Spring in D.C.

I haven't blogged in a while.  We have been busy.  Our dearest friends came to visit with us for Spring Break and then Erik's Aunt and Mom came for their "Sister's Trip."  It's been a beautiful spring here, although, if you came now, you wouldn't believe it - it's winter again! As always we enjoyed all the time touring the District with our friends and family.  Of course, we saw the "main attractions:" the monuments, Arlington, the Smithsonians, but this time we worked a couple of new things in.  I thought I would give you a short list of some things that are great to do if you plan to visit D.C. in the spring.

1.  The garden at the Smithsonian Castle is absolutely beautiful this time of year!  The tulip trees are in full bloom.  We worked this in with a visit to the Arthur M. Sackler museum to see their Turquoise Mountain Exhibit.
     The Turquoise Mountain Exhibit is a beautiful installation by Artisans in Afghanistan.  It really takes the time to feature the craftsmanship of their wood-work, jewelry making, rug making, pottery,  and even features a kite making video and some kid friendly workshops.  It's truly an educational experience.  I highly recommend it.

2.  Paddle Boating the Tidal Basin to see the Cherry Blossoms. (DC = Cherry Blossoms)

3.  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is another great thing to do in Spring! Specifically the outdoor seating area with all the quotes of Kennedy and the arts engraved on the building.  It's wonderful to sit out, enjoy Kennedy's thoughts on the arts and overlook the Potomac.  It's a great way to take in the scenery of Washington D.C. Even our children enjoyed it; especially when paired with...

4. Dinner at Farmers, Fishers, Bakers.  It's owned by Founding Farmers...another D.C. must try.   We ate there twice in one week.  It's nestled on the Georgetown waterfront and the food is amazing!  Try their homemade Kettle Korn appetizer - YUM! Be sure to make reservations, though.   From there, we strolled along the boardwalk, then sidewalks following the meandering Potomac to the Kennedy Center.  It was a wonderful outing!

Well, for now, that is all I've got.  We have many more items on our D.C. bucket list before we head on to the next adventure.  What are some things we can't miss?  I'd love to hear from you!

A Three Day Weekend in Washington D.C. - Making it Count

 Two of my dear friends came to visit this past weekend.  One brought her two kids  - the youngest of which just happens to be my middle's very best friend in the whole world;)
It was a whirlwind of a trip filled with sight seeing, lots of laughs, lots of coffee, and lots of #hashtags.  It was a wonderful time and I am left sitting here, looking at photos, and thanking God for blessing our family with such wonderful people.

Here is a quick itinerary of their visit.  We tried to hit the highlights of DC but when you take into account a one year old, two seven year olds, COLD weather and Metro repairs, we didn't get to see everything on the wish list.  (oh well, they will just have to come back!)

Friday - they arrived at Dulles and took the shuttle to the Metro stop here.  It's super easy and from the metro, you could get anywhere in DC.  I recommend it if you need a quick transport for little money (it was $5.00/pp)
When they arrived we visited and decided (mainly thanks to the rain) to just stay close to home.  We took them to eat at the Famous Ted's Bulletin and then to ice skate (in the rain).  We closed the place down! The kids' energy was endless!

Ted's Bulletin Famous Homemade Poptarts - this one was Salted Caramel - YUMMY!

Saturday - after a slow morning, we hopped on the Metro and headed into DC. Due to repairs, we had to train hop, so we lost a little time, but we still had plenty of time at The Museum of American History.  It really is a gem filled with information, as well as lots of entertainment for the kids.  After a late lunch in their cafe (I recommend the BBQ - it's really good!) we headed out to see some monuments.  We of course saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the kids were able to stand where Dr. Martin Luther King stood when he delivered his famous speech - which was totally fitting considering the weekend - and we walked back by the Vietnam Wall.  By then IT WAS COLD... so we hopped on the most amazing DC Circulator and rode back to the Metro to head for home.

I Love DC - I don't love the Metro...we had to wait 20 min for a train b/c we missed a connection because they had the last two cars closed down - YIKES. We were frustrated. 

To quote my friend - the kids were "HANGRY"

Sunday we got an earlier start.  We headed straight to Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard.  It still brings tears to my eyes no matter how often I visit.  Added to that, it snowed - it.was.beautiful. After Arlington we headed to Rosslyn for lunch at a new place District Taco.  It was really good and the service was excellent.  I recommend the nachos! After lunch it was time for the Museum of Natural History.  Of course the kids loved the Dinosaurs and the mammals. What's not to love about a bunch of stuffed mammals? My kids are always in awe.  Next was Georgetown! It was a quick trip through Georgetown to a little ice-cream shop called Georgetown Scoops - yummy ice-cream and excellent service! We tried to walk along the Canal but it was getting dark and cold, so we just took in a few of the locks and read a little of the history and moved on.  The final stop was the White House. After standing out there and trying to catch a peek of the president... we decided it was time to head home.

