Ice Storm and Mail Art

A while back some of you back home in Ohio may have heard me talk about our crazy ice storm here in the beltway of DC. I thought that I would share a couple pictures from outside my apartment that night. Kind of interesting to look at. We have never had stand still bumper to bumper traffic stuck on our road like that before. It was stuck solid from 4:30pm till after 9pm that night. Poor commuters. Good thing I work from home!
They shut down the entire highway system right at rush hour due to the ice. Nice move DC.
Here are a couple pictures that I found pretty. I tend to send out postcards and letters in bunches and I liked the look of all the colors and patterns so before I popped them in the mail I took a few pics. You may see one that was sent to you in this pile!
Nothing says I love you like a hand written letter or postcard. It's not hard. In this day of e-mail it is even more important to reach out with pen and papaer to let a loved one know they are worth a moment of you time plus a stamp. Give it a try, you'll be suprised at the smiles and love that comes back your way.

All Boston Terrier Puppy Party, Yay! Or so I thought.

Most of you who know Beanie, know that she totally and completely thinks that she is human and resents any attempt to make her socialize with those things called "dogs". We have attempted several times to take her to the dog park to make some friends but that just results in tremorous shaking and very very large amounts of shoe-string drool that even Houch would be jealous of. The passed Sunday I took Beanie to a group of all Boston Terriers hoping that by being surrounded by all dogs that looked like her and who are all in her size range she would atleast make one friend. No such luck.
As you can see in the picture above there is not little 10 pound runt with a sweater any where near the fun.
She can be spotted in this photo doing what she does best, only being interested in dogs that aren't facing her. She likes them until they turn around to look at her then she runs to my feet and attempts to hide. She did venture away from me a few times only to get scared and run off on her own in a corner of the yard all by herself to sit and shake. Thankfully though it did go much better than the regular dog park with only a small amount of shoe-string drool this time.
After about 45 minutes she hid behind my feet as you can see and snapped at any dog that even came by to sniff noses. That was the sure sign of a tired pup that just wanted to go back home to the safety of her father's arms. I scooped her up and we made the journey home so that she could once again be with her people and not have to deal with what she thinks of as those things that don't speak her language. Hopefully next month she will make one friend. We'll see.

A package only a mother could send!!!!!

My mother despite having a very very busy schedule found time to take a half a day to create the most wonderful, thinking of you/pick me up package. As most of you know, my nickname sice childhood has been "Bean". Needless to say as a child I hated that name since when I was being rotten my mother would call me weanie bean and that really sent me into a tizzy. Well within the last few years I have really grown fond of this name and have embraced it with wild abandon. I sign packages and letters with a Bee shaped stamp and the letter N to create Bean! With that in mind my loving mother created a Bee themed package to brighten my day and it worked so well it brought tears to my eyes.
The package contains many different kinds of NUMI tea which my mother and I had been talking about. The pill bottle contains the most beautiful real bumble bee (no longer living of course) that may show up in a sketch or two later so look for that. The box on the right contains two bee pins that my mother found at an antique mall and instantly thought of me. I love them.
What is not shown here is what was contained on the bottom of the package which were typed pages of information on bees and some lovely drawing of different bees on special handmade paper. I will have to photograph these and post them later. All in all this package was asembled with such love and care right down to the sen envelope holding the tea and the hand stamped labels. What a gift!
I proudly wore one of the bee pins to Sunday Brunch that weekend. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!!

Love, Bean

Our Celebrity Friend! The Colbert Portrait Adventure...

For those of you who join us in the love for The Colbert Report you may be jealous to know that the famous portrait is visiting us in DC!!! If you are a fan then you are aware that the portrait is currently enjoying a limited visit in the National Portrait Gallery. Brian and I decided to take the metro to Chinatown and visit Stephen in his temporary home! When you walk into the museum the gaurd looks inside any bags that you may be carrying and when he was done looking through my suitcase of a purse he looked up at me and asked if I was there to see Stephen and proceeded to point us in the right direction which for those of you who haven't heard is the second floor bathroom! Yep, that's right he's in the bathroom. When you walk down the hall you will encounter a group of people gathered to take a peak of Stephen who is above the drinking fountains outside the doors to the restrooms.

How could we even think of going and not taking a picture? So much fun!
I, Rachel Mohler have art in the National Portrait Gallery in DC!!!! If you go room E251 and view the visitor's log you will find a sketch of mine. How cool is that?
Here is my quick pen sketch of the arrangement on the table behind the visitor's log.
Here's the inspiration for my wonderfully beautiful NPG sketch!

Tour of DC with Shan!

We began our tour by picking up the tour bus at Arlington cemetary and our first stop was old Abe himself.

We searched for angles that were interesting and creative.
His hand has always fascinated me. When you turn around this is the view that Abe is privy to everyday of the year.
I have not actually ever been this close before to the White House. Always telling myself that seeing it from the car window was good enough, so it was nice to have someone to walk around with to get my butt out and see things at a closer view!
A tour guide gave us a heads up on where to grab lunch. Around the corner from the White House is the Old Ebbitt Grill where we just made it before the lunch rush!
As we were ending our day the day was turning cold and we were growing weary. The monument by sunset is a great sight!

