Ten For '10

Ten Simple Firsts During 2010
by Jenna

1. used a steam vac
2. drove a Mercedes
3. went to a baby shower
4. held a new newborn
5. finished a beer
6. drove in snow
7. ate Ethiopian food
8. de-meated a rotisserie chicken
9. learned new settings on my camera
10. baked a pie

Top Ten Things During 2010 (That Weren't Really Mentioned On The Blog) 
by Matt

  10.  Overcoming fear of driving into/through DC.
    9.  Spending a weekend in Baltimore, in the Inner Harbor and Fells Point.
    8.  Finding the best crab dip on earth.
    7.  Learning to not be annoyed by babies.
    6.  Taking multiple foreign and domestic trips for work.
    5.  The freakish (record breaking) amount of winter snow, the freakish (record breaking) summer heat, and the freakish (record breaking) chilly fall.
    4.  Going to my 10 year high school reunion.
    3.  Playing tennis on a regular basis for the first time in 10 years (through a work league).
    2.  Finishing a full year of not being in school and then finishing a full year of a real job.
    1.  Auburn going undefeated and contending for a national championship.

Happy New Year's Eve everyone! 

Here's to our memories from 2010 and our expectations for 2011!

Christmas in SC

We drove down into great weather,

Visited on the porch, 

Wore non-pajama-like clothing on Christmas Eve,

Exchanged gifts Christmas morning,

And braved the snow.

More uniquely, we played a part in Matt's Grandpa's Christmas wish: to see his kids and grandkids, all of whom live somewhere in-between Georgia and Maryland.  Our job was to get him from North Carolina to Virginia, which was a treat for us too since we were not only able to visit with him, but additional family members as well.  So glad all Santa's elves could help him get what he wanted for Christmas!

It was a nice holiday with family, food, games and naps.   Thank you to all Santa's elves for our gifts.  Thank you to all the chefs for our meals.  Thank you creator of Trivial Pursuit Baby Boomer Edition for making me feel challenged in ways Farkle never will.  Thank you inventor of cruise control.  Thank you Old Navy for having already inexpensive clothing on sale.  Thank you elastic waistband for being in my pajama pants.  Thank you God for Jesus.  Merry Christmas!

A Year With Pierce

My daytime buddy and I had a lot of fun during our fourteen months together.  We were frequently entertained by good ole PhotoBooth.  Below is my first shot at a Picasa collage and some of our oodles and caboodles of pictures:

Good December Friday Morning To You!

 

 

Yesterday's snow underneath this morning's sunrise.

Mount Vernon

Two weekends ago we made the relatively short urban drive to Mount Vernon, the beloved Potomac oasis of George Washington.  The weather was cold, but lovely.   December highlights of the grounds include viewing the third floor of the house, seeing this year's pardoned Thanksgiving turkey, and the traditional Christmas camel.  Huh?  Yep. 

This was Matt's first trip, but I went about 15 years ago (sheesh!) with my family.  It was exciting to verify images that had floated around in my head for all those years with the real thing again.  I was proud of me for correctly remembering a lot.  And thankful my (our) parents were able to expose us to great places like this as kids.  I wonder how much Cameron remembers.

The property is gorgeous and other than being hustled quickly from room to room, it was a great peek into the past.  Perhaps the only truly negative thing is that our house hunting hopes and dreams have now soared to a place where they will most definitely be completely deflated by reality.  (Not really, but you know...)

I'd be happy with the kitchen alone as our entire home.

Oh the peaceful solitude!  No wonder George liked it so much.

Beaches, forests, pastures and hills.  This property has it all.

Preserved evidence of a once self-sufficient estate.

Eye catching red roofed barn and other buildings.

I wonder if any of their grand-kids dared to sled down this mother of a hill.

Somewhere in a shoebox, there is a 15 year old picture very similar to this one.  But it has a brother in it, not a husband. 

 

A Jump-Start

It was 20 degrees this morning.  Thank goodness for the sunshine.  Helped counteract the 10 degree wind chill.  Yesterday seagulls were in the blue sky and sand was blowing around on the ground.  Oh wait.  Nope.  That was snow.  Who knew seagulls and snow could go hand in hand?

Matt bought a humidifier last weekend.  It is a good thing to have during the winter, though I'm amused, as it appears to make him happier than receiving a handful of books off his Amazon wish list.  I'm sure he's just pulling my leg.  He does make me laugh.  In a check-out line recently he casually declined a bag from the cashier in order to "save the plastic trees."

Unless you count the greeting cards taped to our pantry door, we don't have any Christmas decorations inside our apartment.  We do, however, have yards of orange and blue crepe paper swagged around the ceilings.  Did you know Auburn was undefeated this football season?  Did you know Auburn won the SEC championship?  Did you know Auburn's quarterback won the Heisman?  Did you know Auburn will play in the national championship game this January? Brag, brag, gloat, gloat, etc, etc.  War Eagle.