The visit was wonderful! Too short but filled with lots of memories.  I know we didn't get to show them everything that is in DC but we tried to hit the highlights.  What items would you add to this list?

Meal planning for the holidays

Image Credit

As I mentioned here, we are thrilled to have a house full for the holidays. While we cannot wait to share George's birthday and Christmas with them, it's gonna take some prep. The first thing I did after we nailed down everyone's schedule, was plan the food! I basically planned breakfast and dinner for everyday. Lunch will be leftovers or I will have plenty of sandwich stuff and chips.  There are only a couple of days that I actually anticipate having a breakfast that everyone will eat, but I planned one per day to be sure I had enough and a variety for everyone. Some are allergic to eggs, some of the kids are picky, some are not eating carbs, it presents a challenge. With that being said- here's my meal plan.

12/22- chili in the crockpot (this is the day Erik's parents come into town. I thought a nice warm chili waiting when they arrive would be a good idea.)

12/23 - 

B- oatmeal

D- out (we plan to ice skate at the National sculpture garden and have dinner at the Pavillion beside it)

12/24

B- english muffins, eggs, cheese, Canadian bacon

D - pizza ( possibly a Christmas Eve tradition? )

12/25

 B - sausage and grits casserole, and orange rolls

D - turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and another dessert- probably brownies. 

12/26

B - leftovers

D - spaghetti / salad

12/27

B - yogurt / granola

D - taco soup

12/28 (George's Birthday)

B- pancakes

D - party food :)

12/29

B - French toast casserole / turkey bacon

D - chicken and rice, Lima beans, salad

12/30

B - cereal

D - Ted's Bulletin ( wanted to try this place forever!)

12/31- New Years Eve!

B - eggs/ biscuits / bacon

D - I'm thinking party food! Mini Quiches,

Meatballs, buffalo chicken dip, chips and salsa, maybe pigs in a blanket.

12/1 

B- pancakes / waffles

D - traditional New Years Lunch

Ham, black eye peas, greens

12/2

B - Breakfast Casserole

At that point our company leaves and the kitchen closes, at least for a day :)

Most of my recipes are on my Pinterest boards. It doubles as my makeshift cook book. I will share another post about George's birthday!  Until then, I better get shopping!

Hip hip hooray for Christmas Vacation

It's Christmas week! And we are getting ready for a family invasion- and we cannot wait! While the family will be coming and going, at one point, for George's birthday, we will have 14 people under our roof. We have been preparing for a couple of weeks. I thought I would share our time line and meal plan as well as some little extras we did to prepare for our family.

First, I should say that before the invitation was extended to everyone, we made sure we had a place for everyone to stay. They will be scattered everywhere, but they will have a place- that's what matters. I've made a special point to be sure each guest has access to 

1. Clean linens

2. A place for their bags and to hang clothes

3. Their favorite foods and drinks

4. Water bottles by their bed

5. Outlet/extension cord if needed for charging phones, iPads, etc.

While everyone is here- which is only for a couple of days, there will be people sleeping in our guest room/ basement/, our bedroom, George's room and Ella and Anna's room. While I can't make each space a guest retreat, if I make sure they have these few things, they will feel more comfortable, and most of all, welcome. Which is what they are!

The week before we:

1. Nailed down everyone's schedules- when they are arriving and when they're leaving. 

2. Finished up Christmas shopping.

3. Meal planned

4. Made a run to our local wholesale club to stock up on kcups, favorite drinks, snacks, etc.

This is definitely not pinterest worthy, but I made up a coffee/tea bar so our guests would have access to warm drinks anytime they wanted. 

5. Made a run to Trader Joes for wine and specialty items we wanted to have on hand.

We did the same for the "other" bar ;) we don't drink lots of liquor but I did buy some that could be used in holiday drinks. 

6. Made a run to the liquor store for the seasonal drinks we wanted to make.

7. Did some last minute sprucing up to the house- hung pictures, and Erik put lights in my China cabinet- yay! 

One day before:

1. Last minute grocery shopping and errands 

2. Buy sheets! We have two sets of queen sheets, but I don't want to have to do laundry while I'm prepping for George's party and making arrangements for family. So we are going to get another set so we have enough for the air mattresses without stopping and washing. 

