2010 was a GREAT year.

1. we kicked 2010 off by bringing in the new year in Santa Fe - one of our favorite places to be and with my lovely parents.

2. experienced SNOWMAGEDDON in early February where jeff and i played in the snow, sat by the fire, ate a bunch of stews and drank a lot of baileys.

3. in april, we celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary with a fun trip to Philly.  i still crave those philly cheese steaks.

4. we both got a year older and wiser over the summer as well as traveled, traveled and traveled around the continental U.S. for weddings and weekend get-a-ways.

5. in the fall, i took on teaching middle school students as well as my lower school students.  while i was pretty unsure of how i would like teaching middle school then - i can now safely say i LOVE my middle school students.  they are wonderfully independent, smart, funny, talented and totally run with their own ideas in the art room.  i heart them.

6. the Swanson/Welsh thanksgiving was pure bliss.  we ate well, we laughed a lot, we could not seem to get out of the kitchen, and we welcomed our newest addition, baby jason, to the welsh clan.

7. we end 2010 on such a high note here in Belize with the Ainsworths.  relaxing, playing games and simply catching up.

so see ya later 2010 - it was a GREAT year with so many wonderful blessings!  but, I also look forward to 2011 and cannot wait to see what joys and memories it will bring....

happy new year yall!
xoxoxox

happy happy bday mama!

happy happy bday mama!

hope you are having a great day of celebration.

we really wish we could be with you to help toast your special day!

sending you lots of hugs and kisses from belize!

love you dearly, 

boom boom and jeffrey

i heart christmas cards.

one of my very favorite things about this time of year are the christmas cards!  i get so happy to run to our mail box and see a handful of real cards wishing us a happy holiday.  i simply cannot get enough.  i love love love christmas cards.  

we are off to spend christmas with our families and soak up the sun down south.  jeffrey and i want to wish you and yours a merry merry christmas and happy happy 2011. 

merry merry and happy happy!
xoxo

our little christmas.

jeffrey and i had our own little christmas last night.

it was wonderfully delightful as we opened gifts by the fire.

we then ventured around the corner to one of our favorite sushi places -

sushi taro.

it was a lovely evening - just the two of us.

merry christmas and happy holidays to all! xo

a lovely winter wedding.

on saturday evening, we had the pleasure of attending the wedding of our sweet friends - katie and slade.

it was a wonderfully festive wedding that embraced the holiday season.

we had a ball dressing in our finest, witnessing these two recite their vows, and then celebrating at the lovely willard hotel.

the food was delicious, the company was divine and the band kept us dancing to the wee hours of the morning.

congrats congrats mr. and mrs. broom!

 at the amazing st. matthew's cathedral

me, martine and copley

jeff, me, margo, john

 welcome to the married club :)

jeff and desmond

merry merry christmas yall!

xoxo

p.s. - how funny is it that we might see these newly weds while they are honeymooning in Belize while we are vacationing there with the ainsworths!

sr's christmas party.

on friday evening, we headed to stoneridge for my school's christmas party.  it was a wonderful evening of drinks, co-workers, dinner and dancing.  and the planning committee did a stellar job on the decorations this year.  it was a great way to celebrate the christmas season and kick off our winter break!

 lesley and me

 andrew, julie and kate

we had way too much fun dancing!

xoxo

on the tonight show TONIGHT.

my dear friend kat edmonson

is going to be on the tonight show T-O-N-I-G-H-T (Dec. 17th) with lyle lovett!

the pair toured together during the summer

and they will appear on the tonight show this evening.

i'm so proud of my sweet friend kat

she is wonderfully talented and it is amazing to see her career taking off!

rock on kat!

p.s. - did i mention i'm officially out of school for winter break - yippieeeeeeeeee!

snow!

it starting snowing today!

really snowing and it looks magical and wintery around these parts.

we had a bit of snow dusting last week - but the snow is now officially here

just in time for christmas!

(picture taken outside my classroom)

happy thursday everyone!

coffee cake goodness.

for the past few years - we have taken on an ainsworth tradition of baking coffee cake and giving it to our friends as christmas gifts (thanks for the idea and recipe ann!)  this cake totally reminds us of christmas (especially jeff since he grew up with this cake) and turns out to be an easy, festive labor of love for the holidays.  just bake, wrap and give. 

