And the good news is...

Only 42 days until the official start of spring!

In the meantime...stay warm and enjoy! Main Street in Bel Air


Tea By Two

Bel Air High School

Intersection at Bel Air Road

Hayes House

back in our neck of the woods...

Bel Air United Methodist Church

Linwood Avenue

The view down Maitland Street

Outside shoveling...heard a crack...turned around and saw the neighbor's tree had just fallen down...

I am obviously not going anywhere in the Buick... However, the truck is ready to go...

I *Heart* Books!

Oh, how I love, love, love to read! I live for those summer days when I can lay out at the pool and finish a book every two days. (However, I think I will skip the second degree burn this year!) While I spend a good bit of time reading professional literature, what I live for is that 3o minutes before sleep where I get back into whatever I have been reading for fun. And I love to talk about it (I really need to be in a book club!)! I read The Help last fall, which is probably now one of my favorite books and have started this year with Cleaving (by Julie Powell who wrote Julie and Julia - this one is about how she has an affair after the success of the blog and becomes a butcher - fascinating) and The Piano Teacher (staying in bed on MLK day until 11 am just so I could finish). Now I'm reading The Girl Next Door. Next up in the book basket - some yummy non-fiction: Finding It (Valerie Bertinelli - I read her first book and liked it - a lot.) and Bringing Home the Birkin - (who doesn't love to read about handbags that cost more than what I make in a year??). Happy Reading!

On the Bright Side

Typically, January is my least favorite month of the year. The anticipation of Christmas and the holidays is over, any remaining lights on houses now just make me feel melancholy. It's back to being a responsible calorie counter and gym-goer, and it feels like spring is no where in sight. It's a little rainy and dark this morning. The Ravens have officially ended the season with a sad loss last night to Indy - which we missed since we were enjoying one of Ross's Christmas presents - Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie (both from Whose Line is it Anyway?) at the Lyric - and so we decided it was much more fun to laugh for two and a half hours than watch a sad defeat. I have a mountain of laundry and school work to catch up on, but am procrastinating, instead making cinnamon muffins (oh, the house smells SO good right now!) and watching the DVR'ed premier of Project Runway. Then I am going to snuggle down and continue reading The Piano Teacher (how did I miss this book last year??). Maybe January isn't so bad after all...

Happy First Anniversary

So one year ago today, this is what we were up to...

We stuck to tradition and ate some of our wedding cake one year later. It was actually pretty tasty...or else I have deprived myself of sweets for so long, that year old cake tasted good.

Not sure. :)

We had a wonderful year as newlyweds! We celebrated the end of year one at the Rusty Scupper, sitting at the same table where Ross proposed, the piano player played the same song (which was our first dance song, "More"), and we had a delicious meal overlooking the lights of the Inner Harbor.

Happy First Anniversary, Ross! I love you!

The stockings were hung...

our Christmas Eve table
(Holidays are a LOT less stressful when you are not getting married the day after Christmas!)

...and to all a good night!

Christmas Time is Here

Merry Christmas! Have a joyous holiday season!

...the Reason for the season...

Mom helped out (a LOT) with my centerpiece. Very Williamsburg, yes? SO happy to have a crafty, creative mom!

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

O Christmas Tree and Grandmom's vintage carolers.

...perfect for snuggling up when it is snowing outside...

...ready for Christmas carols...

...favorite Christmas stories...

...o come all ye faithful...

We got the Dickens houses up last weekend. They look wonderful all lit up at night! Thanks, Ross - you were a trooper getting these all up! (While Mom, Jillian, and I ate shrimp dip - remember what I said about him being patient? He so is.)

My Barbie tree. ;)

...yes, Christmas time is here...

A little more about Thanksgiving...

Not only does she sing and dance (she was an excellent Ghost of Christmas Past this weekend at the Covered Bridge Theater's production of "A Christmas Carol"), she hosts a pretty good Thanksgiving! It was a good time, little sister. Love you!