Arrival day:

Nina and Papa are coming in on December 22. I plan to: 

1. Vacuum and sweep all floors

2. Final wipe down of bathrooms

3. Put chili in the crockpot- it's an 8 hour trip- we want them to have dinner ready whenever they're ready.

4. Prep some of the food for Christmas morning. 

5. If time permits- let the kids do some baking. 

I have also researched some seasonal activities that are in our area. I'm not making plans for anyone, however, having a list of activities will help if anyone finds themselves wanting an outing. 

I believe in any undertaking it's always important to keep the goal in mind. My goal for this visit is to do the leg work ahead of time to prepare for our guests then simply let go and enjoy the ride.  Erik and I are thrilled to open our home and feel blessed so many want to come be with us as we celebrate Christmas and George's birthday! 

I'll post my meal plan on the next blog. Meanwhile, laundry is calling my name!  

Getting into the Foreign Service Mentality - Part 1 - Homemaking

Welcome to Part one of my series entitled "Getting into the Foreign Service Mentality" This series started in drafts as one post, that got longer and longer as I started writing about the mental shifts needed in career, family, home, etc. So, I decided to break it into several posts.  Today I am going to focus on Homemaking.

It started in July - THE MOVE - the one that rocked our family to the core; and made us so much stronger. We left everyone we loved and began this adventure into the foreign service. The first move to our temporary housing in Falls Church was crazy, tiring, but in a way, it was a buffer for what was to come. We had five worry free weeks to ease into this fast paced DC life. The second move to Reston felt like a relief. It was calmer here. Although, even this little suburb of DC is still much more congested than our Alabama life, there is nature, and green space, and not as many crowds. We like it here. It took time to settle, to figure out the use for all of our spaces, to "decorate" our home just so, to find our way to the grocery store, find our favorite restaurant, but we did, and it feels good.

Hospitality, homemaking, community are so much a part of who I am.  It will be that way wherever I go. I am learning to redefine the way I think about each of those.

And what about home? I want to settle, I want to create spaces that feel warm and inviting! I would love to pick up a new rug for a room, or get a new lamp for a space, but for what? To store for the next ? years? How do you switch from the "permanent" mindset to the "temporary" all while trying to establish roots in your current situation?  How do you have roots and wings still to fly? I don't have the answers. I am hoping in the future I can refer to this post and see growth in this area of my life. I am hoping I can say that I was concerned for nothing.

This is what I've learned so far:
1. What you already have is beautiful.  Our home is filled with "hand me downs" - most of which came from Erik's family. Some are old antiques, some are just things they no longer needed, but we did, some are gifts from them to help make our home.  They are all beautiful, why? Because each was given out of love.  Some contained a story, some came from grandparents that are no longer with us, all were loved in another's home, and now they are loved in ours.

2. This is not the home we came from, our old home was a well loved brick ranch home, with a big yard on a street filled with neighbors who became family to us. BUT in some ways this home is better. It's bigger, and laid out better for entertaining and guests. It has the nicest kitchen I've ever had, and still feels cozy. And we are getting to know our neighbors (that's another post in this series)

3. It doesn't matter.  I don't like the mirror in our powder room, it doesn't matter.  My living room area rug has lots of stains, it doesn't matter. Our home is connected to 3 other homes, it doesn't matter. Our basement is a homeschool room, guest room, AND playroom, it doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Those are all things, and if I believe the gospel, and I do,  those things will pass away, I am to store up my treasure in heaven. I'm to invest in other people, my family, grow myself spiritually. That's what matters.

So now that I have taken away all of the things I used to "need" to make my house a home, to feel I was ready for entertaining, to validate myself as a homemaker, what's left?  I'm learning to focus on my family, my guests, my friends.  I'm learning to meet their needs, to see to their comforts, to enjoy special moments with them, without wondering if they're gonna spill that glass of red wine on my carpet. Or thinking about how I wish I would have taken the time to pull out the other dishes before they came.  Now that we live here, away from loved ones, I am learning that their visits are precious time, and I want them to feel loved, welcomed, and enjoy their time with us. That truly doesn't require new lamps, rugs or mirrors.  It requires being intentional. I think I can do that!

