This vintage printers tray was another Thrift Store USA find -- Anouk and I unearthed it in the "antiques" section of the store, wedged between a giant Chinese fan and an equally giant baby pram. Though the stuff in the antiques room tends to be pricier, I asked for a deal on this piece, simply because I had NO IDEA what I would do with it if I brought it home. (Un?)fortunately, the owner gave it to me for $10 and with ones of the same size going for four or five times that amount, I felt like it was too good a deal to pass up.

So I brought it home...and I still have no idea what to do with it. I love looking at this tray, with its well-used patina. I love the handwriting of the printer who used it (he wrote his name on one of the cross pieces) and I love how he also marked some of the more easily confused type trays (mind your ps and qs, right?) For now it's leaning up against a wall in our living room and I'm still ruminating on where it will end up in the house and what purpose it will serve. For a week or two, it held jewelry on my dresser top, but it was really too big for the spot and made my baubles a little too accessible for tiny hands, if you know what I mean. :)

So I thought I'd crowdsource for inspiration. What would you do with a printers tray, if you had one? Seashell display? Craft storage? Art piece? Picture frame? Something entirely different? Help me justify this purchase, internet. It's really too pretty to lean against the wall forever.

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out Tuesday's giveaway for a free annual pass to the Virginia Air and Space Center, courtesy of the City of Hampton! Details here. 

The City of Hampton asked us recently to visit the Virginia Air and Space Center and we were only too excited to take them up on the offer! We've visited VASC before but if there's one thing we learned on previous visits it's that there is so much to see there that one visit doesn't cover it all. The Virginia Air and Space Center is that rare place that manages to entertain parents and kids alike
and when we find a place like that, we put it on our favorites list and go back again and again.

VASC is really a local gem, a place where science and innovation meet, showcasing so much of what makes the Hampton Roads area important in the area of aerospace exploration. With a collection of vintage biplanes to WWII bombers to rockets and space capsules, the whole history of aviation and space exploration in the US is represented. Besides the planes (which are truly awesome in the truest sense of the word), the center is dotted with hands-on exhibits that make out-of-this-world seem a little closer to home (Anouk could not wrap her head around the fact that she was able to actually touch rocks from outer space, and to be honest, neither could I).

We built paper airplanes and tested them, took turns "flying" a commercial jetliner (James's favorite part), and climbed the outdoor observation deck to take in the beautiful view of downtown Hampton. The center had set up a craft table where kids could make silly putty from simple ingredients, so we did that, too. And we still have more to look forward to for our next visit: the state of the art IMAX theatre, the MaxFlight simulator, and the Simulated Ride Vehicle (SRV), which takes riders on a journey through a Haunted Mine!





One lucky reader and their family will also have the chance to experience the VASC as we did, free of charge -- the City of Hampton is hosting a giveaway for a FREE annual family pass to the Virginia Air and Space Center! The membership will include free admission for one year for two adults and dependent children living at the same address, 4 IMAX tickets, 4 MaxFlight tickets, unlimited rides on the SRV, and all of the other benefits that membership affords.

To enter, simply sign up to join the City of Hampton's enews list to keep up with events going on around the city. For extra chances to win, you can like Hampton's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts (and follow Virginia Air and Space Center as well). The giveaway will run through June 3, and a winner will be notified the next day.

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If you're looking for more fun to be had in Hampton, don't forget to check out the upcoming Blackbeard Festival, which runs May 31 to June 1 and looks to be a ton of fun for little pirate lovers out there!

It's Memorial Day this weekend, but James and I will be celebrating something else on Saturday: our 11th wedding anniversary! I realized a few days ago that I'd never really shown Anouk the photos from our wedding, so I pulled out the albums, thinking she would really get a kick out of seeing Mama dressed up like a princess. Her response? "Can I watch Ninjago?" Yep, the princess phase might be waning in our house.
Happy anniversary to the world's best husband, who makes lattes that would put a Starbucks barista to shame and never says no to impromptu road trips. No regrets, except maybe that Instagram didn't exist when we got married. #sosad #maybenexttime

(Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.)

