Inauguration | Obama

I traveled to Washington DC with Lauren and friends for Obama's inauguration. Words cannot express how it felt to be a part of the inauguration of the first black president... on MLK Day... and listen to Obama say,

"Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters 

are treated like anyone else under the law – 

for if we are truly created equal, 

then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."

Everything was perfection: the invocation by Myrlie Evers-William, poem by Cuban-American poet Richard Blanco (first openly gay, Hispanic poet), address by Obama, and the performances by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson, and Beyonce Knowles. But seriously, does it get any better than that!

The trip wasn't all smooth sailing though. Despite some seasoned vets telling us to leave as early as 6am to secure a spot we decided to sleep in and leave closer to 9am (not suggested). We spent a couple of hours at the orange gate packed in lines of people refreshing twitter feeds and  chanting "FORWARD" with little to no progress in that direction. The gates did eventually reopen and after a collective sigh or relief from the masses everyone charged ahead to find the perfect view. 

monuments everywhere

The house we stayed in on Capitol Hill had this incredible tile floors and beautiful rugs

amazing wooden puzzles

the cutest Bernese mountain dog around

and a fun/competitive board game called "Word on the Street"

|  In conclusion, it was an incredible and unforgettable trip with amazing company.  |

Quiche | Potluck

 |  This weekend Lauren and I decided to tackle a new potluck project. We finally settled on a quiche recipe from SmittenKitchen and could not have made a better choice. The ingredients were relatively inexpensive and the dish was a huge hit. We doubled the recipe, added some turkey bacon, and ended up saving an entire quiche just for ourselves.  |

TJs shopping list

baby spinach & shallots

mixing it all together

final product

New Museum | Art | Roaming

 

{Ellie Ga, Untitled 2008}

{http://www.newmuseum.org/}

{Judith Bernstein: HARD}

 

{Judith Bernstein: HARD}

{Jose Celestino Mutis, botanist and mathematician}

{Ellie Ga, Arctic Ocean}

 Museum Night at the New Museum | Free Admission on Thursday Evenings from 7 p.m.–9 p.m. 

Williamstown, Ma

Home Depot | Femme | Furniture

 Final Product

 

Free Furniture |  Trash Day 

 |  I found these two very lonely stools on the side of the road with the trash so I decided to give them a new home. After taking great lengths to ensure there were no unwelcome creepy crawlers we made the journey back to my apartment and up five flights of stairs. Here I introduced the stools to various cleaning products and the bathtub. I spent the remainder of the night comparing techniques for refinishing furniture and compiling a list of supplies.  |

{Femme does Home Depot}

|  Home Depot makes you walk through staged kitchens, bathrooms, tiles, and lighting fixtures before you get to to paint & tools. But somewhere between picking out a pale blue glass tile for my future bathroom complete with soaking tub and waterfall shower-head I managed to get the goods. Shopping list: coarse sand paper, fine sand paper or steel wool, masking tape, plastic throw, 1in paint brush, 2 in paint brush, Breyer's paint sample (covers 4-6 ft), wood stain. Total Cost: $22.35  |

 Sea-foam Green Legs

Stained Wood Seat

Final Product

Clean Up

|  After five hours of sanding, taping, painting, waiting, and repeating I have learned some things  |

1) Sanding is a work out. My right arm and side are still very sore.

2) Wood stain does not come off the body even after two showers & heavy pumice stone use.

3) Painting indoors while drinking red wine will make you feel funny and sleep well.

Whiskey & Writing

Cross-Country Skiing | Amateurs

 

{Moira the Irish Wolfhound}

 

{Boots}

{Very prepared}

 {This happened a couple of times}

{...and then we gave up}

Bearsville | Winter | Getaway

 

{Cottage View}

| While Lauren and I had some time away from school and work we took advantage of the winter weather and traveled up to Bearsville, NY for a two day getaway. We rented a beautifully renovated cottage. It retained the old character of the barn and incorporated the artistic atmosphere of the Woodstock area. Add the gigantic soaking tub and amazing views of the mountains and all you need to complete the perfect weekend getaway is board games, wine & cheese |

 

{Second floor bedroom and bath}

 {Desk and lounge chair}

 {Large soaking tub, barn doors, and bubble bath}

 {Antique kitchen with wood stove/oven}

 {Wooden wagon}

DIY | Jewelry Holder

 DIY Jewelry Holder: cork board, white picture frame, mesh wire, and blue paint 

open wave (tiffany & co.), origami crane (etsy), (Tenley Ghan) original, & DIY fail