NOVA

This post is will probably be a little out of character for those of you who know me.  And for those of you who know me really well, it may be spot on... but here it goes.  This blog is about our first post. Washington D.C. Which is not really Washington D.C. at all  - because I really don't know a soul who can live in DC.  So this post is more about Northern Virginia  (NOVA) which, just in case anyone should ever ask you... IS NOT THE SOUTH! It doesn't have southern weather and people constantly ask where we are from when we speak.  After being here nearly 4 months I think I can safely compile a good/bad list about NOVA.
Things I don't like about NOVA -
1. I don't like that it's called NOVA like it's "Super Nova". (random, I know... but it bugs me)
2. Most people don't look you in the eye and they don't strike up a conversation just because...
(when I do meet a fellow southerner...true southerner... we have a mutual sigh... kind of like a welcome home pause -  a moment to appreciate how we would have responded if we were back in the south.)
3. I ESPECIALLY don't like that it is October 18 and currently 35 degrees outside! What is that about?
I was literally just on Amazon looking for snow boots for my girls. Why do I have to purchase a set of boots just for snow.  For those of you who know me, you know that I am CHEAP frugal and one set of shoes for one purpose is beyond all reasoning for me.  So I have launched a campaign to make snow boots have a little bow and come in silver so they can double as a church shoe :)
4. It takes 30 Minutes to get anywhere. Example 1. Our church - 6 miles and 30 minutes away.
    2. our friends in Falls Church 8 miles and 30 minutes away. 3. My daughter's gymnastics class in Herndon - 30 minutes.  It makes no sense, and yet... I have learned to accept it.

5. It used to be a big deal to cross the state line. When we were in Alabama, we judged distance by time and state lines.  IE: My in-laws live about 6 hours away in North Carolina....
NOW it's my friends live 30 minutes away in Maryland... HA! different state - still 30 minutes!

Here are the things I love about NOVA

1. Fall - need I say more? The light, the color, the leaves.    It. is. breathtaking.

2. We are only 30 minutes from D.C. - well actually 40 - same difference. We have two school-age children and we are in the heart of the US! What could be a better learning experience?  It is so fun to hop on the metro and be at a historic landmark just like that.  We have really enjoyed the convenience.  And most of the sites are free. Here's a link to my pinterest board that has tons of things I've pinned to do in the DC Metro area.
3. Our Church. We are attending McLean Bible Church.  It's much bigger than we are used to, but here is what I like about it - You have to want to be there.  Parking is crazy, it's crowded, it's easy to go unnoticed, so you have to make the effort to get there, to get involved, to volunteer or else you have only yourself to blame.  I worked at a church for a while and I feel at times it grew complacent, with the members feeling like the church was there to serve them.  We had meetings trying to cover every situation so people would feel comfortable. Here, there are simply too many people.  You come, you meet God there, you worship, you find a place... or you don't. It's Up to you.

4. The town we live in is COVERED in walking trails.  It is the first planned community in the US and it is so well laid out.  Our home backs up to a walking trail. We love the emphasis being put on being outside.
5. It's temporary. I don't mean this to be a dig on NOVA  - I mean - this is a post, our first post and I love that we know there is an end to this post. It helps keep us adventurous.  We know we need to take in as much as we can now, because we will be moving on.  It really is the way you should live every day. Take nothing for granted, enjoy the time with family, friends, meet new friends, jump right in.  I'm ashamed to say that I left Alabama with a list of things I never did while living there...my WHOLE life.  We aren't going to let that happen here.
I'd love to chat more, but there are things to do and places to see!

Venturing Out - Arlington National Cemetery

And so, fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. President John F. Kennedy

We have been in VA/DC for 4 weeks now, it has been quite an experience so far. I will be breaking it down into several blogs... just too much experience to fit into one little blog ;)

While Erik was in training, we did venture out to a couple of fun spots.  First, was Arlington National Cemetery.  It was truly a moving experience, especially the tomb of the unknown soldier. 

 My children were mesmerized and I think the sacrifices our military and their families have made throughout our history truly became real to them.  Arlington is a wonderful spot  - but it is a lot of walking (as is anywhere in DC).  And also as are most places in DC - it's free! I paid $5.00 to park and we stayed about three hours.  For me and three kids, that was enough but not enough to see it all. It did, however, spark Ella's curiosity about the Kennedy family, which opened the door to more history.  It also presented the opportunity to talk about both World Wars and the events that occurred to start the wars.  History comes alive when you can stand there and look out as far as the eye can see and realize that wars do happen, not just on a tv screen, the effects are real.  The cost is real and lives are lost.  People love this country enough to make the ultimate sacrifice for it.  

We will be going back. 

What I will do next time:

1. GET A MAP - I have no sense of direction, and we really walked all over the place!

2. Spend more time at the Kennedy's now that I am better equipped to answer those questions that my little history buff comes up with.

3. Download the ANC Explorer App from the app store (apple - but I'm sure there is an android one too), it's full of the information I wish I would have had that day! 

4. Take Erik - He was totally jealous we went without him!