From Our {New} House to Yours

Wishing you the sweetest Christmas!

Love, Anna + Frances

Staycation

Get two people together who both have time off from work, love adventures, and have nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon, and what happens? They decide to go to Annapolis, Maryland! And that's exactly what happened yesterday with my friend Mason, for no other reason than to do some fun exploring together.

We arrived in town just as the sun was setting and the Christmas lights were flickering on. It was unbelievably charming! We finished up last minute Christmas shopping, then hunkered down in an old tavern for oysters and crab cakes. We whiled away a few hours, enjoying the feeling of being on vacation and being someplace neither of us knew we'd end up when the day began.

Snowstorm

The excitement was palpable. The panic was rising. Anticipation set in as Northern Virginians looked forward to the first "snowstorm" of the season: a light snow for a few hours that resulted in an inch of cover on the ground. Schools were closed early, the federal government told employees they could leave, my co-workers were worried about their cars getting stuck, and I just sat back, amused. After it was all said and done, the tips of the grass were still showing!

If anything, the snow has made things feel a little bit more Christmas-y around here. Holiday lights look so much prettier with a little bit of snow! In honor of my first Virginia snowstorm, I spent a good portion of yesterday baking cookies to commemorate the occasion.

Rather than make the usual sugar cutout, I used my friend Amanda's recipe. With a recommendation like that, I figured I couldn't go wrong. The unexpected citrus flavor really makes the cookie stand out. They ultimately served as my ticket into a cookie exchange party. I tasted over 10 varieties, and still think mine were the best. And still think Virginians' reaction to snow is funny.

Clear skies are predicted for the week, and I am officially on vacation, so the plan is to get out of the kitchen, out of the house, and to use my free time to continue exploring my new hometown.

'Tis the Season

Ways that I've been enjoying the holiday season so far:

1. Going wine tasting in Virginia's horse country
2. Visiting the National Cathedral for the Annual Crèche exhibit
3. Trying out a new wine bar
4. Going for a hike while laughing at all the Virginians who say, "it's so cold!"
5. Finally going to a Buffalo Bills backer bar
6. Decorating a tree (at work) and fireplace (friend's house)
7. Having margaritas!
8. Shopping
9. Happy Hour at a local brewpub
10. Driving around to look at pretty Christmas lights
11. Having dinner here and here
12. Spending an afternoon at the National Portrait Gallery
13. Checking out the view
14. Trying to find good pizza (or maybe this?)

Needless to say, I've been extremely busy trying to enjoy myself and be as gluttonous as possible, it would appear! The reason for this? My parents took Frances back to Buffalo with them after Thanksgiving. For one month, I have very little responsibility and I'm taking full advantage. This would explain why I haven't been blogging, (as well as why I feel like I've gained 10 pounds). I love my Frances, but man am I enjoying my freedom. This holiday season has been full of fun, new things, and lots of joy. I definitely owe my parents, and I definitely don't want the month to end.

Welcome to Washington

This year, my family will be celebrating Thanksgiving in our nation's Capital. I've been busy cooking, baking, cleaning and preparing to see my family for the first time in over three months! I'm so excited! Aside from eating, I'm planning to show them around my new hometown, do some shopping, sightseeing, and a museum or two. After an extremely busy couple of months, I'm looking forward to having some relaxing family time.

Enjoy your turkey and time off! Happy Thanksgiving!

Welcome to the Fam!

Here "he" is -- the newest addition to my humble household. I see many adventures in his future. Won't you come along for a ride?

A Brush With Fame

This past week, I spent two hours of my life waiting in a long line with my new friend Joan and hundreds of other people.

It wasn't just any line. We were all anxiously awaiting our turn to see a very important person.

The line started outside, then wound its way through Sur La Table, (one of my favorite kitchen stores). Anticipation built as we got nearer to the end...

There she is! The very important person we'd been waiting to see!

Oh, hello Ina. So nice to see you!

Thanks for stopping by. And for signing my cookbook. And making those two hours worth it.