me

favorite things 1.12.22

Time for a game of favorites.
Y’all wanna play?

What’s your:

favorite ice cream flavor
Target’s Favorite Day Caramel Waffle Cone

favorite pie
cherry pie all the way

favorite place with a great view
the towers at the National Cathedral

favorite U.S. state
Virginia
I was born here.
It’s in my DNA.
It’s a remarkably beautiful place.

“To be a Virginian either by Birth, Marriage, Adoption, or even on one’s Mother’s side, is an Introduction to any State in the Union, a Passport to any Foreign Country, and a Benediction from Above.”—Anonymous

Perhaps we Virginians take ourselves a bit seriously…?

favorite literary device
absolutely adore alliteration

favorite Hobbit from the Lord of the Rings
Samwise Gamgee all day every day.
Frodo wouldn’t be shit without Sam.

favorite makeup you can’t live without
Benefit BADgal BANG mascara.

favorite piece of jewelry
my wedding rings
I know it seems obvious or trite even, but it truly is my favorite

favorite thing about winter
S N O W!

favorite thing to do when it is snowing
go for a walk and take photos
and
drink hot chocolate as I watch out the window

What about y’all?
What are some of your favorites?

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organizing my home and brain space

This is the view from our bedroom window this morning.
Can you spot three deer out there in the snow?
I watched them for about ten minutes while they foraged.

Today is snow day number four.
And two to four inches of snow predicted in the overnight hours tonight.
Three full weeks of winter break.
I’m actually ready to get back to school.

Though I’ve been quite productive around here and feel good about it. This additional week was helpful.

I found some good decor items to add with things we already have to style the dining table. I’m being mindful about making sure I have mostly practical pieces that are useful in ways other than simply looking nice. I don’t want decor for decor’s sake. I want beautiful things I can utilize in other ways.
I may end up returning some things, I’m still trying to figure it out.
Photos to come.

I’m actively journaling.
It feels good to get my brain space better sorted. In addition to journaling my thoughts and feels, I’m also writing about writing. My hope is that will eventually translate to this blog.
We’ll see, those thoughts are still hatching…

I’m feeling positive and hopeful about all the things right now.
Inspired and encouraged.
About our home.
About my feels.
I’ll strive to do what’s best for my physical and mental health.
I’ll continue to ask questions that may or may not have answers.
I must consider some serious decisions.
But I’m going to accept what comes as it do.
And I’m going to embrace as much playful fun and joy as I possibly can.

How are all y’all feeling this first week of the new year?
What thoughts are hatching in your brain space?

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snowy day

After nearly two weeks of sixty degree weather, we had a surprise snow storm last night into this morning!

It was bucketing down so quickly!
YBW left home between 7:30 and 7:45. I could see his footprints in our driveway and up the road. But by 8:00 they were completely covered, as were tracks from one vehicle that drove around the corner and up the road.

I’ve kept myself busy around the house.
Striped and remade the bed, and washed, dried, and folded sheets and towels.
Cleaned the kitchen.
Finished reorganizing the pantry.
Started styling the dining table…this will be a work in progress until it feels just right.
Wrote in my journal.
Planned dinner.
Baked an apple upside down cake. (from scratch)

As you can see, I haven’t flipped it yet.

It’s stopped snowing.
The wind continues to howl.
The temps keep dropping.


This is the path beside our house through the dining room window.
I’m considering venturing out…but it’s so nice to be all hunkered down in the cozy warm house.

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Encanto: does being magical = unconditional love?

We watched Encanto Tuesday night.
On Disney+ from the comfort of our own sofa.

photo cred: walt disney animation studios

I had no real interest in seeing it. I hadn’t even seen the trailer.
But Thing 1 has been expressing her interest and excitement for a couple of months now. She’s even been listening to the soundtrack for a few weeks. So her hype kind of tipped me from the edge of ‘maybe I’ll watch it’ to choosing to watch it.

Y’all!
I laughed.
I cried.
I was mesmerized.
I cannot recommend this movie enough!

First of all, the music!
So many great songs! In English, and in Spanish.
I’m ready to watch it again just to hear the soundtrack.

