Why I Love DC: Metro Mutts…

If you know me in real life you know I have a sometimes unhealthy affection for my dogs (the Boys) Nino and Diego. Some people have children, we have dogs.

One of my dogs Diego will have nothing but the best, the best food, the best bed, the best dog treats and for that I go to Metro Mutts.

The first thing I love about Metro Mutts is that they have a cat “Romeo” that is honestly the coolest cat I’ve met in a long time.

He’s super friendly; every time I come he greets me “like welcome back loyal customer”. He must have been trained in customer service by one of the owners, Kelly who is my go to when I have questions pertaining to anything pet related. When Diego decided he was no longer going to eat the food we’d been feeding him for the last five years Kelly spent close to half an hour with us discussing the benefits of the various pet foods that they offer. That’s not atypical either because when Diego decided his doggie bed would no longer due and tore both his and his brother (Nino’s) beds up Kelly also spent 20 minutes discussing the various dog bed options they offered. When nothing they carried met my needs (I either thought they were too small or not the right color to fit our home décor) Kelly volunteered to email me various websites that would have beds she recommended for me to choose. Before I even got home 15 minutes later the email arrived with numerous links to companies where I was able to purchase the bed of my choice.

I also just love the look of Metro Mutts. If I was to design a pet store that represented H Street, Metro Mutts would be it, with all its exposed brick and artwork by Beth Hollace.

If you have a pet Metro Mutts offers so many things outside of just pet supplies like dog walking, training in their lower level by Heather Morris of Spot on Training. There is also talk that they might start offering overnight stays and doggie movie night!!!!!

I always ask guest bloggers and business owners the same two questions:

1. What makes a house a home?

2. What part of your home is your favorite “special” place and why?

Anna (a joint owner of Metro Mutts) had a lovely answer:

“Cooking makes a house a home! I love the familiar smells of a family recipe being prepared (both new and old recipes) and the feeling of having everyone around the table for a meal. I have 3 kids and my parents and in-laws are part of our everyday life, so we keep our dining room table, which comfortably seats 10, in the biggest room of the house where there is a fireplace, music, books, toys & crafts for the kids. I love when my kids ask "what's for dinner?" and if I have a good enough response it gets a big "Yessssssss." I really believe the old saying that "the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach" and "the family that eats together stays together"!”

I love the pic of her dining room table and could not agree more that cooking makes a house a home!

(This is the first of many in a series that will be featured on this blog called “Why I Love DC”. This is in no way an advertisement and I am not paid or given discounts or promotional items to feature any business. Businesses cannot request to be featured. “Why I Love DC” will not always be businesses but when they are they will be businesses I frequent routinely as a customer”).

Happy Hour: Keeping Up With the Joneses…

So there is a little explanation needed for tonight’s cocktail. We’re friends with another couple that we call “The Joneses” because well their last name is Jones. Every time they have a get together they have a drink that I think consists of lemonade and blueberry vodka that I absolutely adore because you can’t taste the booze. It basically tastes like a perfect glass of lemonade with just the right amount of blueberry sweetness. Every time summer rolls around and I get a craving for a summery drink one of us will say “let’s make a pitcher of keeping up with the Joneses”. I don’t know the right proportions and I’m almost certain they don’t use country time lemonade.

 How we make “the Joneses” in our house is to make up a pitcher of lemonade and add blueberry vodka to taste (read half a bottle).  We like to enjoy ours while grilling up something on the patio, which is how I think you should enjoy yours. I hope your having a great weekend!

There’s a sucker born every day…

And today I was that sucker. I don’t fall for a lot. I’m not the type of person who gets stuff from infomercials or fads from magazines. I don’t need to wear the latest fashion or have the latest techi gadget. But let me tell you marketers out there something, if you want me to try some new food item for the first time the best way to make me do that is have it mentioned on a blog or two. For weeks now I’ve been reading about a new thing that you just have to try “Coconut Water”. I was mildly interested thinking I like coconut and I like water, I’m sure I’d like coconut water. I’ve also baked with coconut milk and oil and so I figured why not I’ll give it a try should I see it. Thursday I also happened to hear about how Madonna is investing a lot of money in a coconut water manufacturer because coconut water is about to blow up. Madonna looks damn good for her age (body wise, I’m not talking about the plastic surgery) so if she’s drinking coconut water than maybe my chubby butt should down a glass or two.

