tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30568531455619970562024-03-13T12:09:04.186-04:00Planes, Trains, and Running ShoesAdventure: One Mile at A TimeChristy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.comBlogger969125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-45355551999524279202022-01-24T08:00:00.001-05:002022-01-24T08:00:00.224-05:00How I'm Manifesting A Better Year in 2022<p>I miss this blog. I've had it for 12 years and for the first several, I wrote in this space almost every day. I know the appetite for personal blogs has gone down quite a bit but sometimes, I have a lot more that I'd like to share than I can feasibly do on an Instagram post so I'm going to turn a bit more attention to this space this year.</p><p>Considering I only wrote one post in the entirety of 2021, that shouldn't be too difficult. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEir7f21-rO6IIkq1CsPjw84uuciNvoYtoAi0YzGzSNlsZHN_OPL61w17lcoU-ThfcJ3fktr30DmliFjmpSFlZfm6O3wdihjO0u7e6uPykNbqjwpT4iT5Cy4epsE6ReZbq7wnWGVQfh_iQ1e4bULo-fhFTWFUWbIXD75Ag3V1S9go4jDobTWO78BSd0XhQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEir7f21-rO6IIkq1CsPjw84uuciNvoYtoAi0YzGzSNlsZHN_OPL61w17lcoU-ThfcJ3fktr30DmliFjmpSFlZfm6O3wdihjO0u7e6uPykNbqjwpT4iT5Cy4epsE6ReZbq7wnWGVQfh_iQ1e4bULo-fhFTWFUWbIXD75Ag3V1S9go4jDobTWO78BSd0XhQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><p>I love the New Year and I love making a set of goals for the year and checking in on them frequently. I didn't have any goals for 2021 because well, #pandemic, and I had a really, really hard year. There was the pandemic, trying to and not getting pregnant, finally getting pregnant and having a third miscarriage, and just the state of the world. But aside from all of that, I felt like I was drowning with no purpose last year. I didn't have any travel plans, race goals, or any real hopes for what the year would bring me. So when the end of the year came with Omicron, the delay of the under-5 vaccine, multiple family hospitalizations (not Covid related and everyone is OK now), all three of us getting the stomach flu, and then daycare closing for the first two weeks of the year, it just hit really hard.</p><p>Now that daycare is finally open again and I'm coming up for air from a tough December, I've finally started to consider what I want this year to look like and I'm doing a lot of work to manifest these things into reality (writing, talking to friends about my goals, and meditating). So, because I like lists, here's a list of what I want to be able to say I did in 2022.</p><p><b>Running</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I have two marathons on my calendar this year - Ottawa (or Vermont City, pending The Pilot's schedule) and Berlin (which I was <i>pumped</i> to get into the lottery for. Whether I manage a PR (I still want to go sub-4!) or not, I want these races to be the strongest races I've ever run. That means: </li><ul><li>I'm warming up and properly stretching after <i>every </i>run. If I don't have time to do those things, I don't have time to run. That's my philosophy this year. I'm incorporating strength training, cross-training on my Peloton, and of course, my regular yoga practice with Yoga with Adriene. </li></ul></ul><div><b>Baking</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>My pandemic baking hobby has really blown up and I <i>love</i> how many friends and Instagram friends reach out to ask me for baking advice. I'm <i>not</i> an expert but I'm learning a lot! Next week, I'll be announcing a monthly baking challenge for anyone who wants to bake along with me this year.</li><li>I want to perfect macarons. I'm considering taking a class because try as I might, I can't get the color right when I make them. I've made perfect macarons but the colors never come through without me overmixing. </li><li>I also want to keep creating recipes. I've developed a few of my own over the last year but I really want to develop more, especially with some Cuban and Dominican flavors for my own cultural twist on some basics.</li></ul><div><b>Financial</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I've read every article under the book on why you should start investing and this year, I'm going to figure out a game plan and start.</li><li>I'm also <i>really</i> close to paying off the credit card debt I have and plan to get that paid off before I start investing. </li></ul><div><b>Work</b></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>In 2020, I started a side hustle called <a href="http://www.witphilanthropy.com" target="_blank">Wit Philanthropy</a>, focused on helping businesses develop more impactful charitable giving plans. I had the chance to present at a conference last year and I have a solid plan for this year that I'm really excited about. If you work in the non-profit or philanthropic sector, or work for a company that you feel is doing great work in the corporate social responsibility space, let me know! </li><li>I also want to start doing some freelance grantwriting. I definitely think I can fit it in and it would be great to have another source of income. </li><li>And I want to start writing more articles for <a href="https://startupcuba.tv/">Startup Cuba</a>. I started writing book reviews for them this summer but really want to write more! </li></ul><div><b>Travel</b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I just want to travel again! Somewhere, anywhere! I'm really, really hoping that things will be OK for Berlin in September. It's been three years since my last trip to Europe which is the longest I've gone since I first went there (we fly free, so we go a lot!). </li></ul></div><div>What are some of your goals for this year? </div></div><p></p>Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-74907736210662188602021-03-29T09:19:00.001-04:002021-03-29T09:19:19.845-04:00Our DIY Kitchen Renovation<p>Happy 2021, friends! It took a full quarter of the year for me to write something in this space but here we are, and it's an exciting post! Today, nearly 6 months after starting our DIY kitchen renovation, I'm finally sharing the big reveal!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrrGO0PC4a1pnyBmy6TX1KpHNa2ZlXtPEQhUYl8HX4lU32J8fRjV4K6ULLj26VgBc0z7ZsKnE80XmJfLPTVfT5VvcmRqmrDZDCc0mJCbUE5t6GwMV7OMSta96luEU1Db6K-W8wvIa301i/s2048/Kitchen+After.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrrGO0PC4a1pnyBmy6TX1KpHNa2ZlXtPEQhUYl8HX4lU32J8fRjV4K6ULLj26VgBc0z7ZsKnE80XmJfLPTVfT5VvcmRqmrDZDCc0mJCbUE5t6GwMV7OMSta96luEU1Db6K-W8wvIa301i/w640-h480/Kitchen+After.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I am so excited to share this with you all! If you follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/christyrunsdc/">Instagram</a>, you've likely followed the renovations along on my stories, from Demo Day to the day the wind blew one of my cabinet doors over while it was drying, putting a hole through it, to the 2-month wait for my backsplash tiles to come in, it was certainly a journey - and an emotional one, at times, but it was so worth it!</p><p>I am <b>so </b>in love with our kitchen and every time I walk into it, I'm amazed that we were able to completely transform it ourselves!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ytnozJ134aMaoEdqaTEqjjidyBxykLrw0PS8_YTyz7AGsT4K6Cui277_8eQGScqnFQxXctKSHpN1Y0sfpLlf1zRVm1sNz52R_PzvxWQZLxq0iQyiNOueNw6GCj3f5gBbpKx6RRXMD3-/s1280/Kitchen+Before+-+Listing+Photo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ytnozJ134aMaoEdqaTEqjjidyBxykLrw0PS8_YTyz7AGsT4K6Cui277_8eQGScqnFQxXctKSHpN1Y0sfpLlf1zRVm1sNz52R_PzvxWQZLxq0iQyiNOueNw6GCj3f5gBbpKx6RRXMD3-/w640-h480/Kitchen+Before+-+Listing+Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>When we bought our house, I knew I wanted to remodel the kitchen from the start. It was horribly lit, with nearly every inch of working counter space in shadow. The dishwasher was repulsive - it was covered in mold, smelled awful, and couldn't drain. We actually replaced that shortly after we moved in. The stove and oven were two separate pieces and I hated the way it looked, not to mention, two of the burners didn't work and it would take close to an hour just to preheat the oven to 350.</p><p>We never set a timeline for when we would redo the kitchen and never planned for it to be the first big project we would tackle! To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure how or when we decided to just do it. When the pandemic started and I was home alone with Aurora working, she got into the habit of opening the freezer drawer while I was taking Zoom calls from the dining room table and emptying out the contents...every.single.day. I'd get off a call, put her down for a nap, and have to refill the freezer. That bottom freezer drawer had to go. The fridge was pretty old as it was so I didn't mind replacing it.</p><p>So, in June, we bought a new refrigerator. A few months later, we decided to get an estimate for the kitchen, just to see what we were looking at, thinking that we might want to renovate the kitchen in 2021. The estimate? $22,000...and that didn't include materials like cabinets, countertops, the sink, or backsplash...it was just labor. </p><p>We laughed off the estimate but got to thinking...this didn't seem like something totally unreasonable for us to tackle ourselves. After all, it was just pulling down some cabinets and painting them, right? It was actually really helpful to have a contractor come through and talk everything through with us - it made us realize how much more potential the kitchen had than we originally thought. So, we decided to do it ourselves.</p><p>We hired a contractor to replace our ceiling fan with recessed lighting - instant upgrade. This was definitely one of the more expensive parts of the project but the most important. The way the stove was positioned meant that I was blocking the only light source every time I was standing at the stove. I can't tell you how many times I burned food because I literally couldn't see it cooking.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfVi2LMZGjspElJzDvZ_J7gvjSjRZ-ZbBe5b1cU9mlTUd5i_Har4ygRZFJOyLPYonxvOMnbszh9eqwSLw1aMpy-RqJLIluQfRIFLHJcRnyH9Rv3H83oiMyx7EijDKDmXcvGbuojFmvn62/s2048/Kitchen+Before.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfVi2LMZGjspElJzDvZ_J7gvjSjRZ-ZbBe5b1cU9mlTUd5i_Har4ygRZFJOyLPYonxvOMnbszh9eqwSLw1aMpy-RqJLIluQfRIFLHJcRnyH9Rv3H83oiMyx7EijDKDmXcvGbuojFmvn62/w640-h480/Kitchen+Before.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p>We also hired someone to do the countertops, replacing our dark corian counters with quartz and that bright white instantly brightened up the kitchen. </p><p>We were always going to pull down the corner cabinets to the left of the sink. We don't own a microwave and that corner shelf without a door plus the microwave cabinet were just wasted space, so we pulled them down and replaced them with open shelving - something I never thought I would like, but it more than doubled how much storage space we had and really opened up the kitchen. The shelves are also very easy to keep organized.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIfZegrabA9v5TCoVfC-AMFLLMINhvxLI2lXwjIAhq3wYQ9Ti1qAE18UPTZhaAq2u79zrndECb4Nh6T-ii8XCbqImIAwcmpMkVKeCESXaASitIRLuogSEEYX4Ne6qf8MTEfbkJ43FG2Fi/s2048/Kitchen+Reno+-+Shelves.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIfZegrabA9v5TCoVfC-AMFLLMINhvxLI2lXwjIAhq3wYQ9Ti1qAE18UPTZhaAq2u79zrndECb4Nh6T-ii8XCbqImIAwcmpMkVKeCESXaASitIRLuogSEEYX4Ne6qf8MTEfbkJ43FG2Fi/w480-h640/Kitchen+Reno+-+Shelves.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Once they were down though, I loved how much they opened the space and decided to take down and replace the other upper cabinets to get rid of the corner cabinet and give us more space. This added to our project budget since we hadn't been planning to buy cabinets but it turns out, unfinished cabinets are relatively inexpensive and, since we were already painting the lower cabinets, it wasn't a ton of extra work.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlC8CIg09V_4XD4ITrI9j9XsF1BBL-Iy1zm98h6v8gUoasf4LtCIcHa3632LS0nfZYHjcArNrm6tBTfcI8od2wGFYnd5xkaNJJOjVRLpLhU2c78mKyakoFQ-_L_Rx7hR2Aus-xMi4ai1JE/s2048/Kitchen+Reno+-+Corner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlC8CIg09V_4XD4ITrI9j9XsF1BBL-Iy1zm98h6v8gUoasf4LtCIcHa3632LS0nfZYHjcArNrm6tBTfcI8od2wGFYnd5xkaNJJOjVRLpLhU2c78mKyakoFQ-_L_Rx7hR2Aus-xMi4ai1JE/w480-h640/Kitchen+Reno+-+Corner.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>We chose to spray paint our cabinets, which was messy but worth it. The paint went on seamlessly and resulted in so much smoother a finish than a brush or roller would have. We had primed them with a brush and you could see brush strokes and no matter what kind of roller we used, the surface of the cabinets (even sanded down) was just too smooth for a roller. We had a few hiccups with the spray painting (namely losing the nozzle and not realizing it, causing the sprayer to splatter the paint on our 2nd coat, requiring us to sand everything down again and apply a third coat - something we didn't think we would need - and had a few weather-related delays since we were spraying all of the cabinet doors and drawer faces outside. Painting was the heaviest lift of the project but it also had the biggest impact.</p><p>I read dozens of articles about painting kitchen cabinets and <a href="https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-paint-wood-kitchen-cabinets-with-white-paint-248186">this one from The Ktchn</a> was by far the most comprehensive. With the exception of using a sprayer, we followed this to a tee. Some tips I have? Definitely sand and sand well (no matter what some blogs might say about no-sand paint jobs), both before you start painting and after every coat. When you're priming any knicks or spots after you start painting, use a spray primer NOT a brush if you're spraying your cabinets, to maintain an even coat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYG-Ub1U55ha2dty-9hqOJPT5cakuSgF7PNMnwUXAACAm04zK5jStPsXJfq1a3uuIkQVxEwWt0cP-wevZrE-WwlCiSexXaAsVO7yib0J0_IYQhi-8XFtjBzWEhFaOYMMSr6TzArO4xSFx/s2048/Kitchen+Reno+-+Stove+Wall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYG-Ub1U55ha2dty-9hqOJPT5cakuSgF7PNMnwUXAACAm04zK5jStPsXJfq1a3uuIkQVxEwWt0cP-wevZrE-WwlCiSexXaAsVO7yib0J0_IYQhi-8XFtjBzWEhFaOYMMSr6TzArO4xSFx/w640-h480/Kitchen+Reno+-+Stove+Wall.