The New Blog

I've been working on a new website that I wanted to create as a gift for my in-laws. There's not a lot on it yet, but it was ready for delivery on Christmas Eve. It's meant to be maintained by them, so it's written as if my Mother in Law was the writer. The new site can be found here. It was a fun way to make our announcement about our baby that will be coming at the end of July! We found out just after Thanksgiving that I was pregnant, and made the announcement to our families just before Christmas. We are so excited to meet our Nokes baby!

There's a story behind the creation of the website. At Thanksgiving, Ryan's parents were talking to Stu's brother and he was giving the update on his grandkids. When Stu and Tina said they still don't have grandkids, Stu's brother suggested that they create a "grandma blog" and send the link to their married children and saying they need fodder for the site. They told us about it and said they weren't trying to put pressure, but were just telling us because they thought it was funny. We took the idea and ran with it since it was only a few days later that we confirmed that I was pregnant.

My due date is July 27th and so far everything is going well. It was a little hard for me to believe sometimes that I was ACTUALLY pregnant, so at my first doctor's appointment when they did an ultrasound and I saw the tiny body of our forming baby I couldn't help tearing up as it finally felt totally real to me. Since then, there have still been a lot of times that it doesn't feel real, but then I remember seeing that little body moving and seeing the heart beating away strongly and I know it's real. I don't really believe in posting my ultrasound pictures although I think seeing them for myself is incredible. But I don't really care to give the world a look at the inside of my body.

For the first 8 or 9 weeks I was really really tired, all the time. I didn't have too much morning sickness--only occasional mild nausea, so I can't complain too much. But by 9 at night I was fading, and it was a losing battle to try and get out of bed before 9 am. (It was typically only if I was still too tired in the morning when I got up that I felt sick.) It was just constant tiredness but around Christmas (week 9 or so) the tiredness started to go down as did any remaining mild nausea. And as that decreases, our happiness to welcome baby continues to grow!

Still in Boston (the Post that won't end...)

More travelogue! Here are even MORE photos and stories of our trip to Boston! Actually the last day in the city had some of my most favorite things. We started out by going to the USS Constitution, or "Old Iron Sides" as they like to call her in the Navy. She is the oldest commissioned navy ship still in use, which says something when you learn about the history of this craft.

Check out all those riggings! The navy cadets who spend time at this post get an experience unlike any other learning how to set sails.

Old Iron Sides has done battle in numerous battles since the Revolutionary War and has an undefeated record. The wood that was used to build this ship was a very particular type and it is incredibly strong. When other ships would shoot cannonballs at it, the cannonballs would literally bounce off the sides and fall into the water. There were numerous times that the captain would sail the ship right up to an attacking ship and they could see the whites of the eyes of the people on the other ship before the captain would give the order to fire. Iron Sides would sail in perform the attack and sail out with little to no damage. 

One of the many, many cannons on board

While the ship was incredible, it was easy to see how uncomfortable sea life would be on a primitive vessel. Like when Carnival had all those electrical problems on one of their boats last year and it was all over the news for the stench and rotting food and lack of drinking water--well, on this boat it would have been kind of like that all the time. 

 The boat is still in use, but only ceremoniously. Can you imagine taking a perfect piece of history like this and matching it up against the war weapons of today. It would be tragic. But it still sits in the harbor and dons its sails a couple of times a year and sails out into the harbor with active members of the navy manning the ship.

I love my darling sailor!

And can't get enough of his scurvish antics!

A short walk from the USS Constitution is the Bunker Hill Monument. When I saw it, I felt like it looked familiar. Can you help me place why that would be?

Look familiar?

 What's cool about the monument is that you can climb a spiral staircase inside all the way to the top for an incredible view of the city.

You're about halfway Ryan!

Once at the top, WOW! What a view. It's awesome to look out over everything from each side of the monument.

After lunch we headed to the most prestigious universities in the USA. I wish we'd had much more time here. I caught snippets of things as I heard other guided tours walking around, and they were fascinating. They told stories of things that have happened or ways that Harvard has changed over the years. Probably my one do-over of Boston would be to take a guided tour of the campus. The campus really is lovely and is surprisingly small.

