Sunday, August 30, 2009

Washington, D.C. Trip
















I'm super behind on blog updating, but last weekend Adam and I took a trip to Washington, D.C. for our first anniversary! We had very steamy weather, and definitely odd weather (rainy, sunny, etc.) but a wonderful time. On Thursday, we flew in directly from Grand Rapids (awesome! one hour 10 minute flight!) and enjoyed a little sightseeing and nice weather - had a good dinner and then relaxed in the hotel room, knowing our next few days would be packed! On Friday, we woke up to hot, humid weather (93 degrees and 95% humidity!) and tried to get going as early as possible. Just about the time we were ready to walk out the door, we realized that the hotel room alarm clock was wrong, and we were over an hour earlier than we wanted! This ended up being great, though, because our early start let us see and do more throughout the day. We spent the morning on The Mall, seeing the monuments, and then arrived at The White House for our 12:00 tour!! This was definitely the highlight of the trip, as we were on a 6 mo. waiting list for a tour!! Just being there, in such close proximity to the President, the history, the hub of the country...wow. It was amazing and we were just in awe the whole time. No pictures were allowed inside, but as soon as we were off the front steps, we could take photos. We spent the rest of the weekend seeing the Smithsonians, National Archives, Ford's Theater (so cool!!) and the home across the street where President Lincoln died, DuPont Circle for a lovely anniversary dinner, more monuments, capitol hill, Arlington Nat'l. Cemetery, Georgetown (my fave) and so much more...all in all, a fantastic trip. I found myself having to stop and rest quite often, as walking around 7 months pregnant in high heat and humidity was NOT as easy as I thought it would be...neither was the extra weight on my feet! I tried to be a trooper, though, and I think I did a pretty good job. :) Here are a few pictures - we had both our iPhones plus our camera, so needless to say...there were hundreds of pictures. Putting together a photo album on Snapfish, like I do for all our trips, is something I'm pretty much avoiding at this point, because there are just too many photos to choose from! :)

Monday, August 17, 2009

Brook and Sam's Wedding

Adam and I spent the weekend in Detroit, at the Detroit Athletic Club, where Sam and Brook were married!
Adam was a groomsman, and was able to hang out with several college buddies. Our hotel room had a partial view of the field at Comerica Park! The wedding and reception were awesome, and we had a great time...congrats to Brook and Sam!






Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Mackinac Island trip

Adam and I joined the Hubners for a lovely long weekend on Mackinac Island...here are a few photos! There is a complete album on Facebook, too. :)










Monday, August 3, 2009

My Favorites...and a fab cookie recipe

I've been spending some QT planning for and buying for the baby's room....and I am officially "nesting." I am admittedly WAY too into decorating the house and finishing projects, and I am sure being off work for the summer does not really help.

Favorite 1: Etsy
I've been looking for just the right paint colors and accessories, and I found this Etsy seller (if you don't know Etsy...check it out...it's like Ebay for hand made or homemade items!) who has the most beautiful throw pillow covers...and cheap! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6793400
Here's a few examples:



Favorite 2: fresh paint
Here are some options for our formal dining room...it's not a very big room, but I love these rich, fall-like colors. They go with the rest of our home, too, which is shades of tan, brown, buttery yellow, greens, and smoky blues...we're still deciding which looks best, or if we'll scrap the bold color in general and go with a lovely ivory shade with matching drapes. These colors are a form of rust, but on this blog they look pink-ish...Benjamin Moore Audobon Russet is our top choice - it is one of these pictures, but it looks way better than blogger portrays it.





Favorite 3: White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut COOKIES!
Adam was gone all weekend, so I wanted to surprise him with his favorite cookie, upon arrival home...not my favorites, usually, as I am not a fan of nuts in sweets. But honestly, these are some of the best cookies I've ever made - I took a recipe from the ever-faithful and divine Southern Living Cookbook, and added my own twist (a very small twist.) IMPORTANT: Do NOT over-bake or even let them get too brown - it changes the flavor dramatically. Enjoy and make them soon - Meijer sells pre-chopped nuts and the Godiva white chocolate bars are located in the rack directly above them!

White Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening (I always use butter-flavored shortening when it calls for 'shortening' - not greasy)
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4-5 oz. macadamia nuts, chopped (I used the bag at Meijer, which were chopped pretty finely...this is good.)
1 (4 oz.) bar Godiva white chocolate, chopped into small chunks (don't use white choc chips - they have a stronger flavor and are not nearly as good, plus they don't melt very well.)

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer (I used the Kitchen Aid big mama) until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in white chocolate and nuts with a spoon.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. (Do NOT use warm/hot cookie sheets for the next round in the oven - use cool cookie sheets, or the cookies will flatten to nothing.) Bake at 350 for 6-9 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the bottom (not browned on the top.) Cool on cookie sheets slightly, until you can lift the cookie off without it falling apart. Cool completely on wire racks. Makes 5 dozen, approx.
*These cookies have such a lovely flavor, and the nuts were so small that I didn't feel like I was eating a nut-filled cookie, which I normally don't like. They taste like pecan sandies, and are the exact right amount of sweetness. Adam's favorite!