Sandy, Sandy Go Away

Nothing like a kitchen chalkboard to set the mood for the Davis apartment, and I think this message says it all.  Joe and I have been cooped up all day just biding our time before the power goes out. Based on the last year and a half in this apartment, it seems pretty inevitable. So, I've tried to prepare us as much as possible.  Made a quick grocery store run this morning for non-perishables and batteries then filled the water bottles and cleaned the house while I still had a chance.  As Mississippians by birth seeing more than enough hurricane damage and with family living on the coast weathering through the likes of Camille, Katrina and Ike we've learned a thing or two about hurricane preparedness. Thankfully, it seems we won't be seeing too much of Sandy (or the crazy blizzard happening just west of us!), but our thoughts and deep prayers go out to those on the east coast and in West Virginia.

So for now, we wait (as I currently watch the wind pick up outside) -- snacks, books, and board games at the ready.

I hope everyone is staying safe, dry, and warm! 

Love,

DD

There and Back Again

**Fair Warning: This post is a million years old, but I needed to get it out of my draft box and move on with my blogging life.**

Monday, July 9

Well friends, I told you I would be M.I.A. from the blog world for a bit, and I didn't lie!
The past 8 days took me all over the south east and to see my husband and LOTS of family and friends. 

My little Honda Civic got VERY LITERALLY over 2,000 miles put on it this past week and I spent a good 30 + hours enjoying the view from within.  It was an incredible week, but man, talk about needing a vacation from your vacation! As much as it pains me to re-separate from my darling husband, I've got to tell you: this girl was pretty stoked to sleep in her own bed last night and spend a quiet Monday behind a desk.

The following is a small account of the hubs and I trying to experience some new things from some great southern cities. We started off in Birmingham where Joe is working for the latter half of the summer...

1. Vulcan, an almost 200 year old statue that overlooks Birmingham, Alabama and features a history of Birmingham museum and park... and we experienced the whole shebang. We toured the park and the museum and then climbed to the top of Vulcan for a magnificent view overlooking the "Steel City."
2. A not-so-great self-taken photo at the top of Vulcan. Well hello bangs! At least my husband's cute.
3. There's a new place in Bham called Steel City Pops. If you live in the area and have not been, you MUST GO! I'm not sure if they are only open for the summer or if it will be year-round, but the new popsicle business was bustling when we arrived and for good reason! Homemade, fresh popsicles made from whole fruits, vegetables, cream, or all of the above. This is my Strawberries and Cream and it was TO DIE FOR!
4. After leaving Birmingham, Joe and I hit the road to head even further south to a little place I like to go..New Orleans, Louisiana. Basically our ENTIRE trip was planned around where to eat and drink (there may have been a few law firm interviews mixed in, but we all know what was really the important part of the trip.)  This was one of the many venues we managed to cram into our two-day trip. French 75. It's a cocktail lover's dream come true. Listed as one of Esquire magazine's Top 5 Cocktail Bars in America, this classy joint was at the top of my husband's list of places to stop in. And it absolutely did not disappoint.
5.I was a horrible photographer during our trip, but I did manage to at least get a photo of one of my NOLA favs.. did anyone say beignets? Why, yes! And these giant beignets accompanied by a live jazz trio at Cafe Beignet was just what our mid-afternoon in the Big Easy required.
6. We finished up our last night in New Orleans by visiting the city's area best known for its plethora of music clubs... Frenchman Street! The night we were in town, this jazz club hosted Kristina Morales & the Bayou Shufflers. Fabulous!

As I said, I failed as the trip photographer, but I am happy to report that the rest of the week was just as tremendous with lots of visits to grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends from all over Mississippi.

Hope your Monday was as peaceful as mine!
Dianna

P.S. I realize it is no longer Monday, but we will just pretend this was posted on the day it was orginially intended. But really, HAPPY WEEKEND!

Apartment Therapy

As promised, following my last post, I am updating with lots of goodies from the past few weeks.

A couple of weekends ago, my dear family drove up to Charlottesville to pay me a visit and see my first apartment as a married lady.  And of course my parents would not care what the place looked like, but if you know me, you know I dress to impress... and this of course includes my home.  I had all kind of project ideas I wanted to implement to make my house our home, but with a new job and few precious months with my husband before he would be gone for the summer, I had little creativity and energy to do anymore around our place than rearranging the magazines on the coffee table.

