Tulip Meets Daffodil

April - Almost May

Well I am long overdue for a check-in here, but wanted to do so to let you know that yes, I am still alive and healthy and happy and thinking about my dear blog!

I have to admit though that I haven't done ANY crocheting since my last post. Work just completely overwhelmed me this past month, and at the end of the day and on the weekends I was completely fried. And just wanted to veg. In front of the TV. And do nothing. Hopefully this weekend I'll be able to pick up my hooks though, and get my creative mojo back!

Let's see... what else (besides work) happened this past month. It's a real blur...

I had my 42nd birthday, which was very happy. My husband took me to my favorite restaurant, and even though it was on a Monday, I still managed to take most of the afternoon off. (Hurray for small favors!)

Buford is doing well and settling in here. Although we are still working on walking, and he does shed a lot (!), we love him to death and he literally couldn't be a sweeter, gentler boy. He had a birthday on April 7th, (six years old...), and we had a great time eating McDonald's Happy Meals and playing with new toys.

Spring is in full gear here which is wonderful, although our new house has close to zero flowers, which is a shame! I also have about 12 empty pots on my patio which I may fill this weekend. I love our house and property... it just needs some LIFE outside! Here was a flowering cherry tree in our front yard, which I was able to enjoy for a week or so.

A few weeks ago I also had the pleasure of watching our friend and neighbor cat Maryland while her family was away. She is a real sweetheart, and it's nice for me to have some "kitty time" since I can't have my own. (Patrick would so not appreciate that!) Maryland's mom Trudie brought me back this lovely handmade bowl as a thank you. (The artist's name is on the bottom, I'll have to go look for it and add it to this post!) I just love the color and I think the "dots" on the outer edge is so interesting and unique.

I keep my hooks in it!

Well that is all for now, my friends.I hope everything is well wherever you may be. ♥

Ready for Spring and Patrick's Birthday

Ooh I am SO ready for spring! It actually smells like spring outside today. I do have to work (so wrong...) but I am definitely planning on taking a long walk with Patrick later. (Buford is still getting used to taking long walks, so he'll stay home today. :)

Although I really can't complain, we've been very lucky as far as bad snowstorms go lately. Just a few dustings this year. These shots were taken yesterday morning. All the snow was gone by afternoon!

Our bluebird house...

Just a cold dusting of snow...

Last Sunday was Patrick's birthday, and he and Buford had a great time with a special Happy Meal feast, and presents (of course). He is 10 years old! We are so lucky to have him.

Here he is with one of his new birthday toys...

Worn out from the excitement.

♥

Meet Buford

A week and a half ago we welcomed another member into our family. Another four-legged, warm, loving, furry one. It was not the easiest day. I was terribly sick, but tried to rally - showered and got dressed because I knew Buford was headed this way.

Buford had been on our minds for a couple of months... ever since my hubby first saw a frantic flyer on the fridge at work asking if someone could take Buford in. His mom (dog mom, not human mom) had started attacking him in the past year. There was no explanation as to why this started happening to poor five year old Buford. His mom Ashlie was found and adopted while she was pregnant with him, so god only knows what her history is. Sadly, it just started happening. Buford's owner tried everything - behaviorists, separation, etc. None of it seemed to solve the problem.

Two weeks ago there was a new flyer on the fridge at work. There had been another attack on Buford. My hubby called me and it was a quiet understanding between us that we would be taking Buford into our house and family.

Buford is a sweet, loving, and gentle soul. And a good fit here. But it's not been very easy for me. We lost our beloved Zoe girl almost two years ago, and I've not recovered from the loss yet. I still can't really think of her for too long without crying. She was a life force in our house, and she's been missed beyond words or comprehension. In some ways, I still can't believe she's really gone - even after all this time.

So, having Buford here with us has been a bit heartwrenching. I sometimes feel as if I am "replacing" Zoe, (literally impossible I know, but grief is a slippery slope). And Buford's poor owner is also devastated. I had no words to console her as she left that day. She tells us that she couldn't have found a better home for him, and I am so thankful she feels that way - but can you imagine giving your dog away to strangers? What sacrifice. I honestly don't know if I'd have the strength.

