What a difference a week makes ...
In the 30s this morning in Reston, missing this a lot ...
nat & matt
fashionista meets computer guy
Nat's First Risotto
The townhouse smells as good as ever. Nat's in the middle of her first risotto recipe, Lemon Risotto courtesy of Rachael Ray. It's tough waiting for this one to finish!
Update: Risotto came out great! Very tasty, though we might consider using smaller lemons next time {pucker}.
Vote for the best Play-Doh snowman
We held an impromptu Play-Doh snowman competition this weekend, and I snapped a quick pic of the final entries. Alina brought her A-game (light purple), while Nat and I just struggled to keep up. Maddie served as judge, but there was a tie (and I don't recall the winner).
Now it's your turn to weigh in ...
Blizzard in Reston!
Wow, they weren't kidding about the blizzard. Nat and I planned to be down in Atlanta this weekend to attend Chuddie and Nellie's wedding party. But, alas, Mother Nature wouldn't have any of that. It looks like we almost got 2' of snow last night.
Here are the first pics from outside our home. When's the snowball fight?!?
Sunday at the Newseum
On Sunday we piled into the 4Runner to take in the last day of half-price tickets to the Newseum. They managed to cram a lot into a tall but skinny space. We toured the "This Week" set, and did our own weather broadcast (a bit gimmicky, but I don't think they're targeting our age group. :)
Oh, and Madeleine Albright was there (Sam thought about making off with her coffee mug as a souvenir.) Good times, but it's a tougher sell at $20/person.
A Fun Visit with Mom & Dad!
Yesterday, my parents were nice enough to drive down to Va for a visit! We enjoyed a delicious lunch at M&S Grill, then did a little shopping at Fair Oaks before heading back to Reston for a fabulous meal at Il Fornaio! Anyone who knows us Foors knows that we love Italian food (almost as much as I love shopping), and Il Fornaio certainly didn't disappoint! Fantastico! If you haven't dined there yet and live in the area, you must go! Here are a few pics of our happy table, taken just after we polished off an order of creme brulee topped with chocolate mousse--heaven!Thank goodness for treadmills! :-)Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday!
Old School: Pitt Fall-ing at Kennywood
Ok, not saying I won the lottery or anything, but YouTube sent me an email this morning:
Your video Pitt Fall at Kennywood has become popular on YouTube, and you're eligible to apply for the YouTube Partnership Program, which allows you to make money from playbacks of your video.
There must be something behind these point of view videos, since the Pitt Fall one now has 33k+ views. We shot it almost four years ago right before I left Pittsburgh. And in case you saw Adventureland, they filmed at Kennywood, too.
Snow II: The Revenge
Ok, I'll admit, the pic I took two weeks ago was pretty weak as far as snow goes. But let there be no mistake now. The recent dumping has completely made up for it.
Snow, snow and more snow
Nat and I attempted some sledding this morning with varying results. I think we need a bigger hill or denser snow. You be the judge.
Homeowner diaries: heat pump on the blink
Two weeks ago, the condenser unit on our heat pump froze over completely. I noticed the air filter was a little dirty, so I replaced it and thawed it out the condenser using the hose - all better.
Then the same thing happened last weekend. Put in a call to the home warranty company, and they sent out someone to take a look. Turns out the outdoor unit is full of refrigerant leaks. Lucky for us, the indoor unit is incompatible and must be replaced as well (the whole system is almost twenty years old, so not that surprising.) In short, we're getting new HVAC!
The only downside is the contractor's charges not covered by the home warranty. $450 for duct modification?? Pretty steep for fitting the new unit into the old ducts, IMHO.