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The biggest delays in our project were caused by waiting for materials (we're on month 3 of waiting for our soft close drawers - for now, we just put the old ones up). Since a lot of this project kind of happened on a whim, that really set us back. It took over a month for shelves to come in, another month for the upper cabinets to come in, and almost two months for the blue and white backsplash tiles to come in and I didn't order some of those things until we were ready for them, so that set us back a bit but all in all, this was a remarkably fast renovation. We started at the end of October and were finished with everything except the stove backsplash at the beginning of December. We were working one person at a time with a toddler at home, hustling during nap time, but we were really only without a kitchen for about 3 days from the time we disconnected and pulled out the old stove to the time the new one was installed. </p><p>Would I do it again? Without a doubt. Now, remember that $22,000 estimate? We redid our entire kitchen for $6,400 - just $400 over budget. As I mentioned, the upper cabinets weren't something we had budgeted for and we did spend more on the sink and garbage disposal than I had planned. The biggest expenses were the contracted work - the countertops and recessed lighting. But that $6,400 beats $22k by a long shot.</p><p>So that's our kitchen remodel! What do you think? Have you tackled a major project like this? What was it? How did it go? Would you do it again?</p><p>Up next for us? Renovating our basement! Wish us luck!</p>Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-30129039346826490502020-11-19T14:44:00.000-05:002020-11-19T14:44:41.038-05:00It's A Holiday Baking Challenge!<p>Hello! It's been a while! We've been managing our way through the pandemic, tackling as many home projects as we can. Right now, we're about 3/4 of the way through a kitchen renovation that I'm so excited for! If you follow me on Instagram, you can check out it all out on my Stories and Story Highlights!<br /><br />What started in March as a fun way to distract me through the pandemic, my baking hobby has become a lifeline. I've learned so much and have boldly experimented with new recipes. They don't always turn out well but I'm learning and that's part of the fun! I asked on Instagram and was surprised to see how many people would be interested in joining me in a Holiday Baking Challenge, so let's do it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAqWGhpY09EAG9e9Z_VxLzJsiTC31D69YkhJq8ejayBnyebdPo5XJNYjZt755KoN-Gf_HBJbsML3TM4o1ii9i1BjLSDX1hXRSlz7o4lrtZNl6M82mxe2n-4qh6KbFzeR3L4SENAwhif3M/s2048/Holiday+Baking+Challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiAqWGhpY09EAG9e9Z_VxLzJsiTC31D69YkhJq8ejayBnyebdPo5XJNYjZt755KoN-Gf_HBJbsML3TM4o1ii9i1BjLSDX1hXRSlz7o4lrtZNl6M82mxe2n-4qh6KbFzeR3L4SENAwhif3M/w480-h640/Holiday+Baking+Challenge.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p>Starting November 23 (the week of Thanksgiving) and running through December 27, we'll take on five festive bakes, share recipes and inspiration, challenge ourselves, and maybe even develop new baking traditions!</p><p>As a rule, these challenges don't feature any particular ingredient to be sensitive to allergies or grocery store limitations, especially with what seems like inevitable lockdowns ahead. I'm also sharing each week's challenge now so that you can plan your holiday baking in advance! </p><p><b>November 23: Thanksgiving Pie!</b> What is Thanksgiving without pie? While the holiday will certainly be different this year, I'm still making pie! </p><p><b>November 30:</b> <b>A Holiday Cake with a Holiday Scene!</b> This is where you get to let your creative juices flow. I'm attempting a Buche de Noel! If you want to join me in this brave attempt, I'd love that, but I know the roll cake might be out of many people's comfort zone so you can make a wintery, holiday scene out of any cake you choose!<br /></p><p><b>December 7:</b> <b>Cookies! </b>What is Christmas without cookies? This week is also the start of Hanukkah so I might try my hand at rugelach but I'll be honest and say that I might go crazy baking this week since there are just too many good Christmas Cookie recipes!</p><p><b>December 14: Holiday-Drink Inspired! </b>What's your favorite holiday drink? Eggnog? Peppermint Mocha? Turn it into a dessert! Or, if you need a break from baking, just make the drink from scratch!</p><p><b>December 21: Sweet Breakfast Rolls!</b> For me, nothing says Christmas morning like fresh-out-of-the-oven cinnamon rolls. I've seen cranberry-orange rolls, berry-cream cheese, the works! This is one tradition I won't deviate from but if cinnamon rolls aren't your jam, you've got options!</p><p style="text-align: center;">If you join me, use the hashtag #bakingwithchristy! On your mark, get set, bake!</p>Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-82476793515250426892020-08-13T09:53:00.002-04:002020-08-13T09:53:04.389-04:00Our First International Trip with a Baby: London!<p>This post is coming to you exactly one year after we hopped on a plane with Aurora and went to London.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMU-BWDccLXs8E_WlvVyUfD-iMwlrauCIaZb7RU9UXZb1h9Bi_T0ueI_smznsPXHDyKPYVVReX1jQBaICg2bCNl64opbLQPIZbCzF6tNgvXqxmFrm8x1ttTM30XS1XWcbXhEI8bQ82fcf/s2543/Covent+Garden+London.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="2543" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMU-BWDccLXs8E_WlvVyUfD-iMwlrauCIaZb7RU9UXZb1h9Bi_T0ueI_smznsPXHDyKPYVVReX1jQBaICg2bCNl64opbLQPIZbCzF6tNgvXqxmFrm8x1ttTM30XS1XWcbXhEI8bQ82fcf/w640-h311/Covent+Garden+London.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Better late than never, right?</p><p>Before Aurora was born, I heard a million different iterations of how we would never travel again. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"It's so great that you've done so much traveling already, you'll never travel again once you have a baby!"</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"You say you'll travel but once you realize how much you have to bring, you'll never bother again."</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>"Traveling with a baby is just parenting elsewhere."</i></p><p>Undeterred, last August, we took Aurora to London for our first trip abroad as a family of three. We chose London for a few reasons. Not only is it one of my favorite cities but it's a short flight, and we had been there so many times that we knew we wouldn't feel pressed to do or see anything and everything. We could take the trip leisurely and just enjoy ourselves for a long weekend.</p><p>I've always been a light packer and knew that with a baby, I didn't want to bring anything more than what we would need. We brought one suitcase for the three of us, a carryon, diaper bag, and travel crib. We gate checked our stroller and brought everything else on the plane with us. We also brought a baby carrier which proved to be essential for the whole trip, especially since we had to fold up our stroller on public transportation. </p><p>Aurora was 10 months old when we went to London and crawling so I knew that we would need to give her time to roam around every day so she wouldn't get too antsy in the stroller. </p><p>We had a pretty rough flight over to London (more on that later) but once we landed and checked into our flat, we were all able to take a long nap to refresh ourselves. We woke up, showered, and went for a walk to explore our neighborhood and then made our way to Oxford Circus to shop and get an early dinner. </p><p>The next morning was Saturday and we took the tube to Knightsbridge to do some more shopping. Aurora was still breastfeeding at the time and one of our stops was in Harrod's which had an incredible Mother's room with a very comfortable rocking chair and cushy changing table. I was pleasantly surprised to find how many places in London had changing tables or nursing rooms - these were much easier to come across in London than I've found in the US.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv1XwPpaoyINOqLl7lU1SCFvLB2Ztg1KzB9_9dtrEd98VdWK9plB7MdStbbDAbPVnFmnQsLCy3lmb5v9fYjEXezraWpko_rKC_UYyqCF4qxWJyAgg5rPxqpq2jryYVs6t1Od8oqwQszXi/s2543/Big+Ben+with+Baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="2543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkv1XwPpaoyINOqLl7lU1SCFvLB2Ztg1KzB9_9dtrEd98VdWK9plB7MdStbbDAbPVnFmnQsLCy3lmb5v9fYjEXezraWpko_rKC_UYyqCF4qxWJyAgg5rPxqpq2jryYVs6t1Od8oqwQszXi/s640/Big+Ben+with+Baby.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>For the afternoon, we made our way to the South Bank to walk around and then took the River Bus to my favorite pub for a round of Pimm's and fish and chips. I had never taken the River Bus before but loved it! It's on the same travel system as the tube and the buses so you can use your Oyster Card and it's a great way to get off your feet while still getting in some great views of the city!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQfedmu0ZpVYP9HNo2o8J3EpmDNWAuoc_BhFRZlJKdLBWFfrKEoTiUHRDrFgZtg717urm3-Y3Ymg8NzkbkCWZt9r3aKnwXvqLD9KO1Dyv5CXoH3hC51fv30vvAFlm_f_OMbQocBte1PUb/s2048/Family+at+Founders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQfedmu0ZpVYP9HNo2o8J3EpmDNWAuoc_BhFRZlJKdLBWFfrKEoTiUHRDrFgZtg717urm3-Y3Ymg8NzkbkCWZt9r3aKnwXvqLD9KO1Dyv5CXoH3hC51fv30vvAFlm_f_OMbQocBte1PUb/s640/Family+at+Founders.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>On Sunday morning, we headed to Covent Garden for my favorite part of our trip - the London Transport Museum! I had always wanted to go and had heard it was great for kids and it was! There was a great kids' area with little tools that Aurora could play with. We spent maybe 30 minutes just letting her crawl around and play with the toys before we left.</p><p>Aurora was getting tired and it was close to her nap time so we took the long walk to our next stop - Buckingham Palace - so that she could take a good nap along on the way. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_s3UGVTLDdseQmvrivLWY92MTUedQTQS2c9pCnMBDY0ABnWKUiMDrM7g2CTaRCSNPMSkzeciaS_A3KpRNkSEm6RPD6I_-K_sjOMU3e-Co-Qg7SRl9ua7oq00fELP3O0woPEfmpbQrMpB/s2048/Baby+at+the+Palace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX_s3UGVTLDdseQmvrivLWY92MTUedQTQS2c9pCnMBDY0ABnWKUiMDrM7g2CTaRCSNPMSkzeciaS_A3KpRNkSEm6RPD6I_-K_sjOMU3e-Co-Qg7SRl9ua7oq00fELP3O0woPEfmpbQrMpB/s640/Baby+at+the+Palace.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>I had thought we might have to take trips back to the flat we were staying at for Aurora to nap but she did really well napping in her stroller. We have the Uppababy Cruz which lays completely flat and we I could easily pop my nursing cover over it to keep it dark so she napped really well the whole trip!</p><p>I had taken a tour of Buckingham Palace on my first trip to London but The Pilot has a thing for castles and really wanted to go, so we did. They don't allow strollers inside so we popped Aurora into the baby carrier and made our way through the Palace. </p><p>After Buckingham Palace, we went up to Camden Market and then wandered around Granary Square before calling the night on our first successful trip abroad with Aurora! It was a short weekend but we had such a good time! After what had been a busy summer of moving and stressful real estate transactions, it was so nice to get away and take Aurora some place new. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq0tYeteX34LxCsLjkhM2MZbIB8SL-7lysI0tv53REjWoAyT0Ao9OqUXhHrbMFrKWwjkxXo2MUurR4f5IauM5LOZFG72nii4J8-1_5LdKdPQpyR7KAkt76YFjZRuaA7zafmZitUyTDdZi/s2543/Granary+Square+London.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="2543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuq0tYeteX34LxCsLjkhM2MZbIB8SL-7lysI0tv53REjWoAyT0Ao9OqUXhHrbMFrKWwjkxXo2MUurR4f5IauM5LOZFG72nii4J8-1_5LdKdPQpyR7KAkt76YFjZRuaA7zafmZitUyTDdZi/s640/Granary+Square+London.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The flight home was a breeze and overall, the trip was seamless. Honestly, the worst part of our trip was the flight over but it was pretty circumstantial. We had been upgraded to first class but when we tried to board, it took them 45 minutes to figure out that children under the age of 6 aren't allowed in first class - which meant we were now the last to board and were given the last row of the plane next to the bathrooms. Every time Aurora fell asleep, someone got up and grabbed her seat back, bumped into us, or started a conversation with the flight attendants, which kept all of us from sleeping on the flight! </p><p>I loved being in London with Aurora. A few weeks later, we decided to go to Copenhagen and that was an even better trip! I found traveling with a baby pretty easy and you definitely don't have to bring a million things! I bought some new toys for Aurora to play with on the plane and you know what her favorite thing to play with was? The plastic cups that the flight attendants hand you with your drink. </p><p>Everyone has been on a flight where a baby has screamed the entire time and I think that scares a lot of people from traveling but don't let it! We've had some really good flights with Aurora and some that weren't great but traveling with a baby can actually be really fun!<br /><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Have you traveled with kids? Where was there first big trip?</p>Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-53676380993859003572020-08-03T12:43:00.001-04:002020-08-03T12:43:11.415-04:00Our Attempt at a Pandemic Getaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week, The Pilot and I made our way to Ocean City, Maryland for what we hoped would be a safe way to go somewhere new, get some much-needed time outside our house, and have a little bit of fun.<br />
