Surprise!

No one had ever hosted a surprise birthday party in my honor prior to two Fridays ago.  And by that I mean that H. threw me the most epic surprise birthday party of all time!  He had me picking something up from his house for him (with my friend K.), so when I got there, you might be able to imagine what happened next.  I opened the door and into pitch black I saw several figures, just standing, waiting (lurking, almost); so for a moment, I was terrified.  But then, someone opened the door, flipped the lights on, and tons of friends from college, work, etc. were standing in one room yelling, "Surprise!"  It was awesome.  My friend K. was in town for UVa's homecoming, and she was in on the surprise the whole time!  It was so fun!  Driveby of the weekend:  awesome surprise birthday party, Chocolate Festival and UVa Homecoming game the next day, and apple-picking on Sunday prior to K.'s departure.  Grrrreeat weekend!

A picture from the surprise party:  me with two cakes, how appropriate, guys.

The following week, I got an icky old cold, complete with fever, chills, coughing and copious amounts of chicken broth.  The most productive thing I did between Monday and Wednesday last week was watch Gone with the Wind straight through (including the intermission).

Alas, I was able to go back to work on Thursday and Friday, then drive to Lebanon for birthday festivities this past weekend (as my real birthday was on Sunday).  My mom and dad had a big birthday party for me at home, too, with yummy food and family.  AND, I got to debut my new cowboy boots for the occasion!

 

I also got to ride down to the farm to see some cuties, and by the way, Mom and Dad informed me that Lucky is a female cat, for the record.  Here are some shots from the farm:

Most of you all know how I feel about cats (not my favorite creations), but this little wild barn kitten is a doll!

And a smidgen of a tribute to my favorite dog that we have ever had:  Butch.  My brother got Butch when he was a puppy (he's a Great Pyrenees with a little bit of English Sheep dog in the mix); he has always lived with the sheep and he is a very timid dog.  He loves the sheep and won't let anyone he doesn't know near them; I love this dog and would steal him if I thought he would be happy with me in my little apartment.

On my birthday, Mom and I walked in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with my sis-in-law S. and some of her family. It was a beautiful day, and it was my first 5k, even though we walked it!  S., her mother and sister made all of us tie-dye shirts for the event:  Go team Tie-Dye!

Me, S. and Mom at the 5k

Pink

My latest, and most secretive, project is pictured above, wrapped around my Mom's neck.  It was part of her birthday gift. I've been dying to show it off, but I couldn't spoil the surprise, so here it is.

One of my wonderful friends K. is coming into town today for UVa's Homecoming weekend.  It should be an awesome weekend filled with reminiscing and memory-making.  And cake, of course.  And maybe some apple-picking on Sunday afternoon.  Details will follow; have a good weekend!

The Jamestown Story

Last weekend, I had a history marathon with good friends.  On Friday night, we went on the Charlottesville Ghost & Murder Walking Tour, which follows the murder of ex-mayor Sam McCue's wife Fannie that happened in 1904; we even got to go to their house on Park Street.  Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the local history here.  It was so much fun; I learned a ton about Downtown Charlottesville, and I recommend it to everyone.

Then on Saturday, H., C&K. and I went to Williamsburg.  H. and I had lunch with his folks at the Cheese Shop, and then when C&K arrived, we all meandered around for the Prelude to Victory event happening in Colonial Williamsburg.  The Prelude to Victory was a reenactment of Williamsburg's receipt of Generals Washington and Rochambeau and their troops on their way to Yorktown to, in short, win the Revolutionary War.

For the record, we did not run into either General while meandering, but we did see a cow's utter being cooked over an open fire (interesting choice), a soldier sleeping in his tent, some Colonial crafting/mending, horse-drawn carriages and much more.  There were some kids playing with the muskets, and one soldier jumped out of character to tell the parents to have them be careful, as the guns cost about $800 each.

Then, C&K, H. and I headed to the Jamestown Settlement.  Many people have recommended that going to the Historic Jamestown (as in, the place where they actually set up camp) is the best place to go, but I really wanted to get on a seventeenth century replica ship, so we went to the Jamestown Settlement (replica village).  We didn't get there until 4:00, and they close at 5:00, so we only had an hour to take it in. 

The replica Ships at the Jamestown Settlement (we were standing on the Susan Constant, looking at the Godspeed and the Discovery).

Apparently, the Susan Constant carried about 70 passengers.  We were trying to imagine how difficult it must have been for all the passengers to pass time in a small ship like this one for almost five months!

Here is me in a bed aboard the Susan Constant; I figured out very quickly that it was stuffed with hay (dang you, allergies).

