A Few Updates

Melinda has officially moved into her new apartment and started her new job! Probably the best news from her new adventures is that Richmond is significantly warmer than DC, so yay for freezing less. She is working out a few storage issues, but so far is enjoying the new city.

We were supposed to close on our house last Wednesday, but the bank still has to clear the title of liens. Fortunately, this is not a huge deal as the liens are from the local code enforcement board which is usually pretty straight forward. At first, this setback was a bit annoying but I have been using this time to figure out the details of our first remodeling project! We are going to redo the main bathroom and hopefully bring back some character from the 1930's. There is nothing original in the bathroom and the things in place are not great. I've found options for tile and plumbing fixtures. I', considering going shopping for antique lighting this weekend to bring a bit of old back into the room.

We are going to attempt a consistent but light blogging schedule while Melinda adjusts to her exciting new routine and I sort out house things. The goal is for Posh Purpose to not turn into the blog of Briana's house, but there will be an increase in that category as it is my main focus. You may also notice a decrease in How to Host posts on Melinda's side until she gets more settled, but maybe she will share some more about staying organized? She also has an entirely new set of thrift and antique stores to explore and share!

Bits from Behind the Scenes: Turkey Edition

On a recent trip to Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) upon picking up a turkey to check the price:

Melinda: #$@%*! ....$85.12?!?!?!? For a turkey?  Did the #$@%*! thing lay golden eggs before it died?

~long pause to hightail it to the car and head to Safeway for their 88 cent a lb special~

Waiting for the arrival of a perfectly cooked and reasonably priced turkey.
Also waiting for all the wrinkles to naturally fall out of the tablecloth as I despise ironing round ones.  Despise.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our wonderful Posh Purpose readers!  I hope you are filling up on something yummy and spending time with your loved ones.

Life and Blog Updates

Since I accidentally published my dream house/pinterest post the same time as Melinda's shower discovery yesterday we didn't have a planned post for today. However, my communication error gave us the perfect opportunity to write a brief "state of the blog."  

Have you noticed decreased consistency in our posting schedule? Melinda and I have been working hard to improve our blogging schedule while still sharing content that we find interesting (and hopefully you do too). We don't believe that filler posts will help us grow Posh Purpose readership. Starting last April, we decided to get serious by posting regularly and often. And we did! But recently it has been hard to find inspiration for Posh Purpose because our focus has been diverted.

Melinda is searching for jobs away from D.C. and I am desperately hoping to buy and move into a house. We both found it hard to embrace apartment living when Melinda hoped to be moving to a new city and I hoped to be moving into an old house with plenty of character. We have day long gchat conversations about all of our ideas for entertaining, decorating, building/renovating but little desire to put effort into our (wishfully) temporary situations.

All that being said, we are making a new efforts to enjoy where we are in our lives! Melinda is resuming her How to Host series since renewing her lease means she can fill her refrigerator again. I will continue emptying Habitat with my hoarding collecting skills. And perhaps I may finish another project? Let's be optimistic, at least for today.

Bits from Behind the Scenes: Carpets & Tea Carts

Mr. 3 and I signed a renewal lease for our apartment complex this past weekend. On one hand, we are disappointed that my job search in Richmond hasn't worked out, but, on the other, we are glad to stay in our apartment which I've enjoyed decorating and turning into our home.  When we signed the paperwork, my super helpful leasing agent said she could snag us free carpet cleaning since we were renewing the lease.  Um, what? A rental company offered something for free?  I quickly responded "Yes!" before she could change her mind.  I've been on top of wine stains and dropped food when they've happened at our parties (or you know, takeout in front of the TV).  However, during Mr. 3's bourbon party in January, we had an unfortunate incident where the sofa table behind the couch, which was holding two hurricanes with lit candles, tumbled over flinging white wax aaaaall over the carpet.  Vacuuming the dried wax did not work and I hadn't tried anything else to get the wax up, so, I hoped that the carpet cleaning would take care of the problem for me.

I spent Wednesday night and Thursday morning piling furniture in the kitchen and bathrooms because the cleaners won't move furniture.

I was told that the carpets would be dry by the time I got home, but no such luck.  After realizing that none of the furniture could be moved back in place, I suddenly had the urge to potty...sooooo I climbed over a formal dining chair and wedged my knees under the tea cart (which I use as a makeup table) I'd stowed away in my bathroom.

