White House Garden Tour

On Sunday the 10th of April Matt, Mom, Aaron, Angela, Pierce, Harrison and I met up in DC for a tour of the White House gardens.  The grounds are open once a year during the Cherry Blossom Festival for ticket holders to get up close and personal with historical buds and blossoms.  The day was chilly and gloomy when we started out, but got more and more beautiful the further we walked the guided path.  Trees planted a particularly long time ago or by specific presidents were noted by signs along the way and an upbeat band entertained our ears on the porch by the "back door."  Now, of course the President's House is not Versailles, but I was told to not expect much.  That made me expect nothing.  So I was surprised by everything!  The grounds were more extensive than I imagined with vast scenic views and little secluded hideaways.  It was such a treat to see behind the gates!

   

Rose Garden & West Wing

Putting Green

The Obama children's play set.

The last remaining blooms on a cherry blossom tree.

The White House kitchen garden.

BEAUTIFUL spring colors!

Afterward we walked to the Washington Monument to watch people fly their kites at the Kite Festival.  Then before driving home we introduced all in our company to the tasty and unique cuisine that is Ethiopian food.  But I'm afraid if I show you a picture, chances are you'll never let us take you there :o)

Cherry Blossom Kite Festival

March In Photos

Love watching the sky transform outside our apartment windows.

Kitchen counter conversations.  Tanner & Stefani stayed with us for a week while they house hunted.

Wintry walk at Sandy Point.

Pierce dancing to let out energy, only to immediately regain it.

Walking around DC.  

Proof that I was walking around DC too.  On a sunny day.  With no sunglasses.  And that Matt and I are equally photogenic.

Group photo opp at the Lincoln Memorial after listening to Jeremy speak Mandarin with Asian tourists.

Tea time!  Hillary and I had a special day together.

Jasmine tea with cream and sugar.

Sandwiches, quiches and scones oh my!

Still love those ever changing cloud views.

Hilleremy

Order pasta in Baltimore's Little Italy, not Coke.

Manna

A lovely evening out at the symphony.

You have to have a laptop to hang with this crew.

The TV was probably turned on too.

Relaxing at the airport before flying to Waco.

Dr. Cleaver was our taxi from Dallas to Waco.  Within minutes after arriving, we were here at Rudy's.

Eating this.  Matt could have gone home happy then and there.

BBQ, law enforcement (complete with cowboy hats), sports on TV and a Texas shaped neon sign.  Yep, we were back.

(FYI: Rudy's was Matt's favorite restaurant in town.  He still refers to how good their meat is weekly.)

Back on campus, Matt's name was still alive via papers posted in and around the Physics department.

Outside his advisor's office.

The reason for our little trip.

Dinner with some of our favorite Waco residents at one of our favorite Waco restaurants!

Your morning will never be the same after you've been introduced to Lolitas breakfast burritos.  This fantastic local dive was blocks from our old home.

Hanging with Doug over a cup of tea in his fantastic office.

Bush's sweet tea outside the science building.  I had a great time reading in the sunshine while Matt was inside visiting.

Revisiting part of our Friday night laundry tradition.  Grab a sandwich, then walk down the sidewalk to...

Ma Suds.  The window decor was new.  Everything else inside was the same, including the lady folding laundry.

I didn't take any pictures while at Spenco, but had a great visit with old co-workers who kindly sent me home with samples of their newest comfy sandals.

Matt had excellent turn out at his talk on campus & did a great job presenting.  I snapped a picture after the room cleared.

Chips, salsa, queso & a margarita at The Elite Grill afterward with Doug and Natalie.

The Elite was the first restaurant I ate in after moving to TX in 2005.  It was my birthday and Mom and Matt were with.  Good memories :)

Neat architecture and signs.

After shooting hoops in the driveway, a little ping pong game with Doug in his backyard.  Natalie and I chatted on the patio before the mosquitoes drove us inside.

Back to Dallas to see Brock and Stefanie.  And to eat more Tex-Mex!

Brockefanie!

Good friends, good food, good visit.

Breakfast at the Cloud Cafe.

And to fulfill our last regionally specific food request, we stopped at Freebird's on the way to the airport before flying home.

A neat photo opp back on the East coast with the USSS director.

And before any more time goes by, that was March in a nutshell.

March Sneak Peak

Use The Food We Have Challenge: Day 3 & 4 & more

DAY 3:  Saturday went down a little differently.  Our challenge meal was a breakfast of cinnamon toast and scrambled eggs.  I'm proud that our "bread" was leftover hamburger buns I threw in the freezer a while back.  For supper we were ate leftover burgers, beans and slaw with friends that were kind enough to bring dinner to us!

DAY 4 :  Sunday night Matt ate leftover soup.  I had scrambled eggs with the remaining mushrooms sauteed in truffle butter and an apple. 

After that I lost track of exact timing, but additional meals we scrounged up without grocery shopping were: butternut squash ravioli, tuna salad, pan seared chicken breasts, soft tacos, hard boiled eggs, and curried chicken with rice.

This doesn't include everything we ate (like random snacks, breakfast pantry items and lunch outings)  but we did so well eating at home for supper without buying anything except half and half.  Woo hoo!

Thanks, Matt for being willing.  I had a lot of fun.  I believe our tummies stayed full.  And so did our wallets :o)

Use The Food We Have Challenge: Day 2

Last night we had another good "free" meal.  Our turkey, potato and veggie soup with crackers was good!  Matt enjoyed it so much he requested it be made again sometime.  Perhaps that's because he got home after 8:30 and was starving, but I like to think it's because I'm a culinary makeshift genius.

Already Had:
Ground Turkey
Potatoes
Carrots
Celery
Frozen Mixed Veggies
Chicken Broth
Various Spices
Saltine Crackers

Purchased:
Nothing

March Madness Inspired Meal Planning Challenge

Before I catch up on our latest goings-on and doings during March, I was struck with an idea.  March left us with good memories, but it didn't leave us with a well stocked kitchen.  (Who wants to plan meals and eat at home when friends are in town visiting?)  So instead of grocery shopping this afternoon, I'm going to pursue the ever looming yet not always easily achieved "let's eat what we already have" goal.  Here's what we have:

Not much, but with filler items purchased here and there, it should be enough.  For a few suppers at least.  

In the past, when we try to "eat what we have on hand" our streak lasts only a meal or two before we're ordering off a menu or filling a grocery basket.  So this will be a fun challenge for me.  Hopefully it won't be completely boring and unappetizing for you.  Maybe you'll be encouraged to use up the frozen mysteries in your freezer too.

Sooo... this little pantry purging party kicked off last night with asparagus quiche, sauteed mushrooms and strawberry jell-o.  Not too bad, right?  Three cheers for equaled success over the next few days!

Already Had:
Frozen Pie Crust
Frozen Asparagus
Mushrooms
Mozzarella Cheese
Eggs
Strawberry Jell-O

Bought:
Half & Half