Here is the church at the Jamestown Settlement.  I thought it was very pretty.

I found it very difficult to take pictures of the historical reenactments without modern, 2010 people being in the shots, but this one was one of my favorite images from the day.

 

Happy Birthday, Darlin'

My mom had a very special birthday on Monday.  Dad, Bran and my sis-in-law S. and I had a luncheon in her honor.  I made a fabric party garland from French General's Home Sewn book. It was a hit! Here's what I made for our little party:  spinach souffle dip, spinach-ricotta stuffed chicken, cooked broccoli and Parmesan baked shoestring fries.  For dessert, I successfully nailed some chocolate souffles (but they fell before we could finish singing "Happy Birthday").

Then Mom, my sis-in-law S. and I went to Abingdon to hit up some cute little shops for the afternoon.  It was a lovely autumnal day, but apparently many of the local shops are closed on Mondays.  Instead, we opted to see a movie, Wall Street, and we all enjoyed it.  Later, we went back to Mom and Dad's, got a pizza and drank some champagne.  Some highlights in photos:

Mom and I in historic Abingdon, VA.

 Mom sporting the new jacket that Dad gave her.  Isn't she glowing?  Here's to you, Mom. 

October Road

This past weekend, I drove down a long stretch of Interstate 81, and when I drove by the Hillsville exit, I remembered the beautiful colors reminiscent of fall that I captured within the antique booths. But I continued to Lebanon, and I got to stay for a few extra days to hang with my family. Fall is here, folks. More about the weekend tomorrow.

I loved this chandelier for sale in Hillsville.



A Little Bit of Green

This past weekend, I went up to Georgetown with Niknak and other bridesmaids to pick out our bridesmaid dresses for her wedding next summer.  This is the inside of a mall we were in.  I love the sky lights, and of course, green is my favorite color.

Speaking of green, I never displayed my Hillsville flea market finds.  My Hillsville goal this year was to find a really cool cake plate/stand.  Little did I know that I would find the cake stand from the set of dishes I collect!  It took a bit of haggling to get this piece.  There was a pretty decent price on it, but as I waited until the end of the day to pounce upon the cake stand, I wanted a better deal (because a lot of the vendors were packing up, and that's how it's done, folks).  

Clearly, I need to work on my antique-haggling skills.  Basically, I low-balled the vendor who was selling the cake stand, and he got really mad at me for doing so, and thus, would not come down from his price.  After this happened, I had a flare up of obstinance and decided that I didn't want to give my business to someone like this vendor; after all, he could have just said no to my offer.  I was pretty bummed out because I wanted the cake stand.  Mom and Dad decided to check the booth out (on a mission to get my cake plate), and they came back with the thing about five minutes later, exclaiming the wonderful deal that they had received on it.  It was very sweet of them, and I am very happy to have it sitting in my kitchen!

When we walked into a section called the VFW (which has all the best antiques), I immediately spotted a set of six green glasses with white polka dots.  Four words:  love at first sight.  Then at another booth a few rows down the VFW, I randomly saw the matching pitcher to the set of glasses!  At the end of the day, I checked both booths to make sure all items had not been sold and then snatched up my treasures!

Tuesday Afternoon

Thoughts for today:

I am thinking about getting an MFA in Fiber Arts one of these days.

My bridesmaid dress for Niknak's wedding arrived today.

I have been drooling my way through Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich.  On that note, I'd like to share a clip from an email where my mom wrote, "I should probably be picking green beans right now, but chocolate comes first." Mom, thank you for imparting your love of dessert to me, I consider it an heirloom.

Leftover lasagna is wonderful.  I think because of my delicious pan of lasagna, I will have a Fall 2010 Casserole Extravaganza, rather than a soup extravaganza.  I love not having to cook every night. 

September Grass

This morning I woke up to the applauding sound of rain.  The September grass has been longing for it, and now, it has finally come.  The crisp chill of the hair-and-tree-rustling breeze has calmed for today, and it is raining.  Sometimes I am convinced that I was made for rainy days.  I love them. 

I've always heard that people talk about the weather when they have nothing to talk about, but this statement does not ring true in my family.  Every time I talk to my dad on the phone we chat about the weather, what it's been doing, what it's doing right now, what it's going to do (throughout the course of one day).  When I was in college, I volunteered at a student-run radio program called WTJU News.  I got involved when Niknak took the reigns as the program' director.  Over the course of two years, I did everything except write--edit, produce and announce.  I loved editing because that meant that I got to type up the weather report; while I don't remember any specific weather reports that I wrote, I always enjoyed making them colorful, seasonal and sometimes witty.  I love weather.  When I was in fourth grade, I wanted to be a tornado chaser just like Jo Harding.  And yes, Twister is in my top ten favorite movies of all time.   