Not everyone has been supportive of our decision to take Buford in - we don't "need" another dog. Of course we don't. But we have the room, and the resources, and the love to help another living soul who was in desperate need of a safe place to land. And Buford has already given us more love than we could have ever hoped for, so it's been a fair trade so far.

Edited to add: Patrick is adjusting to being the "big dog brother" too. He pretty much largely ignores Buford, and struts around like he's the man of the house. It's been an adjustment for everyone - but a happy one.

Valentine Tulips and Snowshoe WV

Happy end of February! Where on earth did this month go...

I've been staying busy - and actually doing a lot of crocheting which has been wonderful. (Helps my stress-level!) I've made a lot of progress on my seafoam afghan. It's still a beast, and growing, and I keep plugging away at it. I started it originally to give away as a gift, but I am wondering now whether it's actually too large to give away - it's well beyond a simple lap throw at this point. We'll see. I also might just be too attached to the thing at this point to give it away!

I had a very sweet Valentine's Day. My hubby, even though he is "anti-Valentine's", brought me two boxes of chocolate (heart-shaped, of course!) and some lovely pink tulips (how did he know? :) They lasted a long time, and I'm hoping I can transplant the bulbs this spring.

We also went away for the weekend last week to Snowshoe, West Virginia with some friends. I made two scarves with Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn - officially, my new favorite yarn ever. (Well, for this week at least.) I am dying to make a whole afghan with this yarn - it is so warm and snuggly - but I really have to make progress on/finish some of my other aghan projects first.

Here are some pics of where we stayed, Soaring Eagle Lodge. Our condo was on the top floor and the views were wonderful.

Sunset from our room (no photo filter and no editing)!

More February pics to come soon. I have some crochet projects I want to show off.

♥

Our Merry Christmas

Last Christmas, the hubby and I decided to spend the night in DC. With Patrick of course. (Pet-friendly hotels rock!)

This Christmas we decided to continue the tradition. We had a lovely stay at the Hotel Monaco, in the Penn Quarter of DC.

It was a wonderful hotel, (the building is actually the original General Post Office and Tariff Building, constructed in 1839). The room was comfortable, the service impeccable, and all three of us (Patrick included) had a great time at the wine hour on Christmas Eve. (We met a very nice dog named Fred and his family.)

The hotel:

The lobby:

We had a nice dinner Christmas Eve dinner at McCormick & Schmick's, and then walked to the White House.

On Christmas Day we grabbed some Starbuck's, then walked around the Capitol and Botanical Gardens.

Here is the Capitol... you can see they are already setting up for the inauguration.

Then - home for presents! This is Patrick with his hoard of gifts:

It was a wonderfully exhausting couple of days!

A Visit to Leesburg, Virginia

It's Monday. Almost Tuesday. And I did not pick up my crochet hook all weekend. In days actually, if I'm going to be honest.

See - this is why I don't set goals for myself like "A granny square a day!" I so admire people who can stick to such a goal. I am just not one of them.

But... I did have a nice weekend, even without any progress on my crochet projects. Since it was such a gorgeous day on Saturday (warm and sunny),  the hubby and I and Patrick the dog went to Leesburg, a cute little town nearby.

Established in 1722, the town has a rich history and is full of fabulous old houses, restaurants, shops, and antiques.

I saw this neat-looking tree.

It was in a little garden next to a museum, with signs that warned about stepping on the fruit from this tree (which was all over the ground - everywhere). The signs said it would make your shoes sticky and smelly. (We did not enter the garden!)

I also had a red velvet cupcake at Lola's. The cream cheese frosting was to die for! Some of the best I've had in a long while.

(I actually fell out of my chair eating this cupcake. And no I wasn't drinking, and yes there are pictures, and no you can't see them. :)

We did not go into one of my favorite restaurants - Lightfoot - because we had Patrick the dog with us.

It is housed in an old bank - a fully restored turn of the century bank. Yes, really. Vaults and all.

Delish.

Patrick had a great time too. A lot of sniffing and watching and walking.

I love Leesburg so much I actually fantasize about buying an old house in the historic district and moving there permanently... spending my days working in a tiny little office in one of the really old, 18th century buildings.

