Unpacking!!!

We have finally arrived in Virginia! And, after 3 hours, we now have cable, phone, and internet! We live in an old house that has had major updating and renovations, but sat empty for over a year. Therefore, I think it will require some tweaking!
Chris has headed off to work today and left Sophia and I to unpack! So far, she is not carrying her weight! tee hee! Georgia and Olivia are visiting their granparents in Wisconsin! After spending a few weeks with my parents and then a few with Chris's parents, do you think that there is a prayer that they wont return home completely spoiled rotten??!!

So far, we love our new house and the neighborhood. And the view of the Potomac from our windows is fabulous! I have already found myself looking out the window and daydreaming and wishing that I was out on the water!!

Okay, enough blog fun. I have boxes to unpack! Last night was our first night sleeping in the house, and it took me until after 10pm to locate the boxes with sheets for the beds!!

Have a great day!

What a way to be pampered!

I must start with a disclaimer - I AM NOT PREGNANT!! (Take a deep breath, Mom!)

I saw this online and thought, how cool is this?!

What's Kickin'? W Hotels' Baby Me Package offers Perfect
Pampering for Parents-to-be.....

Why not treat yourself to a luxurious getaway before the baby arrives? Go on a babymoon and celebrate your pregnancy with W Hotels' Baby Me Package.

Book and enjoy:
Skip*Hop Duo Diaper Bag
Cute Cotton WHOOPS Baby Onesie
The Modern Girl's Guide to Motherhood
Subscription to Cookie Magazine
Membership and more from ModernMom.com
Spa-tacular Bliss FootpatrolTM
2 Delicious Delights from the Womb Service Menu
Plus a Wonderful Room you will love!

Book and Stay by April 30, 2008 in the W Hotel of your choice.

WOW! The goodies don't get better than these Babymoon gifts...and for guests at W Hotels in San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and New York, there's more magic to come with a complimentary keepsake you'll treasure forever from Jennifer Loomis photography.


Click here for more information!

The Barefoot Contessa

I have been a fan of Ina Garten a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa for years - but have been watching alot and yearning to try her recipes! I tried one recently that I highly recommend!
You have to try this one!

Plum Raspberry Crumble
Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Long Island Food

2 pounds red plums, cut in 1/2, pitted, and cut in 1-inch wedges
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup sliced almonds, plus extra for sprinkling


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the sliced plums, 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, and the orange juice and toss well. Add the raspberries and toss lightly. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch baking dish.

For the topping, place the remaining 1 cup of flour, the remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and the salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the oats, and work it with your hands until it's in large crumbles. Add 1/2 cup of the almonds and mix well.

Spread the topping evenly over the plums, making sure the fruit is covered. Sprinkle with some extra almonds. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.


And, I am dying to try this one!



Chocolate Cupcakes and Peanut Butter Icing
Show: Barefoot Contessa
Episode: Working Lunch

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.


Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Pom Pom Flowers

I want to learn how to make these!!
Martha shows us how...
martha tutorial

Saw these on a favorite blog of mine - Oh Happy Day! If you haven't checked it out - you should! She showed pictures of some cute ideas for a child's birthday party. I filed away those ideas for the girls' birthday parties!

Guess Who? Giveaway!

As I sit here in my studio, looking at piles of fabric and ribbons and trim around me, it is easy to let my mind wander.
Guess what I am thinking about?
If you know who this lady is, you probably know where my mind has wandered off to...
So, the first person to guess correctly, wins a bag full of ribbon goodness! Just post your comment here and I will contact you for your address!
Missy

Weekly Update

It feels like I haven't blogged in ages. The reason is because I haven't been home to do it! So, one of these days, if I am home for more than a day at a time, then I will upload my camera pictures and give you guys the visual update from our travels the last few weeks!
We left here before Memorial Day weekend, and we spent the weekend with family in the mountains near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. After that, we went to Stone Mountain, Georgia for a quick family vacation, and then to visit family in Suwanee, Georgia. While in Suwanee, we learned that the military was not going to give us housing in Virginia, so we had to scramble to make a plan of where we would live. We arrived home, and only spent a little more than 24 hours there before leaving for three days of frenzied house hunting in Northern Virginia. We have found a house and have applied for a lease, but if it falls through for some reason, we have a back-up plan too. It always seems to me that having a back up plan is crucial! While in Northern Virginia, we also found a preschool for Georgia to attend, which was a huge load off my mind. I was quite concerned about being able to find a school that would compare to her montessori school here. I really had hoped to continue her at a montessori school when we moved, but we were only able to find one that we could afford, and that one had an enormous waiting list! I am pretty sure that we school we chose is going to be a great place for Georgia.
We have spent the last day or so relaxing, and taking care of a few loose ends around here.
Georgia will be attending Vacation Bible School this coming week. She is very excited about it. She has been looking forward to VBS since last year!
Our packers will come on Wednesday and start boxing up all of our wordly goods. We hope to hear about our rental application in the next day or so, which will determine if we will be able to do a door-to-door move, or if we will have to camp out somewhere while we wait to be able to move into our new place.