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Early in June, when our numbers started to really slow down and things started to reopen, I started looking at rental properties in any of the 'local' beach towns in Delaware and Maryland. I knew that I wanted to stay local and I knew I wanted to go to the beach because, while I'd never been to any of the beaches I was looking at, in my experience, it's pretty easy to socially distance on a beach. We chose Ocean City because it was where I found the best place for the best price that suited our needs as a family.<br />
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We haven't felt safe dining out yet so our plan was to bring enough food to last us through the week and, if we felt comfortable, maybe dine out one night. Earlier this summer, we started a subscription to <a href="https://www.hellofresh.com/pages/share/?c=HS-YJJSXZ52C&utm_source=share&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=clipboard&utm_couponvalue=$40&utm_invitername=Christina%20A.">Hello Fresh</a> (click for $40 off your first order!) which made packing so much easier! I brought our Hello Fresh box, plus a giant pasta salad I made with some sandwich bread and fillings for lunches, some yogurt and zucchini muffins for breakfast, a few snacks and that was it!<br />
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We arrived on Monday, leaving just in time for Aurora to nap so that she would sleep for most of the 2.5 hour drive. Before we brought anything out of the car, I went into the rental property with gloves and a stock of disinfecting wipes and wiped down everything - from door knobs and faucets, to light switches, remote controls, counter tops, etc. We brought our own sheets and towels and I replaced all of the bedding with what we brought.<br />
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Once we unpacked, we took the short walk across the street to take a walk on the beach. Right away, I noticed that we were the only ones wearing masks and most people were traveling in large groups. The beach was crowded but most people were pretty spread apart. It was late afternoon so I think most people had already packed up for the day.<br />
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The next morning, we headed back to the beach around 8am. The beach was quiet and we almost had the place to ourselves. As the morning progressed, it got more crowded. No one was wearing masks but most people made an effort to socially distance. To get Aurora fed and down for a nap, we were off the beach by 11:30, right around the time the beach started to fill up. The beach was beautiful but we did have a run in with a family that tried to set up their chairs and umbrellas practically on top of us - despite their being plenty of space on the beach.<br />
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After Aurora woke up, we decided to try to go get some ice cream but the ice cream shop was very crowded and no one was wearing masks. So we tried to take a trip to the Boardwalk but again, no one was wearing masks or making an effort to socially distance so we quickly left.<br />
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Assateague Island has been on my DC area bucket list for years but I never knew it was only a few minutes from Ocean City so on Tuesday morning, we headed straight there. There were only two other cars in the parking lot when we pulled up and as soon as we got on the beach, we saw some wild horses! They were too far away to get an up close peak but it was still really cool to see what the beach is famous for!<br />
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I loved Assateague. Despite only being a few minutes from Ocean City, it was a very different crowd - mostly older couples and a few young families who may have been locals. Everyone wore masks onto the beach and kept them on until they got to their chosen beach areas and everyone maintained their respective distance in the water and on the beach.<br />
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Around 11am, the beach started to fill up, just as we started packing up to go. When we got to the parking lot, it was almost full - a big difference from when we arrived - but I didn't notice that volume on the beach. We headed back for Aurora's nap and then spent the afternoon in the pool, which we didn't do the day before because it had been crowded.<br />
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We were planning on staying for two more days but unfortunately, The Pilot got called into work and we ended up leaving Wednesday night. I could have stayed behind with Aurora but I really didn't want to - she was getting pretty fearless when it came to the ocean and I was nervous being on the beach with myself with her. Plus, with no one really wearing masks or socially distancing, I didn't feel like we had any other options, so we packed up and headed back home.<br />
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I'm glad we took the time to get away. Honestly, the time away from home and out of the 'office' were just so helpful. I wish we had been able to enjoy more of Ocean City but it didn't seem like anyone there was following any public health recommendations - a discouraging sign for what's to come as we head into fall.<br />
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I wanted to write this because I know a lot of people are contemplating getting away and I thought it might be helpful to share our experience. Everywhere is different but I think being prepared is helpful, especially when it comes to meals. Funny enough, on Friday, Maryland announced that masks would be required on the boardwalk in Ocean City so I hope it gets better and other people can enjoy it!<br />
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Have you taken a vacation this summer?</div>
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What was your experience?</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-76904462556233278072020-07-21T11:18:00.000-04:002020-07-21T11:18:55.513-04:005 Ways We've Been Coping Through the Pandemic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been four months since COVID-19 hit and effectively shut down the world. I'll be honest and say that despite everything I was reading about this virus in January and February, I <i>never</i> thought we would still be here by now.<br />
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It's so frustrating that we are. The lack of leadership and politicization of the coronavirus makes me angry in ways I don't even know how to express.<br />
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When things first shut down, it was sudden and almost completely without warning. My office announced at 3:30 on a Thursday in March that they were closing at 4pm for the next two weeks. I haven't been back since. Aurora's daycare closed a few days after, before the state mandated childcare closures.<br />
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It was a rocky start and the last four months have been far from easy. Solo parenting while working from home without being able to provide any kind of change of scenery to a very curious toddler wasn't just exhausting, it was anguishing. Being on Zoom for 5-6 hours a day while trying to engage a toddler who wants to play or just wants to be held induces a level of mom guilt that frankly isn't fair.<br />
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So, with nowhere do to, here's how we've handled staying at home:<br />
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<b>1. Daily Walks - </b>Sometimes, twice daily. We're fortunate to live right next to a series of walking trails that lead all over the DC area. While we've never gone that far with them, waking up and getting out the door every morning has been so critical to feeling normal. We've walked in rain and shine, through cold fronts and heat waves. I could use these walks to take conference calls and Aurora was usually content to sit in the stroller and watch the world go by. After 3 months, she started getting pretty tired of our same route so we started switching things up a bit but that daily dose of Vitamin D has been such a help.<br />
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<b>2. New Toys & Activities - </b>I'm not one to advocate for buying your kid a new toy every week but toy rotation has been so helpful to avoid falling into that trap. Aurora has definitely gotten a lot of new toys over the last few months but I've mostly been focused on rotating her toys so she isn't playing with the same things all the time. Some of our favorite new toy finds are our <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004INDQWY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004INDQWY&linkCode=as2&tag=25before25-20&linkId=79c39b4e85b398607a25eea0ffaa502a">water table</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XKXPLRP/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XKXPLRP&linkCode=as2&tag=25before25-20&linkId=33621ece4d259a04b169c5d8fc19c11b">ice cream cart</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038AJYSS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0038AJYSS&linkCode=as2&tag=25before25-20&linkId=3dddac89c8779ffb2de8150a310e9075">toy laptop</a>, and coloring books! Aurora could play with each of those forever! Things like kinetic sand, play dough (or even just bread dough), crayons, and finger paints have also been a huge help in keeping her busy while I'm working.<br />
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<b>3. Working Out - </b>In January, I had started a 30-Day Yoga Challenge that I ended up continuing all the way through May. There were days that getting on my mat felt like a chore but I never regretted practicing. My daily yoga practice ended as I started gearing up to train for the Marine Corps Marathon (which was finally cancelled today) but I was running more. Now that I won't be training for a fall marathon (I have no interest in running a virtual 26.2), I'll shift back to a more consistent, if not daily, yoga practice.<br />
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<b>4. Cooking & Baking - </b>I've been cooking and baking more than ever through this pandemic and it's beens so much fun! I've been getting so creative with baking - trying new recipes, making things up, not being afraid to mess up - it's been really liberating, actually! I haven't gotten as adventurous with cooking but that's next! We started a subscription to <a href="https://www.hellofresh.com/pages/share/?c=HS-H8ETF7PKK&utm_source=share&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=clipboard&utm_couponvalue=$40&utm_invitername=Christina">Hello Fresh</a> last month because I started getting tired of having to figure out what to do for dinner every night. I don't know why meal planning through this pandemic has been so much harder but it has been. Hello Fresh has been great! I've loved the recipes, have recreated a few of them on my own, and love not having to worry about what to cook every night while still being able to actually cook, which I enjoy.<br />
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<b>5. Socially Distant Exploring - </b>Since the stay-at-home order was lifted, we've been trying to get out and explore outdoor places to try to change things up from our everyday routine. This weekend, we headed down to The Wharf and just strolled the waterfront, eating empanadas from The Colada Shop and ice cream from Soda Pop Shop. We've been to Patuxent River Park in Maryland and the Tregaron Conservancy in DC. If you're local, this list has some great ideas for places to explore! Our summer bucket list is to make it to all of them!<br />
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We've been very lucky that we and our family and friends have all stayed healthy. In the grand scheme of things, that's what's most important.<br />
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It's funny because as much as we travel - and, if you've followed me for any length of time, you know that's a lot - the one thing we struggle with is time. Pilots don't get a lot of vacation time at all, which is why we'll fly to Dubai for 3 days or Australia for a week. We would love to travel for longer than we normally do but The Pilot just never has vacation time to do it. Over the last few months, we've found ourselves with all the time in the world and no place to go. I'm hoping that by September or October, things will have calmed down enough for us to feel safe to go <i>somewhere </i>for our anniversary and Aurora's birthday but I'm honestly not very optimistic.<br />
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Tell me how you've been coping with the pandemic. </div>
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I'd love to hear from you!</div>
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<i>This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something linked above, I may receive a small commission. </i></div>
Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-58968053539987355892020-06-16T16:15:00.003-04:002020-06-16T16:15:35.769-04:00The Great Social Distance Bake Off: Finale Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Friends, welcome to the 10th and final week of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<br />
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When I started this challenge, it was with the idea of just doing something fun and challenging myself a little bit but over these last 10 weeks, I have learned so much!<br />
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I've always been called a good cook and baker by friends but the truth is, up until now, I've always just known how to follow a recipe. I never felt right taking credit for making something because it was never truly mine but these last 10 weeks, I've really worked hard to experiment with new flavors, try new things, and create my own recipes.<br />
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The Basil Lime Chocolate Tart I made this weekend? All mine. The Neopolitan Entrements? Mine! The Panna Cotta was of my own crafting, as were the Blackberry Lime macarons, and the Flourless Pistachio cake I made.<br />
