We finally got our dining room set up with paint and our very own furniture. Last night we had a dinner party with my parents and aunt and uncle. While it's still not "done", you can sit down and not feel like the place is mid-project. It's quite exciting.

My favorite part? Fresh flowers from the Silver Spring Farmer's Market. Any excuse for fresh flowers is a good one in my book. Arranging flowers feels so domestic, and after 10 minutes there is tangible delight to be taken from the work. This is also why I like cooking far more than cleaning.

Finally, the centerpiece of the dining room. The frame holds a reproduction of the Nolli map, which is a famous antique map of Rome that Andy had been wanting since we first met. The frame is HUGE. I love having the house full of items that have significance to us. It keeps me from feeling like we're competing with rooms from a magazine or blog, and with any luck we'll want to stick with stuff longer than if it's something that struck my fancy at Target... though I do love Target :)