 

in case you want to make some coffee cake for your household you will need.....

1 box Betty Crocker butter recipe cake mix

Topping:

2 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

2 sticks of cold unsalted butter

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

powered sugar

grease (pam or butter) and flour a jelly roll pan.  preheat oven to 350 degrees.  prepare cake mix according to package directions.  spread batter evenly into the pan.  bake for 10 - 12 minutes until light brown.  in same bowl prepare the topping.  using a pastry blender mix ingredients until mixture resembles medium crumbs.  sprinkle crumbs over partially baked cake.  return to over for another 10 - 12 minutes.  let cake cool and sprinkle with powered sugar. 

enjoy!

miss olivia turns two!

the lovely miss O turned TWO last week and we celebrated her day o birth at the cheeks casa with a bday brunch.  it was a curious george theme (adorable!) complete with yummy chicken and waffles.  need i say more?  we had a grand ole time celebrating miss O!

 

we got to meet baby stella as well :)

we love you miss O and it has been beyond amazing to watch you grow!

xoxo

a little holiday party.

jeffrey and i had a little holiday party over the weekend.  it was great fun getting a bunch of friends together to celebrate the holiday season.  jeffrey made an amazing holiday punch that included champagne and pomegranate seeds.  it was absolutely delicious and so very festive.  sadly, i didn't get a picture of it before we drank it all up.  i did snap some other photos from the festive evening......

 

 the end.

xoxox

five things.

five things that are making me very happy right now.....

1. christmas candy: butterfinger bells and mint m & m's.  they also look so festive in our silver bowls.

2. it snowed today!  i didn't even know it was going to snow, which made the excitement even better.  snow during the holiday season makes the holidays so very festive and merry.
p.s. - i was unable to snap a picture due to the 14 third graders who were running around the art room screaming "its snowing its snowing!"

3. our new nativity scene by nambe.  my sweet parents sent us an early christmas present, so we could enjoy our new nativity scene this year instead of waiting until next year before it is displayed.  i love how simple, sleek and modern this set is.  thanks mom and dad!

 

4. peppermint hot chocolate from starbucks.  now i'm not a coffee fan, so i don't frequent starbucks often.  unless it is the holiday season and then i go alot to get my peppermint hot chocolate fix.

5. it's friday!  so happy weekend everyone.  hope your weekend plans include some holiday fun! xo

in the spirit of giving.

in all the craziness of the holidays, it is so easy to forget about those that are in need.  we are blessed with so many wonderful gifts - our health, our jobs, our support from friends and family, a roof over our head - the list goes on and on.  so in the middle of buying gifts for family and friends, we think it is important to give back as well.  a tradition i watched my parents do each christmas as they gathered in our dining room deciding what organizations they were going to donate to that year.  so jeff and i have taken on that tradition as well.  some of the organizations that we like to donate to include:

• Susan G. Komen: breast cancer research
• Doctors Without Borders: doctors providing care in critical areas
• Habitat for Humanity: helping to build homes and shelters for those in need
• Capital Area Food Bank: provides food to those in the Washington, DC area
• Capitol Hill Arts Workshop: a non-profit organization that offers art education classes

what organizations do you like to give to??

chef jeff.

well, my husband did it again.

he created a wonderful sunday evening meal for me and our friends, 

fish and becca.

this time it was roast pork loin with orange marmalade glaze.

and it was delish - as always.

here is the recipe in case you want to try it out:

1 bone-in pork loin roast, frenched.

salt and pepper

1 tbs. veggie oil

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 fresh rosemary sprig

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup of orange marmalade

Season pork.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Over medium high heat and warm oil, place pork in a pot and sear until well browned.  Turn over pork; add thyme, rosemary and garlic to pot.  Transfer pot to oven.  Roast for about 1 hour or until thermometer registers 140 degrees.  During the last 15 minutes of roasting, baste top and sides of pork with marmalade every 5 minutes.  Let it rest for 15 minutes and then serve.  (Serves 8)

friday night date night.

friday night is our night to have a little date 

and catch up from the crazy work week.

this friday date night took us to kaz sushi bistro

for some yummy sushi and then back to our place to DECORATE.

it was a lovely evening of sushi, christmas decorations and listening to some christmas carols.