Mother's Day

Mother's Day!  We made a whole weekend out of it.  On Saturday while Jason was at UMW commencement, the girls and I wandered around the farmer's market, where we bought crab cakes and locally grown asparagus and strawberries (I LOVE living in a warmer climate!).  We also got cinnamon rolls :) 

The beautiful bounty of the
farmer's market.

Anja thought the fennel looked like
hair so she tried it on.

 At the farmer's market I entered a raffle to win a cake and later that day got a call saying I won!  Woo hoo, dessert for Mother's Day!

The cake I won in a raffle!

Sunday started early with the girls waking me up to deliver handmade presents. (I got to enjoy a nap later while Jason entertained the girls.  A NAP!  What a treat!)

Later, we went to Mom and Dad's and just hung out. 

Me and the world's best mom.

 Jason cooked us an excellent lunch (of crab cakes and asparagus -- YUM!).  It was a totally delightful weekend!

Darcie's Birthday

Last year I passed a significant birthday.  I was going to say I celebrated a significant birthday, but "celebrated" doesn't capture my feelings last year, "passed" does.  I just wanted to get past last year's birthday without recognizing it at all.  For several years, my birthday has not been something I look forward to, and last year I was down-right dreading it.  The fact that I was turning a number ending in 0 was a major factor.  Once past that birthday, for the next year, I didn't think of myself as 40, but as 39.  On the treadmill I use, I enter my weight and age before I begin my workout.  For the past two years, I've been entering 39 for my age.  I know, logically, that age is just a number, but my heart didn't like last year's number.

As this year's birthday approached, I again experienced dread at the approaching date.  Then I decided that my feelings had everything to do with my attitude and there was nothing else to blame.  If I changed my attitude, I could re-gain the joyful anticipation of birthdays I used to have.  So I decided to just get over it, be excited, and this year I had one of the best birthdays in recent memory.

I worked the day before my birthday, and while I was out, Jason and the girls made me a cake.

After work, Jason and I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Fredericksburg, Kybecca.  The next day, on my birthday, I got to sleep in then read a book on the couch (gasp!) because the girls had spent the night at mom and dad's (thank you!).  I had a massage downtown, then Jason and I had brunch at another of my favorite restaurants, Foode.  After that we had a little fun in the photo booth...

then headed to mom and dad's for cake and some celebrating.

The girls sing "Happy Birthday" to me.

Gifts galore!  A soft and cuddly blanket from Anja...

beautiful flowers from Elise...

Surprise!  Earrings made by my friend, Dawn,
given by Jason.  I had seen these on Dawn's
website and they magically appeared on
my birthday.

An awesome scarf from Jason's mom, printed
with text from Pride and Prejudice.  So cool!

Beads for my bracelet from mom and dad.

Let the era of happy Happy Birthdays begin!

Breakfast With Santa

Eileen's Bakery is one of my favorite places to eat in Fredericksburg.  It is in an old church and they have outstanding sandwiches, salads, bread, cookies, cakes and pastries.  We discovered Eileen's one of the first times I visited Jason.  After we moved here and I started working for the library, I realized the Headquarters Library is just a few doors down, and have eaten at Eileen's several times when I'm working at HQ or have training there.  A few weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an event there called "Breakfast With Santa," a breakfast buffet with Santa as a guest for the kids to visit with.  I made reservations and this morning was the big event!

Eileen's had this event pretty organized, there was a seating chart and our table had a sign that said "Caswell."  As soon as we were seated, our table elf brought our drinks and after we got our food another elf came to tell us it was our turn to visit with Santa. 

Elise and Anja visit with Kat the elf.

Santa was delightful, the food was delicious (the BEST pancakes I have ever had), and the environment there is always quaint.

The girls!

My dad, mom, Anja, and Santa in the background.

Me and my sweetie.

Elise & Jason

With her arms crossed, Anja looks a
little stubborn, but I think she was
just a little nervous with Santa. 
I think.  She doesn't usually get
nervous, though, so I don't know
what was going on here. 
Maybe she was cold.

I would like a toy cat and...

Elise is displaying the cookies the girls got from Santa.

Grandma and Grandpa are looking good!

A New Job!!

