Oh Shenandoah, I Long to See You.

Hello again!

Boy, I'm just not keeping up with this lately (and my ability to write even remotely effectively has quite  clearly suffered from it). But we'll talk about that another day..

Now that Joey has started the on-crew phase of Prototype, life is a little bananas sometimes. The gist of it: now the work week is seven days long (but still 12+ hours each), and every nine days he switches shifts. So one "week" he works regular day hours, the next noon to midnight, the next all nights, and then another fourth schedule the final week. At the end of this four shift cycle he gets four days off before the cycle starts all over again. It has been a bit of an adjustment, but at least its not forever. 

We had really been wanting to get back to the Shenandoah Valley and visit our alma maters, particularly during that gorgeous fall we've been missing so much. Luckily, Joey snagged just the right crew that allowed us to head up to Virginia two weeks ago for his first four day weekend. So we left Charleston at three in the morning on Friday and spent a too fun weekend back home in Virginia!

Because our time was limited we made our best effort to squeeze in as many visits with friends and walks down memory lane as we could. We first stopped by SVU when we got into town to see old friends and professors, plus a little lunch with our dear friend Mallory and her little Jane. 

Next stop was VMI for Parade with the Rasmussen family---it was so good to see them all again! 

The kids had fun learning about Parade and some of the VMI traditions.

Following Parade we said goodbye to the Rasmussens and met up with some of Joey's Rats for dinner at one of our old favorites, Macados. We've missed those spicy thai peanut wings!

After sleeping for nearly twelve hours (remember that whole leaving at 3am thing?), we spend Saturday in Lexington window shopping and visiting more of our old haunts. We also got to see the helicopters take off from the VMI parade deck for FTX!

I didn't have many specific requirements for our trip, except for one: we absolutely had to have lunch at the Bistro on Main. Its where I had lunch with my friends the afternoon before Joey and I got engaged and their four cheese lasagna is to die for---I get it every time! And the parmesan artichoke dip is a great way to get that appetite going too. 

And what's a trip to Lexington without Sweet Things?!

Behold, the most amazing waffle cone ever created. All others pale in comparison. Truly. 

After a walking off a little of our honeydew sorbet from Sweet Things, we headed back to Buena Vista to spend some more time with Mallory, Andrew and little miss Jane before meeting up with more friends for dinner, plus a great engagement story from Marty and Amber. Hooray for weddings!

Sunday was our last full day in Virginia. We tagged along with the Brandts for church (during which I put a screaming, wailing Jane to sleep, pretty much making me Wonder Woman) and some afternoon lunch and napping. We just love them!

And the Rasmussens were so kind to invite us for dinner which meant more time playing and yo-yoing with those four adorable peanuts. We loved listening to their stories and seeing how much of a chatterbox Ewan has become!

On our final morning we got together with Brinn Willis to work on a new project (more on that later!) and then visited Mal and Jane one last time--we just can't get enough of our darling "niece" and love being her "Aunty Meggles and Uncle JoJo". 

Joey can attest that I am obsessed with decorative cabbages--so gorgeous!

We took one last walk around SVU before getting on the road again. Boy I miss those gorgeous trees and mountains and weather and…and just all of it!

Oh and the rooster tree! Five years in BV and I could never remember to pull over and snap a picture of the rooster tree. So check that one off the list!

Goodness you guys, I just love Virginia! I maaay have cried intermittently for the first couple hours after we left. We both have so many great memories there---the halloween dance where we first met three years ago, the steps of Main Hall where Joey proposed, the countless nights spent studying together at VMI, the first home we had together after getting married….Lexington/Buena Vista really is our home and where we feel absolutely and completely happy, and we can't wait to go back again.

Pumpkin Picking

We took a trip to Boone Hall Plantation and Farm to find ourselves some prime pumpkins! And yup, Joey was still wearing shorts, considering it was about 86 degrees when we went last week!

And it turns out, they sell other produce items too--we snagged six red potatoes, three sweet potatoes, an eggplant, some heirloom kale, three onions, two butternut squash, one spaghetti squash, and a handful of mini pumpkins and gourds.....for less than ten bucks! Now that's what I call a deal! Plus, we always love the chance to support a local farm.

And look! Fall is finally coming to the south! I even got to wear boots, leggings, and scarves this past weekend. I know most people wouldn't trade warm Charleston weather for chilly fall, but for a girl who's been missing her fall in the Shenandoah Valley, it has been a tender mercy and such a joy.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

These muffins are a delicious bite of heaven - if heaven is perpetual autumn and all things fall.

You may think 'ok, here's just another pumpkin recipe, amidst dozens of other pumpkin recipes that pop up every fall'.

Well hold the phone. Because these are so fantastic. The cranberries become soft and full of flavor when they're baked, which is also complimented by the tang of the cream cheese frosting. They're also not too sweet - just enough to balance the tart cranberries - which may or may not be my downfall because it means I could eat entirely too many and never feel sick from too much sugar. Luckily I've given all of them away to dear friends, so I'm safe this time!

And because I'm so wonderful, I'm sharing my recipe for these little delights (muffin recipe adapted from smitten kitchen).

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

heaping 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups fresh cranberries

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

8 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

a splash of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups (and I like to spray them with cooking spray so the muffin comes out of the muffin cup perfectly).

Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.

Wash and dry cranberries. Slice larger ones in half; toss the cranberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar to coat (I did this to cut down the sourness of the berry and it didn't make the muffins too sweet). Fold the coated cranberries into the batter.

Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 22-27 minutes.

Remove muffins from pan and cool on a wire rack.

For the Frosting:

Place softened cream cheese and butter in a medium mixing bowl and beat until smooth and well blended. Sift in confectioners sugar and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Cover the muffins with cream cheese frosting and enjoy this oh so yummy autumn treat!

Pumpkin Carving

Yes, my tuesday M List post is a day late, but i have a good excuse! i was at the Washington DC temple all day and spent the night shopping in DC (which was all fantastic by the way!).

Fall is here! its october, the air is getting chilly, the leaves are turning, and pumpkin and cinnamon can be smelled everywhere! this is my favorite time of year. i love wearing cardigans and scarves, going to football games, looking at the leaves, making pumpkin cookies, drinking hot chocolate, and going on hay rides. its the best! and of course, no fall would be complete without pumpkins....

These aren't your average carved pumpkins! i am loving this idea. what a cool way to decorate! i saw other photos of these lace cut pumpkins as elements in a fall wedding--and as someone who has entertained the idea of a future fall wedding with coppers and pumpkin orange, i couldn't be more excited for these!

below are some more photos of ornate pumpkins. happy fall!