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I love how this Challenge has pushed me out of my comfort zone. Not everything I've made has been perfect - far from it - but I've become a better, more confident baker and I'm so excited to continue this adventure in the kitchen...with a little bit more creativity outside the rules of the Challenge. Even though I set each Challenge week myself, sometimes, I got inspired to make something different but didn't really have the chance to. To the friends who joined along for one week or all 10, thank you! This has been so much fun and I've loved seeing what you've come up with! It has certainly been a way to keep things fun through this period of social distancing and has been an amazing way to reconnect with old friends!<br /><br />With all of that said, this finale week of The Great Social Distance Bake Off is Afternoon Tea Week!<br />
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If you've never had a proper Afternoon Tea, there are three elements - tea sandwiches and savories, scones or biscuits, and sweets. You can get as creative as you'd like but I'd love to see both a savory bake as well as a sweet bake! You can make sweet and savory scones or mini quiches. For your sweets, you can make brownies or lemon bars, or miniature cakes! You can even make macarons (which, surprisingly, I will not be doing) if you feel up the challenge!<br />
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I want to see everything put together picnic style or, if you have a three-tiered cake stand, go with that! This is the one and only challenge where I really want to see your creative skills put to the test for presentation!<br /><br />
I started this week with Joanna Gaines' Orange Scones from the Magnolia Table cookbook. They are absolutely delicious and pair perfectly with my favorite cup of tea - Lady Grey!<br />
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Thanks for baking along with me these last 10 weeks! I can't wait to see your final bakes!<br />
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-38840687384851784852020-06-08T16:31:00.001-04:002020-06-08T16:31:30.179-04:00It's Fruit Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends! Welcome to Week 9 of The Great Social Distance Bake Off! This is our 2nd to last week! I honestly thought that when I decided this little challenge would last for 10 weeks, that I would be back at work, Aurora would be back in daycare, and things would be a little bit more calm but that's far from our reality right now. I still have no idea when I'll be back to work (definitely not this summer) or when Aurora's daycare will reopen.<br />
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So, while I'll certainly keep baking, I'll be bringing this little challenge to a close after next week.</div>
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This week is Fruit Week! It's summer and the best fruits are in season! </div>
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Your <b>signature challenge</b> is to bake anything with two different types of fruit. I chose a Kiwi Lime pie, taking fresh kiwis and throwing them on top of a perfectly baked <strike>key</strike> lime pie (I've never actually seen key limes in a grocery store).</div>
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Your <b>technical challenge</b> is to put together any kind of fruit dessert that pairs with an herb! Are you going to make a mango cardamom sorbet? Or a peach tart with mint? Something with basil? I can't wait to see!</div>
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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One thing to add: While I'm looking forward to things getting back to our pre-pandemic life, I want to meaningfully acknowledge that the normal we should return to should not be one in which systemic racism continues to perpetuate every fabric of our lives. Black lives matter. As a Latin American woman, I feel strongly that the current movement to dismantle systemic racism is one that is long overdue.</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-53087643926504059762020-05-30T13:03:00.001-04:002020-05-30T13:03:08.368-04:00It's Neopolitan Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends! It's Week 9 of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<br /><br />I hope everyone is doing well. Here in DC and Maryland, our stay-at-home orders are being lifted. I'm not too sure what that means in terms of social distancing. I know I won't be going back to work anytime soon and we haven't heard anything about when daycare will reopen, so the bake-off and the staying-at-home continue.<br />
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This week is Neopolitan Week!<br />
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We're taking the traditional ice cream combination of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry and putting a spin on it!<br /><br />Your <b>signature challenge</b> is to bake a treat using all three colors of the Neopolitan trio - brown, white, and pink.<br />
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Your <b>technical challenge</b> is to combine all three flavors into one dessert! If you don't like chocolate or have a strawberry allergy (or if you just can't find something), you can use two flavors but I want to see how creative you can get with all three!<br />
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At this point in the challenge, I'm using any and every excuse to make macarons, so I made Neapolitan macarons and I love how they came out! It took three attempts at making macarons but I finally got the color right! I used the recipe from <a href="https://www.piesandtacos.com/neapolitan-macarons/">Pies and Tacos</a> - seriously, if you're attempting macarons, check out her site! She has not steered me wrong!<br />
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I'm getting very ambitious for my technical challenge this week. Wish me luck!<br /><br />
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-64094350050005105432020-05-22T14:27:00.001-04:002020-05-22T14:27:02.034-04:00It's Latin America Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello!<br />
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It's Week 7 of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<br />
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When I started this challenge, my plan was for it to go on for 10 weeks, the typical length of a season of The Great British Bake Off. I honestly thought we might all be close to resuming our normal lives by that time but that isn't looking likely. Whether I keep this going beyond 10 weeks or not is still up in the air but one thing is for sure - the next few weeks are meant to challenge you a bit more than previous weeks!<br />
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This week is Latin America Week!<br />
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Whether your only familiarity with a Latin American dessert is a churro or you grew up eating arroz con leche, this week you're to take on desserts from two different countries in Latin America.<br />
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I grew up in a pretty typical Latin American household - Dominican mom, Cuban dad - but as an adult, the only Latin cooking I do is when I make rice and beans so this is definitely going to get me out of my baking comfort zone as I take on some of my favorite childhood recipes!<br />
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This week, I made pasteles de guayaba, guava pastries! I grew up eating these and thought they would be so much more complicated than they were but with only 3 ingredients (puff pastry, cream cheese, and guava paste), they came together in about 10 minutes before I put them in the oven and they taste just as good as I remember them! I used a recipe from <a href="https://www.mybigfatcubanfamily.com/2016/07/pastelitos-de-guayaba-recipe/">My Big Fat Cuban Family</a> but added an egg wash so that the pastries would brown nicely.<br />
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If you need some ideas, I've included some links below to lists of Latin American desserts and my favorite food bloggers with some good Latin American recipes!<br />
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<li><a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/nusrat21/best-latin-american-desserts-embosyk7ui">26 of the Best Desserts from Latin American Countries</a> (BuzzFeed)</li>
<li><a href="https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/17-hispanic-desserts-to-try-before-you-die">17 Hispanic Desserts to Try Before you Die</a> (Spoon University)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.acozykitchen.com/">A Cozy Kitchen </a> (A Peruvian/Colombian food blogger)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.mybigfatcubanfamily.com/">My Big Fat Cuban Family</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.dominicancooking.com/">Dominican Cooking</a></li>
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-87851976415914135382020-05-20T10:18:00.000-04:002020-05-20T10:18:11.661-04:00It's No Bake Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello! It's Week 6 of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<br /><br />I'm getting this post up much later than I wanted to but here it is! While many parts of the country are starting to reopen, the DC area just extended our stay-at-home order for another few weeks. My office just announced that we'll be teleworking at least through June 30 so this is still looking like a very long road ahead.<br />
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I hope you're all staying safe, healthy, and perhaps most importantly, sane!<br />
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This Week is No Bake Week!<br />
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When I set this challenge several weeks ago, I assumed it would be warm and that our ovens would all need a little bit of a break while our ACs cranked. We had two blissful days of temperatures in the 80s here in DC but it got pretty cold again so I'm not exactly loving that my dessert for the week is a frozen cheesecake...no matter how tasty it is!<br />
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Hopefully, it actually feels like May wherever you are and the No-Bake Week will be a refreshing change! Your entries this week should be prepared anywhere but your oven - the stove, slow cooker, blender - whatever you choose, but one of your entries must be a cold one!<br />
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I chose a Frozen Banoffee Cheesecake from Jamie Oliver's cookbook, 5 Ingredients. I made a crust out of tea biscuits and made my own dulce de leche on the stovetop. While this dessert is delicious, it doesn't taste at all like banoffee pie...or cheesecake. It's more like frozen banana pudding.<br />
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I've seen so many fun no-bake treats from slow cooker molten chocolate cakes, to microwave mug cakes, puddings set in the refrigeratior...and there's always ice cream! The possibilities are endless and I hope you have fun with this one!<br />
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-90352899639577595152020-05-09T09:59:00.001-04:002020-05-09T09:59:27.366-04:00It's Bakery Week! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello friends! It's Week 5 of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<br />
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Social distance-wise, this week has been tough. The Pilot is on an extended trip away for work and it's been a real struggle to not have a minute to myself for this long.<br />
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It also made this week's baking endeavor a lot more challenging, since I usually try to bake on days that he is home. It doesn't help that I took on a monumental baking challenge - homemade croissants! I started these on Tuesday evening and didn't actually bake them until this morning! (I could have baked them last night but I wanted them fresh out of the oven for breakfast.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAgGaqMurDEhi5bgtVmgBnTnw28lpNYrighIoGFp7W389V1678z9Elc43KYQtrH1uIk7OVRDGb9CF2YNxVY6H6dRXP8SZ1mvob8_-De2SOLEwaG2UDe-oFy-uEiqs2koY7lRWvfOpMD7O/s1600/Croissant+Tray+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAgGaqMurDEhi5bgtVmgBnTnw28lpNYrighIoGFp7W389V1678z9Elc43KYQtrH1uIk7OVRDGb9CF2YNxVY6H6dRXP8SZ1mvob8_-De2SOLEwaG2UDe-oFy-uEiqs2koY7lRWvfOpMD7O/s640/Croissant+Tray+1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This week is Bakery Week!<br />
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For both bakes, you're to take on a homemade version of your favorite bakery treat. Your <b>technical challenge </b>is to make one of those bakes two different ways.<br />
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I chose croissants (recipe via <a href="https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-croissants/">Sally's Baking Addiction</a>) and used the dough to make both plain croissants and pain au chocolate. And I'm seriously wondering why I've been eating stale bakery croissants chain bakeries for so long. Although, these are not a quick bake. They aren't incredibly work-intensive, they just take a lot of time. I really recommend the process!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnogUzlAQwmBtiVYYTVoHr2JgcpNpQLFVwhMORSQROMW35KHQjlKFobvpoOhafoqArrnBCe04aKa-h8NArW5YqwFwinV8fd-Ajx6EsFbA3-30uVhUWnvwwIw5UAcIYUoGlUGJZpg7YIC7O/s1600/Croissant+Tray+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnogUzlAQwmBtiVYYTVoHr2JgcpNpQLFVwhMORSQROMW35KHQjlKFobvpoOhafoqArrnBCe04aKa-h8NArW5YqwFwinV8fd-Ajx6EsFbA3-30uVhUWnvwwIw5UAcIYUoGlUGJZpg7YIC7O/s640/Croissant+Tray+2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Are you going to make donuts? Maybe fry one batch and bake the other. Or fill one and ice the other. Or you could make croissants and make almond ones too! Since we're all social distancing and likely missing out on our favorite bakeries, this is a great way to bring the bakery home. I promise you won't regret how your house smells after this week's challenge!<br />