I have a job!  A real, full-time library job!  Since August I've been working at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL), floating as an Adult Research substitute between five branch libraries.  Over that time I got a positive impression of the system, of both the way it is run and the people working in the system.  Everyone made me feel welcome and appreciated and I could see that the employees are very good at what they do.  In October I was trained to sub in the Youth Services department and started subbing in Youth Services at the beginning of November (again, floating between five branches).  About the time I started subbing in Youth Services, a position came open at the Salem Church branch for the Department Head of Youth Services.  I knew that my previous library experience in Minnesota made me perfect for this department head position, but I doubted that I would be hired because the folks at CRRL don't know me very well yet, having been there just three months and brand-new to the Youth Services department.  But I thought "what the heck, you never know until you try" and applied for the position.  I was called in for an interview (which went very well), and got the job!!!  I am super excited.  I will be supervising and managing all areas of the Youth Services Department at the Salem Church Library:  programming (story time, teen programs, summer reading program, and special events), research requests from children and teachers, and selecting books and other materials for children and teens.  This library is large and is the busiest library in the system.  The children's and juvenile section of the library is separated a bit from the rest of the library, so it is almost like a library within a library.  The teen section (which I will also supervise) is another separate section, with it's own selection of books, a lounge and teen "hang-out" space.  This is such an ideal job, I don't know how it could be any better!  Salem Church is the library that is closest to where I live, and my commute will be about 10 minutes; working with children, promoting education and early literacy is one of my passions and being able to have a job focusing on those areas is just perfect.  I will officially start in this position January 1 and I can't wait!

Snead's Farm

Within a short distance of where we live in Virginia, there are a lot of places that do pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and all kinds of fun fall activities.  Earlier in the fall, we visited Belvedere Plantation right outside of Fredericksburg (see a post about all that fun here ).  A couple weeks ago, we got to go with the Girl Scouts to Snead's Farm, where they grow pumpkins, Christmas trees and other crops and have bonfires and hayrides.  It was a family event, so Elise, Anja, Jason and I all had a great time!

Lots of fun things to do at Snead's Farm!

We started out on the rope swings in the barn, which were a HUGE hit with the girls.  They quickly got the hang of it.  See a video of Anja swinging here.  See a video of Elise swinging here.

Next, we all piled into the hay wagon for a ride around the farm.  It was really fun to see all they grew at Snead's.  I recognized pumpkins, squash, asparagus, sunflowers, raspberries, blackberries, and Christmas trees, and there were some things I did not recognize so I have no idea what they were. 

Getting pulled on the hayride.

What a great time!

After the hayride we got the bonfire going, where we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. 

We left when it was dark and it was a beautiful thing to be out in the country, without the interference of the city lights, and to look up at the night sky and be able to see thousands and thousands of stars. 

It was a beautiful and enjoyable night!

Kindergarten Nature Walk With Anja

Going on a nature walk!

A couple weeks ago all the kindergarten classes at Anja's school went on a nature walk on a trail near their school.  Parents were invited to come along, and I was there!  Each student had a bag in which they could put things they collected along the way (with some ground rules:  must stay on trail, may not pick up rocks, sticks, or anything alive).  It was great fun to watch the kids be tuned in to what is around them and amazed at nature.

Ready for the nature walk!

Anja's greatest find of the day, a tuft of
animal fur.

All the kindergarten classes were tromping through the woods, pretty much single file.  At one point, the line stopped and I could see ahead a little bit that a group of kids and adults were bunched up on the side of the trail looking at something.  After they moved on, we came up and one of the teachers pointed out a toad in the leaves.  She told the kids to stand back and give it plenty of space.  The kids didn't listen and got too close, so the toad leapt away a bit.  I was looking on the ground to see where it had gone, with kids crowded around me, spotted it close to my foot right as a foot went STOMP! right on the toad.  I screeched "AAAH!  What did you DO?!"  I look over and it is a little boy from Anja's class.  He paused for half a second, then just kept on walking.  A teacher came over and scooped up the toad ( who was not dead, fortunately, the leaves and grass underneath it must have cushioned the blow).  She held the toad so the kids could take a look, then set it down back into the woods where it would be more safe.  We caught up to the rest of Anja's class and I told the teacher what had happened and she shook her head and said "boys."  What?  "BOYS"?  REALLY?????  I don't think all boys would have done that.

The nearly murdered toad

Imagine my surprise when that same boy turned up at Anja's birthday party a couple days later.  He was one of the kids Anja had invited to her party.  I know they are only six, I know they are still learning and I should be patient and understanding, but I kept my eye on that toad assassin during the whole party. 

