Great Falls Staycation

Have you ever heard of a staycation? If you haven't, let me explain. A staycation is a taking a "trip" to a place  that's within an hour of your home (Ok, so I made up that definition, but you get the idea). Last weekend, my husband and I took a staycation to Great Falls, MD and had such a relaxing, fun time.

  Keith and I love to hike/bike/be outside, so it's hard to pass up an opportunity on a warmish, sunny, winter day. It did not feel like winter, more like early spring which is a a rarity this time of year.

  

Great Falls is so fun because there's a long walking trail along the Potomac River and several bridges that cross beautiful rapids.

Can't you tell we're having fun ;)

And, yes, the sky was really THAT blue on Sunday.

The best overlook and photo-op of the rapids.

 

Sunshine on my shoulder makes me happy.

Lovers lane lookout  :)

If you are in the Washington, DC area and get lucky with nice weather, check out Great Falls. It lives up to it's name!

Are there any other staycations that we should know about? Please tell!

Meatball Calzone Recipe

Do you ever get sick of the same old same old dinners week after week? I was in the mood for something different last week and a calzone came to mind! My husband requested that we fill it with meatballs. And that's what we did. Well, my husband sort of took over. It was nice. Here's what we (he) did.

First, collect all the ingredients:

pizza dough

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup of diced mushrooms

pre-made frozen meatballs (defrosted)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cups mozzarella - fresh or shredded or both :)

EVOO with Italian Seasoning

Marinara to add inside calzone or for dipping - your choice

Then, roll out the dough and cut it in half. 

Next, add half of the ingredients to both of the rolled out dough.

Fold the dough in half then pinch all around to close the seam.

Brush the EVOO mixture lightly over the calzones.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Do you have any delicious calzone secrets? Love to hear from you!

Love Throw Pillow

 After seeing the outrageous price for throw pillows that match our bedding set, I got an urge to make a unique throw pillow on a budget. Did you know matching throw pillows are $60 or more??! Insane I tell you.

Last week, I found a Ralph Lauren pillow for $15 at HomeGoods, and I snatched it up. I got a Michael's gift card as a b-day present from my sister, so of course I immediately had to go get supplies for the pillow. Here's how to make an easy, romantic, rustic throw pillow for about 20 bucks.

The steps:

1. Gather supplies including: Ralph Lauren pillow,  Scribbles Fabric paint in Wild Raspberry and Black Matte, my own Love letters pattern as seen below. (To make the letters: draw them on any type of paper and cut the letters out. You could also cut out letters using your favorite font).

2. Trace the letters slowly and carefully with the tip of the fabric paint. Fill in the letters however you like. Let dry for 24 hours.

3. And there you have it, a one of a kind love pillow for your bed.

Do you have any homemade pillows? I'd love to hear!

P.S. I got a new camera and used it for this tutorial. So excited to explore more of it's functions, but I'm loving it already!

Linking up with:

29 Candles

Last weekend my parents came to DC to celebrate my birthday and brought me this little cake. I think it's supposed to be a smash cake for one year olds, but it tasted superb.

It's the best when your birthday lands on a weekend, and Fridays start the weekend in my book! Today, I turn 29. That's right, it's the last year of my twenties. I'm having a hard time believing it really. This past decade flew by. I have to admit (well friends have pointed these things out when I started complaining about getting old) that I am in a good place for being on the brink of dare I say 30.

So far in my twenties I...

-graduated college with a master's degree
-moved to a big city and started anew after living in a small town in West Virginia for 23 years
-landed a steady, satisfying job
-bought a car
-got married to the perfect guy for me


Not bad, not bad at all.


In this last year of my twenties, I'd like to check a few more things off the 20s list. Most are not as life changing, but great goals nonetheless. This year I'd like to:

1. Complete some sort of biking/running/swimming race (duathalon or triathalon) with my husband
2. Take an art/painting class
3. Buy a nice camera and learn to use it (any suggestions??)
4. Tour the White House (I've lived in DC for 6 years, why this hasn't happened yet I DON'T know)
5. Get a better idea on where we'd like to move to plant our roots

Now, I know I'm really not getting that old and you're only as old as you feel, so I plan to have a great weekend celebrating with family and friends. Happy Friday, friends!

Adorned from Above Link Party {co-host}

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 34.     I'm so excited to be co-hosting this wonderful link party! I link up here almost every week and have met some really great bloggers.

Adorned From Above - Hostess

Keep It Simple and Fun -

Co-Hostess

This is a blog hop, so  you share your posts on Adorned From Above.

So on to this weeks party. The rules are easy.

1. Follow both hosts in some way (GFC, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, Twitter, or Linky Followers )

2. Anything goes with posts. ( recipes, parties, etsy shops, crafts, inspirational writing, absolutely anything. Just make it family friendly )

3. Comment on other posts. It is a party. Get to know your fellow bloggers. I have met some of the nicest people at the parties, including my co-hosts.

4. All featured posts will be pinned on Pinterest, so by linking with this party you are giving me permission to pin your projects.

Let's get to it then. First, here are the featured bloggers from the last three parties. Featured bloggers on Adorned From Above are picked by most page views. So all of you pick these great posts.

Featured Bloggers from Party 31

Step by Step Grinch Creation from Aaron at Everything I Needed to Know I Learned on Pinterest

Eggnog and Gingerbread Surprise Loaf from Jo and Sue at Jo and Sue

My Ice Castle Mantle by Suzan at Simply Vintageous....by Suzan

Featured Bloggers from Party 32

Recipe: Double Chocolate Cranberry Cookies from Marissa at Rae Gun Ramblings

My "Best Of" 2012 from Terry at Forever Decorating

Last Minute Projects and Christmas Tour from Ruth at Farmgirl in My Heart

Featured Bloggers from Party 34

How My Family Went Shampoo Free from Emily at A Life Unprocessed

2012 Reflections Printable from Barb at Second Chance to Dream

Tea Dress Tutorial from Carolynn at Adventures of a Kitty Eared Girl

Congratulations to all of our featured bloggers. Grab the featured button from my sidebar.

We hope you have fun at this week's party. We love hearing from you. We love your comments.

Now let's party

Have a great week.

Debi, Charly, and Melanie

Co-hosting Weekend Blog Hop

I'm thrilled to be co-hosting Michelle's first ever Weekend Blog Hop! She blogs over at Sunshine and a Summer Breeze and has great creative ideas, wonderful recipes, and she's pregnant! So fun!

And now for the Weekend blog hop :)

This blog hop is intended to bring you more traffic and more followers!

Rules:

1. Please follow this blog whether through GFC, Facebook, Pinterest, bloglovin, or email.

2. Please also take a moment to follow my wonderful co-host Melanie from Keep it Simple and Fun

3. Link up your whole blog, not a specific post

4. Leave a comment so I can follow you back :)

5. Meet new bloggy friends!

Here we go!

Link 'em up!
Yay!

New Years Resolution



I was just remembering 2012 like it was yesterday...buh dum chh!

But seriously, as I reminisce about 2012, I realize this past year has been such a blessing. The quote above resonated with me as I am getting older and realize life isn't always fair. This year (along with my other resolutions of eating healthier, working out more, and being overall happier etc etc), I want to really appreciate the little things that I often take for granted.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2013!