So fast forward to the Thursday night shopping trip and low and behold what is displayed at $4.99 a box, yup “coconut water”. I snatched up a box with such glee while Jedd balked at the price “what is that and why do we need it”. To which I say “Honey it’s COCONUT WATER” and “EVERYONE is drinking it”. Not convinced he also inquired about who “EVERYONE” was exactly. All the other bloggers and get this MADONNA. As we drove home I informed him how the box of coconut water was actually a good buy, it was on sale and I’m sure it’s going to go up since “all the celebrities like Madonna are going to be drinking it”.

So fast forward to Friday night as I’m getting dinner together and Jedd’s walking the dogs I decide to try the coconut water, pouring myself a glass and gulping down a huge mouthful….

Madonna is a nut! I can’t drink this stuff, I end up pouring the remainder back into the box and shoving it back in the fridge before Jedd comes down and see’s I’ve broken it out. All I’m thinking as he comes into the kitchen is I hope the stuff does make good shakes cause he’s going to want his $5.00 back.

Why I blog…

The question I often get asked, mostly by family and friends who don’t blog, is why I do it. Some can’t understand why the blog isn’t anonymous or why I chose to do a public blog. So I thought I’d do a little blog about what else but the why’s of blogging. The reasons are quite simple:



1. I have a bad memory and am rarely in the present: Blogging helps with both of these. I’m the kind of person that every moment I’m doing something I’m thinking of what I need to do next. Even when I’m doing something fun and enjoyable. I could be on vacation and I will be thinking when I get back I’ll need to schedule that eye exam. As a result there are many times I’ve looked back and thought “damn I wish I had been more focused and really paid more attention to that experience”. The rarely being in the present is also why I generally have a really bad memory about the details of things. I don’t remember my best friends name from the 2nd grade though I remember her face, I couldn’t tell you the street we lived on my freshman year.


2. Because I hate talking on the phone and am bad at staying in touch: I despise talking on the phone. I do it a lot for work and I find it really unenjoyable. I think it has something to do with also not being able to see the other persons face. Since the majority of my family lives in Australia and the rest live out of state I rarely am available to talk when they are. Plus with my memory I often think I have told someone something when I haven’t. Blogging is a great way for my friends and family to be able to see what’s going on with us, should they care to do so.


3. For the future me: One thing I constantly think now is I wish I kept some type of diary when I was younger. I can’t remember what I thought but I do know I was quite different than I am now. I think it will be funny for Jedd and me to look back at the progression of the house and see how things like tree trimming were a major catastrophe in 2011.


4. I don’t blog anonymously and the blog isn’t private because when I read blogs the ones I find myself revisiting time and time again are not anonymous. It’s the feeling of getting to know that person that keeps me coming back for more.


If you blog, why do you do it? What got you started? Do you blog anonymously?

Nino & The Capitol…

Progress…

I know what you’re thinking (Jackie) “What is going on with the house”! Very little only one little thing so far:

Yup that’s the demolition of the termite damage of the basement steps. Lucky for us the selling bank decided to pay for this, which means I can cross off one thing on the to do list.

Oh and for those of you who are wondering why Jackie is in brackets it’s because I figure the only person probably asking that question is my godmother Jackie. Just as an FYI you’ll see lots of posts specifically pointed at her because I’m positive she’s one of the only people reading this each and every day.

My Chicken Mac has NOTHING on this…

Everyone has their specialty when it comes to cooking and Jedd’s WOW me meal when we first started dating was Chicken Mac and Cheese (a.k.a Chicken Mac). Every now and then I’ll ask him to make me his special chicken mac, which is a really easy recipe for me to give you its Stover’s mac and cheese with bite size pieces of grilled chicken added in. In addition to LOVING chicken mac we also have a fondness for buffalo chicken so imagine Jedd’s delight when I made this tonight:

Yup that’s basically buffalo chicken mac and cheese. You know how I know when Jedd likes something; he asks me a ton of questions about it. Last night he was very inquisitive about where the recipe came from, Jessica at “How Sweet It Is”. He wanted to know if she put the recipe together herself and if we’ve made anything else of hers. He informed me that the two elements that made it really above par were the crunchy panko bread crumbs and the gorgonzola. In his words “she really nailed it with the gorgonzola and the crunchy things”. As he ate his second helping he was quite as if he was really pondering something, finally he looked up and said “my chicken mac has NOTHING on this”!