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If you're new to the Challenge, you can still join in! Check back to my original post <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunningshoes.com/2020/04/introducing-great-social-distance-bake.html">here</a> for the rules. As always, don't forget to tag me in your bakes @christyrunsdc with the hashtag #thegreatsocialdistancebakeoff.<br />
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-71214566628314130532020-05-01T08:30:00.000-04:002020-05-01T08:30:05.944-04:00It's Pies and Tarts Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As we enter our 8th week of social distancing, so begins our 4th week of The Great Social Distance Bake Off!</div>
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I hope everyone is holding up ok. I've loved seeing all of the bread recipes you've been baking! Bread Week was a challenge and I'm looking forward to experimenting with different types of bread to really get it right. </div>
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This week is Pies and Tarts Week!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXRhPfRdHjf91D5wX0JDHaZgzIrnz-YDdpeU-b5n78LJ05-cBCpl-NLh1mkImABQO0O7mHCQlBsXPpmWIlxVMG5YnhC0m4gXtHiTbB5Q1SP5DNkCRJjaCHWDVisySTCOdld32qhWgG4z5/s1600/TX+Whiskey+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXRhPfRdHjf91D5wX0JDHaZgzIrnz-YDdpeU-b5n78LJ05-cBCpl-NLh1mkImABQO0O7mHCQlBsXPpmWIlxVMG5YnhC0m4gXtHiTbB5Q1SP5DNkCRJjaCHWDVisySTCOdld32qhWgG4z5/s640/TX+Whiskey+Pie.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you haven't joined in yet, it's not too late! You can jump in at any time but there are a few rules:</span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you use a recipe, please credit the source! Recipes from cookbooks should not be posted in their entirety without the author's permission! </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">You don't have to do both bakes each week, but if you're only going to do one, it has to be the technical challenge.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Substitutions are highly encouraged! I'm keeping this very broad because I know how hard groceries are to come by right now. The point is NOT to go out searching for specific ingredients but to use what you have and to get creative with it! Do you have rose water lying around that you've never opened? What can you do with it?</span></li>
</ul>
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This week's <b>signature challenge</b> is simple enough - make a pie, tart, or galette. You can use any kind of filling, it can be sweet, or savory, but you have to make your own dough! I made a Derby Pie, using <a href="https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/nonnies-kentucky-derby-pie/">this recipe</a> from Half Baked Harvest. I used Joanna Gaines' recipe from <a href="https://shop.magnolia.com/products/magnolia-table-cookbook">Magnolia Table</a> for the dough.</div>
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For your <b>technical challenge, </b>you're to make pies, tarts, or galettes in miniature! Again, you have to make your own dough and you're to make a small batch of your bake.</div>
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As always, tag me in your bakes on Instagram @christyrunsdc with the hasthtag #thegreatsocialdistancebakeoff!</div>
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Ready? On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-42740050786056142762020-04-24T15:10:00.002-04:002020-04-24T15:10:39.864-04:00It's Bread Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello friends! Welcome to Week 3 of The Great Social Distance Bakeoff!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope you're all doing well. This week has been tough. I went for a run on Wednesday and everything just hit me all at once. As we head into our 7th week of social distancing, I think the magnitude of everything going on in the world hit me. One thing that's helping? Baking! And this little bake-off I've created that so many of you are joining me in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It's been so fun to see what everyone has been baking week to week and I can't wait to see what you all continue to come up with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This week is Bread Week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">If you haven't joined in yet, it's not too late! You can jump in at any time but there are a few rules:</span></span></div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you use a recipe, please credit the source! Recipes from cookbooks should not be posted in their entirety without the author's permission! </span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You don't have to do both bakes each week, but if you're only going to do one, it has to be the technical challenge!</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; letter-spacing: 0.6px;">
<li><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Substitutions are highly encouraged! I'm keeping this very broad because I know how hard groceries are to come by right now. The point is NOT to go out searching for specific ingredients but to use what you have and to get creative with it! Do you have rose water lying around that you've never opened? What can you do with it?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6px;">Your <b>signature challenge</b> this week is to make a flatbread. It can be a pita, chapati, tortillas, focaccia, naan, any type of flatbread! Many are unyeasted so if you don't have yeast on hand, you should still</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.6px;"> be able to participate!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.6px;">For your <b>technical challenge</b>, you're to take on a braided loaf. Again, I've found plenty of recipes for unyeasted braids and I'm sure a bit of creative googling can get you a recipe for one with gluten-free flour if that's what you need. A few weeks ago, I made braided challah that came out quite nicely. This week, I made a braided cardamom brioche. It was <i>not</i> easy. It took SIX rises and the dough was very wet and hard to braid. I thought it was going to be a disaster but it actually turned out perfect!</span></span><br />
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Don't forget to tag me in your bakes on Instagram @christyrunsdc with #thegreatsocialdistancebakeoff! </div>
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Ready? On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-37182572116137704642020-04-17T09:09:00.000-04:002020-04-17T09:09:12.996-04:00It's Cookie Week!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello! Welcome back to The Great Social Distance Bakeoff! I have loved seeing how many people have joined in the fun and shared their flourless cakes last week! I seem to have been the only one to take on a tea infused cake but that's ok! Your flourless cakes have me thinking that cake week should continue.<br />
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Kidding. Guys, I have so much cake in my house right now. So it's a good thing we're moving on to <b>Cookie Week!</b><br />
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If you're new here or didn't get the chance to bake last week, jump in anyway! There's no actual competition here! As a reminder, there are a few rules:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>If you use a recipe, please credit the source! Recipes from cookbooks should not be posted in their entirety without the author's permission! </li>
<li>You don't have to do both bakes each week, but if you're only going to do one, it has to be the technical challenge!</li>
<li>Substitutions are highly encouraged! I'm keeping this very broad because I know how hard groceries are to come by right now. The point is NOT to go out searching for specific ingredients but to use what you have and to get creative with it! Do you have rose water lying around that you've never opened? What can you do with it?</li>
</ul>
Your<b> signature challenge</b> this week is to make cut-out cookies! Dig out your rolling pin (or a bottle of wine, if you don't have one) and your cookie cutters and let's see what you come up with!<br />
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I attempted homemade speculoos (aka Biscoff, aka Cookie Butter cookies) cookies. After spending hours searching the internet for a recipe and reading dozens of reviews that said they didn't tase like the real thing, I finally settled on a recipe from <a href="https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/speculaas-spiced-springerle-recipe">King Arthur flour</a>...which didn't tase like the real thing BUT they are delicious and taste like Christmas and my house smells amazing. So, I guess it worked? Pro-tip? Definitely, definitely let you cookies sit in the refrigerator overnight so they don't spread!<br />
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For your <b>technical challenge</b>, you are to make sandwich cookies! You can use anything you want for the middle - ice cream, frosting, ganache - as long as it's sandwiched between two (as close to identical as possible) cookies.<br />
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I can't wait to see what you come up with! And if anyone has a recipe for speculoos cookies that taste just like the store bought kind, please send it my way!<br />
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Ready? On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-81511041367798361162020-04-10T08:03:00.000-04:002020-04-10T08:03:25.044-04:00Introducing: The Great Social Distance Bake Off!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hello dear friends! I hope you're all well. Can you believe we've been at this for a month already? It's been a very, very long four weeks.<br />
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How have you been coping? It seems that everyone I know right now is baking a ton - whether it's out of stress, or to procrastinate - there's something about baking that makes hard moments a little bit easier to get through, so I've come up with a little challenge to get through this and I hope some of you will join me!<br />
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Introducing, the Great Social Distance Bake Off! Inspired by the Great British Bake Off, this little competition will hopefully offer a method to your baking madness while challenging you to try things you wouldn't normally bake, and hopefully add something sweet to your socially distant days!<br />
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If you've never seen The Great British Bake Off, now is a great time to start! For the next 10 weeks, there will be two challenge bakes each week - a signature and a technical. We'll skip a separate bake for the show stopper because three bakes in a week can be a lot, especially for those of us who are working from home full-time while taking care of little ones! But if you're up for the challenge, go for it!<br />
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I'll announce the theme every Friday both here and on <a href="http://instagram.com/christyrunsdc">Instagram</a> and you'll have the next week to post your bakes! Each theme will take into consideration that grocery staples are hard to come by at the moment. That said, if you do spot flour or baking soda lying around, it doesn't hurt to stock up - without hoarding, of course! I'll be sharing my bakes on my Instagram page and stories. If you want to join in, make sure you're following me on Instagram and tag me in your bakes with the hashtag #greatsocialdistancebakeoff!<br />
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As with any competition, there are a few rules:<br />
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<li>If you use a recipe, please credit the source! Recipes from cookbooks should not be posted in their entirety without the author's permission! </li>
<li>You don't have to do both bakes each week, but if you're only going to do one, it has to be the technical challenge!</li>
<li>Substitutions are highly encouraged! I'm keeping this very broad because I know how hard groceries are to come by right now. The point is NOT to go out searching for specific ingredients but to use what you have and to get creative with it! Do you have rose water lying around that you've never opened? What can you do with it?</li>
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Without further ado, Week 1 is Cake Week!<br />
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Your signature challenge this week is a <b>tea-infused cake</b>. Whether you have chai, earl grey, or chamomile sitting in your pantry, turn it into a cake! You can also make this your showstopper cake. What can you do to elevate the decoration and make this cake truly spectacular? Cupcakes, cake pops, are allowed too, as long as the cake is infused with some type of tea!<br />
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For your technical challenge, your task is to create a beautifully decorated <b>flourless</b> cake. Bonus points if your cake <i>isn't</i> chocolate! The cake pictured throughout this post is a flourless pistachio almond cake and it is one of the best things I've ever eaten! So what do you say? Are you in? If so, drop a note below!<br />
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On your mark, get set, bake!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-18674803633848123182020-03-16T15:18:00.002-04:002020-03-16T15:18:35.139-04:00March Madness: Social Distancing Edition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
March is a weird month for me. It's the month I found out I was pregnant with my first baby and the month my second was due. I always feel like I'm grappling with a lot of different emotions in March but this month - wow.<br />
