Monday, January 31, 2011

snow-M-G!

So, you may or may not have heard that the upper east coast has absolutely been slammed with winter weather recently (if you haven't, just reach your little hands out from under that rock and pull).  Last Wednesday, it actually started coming down around 3:00 in the afternoon, and the federal government (pulling a total public school system move) shut down RIGHT as everyone was about to head home.  I was stuck in a meeting until about 3:30, so I didn't leave the office until 4, and I knew the metro was likely to be backed up, but whatever.  I love snow, so it really didn't bother me.  But once I got to the Pentagon and had to wait on the bus for about 45 minutes, it started to get frustrating, and the Solitaire app on my iPod was losing its luster.  Plus, I could see I-395 from the Pentagon, and it was moving at a glacial pace.  Then, Molly called me and told me she was dropping some coworkers off near Pentagon City, so I just decided to hop back on the metro and meet her there so we could drive home together.  In hindsight, getting on the bus probably would have been faster, but instead, we got to brave the crazy traffic with each other, a fully-charged iPod (special thanks to Ke$ha, Ben Rector, and Bruno Mars as always), and some Lindt truffles.  Oh, and my mom and friend, David, who both called and kept us entertained. 

Well, once we got back to the neighborhood four hours later (not kidding, we started at 5 and got home at 9), we decided it would probably be a good idea to head to the grocery store down the street and stock up for the next couple days.  That was a really great idea until we started driving home, which involved a giant hill and a driver in front of us who was having a love affair with her brake pedal.  Really?!?  What part of common sense tells you that driving uphill on a slippery surface might be a great time to slow your car down and see what happens?  So, naturally, this lady got stuck, and we got stuck behind her.  And after about twenty minutes of driving backwards down the hill, we finally turned around and braved 395 so we could go in the front entrance of our neighborhood, which (SHOCKER), is all uphill.  So that meant we had to park at the bottom and walk the quarter mile to our house, which wouldn't have been a big deal except for the weight of our groceries, and OH YEAH THE BLIZZARD.

Try not to be jeal.


mmmm, yeahhh, work it.


Well, turns out Molly makes really good baked barbecue chicken and mashed potatoes, so we had that for dinner and curled up with an episode of Modern Family.  And then, I took some lovely pictures of the snow.






The next day, the federal government was on a two-hour delay, so my office was, too.  But, I was actually supposed to take a half day anyway to work on my six-month performance evaluation paperwork (I know, can you believe it's been six months?!?), so I just stayed home and had a snow day!  I saw my very first episode of Beverly Hills 90210 and got to go outside and take some more pictures of the lovely scenery!





We have decided that this fire hydrant fits our color scheme and that it might need to relocate to our house.  If that wasn't probably a felony, it would happen.


This poor little tree is just trying to grow.





And my poor car.  I didn't dig it out until Saturday.  And now they're saying we're in for more freezing rain/snow this Tuesday and Wednesday!  Gimme gimme!

Friday, January 28, 2011

the jetta hits 100,000!

Back on January 5, my sweet little car hit 100,000 miles!  We had to get a lot of repairs done on it right before I moved here, but other than that, it really hasn't given me many problems at all.  I just love it!  (Don't worry, Mom and Dad, I was parked when I took this picture.)


My parents and I bought the car used (at 62,000 miles) right after my freshman year of college...


...and I've been driving it ever since!  Here's to the next 100,000!

Happy Friday!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

home improvements

Our home is getting homier!  About a week ago, Molly and I ordered about twenty of our favorite pictures from Snapfish and bought a bunch of $5 frames from Michaels so we could create a giant photo collage on the wall near our kitchen, and we love how it turned out!  Not gonna lie, I had a really hard time being ok with the random amounts of space between each picture (I really like consistency and order and tape measurers), but Molly put up with my crazy long enough for me to adjust, and I just adore it.




That wall used to have three Ikea mirrors with raw wooden frames hanging up side by side, so we painted those robin's egg blue (Martha approves) and distressed them a little before hanging them in the corner opposite the TV.  They open up the room a LOT!


Making these little changes keeps it feeling like "our home" and less like a place we just rent.  I'm sure there will be quite a few more!

Also, we already have six inches of snow, and the temperature is really low, so I'm pretty sure today is going to be full of lots of warm and cozy things.  Excited!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

ice storm!

Last week, Stacey, Molly, and I were all trying to be super ambitious and get to work early after a long MLK weekend, and Mother Nature (that little witch) had a whole slew of other plans.  Most of which included turning our 45 degree incline of a street into a downhill ski track fit for the 2014 Olympics.  The federal government was on a 2-hour delay, which helped us feel a little less guilty about showing up late, but still, feeling like you might bust your head open eight feet from your front door is not something I'd wish on many people (ok, a few here and there).  Molly was able to work from home the whole day, but I was supposed to have a big meeting at work, so I ended up schlepping in at about noon.  Stacey (the only actual federal government employee) was brave and made her way in, but not before texting us to say her butt and the ice were officially well-acquainted.