Oh, and speaking of Niknak, we have already ordered our bridesmaid dresses for her wedding next spring!  I'm so excited!

America

It's the middle of September. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by, my goodness. Yesterday I rode the train to D.C. to meet up with my Aunt C. visiting from Arizona. My train left at 7:20 a.m. yesterday from Charlottesville and I arrived at Union Station between 9:30-10:00 a.m. I feel mildly accustomed to riding the Metro in D.C., so I was planning to ride over to Metro Center and switch trains to go to the Smithsonian and meet Aunt C. at our designated meeting time. But alas, as I keep learning with every trip, a little wrench of some sort always gets thrown into the mix; I've come to expect unforeseen occurrences when traveling, especially when I go by myself.

Let me admit this: I was feeling kind of proud of myself when I rolled up to the train I needed to be on, as I'm not a city-slicker, and I was satisfied that I had gone to the right place without having to ask for directions. Then, an announcer came over the echoing intercom and mumbled a really long message. I felt like a new dentist, one that had yet to learn the art of discernment when patients converse with a mouthful of gear and Novocaine. So everyone got on the train anyway. Then the train never moved. Then there were security officers and policemen walking briskly by the train doors. Then I heard the words, "smoke," "tunnel," "Metro Center," and "emergency," and noticed many people swiftly exiting the train. I too got off the train because I began to feel alarmed, and then I walked outside of Union Station. I called a friend who told me how close I was to the National Mall and that I should walk. So I started walking, but because of all the trees, I couldn't even see the Washington Monument, so I called H. at work (oops!) and he helped tremendously by loading up a Google map and helping me get oriented. I kind of felt like an idiot when I cleared the trees and finally saw the monument because I knew where I was. Anyway, I got there, that's all that matters.

I met my Aunt C. on the National Mall and we went to the National Museum of American History and the National Gallery of Art. I learned that Aunt C. is as much of a drive-by-museum-goer as myself; we cruised through the museums with great speed. I don't have it in me to read all of the little captions with every object, I think it's very tiring.

Highlights of the National Gallery of Art museum (for me): depictions of dessert in art.

A cake painting, obviously.

Pie art.

My Uncle J. called Aunt C. while we were sitting in front of the Capitol Building and told us that there was an Appalachian National Mining Association protest happening, so we thought we'd check it out. I've always wanted to join a protest, and since my brother is a coal miner I thought I would represent.

Aunt C. and I in front of the Capitol Building.

We walked around to the back of the Capitol to see if the protest was still going on, but unfortunately it was not. But there was something else going on (Isn't there always something going on in D.C.?), and we wanted to see what it was, so we were walking toward the gathering of people. Well, one guard in the security guard harem who had a German Shepherd pointed at me with my little backpack I was carrying and yelled, "Search her backpack!" and then a huge officer jumped in front of Aunt C., I'd say his body was about 6 inches away from hers. I thought she was going to run into him, and we were merely walking. He was very cold and mean, told us that we were in a secured area and that we needed to leave. It was very alarming, and I thought his tone was quite unnecessary. He's the security guard that gives security guards a bad name. The upside: no one searched my backpack, so I don't know what the deal was with the other security guard pointing at me.

Aunt C. walking right before the officer jumped in front of her.

We wanted to go to into the Capitol Building, but when we went to their visitor center to get a pass (after strolling through the Library of Congress), we stumbled upon this unfortunate list. A note to all traveling knitters: do not take your knitting projects with you (as I did) if you want to go into the Capitol Building. What can I say, I wanted to knit on the Amtrak, geez.

All in all, Aunt C. and I had a wonderful day together. We shared many laughs and made new memories together that we'll never forget; it was a much needed day for me.

At the Station

Today I have several photos to share. Yesterday I finished my first knitting project ever (the scarf I started in June), and it really did feel like a major accomplishment! Here are a couple of shots at the color variation and pattern:

Pattern: CO 30 stitches and work in garter stitch. Yarn: Prism Symphony Yarn (80% Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon); Color: Sedona

Here's the yarn that my dad bought for me! I can't remember what type of yarn it is, but it is 100% wool...I will have to update this once I find the tag for it!

On Sunday afternoon, H. and I rode over to Staunton, VA to stroll around downtown. I love train stations, so I took some shots of the one in Staunton. Here are a few glimpses of what we saw:

White Star Mill

H. clerked for a couple of judges in this building a few years back:

The cosmetology school display window wasn't creepy at all, especially with the self-portrait of yours truly reflecting off of the window.