We might be the only people in the #HRVA area who have not yet gone to see Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck, floating in the Hague in downtown Norfolk. Luckily, we have until Monday to get there. To see Rubber Duck in other places it's been exhibited, and read more about the artist, click here.

Have you heard about the giant, four-story waterslide going up at Ocean View Community Park? It looks awesome and it opens today!

I love this link on books that predicted the future (Jules Verne pretty much rules at this).

How to win at rock, paper, scissors EVERY TIME (or at least enough of the time to be statistically significant).

10 outdoor games to make with rocks (finally something to do with all those pebbles hanging around our house).

And in honor of Memorial Day -- this video takes a look at Norfolk in WWII, through old photographs, and gives some really interesting history of our city. Long, but worth it.

Speaking of Memorial Day, over at Fun and Free Hampton Roads, I'm writing this week about some Memorial Day festivities happening around town and some outdoor family fun at First Landing State Park. Have a happy weekend!

Monday, May 12, fell on my favorite day of the year: strawberry picking day! The date might change but it always happens about this time: near Mothers Day, in the sunniest (and usually hottest) window of May. Three kids, two moms (one of them nine months pregnant), 90 degrees, and millions of strawberries. It's the recipe for the perfect day (an interesting one, at least).

Don't forget to stop by No Monsters in My Bed and Not-So-SAHM to see how they spent their May 12!



12:00 PM: Molly and the kids came to collect us and we started our trip with lunch at Doumar's (it's kind of a thing with us). We love these goobers (and they love each other).



1:00 PM: We arrive at Cullipher Farm Market. The kids play in the sand-pile while the moms browse the farm stand (so many goodies!).

1:30 PM: Ready to pick!


2:00 PM: Our helpers get to pickin.' Turns out three year olds are very industrious at getting berries in their buckets but not all that great at keeping them there. By the time we reach the end of the row, Anouk's bucket is 99% tops and her face is smeared with juice. Oh, well.




2:30 PM: The farm has planted bright rows of poppies bordering their fields. So gorgeous!

One of the things I wanted to do when we were in Hatteras over Mothers Day weekend was stop by the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. The Outer Banks of North Carolina is one of the deadliest areas in the world for shipwrecks, and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is dedicated to giving a closer look at the shipwrecks and maritime history of this perilous area.

Highlights of our visit included seeing an Enigma machine (which washed up in OBX from a torpedoed German submarine in WWII) and the original Fresnel lens of the Hatteras lighthouse (which was lost after the Civil War and then rediscovered in a government warehouse over 100 years later). Turns out lighthouse lenses are beautiful up close, glass carved into hundreds of facets and rainbows shimmering everywhere.

Anouk enjoyed the scavenger hunt, too -- she found every single thing on the list and was awarded with a prize. She had to think of a word to describe each item and some of them were really funny -- she described the pirate Blackbeard as a "mean guy" which I think is pretty spot on (kids who are into pirate lore will be in heaven at this museum).



But overall, I think our favorite part of the museum was the exhibit showing some of the things that have washed up from shipwrecks over the years, from silver tea sets that became family heirlooms to portraits of mysterious strangers that somehow survived the waves. In the 1990s, a container ship of Doritos foundered off the coast and island residents had a heyday scooping up the hundreds of bags that washed up on shore! The photos of the beach littered with bags were striking.

The museum is right across from the ferry landing to Ocracoke, and also from Ramp 55, which leads to a part of the Hatteras National Seashore frequented by tons of  kite-boarders. We wore our bathing suits under our clothes and after we left the museum, spent an hour or two watching them swoop around and soaking up some rays. Not a bad way to spend a day at all.


 

For Mothers Day, James and Anouk took me on a short weekend trip to Cape Hatteras for some quality beach time. We had a great weekend in the sun and surf, but the highlight for me might just have been the food. Hatteras Island is home to some of my favorite restaurants, and while we were there, we did our best to hit them all. We've already done a "where to eat" post for Colonial Williamsburg, and I thought I would repeat one for Hatteras, in case you're also planning a trip this summer (and if you're not, you should consider it, Hatteras rules so hard).