Here's Molly getting creative with the stairs.  Under any other circumstances, we might've called the funny farm.


Why were we trying to go to work when the streetlights were still on, much less in an ice storm?


We couldn't even hold the handrails without our hands going numb.  How is that supposed to help?


aaaaand of course, here are a couple videos just so you feel like you were there.  But without the frozen appendages.





We're supposed to get "heavy snow" tonight, so I'm gonna be wearing my jammies inside out again!  Bring it on!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

fruit pizza


Last week was a hard week in our house (lots of work and bad weather and traveling), so on Wednesday, we decided to do something happy, and I taught Molly how to make a fruit pizza!  This is one of my family's all-time-favorite recipes, and sometimes we make it in place of birthday cakes!  I think my mom first made it back in the early '90s, and it's just stuck with us ever since.  And apart from being delicious, it is absolutely beautiful!  So, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Sugar Cookie Mix
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
4 ounces whipped cream (Cool Whip works best.)
Fresh, canned, or frozen fruit. Fresh is best. We like bananas, kiwis, strawberries, and blueberries, but use whatever you want!

For the glaze:
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
dash of salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Prepare cookie mix according to package directions.  Pat in a 12-inch pizza pan. Bake until light brown.  Cool.


Blend cream cheese and whipped cream and spread on cookie.



Arrange fruit in a pretty pattern on cheese/whipped cream mixture.


Put glaze ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook one minute, stirring constantly.


Spoon glaze over whole pie.


Refrigerate. Will keep several days.

And that's it!  It is seriously the easiest and most delicious dessert you could make.  And it makes jaws drop every. time.  Let me know if you try it!

Monday, January 24, 2011

what you've been waiting for..

I know a bunch of you have been anxious to see the professional pictures from Amanda's wedding back in December, and now you can!  Just go to waltersandwalters.com and in the client login box in the upper right corner, type amandawwedd.  Enjoy, and here's a sneak peek!


I was so honored to have led this prayer before the ceremony!



Also, here's a happy song for your Monday!

Friday, January 21, 2011

whitney, lauren, and danielle visit: sunday

On Sunday morning, we did what DCers do on lazy weekend mornings... we went to Eastern Market!


Whitney and I bought matching scarves, and then we each bought a cannoli to enjoy on the way over to Baltimore to pick up Danielle!



Fortunately for us (and unfortunately for our waistlines), Georgetown Cupcake was on Danielle's list of things to do, too!  But since we were already in Maryland when we picked her up, we just headed to the shop in Bethesda, which has a MUCH shorter line!

And I found my very, very favorite flavor that day.  Strawberry champagne.  I may or may not write a few love songs in its honor. 



Please try to ignore the icing on my face.  It adds character.


Ready to DIG IN.




A lot of people think I'm poised and proper and would never post a picture of myself eating, but clearly, I have no shame.



After that, we decided to drive into the city to visit the National Portrait Gallery.  I ADORED it!  We probably only saw half of it (because, let's be honest, we wanted to get back in time to watch the Golden Globes), but the history nerd in me had a flippin' field day.

Oh hey, I like your last name.


Beauregard in the Civil War exhibit.


President of the sweet, sweet South.


Oh, look!  It's Lauren and Lincoln!  (I am as much of a dork as you think I am.)



This portrait of Mary Cassatt gave me a warm fuzzy, because Mom used to keep her paintings all over the house!


We're trying.  Some years harder than others.


I LOVED this dining room exhibit!



Dorks.


Obviously, my favorite president.  But I have to tell you, there were some EXTREMELY rude Brits hanging out in this exhibit who were making fun of all the Republican presidents, and I was absolutely furious.  Whitney legitimately thought I was going to jump on the tall one's back and wring his neck until he admitted America was all that ever went right in the world.  But really, if you're not from this country, don't make fun of the people we elect.  We didn't ask you.


Dubya!


This one was from the "Elvis at 21" exhibit, which I loved!  This girl almost looks too mature to be freaking out over him, but I'm pretty sure if she were young today, this would be her reaction to J-Biebs.  And no, I'm not comparing the two.



So that was pretty much our weekend!  I'm still detoxing from the cupcakes, but they were worth every last bite!

Looks like we're getting zero point zero zero inches of snow today, but that's ok, because it's FRIDAY!  Have a fantastic weekend!
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