Blue Monday- Family Weekend at UMW Fredericksburg VA

We had a great visit with Em this weekend during Family Weekend at University of Mary Washington. I can't believe I have 2 kids in college! AGHK! I don't feel a day over 30. I like thirty. It's like being a mature adult but still get away with acting a little immature once in a while...well I do that now but I often get weird looks for those in my age group.  HA! Guess who has more fun! That's right! ME!

Anyway, back to .... what was I doing? Oh yes, the girl in college. Yes, family weekend. Oh what fun. 

They were excited to see each other again, after only one month. Oh boy, the next visit isn't for another two months, YIKES!

Mary Washington is in a great location right in the middle of Old Town Fredericksburg VA. 

This weekend there was so much going on, but most enjoyable was the street art by local artists.

The antique shops...

And a fun meal at Pancho Villa, where a very sweet waitress named Marilyn befriended us like we were old family members from out of town.

I'm glad we visited and hope to return again soon. Next time I will have to visit the vineyards.

"Lake Anna Winery"

Maybe I'll pay her to go have fun with siblings and I'll take a tour of Lake Anna Winery and check out the local goods....hmmm!?!

Enjoy the BLUES here and at Smiling Sally's Blue Monday!

Outdoor Wednesday-a butterfly and a rainbow

Sharing my outdoor Wednesday a little late but I had to put it out there because it was such a beautiful day! Enjoy!

We took the kids to the community garden to plant some fall seeds and the experience was more than I hoped for....

Out in the country

Sometimes you just have to get out and see the beauty of our world. We drove one hour to go pick a 1/2 peck of apples for $5.00. It was worth it! Not for the apples, which were delicious by the way, but for the freedom from technology and the ability to run without fear and chase chickens and peacocks.

Foodie Friday: Layered Salad

I'm excited to join the Food Friday recipe exchange again, particularly this fall.  I love the warm colors the fall brings and that's something I have truly missed while living in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for three years - never an orange leaf there but here, I am looking forward to casseroles, crockpot recipes, and stews, yum!

But for now I have to share this salad because I really love salads, unless I'm in the mood for comfort food in which case the green leaves become the bed of my comfort food.  My goal is to make my comfort food healthier because in the Northeaster United States you can't help but crave warm, creamy meals when it's cold outside.

This is a very simple salad.  Here are the ingredients:

1 hard boiled egg

1/4 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (use those leftovers)

2 TBS Feta or Goat cheese

1/4 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes

2 cups mix Arugula and Spinach

Drizzle a bit of olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar

Top with a handful of Trader Joe's Whole Grain chips for a little crunch

Layer it, add more, use any meat or fish you have leftover and enjoy!!

You should go to the Foodie Friday blog, I bet you can make a menu for the whole month. Everything looks delicious!  I'm on my way there now!  Enjoy!

Outdoor Wednesday: Fallingwater

Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. The home was built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains.

Hailed by Time shortly after its completion as Wright's "most beautiful job",^[3] it is listed among Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die."^[4] It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.^[2] In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallingwater)

There are a lot more pictures on wikipedia and surely you'll find plenty online, but these here are all mine :-) Enjoy!

We had a great time visiting this beautifully designed house... water, water, everywhere! If you have an opportunity to go, please do, it's worth it!

Please visit  a Southern Daydreamer for more Outdoor Wednesday.

Back to School in the USA

Here we go again. Day 1 of 180 days of school! Yeepee!! Fifth Grade and Kindergarten.  I feel like he was born just the other day, and only a few years ago we were moving to Cuba and just last month we moved back from Cuba.  We must have had a ton of fun because time flew.

I will cherish these days when they get dressed, eat, and are waiting for me at the door because they are so excited to start school.  In a few weeks homework and early morning wake ups will set in and they will have to be dragged out of bed and pushed out the door. We'll have to see how long I can make the excitement last.  It's not that they don't want to go to school, it's that they don't want to get up early.  If it were up to them school would start with Lunch and go from there. Ha!!!

They are both super excited to get started in their new schools!

Great day for everyone!

Terie