With the warm weather making an appearance, I started wearing sandals last week (God bless anyone what has had to look at my toes up until today). I desperately needed a pedicure, but I don't have a salon that I can rely on.

I'm a sucker for a good deal, so when I was searching Yelp reviews for local nail places and read "$25 mani/pedi" I was instantly sold (Tuesdays and Wednesdays only). It was peer-reviewed at 4 out of 5 stars - but with a warning that you get what you pay for... so don't set your expectations too high. This place was not Red Door by any means.

I called ahead and made an appointment (which I suggest you do as well). I enjoyed my pedicure and brief massage while it lasted. Since the price was already pretty cheap, I decided to try a Shellac French Manicure for the first time and absolutely loved it! My nails looked great for just about 2 weeks until I started peeling them off myself.

I walked out of there spending $60 after tip: French on fingers and toes, plus Shellac manicure. I'm guessing that if you can avoid the luxuries and just snag a solid color and pass on the Shellac, you could get out of there for $25 + tip.

hoping all these soft treats will help us with a smooth recovery from B's tonsil removal!

Is there anything better than celebrating your parents' 30th wedding anniversary? How about celebrating it with roulette, exotic cuisine, and dragon fire in your martini glass? That's what I call a celebration!

My brother, parents, and I hit up Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races on Friday for a night out on the town. Only 50ish miles away, the drive was not too bad on a typically-horrendous Friday rush hour. I kinda-sorta wasn't feeling so lucky. My brother, on the other hand, is eternally lucky. He wins, and he wins often. He spent the entire car ride psyching me up and trying to get the luck flowing through my veins.

I was a rookie at roulette. My brother's enthusiasm worked... for a short while. Before I knew it, he was up $700 and I was still placing $15 bets just trying to break even. In my non-casino life, I live by the motto "go big or go home" - so I figured "why change now?" and I started playing like a high roller and betting $100 chips. That worked three times until I was wiped out - completely. I'm not sure if he felt sorry for me (or just because he loves me so much), but my sweet sweet father then let me play with his chips - which I also promptly lost to the house. And I hadn't even started drinking yet... Meanwhile, my mom was playing a PENNY slot machine and somehow managed to turn $5 into $75.

We decided it was time to eat and headed over to 9 Dragons - the space is newly renovated and boasts an updated menu of authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine and a selection of fresh sushi. The decor of the restaurant was so beautiful with deep reds and dark woods. Honestly, and I don't mean this in a bad way, it didn't even feel like we were in West Virginia.

If you go to check out 9 Dragons - you'd probably be set ordering from their specialty cocktails (I suggest the Drunken Dragon) and sushi menu. Since we were out celebrating a special occasion, we went ALL out. The service, presentation, and quality was extraordinary. I recommend the Wonton Soup, Hot Mama (spciy tuna, jalepeno) roll, and... well, everything else.

Our waitress, Li Ling, took excellent care of us. Although 9 Dragons didn't offer dessert, we mentioned my parents' 30th and she said she'd get us a special surprise. Her surprise came in the form of a jumbo slice of fresh cheesecake made at The Final Cut Steakhouse. She literally walked across the casino to another restaurant to get us the best dessert in the building! Totally blew my expectations - and kinda made me forget that I had just lost $250 on the tables down the hall!

Win or lose, it was a fantastic night out with the family! Happy anniversary, Mom & Dad!

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I have been desperately wanting the weather to be more beautiful and a chance to plant my herbs outside this spring. Unfortunately, with this ridiculous snow-in-March, it doesn't look promising. I usually plant my herbs indoors in my hanging garden and then transplant outside when the weather warms up.

This past week, I have found several fresh herb plants that were worth their weight in gold - including a beautiful basil plant from Whole Foods in Fair Lakes. I instantly picked up some fresh on-the-vine tomatoes and mozzarella to go with.

Drizzle the top with a mixture of extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a teaspoon of pesto (I use Classico brand). I don't measure anything unless I'm baking - so use your judgement on this one. The key here is to salt the tomatoes just a dash before layering the mozzarella. Otherwise, the flavor is not as robust. Enjoy!

My phone died yesterday by means of internal malfunction. In the past two days, these are the things I've had to do with no "smart phone" at my fingertips:

1. Use my laptop.
2. Look at a map and actually hand-write directions to someone’s house.
3. Use a display phone at the Verizon store to call my grandma.
4. Plead with my child to bear with me at the grocery store – no Netflix to keep him happy.
5. Miss several picture-worthy moments: B with Santa, tacky light tour, sorority alumnae gift exchange.
6. Run without Pandora or my running app.
7. Walk to the neighbor’s house to ask if they wanted a playdate.
8. Mentally calculate my gas mileage after filling up at the pump.
9. Skip talking to my mom every day :(
10. Skip calling and ranting with customer service rep after a shipment I ordered is missing several pieces.

