Life at the Cottage

New Blog

2010-11-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,
Please visit a new blog I've started with my husband Jon : http://runforandy.blogspot.com/

Art for Adoption

2010-09-23T08:25:00.001-07:00

Check out my friend Amy's art to raise money to adopt their son from Africa. All the proceeds will go to help with the cost.

A New Cottage!

2010-05-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Well the Thompsons have moved cottages! We no longer live in our sweet honeymoon cottage out in the woods. We have bought a house in the city! It is just as charming and sweet- just minus a peacock! I will post some pictures- we are in the midst of fixing it up (painting, taking up carpet, removing the handicap ramp :) )

Pictures coming soon!!

Mama Mia!

2010-03-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

My mom gave me a pasta maker about 2 years ago, and it has sat in our laundry room collecting dust ever since. Well, this weekend we had some friends over for dinner and decided to try our hand at pasta making. IT WAS AWESOME!!! I can't believe I have been buying Kroger brand nasty boxed pasta after trying this. For all you C'villians, I am going to give Mona Lisa Pasta some serious competition.

All it took was some water, eggs and flour. I added a little basil for kicks. Put that with some homemade chicken parmesan and you might as well think you're in Italy.

The drying process

Blizzard!

2010-01-08T14:12:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas we got SO MUCH SNOW!! I'm talking like 30 inches! It was really fun for awhile until we realized we might miss Christmas with our families since we couldn't get our cars out of our driveway. It took Jon 4 hours to shovel from our front porch to the back of our car!

Thankfully we hitch hiked a ride down the road into town and got a ride to Jon's parent's house with Jon's brother and family!

Jon's bug

Fall in C'ville

2009-10-25T17:19:00.001-07:00

Our house.... well its close to our house..

Take luck....

2009-10-25T17:15:00.001-07:00

For Jon's b-day, I got him tickets to see Brian Regan. He has worked with the venue where he was performing, and they gave us passes to go back stage and meet him! It was so fun- he's totally laid back and very nice. We laughed so hard our faces hurt!

U2

2009-10-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, U2 came to our little town of Charlottesville! It was so awesome- they played at UVa's football stadium (which now Jon can say he and Bono have played in the same stadium). It was a beautiful October night with good friends, great music, and sweet views.

So excited for the show!

Bono, AKA the man

The Edge

Four Miler!

2009-10-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Back in September, I ran in my first race! It was just a little 4 miler, but it was definitely the farthest I had ever run :) My sisters-in-law ran it along with my mother-in-law, and some of my best friends. My parents and Andy even came down for the weekend!

The Thompson ladies

Friends from School

The Bridge Fam!

Go Jan! Go Jan!

Becca and me at some mile in the race.

Bug!

2009-10-17T07:00:00.001-07:00

Jon's Jeep died this summer, so now he has his '71 Beetle here! It is so fun to drive- even though you smell like gas when you get out, sweat to death, and get a little jerked around :)

Mystery solved

2009-07-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

I now know why we've caught 7 mice in the last month! I moved some stuff in our laundry room the other day, only to find an entire bag of birdseed in the corner, totally eaten. We've been fattening up all the mice on our property for who knows how long! Thankfully, after I swept it all up, there have been no more mice!

Buffet line for the mice....

Bye Jeepski!

2009-07-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

I never thought we would have lost BOTH of our cars in a 3 month period, but sadly, Jon's Jeep up and died on us. It would have been more expensive to fix it than the value of it. So, once again, we are a one car family.

My neice the nerd

2009-07-14T13:11:00.001-07:00

My Garden!

2009-07-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

My vegetables had started to outgrow their pots, so we decided to dig up a little plot of weeds and make a garden! Hopefully they will grow nice and big out here and give us a bounty!

farmer Jon found a potato as we were digging

The Before

The After
Watering the peppers

Not for the faint of heart

2009-06-26T17:52:00.000-07:00

This is really freaky/creepy/gross... but this week I got bit by a black widow. You heard me, a black widow. My leg got all swollen and bruised, and I am really freaked out that a nasty thing was crawling on me.

I got blood work done at the doctor and apparently I'm fine and don't have to go on antibiotics! But I have a big ol' bruise on my leg which makes going to the pool slightly embarrassing....