An Evening in Richmond with David Sedaris

Last weekend Jason and I brought the girls to mom and dad's and headed south to Richmond for an overnight date.  The girls were happy to spend time at grandma and grandpa's, I think grandma and grandpa were happy to spend time with the girls, and Jason and I were happy to spend time alone.  Everyone was happy; it was a win-win situation!

What initiated this weekend away was when I heard David Sedaris was going to be in Richmond.  He is one of my favorite authors; he is a humorist who writes short stories and essays.  He is one of the funniest writers I know, and very entertaining in a live performance where he reads his work.  I had seen him in Fargo about a year ago, before we left Minnesota, and during that reading I laughed so hard I cried.  He is not for everyone, he can be bawdy, crass, and is definitely not politically correct.  I'm not sure what it says about me that I find him so funny.  I am not alone, though; he is a New York Times bestselling author, so lots of people must feel like I do. 

I got tickets months ago for his performance, and even though Richmond is only 50 miles from Fredericksburg, Jason and I decided to spend the night there rather than drive back home late and tired.  I had not been to Richmond and Jason had only been there a couple of times to visit friends, so this was the first time either of us had explored the city in any way.  We went to Carytown, a neighborhood centered on Cary Street in Richmond, which has lots of boutiques, vintage clothing stores and restaurants.  A fun section of town, but Jason and I agreed it was kind of a weird mix of businesses. 

 It was fun to walk around and explore, though, and we found a restaurant there called Can Can, which had been recommended to us, and we made a reservation for dinner that evening.  

After checking into our hotel, we went back to Can Can for dinner.  The restaurant is French, with a very cool interior that looks like the 1920s or 1930s with a pressed tin ceiling, dark wood trim and brass railings.  The food was excellent, definitely the best meal I've had since our trip to New Orleans in May, possibly even before that.  After our food arrived I realized that Jason and I hadn't exchanged a word since we had started eating -- the sign of a most excellent meal!  Jason had Hangar Steak with au gratin potatoes (I sampled Jason's meal -- all au gratin potatoes will pale in comparison from now on); I had pan fried Rockfish (to DIE for!) and the side of barley and veggies was nearly as good as the fish.

After dinner we headed to the Landmark Theater to see Sedaris. 

You can even see me in this picture, at the lower right
hand corner, in a white jacket.  Thanks for taking the
picture, Jason!

We waited for the doors to open and were one of the first in line to get a book signed (I have all of his books and some of them on audio as well).  On the way into the theater we had been given a flyer detailing some restoration that was going on at the theater.  While waiting to get the book signed I asked an usher standing nearby about the history of the theater.  She told me it was originally a mosque, built in the 1930s.  I was very surprised to hear that Richmond had a large enough Muslim community in the 1930s to build a large mosque.  Next, I asked when it became a theater.  The usher said she wasn't sure, but said it must have been when the Muslim community had gotten smaller that someone else had taken over the building.  Looking around at the tile patterns on the walls, the décor definitely looked like it could have been in a mosque.  After I got my book signed, we walked up to our seats and I was surprised to see murals depicting people with camels in desert scenes.  I knew the depiction of the human form is banned in some Muslim sects and felt it highly surprising that these murals would be in a mosque.  I thought maybe they had been added after the building had ceased to be a mosque.

When we got into the theater, we looked around and admired the architecture and décor.  Beautiful geometric patterns in the tile work, a ceiling that looked like a mosaic but was metallic leaf.  As we looked around, Jason and I talked about how it seemed that the theater was part of the original construction because all the architecture and décor was seamless.  But we wondered about having a theater in a mosque.  That was unusual, wasn't it?  Bring out the smartphone!!  Turns out the building was never a mosque, it was a theater built in the Moorish Revival style in the 1920s.  Aha!  It all made sense then.  The usher had her history wrong.  Very wrong.  You can read more about the history of the Landmark Theater here.

With not having to worry about driving home late at night, we could totally relax and enjoy our evening, and we did.  Two huge thumbs up for Carytown, Can Can, and David Sedaris!

Me? With a Social Life?

So, yes, I went almost a month without posting to this blog.  Mostly because I've been busy!  Working, taking care of kids, we've had some company, and, well, I've had a social life!  After several years consumed with work, school and parenting, I now have some time to enjoy life and I've been doing it!  My increased social life, at least lately, is in large part due to Jason and his work.  It's been fun!

