Here and gone

All traces of the holidays have left the building (literally and figuratively). We took down the decorations Monday night and it was back to the grind yesterday. I really can’t complain though, since our time off was well spent with friends, family and a healthy dose of date nights!

Here are some highlights:

Had my first red cup of the season.


Saw Young Adult and loved it. Charlize Theron was perfect for the role.


Discovered a new Pinot Noir that I like.

Went on a beautiful birthday celebration/double date night with Kristen and Sean at Longwood Gardens and Dilworthtown Inn.

Kristen and I at Longwood Gardens. Here is a full recap of the night.

Got 1 mani and painted my nails 2 more times.

Zoya Shay w/Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Big Money as an accent nail
Venique in B-Ceen-B-Gorgeous w/Venique in Twinkling Glitter as an accent nail


Revlon Scene Stealer

Had a fun shopping day in Delaware with my mom and got Red Robin…yum!

Went to WWE Raw with Geof (since he's taken me to see Britney and Lady Gaga). I’d be lying if I said I wasn't a little interested in the storylines. We went to Denny’s afterwards and some of the wrestlers showed up.

Geof and I at the Wells Fargo Center, me with The Miz and Zack Ryder, Geof with Nikki Bella and me with Dolph Ziggler

Watched Elf for the first time ever.


Drove around and looked at pretty Christmas lights.

Saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Besides a few differences from the book, I thought the movie was done really well.


Finally saw Love and Other Drugs (first half – good, second half – depressing).


Went down to the city to have lunch at Reading Terminal Market and then went to Macy’s to see the light show. It’s also where the movie Mannequin was filmed!




Baked lots of Christmas goodies.

Spent Christmas Eve at home with my mom and Geof.


Spent Christmas Day at my cousin Bill & Lara’s house with the entire family. I had such a blast with all of my cousins.

Me with two out of the three triplets on Christmas

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are gearing up for the new year!

Christmas Tree Cutting 2011

We ventured out to Linvilla Orchards on Friday for the annual cutting of our Christmas Tree. This is our 4th year keeping with tradition and I’m so happy this is something Geof and I have continued to do together. Linvilla is such a warm and cozy place and we wouldn’t go anywhere else.


Pretty wreaths and centerpieces for sale at Linvilla


Getting ready to look for our tree

We got there late in the afternoon and headed out on the hayride to the tree farm just before sunset. It was absolutely beautiful as we searched high and low for the perfect tree. We found it just in the nick of time before it got too dark out.


Geof has his eye out for the perfect one


Beautiful sunset


This is the one!


Geof sawing away


Timber!



When we got back to the main area, we went over to see the deer, even though it was dark. It’s the first time they all came over to us. I guess they were hungry. I used up all my quarters buying as much corn as I could to feed them. They’re so gentle and sweet.


Deer

After we went to the see the deer, we went down to the Farmers Market and got some of their delicious honey and some cookies from the bakery. We paid for the tree and headed home to decorate it!


Farmers Market

Weekend recap

Last week was pretty horrible (if I’m being honest). The latter part was spent working 15 hour days and we got blasted with another 15 inches of snow. The weekend wasn’t much better. There were some issues for work that had to be addressed and I did what needed to be done. Let’s hope next weekend is better from that perspective.

Enough whining and onto the fun part of the weekend. I had to squeeze some in!


Reading Terminal Market

Saturday we did get to enjoy the afternoon. Geof and I took the train and headed down to the city. I wish I’d realized how convenient this was before and I never would have driven down only to deal with major traffic and sky high parking. Once we got to Philly, we headed straight for Reading Terminal Market. The place is amazing, but crowded. We walked around to smell the delicious food from the various eateries and see the sights. We settled on lunch at Beck’s Cajun Cafe and I was glad we did. It brought me right back to New Orleans with their Cajun style cuisine. They even serve beignets a few days a week. Geof and I both had a Train Wreck Po Boy and it was decadent. It had andouille sausage, steak and salami with cheese and onions. So bad for you, but tasted so good. As if that wasn’t enough, we then went to Flying Monkey for a sweet treat. Geof had a whoopie pie and I settled on an orange cremesicle cupcake.


Beck's


Train Wreck Po Boy


Flying Monkey


Orange Cremesicle Cupcake

You can find just about any kind of food you’re looking for at the market and even do your grocery shopping. They have a wide selection on fruits, veggies, meats and cheeses. They also have Amish specialties, a beer garden and a cool spice shop. It’s kind of like a farmers market on steroids. There are also a lot of cute little shops that sell jewelry and handcrafted items. If you ever visit Philly, the Reading Terminal Market is a must see.