My blogging brain cells have had a jump-start and are now revived.  Here we go...

Twenty-Nine!

Happy Birthday Matt!

Halloween Pictures

Trick-Or-Treat Wagon

This baby duck liked being hand fed M&M's

Frumpy Farm Lady & Baby Duck

Adorable Pregnant Lady & Baby Duck

Halloweekend

FRIDAY: After getting home late from work, Matt realized he lost his keys.  Thankfully he took the bus in so his car was here, he had his phone, and I had a spare key.  No big deal.  Just annoying.  After lots of effort trying to track them down we gave up and ate a sushi dinner down the street at 8:30pm.  Revelled over the fact that we had the freedom to eat dinner out so late.

SATURDAY: Slept in, made french toast, went to an estate sale, watched the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.  Ate a delicious Ethiopian dinner in DC with AU friends Travis and Billie, watched the AU game at their apartment in VA.  Took a late metro ride home and saw LOTS of costumed crazies celebrating Halloween.  Made it to bed by 2:00am.

SUNDAY: Baked a pumpkin spice cake, went to church, worked in the nursery.  Sped back home to cook chicken tortilla soup.  Celebrated fall by eating the soup, cake and leaf shaped spritz cookies here with 8 friends.  Cleaned and rested.  Celebrated Halloween with a baby duck and his momma.  Saw lots of cute trick-or-treaters, ate chicken nuggets and candy for supper, picked up Tanner from the airport, visited, made it to bed by 11:30.

MONDAY: Matt found his keys.

What You Get For The Money

One day we'll house hunt in the flesh, not just poke around on the internet.  But it's a good thing we're poking.  It will help cushion the prick of reality.  The following homes are listed for the same price with almost the same results.

SOUTH CAROLINA

ALABAMA

TEXAS

 

MARYLAND

Can't say we're very thrilled about this last result.

Apples

Granny Smith apples.

Apples under attack.

Apple blossoms.

Apple signs.

Apples that looked like red potatoes.

Apples in a bag. (Now in our fridge.)

Apple growing sunshine.

Apples in the trees.

Apples on the ground.

And pumpkins too.

Blog Recommendations?

Do you guys have any recommendations for good blogs to read?  I read a few that are thrifty, foodie, creative, entertaining type blogs, but I'd love to be referred to more.  And I don't personally know a lot of people or families who keep blogs.  Any recommendations? 

The Scenic Route

While exploring in the car last weekend we found ourselves near DC on one of the loveliest stretches of road I've ever driven on.  The two lane pavement wound through wooded areas lined with stone walls.  There were fall colored leaves sprinkled everywhere on the still green grass.  The sun was so shiny, the sky a perfect blue.  I felt like I was living out a movie scene as we drove along listening to Mozart.  We stopped at a scenic overlook to savor a few more minutes before the road led us somewhere else...

 

Crab Dip

We found it.  The Boatyard in Eastport has the best crab dip around.  Possibly the best ever!  (Yes, you-know-who, we're challenging the famous crab dip from you-know-where...)

Peek-A-Boo

Blog #2

Introducing...

MothersStuff.Blogspot.com

A place dedicated to vintage things, garage sales, table cloths, thrift stores, aprons, hankies, pretties and that kind of stuff. With time it will become more refined. So please bear with me as I build upon the empty foundation and put meat on its bare bones. Let me know if you have any feedback, requests or ideas. I'm hoping it will be a lot of fun!

And a honking big heartfelt thank you, by the way, for reading this little blog about what we do. Knowing I have readers helps me keep writing. And I really do enjoy writing.

Fear The Turtle

We're in ACC territory now. Which is nothing like the good 'ole SEC. But it's still fun college football. Before last Saturday night neither of us had been to a game since we were students at Auburn, so when a friend offered us tickets we gladly accepted. We sat in a sea of red and black at the Maryland vs. Duke game and had fun in the new atmosphere. We did stick out like sore thumbs in our orange and blue though. (Our 5-0 record is too good to hide!) When the marching band played the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme song we loved it and laughed, but somehow it didn't have the competitive edge Eye Of The Tiger does. We'll be back one day Auburn... in the meantime, Go Terps!

Rainy Day

Summer Again?

Well folks, I spoke too soon. Today was a 96 degree scorcher. I suppose weather is fickle no matter where you are. But we all knew that already.

Beauty trumped heat, so our little Wednesday play date group held to our plans of walking through the Naval Academy grounds to City Dock downtown. Our stroller parade parked in the shade for sandwiches before the return trip to our cars. It's fun hanging out with these gals and being Pierce's daytime buddy!

(Three of the four ladies here are pregnant. Kiddos kiddos everywhere.)