Family coming was just the kick in the pants I need to get the ball rolling and a few things I've been itching to do.

The first thing was to FINALLY finish painting our bedroom.  When we moved into our apartment the entire place was beige... and I mean BEIGE. Floor to ceiling.  Moulding, trim, doors, walls, ceiling.. beige. A few months after we moved in, I went to work painting all the moulding, trims, and interior doors and nice clean semi-gloss white.  Then I filled in the living room, kitchen and hallway walls with a sunny yellow, and finished off the kitchen with a super cheap backsplash (i.e. Sherwin Williams wallpaper that looks deceivingly like metal.)


I decided to get out of my comfort zone in our bedroom and try out an accent wall. For some this is less than uncomfortable, but I'm a bit of a traditional girl... just let me live in Pottery Barn and I would be pretty happy. BUT, I knew I would only be in this apartment for a couple more years, so why not try something out now? If I liked it I could implement it in other homes in the future, if not, at least I know what I don't like.

Before:

During: Hello skyblue accent wall!

After: The bright, tranquil, cottage-y bedroom I was dreaming of. UNFORTUNATELY.. my sad little iphone camera get a wee bit wet so the lens makes everything look kind of foggy.. but you get the idea!

*The reupholstered ottoman will get a post all its own.  Completely worth it, but, guys, what a project!

Drawers were painted using Valspar Eggplant undercoat, crackle glaze finish, and Valspar Antique white over coat. Also, I realize I have much too much jewelry and am STILL working on a good way to organize. I would love suggestions!

Brown wooden shelves from Target.. I always say, a little spray paint goes a looonng way!

This bedroom comes fully equipped with a cuddly cat who doubles as a table ornament.

Sorry it took so long to finally get some pictures up.  I'd say I'll be more diligent in getting up specifics from some of the projects that made this room.. but I probably won't.  This week is busy busy busy and next week I'm headed to see my husband in the muggy south. It's going to be wonderful! 

Stay tuned.. I will post again, eventually.

Lots of love,

DD

Amazing, MARVELOUS.. Anniversary!

As you most likely could have guessed, today's Monday highlight is all about my husband and greatest joy, because today we celebrate our 1 year anniversary!

It so so strange to me that we have been married for an entire year! Our wedding day is still so vivid in my mind... the super early morning that was a little chilly and dewy.. much like today.. having 20 people congratulate and try to give me day-of and marriage advice while getting my makeup done at Merle Norman, seeing my handsome groom for the first time on our wedding day, doing my best to be cool, calm and collected when my bridesmaids tried to very nonchalantly let me know that we were short a bouquet BUT IT WAS GOING TO BE FINE! NBD!... they handled it very well.. crying as as I watched our bridal party march to the alter to the most beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace" I've ever heard... thank you Dr. Lesley, choir, and bagpiper!.. trying to figure out what it felt like to be MARRIED as my new husband drove us to OUR wedding reception.. there are just so many details and feelings that are still so prominent from that day... I don't believe 365 have passed since then!

But then again, I think back on what this past year has been and it seems too many memories have been made for it to only be 1 year!

I very honestly know that a year ago today I married my best friend and the one person in this world that I was meant to spend the rest of my life with.  He has brought me more happiness, laughter, and comfort than I could ever try to recount.  Aside from my Salvation, he is kind of the best thing that has ever happened to me!

I knew I loved this guy a whole lot when I agreed to share the rest of my life with him a year ago, but I had no idea that in a year's time I could love him even more! And so much more that it blows me away! How is it possible to care this much about any one person? I suppose there is only one answer to that, and it is the very powerful, loving God that has enabled Joe and I to grow in love and continue loving each other more and more each day.

Now, for fear of sounding like an ingenuine greeting card, I will confess that there have been of course many struggles as The Davises. Afterall, moving to a new home 12+ hours away from everyone we knew merely weeks after our honeymoon with one of us starting our first post-college job and the other trying to make it through the first year of law school is not an ideal situation for young newlyweds. And yes, hearts got broken, toes stepped on, feelings hurt, but when looking back on the year it is really easy to forget all those things, because we are learning why they happened. We are growing from them. And we are more in love today than the past 7 years of our relationship!

Happy Anniversary, love! And to all the upcoming summer anniversaries, Happy Marriage to you as well! I hope your love continues to grow and flourish as I am so thankful ours has!

XOXO,
Mrs. Dianna Davis!


