What I've Been Up To Lately

Let me start this post by offering the requisite apology for my absence here lately. I've been a sporadic little blogger, huh? I haven't been sitting around eating bonbons and watching soap operas; instead, I've been busy settling in and starting many tasks around the house.

That makes it difficult to muster a whole blog post like I used to, so I've been turning to Instagram quite a bit to chronicle the bits and pieces of my day. If you're not already following me (meetmeinphilly), here's a recap of what's been going on:

This week, a braided jute rug that we ordered from RugsUSA arrived. I'm smitten over the way the chunky braid of the rug offsets the worn texture of the slate hearth in the den.

Speaking of the den, I painted a swatch of Benjamin Moore's "Gentleman's Gray" on the paneling. It's definitely a 'go' on this color.

On the wall opposite of the den sits our living room. We basked in having two working fireplaces last Saturday evening and, as such, a photo was in order to commemorate its first fire.

In other exciting news, my parents are coming tomorrow to visit for a few days! They will be seeing the house for the first time and I can't wait. I outfitted the guest bedroom for their impending visit, using existing art in new combinations.

My mom, who I talk up quite a bit on the blog, sent us a very thoughtful housewarming present: more Heath Ceramics pieces to round out the collection we received for our wedding. 

It was such a lovely surprise!

Finally, the Oscars are this weekend. While I'm not a 'go see it opening weekend' kind of gal, I'm excited that a few films I saw this year are nominated for some big awards. Two of my favorites from this year? "Silver Linings Playbook" (set in the Philly area, natch) and the documentary "Searching for Sugar Man". Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer published recipes for the "crabbies and homemades" that are made by Pat's mom in "SLP". I'm glad this article ran beacuse I had no freakin' idea what "crabbies and homemades" were. Did you?

And if you want to watch an unbelievable-but-true, beautiful, uplifting and enthralling documentary, do yourself a favor and see "Searching for Sugar Man". I love documentaries and this movie was one Adam and I haven't stopped talking about since we saw in the summer. 

So, there you have it. I've got several projects in the works that I'll be ready to share soon enough. Until then, have a wonderful weekend!