I know architecture styles go in cycles, but I can't wait until Gothic styles come back in.

There were inspiring quotes inscribed throughout campus arches and walls

That night we drove back up to Manchester, NH so Dan and Erin could catch a flight back to DC early Sunday morning, however Ryan and I weren't leaving until Monday afternoon. So in the morning after they left we went to church at a local ward. I think we collected 3 dinner invitations from the kind people there, but we'd already planned to eat Thanksgiving leftovers and then go down to Concord, MA. We'd actually stopped there with Dan and Erin the evening before, but it was getting dark and they wanted to get back to the hotel. So we decided we'd come back because we saw a flyer for a Christmas festival on Sunday evening. I forgot to take any pictures, but it was one of our most favorite parts of the trip!

They had all kinds of free foods they were giving out at various stations. Everything from hot chocolate and cookies, to clam chowder, to slices of chocolate cake! It was great! What was amazing also was that we think the whole town turned out for the event! The parade was kind of a non-event. They roped off the streets, but then I think there were 4 groups that participated in the parade, so it lasted all of about 2 minutes, but it was so fun to see everyone out there enjoying the festival. All the shops were open, they lit the town Christmas tree, and there were carolers. It was such a fun Christmasy activity to do. We were so glad that was how we got to end our wonderful trip to Boston!

Boston, Part 2

Boston was cold. REALLY, truly, frigidly cold. But it was awesome. Friday morning we got up and bundled up as much as possible and headed downtown. We started at Boston Common and explored the surroundings. It's a beautiful park, I think, but it was mostly just cold on a day like this.

There were a lot of things I learned on this trip. Like that George Washington is a die-hard Red Sox fan. He's wearing the jersey to cheer on his favorite team.

Also, these ducks are kind of a big deal. They are from the children's story Make Way for Ducklings. That book was in every single gift shop I saw during our trip.

They were cute, as they were decorated with red bows for Christmas

 The new state house is very cool. It's an impressive building both inside and out. In contrast to the New Hampshire capitol, this one had a lot to see and I think a lot of interesting history.

 We toured through the building and there's no way I could have captured on camera the beauty of the art and architecture inside this place. Everything from the stone floors, to the columns, the domes, and stained glass were just beautiful. One cool thing was looking at all the portraits of the governors of Massachusetts. Each one got to choose the artist who was commissioned for their piece and it was interesting to see the varying styles they chose to be presented in. One was almost impressionistic, with loose brushstrokes, one chose to be depicted outdoors near a tree in his jeans and flannel shirt, and Mitt Romney was the only one who figured out how to get his wife depicted in his picture. While it was against the regulation to have her pose with him, he had his portrait painted in his office next to his desk, on which of course there was a photograph of his wife Ann. It was important to him that she appeared in the portrait with him.

The next stop was the Granary Burying Ground. There are a number of famous people buried here including Benjamin Franklin's parents, John Hancock, and Paul Revere.

This is the monument and tombstone of Paul Revere

 As we continued along the Freedom trail, we followed a path of red brick, two bricks wide that has been embedded into the sidewalk to mark the path for tourists to follow to see all the sights of Historic Boston. We came next to the first public school of America.

Quite an elaborate hopscotch, I must say. They don't make them like they used to!

 In front of the old City Hall stands one of the oldest representations of our two political parties symbols. The donkey or "jackass" and then two bronze foot prints with elephants engraved on them that say "Stand in Opposition."

Ryan is butting heads with the Democratic Party. We'll stand in opposition!

 Next stop was the Old South Meetinghouse. Back then it was used for a lot more than just church. It was also used for all sorts of community meetings and functions. One of the most famous things about it is this is where all the Boston Tea Partiers met and got so worked up they went out and threw all the tea into the Boston Harbor!

Old South Meetinghouse

The Old State House was the next stop on the trail. It was cool inside! It's kind of amazing how many times the use of this building has changed and it's been redone. There have been varying facades or porches on it as it changed from statehouse, to offices, to community bazaar, among other things. Now it's a museum primarily. The coolest feature about it is the spiral staircase right in the center of the building!