After that enlightening experience, I realized my food choices for dinner were going to be limited to whatever I could grab in the sliver sized opening of the fridge.  Luckily, that was hummus (instead of some suspect fruit that I've been meaning to throw away) and I contorted myself to grab some pita chips.  Also, no dice on the wax removal.  Looks like I'll be spending some quality time behind the couch with ice cubes and a scraper, which I have unsuccessfully avoided until now.  Glamorous, no?  Needless to say, I'm adding this experience to my list of reasons against wall-to-wall carpet.

Bits from Behind the Scenes: The Chairs that Got Away

On the subject of thrifting remorse:

From: Melinda
To: Briana
Subject: So we can mourn together...

Source: One Kings Lane

THOSE chairs are the exact style of the ones that were left behind in Richmond.  Except mine were dark wood and black leather and the seat needed to be replaced on one.

idk if I adequately described them before so you could get a true picture of their glory.  and now you know why I literally had to run away from them before I lost my mind and stuck two chairs in a rental car with no place to put them in our apartment.

feel free to have a moment of silence.

<3,
Melinda

To: Melinda
From: Briana
Subject: RE: so we can mourn together...
You have a lot more will power than I do. Those chairs would be stuck on the end of my bed if I had no other space.I will have a moment if silence as I drive to habitat with mom

To: Briana
From: Melinda
Subject: RE: so we can mourn together...


that emailed response is exactly why we are besties, partners in crime, and thrifting soul mates.

Bits From Behind the Scenes: A Lion Dog

On the subject of dog selection:

M: I would like a dog. Of course, the one I want is like $2K
B: Haha.  The one the president has?
M: Well, I suppose that is an option, but I'm interested in one of the doodle dogs - Australian labradoodles.
B: So cute! I want a standard poodle.  Big but no shedding.
M: What about the chow chow?
B: Too hot in Florida. The poor dog would be very unhappy for June - Sept.  I've decided not to be selfish.
M: I wonder how chow chows look shaved.
B: I'm sure we could google.

~pause for intense googling~

M: OMG!!!!! A lion!  You could have a lion!!!!!

Meet Nougat the shaved chow chow!
~via~

Posh Purpose Readers...you are welcome for this unexpected dose of cuteness.  Happy Wednesday!

Bits from Behind the Scenes: Kombucha

Following my recent post on kombucha, my family (who are quite the loyal Posh Purpose readers!) and I have had quite the lively email chain going regarding kombucha.  Unbeknownst to me, our grandmother grew/cultivated/created kombucha in a jar she kept in the living room and my mother and aunts feared that the kombucha (which looked like a mushroom) would attack them in the night.  Here's the email chain I received (Mama = our grandmother):

Email 1 - My Mom: I wonder if you realize that that stuff you are paying money for is what Mama use to grow in a big gallon jar and keep it under a chair.  It was a giant, creepy mushroom that her friend gave her because they grow babies.  Then, they poured off the liquid and drank it.  It looked like a space alien.

Email 2 - Me: welll.....I've never seen pictures of it, but I would imagine it's quite disgusting looking.  which is why i choose to pay for it in my nice clean glass bottle with pretty labeling.  i'm also pretty sure if i left a jar under the sink i would forget about it and it would one day be the basis for a sci-fi movie based on a true story...orrrrrrr i'd convince myself it was ok to drink and spend a few days in the hospital recovering from bad kombucha (which I can only imagine how horrid bad kombucha could be).  not to be gross...but all i'm going to say about it's effects are that my colon has been extra healthy of late.  sooooo, if any of you are suffering from a less than pleasant potty experience, you might give it a go.

Email 3 - My Mom: Mama kept it under a chair in the living room.

Email 4 - Our Aunt J: When I slept at Mama' s I always made sure a lid was on it...just to be sure it stayed in the jar overnite. I got the mushroom from a friend of mine.

Email 5 - My Mom: Briana's mom said she put books on top of the jar to make sure the mushroom stayed in there.

Email 6 - Aunt J: Yes we each had our way of protecting ourselves.

Email 7 - My Mom: How life changes......what we once feared is now sold in pricey bottles.

Email 8 - Briana's Mom: Mama kept it in daddy's office under the desk when I was there. I understood that it had to be in a dark environment.  It was very very scary! Mama offered me a taste, understandably I declined the experience.  Frankly I would rather have cancer than let a man eating mushroom live in my house.

Needless to say, it looks like I will be the only one raising a glass of kombucha anytime soon (poured directly from a nice clean, fancy pants bottle...and not from a jar shoved in some dark corner of my apartment).  Hope this made you laugh!  Have a great weekend everyone!