Caitlin in particular dreams of tropical beach locales where the water is any shade of blue and not brown. We're heading to Belize in February, 2022!

We have a breakfast nook on one end of the kitchen. To create a cozier nook, we want to put a bookshelf against the side of the refrigerator that our table faces. This one is the right size to fit between the gap of the refrigerator and the window. We also dream of replacing the wooden chairs around the round table with cozier dining chairs that make you want to stay a while...

Matching hangers makes everything look tidier. Long ago, the white hangers were designated to live in our hall closet—a space that could always use more organization. More hangers would be helpful!

These would be the bedside table lamps in the master bedroom. Playing on the dusty rose of the rose and sage theme.

We have heard people raving about the Turkish towel for years, but not experienced this marvel firsthand. With curiosity high, we wonder: could it be as soft and absorbent as people say?

Caitlin made Joel a chocolate torte for his birthday in a non-leakproof springform pan. It was...stressful, to say the least.

After we get married, Joel is going to move into the townhome that Caitlin bought in early 2020—and he's handy! Finally, all the little DIY home-improvement projects can be done at last. One example would be hanging curtains in the living room—but we need a powerful drill that isn't afraid of concrete! Another project could be laying down deconstructed stone/slate in the "micro-yard" so that Joel & Caitlin could make their tiny postage-stamp of a yard a little garden oasis for reading and journaling.

We're specifically on the hunt for bedside tables and a console table for the entryway...and Nadeau is a competitively-priced furniture distributor near us that sells great handmade pieces from all over the world. They are not "cookie-cutter" or pre-fab items; instead, they are made with originality, craftsmanship, and an aesthetic that matches ours. Anything we end up being able to select from Nadeau could end up being heritage or heirloom pieces! When you head to their website, you'll see that the gift cards are sold for many different prices (e.g. $50, $100, etc.) but there's a $4 shipping fee. They also have an option to email them to buy a gift card for a custom amount.

Table lamps for the living room. We're constantly trying different arrangements of the overhead lights to get the right lighting for reading, but these could finally do the trick on either side of the couch.

Yeti owners rave as to their wonders. With Houston's hot hot summers, this might be employed more often to keep cool beverages cold, but it could also make it's mark keeping coffee and tea warm too.

To go beyond what the honing tool can do. A sharp knife makes a big difference in the kitchen!

Appetizer plates for entertaining.

This nifty like contraption is a toaster oven AND an air fryer? That's super cool for a few reasons: 1) there are times where heating up the whole oven is a big waste of energy because you just have a little something that needs warming. 2) Because of Caitlin's gluten allergy, Caitlin & Joel usually can't eat anything that's been cooked in a fryer at a restaurant (since they usually fry things battered in flour in the same oil). This would re-introduce the whole "fried" concept back into their lives. 3) But air-frying is so much better for you than oil-frying anyway, so that's awesome. 4) Mmm vegetables, meat, and more—introducing a new texture and taste into the old culinary routine...

Mmm Belgian waffles! The frozen kind were a special treat in Caitlin's family growing up, but now we're looking forward to the potential of making our own Belgian waffles with multiple different settings (extra crispy for Caitlin, less-so for Joel).

Kill the clutter! We could use this on our foyer table to corral papers that don't need their own file but do need a temporary place to go—other than scattered across the tabletop.

Bringing in the sage green theme from the master bedroom...

Having jerry-rigged a roasting pan for Thanksgiving this past year, Caitlin and Joel have begun to see the light on why a roasting pan with a real rack (let alone this handy "precision-pouring rim") would be helpful.

Layer cakes! Caitlin used to make these all the time for her small group in Beijing, but hasn't owned cake pans since,. But with two matching cake pans, one layer can be baking while the other is cooling. And this comes with a nice cutter so that your pan doesn't get scratched!

Have you seen the reviews for these sheets? We can report back if they live up to the hype—people are raving!

Who doesn't have gadgets galore/. But look at how beautifully those measuring spoons are nestled into their little spot, right where you want them, right where you expect them. One of these trays will be for the normal kitchen gadgets; the other for the "junk drawer"—just because those bits and bobs are the odds and ends, doesn't mean they must be consigned to a jumble. Caitlin has been using a secondhand desk organizer for this task, but the compartments aren't big enough, nor does it expand to fill the whole drawer...