Happy Hour: The Charleston Cocktail…

A new tradition started at our house called Friday Happy Hour for several reasons. The first thing that happened was we went to a restaurant that did not have a cocktail menu. I didn’t want beer or wine, but I didn’t know any names of cocktails in order to request one. Our server was no help because as she informed me “I am not a bartender” so I was left to my own devices. I also don’t have a fall back drink to give to the bartender so I ended up getting one because it was the only name we could come up with. So I thought to myself “I really should find my go to drink”. I don’t really like anything you’d normally consider, no gin and tonics for me or vodka cranberries. So in an effort to find “my drink of choice” I’ve decided that every Friday in our house would be “Happy Hour”. This Friday started with a drink that I thought was only fitting “The Charleston”:

Jedd and I met in Charleston in 2005. I fell instantly in love, I think he needed some convincing. Every time someone asks us about our design inspiration we say “well we really like how homes in Charleston look”. I decided on my career path in Charleston and started college there. I love the people in Charleston and now I love their cocktail. The best way to describe the Charleston is as a grown up Arnold Palmer. It’s a smooth drink with barely any hint to the fact that there are 2 oz. of alcohol in it. As we sipped and clanked our ice cubes around I thought I might have already found my go to drink. Jedd’s only comment “I barely taste the booze which means this could get YOU in trouble”.

As predicted I’m off looking for trouble. Happy Friday!

Date Nights: The Liberty Tree…

We’ve missed it the last few weeks with everything that’s been going on, but typically Wednesday’s are date nights in the G household. I know what your thinking with no kids and disposable income every night should be date night. YES I agree with you, it SHOULD, but unfortunately it is not.

Last night, for the sake of simplicity we opted to go to a tried and true “The Liberty Tree” on H Street in NE DC. If I absolutely had to pick a favorite restaurant in the neighborhood it would have to be Liberty Tree. I’ve tried most of the menu and it’s not just that nothing disappointed, it’s that each and every thing I have tried has been great. I haven’t had one bad thing, so much so that I’ve tried a lot of things out of my comfort zone. One of those things is a cod sandwich which we got and split with another unusual item for me a clam pizza.

I can’t say which I like better. The cod sandwich actually comes with tartar sauce which I despise, but they make it fresh here and it’s quite yummy. But I ONLY like the tartar sauce here, I’ve tried it since at other places thinking I didn’t know whether I like it or not.

I also thought clam pizza would be a mistake but the mistake would be you NOT getting this pizza.



What is your favorite restaurant and why?

Ugh…what’s our style…?

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to any of our apartments but I think if you have you’d probably come to the conclusion we have no style. And you would be right. We’ve traditionally lived in rentals that wouldn’t allow us to paint. We’ve furnished our places with hand me downs and craigslist finds. We even got a free couch off the street once. But now we’re grownups and we want to do what grownups do and carve out our little piece of heaven on earth.


So the first issue we tried to sort out on Saturday was paint. What color should we paint the rooms? We knew Benjamin Moore would have paint…

And boy did they have a wide selection. Such a selection that we couldn’t choose, not one single color for one single room in the hour we were there.

So then we went to a cool place in Baltimore to see if we could get some inspirations from second hand furniture, I like this

No not really but can’t you imagine Prince and I sitting on these? I think the issue is we like such a wide variety of things, we love Charleston homes but we want exposed brick. Have you ever seen a Charleston Home with exposed brick? Probably not, aren’t they primarily made from wood. We like graffiti art, how the hell do you incorporate graffiti art into a home with “southern charm”.

 I like photographs of “urban living” think something like this or even this. But no, that’s not quite right for a house people live in is it? We both want to do something different, but not too different. Something that says “we’re different, but not so much that you should watch us, I mean we do go to work and pay our taxes”.

Hopefully we can sort it out soon. If you have any ideas or want to forward inspirational pics please feel free.

What’s your style?

MY LIFE IS SOOOO HARD...