I’m fascinated by Colombian history and culture. (you may recall it was the place I was most excited about going on our 2019 Panama Canal trip)
This film did not disappoint when it came to Colombian culture.
Not to mention the animation itself was unbelievably stunning.

But what got me the most was the story.
Mirabel is a girl who grows up in a family where everyone is magical but her.
To be told you’re not special you’re entire life is a feeling I understand down deep in me.
This girl knows she’s not magical like literally every other person in her family, yet she shows up every day and does what she can to contribute. To make life better for everyone around her. However, no matter what she does, or how hard she works, it’s never enough.

I know what it feels like to be told you’re not special.
I know what it feels like to grow up in a family where no matter what you do, nothing is enough. But you keep trying every day because it’s the only way to feel loved.
Like me, Mirabel is a classic over-functioner.
Her sisters kind of are too…

Mirabel’s story is infinitely more complicated but also a bit simpler than that, but it hit a trigger point in me.
It was beautiful and sad, and hopeful all in one.
And hope is a truly wonderful thing.

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present and engaged this Christmas

For the first time I can remember, I didn’t take any photos at Christmas! ​
A tiny part of me is sad there are no photos, but I love that I was completely present and engaged on Christmas Eve when our family was here.
Three of our four kids, their two partners, one mother in law, and our grandgirl came to our new home to celebrate together.
We popped bubbly.
We laughed.
We opened gifts.
I was disappointed Thing 2 and Boyfriend M weren’t with us, but I talked to her for nearly three hours earlier that day, and I know she spoke with her sister too.

I put out the cookies Thing 1, Baby K, and I made.

We ate three different varieties of soup.
We nibbled and talked and told stories. We were content to celebrate together.

Baby K helped me pass out pressies to her parents, uncles, and other grandmother. She enlisted her Papa’s help as she was feeling a bit shy about taking gifts to her uncles and Thing C’s girlfriend.

We all had Christmas Eve gifts of jammies and books.
Our adult kids get gift cards for Christmas, which may seem boring, or even like a cop-out, but it works for our family.
Of course, not being an adult, Baby K gets gifts.
And I can assure you she was all about opening them!
Even though we went to see her Christmas morning, she opened gifts from us while she was here on Christmas Eve.

It was the loveliest Christmas I’ve had in a while and my love and joy were spilling out all over.
I hope all y’all and your families had a wonderful Christmastime.
I wish you all comfort and joy.

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silly reindeer

Baby K spent Saturday night with us so her mom and dad could get some last minute holiday stuff done before her other grandmother comes late tomorrow.

Our girl loves herself some snapchat filters.
“Me! Me!”

“Now ‘Boowie’!”

Who wore it better?
I’m going to go ahead and cast my vote for the toddler.

I hope y’all are doing all the fun/goofy/wonderful holiday things that bring you all the joy!

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favorite things 12.15.21

Time for a game of favorites.
Y’all wanna play?

What’s your:

favorite place to dine out
in VA: Mike’s American or Trummers
Mike’s is delicious but the nostalgia is also a big draw for me.
I taught the eldest son of the Trummer family, so they always hook us up special when we’re there.
in DC: Woodward Table
I mean, just YUM!

favorite show
(currently) Only Murders in the Building
if you haven’t seen this Hulu series yet, I encourage you to watch

photo credit: Hulu

favorite bar
(currently) Lazy Dog
it’s right across the street and I love that we’re building relationships with the bartenders

favorite letter of the alphabet
E
the four people I love most in the world each have the letter E in their name

favorite haircare products
kerastase curl manifesto
this collection changed everything for my curly/wavy/’witch imprisoned in Azkaban’ hair

favorite type of hat
I’m a huge fan of a knit beanie – oftentimes with a pom-pom on top

favorite day of the year
May 12
because it’s M Y B I R T H D A Y!!

favorite cover song
Live and Let Die
Guns N Roses
it brings so much more to the table than the original could even dream

favorite midnight snack
a bowl of Cap’n Crunch
and I don’t even GAF if you judge me it brings me such random joy to eat that junk cereal

favorite idol

photo credit: Las Vegas Magazine


Billy
See what I did there?
(still smirking)

What about y’all?
What are your favorites?

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merry and bright

Meadowlark Gardens does a Winter Walk of Lights at Christmas time!

