Boston round 2

I flew to Boston last September to see Becca and had such a great time that I vowed to visit again the next year. The weather was completely different this time around (cold and rainy, boo) but it was nevertheless a wonderful weekend. I got to the city midday on Friday and took the T to the lab where Becca works. She is doing research on mice - eek! We met up with some of her friends for dinner at Dumpling Cafe in Chinatown and for the first time in my life I used chopsticks for an entire meal. After dinner we saw First Aid Kit at the Royale and I whipped my hair along with Klara and Johanna (check out the hair at 1:35). Great jams. Great hair.

Saturday we brunched at Sound Bites and rented a car to drive up Cape Ann. We spent most of our time in Rockport but also visited Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-Sea. The movie "The Proposal" was filmed in Rockport and the house in the movie is in Manchester. The only pics we took were in Rockport because the weather was yucky, but I'm glad we at least got these! 

look what New England did to my hair!

fall in Cape Ann!

Saturday night we took the car into downtown Boston. It was so fun to drive around and see the city lit up at night. We had dinner at the Beehive (yes, we ate at Sound Bites and the Beehive last year... definitely worth going back to). The Moroccan cigars had haunted me all year long, so of course we ordered those, and then for dinner we split blackened scallops that melted in our mouths. Afterwards we met some of Becca's friend at Saloon, a modern-day speakeasy in Davis Square.

Like last time, Sunday was our lazy day. We didn't leave the house until the afternoon and had lunch at Parish Cafe before hitting up a few shops. Then we picked up lobster bisque at Boston Chowda in Quincy Market along with lobster tail pastries and tiramisu at Modern Pastry. Oh you KNOW I ate my way through Boston! We took our goodies home and ate them on the couch while watching a movie (look at Jon Hamm in Ira and Abby!)

One of the extra bonuses to flying to Boston is the incredible aerial view of Manhattan that you get if the skies are clear. And, if you fly JetBlue, you get Dunkin Donuts coffee on the plane. It's the little things, right? :)

chili season

Don't football and chili go so well together? We love chili so much that I make it year-round, but we crave it even more when there is a cool breeze outside. We went to a cookout on Saturday night and I wore a sweatshirt and ate pumpkin pie. Mmm I just love fall. I get to see Andy looking cute in his football jerseys and he gets to eat my soups, pies and muffins. Win win!

I have been dying to try some of the recipes in my Bon Apetit cookbook and finally got around to making turkey chili with white beans (which they claim is fabulous over hot dogs the next day). The depth of flavor in this dish is incredible. I love the hint of cocoa and cinnamon. Don't let the odd mix of ingredients scare you off - I'm telling you, this recipe is a winner! It isn't a spicy chili, but it has a tiiiny bit of heat. If you're completely against heat, use less chili powder and cumin. You can always add more later.

from Dreamy Dish

Turkey Chili with White Beans
Adapted from Bon Appétit

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, medium chop
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ pounds lean ground turkey
¼ cup chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups (24 oz) beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
3 15 oz cans small white beans, rinsed, drained (I used two cans of northern white beans and one can cannellini beans)

suggested toppings:
Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Light sour cream

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute.
2. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. Ladle into bowls and serve with suggested toppings.

weekending v.16

This weekend felt a bit fall-like to me, despite the weather being in the 90's. I wore jeans, painted my nails a smokey purple, made chili for dinner and was only a click away from buying a sweater online. Blasted shipping costs!

We had our Craigslist friends over for dinner last night and I'm happy to report that the evening was full of laughter and girl-dominated games. :) Bethany brought these lemon-lime basil shortbread cookies and I could not stop eating them! (She bakes them at 350 for ten minutes.)

Tonight we're heading to Germantown for a "Secret Shopper" gig. We have to fill out an extensive survey rating the restaurant and in exchange we get a free meal. 

I've been slowly putting together one of our upstairs guest rooms. My parents kindly hauled my childhood bedroom set up a few weekends ago. The twin bed, one of the nightstands and the desk are in the guest room, and the future baby room gets the dresser and second nightstand. That's right - the former "unpacked boxes rooms" are now the "upstairs guest room" and "misc furniture/Craigslist items/future baby room." That's what I call progress!

My favorite purchase for the guest room was a random Ross find. Sometimes you see an item and you just *know* it was meant to be. Meet my cheerful desk chair:

I knew the chair was a great find, but imagine my delight when I randomly came across the exact style here ($123 from Pottery Barn outlet) and here ($145 from Industry West). I got my red beauty for $25!