Life on the funny farm

2009-06-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

As much as I utterly despise this bird ( I have been awaken at 5:00 every morning by him...), he is absolutely stunning! I love the details that God put into this creation. If only He had created it without a voicebox. I guess even Beau is effected by the Fall....

My Green(ish) thumb

2009-06-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

A lot of people update their blogs with their kid's progress in life, I however am giddy about the tomato plant that I recently planted. The variety is a big boy, and I do believe they are going to be big boys. Right now they are itty bitty, but supposedly they are going to be around a pound each!!

The country is no place for me

2009-06-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the 5 people who read my blog for calming my fears that NO ONE reads it!

Living in the country has its advantages, such as beautiful scenery, being able to go on your front porch scantily clad, peace and quiet (for those minus a peacock). However, I am finding the cons outweigh the pros. Such as finding mice all in our laundry room!!! As I type, JT is disposing of a dead mouse. And there is a MISSING mouse trap!!!!! That means there is a dying animal somewhere in my laundry room attached to a mouse trap.

Last week there was one IN the washing machine!!!! I screamed for about 20 seconds and slammed the door back down and tried to call Jon at work about 9 times in a row. Here is our email dialogue:

I’m on the phone Lo. Please stop calling!

Jon Thompson | account manager
musictoday | sportstoday
434.951.0345 | 434.951.9006 fx

Lauren Thompson

to jon.thompson

show details Jun 18 (9 days ago)

JON ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IS A MOUSE IN OUR WASHING MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M FREAKING OUT

I eventually got ahold of our landlord who came and scooped it right out! I know... I'm such a wuss!

Survey

2009-06-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I know my blog isn't the most exciting thing in the world, and I really slack with updating it. BUT I promise to be better this summer.... that is if people actually look at this :) Call it insecurity if you will, but I need to know, DOES ANYONE READ THIS??? If so, would you kindly comment :)

Grilled Bread Salad

2009-06-17T13:52:00.001-07:00

Oh my, this is so good! I saw it on the Food Network, and decided to give it a try. I give it two big thumbs up!

Barefoot Contessa's Panzanella Salad Recipe

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small french bread or boule , cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 inch thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1-inch cubes
1 inch cubes
1/2 red onion cut in half & thinly sliced
20 large basil leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons capers drained

Vinagrette:

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 tablespoons champagne (or red) vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Oil both sides of the bread, and place on a hot grill- grill for about 1 min on each side.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the ingredients.

In a large bowl,mix tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt 7 pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavours to blend.

My new project

2009-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

I am in love with Amy Butler fabrics... They are so fun and bright and just lovely. My summer project is going to be to make SOMETHING out of her fabric! I'm thinking I'll start small with a pillow, and get ambitious and make a quilt. Here are some things out of her fabric that make me smile...

Coldplay!

2009-05-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

We went to Hershey, PA last weekend and rode roller coasters and hit up the water park all day! Then, that night we saw Coldplay front and center...
Then they came out to the side stage that our chairs were directly next to and we could have reached out and touched them!!! So fun :)

At the end, millions of paper butterflies fall from the sky!

You can see his sweat!

so happy!

Welcome back...

2009-05-11T16:59:00.001-07:00

Now that spring has sprung, so has Beau. He has been calling day and night, waking us up at 5 a.m. to his obnoxious calls. So far, he hasn't climbed on our roof. Its only a matter of time.
Check out his antics ...

Presley Thompson

2009-04-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

My niece, Presley had a sleepover last week!

Charleston

2009-04-14T16:45:00.001-07:00

I went to Charleston, SC for Spring Break and here are some of the pics!

A great b-day

2009-04-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

So, I wasn't crazy about turning 27- for a couple of reasons. It is that much closer to 30, and its an odd number, and I'm not crazy about odd numbers. Nevertheless, it was a fabulous day. My students gave me so many cute cards, and each came in to the class carrying a gerber daisy, and one of the parents is a professional cake baker and gave me a gorgeous cake! It was followed that night with a dinner made by my man, and dinner the next night out at the Shebeen- an African restaurant with some of our friends to also celebrate Lewis's b-day.

No Propane? No problem!

2009-04-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last week we were so excited to use our grill for the first time this season. That was until we realized it was taking FOREVER to cook the meat. Apparently you have to change the propane (who knew??) I actually did know that in case you were judging me, I just didn't know it had run out :)
So, we jerry-rigged up the grill grate on top of our fire pit and had some awesome flame cooked steak!!

