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This weekend was a big weekend. We didn't go out or host a party or anything like that, but it was big nonetheless.

We sorted out the wedding gifts that had been piling up in the corners of the living room and unpacked all of the boxes of dinnerware, glassware and pots and pans.

Ohhh the pots and pans. Calphalon, I love you.

With that set came a colander (which apparently, according to the pamphlet, can double as a fruit bowl. Thanks for the heads-up, Calphalon.) and a dutch oven. They were bonus items. With the dutch oven came a Calphalon spoon and a lovely kitchen towel. I'm sold on the kitchen towels...our Williams-Sonoma ones are not as absorbent.

Future Husband (who I guess will just be Husband after Saturday? hmmm) got to unpack all the boxes. So this:

became this:

You can also see how lovely our kitchen is. I like to think of it as retro chic. Hah.

We eventually got everything put away and piled up our old pots and pans (at the bottom right of the photo) to take to Goodwill (a harrowing experience at best - don't people know how to drive?).

We also cleaned, did laundry, started packing and hung art/photos up. Which was good, because I was starting to believe that the photos would be leaning against the walls in their selected locations forever.

Two red canvases for the guest bathroom...

Two framed photographs by Steven L. Miller Photography. He's a local photographer who travels all over and has a stand at the Courthouse antiques market every Saturday. I would happily fill all of my frames with his work.

I also found out that my dream of adding French style to our apartment (which is, for the most part, pretty classic and a little modern - clean lines, lots of natural colors and white, dark wood, etc.) may come true! We got a Restoration Hardware advert in the mail on Saturday and Future Husband (gasp) actually found things in it that he liked! I was surprised, as he had always seemed a little hesitant when I talked of decorating in a French/Provence style.

He even liked the linen pillow covers with patterns from French burlap sacks, which I have been lusting after since seeing them appear countless times in the design blogs I follow. So we decided we'll get one of these...

 (Photo from Restoration Hardware)

He also liked these chairs, but we don't really have the space in our current apartment. So I guess we just need to buy a house in Provence and then I can decorate to my heart's content.

We should probably work on owning a house in Virginia first. Sigh.

 (Photo from Restoration Hardware)

So it was a productive weekend...and I figured I'd post about apartment endeavours first and then our cooking endeavours...which were also fun this weekend!

xo,
Carrie