Someday maybe, someday...

Updates and Sunsets and Mums

I feel so badly that I haven't posted anything in weeks... I've been doing well and happy and fine - I just don't have much very creative or interesting to say, I suppose. That's the problem with making a big afghan. Progress pictures are, well - boring. Plus, I've not made all that much progress on it anyway which makes updates even more boring.

I've really been itching lately to do something else - something beautiful and colorful and granny square-related specifically. But, I also feel like I've got to make a last-ditch effort to finish this project by Christmas. Not going to happen. I hope to make some real progress this weekend... pictures next week, really (if-I-write-it-I'll-do-it).

And I'll leave you with some images of fall here in northern Virginia. This shot was taken at sunset at my favorite northern Virginia winery - Willowcroft, in Leesburg. We had a lovely day with some friends who had come in from their house in DC. We showed them "country life"!

And some (thirsty) yellow mums... just because.

♥

Dinner on the Patio

My hubby and I are moving to a new house at the end of the month. Argh. Yuck. Boo. Wah. Ugh.

Believe me, our new house is so gorgeous, I can't believe I actually get to live there, (the kitchen has an island, people - an island! I've never had one before!) I am just dreading the move itself.

But, we will get through it, as we always do. Everything will be fine. (No, really, it will.) (I keep telling myself.)

So we are trying to take advantage of some pre-move down-time. Living "normal" and calm lives before everything is thrown into boxes and chaos. Tonight I made the hubby hamburgers on the grill. And I had a salad. And we also had beer, wine, and mini croissants. On the patio. With our pup nearby in the grass.

Doesn't get much better after a long day...

Brunch at the Kennedy Center and Yellow Tulips

 We had a lovely visit with my mother-in-law the past few days. Lots of good talks and good food. (My jeans are currently a bit snug because of it but, I have to admit... it was worth it - I love food!)

Yesterday morning we went down to the Kennedy Center for brunch.

There is a restaurant on the top of the building with amazing views of DC. On Sundays they offer a great brunch... a huge buffet of food laid out in the kitchen (they even have a separate room laid out with just sweets - heaven).

Oh - and they offer you a complimentary mimosa when you arrive... one can't ask for much more on a Sunday morning!.

After brunch we walked along the terrace.

Amazing views on all four sides.

The Potomac and Georgetown...

The Jefferson and Lincoln memorials...

And... the Washington Monument (never far from view in DC!)

And of course, since I am a bit nutty about fresh flowers, I had to have some in the house for the visit. I couldn't resist these yellow tulips.

Don't they just have a simple, classic beauty? These were grown in Virginia.

The leaves are already fading a bit, but the blooms are still vibrant and sunny.

Love. ♥

Sad Gardens and Happy Anniversaries

My "garden" is abysmal. Besides a thriving plot of mint, there is literally nothing edible or pretty there. Oh - I do have a pot of sad chives. The picture below shows the only spot of color in my yard at the moment:

Literally. Just that one, on-its-last-legs, chive flower. Quite depressing.

I am watching the hydrangea bush closely though! This is where the blooms are at the moment:

Next month they will be GORGEOUS!

On a happy note, my 9th wedding anniversary was yesterday. My sweet hubby brought me dark chocolate and mint candies (two of my favorite things) and a gorgeous bunch of purple and red roses (another favorite thing!)

We decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory (we had a gift card so that helped the decision). I had not been in years (since the 90s y'all), and Steve had never been. There was no wait and I was psyched that we were seated in a very private booth in the back corner. YESSS. (I don't like eating on top of other people - strangers especially!)

It was a very tasty meal I have to admit. I was a little put off by the ads in the menu... (really? what's that about anyway?) but we had a nice time. I was also a little disappointed that I ordered a white wine right away without looking at the menu. I belatedly discovered that they had a large selection of mojitos and martinis. One mojito in particular caught my eye - Stoli Blueberry Vodka, Mint, Fresh Blueberries, and Lime Juice. Sounded yummy to me! (I am in a blueberry phase at the moment...)

When we came outside the sky was beautiful.

I am a lucky girl.

(Yes that's me on my wedding day, 2003.)

♥