December Weekend(s)

I don't know about y'all... but I was thrilled to see the weekend arrive. Who am I kidding - when is that not the case? I love my job but I love the weekends just a little bit more and weekends during the Christmas season usually have a little something special. 

 

The something special on Friday night was dinner at one of the family's favorite Mexican restaurants and the perusal of Costco and Home Goods after dinner! A wild Friday night - no doubt! Upon returning home, I joined an online Noonday Party and then snuggled up on my couch to watch The Grinch! I absolutely love the animated version that was released last year (I think it was last year) - it's definitely my go-to Grinch! 

Saturday morning the rain from Friday slowly faded off and after coffee, exercise and a shower - while it wasn't exactly sunny outside, it wasn't raining anymore and so my Dad and I decided to head out and about to do some things! We grabbed lunch at Panera - our Panera is always so crowded and Saturday was no exception! We found a seat, had our lunch and then went to Hobby Lobby... which was a madhouse!

I needed to find a Christmas ornament but Hobby Lobby was a no go - mostly because the lines were miles long and it seemed like every single person alive was in Hobby Lobby. I contemplated a gnome ornament but when I saw the line - I booked it out the door. Our next stop - the main goal - was Belle Grove Plantation where there was a holiday market... and it was at this event that I realized it was MUCH colder than I thought.

 

I wore my puffy vest over a long-sleeve sweater and it all seemed fine until we were walking around outdoors on the grounds of the plantation looking at all the vendors and crafts for sale - and then, I was freezing! We stepped into the barn to look at the lucky folks who'd ended up inside for the market and once we went out again - I was pretty over it, ha-ha! Not too over it to get a picture or two - but you know what I mean!

After a stop at the Food Lion for some supplies for dinner - we headed home and passed the afternoon with dog walks and relaxation. I made some White Chicken Chili and while I've been on the look out for the perfect recipe... I think I may have finally found it! It was so delicious and incredibly easy to make - I'll share the recipe later this week! After chatting with my sister and Mom, I played catch-up on some shows, watching by the light of my Christmas tree!

 

Sunday morning brought coffee, church and lunch at Mission BBQ before heading back home to chill all afternoon. I watched a little Great British Baking and did some reading, interspersed with walks around the neighborhood with my pup! Around 5:30 I changed back into nice clothes and we headed toward Dulles Town Center to have dinner and pick my Mom up from the airport.

We had dinner at Mimi's Café - and I swear we were literally the only people in the entire restaurant. It was kind of weird but the food was delicious and the service was good! Since nothing was open at 7:30 on a Sunday night, we ended up walking around Wegman's - which is honestly a delight to me because it's the Disney World of grocery stores! 

We got two Christmas cookies to munch on while waiting in the cell phone lot, swooped past the arrivals and picked up my Mom and headed right back home. It was a good weekend - like all weekends it passed too quickly, just like I'm sure the rest of the year will!