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Mushroom Fries & Car bombs…

Sometimes things just work out. Today was one of those days. We like to participate in Meatless Mondays because it forces us to think outside of the box when it comes to our meals, no falling back on “meat and potatoes” all the time. I also like to spice things up by trying new vegetarian recipes and once I saw Jessica’s mushroom fries I knew what I was making tonight.

Believe it or not the hardest part was cutting up the Portobello’s.

Within 14 minutes (not including minimal prep) we had a tasty alternative to French fries. I’m a little tired of French fries anyway. We paired these with veggie burgers which worked wonderfully.

Especially since my friend and fellow blogger Meredith dropped off these Car Bomb Cupcakes for us to enjoy for dessert.

How much does that cost…

See this tree?

That’s actually our neighbor’s tree, which is growing over the property line significantly. Several branches are touching our roof and causing problems with the gutter. Every roofer we’ve gotten a quote from has said “You gotta do something about that tree”. So I decided to get some quotes on how much it would cost to cut the tree back. The first quote came from a general contractor who was merely going to cut the limbs back that were making contact with the roof and it was a whopping $1,500.00. Yeah I cussed when I got the quote. I cussed and threw a tantrum like a 5 year old. I think I stomped my foot and then cussed some more. Jedd suggested a time out.

I then decided the general contractor didn’t know what he was talking about so I got a second quote from a company that did this type of thing. They came out and said they would trim it back and hook up some cables to ensure none of the larger limbs would come down on the house and for that they quoted $1,200.00. I know what you’re thinking and I’m thinking the same thing… I hate my neighbors right now and they need to take care of that freaking tree!!!!!

Contractors…

So as I’ve mentioned before our house is 111 year old, approximately. As with any home that old or a home that is new to you there are going to be thing you need to get repaired. Some you can do yourself, others not so much. For us there were two issues that the selling bank agreed to fix that were beyond us and as a result we had to get two to three quotes for the work. The first issue was a two part issue in the basement there was evidence of termites on the steps:

This required us to get two estimates the first estimate was for treating the termites and the other for repairing the damage to the steps. So this is where I start to get baffled about how contractors come to their pricing. The first termite company quoted us $400 to treat 60% of the home (basically the basement), another termite company after providing us with a 50% discount because they forgot our appointment and had to reschedule gave us a quote of $800. But that’s not where the huge variations stop.

For the stairs we got three quotes: one for $400, one for $700 and another for $1,500.00. And yes all three quotes were for the exact same thing. Reading the quotes it’s word for word almost what they are going to repair, what they provide, etc.

Finding a contractor in general is hard time consuming work. It starts with selecting who to give you a quote, I first go to yelp, service pros and email a ladies group I’m in (this has 1,000 members) and inquire about whatever type of contractor I am looking for. I investigate their rating and any reviews, I research if possible whether or not they are licensed or have any complaints with the Better Business Bureau. I then contact the Contractor to schedule my estimate. For the most part the Contractors we’ve had have been on time for the estimate, IF they’ve shown up at all. And we’re running about 1 no show for every 4 that show.

So the Contractor arrives and some just walk around with us as we go through our list not taking a single note or picture (they must have better memories than I do because I still keep a list), others make detailed list and take pictures, some are in between. Then they leave and we wait and wait and wait. Finally after 10 days I email them and say “Hi we met 10 days ago, are you going to be sending a quote for the work on our house”…and then I wait. Finally we get the quotes and they vary not only in price but in how they appear. Some quotes are so poorly put together I think to myself “If the work they are doing for us would have this little put into it the house will fall down”. Others I think this is a fabulous quote, which is probably why they want 3 times as much as their competitors to do the job. Other’s never ever get us a quote.



What’s been your experience with Contractors? How have you found them?

Grandma Howard…

Everyone celebrates their Mom on Mother’s Day, but for me Mother’s Day always brings thoughts of Grandma Howard. Grandma Howard is one of the reasons I feel so lucky to have Jedd, she’s actually his grandmother. I didn’t really have much family growing up and one thing I missed out on was having a grandmother. Only one of my biological grandmother’s was alive while I have been and for whatever reason I just never heard from her. The few memories I have of her when I was younger are brief and I can’t say she took much interest in me.


