Sunshine on My Shoulders

I drove to my yoga class this morning in the beaming sunshine! I can't believe this Winter has been so mild. The temperature today was in the upper 50s. 

We're looking forward to Springtime in Virginia. In March or April, Washington DC has its annual Cherry Tree festival. The festival lasts for just a short time while the Cherry Trees bloom. There is so much for families to do and see. I hope the weather remains pretty throughout the season. 

In the coming weeks, we're planning a trip to Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is full of history and is the capital of Virginia so promises to be a fun trip. We are going to shop at Short Pump, a town center and mall that has all kinds of shops. We are slowly pulling together a nursery and are looking for furniture that is gender-neutral so we can welcome either a boy or a girl to our family when the time comes. 

Also on our list is the National Zoo. I've been to many zoos throughout the country but am looking forward to seeing all the animals. My favorites are usually the seals and otters. They are so playful. I think of them as water dogs! 

Most of all, though, Robert and I are looking forward to more and more days of sunshine. We look forward to gardening and walking, grilling out and sitting out on the patio in the evenings. Here's to Spring! I can see you on the horizon!!

The Importance of Mealtime

My photography really doesn't do this breakfast justice - or maybe it's my mad Photoshop skills. Either way, this lovely feast is what Robert cooked this morning for breakfast ... French toast with fruit-infused butter, thick (real) bacon and grapes. Not pictured here is the lovely coffee mug that was sitting happily right next to the plate. 

When I met Robert, he cooked quite often. Rarely did a week go by that he wasn't whipping up a breakfast like this one (very English, by the way), a chicken curry (again, very English) or a bread and butter pudding (seriously English). Okay he made salads too. Most of his cooking took place on the weekend, while I made our weekly evening meals. As time went by, and as I began experimenting with various cookbooks and perfecting almost every Jamie Oliver recipe I could get my hands on, Robert quit cooking except on the rare occasion.

It wasn't until recently, when we started watching The Pioneer Woman on The Food Network that Robert's interest in cooking peaked again. Now, I've read The Pioneer Woman's blog for years. She has literally millions of followers and talks about everything from her Bassett hounds to her cooking to her home schooling to her photography. 

A couple of weekends ago, Robert made spicy pulled pork. This weekend, he made French toast with berry butter for breakfast and he's planning to make Asian hot wings for dinner. Since I already indulged in the French toast, chances are I won't eat the wings but the ingredients sitting on the counter look mouth-watering good! I bought some Boston bibb lettuce and may just make myself a salad for dinner. For some reason I feel like I need a little healthiness! (I can't imagine why!)

Benefits of Family Meals

Sometimes I bet you wonder what all of my random blog posts have to do with adoption. Well, I'll tell ya. Studies show that families who eat together are healthier. Why? The social connections created while sitting down to a meal fire up all of those feel-good neurotransmitters and create bonds. 

Say what? 

A family that sits down together for meals get close:

• Family meals provide structure and stability. 
• Families who eat together talk more.
• Families who eat together share more
• Mealtimes are a reason to get together every single day. 

A family unit is about the strongest bond a person can have from infant hood well into adulthood and beyond.

You might say Robert and I are practicing our parenting skills before we've even found our adoptive child just simply by cooking together and eating together.

Adventures in Dining

Last night, Robert and I dined at a local restaurant that serves organic, free-range and hormone-free foods paired with wines and beers from local wineries and breweries. It was Friday night and the one-room restaurant was quite the scene.

As you've probably figured out, Robert and I like to get out and about, experiencing the local culture and just basically seeing what's out there. We've often wondered if that will change once we adopt. Our answer comes by watching and learning.

Last night, while we waited to be sat at our table, we shared lounge seats with a large family. Two of the men were holding babies. At an adjacent table sat another couple with a little girl who looked to be about four years old. And, after we sat down, yet another couple sat next to us with three kids ranging in age from about 12 to 2. Enough said.

The secret? Selecting carefully. This very cool and trendy restaurant welcomes kids. And so it attracts couples who like to get out and about ... with their kids of all ages. After all, who wants to sit around and watch TV all the time?

Not us.

The Shows We Watch

Robert and I aren't really television surfers. We do have a few shows that we absolutely love (thank goodness for DVR).

Modern Family - I think Robert has a crush on Gloria. (Do you blame him?) Frankly, I have a crush on Cameron.

Jamie Oliver's American Road Trip - Jamie's cooking shows took my dinners to a new level. This show finds him traveling across America to discover how food and culture collide.

Sons of Anarchy - We cannot wait for Season 4. This show is about a motorcycle gang in California. Definitely not for wussies!

Parenthood - Robert doesn't watch this show (yet) but I can pretty much laugh and cry during every episode.

Bones - Our friend the microbiologist says the science on this detective series is retarded - but who cares when the characters are so cool!

The Fringe - Did you love the X-Files? Enough said.

True Blood - Another one that's not for wussies. I read the Sookie Stackhouse series and am now trying to keep up with Sookie's adventures when we get free HBO previews.

Sherlock Holmes - No, really. The British version of modern day Sherlock.

Downton Abbey - A British drama about a well-to-do family with sisters vying to get married so they don't lose the family fortune. Can you say Dynasty anyone?

Gosh, we watch a lot of television. I promise you we are really not that boring. :)

Nursery Ideas

The more I stare at this nursery, the more I like it. Hey, don't knock it. I have to have something to fill my creative mind while I wait for a match. I found this one on Chic & Cheap Nursery.

Anyhoo, I painted the nursery light French gray. It's a Sherwin-Williams color, and not as dark as the gray pictured here. Robert and I both decided last night that the nursery is our favorite room in the house - though there's no furniture in it yet other than a shelf that I painted, a night stand and a lamp. It just feels inviting and soft and relaxing.

I'm trying to find some colors that are bright and cheerful but that are gender-neutral. Why? Well, because we have no idea whether we will be adopting a boy or a girl!

Keep it simple is my motto. I'm more minimalist than anything. So I'll probably choose one overarching color and have a couple of accent colors for pillows and whatnot (such as in this picture) but what really matters is who's in the nursery, after all.