Just outside the Old Statehouse in this square was the site of the Boston Massacre.

Faneuil Hall was a great place to stop for lunch. There was a marketplace just behind it packed full with places to eat. Unfortunately they neglected to include many places to sit while eating, and since it was so frigid, eating outside was out of the question. My LL Bean hand warmers were tucked into my shoes and doing their best to keep my toes from freezing right off, and we all needed a break from the cold. There were a lot of places with clam chowder and it made for a great New England style lunch.

We explored Faneuil Hall after lunch. It's used to primarily be a meeting place, and the second level still is, and community meetings and events can be held there. They like to say that the main level of Faneuil Hall has been a marketplace for a long time and still is, but really the main level is just a bunch of cheap souvenir gift shops.

I'm not sure the significance of the golden grasshopper on the top of Faneuil Hall, but there it is. 

Not too far away was the Paul Revere House. It was in a really cool area of town. It's kind of an Italian sector and it is full of restaurants that looked and smelled amazing. I sort of wish that we'd waiting until here to get lunch! But then I remember how starved I was from the cold and all the walking when we arrived at Faneuil Hall!

We are trying not to look cold

The back of Paul's House. Large by Boston standards, but tiny when you think of what some of the other revolutionaries were living in down in Virginia!

I also have to include this portrait by John Singleton Copley. It's the most famous portrait of Paul Revere, and ever since the first time I saw it in one of my college humanities classes, I knew that Paul shared a special connection with Jack Black. I swear this portrait is Jack Black himself dressed in colonial garb. 

Anyone dare to contradict the resemblance?

Revere mounted on his faithful steed. Every good man needs a good horse.

We arrived at Old North Church just in time for a historical lecture on the place. It's most well known for being the signalling place for Paul Revere's midnight ride. This was where the lantern was hung. But another thing I thought was interesting was the set up of the place. You can see this a little in the photo below, but instead of long rows of pews, the church was sectioned off into lots of little boxes. There was a door into each box that could be closed and then a bench on the sides of the box. This was because it was often so cold that this helped families to be able to sit together and stay warmer. They could bring a heated stone or something to put in their box during church to keep from getting so cold.

Box pews! I think this is a great idea. You can lock your toddler in and put some toys on the floor and then there's no chasing after him in the middle of church!

Beautiful clock and organ at the back of the church

And a trip through the Italian sector of town could never be complete without some dessert! We stopped at Mike's Pastry for some treats. Three of us had cannolis, and Ryan got an amazing, rich piece of chocolate cake.

I don't think it's quite possible to see this in the photo, but this place was packed. Wall to wall packed. You don't stand in line, you stand en masse and order when the mass gets close enough for someone to hear you.

Looks like there will be a part 3. It was quite a trip...

Thanksgiving in Boston

We decided to do something a little bit different for Thanksgiving this year. We made a plan with Dan and Erin to do a trip up to Boston for the week to explore the city since none of us had ever been. Ryan and I flew in to the Manchester, NH airport a day earlier than Dan and Erin. We got there late in the evening so got a hotel and slept in until they arrived the next day. Then we went and got lunch at a local restaurant. Ryan and I got a HUGE plate of various types of BBQ meats. Ryan was still hungry and ate another sandwich. It set him off on a binge/starve cycle for the next few days.

Dan has an obsession with State Capitol buildings as well as dead president's graves, so we drove about 30 minutes north to Concord, NH. We first went to see Franklin Pierce's grave. Dan got his picture by the grave, and then we went to see Pierce's house. It was in a really beautiful location right next to the river. In the summer when all the trees are green it has to be an incredibly lovely location.

Franklin Pierce's home before and after he was president of the USA.

Then was a stop at the State Capitol. It was a super old building. We walked through it for a while, partially to see it, and partially to warm up and get out of the freezing weather! After that, we called it a day and headed down to Massachusetts to find our hotel and get checked in and ready for Thanksgiving the next day.