Fast forward about 20 years and that would put you to my first meeting with Grandma Howard. Other than meeting Jedd’s mom, dad and sister I hadn’t met any of Jedd’s family until I met them all at his cousins wedding about a year after we had been dating. My race doesn’t usually come up anymore, but for some reason upon arriving in New Hampshire for the first time I suddenly was reduced to middle school Stephanie and I became increasingly self conscious of the fact that there were absolutely no black people (not true there are some) in New Hampshire. We then went to where the wedding was going to be, I think in Rhode Island and there weren’t any black people there. I started obsessing about the fact that Jedd had not told his extended family I was black (I know he hadn’t because I asked him and he acted like it was the most absurd questions ever). One of the reasons this was really alarming to me is because as most people know I have no relationship with my mother’s family because I’m black.

So anyway I get to the wedding and I meet Grandma Howard for the first time and her and her sister are quite charming. They both at the time had to be in their early 80’s and let me tell you these women are quick and really different from the other Grandmother’s I’m used to. Being black once it’s time to eat I become super alarmed because no one is fixing Grandma Howard a plate. This makes me distressed, I’m thinking OMG I can’t let her make her own plate, so I rush up to help her and Grandma Howard politely but firmly lets me know she can make her own plate. If you can cuss without cussing that’s basically what she did. From that point on I was fascinated by her. She’s quick and talks a lot of crap when she thinks no one is listening. She still drives, if you tell her she shouldn't do something that's exactly what she's going to do. Age hasn't kept her down, it's nothing but a number. At Christmas when everyone else is rushing around we chat, but we chat differently than you would think because I always hear her talking smack about how people assume she’s unable to do things. When I catch her talking her smack I give her a wink that says “I heard you” and she gives me a smile that says “yup I’m still here, I’m not just Grandma”.

Grandma Howard is also dear to me because she’s the grandmother I never had. She’s everything I dreamed a Grandmother would be while being so much more.  I’ve never received a Birthday card from a family member other than my parents. Every year for my birthday and Christmas guess what arrives in the mail, yup a card from Grandma Howard and just like you’d expect there’s a check in the card just like Grandmother’s do. So on Mother’s Day I just wanted to say Grandma Howard I hope your thinking of me because I am definitely thinking of you…”Happy Mother’s Day”!

Mothers…

OMG I cannot contain my excitement for this weekend. Its 9:27 am on Friday and this work day cannot go fast enough. We are beyond excited about Mother’s day, with our enthusiasm you would think we were 5 and it was Christmas Eve.

Today Jedd’s mom, Dorinda, comes and for mother’s day we are all going antiquing tomorrow in Fredericksburg. By far I won the mother-in-law lottery. I’ve heard so many horror stories from friends who don’t get along with their significant other’s mothers for a variety of reasons. I do not have that problem; Dorinda is the nicest person you will ever meet. Well really Jedd’s whole family is, but we’ll focus on her today. She’s also enthusiastic about everything, you want to go antiquing she’s up for it, I bet if we asked her to go to a Jay-Z concert her response would be “I’m down”. Another thing that is great about Dorinda is that her and my Mom get along really well. So much so that a couple years back my Mom went and visited Dorinda by herself.

Another reason for the excitement is my Mom returns from her week long trip to Korea tonight. I’m glad because I have not spoken to my mom since last Friday. Many people might find it weird to know I talk to my mother two to three times daily, every single day. Every morning on my way to work I talk to her about whatever which is a huge stress relief for me and a great way to start the day. Not having this week with everything that has been going on has been frustrating. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our Mom’s than with a whole weekend dedicated to them.

We hope that you are spending a wonderful weekend with your Mother! And mom(s) if your reading this we love you!

Big Daddy…

The story of how I finally gave in to referring to Jedd as Big Daddy goes like this…


When we first moved to DC and started looking for a house when we would tell realtor’s our requirements they basically told us we were dreaming for the price range we were in. I would not budge on my desire to live on the Capitol Hill side of H Street and I would not live past 13th NE. I have refused to even consider living outside of the 20002 area code. I also wanted two reasonably sized bedrooms, a master bath if possible, and we wanted a rentable basement that didn’t need much work. Again, all for a reasonable price. Jedd was certain that with a little patience we could find our dream house but as every year passed I grew more and more unsure. I had recently started putting the pressure on to start looking outside of the city but Jedd is VERY AGAINST the suburbs. Side note, once when I asked him why he didn’t want to live outside of the city he said “bad things happen in the suburbs” to which I said “what bad things” and he goes, without missing a beat “home invasion”. The reason this is funny is because it’s so true, we’d just seen something where someone’s McMansion was burglarized with them in it at 3 pm on a weekday. That would not happen on our street our neighbors can hear through the walls.