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What is even going on in the world? I'm so disheartened by the response to this coronavirus outbreak. It has brought out the absolute worst in society - from those hoarding cleaning supplies and soap to those throwing parties and going out to bars in spite of all recommendations for social distancing.<br />
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It's tough to know what to think. I don't think the media is blowing things out of proportion but I feel like I'm constantly wavering between feelings of calm and panic. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground for me but I don't think I'm alone in this.<br />
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Aurora's daycare has stayed open, which on the one hand is a blessing because I will have to telework starting later this week but on the other hand makes me wonder if sending her every day is the right call.<br />
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I saw something on Instagram yesterday that said that maybe this is the universe's way of telling us all to slow down. I don't know that I fully agree with that but I can say - this is a very different change of pace for me and I'm pretty OK with it. Here are a few things I'm doing (or attempting) to stay calm in the midst of actual chaos:<br />
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<b>Daily Yoga - </b>Today marks my 75th straight day of an at-home yoga practice. What started as a 30 Day Challenge that I put zero pressure on myself to actually accomplish in 30 days, has turned into an almost necessary part of my day. Right now, having that is so helpful in attempting to zone out and take some time for myself. I usually practice in the morning before Aurora wakes up, during her nap time when I'm home, or right after she goes to bed. I'm a pretty avid follower of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/yogawithadriene">Yoga with Adriene </a>and highly recommend her YouTube channel!<br />
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<b>Running - </b>Ok, today was the first time I ran since the Disney Princess 13.1 three weeks ago BUT I knew I wanted to take a long break from running and today I started back up with an easy 2 miles. I'm hoping that things in the world calm down by the summer because I am officially registered to run this year's Marine Corps Marathon. I don't have any races planned this spring (they've all been canceled anyway) but it's time to start focusing on building a strong base before I start training this summer.<br />
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<b>Getting Outdoors</b> - I'm fortunate that we live next to some great trails and green space and can get outside frequently. We also have a huge backyard. This weekend, we took several long walks with Aurora and Peyton and spent a lot of time in the backyard. It's still a little brisk for my taste but I'm hoping that changes soon. I'm so glad that this mess is happening in early spring as opposed to the dead of winter. I'll take the silver linings where I can get them!<br />
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<b>House Stuff - </b>More time at home means more time to do stuff around the house. My house is immaculately clean right now and it's wonderful! Over the next few weeks, I plan to use the time I'm hoping to organize all of my closets and my laundry room, finally, finish the mural in Aurora's room, and maybe paint my guest room.<br />
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I'm trying to stay positive and calm in the midst of all of this. It's hard to do that when it seems that the entire world is at a standstill right now but I wanted to come here and write, to put my feelings out there and start a conversation about how everyone else is feeling...and you know, get back on track with my goal to post once per week!<br />
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<b>Drop a note below and let me know how you're doing with all of this!</b></div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-63943938429174656092020-02-25T16:22:00.002-05:002020-02-25T16:24:04.210-05:00Race Recap: The 2020 Disney Princess Half Marathon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Until this weekend, I had never gone into a race just hoping I would finish. Training for this race was going smoothly until about 3 weeks ago when I headed out for an 8-mile run and stopped just before my 5th mile because of knee pain, caused by what I knew was my IT Band flaring up.<br />
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Fast forward a few weeks and I still wasn't having any luck running beyond 3 miles without knee pain. I did my last long 'run' before the race on the elliptical.<br />
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To be honest, I was really disappointed in myself. This was supposed to by my come-back race, my first big race in 3 years. Funny enough, I hadn't realized until after the race that the last half I ran was, in fact, the 2017 Disney Princess Half. I hadn't trained for or run a half-marathon since that race, one month before I got pregnant the first time. The reason I blamed myself? I never once warmed up before a run or stretched afterward. I didn't foam roll and, aside from daily yoga, I wasn't doing anything to build strength. Of course, this injury that plagued me 5 years ago would come back. What did I expect?<br />
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And so, we headed to Disney World - me, not fully confident in my ability to finish 13.1 miles. At the expo on Friday, I tried to drop down to Saturday's 10k, which was sold out. At the Kids Race on Saturday, I had so much fun that I thought I would be OK with just calling it and spending the rest of the weekend enjoying my family and Disney, instead of suffering through a half-marathon. But somehow, I woke myself up at 2:15 on Sunday morning and I made my way to the starting line.<br />
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The one thing I don't like about Disney is how early the race starts (5:30) and how early you have to be to get there. If you're staying on Disney property, you have to be on a shuttle no later than 3:30am and then you just stand around and wait for the race to start. There are entertainment and characters to meet but I hung out in the merchandise tent chatting with friends to stay warm. I made it to my corral by 5:15.<br />
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I had submitted proof of time from the Marine Corps 10k this past fall and that made a world of difference from my last Disney race. When the gun went off, I was across the starting line in 7 minute and everyone around me took off running. The last time I ran this, I was seeded with people who walked the entire race and spent nearly 45 minutes trying to weave through the very crowded first 3 miles. Whereas the last time I ran this race, I felt it was overly crowded, this time, I thought it was just fine.<br />
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I went into this race not knowing whether I would finish so I started slowly. The course wasn't crowded and I felt pretty good. Just before the second mile, my knee started twinging. I stopped to use the bathroom and then walked through a water station. As I was walking, I thought about whether to run/walk the course or drop out. There was a sharp downhill just before the 2nd mile that was really tough on my knee. I was run/walking for the 2nd and 3rd mile and started walking just before the 4th mile when the spectator started to really pick up as we got closer to the Magic Kingdom. The crowd energy was amazing and I started running again and was on a total adrenaline rush as we entered the park. When we turned onto Main Street and Cinderella's Castle came into view, it was even more magical than I remembered! I was high fiving spectators and asked someone to take a picture of me in front of the castle. At this point, I wasn't running for any kind of time and wanted to just have fun. I ran the entire way through the park into the 6th mile when I stopped at the Medical Tent to grab some Tylenol. I kept running through Mile 7 and was feeling really good and knew, at that point, that I would finish.<br />
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I stopped for another bathroom break at Mile 8 (so much water that morning!) and knew I was going to finish. I was determined from that point forward to run the entire rest of the race. The Tylenol had helped my knee and I was feeling really strong. There are a couple of hills in the last few miles of Disney Princess but they didn't bother me as much as the first one. As we neared Epcot, I started getting really excited. I was actually going to finish! The last three miles went by faster than the last three miles of any race I think I've ever run. In a way, I felt like I had already finished - I just needed to get there to prove it.<br />
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They had definitely changed the course from the last time I ran it so I was a little bit lost in that 12th mile but as soon as I saw the Finish Line, I gave an all-out sprint and crossed with the biggest smile on my face.<br />
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I had actually done it and I had had fun doing it. And it felt so good. The last time I ran this race, I wasn't sure whether I would do it again. This time? I definitely want to do it again! But before any of that, I need to spend some time rehabbing my knee and getting back in shape. I've got the Marine Corps Marathon planned for October and I definitely want to get to that starting line feeling strong!<br />
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Have you run a Disney race? What did you think?</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-67079319785642893202020-02-14T10:58:00.000-05:002020-02-14T10:58:00.035-05:00Our First Adventures as a Family of Three<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first overseas trip together - London!</td></tr>
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When I started telling people that I was pregnant, overwhelmingly, people told me how good it was that that I traveled so much before I had kids.<br />
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"You won't want to travel after you have a baby. It's too hard."<br />
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"You have to bring so much stuff to fly with a baby, it isn't worth it."<br />
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I heard so many different iterations of this same sentiment and none of it made sense to me. Why on earth would we stop traveling? It's an enormous part of our life. When we sat down to figure out a new budget that factored diapers and childcare and everything in between, the one thing we wouldn't budge on is travel. I filled out Aurora's passport application before she turned two months old. The only significant change I foresaw in regards to how we would travel with a baby is that we would no longer test the limits of how far we would go for a short period. I knew our days of flying 11-12 hours to be somewhere for 36 hours were behind us, but I was ok with that. Those trips aren't for the faint of heart. But we had no plans to stop traveling.<br />
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Since I pretty much ignored this space for Aurora's first year, I thought I would recap just what our first trips together looked like.<br />
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<b>Florida - </b>At two months old, my mom and I packed a few bags and flew down to Orlando, FL to spend 4 weeks of my maternity leave in the warm weather. The Pilot followed with Peyton and a few more things in tow. I always knew I wanted to spend at least a month of my maternity leave somewhere else. I hoped it would be in Europe but I wanted to go somewhere warm, so Florida it was. We rented a townhouse in the Orlando area (anything beachside was way out of our price range). I woke up every morning and either took Aurora for a walk or went for a short run. We spent most days lounging by the pool and took a few trips to Universal Studios and Disney World. I absolutely hate the winter and being able to escape for a few months and get outside with the baby was so good for my mental health. By the time we get back, we only had a few short weeks of winter and it didn't seem bad at all.<br />
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<b>London - </b>With three passports in hand, we took the better part of a week to visit one of my absolute favorite cities - and the only other place besides DC that feels like home - London. We had the <i>best</i> time. It was the<b> </b><i>perfect</i> destination for our first overseas trip with Aurora. We rented a two-bedroom flat and spent the week just wandering. The only touristy thing we did was visit Buckingham Palace - something The Pilot had always wanted to do. It was great not having any pressure to get out and see and do things. Having lived in London for a bit, I know the city quite well. This trip was a chance for us to spend some time together as a family, away from the mountains of boxes we had yet to unpack from our move, and it was wonderful.<br />
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<b>Copenhagen - </b>Just a few weeks after returning from London, we packed up our bags again and headed back to Europe for a week in Copenhagen. This was our chance to test the waters of visiting a new place and trying to see the sight with a baby in tow. It was perfect. Copenhagen is an exceptionally family friendly city - everywhere we went was more than happy to accommodate us as a family of 3. We didn't see or do everything but we spent enough time there that the trip didn't feel rushed and I didn't feel like we missed out on anything. We also took a day trip to Malmo, Sweden which definitely gave me the Scandinavia travel bug!<br />
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Add in a wedding in Virginia (at jut 3 weeks old!), three trips to Texas, and four road trips to New Jersey to visit family, Aurora has definitely racked up her share of airline miles (if only we were eligible for airline miles!). At 16 months, she's been on 16 flights and we're definitely adding to that in the coming weeks.<br />
