House of Mirth

On the July 4th weekend, Adam and I were blessed to attend the wedding of our friends Julie and Peter. Julie, you may recall, has been a friend since the 4th grade. Needless to say it was a pleasure to see this couple, who we enjoyed many a fun night with as New Yorkers, join together in marriage. It was a joyous day celebrated in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts.

The ceremony was lovely and was followed by a picture-perfect reception at the estate of author Edith Wharton, known as "The Mount".





The grounds of The Mount are expansive and meticulously kept. Sitting atop a clearing in the woods, the manse overlooks the quiet rolling hills of the region while its tiered garden seemed to be tailored for such an event. A long row of trimmed hedges leads to two side gardens, each with a gravel path framing a babbling fountain. That day, one side garden was awash in late afternoon sunshine, accentuated by a jewel-box of flora,



while the other was serene and restrained with its white Astilbes bathed in shade.



The setting was the perfect backdrop to such a lovely event. That night, we ate, danced, and celebrated two wonderful people. The Mount, that night at least, was a house full of mirth.

Summer Hiatus Ended!

Dear Readers (should any remain after my unexplained hiatus),

I'm back, baby! Did you miss me?

Here at Meet Me in Philadelphia I've been inexplicably silent...but I swear it was for good reason. I've been working towards a number of goals and I've accomplished quite a bit in the blogging respite. So, you ask, what have I been up to?

Well, since my last post, I've managed to

--secure a wedding date, caterer and location*
--find my dream wedding dress
--order our "Save the Date" cards
--join a gym and work out an average of four days a week (yay me!)
--host visitors
--stop biting my nails
--attend the weddings of two couple-friends (more details & photos this week)
--get the ball rolling with my loveseat reupholstery project
--visit Terrain at Styers for the first time
--enjoy summer baseball with the Fightin' Phils

This laundry-list of activities is just a sampling of what I've been up to over the last eight weeks. Thank you for your patience and, more importantly, for checking back.

Remember to Meet Me in Philadelphia again.

--Ashley

*Here's a sneak peak of the location of our May 21, 2011 nuptials. Try not to get too jealous...

(Photo of The Grange Estate via Google)

TGIF, 5/28/10 Edition

(image via Martha Stewart)

Happy Friday, everyone. It's almost three o'clock here and I'm itching to start my Memorial Day weekend. How about you?

While enjoying the barbecues and the start of summer, let's just remember those currently engaged in combat (like my sister-in-law, Jamie). Whatever your politics may be, Memorial Day is a time to enjoy our country, remember its history, and honor those men and women who served it.

Daydreaming of the Islands

With Memorial Day just around the corner, I am finding it hard to concentrate on work. I'm thinking that this weekend is the beginning of corn-on-the-cob, barbecues, beach weekends, and summer weddings. Naturally, with imagery like this floating around my brain, it's nearly impossible to keep my mind in reality. I'm dreaming of an island paradise instead.

(image of Fiji via Google)

No, no, silly...not those islands. These islands:

(images of Casco Bay via Google)

Off of Portland, Maine is a series of islands in the Casco Bay. My mom is from Maine, so as a child I spent countless summers in "vacationland" with my extended family. Occasionally, we would take the long way via Route 1 and experience the scenic New England drive to my grandmother's farm in Farmington.

The temperatures today in Philadelphia are approaching the 90's, and I'm imagining myself biking along a gravel path on Great Diamond Island, one of the islands in the Casco Bay. I am biking to my island cottage that is surrounded by New England nature at its finest. My bike's basket is brimming with flowers and my hair is messy from the ride.

Here are two potential contenders for my dream Maine island cottage, currently for sale on Great Diamond Island in the Casco Bay:

This Sunset Avenue house

and this Crescent Avenue house

Both need work and are still over my imaginary-Maine-dream-cottage budget (currently set at a whopping $0), but it's fun to dream, isn't it?

Impressing the Fam

I don't know about you, readers, but when my parents or extended family come to visit us in Philadelphia, I feel compelled to impress them, to show them that I'm not only an adult, but I'm a pretty great adult. I'm an adult who lays out towels in the guest bedroom, spreads blooming peonies in vases around the apartment, and plans wonderfully delectable meals for all to enjoy.

This is, after all, not an every day occurrence. Family visits are special.

On Thursday, my mom, dad, and grandmother will be traveling from Connecticut for a visit. Considering my parents haven't seen our apartment since a week after we moved in, I have been buzzing around after work making sure everything is just "so."

So far I have the following meal ideas, all via Martha. For Thursday, I'm thinking:

Penne Fritatta with basil and ricotta (yum!)

(image via Martha Stewart)

and, for dessert, Martha's Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

(image via Martha Stewart)

Readers, do you have any special things you do to prepare for special visitors? Any great summery recipes you want to share?

Prints, please

After a long day at work, I was thrilled to check my email and find a delightful email from Roberta Roller Rabbit. What did I receive? A discount code for the summer picnic-ready hand blocked printed napkins, place mats, and tablecloths!

(image via Roberta Roller Rabbit)

From now until May 31, receive 15% tabletop items via the online store using the promo code ALFRESCO10. If you're looking for more than just great dining decor, here are just some of my fave (non-tabletop) items:

The "Fantasia" pillow in blue, $40

The "Elephant" quilt in pink, $125 for full

The "Amanda" lounge set in blue, $85
(all item images via Roberta Roller Rabbit)

The image in the heading of my blog is of our bedroom, in which I've paired cobalt Roberta Roller Rabbit curtains and an Rubie Green-upholstered chair. Everyday I wake up and honestly think, "I love my bedroom. More prints, please."

Weekend Recap: Wedding Venue, Take 2

Happy Monday, blog-readers. Adam and I were very busy this past weekend. As promised on Friday, I will share a bit about our second trip to wedding venues.

Saturday was spent buzzing around to two potential wedding sites: Bartram's Garden and the Belmont Mansion, both historic sites that are a part of Philadelphia's expansive Fairmount Park. Don't get me wrong, both are beautiful and a drastic change of pace from the normal urban hustle-and-bustle of Philadelphia, but something was just not right in both of these location. Just not...well, perfect.

The grounds weren't maintained well enough, there weren't enough flowers in bloom, the parking lot wasn't big enough...I could go on (and really, these are both beautiful places, don't get me wrong).

Soon-to-be brides or marrieds out there, do you know what I'm talking about? Will I need to forgo perfection for reality, or can you actually find "the one"?

On a side note, my parents and grandmother will be visiting us over the next weekend so we weren't just scouting wedding venues...we also did a bit of purging. Clearing out the junk made me feel like this weekend wasn't a total bust.

How was your weekend?