Everything Old Is New Again

I'm so psyched to be blogging again. There's so many things bouncing around in my head - I don't even know where to begin.

I was trying to think of a name for the blog - a new start, something generic but true to the next phase of our lives together. The more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to this one title. I liked the multiple meanings behind it:

• First off: I'd love to say it was some stroke of genius, but truth be told -- I just had that Barenaked Ladies song stuck in my head. 

• I realize that everything we are currently going through in our lives and everything that's to come - it's nothing new. Falling in love, getting married, creating a home & life with each other, eventually starting a family, growing together & as individuals - just learning to make our way in the world. It's nothing out of the ordinary. People have always done these things - but it's all new & exciting to us.
  

• I'm slightly obsessed with anything you might consider "old-fashioned". D makes fun of me all the time for it - maybe because my parents are from a different generation that most of my friends' parents? Maybe it's because I was so close to my Nana? I dunno. I find comfort in it. I've realized quickly that it's actually a growing trend. I'm sure many of you have noticed a resurgence of old-school info out there. Spend 15m with your Google Reader or on Pinterest & you'll see vintage clothing, recipes from antique cookbooks, gardening tips, knitting tutorials, green household cleaners ("100 ways your grandmother used vinegar" anyone?), etc. And is it just me, or have you seen more tips on canning jams, veggies, etc than you know what to do with?
  
  I'm sure it has something to do with the economy tanking & people falling back on money-saving tips & other things they can rely on, but it's definitely spilling over into other areas of modern-day life. Good lawd, even the fall clothing lines are throw-backs. I'm totally digging the tulip skirts, oxfords & menswear but even I have my limits... I'm sorry Target, but I'm not buying a chevron-striped sweater dress that 1973 threw up on*. Call me when you're running a BCBG or Marc Jacobs collection m'kay?
  

• Do I even have to mention Mad Men? Totally old-school & wildly popular. I'm obsessed. Thank you Netflix.
  
  

• I will also admit that neither D nor I have ever purchased a single piece of furniture. Everything from the bedroom furniture (new mattresses don't count), to our couch, to the bookshelf I put in our bathroom for towels & pretty soaps - it was all inherited or received 2nd hand from friends or relatives. I've never actually bought anything from strangers or Goodwill or anything like that yet, but I'm surprised at how excited I am at the prospect of it. I don't think our place looks like a Grandma's house either - slipcovers are magical things.
  
  

  

  Apologies for the lousy pics - they're the only ones of our home I have on my work comp.
  Hmmm, maybe a  post of a tour of our place is in store??

  

  Again, sorry for these pics, those are my wedding shoes - from a post on the ol' Beer Budget wedding blog. LOL
  Oh & I promise I'm not a college kid. That poster has a personal meaning, I'll tell you about that soon too.

  When the time comes that we need any more pieces for our home, I can almost guarantee you I'll end up re-purposing an older piece rather than buying something brand new. I just feel that older furniture is better quality than most mass produced crap today - I'm also not a fan of the industrial/loft look so that helps. Have you ever seen the blog Better After? I'm obsessed. You're welcome.
  
  
•  I can also stretch this a little & say the theme applies to our marriage. D & I were young when we first started dating & we even lived together for a while before we broke up in 2003. We went our separate ways for over 4yrs before getting back together for good in '07 & getting married last year. So technically - we are "Everything Old is New Again". Hah!

So that's basically the gist of what I'm hoping will happen around here. I'm not gonna say things were easier for previous generations, because they certainly weren't. But I will say I think life was just a lot more simple back then. There was less clutter in people's everyday lives & I'd like to get back to something like that myself -- making life more about the simple things that really matter.

* - my apologies if you're lovin' that Missoni line, but it's just not my style. I've only seen 1 item (a pair of heels) that I would ever consider wearing.