the help

I have an incrediable mother who at a moments notice hopped on a plane out to Virginia to help get our house “show ready”.  honestly it was her magic that got us the full price offers. with the small budget we gave her, she made pillow covers out of kitchen cloth napkins and cut king size blankets in half to make two matching bunk bed blankets at a fraction of the cost. brilliant I say! switching side tables from one room to another and adding fresh flowers to the front porch also knocked the home buyers off their feet. no joke. you know you staged the house well when you get emails from realtors asking where we purchased pieces of furniture and flowers baskets . fist bump all around!

while I am in the mode of thanking my mother, I have yet to introduce one of her creations that I am beyond words thankful for.  this is something I personally am head over heels about.

reese’s baby blanket.

I know what you’re thinking, it doesn’t look so baby size. that’s because it’s not, it’s a twin size.   reese was showered with the most beautiful quilted baby blankets (thank you grandma valerie, kim, liz, jenna d., lizbeth, francine, michelle, karen). 

photo by dion seneca photography.

she still uses everyone of them.

I petitioned to my mom to make a twin size so reese could use it once she was in a big bed. smart thinking on my part. yes?!

she created it from an idea and a small picture I gave her of floating pink squares.

you love it too.

for now it is a decoration in the guest room.

so while my mom was visiting it was not all work. we played in georgetown.

you want some? we were sharing the last crumbs of the cupcake with you.

 

then it was all about the globetrotters!

we challenged dallin and his buddle to go run around the court.  they did. quickly.

going to a real (as real as the globetrotters are) basketball game made it the best day in his life. glad to be apart of it.

mom, thanks again for your help!!

something a little sweeter

 

What could be sweeter then a visit from a best friend?

A stop at the sweetest place in Georgetown.

It’s Georgetown Cupcake, better known as DC Cupcake!

Our eyes were bugging out over the variety and colorful display of cupcakes.   Then we tasted them. 

Yummy.

So good, we savored every last bite.

Our half dozen included lemon, chocolate and vanilla, coconut, chocolate 3, vanilla birthday party, and chocolate truffle.

Who ever wants to join me for my birthday (in June) I plan to special order a Georgetown Cupcake made with lemon cake and coconut cream frosting.

It will be sweet!

so grand

 

we are all spoiled by grandma and grandpa bishopp when they visit.

the kids look forward to spending countless hours building train tracks, going on walks and being shuttled to and from school.  this visit was no different.

we sure miss their company and extra hands already.

thanks for coming!

a grand visit VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Here’s four the ladies.

Four of the most influential ladies in my life visited us for a week!

Of course stories of the past surfaced. Like the time I refused to sleep over at the Kjar’s house because they didn’t have sugar cereal, or my solid Vanilla Ice performance at the Knight’s, and the many times I stopped by the Hillstead’s because Shauna made me believe I was a beautiful girl. My mom has always encouraged me to be better (than my brothers) and always do good. There is no greater example then her.

They shaped me into who I am today. For that, I am forever grateful to them.

They packed humor, delicious snacks, and a full schedule loaded with the best D.C. has to offer.

Our adventures began at the capital.

History is literally in every arch, doorway and staircase. Multiple days could have easily been devoted to exploring this building.

Throughout the capital, statues, paintings and many rooms reveal much about the people and events that shaped out nation. A favorite of mine was the frieze around the rim of the Rotunda. It depicts 400 years of recognizable American history through paintings.

From what I can remember a family of artists work through the night to restore the murals on the ceilings and walls. It has been over 20 years since they began their assignment and they still have 15 years worth of work to do. To think I traveled to Europe to appreciate their murals, when we have comparably as beautiful artwork in our own backyard. Between the capital and the library of congress, the art work is incredible.

Below is the 400-ton statue, Freedom, which stands on top of the capital building. This one is in the middle of the new capital visitors center for our viewing pleasure.

Senator Dodd (Connecticut) married my mother’s cousin Jackie. It is easy to see she is more familiar with the capital then her own neighborhood which happens after working there for 20 years. The people, the stairways, the history, and details of the masterful ceilings all came to life as we walked the hallways.

She made the day incredibly special.

The entire afternoon was spent with Jackie eating in the private Senators’ dining room, touring the House and Senate while they were in session and visiting Senator Dodd’s personal hide-a-way office. Senator Dodd actually joined us for lunch then later we met the new vice president of Costa Rica, who was meeting with Senator Dodd in his office.