1. Captain's Table (Buxton): Outer Banks comfort food! Captain's Table is a hole in the wall with all the staples: fish sandwiches, broiled seafood platters, and fresh, hot hush puppies. A local favorite; everybody is so friendly. TRY: the fried oysters, best on the island (we like the baked apples, too).

2. Uncle Eddy's (Buxton): Uncle Eddy's is part-ice cream parlor, part-mini-golf course. We go for the frozen custard, make on the premises. Thick and gooey and refreshing. TRY: the twisted malt flavor, in a waffle cone.

3. Dancing Turtle Coffee Shop (Hatteras Village): We love stopping here on our way to the beach! A coffee shop with amazing, quality brew and great atmosphere (it's fun to peruse their mini-library of random books). TRY: the iced toasted coconut latte (I crave this when I'm not there).

4. Haole Sushi and Sake Bar (Avon): One of the fun parts of eating in Hatteras is gorging yourself on traditional seafood fare, but after a few meals, you crave something different, and Haole Sushi is the place to go when that happens. The chefs do the traditional nigiri and sashimi extremely well, but they've also created some original rolls that are unlike anything else I've ever experienced. TRY: their spicy tiny roll, topped with house-made guacamole and jalapeños (I'm generally against crossover sushi, but this is an exception).

5. Orange Blossom Cafe (Buxton): I've already written about our love for the Orange Blossom Cafe, but it bears repeating: this is THE breakfast spot if you're in Hatteras. The Orange Blossom folks make some of the best baked goods on the island, pastries that melt in your mouth and doughnuts that are everything doughnuts should be. If you're in the mood for savory, their bagel breakfast sandwiches are also delectable. TRY: the apple uglies, giant fried apple fritters that are chewy on the outside and molten goodness on the inside (but get there early -- they go fast!)

And this one's not on Hatteras Island but it's close: Dajio, on neighboring Ocracoke Island. It's so good that we make the hour-long-each-way ferry trip to Ocracoke just to eat there -- it's maybe my favorite restaurant ever. A charming, rambling spot right in the heart of Ocracoke Village, Dajio does traditional seafood and other bistro fare but always with a twist. TRY: their crab and corn cakes with bacon and red chile remoulade, and their grilled oyster appetizer, served with pickled onions, seaweed salad, and tomato relish. They also have a fabulous brick-oven flatbread pizza place next door.

I'm so hungry right now, you guys, aren't you? After you get something to eat, you should click over to Fun and Free Hampton Roads, where I'm writing about the free Friday Night Hoedowns, happening every week this summer at the Virginia Beach Farmer's Market. Happy weekend!

I've written before that one of my favorite things to find at thrift stores is fabric. For the beginner sewer (like me), it's great to find lots of fabric to practice on without breaking the bank. I found this vintage curtain panel at Thrift Store USA an age ago, and bought it for 99 cents. Even though it wasn't a lot of fabric to work with, I really couldn't bear to leave the adorable floral anemone pattern behind to languish on the rack. What if nobody else appreciated it like I did? It stayed curled up in my fabric stash until Anouk noticed it one day, and told me she wanted a dress out of it.

I decided to make it work, Tim Gunn style. I used an existing bodice pattern piece, tracing it onto freezer paper and lengthening it to a tunic length, and just managed to make it fit the cloth. I lined it with some muslin, and then tacked the existing ruffle to the bottom (the ruffle is really the best part, with the yellow contrast stitching). Over pants or shorts, it really is the sweetest thing and even if it isn't perfect, I'm glad that an adorable piece of old fabric got some new life (of course its new life was quickly threatened by a handful of rogue blueberries but I managed to get the stains out without ruining anything so hooray!) It's one of my favorite thrift store finds to date. 





Now A. is all ready to visit Rhett at the Atlanta jail and ask for the money to pay taxes on Tara! I'm sure she'll get it, how could she not looking this cute?

Have you found any thrift-store gems lately?

My friend M. picked up this milkweed plant for me at Norfolk Botanical Garden's annual plant sale last week. It doesn't look like much now, but in a few weeks, (hopefully) it will be a blaze of tiny, fluted orange flowers.



