Grandpa's Craft

Yesterday I drove home to visit my mom, Grandma, and Grandpa. They were together at a Christmas Bazaar selling Grandpa's wooden wares (bowls are his specialty). I came home with a set of gorgeous napkin rings Grandpa turned. I love that although they're all made of walnut, none of them match. They make me want to start using fabric napkins with every meal!

Since I had my camera with me, I couldn't help but stop along the way to snap a picture of the fiery Autumn trees lining the street. Stunning!

Girls' Weekend in the Valley

Last Friday I headed out to the Shenandoah Valley with my sister-in-law, her twin, and two other women. The five of us spent the weekend in Bayse, Virginia, holed-up in a snug little time-share, crafting to our hearts' content. L and her sister spent their time making baby-shower invites, while I finished my digital scrapbook, Volume 1: 1980-1989 (yeah, I have so many kid photos I had to break it up by decade).

On day two we decided to take a break, so we drove towards the town of Mount something-or-other (hehe, I forgot its name already!). We saw Virginia's longest covered bridge. Why did they used to cover their bridges, you ask? To protect the floor boards from weather elements--it was much easier to replace roof boards than floor boards. See? And I bet you didn't expect to learn anything here, today.

The countryside was GOR-GEOUS. Just check out these photos.

Happy Fall!

Little E's Big Wedding Day

Congratulations Capt. and Mrs. Kless!

Wordless Wednesday

We made props to hold while posing for pictures in the photo-booth my sister hired for her wedding reception. Yeah, I'm excited.

Happy Anniversary!

It's been four years, B! I love you.

P.S. - We didn't even realize that today was our anniversary until we saw the date printed on our train tickets. We're turning into B's parents: they never know that its their anniversary until B calls to wish them a happy day. Hehe...!

Saturday at Grandma & Grandpa's

I love my Grandma and Grandpa!

And I'm so glad they bought a house on the water. I'm even "gladder" that they love to host crab feasts!

The delicious Maryland Blue Crab (before)

And after! Nothing beats a hot, steamed crab with a sprinkle of Old Bay on top.

The view from their shore:

And from their pier:

And from the boat! My brother took us "kids" out for a ride. All the way out to the Solomon's Island bridge and back.

Okay, check out the moon in this one (below). It was still way too sunny for the moon to be out! Also, take a look at the bluffs (cliff) in this photo. Whenever I see coastlines like that, I can't help but imagine what it must have been like for the first settlers, sailing up the waterways and looking for places to establish new colonies.

Along those historical notes, the boats that carried the Englishmen (who eventually marched up to the White House in DC and set it on fire) are known to have been here. Crazy.

Roadtrip to the Mountains

Today Bruno's family treated me to a beautiful day-trip. We drove about 2 hours outside of the city. The roads curved around the sides of the mountain, so the view was lovely! Our destination was Friburgo, which happens to be the city that was devastated by the flooding and mudslides.

While in Friburgo, we stopped at a Delicatessen that specializes in cheeses and sweets. Their business tactic was brilliant! They gave you a taste of anything you wanted, and even some things that you didn't. We bought candied fruits, cheese, and cookies.

On our way back home, we stopped at a Brazilian steakhouse. An authentic one! The food was delicious, and the restaurant was beautifully landscaped. We really enjoyed the day.

Breathtaking!

The Exterior Tour

I know I'm a little bit biased, but I do think that the close-up pictures are more interesting to look at. Here are a few that I took this morning. If you have any specific photo requests, I'm spending lots of time here, so I'd be happy to oblige. 

Okay, but also, for those of you who are more interested in the big picture, I tried to take some photos that will clarify the layout here.

When you pull into the covered driveway, B's family's house is directly in front of you and his grandparents' house is to the right. Their house is the original house, closest to the street, and has a little patio/garden in front. [Anything with white, iron bars is this house].

His parents' house is two stories with the bedrooms/bathroom downstairs and the family room/kitchen upstairs. Everything you need is there, but it's all very compact. [Anything with black, iron bars is this house].

Once you walk up to the front door of the big house, if you turn to your right, you see the door to the office/family company. They have a catering business and cook/deliver lunches to construction sites. Pretty cool! [Anything with green, iron bars over the doors or windows is this building].

If you keep pivoting to the right (and sort of look over your shoulder) you'll see the back of B's grandparents' house. His grandma and grandpa spend the majority of their time in their outdoor kitchen (pictured below underneath the slanted roof). They make "salgadinhos" and sell them in bulk. Today, they were working on finishing a request for 600 of these little snacks!

If you walk towards the green office door, there is a space between the big house and the office building, pictured below. The house is on the left and the office is on the right. This was all kinda tricky to explain, but I hope you followed! Even if you didn't, I'm sure the pictures helped to give a better picture of where they live.