I also grabbed this colorful pillow to top the yellow quilt and navy striped bedding I got on sale from Target. 

I also added a basket and a little bowl to the room that I picked up at World Market last weekend. The basket was on sale for $12.99!

And last but certainly not least is a lamp I stumbled upon at TJ Maxx. Our living room only has one tiiiny overhead light and I've been looking for the right table lamp for beside the couch. The search is over! I'm pretty sure I gasped when I saw it. He fits right in.

Next weekend I'll be in Harrisonburg!!!

weekending v.15

I drove to NOVA Friday to see Becca and spend some quality time with mom and dad. Becca and I snuck Cinnabon into the movies (we saw Moonrise Kingdom - so should you) but still had enough room in our bellies for Ozzie's after. We're both huge fans of the Great American Restaurants, but neither of us had tried Ozzie's yet. I started with the arancini and she started with the arugula, fig and apple salad. We split the beef short rib ragu with marscapone polenta... yup, it was as good as it sounds. GAR's never go wrong. Our waiter told us the ragu was the wait staff's collective favorite, and we could see why!

Saturday was spent doing returns, shopping and... wait for it... eating at another Great American Restaurant. I can't help it! Carlyle is my family's fav. We popped into Le Village Marché and Best Buns (where I picked up a coconut macaroon and a loaf of poblano cheddar bread). I picked up a few goodies for the house at TJ Maxx and World Market - can't wait to show you!

Today I'm back in Frederick nursing a day-long headache and angrily eyeing the hardwood floors, which are covered in dog hair no matter how many times a week I vacuum. I'm hoping I'll have more energy/creativity to blog this week.

To make up for the lack of a fashion post on Friday, here are two more tucking-in pics. Embrace the tuck!

top - LOFT, last year
skirt- Nordstrom, ages ago
necklace- Etsy
sunnies- Old Navy, this season

top - Gap Outlet, this season ($10!!!)
don't remember it looking so wrinkly skirt- Vineyard Vines, ages ago
belt - came with another dress

stargazing in Hawaii + weekending v.14

Last Sunday we took a tour bus up Mauna Kea, the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak (much of the mountain is under sea level). It's also one of the best places on Earth to stargaze. At the peak of the mountain are thirteen huge telescopes that we could see from the resort we stayed at. I loved looking up at those tiny specks at the top of the mountain and thinking, "I get to go up there!"

if you look closely you can see the telescopes

using my zoom lens to get a better view

We're on top of the world! 

The top of Mauna Kea is home to the world's largest astronomical observatory. The telescopes aren't open to the public in the evening, but it was still amazing to be up above the clouds and walk around knowing that we were standing among insanely expensive equipment!

The view of the sunset wasn't bad either. :)

Once the sun set our tour guide drove us slightly down the mountain and from there we were able to look through his telescope. It was pitch black and the night sky was absolutely dazzling - shooting stars everywhere! I've seen clear night skies in dark environments, but this was a view like no other. The tour guide pointed out constellations and stars using a strong laser pointer, and he positioned his telescope to show us different sights. My favorite thing we saw through the telescope was Saturn. I'm no sky nerd, but I thought it was thrilling. Maybe I'll become a sky nerd.

The whole time we were on this excursion I had a verse from "How Great Thou Art" in my head.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the roaring thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

--------

It's hard to believe we've been home from Hawaii for a whole week. I was out of commission for several days after the trip. I blame my lack of Hawaii blog posting on that nasty bug I had. It really took a lot out of me! I feel much better now, and I had a great weekend. Yesterday Andy tackled some projects outside. Poor guy made two trips to Home Depot and still didn't have enough mulch to cover up the old stuff! Our front and back yards already look much better, though. I stayed inside and put away a shocking amount of laundry, unpacked boxes and cleared out some closets that I had shoved misc. items into. I'm a bit discouraged by how much stuff we own. I thought I had done a great job of getting rid of stuff when we moved, but it just never ends! Gah. #firstworldproblems, I know.

We now have a room that I call "the craigslist room." Anyone in the market for barstools, televisions, a vanity, a tiered bathroom organizer or a shower curtain and liner? Yes, I realize this is a bizarre assortment of items.

After all that hard work we treated ourselves to dinner out and a Redbox. We went to Il Forno and shared the buffalo chicken strips and the cold cut pizza. I had tried their four cheese pizza and loooved it, but I liked the cold cut pizza even better. All I could think about while we were eating was I have GOT to try to make this so we can eat it all the time! After dinner we watched "Jeff Who Lives At Home." Jason Segel was fantastic from the get-go. I figured from the trailer that the movie would have an indie feel to it, so I wasn't expecting it to be a hilarious fast-paced comedy. It did make us laugh, though. And.... I cried.