Thank you & weekend recap

First, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their sweet comments on my last post. I was feeling pretty horrible and your words made me smile. It’s nice to know that people care. If I could reach out and give all of you hug, I would. I’ve been feeling like a pretty bad blog friend lately and hope to catch up with all of you this week.

Last week didn’t shape up to be much better than the weekend before. Between computer and car drama, it was a mess. I took off on Friday and Monday and used that time to unwind and unplug. I’m trying to be positive and know that something good has to be around the corner. Now, onto my recap…

Friday, Geof and I stayed in and relaxed. We watched Candyman and it was very different watching it as an adult as opposed to when I was a teen. It’s still creepy though.

Saturday, we had some errands to run and then went to try a new place for lunch called Basin Bistro. It was fabulous and we will definitely go back. It's a bit out of the way, but completely worth it. The service we received was excellent and the restaurant itself was warm and cozy. It's also BYOB, so that’s a plus!


Basin Bistro

After lunch we went to the movies to see Due Date. It was hysterical and I really enjoyed it. It’s funny how a simple comedy can lift your mood.



Sunday, my mom and I went to a craft fair at and then to Linvilla Orchards to walk around and visit the Farmers Market. It was nice to visit Linvilla in November since they’re in transition between fall and Christmas. We made a quick Target run and then my mom came over. I made tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner while we caught up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.


Pretty tree I spotted outside the craft fair


Linvilla still has pumpkins, but they're gearing up for Christmas too!

Monday, I stayed in and relaxed. I finally got to see the movie Valentine’s Day. I thought it was cute, but I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it in theater. It was nice how all of the stories tied together and kind of fun to see so many A-list celebrities in one film.

Weekend recap

Friday, the ladies and I went over to our friend Krystie’s house for a girl’s night. The wine was flowing and the food was delicious. Everyone made a little something and we had a feast. We had ribs, cous cous salad with apples and cranberries, homemade baked beans, cornbread, and s’mores for dessert.

The main reason for going to Krystie’s was so that we could see her baby, Bryce. He is now 5 months old and as adorable as ever. The ladies and I were hogging him most of the night. I didn’t want to put him down. He is such a happy baby!


Baby Bryce!

Saturday, Geof and I went to a benefit at the pool and people were actually swimming, even though the water was freezing. It was nice to see everyone and say goodbye until next summer. After the pool, we came home and got ready to go out with our friend’s Cory and Laura to celebrate Cory’s birthday. We went to The Melting Pot for dinner and it was delicious, as always.


Geof and I at the pool


Laura and Cory and Geof and I...gotta love the steam from the pot

Sunday, we took it easy. We did a little grocery shopping and then came home and watched some football. Geof is in full blown fantasy mode…enough said. I snoozed a few hours on the couch and then my mom came over and made dinner for us. We watched the VMA’s and then the season finale of True Blood. I cannot believe how many storylines were left hanging on True Blood, but I was really happy that Lady Gaga won so many VMA’s! I also have to say that Florence from Florence and The Machine put on an amazing performance. Thank goodness some people can still sing live and sound amazing.


Lady Gaga in all her glory

Weekend recap

First, I’m sorry I’ve been gone for a week. I think that’s a record for the longest I’ve ever been away and I don’t like it one bit. Days seem to pass like hours as things have been more than a little hectic this summer. Onto the weekend recap…

Friday, Geof came home from work and surprised me with Upcakes from Dixie Picnic. We stayed in and caught up on True Blood and Jersey Shore. It was a quiet night in and we both needed it.


Upcakes (taken from the Dixie Picnic website)

Saturday, we ran to the bank, then went out to breakfast at The Coffee Station and finally headed to Target. Once we got back home we took the dogs for a long walk and wore them out. I had to carry Chase for a block because I think he had enough. We came back home and got ready to head out for the night.

Saturday night, we went to NJ to go out with Colleen and Donald for a double date night. We got there early and stopped in at Barnes & Noble and then I went to Ulta. We headed over to the movie theater to meet up with them and saw Dinner for Schmucks. It had some funny parts, but overall I thought it as just okay and a little too long. After the movie, the four of us headed over to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was so good and we were all stuffed.




Us at Cheesecake Factory


Donald and Colleen at Cheesecake Factory


My refreshing Margarita!

Sunday, we got my mom and headed down to Maryland to go to my aunt & uncle’s annual crab fest. On the way down, we visited my grandparents’ gravesite. It had been awhile since I’d been there and I wanted to pay a visit. After that, we went right to aunt & uncle’s and I got to see a bunch of family on my dad’s side that I hadn’t seen in awhile. It was great to catch up with my cousin Angelica. She was always like a little sister to me. We headed home later in the evening and Geof and I stayed in and relaxed with the dogs and watched True Blood and Hung.


Crab fest!


Angelica and I