One of Caitlin and Joel's pandemic activities has been going on walks around their neighborhoods. One of Caitlin's favorite past-times is getting design inspiration from the various micro-yards of townhomes nearby, and dreaming of how she would set up her own little yard one day. In particular, she enjoys marveling at various patio and balcony "crushes" that she has. Her favorite is basically a tiny outdoor living room. Though her yard is smaller than that one, the sectional feature of this set allows it to be rearranged in so many different configurations, making it perfect for outdoor pandemic hosting, or for Joel and Caitlin to each curl up with their current book. But it's obviously a huge investment, so we welcome those who are outdoor-inclined to chip away with a gift of any size—it will all add up in the end! (The fine print: ocean view not included.)

This discreet little step-can will fit right in the corner of the water closet. It's nice when bathroom trash cans have a lid!

Making what's old look new again?? Brilliant.

The medium shade of blue with the light background will play off our plates well—and hopefully hide stains equally as well! :) Hopeful for the day dinner parties will return, and we can use the full set. Until then—we can also use these as our every day napkins.

Hot OR cold foam you say? A cappuccino, hot OR iced, on demand? Is this the "phenomenal cosmic power" Jafar spoke of during ALADDIN? (Probably not. But it sounds tasty.)

Carry-on suitcases are the present (and likely future) of airplane travel. A hardcase won't be stretched beyond the limits of the overhead compartment—but this one is like a soft suitcase inside with its different dividers and compartments. Best of both worlds!

Have you seen the reviews for these sheets? We can report back if they live up to the hype—people are raving!

Caitlin was given not one but TWO couches right before the pandemic started (what a gift!). One moved into her living room, and the other into what has been her home office on the first floor. When Joel moves in after they are married, that couch will magically climb two flights of stairs and end up in the master bedroom so that Joel can set up his studio on the first floor. It will just fit in between the closet and the door. No room for an end table, no room for an ottoman...but wait, what is this handy pull-up table that can park right over the couch when in use? (And when not in use?) SO very convenient and possibly the perfect solution.

We know that trash/recycling cans don't necessarily seem like the wedding gift of choice, but we are pretty excited about these. With the layout of the kitchen (and an open concept) there's not really a good place to tuck one unobtrusively, let alone two. We've got our eyes on two: one trash can, one recycling can—sliding out of the way and out from underfoot.

Smoothies, soups, and dips, oh my! (If there were such a thing as a "dream appliance"—this would be it. If Caitlin were to win the lottery, a Vitamix would be pretty high up the list. Joel is a frequent smoothie-maker and drinker, but Caitlin might be even more excited about the texture of soups and dips it can make too. We picked this model because it comes with a 10-year warranty—protect the investment!We're imagining this one is micro-financed, so please feel free to contribute what works for your budget—chances are it will all add up in the end, but will take a village to get there! :)

This cookbook has a splashguard! Brilliant. Protecting the pages of your cookbook from messy splatters and smears, while keeping it open to the correct page? Yes!

We love to enjoy a cozy cup of tea together, and when we want the same tea, nothing beats steeping it in the teapot!

This set should complement a set of four square ones that Caitlin picked up secondhand to help round out the collection.

Joel and I are excited to establish our new family together, and want to honor both our families at the same time. We love the idea of sharing a last name, and decided to combine our last names into what is known as a "double-barreled surname": we're hyphenating! We're both changing our last name to Rhodes-Karahadian. :) Since paperwork is my least favorite activity (behind even dishes), and most websites say it takes at least 15 hours of research for one newlywed to change their name, we thought: why not spare ourselves the paperwork and invest in a service? HOORAY!

To frame our favorite wedding photo! Since we can customize it, we can pick the frame and matting based on the photo once we receive those back.

How cozy does this blanket look? Caitlin and Joel seem to exist in different climate zones. Joel is a self-sustaining furnace, but Caitlin is often chilly. Of hearty New England stock, her solution to colder temperatures is to add more layers! Caitlin is eyeing this throw for their living room couch...

This corner bookshelf could fit anywhere—in the master bedroom, in Joel's home office/studio—and it may migrate over the course of its lifetime. But by literally being able to fit into a corner, it could get quite a bit of use. Caitlin and Joel love books—and one of Caitlin and Joel's early pandemic activities was sorting through the piles of books that Joel had heaped on every flat surface and sliding them onto the built-in shelves in his apartment (broken down into category first, and then alphabetical order by author's last name). But since the built-in shelves will be staying behind when he moves in after they get married, we need to replace that shelf space!

This would be a nice mirror to hang opposite the window in the guest bedroom/home office to reflect more light in the space, and to make it feel like there is a window over the desk.

Absent a full-length mirror, Caitlin has developed a dangerous habit of climbing onto the ledge of the bathtub to see herself in the bathroom mirror. This has almost led to a few nasty falls; surely, there is a better system. We like this mirror because it can lean against the wall in the master bedroom—or, for those particularly troublesome occasions where Caitlin cannot find something to wear, could be hauled into the closet itself for more efficient outfit evaluation. Presumably Joel could also use a full length mirror—they are handy—but we admit that Caitlin might spend more time with this gift...