Milkweed was the signature plant of NBG's plant sale this year, for the simple reason that it's the most important plant in the life cycle of the monarch butterfly. Milkweed provides nectar for adult monarchs and is the only food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. But because of loss of habitat, milkweed is disappearing at an alarming rate. And so are the monarchs.

Enter Project Milkweed, which encourages people to plant this simple, flowering shrub to help rebuild that habitat and thus rebuild butterfly populations. Over the course of the summer, NBG is going to host several events on the monarch butterfly, and on how to plant and care for milkweed (click here to find upcoming butterfly-themed events).

Anouk and I are still deciding where to plant our milkweed, but we're already looking forward to seeing butterflies around our yard this year. If you're interested in planting some milkweed in your own garden, you can contact NBG or check with the Butterfly Society of Virginia to find out where to find it. Besides orange, it comes in white and purple too -- I think it would be beautiful to have a huge patch of all the colors intermingled.

Do you have many monarchs in your neck of the woods?

Our friends and neighbors have a Melissa and Doug sand cookie cutter set that they often bring to the beach when we go. The girls all love it -- it's a big hit. On one of our recent solo trips to the beach, Anouk and I raided our pantry for our own set of cookie cutters to bring in our beach bag. It was just as much fun even if it was missing some of the pieces -- she stamped cookie shapes up and down the sand, happy as a clam.

Our favorite cookie cutters in our stash are the Drommar woodland animals set by IKEA and this Wilton heart set. A run through the dishwasher to knock the sand off and they can go back into the baking drawer, good as new. I love it when household objects can serve double duty, don't you?

Over at Fun and Free Hampton Roads, I'm writing about this weekend's reopening of the Chrysler Museum (hurrah!) and some free Mother's Day activities and deals on admission at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and Nauticus.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women out there! Enjoy your weekend. :)

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links that may result in a small commission for this blog. 

Writing this blog actually takes a lot of planning -- and it sometimes happens that we just stumble upon something great without being prepared to blog about it, no camera, no advance prep work. It's been happening a lot lately, so right now I have a ton of new experiences to write about but sadly not enough for a full blog post. It seemed a shame to not share, though, so I thought I'd stitch a few of our latest greatest experiences and discoveries together in one post here. Here goes -- a few snippets of stuff we've been up to around town lately.



Brunch at the Cyprus Grille (Hampton): We meet up with friends regularly for brunch; this month we decided to try out the Cyprus Grille, located inside the Embassy Suites hotel in Hampton. Cyprus Grille's been getting a lot of press lately because it  recently placed in a state cooking competition! Chef Kyle Fowlkes's recipe for Nana's Buttermilk Fried Chicken came in second in the contest and after tasting it, we're wondering what could have possibly topped it. I highly recommend their chicken and waffles -- the waffles are crisp, the orange-black pepper syrup is unlike anything I've ever had before, and the cheesy grits it's served with are great, too.



Rose Garden at the Virginia Zoo (Norfolk): Recently, we went to the Virginia Zoo with our playgroup and discovered a previously undiscovered corner of the zoo (at least, to us).  Beyond the kangaroo exhibit, all the way at the south end of the zoo, you'll find the Victorian gazebo situated among a host of rosebushes, all in full bloom this time of year! Bonus points: you can see the zoo's beehives  (which I didn't even know existed) and stone steps nearby are a nice place to put on a show with friends. Read more about what to see in the rose garden here.



Atumpan African Dance (Norfolk; various locations): Speaking of the Virginia Zoo, we saw the Atumpan dance group at the Virginia Zoo's Arts Are Wild celebration last weekend and they were fabulous. Such a sense of humor, passion, and vibrancy from all the dancers and musicians. They know how to work a crowd, and how to deliver information in a way that's fun for all age groups. Anouk got up and did her best to follow the steps while the rest of us played along with the traditional West African instruments the dancers passed around. Atumpan offers regular lessons (drop in or recurring, ages 2 to adult) at the Attucks Theatre in Norfolk or you can catch them at one of their local events.

 What have you been up to lately? Any new discoveries (here in HRVA, or in your neck of the woods?)