President's Lawn Party

Every fall, the president of the University of Mary Washington, where Jason works, hosts a lawn party.  All the faculty are invited to the President's Mansion, Brompton , an antebellum mansion with some interesting history (click here for more information about Brompton;  click here for information on Brompton during the Civil War).
Because it is a Lawn Party, we didn't see the inside of the mansion, but I discreetly peeked in a couple of the windows.  I had never been to a "Lawn Party," but this one had music (taped, not live), an open bar, and tables of hors d'oeuvres.  There were a few tables where people could sit, but most everyone stood and mingled on the lawn in front of Brompton.  I got to meet some people Jason has told me about, and visit with others I had met before.  It was a fun time! 

Dinner at Allyson's

The evening after the Lawn Party we were invited to have dinner at Allyson's, a colleague of Jason's.  The food was excellent (beef short ribs with polenta, and I ate WAY too much), the conversation interesting and funny.  I felt like a real grown-up, having socialized with adults two nights in a row!

Washington, D.C. with friends

The week after the Lawn Party and Allyson's, my friends Sara and Ron from Minnesota were in Washington, D.C. so Jason and I went up to spend an evening with them.  It takes about an hour to get to D.C. from Fredericksburg, as long as the traffic isn't awful.  We drove to a Metro park 'n' ride then took the Metro into the city.  We met Ron and Sara near the Washington Monument, then walked along the Mall for a while.  We slowly made our way to a restaurant for dinner, passing Ford's Theater on the way (I found out that in addition to giving historical tours of the building, Ford's Theater does still put on current productions).

We had dinner at an excellent restaurant called Mio.  They do Puerto Rican food, which I had never had.  It was soooo good!  Dishes included lots of plantains (I had never had these), which I think have the consistency of potatoes.  Some dishes had them sliced and fried as a side dish, some dishes had them mashed as part of the dish.  We had a delightful time!!

A Day Full of "Ups"

Some days are just good and yesterday was one:

• I am still without my computer, but I found out it will cost only $90 to repair (from a local repair place.  This is in comparison to the $300 - minimum - estimate I got from Best Buy, after which the guy figured that meant I would just junk my computer and buy a new one).  That is an estimate, so we will see how close the actual bill is, and if the repair fixes the problem (fingers crossed!), but $90 is a heck of a lot less than several hundred!

• I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE BACK!!!  Monday afternoon I realized I didn't have my driver's license in my wallet.  After frantically searching EVERYWHERE (including ripping out the lining of a purse after I saw there was a hole in the lining and thought the license could have slipped through there and gotten into some hidden recess of the purse.  If you think I'm crazy about this, please know that I "lost" my keys in that way about a year ago).  I remembered the last place I had for sure had it, so called every place I had been since then to see if I had left it there.  No dice.  You may think that losing a license is no big deal, but this was my Minnesota license.  I hadn't gotten a Virginia license yet (yeah, yeah, I know, but who wants to go to the DMV??).  So, I couldn't simply just get a replacement license because to do that I would have to go to MINNESOTA.  And, oh yeah, I would have to LIVE there so they would have a place to send it.  UGH, big problem!!!   And how was I going to get a license in Virginia without a current license from a different state?  Then yesterday, I got a wonderful call from one of the businesses I had been at on Friday and they told me they FOUND my license!!!  This was one of the places I had already contacted to see if they had found it, and when they were cleaning yesterday there it was!

• I am BACK TO WORK, helping people in the public libraries, and I LOVE IT!  I was hired by the area library system earlier in the month and have been training for the past two weeks.  Training wrapped up on Wednesday and yesterday I worked at the England Run branch.  I didn't realize how much I had missed working and helping people until yesterday and I left work with a skip in my step and a smile on my face.  It is a good feeling knowing I am making the world a better place!

A Job!

I am delighted that I have been hired at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library system (CRRL for short).  I've been hired as a sub for the Adult Reference area and am really hoping it will be the first step to a permanent position.  I started training this week, and have about one more week of training to complete before I can start subbing.  Thus far, I have been very impressed with CRRL (here is their website, Librarypoint.org ).  The library is one of the best in Virginia and has been recognized with national awards as well.  The library buildings are beautiful, and the staff is enthusiastic about their work and very good at what they do.  I'm looking forward to learning a lot from these talented people!



This is the headquarters library for CRRL. 
It is in the historic downtown area of Fredericksburg.