No more squishy bananas on one side! (Or avocados!).

Joel has a special propensity toward food at the proper temperature. Caitlin likes that too, but Joel REALLY likes that. This carrier would extend their radius for the amount of distance/time that can elapse between the food being cooked at the primary location and food being consumed at the secondary location, and thus bless both parties in the happy couple.

Oh hello, tiny travel folding table. Would you like to come to the beach with us? The park for a picnic? A friend's backyard for pandemic gatherings? We would like to count you as our +1 to all these outdoor gatherings, and more.

We are over the moon to have received a BBQ! To make full use of the grill, we realize some tools are in order.

Honestly, Caitlin has been confused for a long time about the nicest way to ask guests to remove their shoes in her home. Why not deploy a welcome mat to do the job? She envisions an indoor mat that says something like: "WELCOME! Please remove your shoes—it's an Asian thing." (The outdoor mat already in place says: "HI. I'm MAT.")

Making smoothies easier to take on the road—blending the smoothie straight in the to-go cup? Yes! We would actually consume more fruit and vegetables this way. Joel is a frequent smoothie maker and consumer...and Caitlin has gone through spurts of overcoming inertia to wrestle her immersion blender through frozen fruit...but the Vitamin is another animal all together, eliminating all smoothie-wrestling and wrangling!

There's nothing quite like the look and feel of a wooden cutting board—but they can't go in the dishwasher, which dramatically reduces their appeal. These are dishwasher-safe, almost look wood-ish, and the large one has a nice rim for catching the juice of anything you're cutting...

When Caitlin and Joel saw this item, they both lit up, and Joel exclaimed: "A lazy Susan!" With many decades of Chinese meals under her belt, Caitlin also has a soft spot in her heart (and stomach) for the family-style serving of a lazy Susan.

As realists, we all know that bathroom clutter is a likely invader in any shared space. As idealists, we like to think that if we have the system in place where everything can go in its place, we can keep clutter at bay. This one would fit right in the corner and be a cheery little addition to the space, while keeping clutter off the countertops.

Just look at how hospitable this ice bucket is.

Oh ho ho! Gone are the days of making recipes where we are measuring out 4-8 cups by hand. We can do it all in one go! This will be especially handy for Caitlin's kombucha!

We made this a group gift on Amazon because we know it might take a village to buy a Yeti. With it taking several hours to drive within Texas (let alone beyond its borders), and a very intense Texan sun beating down, the gold standard of a YETI cooler seems to be the best way to ensure our groceries/perishables survive on weekend trips away. With both of us being in ministry, opportunities to get away for short but regular trips will be a very helpful rhythm for our refreshment. We plan to start with our mini-moon!

Cheers! Here's to the day we can have dinner parties again...

The Turkish towel is the stuff of legend. A friend of Caitlin's has always espoused its versatility for beach vacations (Caitlin's favorite kind) because it can serve not only as a beach towel, but also transform into a sarong or pashmina, dries quickly, and rolls into a compact bundle for easy packing.

Similarly, a wok! We do a lot of stir-frying and Joel likes to tease Caitlin for her propensity toward one-pot wonders. A wok would do just the trick!

Caitlin and Joel are both big readers (and coffee drinkers). The idea of being able to comfortably read and/or drink coffee at the same time makes a bath the height of luxury! Just look at how that book stand folds out!

We could use this for our wedding decor—if it gets here in time! But even if it doesn't, picture frames just do so much to make a house a home! And the gold would go well with other gold accents in the home also.

Plants! We love plants. They make a house a home! But they especially spruce up the place (pun not originally intended, but appreciated) when they are in beautiful planters.

Caitlin is planning on commandeering the upstairs guest bedroom to become her home office when (post-pandemic) guests haven't come for an overnight. This style of bookshelf looks like it would be lovely in either use case, and Caitlin knows that if she doesn't get a bookshelf for that space, she's just going to end up with stacks of books all over the floor...and maybe the bed too...

Caitlin has a real weakness for putting food away. Why is it so hard? Why is it so hard to find the right-sized container for what you made for dinner? What if...what if you could cook your food in the SAME container that you could store it in, so that after dinner, you could just pop the lid on and be done with it? Wait, you're saying that there IS a way??!! That someone has thought of that? Sign us up, please!

The height of luxury seems like being able to have enough coasters for every glass—and maybe even in various rooms, so you don't end up trawling from room to room, looking for a coaster. These round ivory and wood coasters with gold accent would also mix and match well with the square mango wood ones with the copper stripes.

