Watson Wednesday

My sweet pup - always up for a snuggle on the couch.

It Rained All Weekend

You read that right - it rained all weekend. And the only day the sun is supposed to shine this week is tomorrow. *sigh* The weather is not exactly the greatest; but soldier on I must, cloudy skies and all.

Friday night my parents and I went out to get Mexican for supper, we popped in to one of our favorite places and it was delicious as always. I will confess, it seems since I quit the Arbonne Thirty Day Challenge, I have been hungry all the time - it's so strange; it also means I need to get it together and stop eating so much. *face palm* Obviously I ate "all" the Mexican food on Friday night though...and then stopped at Aldi to grab coffee creamer and some truffles before heading home. It's okay - you can roll your eyes.

My Mom and I watched the movie Gifted with Chris Evans and Octavia Spencer; it was really good! My puppy snuggled extra close all weekend and on Friday night he was right next to me, getting plenty of love. I stayed up until almost midnight reading on Friday night, but I finished my book!

 

Saturday morning dawned cold and dreary...because; remember, it rained all weekend. I spent my morning sipping coffee, starting a new book, doing some cleaning in my living room and bathroom and walking the pup around in the misty drizzle...

Shortly after lunch we had a sweet visit with some friends and then we decided to head out into the drizzle to do a little shopping. I have a panoramic shot of Nationals Park that I have been meaning to get framed and so I took it with me and stopped at Hobby Lobby to finally get that done! It should be ready by March 10th - so just a few weeks shy of Opening Day! We also visited Home Goods and my Dad was convinced that he needed to purchase some crystal candle holders to be used at the end of the couch as drink holders...I don't know about his decorating sensibilities sometimes...

A Red Robin (yummm!) just opened about a month ago and we decided around 4:30 that if we wanted delicious burgers for supper, we'd better arrive by at least 5:00. We arrived before 5:00 and still ended up waiting thirty minutes, but the food was good - especially the dill pickle nickels! I am an absolute sucker for fried dill pickles y'all and these were so good! After our final stop at Lowe's to pick out paint, we headed back home.

My Mom and I watched the last episode of This Is Us so we'd be caught up and we also watched some of the Olympics Figure Skating Gala but for whatever reason, I could not hang (#oldladystatus) and I was in the bed and asleep before 11:00!

On Sunday morning when I got up, I thought that I'd strategically placed the pillows on my bed so that my dog wouldn't try to get "in" the bed...but I was so wrong. After having coffee and breakfast, I came back down to my room to get ready for church and I couldn't find the dog anywhere. I finally noticed some ears sticking up in between the pillows I'd placed as "guardrails" and discovered that no pillow(s) stopped him from climbing to exactly where he wanted to be.

After church, my Mom and I went to Panera for lunch - all that soups were appetizing on a rainy, gray day. Our friend Jennie and her son Jimmy happened to be there, we happened to snag a booth and we spent our lunch chatting over soup, bread and lemonade. We made the grocery run on the way home and arrived back at the house in time to catch the back half of the Nationals first televised Spring Training game - they beat the Braves 9-3!

I'm so glad baseball is back on my TV again - I've missed it!

We took a long walk around the neighborhood - albeit a less sunny walk than last week's - and I spent the evening getting my clothes prepared for the work week ahead, talking to my little sister, doing some reading, doing my nails and cooking supper. We had Crack Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner; it was my first time making it and it was a huge hit, we scraped the pot clean! It will definitely be added to my list of delicious meals.

And since it's Girl Scout season, we bought a couple boxes of the cookies on our way out of Wal-Mart and I had some as my dessert on Sunday night while watching the Closing Ceremonies for the Olympics. We splurged on a box of the S'mores cookies but nothing will ever top the Tagalong for me - it's the best.

The weekend passed by way too quickly - but then, it always does. Another weekend in the books...the final weekend in February! In some ways February feels like it has flown by and (probably given the way it started) in other ways, it feels like it has lasted forever. Either way, before the week is out we are on to March and hopefully less rain and more Spring sunshine!

Five on Friday

A four day work week always seems longer than a five day work week. I realize that makes absolutely 0 sense - but that's how my short weeks always seem to play out. So here are five things...on the final day of this four day work week...

One. Loft Sale - So Loft is having a sale; all the sale items are an additional 50%! You better believe I took advantage of that sale and purchased two awesome sweaters - both originally almost $50 each - and with tax, shipping and everything, both sweaters were less than than $50! I call that a deal! Go check out the sale for yourself - I love so many things at Loft; I always find something I need!

 

Two. Ma-ka-rohn - Have you guys heard of this place? I absolutely love macarons and stumbled on this place via it's Instagram account. I originally ordered a Game of Thrones themed set of macarons and they were divine; so much so that when discussing Valentine's gift, I asked for macarons! I mentioned the site over and over and lo and behold - I got a variety box for love day! I may or may not have ordered a few more for myself and they arrived today - so I'm going to have some delicious goodies this evening!