Shan and I on the Metro on the way back home after a trip to the Phillips Collection! What a great art collection! Well worth the trip and the price of admission.

Shan thank you so very very much for coming up and making my week a wonderful one!

Shan's First Night in Alexandria!!!

My great arty friend Shan made the trek up to visit me and I am so very glad that she did. After her long drive up I took her around town for some dinner and a little evening window shopping.
In the evening the colors in the windows are almost magical.
Since I do not wander around town in the evening I was not aware that all the shops close by 5 or 6pm so we didn't get to do much shopping but we did see lots of windows to Ooo and Ahh over.
These pumpkins and gourds won't rot and really make you crave fall year round.

The Many Moods of Trees!

While walking along the path I looked up and had to snap this shot! How magical this day was.
This tree was is at Fort Ward just down the street!
Sometimes the shadows are more interesting than the tree itself.
I could sit and stare all day long.
The roots along the trail were beautiful. I imagined a little creature living here and being the star of a magical children's book!

Fresh Fall Air is good for the soul.

I finally bought the new digital camera that I have been goo goo for. I used it last weekend when we went for a nice stroll through the woods. This time of year you just can't take a bad picture!
As you can see you can walk around this bridge but atleast there was no scarey troll!
No these are not leaves, they are mushrooms! Isn't natures crazy?

Sprouty Goodness...

Maybe it takes 30 years to develop a taste for a bowl of green goodness I don't know. As mentioned previously I have never had brussel sprouts. I think it's because the people who know just how good they are, have kept them all to themselves.
I recomend you grab some next time your out and fix yourself a bowl. The color green alone will suck you in. Yum Yum.

Cowology and Chipped Beef on Toast Day!

Saturday we took the day to drive to PA and visit a friend and see his cows. On the way we stopped in our old town of Frederick MD and ate at my favorite diner the Barbara Fritchie!!! Nothin better than breakfast served all day. They make the best Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast with homefries that is like coming home to me.
Of course having grown up with animals, going to visit cows just puts us in a wonderful mood. Nothing like the smell of cow poo to take you back to the good old days of chores, sweat, and the county fair! This cow seemed to sum it up for me. Out in the country, face turned up to the sun and just soakin in the relaxation of the day. This is how you recharge the batteries, that's for sure.

Lovin the Farmers Market!!

I am lucky to have several Farmers Markets by me. There are two that I really like, one each on Saturday and Sunday.
You can find everything from flowers to produce to baked goods.
Makes you just want to make a huge pot of beans doesn't it?
Here's a sample of some of the great finds I've come across. The scone is cranberry-orange flavored and is from the Sunday market and the rest comes from the one on Saturday. I just love getting up, grabbing my big canvas bag and trotting off to see what I can find. The figs are so heavenly perfect that there's nothing in the world that can come close to that kind of perfection. Chestnuts to remind me of my Grandfather and brussel sprouts cause they are the perfect shade of green and I've never had them before so we'll find out today how good they are. This time of year is so wonderful with all the good food and the cooler weather. Get out there and enjoy the early morning town. The shops aren't open yet, plently of parking spots to choose from and everyone is in a great mood because there's no job to get to!!

My Mother's Birthday

My mother's birthday is this Monday and I chose to send her an original painted postcard instead of a store bought card. On the back this is the poem that I wrote...

(Don't worry, she's already recieved it)

My Mother,

The steadfast trunk from which the branches of my life have been nurtured and encouraged to find their own path.

And when the Spring finally comes,

the blossoms that are my children

will bloom in the reflection upon the wonder of our origin,

that is my mother's love.

For Everything,

I Thank You.

Bean

Food Blogs of My Soul

Is there anyone of you out there as addicted to food blogs as I have become? I recently stumbled upon the wonderful world of food blogging and boy what a delicious world it is!! I have begun to vigorously fill a notebook with recipes and we have already tried a couple and have fallen in love. Imagine a vast list of recipes accompanied by beautiful pictures! Recipes that have been made by real people reporting on them and what worked or didn't work. I'm in heaven!!!!

For those of you who have been the recipients of my recipe postcards you know my love for all things new in food. I just can't stand having the same old food over and over. If you want to start looking into food here is one of my favorites to get you started. Enjoy !!!!!!!!!

http://www.janetishungry.blogspot.com/

If anyone wants to recieve my occasional recipe postcards please send me an e-mail or post a comment here and I'll be happy to send them along!

I turned her chicken in Phyllo into a stir fry over rice made from ground chicken minus the phyllo packet and Brian just loved it. The flavors were out of this world!!!!

Happy cooking all!!!!

She said YES!!!

Well, after being together for 2 years Paul popped the question to Joellen on Friday night here at our apartment. Of course she said yes. Paul was so nervous and his hands were shaking so bad that Joellen had to take the ring from him to put it on her finger.

They both are so in love with eachother that it's that really sick cute that makes long time couples like us roll our eyes and say "just give em time"! We are so happy for them both and wish them a very long and happy life together. If any of you back in Ohio see either of them, say "Congrats".

Happy Engagement You Two!!!!