Caitlin had the good fortune of being gifted an iron patio set when she moved into her townhome. And yet the idea of a plush seat that doesn't leave marks on your legs or get too hot in the sun or too cold at night—that makes the balcony seem like even more of a treehouse oasis! Both Joel and Caitlin are prone to balcony quiet times, and having the cushions makes the chairs a more inviting place to stay a while...

Gorgeous sculpted pieces that would make any salad bowl proud.

This platter looks like the ocean! And it matches with a serving bowl too. :) Having a matching set seems like a nice way of presenting a meal.

So, we've heard that there's an old superstition about giving knives as a present. We don't really care about that. We have noticed that it's very inconvenient to try to cut meat with butter knives (as we have been doing when Joel comes over for dinner)! This set caught our eye in particular because the silver handles would look lovely on the table with the rest of the flatware. Also, because they are dishwasher safe. The home they will share in Houston is the first one Caitlin has occupied as an adult with a dishwasher—which is a miracle of an appliance!

Oh, to be able to rinse rice and quinoa with ease! (Or to sift flour!) The absence of such a strainer has been felt in the kitchen...

Joel and Caitlin do a lot of cooking together. They both have a strong appreciation for garlic, ginger, grated cheese, and citrus zest—this little microplane would help get down to the last little bit and add that extra flavor that they both love.

This seems like a particularly handy item for bottling kombucha (we just started our first batch!) because it would be sad to spill what you just spent 10 days fermenting.

We both like the blue-gray color of this set, and how it complements the blues in the open-concept living/dining room. The crackle finish is beautiful, but it's also dishwasher and microwave safe, so it's practical. And believing that dinner parties will return one day, we are registering for a complete set of 12, imagining that we will one day host dinner parties in our home!

We received this setting for eight people, and think it would be nice to be able to complete the set. (Gone are the days of Caitlin and her sister, Megan, hosting dinner parties in China where—their apartment being so small, they had to move all the furniture out of the living room to move their desk tables into the center of the living room. They had been known to ask guests to bring their own chairs, and once their own set of flatware for a rather large Thanksgiving gathering. Afterward, they then had to send a photo afterward of a "fork lineup" asking people to identify their left-behind flatware. Interestingly, all of the women were able to identify the flatware; none of the men in this particular gathering were able to recognize theirs.)

We might be able to use this in our wedding reception decor. Maybe on the sweetheart table? It might be a close call to arrive on time...The long, herringbone dining table is under a brassy-gold and black light fixture. These candle holders would make a beautiful line down the center of the table, or on the counter behind the table (we call it the "pass-through") where we would serve the food...in the day when dinner parties return!

A nice tall vase will showcase stems of many varieties. Caitlin loves fresh flowers, which look absolutely beautiful on the herringbone dining table, the kitchen pass-through, and/or a cabinet in living room.

The height of luxury seems like being able to have enough coasters for every glass—and maybe even in various rooms, so you don't end up trawling from room to room, looking for a coaster. The copper stripe on these and the rustic whitewashed mango wood would fit well with the overall aesthetic we are working towards, and also mix and match well with the round ivory and wood coasters too.

Caitlin used this knife at a friend's house—and noticed as she was chopping carrots that it actually cut like butter. Another friend tried the knife and made the exact same comment. Thinking they must maintain their knives well, Caitlin asked when they had last sharpened the knife. They've owned it for years and never sharpened it once. And it's the go-to knife. So with the amount of cooking Joel & Caitlin do, a quality knife would go a long way!

A cake stand that can double as a cheese stand? YES. As Marker Karahadian, Joel's father likes to say: "Some of my best friends are cheeses." This is a statement that has resonated DEEPLY with Caitlin from the first time she heard it.

Fry pans are the most versatile of pans! This pair would help us be able to have two separate dishes going at the same time. The smaller size looks especially good for frying or scrambling eggs. (In Caitlin's mind, it's not a real day if eggs aren't involved.)

We will wait to go on our honeymoon until we both get vaccinated. But in the meantime, we're planning on going on a mini-moon someplace nearby in Texas. An AirBNB is a great option so that we're not sharing any air as we would be if we stayed in a hotel.

Caitlin has crumbled a few good cookies (gluten-free, of course) by trying to gain leverage with the wrong spatula. These look like they could transcend the cookie genre, however, and be all-around helpful!

We are hoping to use this as our cake stand for our wedding!

Does this board and tool set come with the cheese? As Joel's dad says: "Some of my best friends are cheeses." Caitlin was delighted when she heard this expression, and has adopted it as her own. In fact, when Joel proposed, he not only invited some of Caitlin's best Houston people friends to celebrate, he also invited some of Caitlin's favorite cheese friends too.