New Hampshire State Capitol

Thanksgiving morning we went over to Erin's uncle's place. He cooked a turkey and ham and we helped get the other things cooked and put together for the meal. after dinner we played games, did a puzzle, and of course talked to our families. I forgot to take any pictures, but here's one I stole from Facebook.

Making the gravy

Thanksgiving was great and I'm so thankful for many things, especially the people in
my life that mean the most to me. The rest of the trip will be continued in Part 2...Whenever I get to writing that!

Country Jaunts

While most people probably head to the city when they want to find something interesting to do, Ryan and I head the opposite way whenever possible. We can't get enough of the country. The green trees and rolling hills of Virginia are captivating and relaxing to us. We can get out the the hubbub of the city and take a walk. It's what we do a lot of times on the weekend. Virginia is also such a historic place that there are all kinds of small old historic towns that are really fun to visit and explore. 

This Sunday we went for a drive and thought we'd head out towards Middleburg since we hadn't yet explored out there. But before we got there, the road passed through Arcola, another small town that has stayed small and has modernized even less than Middleburg. They had an old mill and it appeared to be open, so of course we stopped in to see it. 

Inside the mill and learning about the machinery

What was really cool was that there were a couple of guides in there to tell us about it and even crank it up and show us how it worked. They opened the waterway to turn the water wheel, which turned the stones and ground corn into cornmeal. The mill was pretty well mechanized and gears created a system that then moved the ground cornmeal up a belt and into a storage bin. It was really cool! 

The corn goes in the hopper on top and they can control the coarseness of the meal by raising or lowering the upper stone. 

We learned a lot too about how a mill works and why the stones are grooved, etc. Not to mention, it was just beautiful there. The leaves had all changed colors and had mostly fallen to the ground. We got one of the guides to take this great picture for us.  

A most wonderful Sunday afternoon with my sweetheart

Erin's Incredible Birthday Cake

This is perhaps one of the most delicious cakes I've ever made. Or eaten. It's a cake I've been wanting to make for a LOOOOONG time, but finally had an occasion, as well as all the ingredients in my house at the same time! It was my new sister-in-law's birthday, so Ryan and I went over to wish Erin a happy birthday and celebrate with her and some friends.

Chocolate Mousse Toffee Crunch Cake

I didn't create the recipes for all this, but cobbled it together from a few places. It was inspired by a recipe in my Our Best Bites cookbook, which is one of my most favorite cook books. However, that recipe said to use a box cake, and the mousse recipe called for ingredients I didn't have. So I took the idea, and used this Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe, and this Martha Stewart Chocolate Mousse recipe. It was layered in this order: Cake, chocolate mousse, toffee bits, cake, chocolate ganache, toffee.

Old Fashioned Small Town Festival

Waterford is a super historic town about 30 minutes away from where we live. It was founded around 1730, so it's one of the oldest communities in the country. We went out to their annual festival, which is a big deal. Everything in Waterford is historic, so the festival is like a revival from the past. This one man band was set up outside the corner store. The corner store was like an old fashioned bake sale of all kinds of home made goods--pies, breads, cakes, etc.

Across the street there was a man who was selling historic maps of the area. He researches stuff and does handmade drawings of the area as it once was. It was fascinating.

There were a ton of vendors, or really, master craftsmen who had tents and were exhibiting their talents. There was a guy using old fashioned equipment and crafting shingles for vintage chicken coops, potters with their wheel and clay, custom furniture builders, and so much more. They had art shows and food vendors. One person had these old versions of washing machines on display.

I'm so glad this is NOT the way I do laundry!

Walking down the streets of town was very cool as they had some people dressed up in costume. This guy was an organ grinder and was playing music on the street. (When I told Ryan we should go see the organ grinder he asked if I was hungry. What? He was confused why I said organ grinder, but thought I meant a sausage maker. Haha!) They also had some of the historic homes open for touring on the main street. It was a beautiful day to be out, but way hotter than you would have expected for October.

I wished the organ grinder had a monkey.