Andy headed to Philadelphia this morning to catch a baseball game with some friends from Harrisonburg, so I spent the morning listening to this sermon and painting my nails bright green. Then I picked up my awesomeblossom friend Kristen who is visiting from Florida and we had lunch at my favorite coffee shop. It's been a weekend of great food - my french toast sandwich (stuffed with scrambled eggs and sausage) was outta control. Another one to try at home! We spent the afternoon at Cunningham Falls State Park exploring the waterfall and swimming in the lake. Is there anything better than catching up with a dear friend? Now that we live in a different state than all of our friends I've realized how special it is to simply spend time with my favorite people. 

OH. I don't know why I'm blogging about this, but I was at the coffee shop a month or so ago and saw I guy that I swear went to my high school. I didn't say hello b/c Andy think that's pretty much the most awkward thing ever, but I've been racking my brain ever since to try and remember his name. I saw him again at the coffee shop today, and I still can't remember! Any Lee people interested in helping me figure it out? Guy at the coffee shop - if we're Facebook friends and you're somehow reading this, say hi next time you see me!

weekending v.12

Can't blame me for writing a weekending post on a Monday if it's part of a three day weekend, right?

Here's the weekend rundown: We were in Harrisonburg on Saturday/Sunday for a wedding and to attend our old church (and get Klines). Our time there flew by and the next thing we knew we were in Springfield having a crab feast with my parents and good family friends. Another drive and we were home in Maryland. I promptly collapsed in bed.

It felt good to take the day off after two days of catching up with friends and zipping from one place to next. I spent a good hour and a half sweating to near death on our deck because I am not in the mood to shock the beaches of Hawaii with my pale skin. Then, I took our equally hot-from-the-sun pup down to the creek for a swim. I waded in for a bit and eventually settled on the bank with my book and let Casey go fishing paw at the water and bite every stick and leaf that floated by. I relished every minute of the long afternoon.

Memorial Day dinner was unbelievably simple - bbq chicken cooked in the crock pot, macaroni salad from the deli section, corn on the cob and watermelon. And pie. :)

We just got back from playing Settlers of Catan w/ a couple I nanny for - our first couple friends in Frederick! I won, much to the chagrin of my husband. It felt gooood. Another perfect weekend.

how did a gal w/ such frizzy hair land such a hottie mchotterson?

it's back! weekending v.7

Yikes, I haven't done a weekending post since before I left for Uganda! I'm a day late, but yesterday was set aside for a blog swap. So - the weekend.

We woke up Saturday and realized we were out of coffee, so we drove over to Dunkin Donuts and sipped our coffee together while longingly looking at all the sugary treats. I met my new friend Kiniqua for lunch and walking downtown. I'm so glad I showed up hungry - we shared delectable beef empanadas and pork leg with rice, beans and sweet plantains.

our entree - pic by Adam Fried, from here

We dropped into a few shops along Patrick and Market. I bought a tinted green glass tumbler from my fav store to hold my toothbrush and toothpaste, and Kiniqua bought me two pairs of earrings from Vibrant Artwear. I was dying to explore Baker Park and Carroll Creek Promenade, so we kept walking until we were both hot, sweaty, tired and thirsty! I mapped our walk downtown and we were just around 3.5 miles. 

Carroll Creek - photo by Sam Yu, from here

I was tired and sweaty by the time I got home, but I ended up going for a long walk with Andy and our pooch. After that I was ready for a bath, pajamas and dinner. In that order.

On Sunday we decided to try the late service, because that's when the girls I met from life group go. It was so nice to see familiar faces, especially since we've only been to church twice! We had one of our favorite weekend lunches - red pepper and tomato soup and grilled cheese - and watched two fascinating 30 for 30 documentaries. Then I read and blogged while Andy played video games. I was hoping to have a more productive weekend, but Sunday was so rainy and I have to admit it was nice to be cozy on the couch all day.

Hope you had a nice relaxing weekend, too! Off to finish making dinner... broiled tilapia with coconut rice cashew rice and broccoli. Tomorrow I'm making black bean quesadillas (thanks for the blog tip, Kelly!) and then Wednesday I'm making crock pot potato soup. Can you tell I did some meal planning today?

weekending v.5+6

I'm back for a post or two, and then I'm off to Uganda! I can't believe the trip I've been dreaming of for so long is really happening.