I bought tickets and convinced YBW to go.
Initially I thought it would be a fun outing. You know, get all bundled up and walk around the gardens we love lit up at night. A Christmasy date night with my sweetheart.

But then…
But then, I got an idea.
“Then he got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful awful idea.”
(Not really an awful idea. I’m just committing to the bit.)
I decided we could shoot our Christmas card photo there!
How precious, right?
Can’t you picture it? Two cutie-cutes all bundled up against the cold – festive holiday lights – the perfect holiday vignette.
The photographer in me was all about it.
The lover of all things Christmas in me was all about it.
Turns out, YBW was all about it too. Partly because he thought it could be fun, by mostly because I was enthusiastic about it.

There was a small part of me worried that it might be lame. Concerned I’d drag my husband out in the cold and it wouldn’t be worth it.
But when we got there, I went into full on SQUEE mode!

It was absolutely magical!
I took our photo at least fifty times and narrowed it down to two perfect Christmas card shots.
Mostly I just squeed. And told YBW how much I loved it. And thanked him for coming out in the cold with me.

I was the Christmas spirit.
I was child-like wonder.
I was joy.
I was merry and bright.

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would you rather – partie quinze

master every musical instrument or be fluent in every language
fluent in every language all day every day

go bald or forever be cursed with terrible haircuts
bald
bad haircuts are the absolute worst and I can always accessorize with hats and wigs

have fame and fortune or love and wisdom
love and wisdom
fame is a fickle bitch, and fortunes can be lost – love can also be lost, but I value it more, and wisdom only grows

live in a cave or live in a tree house
tree house x infinity
especially if it could be like Henry and Amy’s

King, Stephen Michael. Henry and Amy (right-way-round and upside down). New York, Walker and Company, 1998.

first contact extraterrestrials be robotic or organic
organic
if they’re robotic, that means someone/thing else is controlling them and I feel like that doesn’t necessarily bode well…

What about y’all?
What would you rather?

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Baby K weekend December 2021

Our grandgirl was busy this weekend, y’all!

Saturday we played in the creek behind our house. That girl loves water! So much so that she dragged me into the middle of the creek before she realized the water was up over her boots!
After dumping out the chilly water and squeezing her wet sock feet, she decided she was better off standing on the shore throwing rocks.

After dinner we watched one of Birdie’s favorite holiday shows!

What you can’t see is her dancing every time they sing about how the Grinch is so mean.

Sunday morning we were up, breakfasted, and ready to roll before nine o’clock. We wanted to take Baby K to see the National Christmas tree. The night before YBW checked on the interwebs that the trees opened at 8:30.
We were like, how perfect! We’ll go first thing before it gets too crowded and be out of the city before lunchtime.
Alas, the universe was all, haha NOPE to us.
When we got to the Ellipse, everything was closed!
I immediately got on google…and this is what I saw.

Y’all, I’ve lived here my entire life (minus eight years) and never ever have the fucking trees been closed on the weekends.
Or in the evenings.
Is this a covid thing?
I don’t even know, but I gotta tell you I was pretty damn salty about it.

It was quite pretty though.
This is the first time in my memory that there are pressies under the tree.
But no trains!
I was disappointed, but Baby K had a blast being in DC!
She was in her buggy at first, but then she decided to walk. Across 17th Street. The kid is a natural at navigating crosswalk signals. (while holding hands with Birdie and Papa, natch)

We went next to Old Town Alexandria.
Our plan to let her walk to her little heart’s content.
Her Papa and I got coffee, she got a great big chocolate chip cookie and off we went down King Street towards the river.
Of course we had to stop at the huge Christmas tree in Market Square at City Hall!
Baby K nommed her cookie, ran through the square, and climbed up and down each set of steps and the ramp on the stage right in front of City Hall.
Sadly, our outing was cut short when she had an accident.
We got her all dried up and put on clean clothes, but her shoes were wet, so it was time to go home.

Where she built with blocks then had pizza and salad for dinner.

Oh! NEWS FLASH!
She doesn’t call me B anymore.
She says Birdie now. Only it sounds like Boo-wie.
So, Baby K’s weekend at ‘Boowie’ and Papa’s house had it’s ups and downs, but being together is what it’s all about.
All the JOY!

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