mr. longhorn.

well, jeffrey and i finally decided on a piece of art work that we both LOVED to go above our fireplace here on "O" street.  it just took us about 2 1/2 years to find it and also agree upon it :)  i must say he is pretty fun and matches our orange chairs perfectly.  

we found this lovable longhorn (funny enough) in the wee town of middleburg, va when we were on a weekend get-a-way with my parents earlier this summer.  we were doing some shopping and stumbled on this adorable shop where mr. longhorn was living.  we LOVED it immediately and decided us texans had to have it.   

i'm still deciding on if i like the blonde frame.  i keep going back and forth on if i would like to stain it.  jeffrey seems to like it - but i also think he likes blondes :)  i do believe we will keep it blonde for the time being and maybe stain it at a later date.

now back to the adorable town of middleburg, va.  it is seriously an hour outside of dc and you feel like you are in a far away place. it has a charming main road filled with antique shops, many virginia wineries are just a 5 to 10 minutes drive away, and we stayed in the lovely goodstone estate - which has beautiful grounds, delicious meals, an adorable cottage, a swimming pool and wonderful views.

i definitely recommend this place if you are wanting a get-a-way. 

we had an absolute ball and very fond memories.

here are a few shots from earlier this summer.....

peachy keen.

well, our weekend was just peachy.  spent time with lovely friends and did lots of relaxing.  we have been eating peaches like they are going out of style.  they are just so juicy and delicious right now.   jeffrey has also been grilling them and then putting them over vanilla ice-cream - yum!

To grill some peaches all you need to do is:

cut the peaches in half

rub some melted butter over the entire peach

sprinkle brown sugar on top of the peach

cook on the grill for about 4 minutes each side

and presto - delicious grilled peaches.

never in a million years would i ever think i would be teaching art to middle schoolers - but here i go.  hope this first week back with the kids is just peachy.  and i hope each of your weeks are peachy keen too.

cupcake.

to kick off this school year at stone ridge (sr), they had some delicious georgetown cupcakes.  now i truly don't understand the whole georgetown cupcake craze.  i mean people stand in line for hours to get their beloved cupcakes, they have their own reality tv show and these little treats are not on the cheap side.  i do however LOVE cupcakes either from georgetown cupcakes or from a box.  so i must admit i was quite happy to find out we had cupcakes for an afternoon snack today.


i hope everyone has lovely weekends filled with treats of your own.

nats game.

jeffrey and i headed to a nats game earlier this week.  it was a perfect distraction for me from all the stresses of returning to school this week.  as a perk for working at kta, jeffrey gets occasional tickets to ball games.  and the seats are AMAZING - right behind the home plate.  

but, the BEST part of these magic little tickets is the $35 (each!) that come attached to these wonderful tickets.  so we get to eat alot of five guys (the best hamburgers ever), beer (jeff's fav), cotton candy (my fav), ice-cream, pop-corn - you name it....that is until our $35 dollars run out :)

a delicious five guys burger

good times in chinatown.

last saturday, jeffrey and i ventured to chinatown in dc and had a lovely little afternoon and evening.  we started at the american art museum and saw the norman rockwell exhibit, which i found quite delightful.  i enjoyed seeing rockwell's iconic paintings as he depicted american history.  if you are in dc, the exhibit is on display until january 2, 2011.   the courtyard between the american art museum and portrait gallery is absolutely stunning - i love how they connected these two old buildings with something so modern.  (pictured below)

   
next, jeffrey and I walked across the street to the movies.  i ADORE going to the movies by the way - it is one of my favorite pastimes.  we saw SALT with andelina jolie.  it was a good shoot em' up bang bang movie....i would easily see it again.  

finally, we ate at ping pong dim sum - a super fun, trendy and modern place that serves dim sum galore.  they have really great cocktails too!

 

sunday fun day.

our sunday fun day consisted of having our lovely neighbors over for dinner.

and boy was it a sunday evening full of fun.

we started with some yummy food jeffrey cooked - steak on arugula.

dinner with the boys :)

and then we all had some wine.....

and then we had even more wine....

and ended on a delightful note with grilled peaches, ice cream and some lovely sauterne.

it was a fantastic sunday fun day.

hope your sundays were just as fun!

happy friday yall.

hope everyone has a lovely weekend

filled with rest, fun and good times.

jeffrey and i have no plans and i couldn't be happier about it.

hopefully alot of naps, fun dinners, and lazy afternoons will take place.

see yall on the flip side - also known as monday. 

getting ready for school.

it is that time again.  summer is coming to an end and it's time to head back to work.  this summer seemed to fly by, but i can safely say i say that every year.

i have two more days of freedom, a week of in-service, and then the week after the kiddos come bouncing in ready for the new school year.  it is a fun, stressful, exhausting, and exciting time for all involved.

alot of projects are taking place at the ainsworth household in preparation for the upcoming school year as well as lesson planning, lesson planning and more lesson planning.