Last weekend we celebrated Todd's birthday at the cabin. I read the book "Kisses From Katie" (a memoir about a girl who is ministering to people in Uganda) and received a load of incredible wisdom for my trip.

This past week was my last week at work. It didn't feel real until I cleared out my desk and went around the newsroom saying farewell to everyone. I'm grateful for the ability to not work right now and to have the time after my trip to pack up the house and then settle into our new home. Who knows what will happen next?

Speaking of homes, we drove up to Frederick yesterday morning to go house hunting. !!! 

My parents met us there to offer up advice and moral support. We had a list of 11 houses to see. Our realtor had us scheduled for viewings until 8 p.m., and I said "whoa, that can't happen... we have a dog to get home to." Little did I know how long we would take...

The first house we went to was in a rough neighborhood. We didn't even get out of the car. The next one was in a nice neighborhood and would've been a beautiful home, except that the previous owners had completely trashed it. The third was our favorite exterior we had seen online, but the interior was ancient. The fourth was one of our favorite interiors, but the price seemed suspiciously low and I didn't have a good feeling about the neighborhood. The fifth was an absolutely stunning new construction, but it was at the top of our price range and had no outdoor space. The sixth was nice on the outside and inside, but the kitchen needed some work and I wasn't "in love." The seventh was a walk in and walk right back out situation. We got back in the car and decided against going to three other houses b/c one was super old, one was in a sketchy area, and the other was a short sale. We had one left. We walked in and everyone said "Oh, wow!" My mom called my sister to tell her "we think we found the one." We went to dinner, chatted things over with the realtor, called a lender on the drive home and stayed up past midnight on the phone w/ our realtor while electronically signing a contract stating our offer.

Now we wait.

double sinks in our potential new home!

weekending v.4

I am planning on moving to Wordpress, but right now it's not allowing me to upload any pictures to a new post. Grr. Might takes some time to sort that out, so for now I'll continue posting here.

On Friday my college roommies Kristen and Amy met me at my parent's house for a lil visit. Kristen is moving to Florida next week, so we had to have one last get together. On Saturday we had a fabulous lunch at Taverna Cretekou on King Street and ducked into a few shops. It took so much restraint not to snatch up this adorable vintage drawer!

loving the leg cross (and k's stink face)

I drove back to Harrisonburg this morning and was surprised with a gorgeous bouquet of Valentine's flowers and lots of hugs and kisses from my man. Andy has Bible study Tuesday night's, so we decided today would be our Valentine's Day. We met Matt and Jess at Union Station and chatted about how we met each other, what our favorite things to do together are, etc. It was fun to hear Andy's side of things. We have different stories about what happened the night we met, but we both agreed that we fell for each other fast!

weekending v.3

my weekend in a few pictures...

Urban Exchange

Holly's art wall

loving all the art in her apartment

view from Holly's apartment

someone got a bath

Sunday school showdown

weekending v.2

facing east

Gorgeous weekend, right? What a nice break from all the rain. I had been looking forward to my mini vacation to northern VA all week long, and it was such a blessing to have nice weather to drive in. It took a lot of restraint to not snap pictures while making my way up I-81.

<3 my momma

I left Andy and the pup behind (my agenda of seeing friends and going shopping didn't really interest them) and enjoyed having my parents (and a bed) all to myself. My friend Becca was in town, so naturally we had to share a meal together. We headed to Los Tios in Del Ray, a sprawling Mexican/Salvadorean restaurant on Mount Vernon Ave. We split a mixed pupusa, the fried plantains and the chicken and steak fajitas. The restaurant was insanely loud, but the food was so good that we didn't care. My friend Zebib (both B&Z are friends from high school) came over later Friday evening to watch "The Ides of March," a political thriller that we both found fascinating. There was a lot of couch slapping going on. DON'T watch the trailer - it gives too much away. 

My parents and I spent literally all day Saturday at Tysons. We lunched at Coastal Flats and marveled at how packed the mall was (blerg). I came home with three dresses, three sweaters, two pairs of earrings and a white ceramic turtle.

dress up anyone?

Today was church, lunch at Moby Dick's, a lil shopping at Home Goods and driving home to a waggy tail and a snuggly husband.

Feels good to be home.

I couldn't walk away from this wire rack that I found
at Home Goods. I can't get over how ME it is!
I was planning on putting it in the bathroom but it may
end up here, just up on the wall. and no, my walls
aren't really that bright.