Tulip Meets Daffodil

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.

♥

My Vacation... Guinness, Flowers and Amazing Views

I wanted to bore you show you some of my vacation pics, (before my procrastination makes posting these pics, well - kind of odd. We've been home two weeks already!)

We (the hubby and I) spent a wonderful week in Ireland with my father.

We drank a lot of Guinness in fabulous Dublin city.

(Guinness pints waiting to be topped off. Then consumed. By us. :)

We were overwhelmed by ALL of the flowers and greenery - everywhere, on every lamp post, street corner, and building.

Some pubs in the Temple Bar area of Dublin. See? Flowers, flowers everywhere.

We also went to the west coast... County Sligo and County Mayo, where my grandparents are from.

These cows have the best view. Ever.

And yes of course, I did buy some Irish yarn while I was there. (Which has been added to the stash for that certain, special project... still TBD.)

♥

Six Months and an Early Evening Walk with Patrick

It's kind of a special day...

Six months ago today I started this blog. OK - not exactly momentous... but I did want to mark the day in some way. I've truly enjoyed working on this blog. It's opened up (or should I say... kept open) a creative side of me which is important, and which I sometimes feel is lacking in my day-to-day life.

I used to make candles for a living. Yes, you read that correctly. For four years I was a full-time candlemaker. Hand-poured pillar candles were my specialty. I sold them online, at arts & craft festivals, and in some shops and spas. I was living in South Florida at the time, so my biggest account was actually a customer in the Bahamas. I would drop off approximately 1,400 pounds of hand-poured pillar candles at the port of Miami each time he ordered, my hands bruised and dyed blue, completely and utterly exhausted after weeks of work. And it was a lot of work. A lot. But I was able to use my imagination and creativity (almost) every day. For a living.

Eventually though, I became completely burned out by it. I ended up going back to the "business" world about five years ago, and I now spend my days at my computer working on PowerPoint, Excel and Word - instead of stirring melted wax all day, and playing with colors and scent.

Don't get me wrong, I really do love my life now. I work with some amazing clients, and I learn something new every single day. I am very fulfilled both personally and professionally.

And honestly, I don't miss candlemaking a bit - the stress of getting orders out, and the frustration I felt when a candle didn't come out perfectly after hours of work... it was all a bit much after a while. (In hindsight, I've come to the realization that my perfectionism did not meld well with that type of work. I was nearly driven insane. :)

But - I DO miss being creative, and making beautiful things with my own two hands on a daily basis.

So that's why this blog has become important to me. It's a great reminder that I need to stay creative - find interesting projects to do and actually finish them. (Easier said than done!) Also that I need to stop and appreciate the beautiful things around me... be it some pretty flowers, a sunset, or just a long walk with Patrick.

Speaking of Patrick... I wanted to share this snap my hubby took on Sunday. We went for a long, early evening walk with him. We kind of had a lazy weekend, so the poor pup was going a bit stir crazy. He was so excited to be out and about.

I just love how the shot turned out... so much movement - like you can actually see Patrick trotting along with a smile on his face and his tail wagging. :)

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. ♥

Hunters, Foxes, Bunnies and Suburbia

There is at least one fox who lives in our neighborhood. The other morning Patrick and I were out walking and I promised him a cookie as we got closer to the house.

His pace quickened. He cannot resist a cookie of any sort, under any circumstance.

When we got to the door, however, he was not - at all - interested in coming inside. (Which, given the pending cookie, was very odd.) Well, my hunter Patrick had spotted the fox - across the street and a few houses down.

He was very focused.

And he wasn't going nutty (as he probably would have been if the UPS truck had driven by - he can't stand those guys...). He was just - watching. Intently.

Unfortunately, I didn't get any snaps of the fox, as he escaped behind a bush when he realized he was being watched. But, I did get a snap of a couple of bunnies in the backyard.

They are such nibblers.

It's so nice to *occasionally* get a little hint of nature out here in suburbia. I'll take what I can get...

♥

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.)

♥

Posts, Poppies and Puppies

May 1. I wanted to post something clever and creative and pretty today. Honestly, I thought and thought all day about it. Even took my camera on my walk with Patrick and still - nothing. I even HAD a busy day today and actually DID things. Just nothing worth repeating I suppose...

One of my neighbors has a beautiful patch of poppies. I SO wanted to take a picture of them but - still being quite painfully shy and introverted - even at the ripe ole middle age of 41... I was scared to. Not sure really what I thought would happen - some crazy man running outside with a broom chasing me away and yelling? "Stay away from my poppies! No pictures allowed! What WERE you thinking? I'M CALLING THE COPS!" Who knows. (And yes I'm fully aware this is all very irrational. I'm shy not crazy.)

My husband has said that I often ask him to do things that I could probably do myself. Probably snapping a picture of the neighbor's poppy patch is one of those things. (Must remember to take him on our next walk...)

They really are beautiful.

Anyhoo...

I've been quite busy lately with real work and have accomplished very little on my ripple blanket. It calls to me during the day. But I stay focused and keep plugging away on my "real" work. Perhaps one day I will be independently wealthy and be able to crochet all day. Read. Do art. Whatever I please. But for now I must be an adult and responsible partner and work hard.

The only picture I have to share today is a cute one of Patrick sleeping with his Teddy. That is Steve's hand there as well. Yes, we are doting puppy parents.

(And yes, Patrick does have furniture privileges. Life's too short. ♥ )