So anyway not long before we found the house Jedd won his leagues golf tournament and got this trophy….

His friends thought it was super funny and said I needed to start referring to Jedd as “Big Daddy”, now naturally I thought over my dead body, but then not only did Jedd get me my master bathroom but it came with this….

And that is the story of how I finally gave in to calling Jedd “Big Daddy”.

Best week ever….

How did I manage to miss the fact that Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day fell within days of each other? I’m excited. Unfortunately we are going to have to celebrate Cinco de Mayo on May 6^th since we have to see a total of three roofers and a glass repair person today between 2 and 6 pm. All that after working a full day. The thought makes me want a margarita; instead I’ll be responsible and make this for dinner tonight: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/05/crispy-margarita-chicken-tacos-with-strawberry-avocado-salsa/.

Lies we tell ourselves (Part 1):

We have a little game we play in our house called “I’m going to read that”. As a result this happens…

Yup that is all the reading material that has accumulated in this house in the last 16 months. You might call it hoarding, we call it having reading material on hand. We do read a lot, but clearly not as much as we seem to think. We currently have subscriptions to the following magazines:

1. Smithsonian

2. Psychology Today

3. Food Network Magazine

4. Rachel Ray Everyday

5. Clean Eating

6. Oxygen

7. Shape

8. Self

9. Smart Money

10. Fortune

11. Golf

12. Women’s Health

13. Real Simple

14. Washingtonian



Then I have the audacity to constantly get books from the local library.

 Jedd has a book reader and I currently subscribe to 26 online blogs. Every now and then I purchase Allure…because I like who’s on the cover. In the last three months I’ve bought the Allure with Victoria Beckham, Eva Longoria and Lauren Conrad on them. Yes it would be more cost efficient to get a subscription. Work is not better; my office subscribes me to CFO Magazine, The Journal of Accountancy and something else that escapes me right now.

Now I’m thinking rather than saying “I’m going to read that” I should be saying “I’m not going to move that” and just throw them all away….

Obsess much…

Currently Jedd & I are fixated on the fact that the house does not have a traditional iron fence. Specifically this fence:

This fence (called a hoop and spear) is typical of DC and is obviously what my dreams are made of because I awoke on Sunday at 6:30 am thinking of a fence we had found the day before and put on hold. On Saturday between contractor appointments we went to Community Forklift to check it out and see what they had.

We’d heard they were a cool place that took in donations of just about everything, tax deductible. “Just about everything” is just about right, as you can see from the pics below this is a place that has everything. When we walked into the yard area for the first time I literally clapped. I know what you’re thinking but no seriously this is where cool people go and walk around for hours.

We end up seeing a fence which we put on hold so that we can return home and take measurements of the front yard to see if it would work. The fence was pretty rusty but after investigating rust removal I thought it would be a nice DIY project we could handle. Fast forward to Sunday, right after breakfast we return to claim our fence. After much measuring, staring, etc. we finally discussed whether the fence was quite right. We realized we’d never measured to see how high the fence should come and we also didn’t think the fence was “traditional” enough. Once we sat back and discussed whether or not we were just excited about a cheap find verses had we actually found what we were looking for we decided to pass on the fence.

The trip wasn’t totally wasted because we learned a valuable lesson, the first being be prepared. We actually forgot our tape measure and had to borrow once from someone so we could measure the available fence to make sure there was enough. We also had not done all the measurements of the type of fence that was our “ideal”. Also if possible it’s good to put an item on hold and return the next day to see if you still feel the same way about it as you did the first day. We were excited about the fence on Saturday but not so much on Sunday. Lastly, taking pics of your “Ideal” fence by the library is not crazy. Had I not remembered I taken a pic of a fence I liked previously we would not have had an example to review while looking at the fence were thinking of buying.