I was sure to mention we recently had a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. :)

Here in Senator Dodd’s office.

After hours of statues surrounding us I became the face of the statues.

The White House was white. Only on the outside that is.

The five rooms we toured, each with their own color, were stately and beautiful. Fun fact: presidents kids have roller skated through the grand yellow room, rode horses and boxed in boxing matches right there on the main floor of the White House. To think my mother was floored when I rolled the skateboard through the house.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures while we were there.

Other events included:

ALL the Monuments,

American History Museum

Library of Congress

Capital Hill

National Cathedral

Williamsburg

Also, a few other favorites: my mom’s homemade yogurt, Spencer (friend or tour guide?), chocolate covered cinnamon bears, black sock Sunday, lego.com with grandma, and piano lessons with Shauna.

Dallin was THRILLED to have a REAL piano teacher stay at our house. Shauna taught him everything that I have not, which is pretty much everything. He was inspired by her enthusiasm and practiced everyday. Shauna = magic.

There was so much more they wanted to see, I guess they will need to come back to play with me!

where the sidewalk ends…

I found the end of the sidewalk and fell off. Blogland it has been WAY TO LONG!

What has been happening:

• visitors came and went. we had so much fun! one of our favorite hotspots was Georgetown and becoming a Godiva chocolate club member.
  

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• Christmas cards completed but not sent. even when i get it done early i still procrastinate the letter.
• packages: wrapped with love and sent. Jodi i hope you and Chris love the new wrist wallet!
• more house projects…..the big reveal will be in the next 2 weeks, we are waiting on a shipment.
• packing the kids and heading to NYC for thanksgiving! that is a whole blog post in itself.

October was…

all about decorating ghost sugar cookies with my boys, visiting the fire station in honor of national fire safety month, painting a bedroom,  the flu, a husband away for a week on business, lots of visitors (which we LOVED), a LEGO birthday party, and celebrating more holidays than we knew existed.

In a class discussion, my son’s teacher asked the class, “What does October mean to you?”  The class brainstormed their thoughts, the most popular naturally being Halloween.  Then my son piped up and asked, “ Why do we celebrate Halloween when it is neither a patriotic or historical holiday?”  The teacher was stumped. “Good question, tradition perhaps?”

Halloween is an interesting holiday, we have now researched it and understand it a bit better. Halloween is not the only holiday we celebrate in October, the month is filled with them. 

It begins with International Frugal Fun Day which always lies on the first Saturday of the month.  I love the idea of spending a day having fun “on the cheap”.  The next holiday is Columbus Day.  Any ideas of ways to celebrate that holiday? Sleeping in sounds good to me!  October is the anniversary of the dedication of the statue of liberty.  In honor of the day, I booked at trip to NYC!  Of course I can’t fail to mention Sweetest Day.  Isn’t that really Valentines Day in the fall?  After that is United Nations Day.  Which I didn’t know was recognized until living so close to D.C.

After the many holidays celebrated this month, the one most anticipated was my oldest son’s birthday!  He planned a Lego party complete with a Lego Indiana Jones Crusade which was a scavenger hunt full of mathematical challenges.  All the boys LOVED it!

The photo recap.

Halloween cooking…..

 

I was wondering why the buttons on my keyboard were sticky.

Mr D.’s room painted...finally!  Window treatment and dirty clothes scattered across the floor would complete it.

 

A visit from Stephanie and Great Falls National Park.

On a walk by our neighborhood pond with Grandpa.

Birthdays were celebrated by Chucky Cheese and dinner at Red Robin with Grandpa.  Later that week a Lego birthday party with friends.

    

 

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The LEGO cake.

      

Halloween was celebrated by….

pumpkin waffles, pumpkin carving, costumes, spooky dinners and dressing up like burritos for free Chipotle.

 

 

Our new best friends. It is amazing how foil can bring people together at 10:00pm at night.

Surprisingly enough this is not blood, candy or juice.  He actually popped another squeeze ball with his sharp jagged teeth left from his fall in July.   This ball happened to have fake blood in it.  What a perfect prank he pulled on his brothers when they found him crying like this.  Little did they know he wasn’t crying from a a painful accident, but out of disappointment that he had broken another ball.

Goodbye October. Hello  America Recycles Day on November 15th!