CHerry Blossom 2011

Every year Washington DC has a National Cherry Blossom festival. I have never been to it, and I have lived in the D.C. area for about 5 years now. I figured it was time to do so. My mom joined me, and we walked along the tidal basin enjoying the pretty trees and the blossoms.

Here is a brief history:

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries.

Here are some of the pictures I snagged!

The Capitol building. You can hardly see it with all the blossoms!!!

I love the pink ones!

Down at the Tidal Basin

One of the favorite pictures I took.

Mom  enjoying the festivites!!

room re-do...again!

Remember a about almost 2 years ago, I wanted to take on trying to make the small "guest room" look more homey and cute. Well, after about 2 years, it has finally gotten there. It has gone from computer room, mess room, clothes room, junk room, guest room, back to computer room. It has been an EVERYTHING room!

Now, I tried to make it a bit better. Here is the progress below.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I framed some pictures that I took, added some matting to give the room a more professional, comfortable, classy room look. The pictures actually made the room look just that much better!

 

I finally hung up curtains, and made the walls have some character with some pictures, and is now a bit more homey :-) Always a work in progress!

Practicing pictures

A few weeks ago I was in West Chester visiting the family. Got to see my new little 2 month old niece Maggie again! She is such a cute chubby baby now! They were very kind to me and played models so I could practice my picture taking. Here are some of them. It was lots of fun!

Maggie

Jess & Tom: Part 1

Steph & Bill: part 1

Steph & Bill: Part 2

Jess & Tom: Part 2

Ms. Lucy

Bill, Jack & Tom

I think they turned out pretty well for a non-professional! :-)

Packed Away

I finally couldn't put it off anymore. After a year and a half, I FINALLY preserved my wedding gown and veil. So sad! I took it back to the store I bought the dress from: Forever Formals, Kennett Square PA. I loved that store and the employees. I didn' trust taking it to a regular dry cleaners to preserve it, so I took it back to the store where they did it. It took about a month. Even though it is all boxed up, it has a little display where I can still see it and view it whenever I want!

Bathroom Ideas

 I was at A.C. Moore buying something, and saw they were selling some flower arrangements for half off. I got this cute little flower thing for only $4.99!! I liked it for its color and the white wooden flower holder it is in. It inspired me. I want to redo the bathroom around this flower. I love the blueish color and the white wood flower holder. It makes me think of a bathroom that would be in a regal, old, and historic mansion you would find down south.

I want to redo my bathroom to match this flower color theme. Isn't that crazy? Both of our bathrooms are in desperate need of updating!! I currently have in one bathroom the tub that came with the house. Its canary yellow, not something I really love all that much.

I just love these bathroom color combinations! Maybe we'll have a project in the near future!

Delaware

This past weekend we visited my dad & step-mom in Delaware for my dad's birthday, and it had been awhile since we visited out there. My step-mom ( Kathy) had sent me a newspaper article on an event that was going on in Rehoboth Beach near where they lived. 

The article that Kathy sent me had to do with a Chocolate Festival that was held every year, and they had a chocolate contest, so I decided to enter. I entered two items, my Chocolate Coma Cake ( which literally the night before put us in a sugar coma.), and what I call my "Better Than Sex Brownies" (peanut butter & chocolate goodness!)

Well, I didn't win. I was a bit disappointed. I was at least hoping for a 3rd place!

It was my Dad's birthday as well! Happy Birthday Dad!

It was a good time all around!

Rustic Cabin weekend

I have been sooooooo behind on blogging. I am getting lazy! Presidents day weekend Jack & I went on a rustic cabin weekend with friends from work. 2 mile hike to cabin from parking, 10 people, 2 dogs, no running water, or electricity. Doesn't sound too exciting, but let me tell you it was fun! 

Chopping wood for the wood burning stove so we could make our food, building fires, dinner by candlelight, card games, random snowstorm, and even a pinata for a birthday surprise! It was lots of fun spending life in a different way for a weekend. Since I hiked the nice camera out, I took lots of pictures!

Group #1, hanging out on the porch swing

We are so cute.

Me, Kristie & Becky

A really cool picture of the firepit outside I got while it was really windy!

Riley inspecting the water

Hikin back to the car to go home

Myron Glasier cabin, off the Appalachian Trail where we stayed

Group shot #2

Being silly

They way we stayed warm at night

Getting my firewood chopping on. trust me, it is much harder than it looks!