Date Night In

These days date night in is the new date night out. With babysitters being expensive and our new parent guilt keeping us close to home Brad and I are learning how to bring our love of dining out, in. As I mentioned a few posts back we're working on making our home as cozy and chic as possible, making our frequent date nights in as alluring as possible . . . remember my grand plans of the living room makeover? Well it's reality check time for this girl. Pre-baby, we'd make over a room in a week flat, post-baby, purchasing a few new pieces and doing a little restaging (a la Anthropologie) now consitutes a makeover. Long story short, my grand plans are on the slooooow track but I still am so in love with the changes we have made I just had to share!

Meet the newest (non-breathing) members of the family.

"Donald" is our new, oh-so-cozy, but slightly less sleek (not to mention slightly less modern) than everyone's favorite cool guy Don Draper. Gray, tweedy, low backed, and did I mention cozy, this sectional is our new love and the perfect compromise between my need for style and my hubby's need for comfort. Honestly, our bums haven't left it since it was delivered!

Then there's my personal favorite, our custom made art piece. Found on Etsy, created by Transit Designs, this little charmer is the new jewel of our dining room. Modeled after a vintage bus stop sign, the artist used a collection of names from places we've traveled, lived, and hosted memorable events (say a wedding perhaps) to create our own personalized piece of art. Seeing what a travelin' fool I am, it's easy to see why I fell madly in love.

To celebrate our mini-makeover we decided to cook a spring feast and have our first date night in with our new "family members". On the menu: Maryland Crab cakes with Jalapeno Aioli, Spring Pea Salad with Mint and Feta, Spiced Rubbed London Broil, and Fingerling Potatoes with Herbs a la Provence. Soooooo good we repeated the spread for friends the following weekend.

Next up on the mini-makeover list, finding that just right vintage chandelier, to shed the the perfect light on a Sunday brunch at Cafe Sliger. Can't you just taste the mimosas and crab benedict already?