Three. Mani-Pedi Sale - Perfectly Posh is having a sale on all the perfect tools for manicures and pedicures; but it's for a limited time only! You can stock up on hand cremes, self-tanner, body polish and foot scrubs for a reduced price...and you can also get one of my favorites; Show and Gel Water to Gel Moisturizer! The lemongrass scent is to die for and the gel to water glides on smooth and lightweight - it's one of my favorites! Check it out at http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh/

Four. Lunch Date(s) - I met my Mom and my friend Jen and her three girls for lunch yesterday at Chick Fil A. The eldest was out of school because teachers in West Virginia were doing a walk-out in protest of low wages...and the other two are three and under. I tried my hardest to get Evie to smile but she wasn't impressed...and Amelia was only concerned with her ice cream, ha-ha! At least the food was delicious - although I had a definite sugar crash after slurping down a milkshake!

Five. Doing Nothing - Which is whats on the agenda for this weekend! I literally have 0 plans for the weekend and I'm feeling perfectly fine about that. I will be going out to eat tonight and I'm sure other things will pop up as the weekend unfolds; I usually don't struggle to find things to do. I have "big" plans to finish reading the book I'm currently on and likely starting another one...but that's about it. Also; it's supposed to rain all weekend, so I'll definitely be staying indoors!

That's all I've got for this Friday. I can't wait for the weekend to start - so I can start doing a whole lot of nothing!

Watson Wednesday

The weather over the weekend (well; Sunday at least...) was pretty glorious and the past two days have been unseasonably warm - the high today is supposed to reach 80! My precious pup has been taking it all in and this morning, he was all set to relax in the sunshine all day long...

Unfortunately our fence has a bit of a gap in one corner; a gap that I think could allow a certain small dog to escape and run free through the wilderness, which he'd thoroughly enjoy. It would hearken back to his days in Mississippi, running free through the trees and grass and he would lap up every second. Alas - I had to make him come inside.

The look he gave me will haunt me for the rest of the day. A look so filled with disappointment... *sigh* However, because dogs are the most precious gift to the universe, something tells me when I get home today he'll have completely forgotten that I made him come inside and he'll still greet me, tail wagging! Dogs are the best!

Long Weekend-ing

Well - it's not Monday y'all - it's Tuesday because the past weekend was a long weekend! Can I get all the hallelujahs for that? Although sometimes that makes a Tuesday feel like a Monday, but so far today has been lovely and not at all like a Monday!

The weather is unseasonably warm; the high today is 76 and the high for tomorrow is 80, which means the only thing I really want to do is being lounging on my deck reading a good book. Alas - duty calls and I have to be a functioning member of society and contribute, ha-ha! But back to the weekend...

Black Panther came out this weekend and my friend Jennie, her son Jimmy and I went to see the 6:15 showing on Friday night. Happily I got off work early on Friday and was able to spend some time relaxing at home before heading to the theater - it was so nice. The movie really was excellent and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would; I'd highly recommend it, and you don't have to have seen the other Marvel movies to enjoy this film. I was far too tickled by the tweet that I posted above - it made me giggle, so I couldn't resist sharing.

After coming home on Friday night, I finished up The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon - has anyone else watched that? Thoughts? I did a little reading before going to sleep and looking very forward to sleeping in on Saturday!

Saturday dawned oh so bright - which as I mentioned in my post from Sunday, was not at all a harbinger of the weather to come. I did a little reading from my very cozy spot in my bed and Watson served as a wonderful foot warmer, basking in the sunshine. I had my beloved coffee and began going about my Saturday business.

I made a quick Target run and while I didn't get anything too crazy, I did happen to stumble on the perfect ottoman to go with the chair in my bedroom and so I couldn't pass that up! I made the Target run in jeans, a long sleeve tee and my lightweight jacket and I honestly figured that the whole chance of snow; especially 3+ inches, was just another weather report gone wrong...

  

I dedicated an entire post on Sunday to how wrong I was about the weather. It started snowing around 2:00 on Saturday afternoon and heavy, wet snow fell for the next six hours. It was enough to cover everything in a perfect blanket of white and make everything look positively enchanting...

Watson spent a good portion of his Saturday being lazy and begging for anything I ate when meal time came around - that dog has perfected the art of begging; he's got the look down pat. And when a look won't work, he even incorporates some mournful cries...

Once the snow tapered off around 8:30, I took Watson out on a walk. Earlier in the day when the thick snowfall was coming down he'd had no interest in being outside and traipsing through the snow...but our evening walk was a different matter entirely. He bounded through the drifts and buried his nose deep into the snow to seek out whatever might be buried under all the white.

  

 

Sunday morning again dawned bright - the sun was out in full force on Sunday morning and of course, all the bright white from Saturday evening began to melt in force. I snapped some pictures of funny formations on a grate outside my living room window and managed to capture a drop of the melting snow as it made it's downward drop toward the ground...