Hopefully, I will get a new phone delivered by noon tomorrow.

Does anything on this list hit home with you? What what you miss if you didn't have a smart phone for a few days? Leave a comment or Join in the convo on my facebook page.

How to: Once the temperatures reach freezing, fill up balloons with water and add food coloring. Once frozen, cut off the balloon itself and you have a giant frozen ball of colored ice! so pretty - maybe you could even make them into Christmas decorations...

*on a side note, I would try to use a food coloring that will not stain or ruin your grass/sidewalks/child's hands.

I saw this idea over the summer and I've been holding on to the pic - but I just can't wait any longer to share! I thought I'd have a chance this past Tuesday to make these babies come to life, but it just wasn't cold enough.
photo credit to C. Doyle.

Did you ever watch Desperate Housewives? I'm not embarrassed to admit that I loved the show. Not that it was the best acting/script/storyline ever, but I will never forget when Lynette had a breakdown because she realized she was "in a rut" with Tom. I vividly recall being an early twenty-something sitting on a leather couch I snagged off Craigslist and promising myself that I never, ever, ever would find myself "in a rut" like that old couple on TV.

Maintaining a date night ritual, especially when you have kids, is a great way to keep the spark going in your relationship.  But a ritual doesn't need to be a routine. If you and your man hit the town every Friday, try to change it up and avoid doing the cliche dinner and a movie every time. Keep each other on your toes and avoid the ruts by surprising each other with novel date ideas every week.

Need some ideas? I got you covered.

Watch a meteor shower together.
Grab a few coats, blankets, popcorn, and wine and spread out on your lawn or a big open space during the next meteor shower. Find upcoming ones here. There's usually one every few weeks.

Go adventure dining.
Head out to an area that is heavily populated with restaurants and then stop in at each one for each part of your meal. Stick with all one theme, like Asian cuisine, or mix it up. Rate the food, service and atmosphere as you go.

Have a picnic on your floor.
Want to save money? Change up date night by staying in. Spread out a blanket on your living room floor, make a dinner consisting of finger foods, turn the lights down low and light some candles.

Take a trip to a novelty store. *GASP!*
If date night has become a little routine, your bedroom sessions may have too. Spice it up by taking a trip to a novelty store together. Pick out some new toys, videos or lingerie for the two of you to try.  Need some ideas of what to get? Head over to Adameve.com.  I'm sure you'll be find a way to end the date.

Watch sky rockets in flight.
Head over to the observation deck at Dulles or Reagan International Airport. It's great any time of day and exciting to watch the planes land. One of my favorite spots is Gravelly Point. Take a blanket and look over the Potomac and monuments while watching the low-flying planes above you.  Talk about past vacations or fictitious ones you would like to go on.

Get your boat on.
Go kayaking down the Potomac river--well once it gets warm again. There's no reason to limit your dates to night time. Venture out during the day and do exciting outdoor activities. Dock your boat and grab a drink a riverside bar.

Put a cork in it.
Virginia is known for some pretty fabulous, award-winning wineries. Grab your man and chart out a few that are close to each other and then make a day of it. Drink responsibly!  Hike amongst the grapes, learn about pairings and buy a bottle or two. 

Get Educated.
Take a class together. Whether it be a dance class, painting class, boxing class or even a motorcycle riding class. There's so many options, surely you can find one that interests the both of you. You can bond over this new, shared experience and maybe even pick up a new hobby that the two of you can do together.

Use some of the ideas and build your own. Keep it fun by keeping secret what the date will consist of. Just remember to think creatively and keep an open mind!

Feel free to share your favorite "outside the box" date ideas in the comments section!

I had five leaks in my house thanks to Hurricane Sandy. The worst of the worst was in my kitchen where a leaky roof turned into puddles on my counter tops. Thank goodness for my homeowners insurance - although it took them a week to come out because my adjuster quit the day after Sandy hit. I don't blame him.
The only thing I don't understand about insurance - they cover the damage, but not the cause of the damage. So, they will cover 5 leaks, drywall repairs, water restoration, painting of rooms and trim... but they won't caulk the exhaust pipe on my roof where the seam needs to be mended? Seems crazy to me. The pic below is a grave exaggeration of my leak. It really was just a pinhole leak... I think the restoration guy had too much fun with the demolition.

... and it feels so good.