 

 i even got my cute hubby to help me cut out decorative borders for my bulletin boards :)

ole mrs. four eyes.

you can now call me ole mrs. four eyes because i just got my first pair of glasses.  i did have some when i was 16, but only wore them for a month - so i don't really think that counts.  it has been since i was 16 since i went to the eye doctor and it turns out i needed some glasses for distance - go figure.  

the best part of this whole experience is that my super trendy friends: the cheeks and the buckleys told me about this amazing website warby parker - where you can find fashionable and trendy glasses for a fraction of the cost.  i'm talking $95 for all their fabulous glasses!  and since i'm new to the eyeglasses world - i hear that is a pretty sweet deal.

i would like to say i look as trendy as the ad for warby parker pictured above - but it is simply not true.  although here are a couple of pics of what i do look like in my new warby parker eye glasses.

santa fe fun.

we just returned from our trip out west.

to the lovely land of santa fe, new mexico.

we simply cannot get enough time in this amazing town 

and as soon as we leave we are planning our next trip back.

my parents have created a magnificent home in this magnificent place.

we traveled with our friends carol and sean

and had an absolute ball.

here are a few pictures from our adventures.

our mountain hike

homemade dinner (thanks to jeffrey and carol) of grilled branzino, hanger steak, tomato salad, baked potatoes and of course some wine.

art gallery fun

going out west.

we are off for our last vacation of the summer - santa fe with our lovely friends the buckleys.  also known as carol and sean.  (we will miss you dearly cheeks!) 


these new earrings remind me of santa fe - feathers in silver.  snagged these jewels at a thrift store earlier this summer and thought they would be perfect for out west.  

if you are diggin the vase - it was created by none other than the magnificent jonathan adler.  i drool over his designs: ceramics, rugs, wall paper, pillows, furniture, and much more.  he is quite talented and i love his work.

heirloom tomatoes.

this delicious fruit (or is it a veggie? i can never remember) is probably our favorite in the months of august and september.  they are sweet, juicy, colorful and scrumptious to eat.  we love to pick them out at the farmer's market.  and they have the best names too - ping pong (small pink ones), green zebra, purple cherokee, beefsteak (big red ones), brandy wine, and many many more.  

to make our heirloom tomato salad - all jeffrey does is slice them, add a bit of red onion, olive oil, salt and pepper and presto you have a beautiful and tasty tomato salad - perfect for the hot summer months.

 

the dc camper store.

well folks, it's official.  a camper shoe store has opened in the georgetown area of dc and my husband couldn't be happier.  jeffrey really really really likes camper shoes.  this shoe company is from spain and create witty, good-looking shoes for men, women and now children.  it might be kind of dangerous that we have a camper store around the corner because did I mention my husband LOVES camper shoes?

sweetgreen goodness.

this lovely frozen yogurt treat was just what i needed this friday afternoon.  after a day of getting my blood drawn (i hate needles) and up to my ears with gathering lesson plan ideas in prepping for the school year - this little pick-me up was just perfect.  sweetgreen opened around the corner from us a few months ago and this is the first time i have tried their yogurt.  all i have to say is yum (and i love the fresh fruit toppings).


have a lovely weekend yall and hope you find some refreshing treats as well this weekend.

mrs. domestic

i have been feeling very domestic this week.  

one of my summer goals is to get in the kitchen and try some new easy recipes to add to my list.

here is what i had fun with this week in the kitchen.

round one: seared scallops over corn (thanks ann for the idea!)

i was pleasantly surprised with how easy these scallops were to make.  

first, heat up some veggie oil so the oil is super hot.

then, add salt and pepper to the scallops before you put them in.

after that, place them in the pan for one minute for each side.

finally, drain the oil and add a touch of butter with some frozen (or fresh corn) and cook for a few minutes.  

and presto! seared scallops over corn.  

  

round two: frittata with squash, zucchini and goat cheese (thanks carol for the recipe!) 

love how easy this recipe is as well.

first, saute the squash, zucchini, and onions for ten minutes.

then, add six eggs to the sauteed veggies and cook for ten minutes on the stove top.

after that, put the whole pan in the oven at 350 degrees - also for ten minutes.

lastly, add some goat cheese on top

and wahoo you have a frittata.

happy cooking yall!

tom toms.

                              the new wedge tom toms. 

the metallic tom toms are super cute as well and i might just have to buy some for the new school year :)  plus i love their movement.  happy shoe shopping.

aren't they adorable and perfect for fall?

a happy weekend.

this weekend at our home was lovely.

here are a few highlights from our weekend:

1. date night at estadio.  

a fabulous spanish tapas place that just opened around the corner from us.  the spanish tiles and beautiful iron work designs brought us right back to our time in madrid.  the tapas were delicious too. 

2. saturday afternoon naps.

3. game night of cranium with friends.

4. sunday afternoon spent with friends which included a museum trip to the national geographic museum to see the exhibit Da Vinci - the Genius followed by a home cooked meal at our casa.  i do have to recommend the Da Vinci exhibit if you find yourself in the dc area.  it focuses on full-scale models of Da Vinci's inventions as well as an in depth look at his painting masterpieces.  it amazes me that one man can be so strong as both an engineer and an artist.  because in our home the engineer and artist/art teacher look at things and approach things VERY differently.  so it bewilders me that this man can have attributes of both.  

5. the photo booth at the national geographic museum :)

hope your weekends were lovely as well.