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I'll be sharing more detailed posts about each of these trips in the coming weeks but I wanted to give a little overview of what our first trips have looked like together. We've had easy flights and not so easy flights but if I will say this - I will choose a flight with a baby over a road trip ANY day. With the exception of a travel crib, diaper bag, and stroller, I don't feel like we carry much more than we did when it was just the two of us at all. Traveling hasn't been a hassle and while I know we're entering a period where it could start to get a little bit more challenging (maybe?), our last trip to Texas a few weeks ago proved that Aurora is a seasoned pro at this.<br />
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Because of our flight benefits, we never really plan out where we're going to go until a few weeks beforehand so I'm not too sure where this year will take us but I definitely need a beach vacation this year and I know we'll probably head back to Europe at some point. Either way, we have no plans to stop traveling any time soon!</div>
Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-58165868222303166052020-02-03T05:00:00.000-05:002020-02-03T05:00:06.090-05:002020.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Covent Garden, London</td></tr>
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<br />Hello!<br />
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Happy New Year. Happy February.<br />
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Welcome back.<br />
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I have always loved the New Year. I always make a lot of resolutions or goals and I usually stick with them. I love that the New Year is always a promise for new opportunities - new places to go, people to meet, things to discover...all of that. The start of the year is a reminder of how much newness there is in the world to constantly discover.<br />
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Next month will mark 10 years since I started this blog. While it's been almost 4 years since I've written with any kind of consistency, I've spent the last 4 years telling myself that I really miss blogging.<br />
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This year, I set what I hoped would be an easy blogging goal - one post per week. I knew I wouldn't start that in January. On top of training for a half-marathon later this month and a 30-day yoga challenge, I didn't want to be too ambitious. Now that it's February though, I'm here. I'm back, and I really hope to stick around.<br />
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I've got a few things planned for this space this year. I'll be sharing some highlights from our most recent travels to London and Copenhagen, and how the way we travel looks now that we have a baby. I'll post some tips for getting back into running after a long break (baby-induced or otherwise!). I'll write about my tips and tricks for traveling with a baby (especially since some of the most common advice I've read out there really hasn't worked too well for us). I'll share tons of photos of our new house and go into a little bit more detail about why we moved so soon after buying our house in Baltimore. I'll definitely write about our 2020 travel adventures as they happen. I also want to share some neighborhood guides to DC aimed at tourists looking to venture off the well-beaten path of the National Mall. I hope you'll read along. If there's anything you'd like to see, drop a comment below and let me know!<br />
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See you next week,<br />
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Christy<br />
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-41477020762458056192019-08-05T12:23:00.002-04:002019-08-05T12:23:38.303-04:00Hello Again!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can't believe I've only written two blog posts this year 😶<br />
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My last post was in March and so much has happened since then! If anyone is still reading this, I'll catch you up!<br />
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In June, we sold our house in Baltimore and bought a new house in the DC suburbs. We were in Baltimore exactly 18 months...not exactly prime time to sell the house that we had barely moved in to. The move was brought on by a few things. First, while my new job was only a 45 minutes drive without traffic, I never made it home in less than 90 minutes and, more often than not, it would take me two hours to get home. I had just gone back to work from maternity leave and was spending 11 hours away from my baby. It wasn't sustainable.<br />
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Commute aside, Baltimore was increasingly becoming a place we didn't want to live in. While it's less than an hour from DC, that hour made the drive seem really far. In the immediate weeks and months after Aurora was born, we barely had any visitors. When The Pilot went back to work after his parental leave, I was completely alone.The few friends we had in Baltimore didn't really make themselves available on those long weekends and I started dreading those weekends. We've been in the DC area for almost 7 years. DC is home and the friends we've made are family and Baltimore was just too far away to feel like we were still at home.<br />
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We never planned to be in Baltimore long-term. We always felt like three years would probably be it for us before we moved out of the area all together. The reality is that we were both unable and unwilling to buy a house in DC given the home prices there but wanted to invest in property. While we weren't in Baltimore long, selling that house gave us what we needed to be able to afford being closer to DC, while still giving us the ability to afford our home on one income in case one of us were ever to be out of work.<br />
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Our new house is perfect. I love everything about it. It's a brick, four-level split house on a cul-de-sac with an enormous yard and plenty of space for entertaining. We pretty much unpacked the essentials, painted the entire house, and haven't done anything else since. I have never felt so unsettled this long after a move but I come home every day so happy to be home. DC is a quick metro ride away and we see friends several nights a week. We're home and it feels so good.<br />
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This week, Aurora will be 10 months old and she's so much fun. She's been crawling for about two months now, has her two bottom teeth, says Mama and Dada, and is so curious about the world. This past week, she started laughing when she finds something funny and I love it. I absolutely love watching her grow, watching her mind work while she's figuring out a new toy, or trying to do something new.<br />
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I'm really loving my new job. I work with an amazing team of talented, fun people and I love being back on a college campus. It's weird to be thinking in terms of semesters again but I'll get used to it soon enough. While I've always been someone who strongly maintains that summer ends in late September, this new role is forcing me to think about summer being almost over as I'm gearing up for a busy fall semester. I'll also be taking a class this semester - just one to really get my feet back in academia but I'm so excited for it!<br />
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I'm also training for the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm technically in my 4th week of training but Aurora's first daycare cold sidelined me for two weeks and I'm just now getting back into running. I was following a 16-week marathon training plan that I wasn't really loving so I found a new, 12-week plan that I'm now following that I think will work a lot better for me while also catching me up after missing two weeks of training. It'll be three years since I've run a marathon and I'm excited to get back out there and tackle the distance! Finding time and space to run around The Pilot's schedule has been tricky but it's also held me accountable. I know I need to run on the days he's home or I'll derail my training for the week so that's been a big shift in my training.<br />
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The last 10 months have brought on more change in one year than I ever thought possible. Having a baby, leaving my job for a new one that, while is technically in the same field, feels like a major career move, selling our house, buying a house, and moving...it's been a lot! But I don't think I've ever been happy. These changes have all been good and wonderful things and I love where we are right now as a family. This new move also has us talking about staying in DC much more long-term, which is what we've always wanted but weren't sure would be possible so things are really, really good right now.<br />
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If I had to pick a downside it's that we haven't been on a vacation since January. I live by a motto of taking quarterly vacations...whether it's a weekend getaway or a big trip. Our two vacations that we had planned this year were derailed by the delay in the sale of our home (a process that - no kidding - was extremely traumatic) and our air conditioning breaking during the biggest heat wave to hit DC in something like half a century. We have a big vacation planned next month but I'm really hoping we can get away before that!<br />
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Until next time...<br />
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-79749645248339746342019-03-11T11:09:00.002-04:002019-03-11T11:09:54.053-04:00Back to Work<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today marks my fourth week back at work since maternity leave. Although, </span>instead<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of going "back" to work, I started a new job, one that is already proving to be infinitely less stressful and demanding than my previous one. Despite having a roughly 2.5 hour roundtrip commute each day, I'm feel like I have so much more balance in my life than my previous one. In similar vein with my last post, this post is all about the new role </span>I'm navigating - the role of working mom.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I thought I would have a really hard time going back to work, especially with so much change, but so far, my experience has been really positive. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It helps that I was home with </span>Aurora for 18 weeks.</b> <span style="font-family: inherit;">I have long advocated and supported paid maternity (and paternity!) leave and I truly believe that 6 months should be the standard minimum. I didn't feel like I was leaving my newborn behind. I didn't feel like I had barely </span>recovered from childbirth. I felt ready to go back to work. I miss my baby when I'm at work but since I've been back, my weekends feel like a wonderful eternity of playtime.<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">It helps </span>that our childcare situation is pretty ideal.</b> The Pilot is home with her 3 days every week and we have a couple of part-time nannies that come over the other days. My mom has also come down to stay with us for a week each month since I've been back. We do want to put her in daycare in the fall so that The Pilot can have his weekends back but this is a really ideal situation for right now.<br />
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<b>It helps that I'm working with other new moms</b>. A few of my new colleagues are new parents or will be soon and they've been in my shoes and have been really supportive helping me navigate not just my new role and workplace but my pumping breaks and communicating to my male colleagues why the new girl is away from her desk so often!<br />
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<b>It helps that I have a long commute.</b> Ok, this is probably the weirdest thing I'll say. I <i>hate</i> driving. I bought a brand new car in July before Aurora was born and dragged my feet for 3 months before The Pilot made me go to the dealership because I needed to have my own car when The Pilot's sits at the airport for 4 days at a time. When I worked from home, I really never stopped working. It was not unusual for me to work 7-7 or even later some nights. I had a lot of midnight deadlines with clients that really toed the line of how late they could push that. (I once submitted a $2M grant proposal at 11:59pm.) Having a long commute gives me time to think about my day and unwind. The commute is long but I don't sit in standstill traffic every day. I would trade it tomorrow for a shorter commute to spend more time at home with Aurora but I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I took this job and I spent two months thinking about whether I could do that commute, so now that I'm in the thick of it, I'm going to look at the bright side. Plus, audiobooks are a godsend!<br />
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So there are a lot of things working in my favor right now. I've figured out my commute and pumping, now I just need to figure out how I can start working out again but four weeks in, and I'm feeling really good about navigating my new role as a working mom. The days The Pilot is away are a tricky to navigate and a little more tiresome than the days I have his help but honestly, I feel like I have my shit together way more than I did before I had a baby. My days have to be more structured and so they are, and that's made this navigation much easier. There is still a lot I have to figure out and I know there are going to be times when this feels impossible, but right now, I'm happy.</div>
Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-981487428516013272019-02-01T10:00:00.000-05:002019-02-01T10:00:26.442-05:002019: New Year, New Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's a little late for a New Year's post but I've been trying to think about what to write for my first post of the year...and first post in over a month.</div>
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I've seen so many posts slamming the whole "New Year, New Me" mentality but in my case, it isn't so much a mentality as a reality. This year, I'm a mother and, I've settled into a much different routine with very different priorities. </div>
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I'm also starting a new job this month, moving out of the world of consulting into academia and I'm wildly excited about. In a lot of ways, I feel like this job is the dream job I never knew existed. I know that's saying a lot before I've even started but everything about this just feels right. And I think that's saying a lot considering I wasn't looking for a new job and definitely wasn't planning to leave where I was. I was happy there and comfortable but we grow when we leave our comfort zones so I'm looking forward to it.</div>
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I do love the start of the New Year and thinking of what the year will bring. I already know that this year is going to be fun. Aurora will say her first words, take her first steps, and experience so many firsts! And I'll be along for the ride juggling a new job with parenting and running and reading and yoga and all the things I've done before, trying to maintain some semblance of me in this new role. I know it won't be easy and if I've learned anything from parenting, it's to stop putting pressure on myself. The dishes might pile up but if Aurora wants to play, I'm going to play with her. </div>
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That said, I do like goals so here are my (hopefully realistic) goals for the year, and how I've done in January to date!</div>
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<b>Read 3 books each month.</b> I crushed this in January, reading a total of 6 books! I always want to make reading a priority, especially now that I have a baby. I want her to see me reading and do the same when she's older. It helps that she's at an age now where she's too distracted to nurse in anything but a quiet room where I can get some reading done!</div>
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<b>Run a marathon.</b> I'm not quite running yet but I'm doing a combination of walking with running and plan to be running again in a few weeks. I have my sights set on a fall marathon. As much as I'm still dying to get that sub-4 marathon off my back, I don't have any time goals. I just want to tackle the distance again. It's been way too long.</div>
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<b>Keep traveling.</b> I was shocked at how many people asked me how I reconciled giving up travel for a baby. I've never had any intention of giving up travel. We got Aurora her passport for Christmas and, while we haven't used it yet, we will soon. In her 3 and a half months, we've taken her to Virginia, New Jersey, and Florida. Next up is a trip to Texas and then we'll start thinking about an international trip. Traveling with a baby, so far, is easy. I have no expectations that it will stay that way but I don't think that means it has to stop. </div>
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<b>Maintain a regular yoga practice.</b> Every January, I do <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene">Yoga with Adriene's</a> 30 Day Yoga Challenge. This year was no different. I'm about a week behind since long travel days and a sinus infection got in my way but I never actually thought I would be able to do the challenge in 30 days with a baby. I gave myself the grace and space to step off the mat when I needed to. Sometimes that meant that a 20-minute video took an hour because she woke up from a short nap or got fussy but I still got it done. I'm carrying the challenge into February and have every intention of completing it by the middle of the month and then, we'll see! I'm lucky to belong to a gym that offers both yoga and childcare but I haven't actually taken any classes yet. Usually, I can get to the gym and get in a 30-35 minute workout before she wakes up and needs to eat but now that she's a little bit older, her naps are getting longer and she can play independently. </div>
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It's strange to look ahead at this year. In a way, everything has changed but in a lot of ways, things are the same. I had a lot of time to think about what life after a baby would look like (more time than I wanted) and even though everyone says you can't prepare for a baby, I think I was pretty well prepared. As for my blog, I'll post in this space when I can but I'm not going tp make ambitious promises like I have in years past. It's taken me close to a month to write this post (because I was reading so much!) but I'm hoping to be back soon!</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-11229800199586425922018-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:002018-12-13T07:00:07.011-05:00Aurora's Travel-Themed Nursery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I found out I was pregnant, there were two things I knew for certain right away - that I didn't want to know the sex of the baby and that I wanted a travel-themed nursery. We had a <a href="http://www.planestrainsandrunningshoes.com/2015/02/wedding-pictures-details.html">travel-themed wedding</a>, why wouldn't we have a travel-themed nursery? It's kind of our thing...The Pilot is, well, a pilot and I've been addicted to traveling for as long as I can remember.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.urbanrowphoto.com/">Urban Row Photography</a></td></tr>
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It started with this wallpaper that I found on Pinterest. It was a map of the world that had to be custom ordered from Portugal, was going to cost something like $500, and that The Pilot was adamant about not putting up after our brick wallpaper project (more on that later!). He was the one who came up with the idea to have a mural painted and we're fortunate to have a friend who graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art come over to paint our mural.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: <a href="https://www.urbanrowphoto.com/">Urban Row Photography</a></td></tr>
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Eventually, Aurora's name will be painted into the plane's banner! Above the changing table are prints of some of our favorite cities that we hope to take her to one day - London, Sydney, and Dubai! I bought and printed them from Etsy shop, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrooklynPrintCompany">Brooklyn Print Company</a>.<br />
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I adore her nursery. Even though she won't be sleeping in it for quite some time, I love spending time with her in there to nurse her, read to her, change her, play with her, or rock her to sleep. It's such a bright, fun space!</div>
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When I told people that we weren't finding out the sex of the baby, the first thing almost <i>everyone</i> said was, "Oh I could never do that! I'm such a planner!" Ugh! Anyone who has ever met me knows that I am too! But we planned her nursery just fine without knowing what she was! I think her nursery is perfectly neutral and would have worked just as well for a boy! It's bright, fun, colorful, whimsical, and I adore it! </div>
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If you're interested in some details and links: </div>
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<li>Her crib is the Connor 4-in-1 from the <a href="https://davincibaby.com/collections/carters-by-davinci/products/connor-4-in-1-convertible-crib?variant=12407668539509">Carter's by DaVinci </a>collection.</li>
<li>I bought her mobile at TJ Maxx for like $6! It was a total steal! </li>
<li>The hot air balloon sheets are from <a href="https://www.target.com/p/crib-fitted-sheet-hot-air-balloons-cloud-island-153-gray/-/A-75003226">Target</a>! We also have matching pajamas, a onesie, and a muslin blanket which I love!</li>
<li>Our changing pad is the <a href="https://www.keekaroo.com/peanut-changer.html">Keekaroo Peanut</a> and I <b>love</b> it. Seriously, this thing is so easy! It's made of a soft, foam-like material that is easy to just wipe down when it gets messy (which happens often!). It gets a little bit cold so we cover it with a muslin blanket but this changing pad is perfect! </li>
<li>I bought my glider from <a href="https://www.wayfair.com/baby-kids-teen/pdp/viv-rae-griffin-glider-and-ottoman-vvre4889.html">Wayfair</a> and it is <b>so comfortable!</b> I was nervous about buying a Glider online but this one is perfect and very reasonably priced at under $200.</li>
<li>The hot air balloon print is another Etsy find from a shop called <a href="https://www.etsy.com/transaction/1494155692">Dream Paper Company</a>. </li>
<li>The cloud lamps are from Ikea! These provide the perfect, soft lighting for her nursery!</li>
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None of these are affiliate links, I just wanted to share in case anyone else is in the market for baby gear!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056853145561997056.post-17687408302879505092018-10-25T09:05:00.000-04:002018-10-25T09:05:54.216-04:00It's A Girl!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Two weeks ago, The Pilot and I welcomed our sweet baby girl, Aurora Olivia, into the world and I couldn't be more in love.<br />
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We've been thinking about and planning for these early weeks with a baby for so long and now that we're finally experiencing it, we've jumped right in. We're learning to respond to her cues and what different cries mean, what she needs when, and even getting her on a very loose schedule (eat, play, sleep). For the first week, we didn't have any visitors - I wanted that time for us to figure out our new family and I don't regret that decision for a second. Although, now that my mom is here, I'm so grateful for the extra help!</div>
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I thought I'd write this post to share a little bit about how we're doing and answer some of the most common questions I've gotten since bringing Aurora home!</div>
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<b>How am I doing?</b> Postpartum recovery has been tough. I thought I managed my expectations well but two weeks postpartum, I still can't go up or down stairs without pain and I still can't get in or out of bed while holding Aurora. I've graduated from being mostly bedridden to being able to get up and about the house. We've left the house quite a bit but it's always a struggle. I didn't expect to still feel like this two weeks postpartum without major complications or a c-section but here we are. I didn't have any complications but it took 27 hours of active labor with almost 5 hours of pushing to bring her into the world and that isn't easy to recover from. I honestly thought I'd be back to walking Peyton within a week of coming home and thought that timeline might even seem generous. I'm listening to my body but I really want to be able to just go outside and take a walk. I talked to my midwife about it and she said that I could still be feeling like this for another week or two which is a little disappointing so I'm just doing what I can to try to heal.</div>
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<b>Did we really not know what we were having?</b> Yup! It was a total surprise and the absolute best moment when, right after she was born, The Pilot said, "It's a girl!" I never really had a feeling one way or another through my pregnancy. I wouldn't really let myself have a strong feeling one way or the other. The night before I found out I was pregnant, I had a dream that I had a boy. Right around the start of my third trimester, I had a dream that I was having a girl. We had already picked out names for both a boy and a girl and two weeks before she was born, I was driving and got cut off by a truck with the name Aurora written across the back and then I really started wondering if she might be a girl. </div>
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<b>How did we choose her name?</b> The Pilot and I had a really hard time thinking of baby names. It was really important to me that our baby's name could easily be said by my Spanish speaking family. I didn't feel like the name had to be Spanish but it needed to be easily translatable and that was tough. The Pilot came home one day and asked how I felt about Aurora. He had just heard the name somewhere and liked it but what he didn't know was that Aurora was my great grandmother's name, is my grandmother's middle name, and my aunt's middle name! And that was it! I've always liked the name Olivia so we chose it as her middle name.</div>
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<b>How is Peyton handling a baby in the house?</b> Peyton doesn't think she's allowed near Aurora. It's pretty adorable. She gets pretty close to her but won't come too close even when we try to get her to, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Every time The Pilot takes her out, she comes back in and runs to the bassinet to check on Aurora. It's adorable. She definitely doesn't mind having a baby in the house though. When she wakes up in the middle of the night, Peyton runs to her bassinet and lays down underneath it. It's super cute. </div>
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So that's it! We have a baby and I have to say, it's pretty great!</div>
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Christy Ashleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15174474126186536847noreply@blogger.com0