 

I also couldn't resist taking video of the sounds of the snow melt - our backyard sounded like the deck had been positioned on the edge of a river, the water rushing along as the snow melted. Watson was eager to be outside but when he ventured onto the deck and heard the rushing water, he thought twice and made his way back inside...at least for a little while.

Around noon, Watson and I took a ride to the newly opened Burger King to grab some lunch. Watson thoroughly enjoys all rides in the car and he especially enjoyed the ride after it was scented like a delicious cheeseburger, ha-ha! To his credit, he only once tried to poke his little nose into the bag and sniff out what was in the bag... once we got home, he definitely parked himself at my feet and begged/waited patiently for bites of my food. We watched a season one episode of Home Town while having lunch and then it was back to business.

By 2:00 on Sunday afternoon, all signs that there had ever been any snow were almost completely gone. I took a break from my Sunday afternoon spent with my head buried in a book, laced up my sneaker and took Watson on a long jaunt through the neighborhood. It was so warm out that halfway through the walk I ended up undoing my jacket to let the breeze cool me off. It almost defied belief to think that exactly 24 hours before the snow had begun and covered everything in a layer of white...and now we were marching along on dry ground under blue skies.

 

Watson spent a large chunk of his Sunday afternoon lying in the sunshine on the back deck and at one point came to the door, tapped with his paw and then when I opened the door, he sat and waited expectantly for me to come outside. I suppose he wanted some company and so I took some time out and went to sit in the sunshine on the back deck with him. It was almost warm enough that I didn't need my jacket but it was nice to have as I leaned against the railing and soaked up the sun.

 

I passed the rest of Sunday evening eating some leftovers alongside a half of a sandwich brought to me from Macado's (seriously delicious sandwich place), watching the Olympics and watching Victoria. I read before finally falling asleep - and it was such a nice thing to know I didn't have to wake up early on Monday!

I slept in on Monday and had my coffee and breakfast with my Mom before getting ready for the day. I finally made myself get back to exercising (in the two weeks since my grandmother passed away, I've really been a slacker) and hopped on the elliptical for thirty minutes before getting ready to head to Tyson's.

My Mom and I spent the afternoon at Tyson's Corner Center - a huge mall about an hour from our home in NoVa. We had a delicious lunch at Cheesecake Factory and split a decadent piece of cheesecake - because we are firm believers that one cannot simply eat at Cheesecake Factory and not get cheesecake! We spent a few hours shopping and running errands before heading home - I got a really cute red dress on sale at Lou & Grey (do y'all know Lou & Grey, it's the best) and a cold shoulder sweater from Loft - gotta love those President's Day sales!

The weather on Monday was misty and dismal and I wish I'd have taken the time to snap a picture of all the buildings in McLean disappearing into the fog on Monday evening...but alas, I did not.

I had some delicious leftover lasagna and watched an episode of Home Town with my Momma before taking some headache meds (boo to a persistent headache that hung around as a dull ache all day long...) and hitting the sack! Thank goodness for long weekends, we all need them from time to time and I thoroughly enjoyed mine!

And So... It Snowed...

Saturday morning dawned bright - the sun shone and the sky was a perfect blue. There was a breeze on the air but not a cold breeze. I made a Target run in jeans, a t-shirt and my Columbia windbreaker; it certainly didn't feel arctic outside and the sunshine just added to the feeling that there was no way snow was coming.

I came home and had lunch - and as the afternoon got under way, clouds rolled in, the sun disappeared and the temperature dropped. Around 2:00 I happened to look outside and see the smallest little flakes falling from the sky... I assumed it would just do a little light snowing and then pass on by, but within minutes, the snowflakes became thick, wet and heavy...

The snow continued to fall in a thick curtain for several hours. Around 4:30 I took Watson outside and he was having none of it. Sometimes he loves the snow and sometimes he would just rather not, ha-ha!

  

The sun set and the snow kept falling and before very long, everything was covered in a thick blanket of white...

The temperature definitely dropped - my walks around the neighborhood in the falling snow were brief; the snow was wet and heavy and stuck to everything. I snapped pictures and hopped my way back inside. And I snapped so many pictures because I do wonder if this will be the only snowfall I'll see this Winter...

  

I borrowed a few pictures from a community Facebook page of the lake all bedecked in snow, the trees mantled in white and weighted down with decoration. Snow makes everything...quiet. Everything is blanketed in the pure white, undisturbed and at peace.

Later in the evening, around 8:00...as the snow was still gently falling I took Watson out one more time. This time he was in love with the snow, bounding in and out of the drifts, sniffing for things buried under the mantle of white and enjoying every minute. When we finally came inside, he was wild - jubilant with his little adventure in the white wild outside.

  

So - after all that wondering - the snow did come. However; I should mention that as I write this the sun is shining, the temperature outside is hovering at 50 and all signs of the world of white from Saturday afternoon are...well...gone.

But hey - it was certainly lovely while it lasted!