sister showed us their new TV show. We've been huge fans ever since.

After the luncheon, we waited in line for 45 mins to get them to sign a copy of their new cook book! The line was wrapped around the store but we had fun talking to people in line and even meeting a few followers from Instagram.

Then that night we got dressed and went to the Pantone Ultra Violet Party to support Brian and his beautiful vignette he designed! We met so many talented designers, danced to the amazing band, and laughed the whole time. We also met a couple of you while we were there, too! Such a small world, isn't it?

The picture above is of us and our new BFFs. We're only missing Susan, but these women sure do know how to have a good time and they kept us laughing the entire weekend. We miss them already.

After we left the party we headed to this delicious Vietnamese restaurant called Le Fat where we got to know each other even more over Vietnamese coffee and drunken noodles.

We woke up to a blistering cold, rainy day for a our last day in Atlanta. We packed our bags, went to the market one last time, then hit the road for cabin in the mountains.

When we got to Brian's cabin, we were greeted by a light dusting of snow and the most beautiful views of the mountaintops. For as far as you could see there were nothing but trees and clouds just begging for you to stare at them. It was so peaceful.

If you think the view outside is nice, just Wait until you see the inside. Brian's cabin is the perfect blend of masculinity and woodsy, but still bright and welcoming. It has a Ralph Lauren Polo vibe to it. We're still not over the white floors. Take a look:

How talented is Brian? He designs are always so innovative and unexpected. Can we talk about the Natalie Portman Closer picture in the top left bunk? Enough said. He's been designing the HGTV Dream Home and Urban Oasis for the last couple of years and each one is so uniquely different from the next. He's not afraid to take chances and we absolutely love that.

Once all of the girls got there, Shay whipped up this spread in 5 mins and we all changed into our pajamas for the night and hung out while Susan baked a homemade chocolate cake. We got into deep discussions about design and other important topics, but the crazy fun really started to happen when we played Cards Against Humanity. Have you ever played? It's completely ridiculous and hilarious but will keep you entertained for hours. We didn't end up going to bed until almost 2am but man was it a fun night and it's all because of Brian and his husband Hollis, and all these amazing women.

We woke up the next morning, took some pictures with everyone, headed into town to eat at this great little restaurant in Blue Ridge, GA called The Black Sheep and said our goodbyes.

To wrap this waaaay too long post up, we want to thank you, Brian, Hollis, Susan, Jen, Jody, Erica, Shay, Tami, Krista, and Brianna, for your kindness and your candidness. You all welcomed us into your lives with honesty and compassion and we can't tell you enough how much fun we had with you all this past weekend. We feel so inspired and refreshed now that we're home, already planning our next get together with everyone. Until next time, y'all!

PS- if you want to check out our weekend in more detail, check out the video below and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel!