DC with the parents

This week my Mom and Dad came up to visit. Dad had never been to DC so we loaded up and headed out early Wednesday morning. It was cold and quite breezy but we had a great time. I did not get to take pictures of the Star Spangled Banner display at the National Museum of American History (we got to see the original flag!) or at the National Archives (where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence is) but I think I got a picture of everything else. They were cleaning and doing construction on almost all the water fountains and the Reflecting Pool so we did not get to see any of that in it's full glory. Besides the cold, that was the only down side of the trip. There were very few crowds and there was little to no wait time. Here are just a few of Mom and Dad. I put the ones of Doug and I on Facebook.

Christmas with the in-laws

We had to do Christmas a little early with the in-laws this year. My mother-in-law was leaving to spend Christmas with her family in Wisconsin on Friday, so we pushed Christmas up to Wednesday. Keeping with Christmas tradition I cooked; however, this year it was tacos instead of dressing. Feliz Navidad!


Side story- Doug accidentally "replied all" to a text from a friend. This guy from Ohio began texting Doug. After about 10 minutes back and forth the guy finally introduced himself. This is a picture of us reading that text. Turns out we knew the guy. He is a friend of our neighbors in Ga (who the original text to Doug was from) and he had visited while we lived there. The way he reminded us who he was was priceless!


Auburn got treats in the traditional care package gift!

Doug got long sleeve clothes and a jacket for Christmas. The short sleeve t'shirts are not going to be enough up here!

Another attempt at making Brownies

Thankfully I have Doug who has witnessed my failed attempts to back me up when I say, "I can not make brownies from a box!" I know I am no chef and most things I cook are simple; however, most enjoy my cooking and think it taste pretty good. I am not a chopper or a spicer, just simple, easy recipes. I can make all kinds of food and appetizers but one thing I can not do is make brownies from a box.

I have tried several times. They come out one of two ways; hard as a rock that no knife can cut through or gooey enough to roll in a ball, flatten, or drink. After so many failed attempts I decided to hang it up and stop trying. I have not bought brownie mix in probably 3-4 years.

Today I decided to take another crack at it. I bought Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies at Wal-mart this morning and crossed my fingers. I followed the directions on the back of the box precisely. I measured the pan with a ruler to make sure I had the correct pan measurements for the correct temperature and cooking time. I even set the timer a few minutes less than what the box said so I would not overcook.

The first time I took them out they were not done enough so I stuck them back in for the remaining time the box recommended. I got them back out, stuck my toothpick in the middle, and nothing came off. Since this is when the box tells you they are done, I took them out and let them cool. After about 10 minutes I began cutting the brownies into squares. My knife penetrated the brownies, so this was a good start. However, as a dragged the knife through, the brownie came with... I did my best to cut them pretty and I scooped a piece out. Let's just say these brownies can not be ate without the use of a fork and plate... They are... moist...? Not flaky but so moist when you pick it up it falls apart because of the weight. I am not sure if this is how they are suppose to be or if they should have cooked longer. I am hoping they harden by the time Doug gets home. I really wanted this time to not be another attempt...

D.C.

Saturday Doug was off so we decided to head down to D.C. to do some exploring. We drove down back roads to keep away from traffic and to see more of the area. Our first stop, Chevy Chase. I needed to get my jewelry cleaned and Chevy Chase has a Tiffany's.

The shopping area is called "The Collection at Chevy Chase" on Wisconsin Ave. Not only did they have a Tiffany's, they had a Dior, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Lewis Vuitton, Barney's, Saks, and so much more. I got my jewelry cleaned and bought two shirts at GAP... I did do a lot of window shopping and dreaming!
After that we drove through the area and house hunted/looked at houses we could never afford. The area was so nice! The houses are close together but they are old. The people who live in that area do a great job of keeping the houses in good condition. I would love to live in that area but the houses were probably more than what I would make in my lifetime!
Next we headed to College Park to shop at Ikea. I needed one more shelf for the house and who really needs an excuse to go to Ikea?? This one was the biggest I have ever seen. It even had appliances!!
After lunch we could not decide what we wanted to do. It was cold out so we considered doing something inside but we hated not to go to D.C. since we were so close. So off to D.C. we went. It was pretty crowded so we drove around downtown. We got to see the "Occupy Wall-street" people and their tents. Not too many people were there so we figured they were out protesting somewhere. We decided to park by the Potomac River, across from the Jefferson Memorial. It was really cold so we only stopped to take a few pictures.







On the way back we stopped at a shopping center in Bowie. We walked around and I got a couple pair of shoes. (For some reason all my shoes are sandals and hardly any of them cover my feet and keep my toes warm... Ha!)
It was a long day full of a lot of walking but we enjoyed it. I think we may take my parents to D.C. for a day when they come up. Of course I will have the day planned out so they can see everything!

Bah-Humbug!

So this year Doug and I have decided to not decorate for Christmas. And to top it off, we are not buying Christmas presents either...
Bring it on haters!
Since we have moved, we have had a lot going on. We still have not bought everything to finish decorating the house so we still have stuff lying around on the floor waiting on its home. Just the thought of dragging out all the Christmas decorations makes me want to pull my hair out. I mean, how can I decorate for Christmas when I do not have the house decorated and organized for the other 11 months of the year? Since we downsized to a 2 bedroom, we lost some storage space. Our Christmas stuff is literally shoved into the hall closet. We are lucky to hang our jackets in there. I DO NOT want to pull it all out and put it all back up again. Auburn will have to wait until next year to terrorize the tree and presents. :)
We are not buying Christmas presents because we would have to mail all the gifts. So we are doing a gift card to the grandparents and maybe a gift or two to the parents. And maybe a toy for Auburn. :) The only thing Doug wants is a desk for when he starts school and all I want is stuff for the house; so we will call those items, whenever we get around to buying them, our Christmas presents.
So no Christmas parties, no Christmas tree, and no pretty wrapping around the Christmas gifts under the tree. Maybe next year...

Delaware!

Today Doug finally got a weekend day off so we took full advantage of it. We got up early, ate breakfast, and hit the road. We stopped off first at Kohl's cause we had tons of coupons that we need to use. Then we headed for Delaware. The ride was long but it was a nice day. I got to go across the Bay Bridge for the first time. (The bridge that connects the two sides of Maryland with the Chesapeake Bay in the middle.) Once across the bridge you cross into Delaware and end at the Atlantic Ocean. We stopped first at Cracker Barrel to eat lunch. Yes, we drove all the way to Delaware to eat at Cracker Barrel. It was so good! Then we went to the outlets, of course, to do some shopping. I mean, there were so many stores they separated the outlets into three sections on both sides of the road. How can you not stop?

The beach we went to is called Rehoboth Beach. It was very nice. When you come in, you drive through a downtown style area with the ocean straight ahead. There are tons of shops and restaurants along both sides of the street. We were surprised how many people were out shopping and hanging at the beach. It was cool but with the sun it was nice. The beach has a long boardwalk that is perpendicular to the main street you come it on. You can rent bikes and scooters or do it the old fashion way and walk. A lot of the businesses and hotels were closed for the season but quite a few were still open. We did good and resisted the yummy smelling fries and mouth watering ice cream. I can't wait for summer so we can soak up the sun and really see the town for what it is for. Here are a few pictures from the day.

The Bay Bridge


The Chesapeake Bay


Downtown Rehoboth facing the beach


The Atlantic Ocean from Delaware


The boardwalk


The boardwalk was lined with benches to sit on and enjoy the view. They faced both directions so you could enjoy the ocean view or people watch on the boardwalk.


The sand did not totally repulse me. It reminded me of the sand you would find in a sandbox. Much nicer than the sand in South Carolina.

White Halloween...?

I'm, dreaming, of a white... HALLOWEEN?

We did not get much but it did snow this past weekend. We got a nice layer of slush on the ground just like we do in the south. If only all the snow was going to be like that! I had a hard time getting a good picture so I ended up taking a video with my camera. It came out a lot better than what I could see on the screen.

A trunk full of milk

So two weeks ago I went Grocery shopping with Doug and we got the flat tire on the way back. Last week we went but did not have a whole lot of time so we decided to go to a store closer to home. (Side note - closest Wal-Mart is 15-20 mins away depending on traffic and there are NO Publixs or Krogers. :( )It was ok but we were rushed and the store did not have everything we needed. This week, we went to another store close by since the weather was not nice. We loaded the car with our groceries in the cold rain and headed straight home. When we opened the trunk, there was milk everywhere. Somehow it busted and spilled out. So while it was raining, in the freezing cold, I wiped down all the groceries we had bought while Doug cleaned out the trunk. Thank goodness for the upgraded trunk tray. And thank goodness it was not the middle of the summer in Georgia. Could you imagine the smell?
Morale of the story... I am not suppose to grocery shop. I am suppose to sleep in and let Doug handle all that! :)

Flat tire on 97

So today I decided to skip football and spend some time with my husband... Well skip half the day but make it home for Auburn! We wanted to go do something fun but we had too many errands to run so we got up early (well early for me on a Saturday) and headed out. First we stopped to get breakfast and then gave my car a bath. Next we headed to Wal-Mart. I know, HIGHLIGHT! I was not feeling too well so I did not get to have the fun of putting everything I thought looked yummy in the cart. Doug never takes me shopping because I never stick to the list. After we loaded the car up (and noticed the bird diarrhea on my freshly washed car) we hopped on 97 to head back to the house. Big mistake! The Renaissance Festival was having it's last weekend and the weather was beautiful so that meant EVERYONE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND went. 97 was jammed. When we got close to our exit, Doug decided to drive down the emergency lane instead of waiting patiently like a good driver. Yep, about half way to the exit we hear a "thump thump thump thump thump..." and then it stopped and my tire pressure light came on. We pull over, I get out, and take one look at the back tire. It was flat as flat could be. Luckily the wheel was still off the ground so it got no damage. I was also lucky that Doug was with me cause I have no clue on how to change a tire BUT if he was not with me I would not have had a flat... So we changed the tire (Yes WE! I helped turn the thing to jack up the car!) and got back on the road. I called Doug's parents to meet us at the tire place. We still had a car FULL of groceries so I took the groceries out of mine and put it in theirs while Doug took care of the tire. We left my poor little broke car there to be fixed and took the groceries home. I think it all survived but our day never got much better. Nothing bad happened the rest of the day, except the foreign men in line in front of us at Victoria Secret, but the day never really recovered. We got most our errands done and came back to the house to watch football. I am hoping Auburn and my margarita will help put the cherry on top of the day. :) So lesson learned, NEVER, EVER, for no reason at ALL, skip a Saturday of watching football. You will pay (literally) dearly for it!

The fight has began...

It's football season... I (like always) want to stay at home and watch football all day... Doug (like always) wants to get out of the house... Doug use to compromise with going on Sundays... lately Saturday has been mine & Doug's only day off together... let the fight begin...

So far, football has won! I love my husband and I am dying to do some fun stuff but IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! Doug understands some, but that understanding gets less and less every week through out the season. I would go... but there have been some great games this year. AND I have been able to watch most SEC games on TV. It helps when half the conference is ranked! :)

Doug does not mind so much that I hog the living room TV all day on Saturdays since he has a TV for his video games and an IPad. But he does miss having at least some of my attention... I keep telling him to switch his off day until the season is over but so far, no luck. I just keep reminding him, "It's only 13 weeks out of 52!" I am not sure how much longer that will work.

I asked a guy at work if the girls up here liked football as much as Southern girls do. He replied, "No. There is nothing like Southern girls and there football!" Well said!