Caitlin has an expensive kombucha habit. Kombucha: so good for your gut, so bad for your wallet. UNLESS you learn how to make it at home...

For pruning the Japanese yews in the "micro-yard". Caitlin's neighbors have been very nice about lending theirs, but it would be nice to have a pair of our own.

When we saw this bowl, Caitlin's eyes widened and Joel said: "Oh wow." It's a gorgeous accent piece on any table, and looks like a work of art—so much so that it might need to live out on display somewhere...stunning!

The bowl can go straight in the oven and then to the table with this handy stand? And that means one less dish to wash? Compelling.

Caitlin has been on a quest for a throw blanket of this color for a long time—it will coordinate well with the couch they're going to move into the master bedroom, and play off the color of the curtains...

Gooseneck spout + adjustable temperature control doesn't just mean good coffee—it bodes well for teas that want to be steeped at different temperatures too!

This our version of that wedding registry classic, the standing mixer, but we don't think we would use that as often as this nifty hand mixer, which would get a lot of love and a lot of use.

These look like they have great "hand feel"—nice to cup in your hands, and aesthetically pleasing. And with a tan interior, coffee and tea stains would not be a problem. And perhaps best of all: being Le Creuset, they should hold the temperature of the beverage.

Desserts could definitely go on display here...and/or more cheese. Caitlin has a one-track cheese mind. It could also be a more vertical version of a fruit bowl.

Caitlin and Joel love sauces and condiments, and these spoons are the perfect size! There are dinners when they have four different sauces on the table—this would give us the option of a clean spoon for each one.

Yes! A two-bike rack that will fit on the back of either of our cars (without a trailer hitch). Being able to take our bikes on the road means we can expand our biking range, which would be a great treat, since riding together is one of our favorite past-times.

We have heard people raving about the Turkish towel for years, but not experienced this marvel firsthand. With curiosity high, we wonder: could it be as soft and absorbent as people say?

We would love to cut our wedding cake with this set!

Doing something to avoid that moment of panic when you take something out of the oven but have nowhere to put it because your stovetop is also covered with pots and pans...seems like a good idea! Plus, these are such a lovely blue color.

This is the exact style of chair we have been searching for to put in the breakfast nook/alcove. We like the high and curved back and the overall cushiness and color. We are definitely open to chairs like this from elsewhere—this one is very expensive. But it does look cozy—as if it is the scene of many good quiet times, or breakfast conversations.

This versatile ottoman could find its home in the living room or the master bedroom, where there are chairs that await an ottoman friend. This ottoman might migrate between rooms as a result!

Gold and black are major accents in the open concept dining and living room, so we like the idea of being able to feature frames around the room that tie together those accent colors.

This desk would fit well in the cozy guest bedroom; Caitlin will be using that space as a home office and loves the idea of being able to move from sitting to standing easily with a desk like this—while still maintaining the aesthetics of a welcoming guest bedroom. And of course, if you come for an overnight visit, you could find yourself with a cup of coffee, your Bible and/or your journal, at this very desk! This desk tops our list of exciting furniture to possibly grace our lives. :)

Ahh a sigh of relief for good organization. It makes everything easier when it's right where you need it be.

Joel's favorite cocktail is a Moscow mule.

Packing cubes are a game-changer for travel. I (Caitlin) have gotten many people hooked along the way. Joel and I are sharing cubes from old sets of mine, and we could use some reinforcements so there are enough cubes when we travel.

There are eight beautiful black chairs around the dining room table— spindle back, sleek, with clean lines...and hard hard wooden seats. The idea of having cushions (that also blend in) make the table seem like a place where we can linger longer...We like that there are no tufts for crumbs to hide, and that the smooth surface makes it possible for the cushions to blend in a bit more.

This side table appeals because of its small footprint that also provides TWO surfaces for covering with stacks of books...

Who doesn't have gadgets galore. But look at how beautifully those measuring spoons are nestled into their little spot, right where you want them, right where you expect them. One of these trays will be for the normal kitchen gadgets; the other for the "junk drawer"—just because those bits and bobs are the odds and ends, doesn't mean they must be consigned to a jumble. Caitlin has been using a secondhand desk organizer for this task, but the compartments aren't big enough, nor does it expand to fill the whole drawer...

Organized drawers make Caitlin sigh a breath of relief, but let's be real: absent organizers, all the the utensils just run together in a jumbled mess.

Maybe a drawer doesn't need a whole box of compartments, but could benefit from a little separation. Enter the drawer divider!