A few favs from our very special day..

All photo credits belong to The Lovely Union.

Marvelous Monday!

This weekend was not one that lent itself to propelling me into a joyful Monday morning.  It was a short, rainy weekend that led to an early, rainy Monday morning.. HOWEVER, cold, gloomy, rainy, and just blah mornings like this remind me that it's APRIL! and you know what they say...
"April Showers Bring May Flowers!"

So this Monday, I hope you can marvel with me at these promisng photos of what I have to look forward to of Charlottesville in May!

Bring on the Tulips

TJ's Monticello looks even more incredible in spring!

Cannot wait for perfect patio-seating weather, because the Downtown Mall has PLENTY to offer.

These pictures are unfortunately not my own, but I'll be out with a camera in just a few weeks!

Have a Marvelous Monday!
Love,
DD

Marvelous Monday! Er.. Tuesday.

In my desperate attempt to get excited at the beginning of the week and not just the end, I've decided on installing a new staple to the blog of Mrs. Davis.. Marvelous Mondays! And this Monday I had a great post all planned out, and then I got busy and sick and tired.

Sooooo this week we are going to be having a Marvelous TUESDAY people!

And today's marvelous installment is all about running!
I once felt I could call myself a runner (though still a loose interpretation), and then I got married and moved to Charlottesville.  If you know anything about Charlottesville or just Virginia period, you know the hills around here are KILLER! But I'm finely regaining my running stamia and along with the incredible spring that has descended on these parts and my...

brand new running shoes! I've inpsired myself to get back out there starting with my Marvelous Monday run of 4.5 miles.

I'll try to keep it up, and of course, let you know how it goes!

XOXO,
DD

Baking Lessons

**WARNING: If you have given up sweets for the next 40 day, you may want to skip the pictures**

I've always had some Julia Child-esque aspirations to be a master in the kitchen. To me, being able to create something delectable is a practical skill, and of course a bonus to kitchen mastery is the effective ability to “whip something up” to keep everyone from starving. (I know, a chronic issue in middle-class American homes…)

Ok, so really I just want to be a good cook because I like good food and like to be able to prepare it for others.  This hankering has kicked itself into high gear since taking on the term “wife” and the installation of my long-anticipated KitchenAid stand mixer. Free time these days is often spent rifling through Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything,” Southern Livings’ “1001 Ways to Cook Southern,” and some favorite Davis cooking sites: cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com and allrecipes.com.

With all that said, let’s get down to what this post is really all about: some of my very latest and greatest BAKING adventures.

A few weeks ago our dear newlywed friends, the DeBries, hosted a superb Super Bowl party despite the less than extraordinary teams (Chris, if you’re reading this, sorry.) Thus, with the gentle nudging of my culinarily* adventurous husband I landed upon making mini desserts to honor each team, though certainly unworthy of honor.  That’s why you can find pictures and recipes below for BOSTON Cream Pies and NEW YORK Cheesecakes.  I think of the desserts that night, the cream pies had it.

*Sometime I like to pretend I'm James Joyce.

You can find the recipe for the Boston Cream Pies here

My biggest tip, for with anytime you are dealing with sugar, have the pot hot and your liquid and spoon ready.. sugar burns quickly and makes custard, well... not custard.

The mini cheesecakes were much simpler, and I took a shortcut by topping them off with canned dark sweet cherries.. if I had more time and resources I would have remade Joe's home brandied cherries and added a little whipped cream garnish. Whatever your preference, you can find the recipe here. I chose to be somewhat healthy and use neufchatel cheese.

More recently, I took on the task of making a from-scratch King Cake to celebrate Mardi Gras.  This would have been the first pre-Lenten season without one, and just because my proximity to New Orleans and the splendid Gulf Coast has changed does not mean traditions have to. It was quite an undertaking, but I’m admittedly proud of the result!

Had lots of fun trying to wrangle the filled dough into this guy... but I think he's looking pretty yummy, even pre-oven!  

Colored sugar crystals can be expensive and I already had food coloring so I just dyed my own!

So gooooood!

If you're thinking of making one next year, I recommend this one! Tips: check for doneness before 30 minutes. Mine came out just a few minutes too late. Also, basic confectioner's icing was fine, but there are tons of varieties to experiment with including a bourbon icing! Finally, I let my dough rise overnight with a damp cloth over the bowl... definitely worked out.

Hope I got your taste buds tingling!