Goodbye Infiniti

2009-02-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, I had a scary ride to school, and got in a really bad car accident that totaled my car. I thankfully walked away with just some bruises and lots of soreness! I am so sad to say goodbye to my beloved car, but am glad that we had some good years together.

Two thousand nine hundred forty

2009-01-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Marisa inspired me to count how many times a day I hear "Mrs. Thompson" at school, after she calculated how many times she hears, "mommy" a day. Well, today in the first FIVE minutes of school, I heard 'Mrs. Thompson' THIRTY FIVE TIMES!!!! What????
So, after a few calculations of my own, I deducted that in a 7 hour school day, I would hear my name.... TWO THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND FORTY TIMES!!!!!

I knew I was starting to lose my mind. Now I know why.

These are the ones to thank. Nevermind the dude in the back... this is the only picture I had of my class on this computer :)

Tasty Tuesday- Beer Bread

2009-01-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOODNESS!! I made this last night and Jon and I were falling out of our chairs it was so good!! And its from Cooking Light, so you can eat the whole loaf and feel great about yourself :)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
13.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (12-ounce) bottle lager-style beer (such as Budweiser,I used Blue Moon Spring Ale)
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons melted butter, divided

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in pepper and garlic; cook 1 minute.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; make a well in center of mixture. Add onion mixture, cheese, and beer to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

4. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon butter over batter. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until deep golden brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Man Heat

2009-01-24T12:27:00.001-08:00

Ok, I know this is gross, but I need to talk about something that is going on in my life. Its something I call "man heat". I am always cold. I sleep in socks, pants and a fleece sweatshirt. Somewhere in the night, I wake up sweating. You might think it is because of my superfluous clothes, but its not. It is because of Jon's man heat. He is like sleeping with a heater. I am on a mission to find out if anyone else knows of this man heat. I don't have a picture to add of my own, but here is what I found when I google image seached man heat:

This guy knows what I'm talking about.

Putting the pest to use...

2008-12-15T18:59:00.001-08:00

I decided since Beau was at least beautiful, I could use the little guy's feathers to make something cool. Alas! Someone's Christmas gift!
(No peacocks were harmed to make this gift. Unfortunately.)

Christmas at the cottage!

2008-12-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

We have had so much fun decorating for Christmas! We got the shortest tree at a pretty posh Christmas store... they were so expensive! We had to get the runt of the litter in order to be able to pay our rent this month :) Its still a beauty!

Crafty time

2008-11-30T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have been having some serious dilemmas about picking out stockings for Jon and me. I want them to be special, and we both have our stockings that our grandmothers made us when we were born. I don't want to take those though from our parents, because we need stockings when we go home! Anyway, after looking at every store, every website, I just decided to make some! My mom and I sat down and made some after Thanksgiving, and I must say I'm pretty proud of myself :) I am still working on Jon's because he wanted: the mountains, a cabin with smoke coming out of a chimney, trees- one with lights on it, and snow. I actually have all that on there! I just have to finish stitching it.

Hard at work

Ta da! My stocking! I have to embroider my name on it still (somehow...)

C'ville with the Notty's!

2008-11-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

Who cares if it was a month ago? Our great friends, Josh and Marisa Nottingham (and baby Lincoln) came down to C'ville to visit! I still am having great issues with my computer, but I put these on Jon's so I could update the ol' blog. Here are some pics when we toured Monticello and UVa. Josh is a HUGE history buff so we all went and got inspired by TJ.

Some of my favorites

2008-10-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

Since I can't add any new pictures (still don't have my camera!) I thought I would add some of my favorite wedding pics, even though my wedding was five months ago :)

You've missed him

2008-10-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

Please look for my children's book (seriously this is one of my goals in life) called : There's A Peacock on my Pickup.

Yummy

2008-10-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

I have been a blog slacker. One reason is I work about 60 hours a week. Another excuse is that my stupid computer won't recognize my camera, and so I cannot add new pictures. Not to mention, Marisa and Josh were here this weekend, and my camera made it into Marisa's purse, and is now in Indiana.
My life has been super exciting and fun and I have great pictures, but alas, cannot share them with the world.
Instead, I will share a great recipe I tried tonight!
Sweet Potato Risotto
1 onion diced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed in 1/4 inch squares
2 t olive oil
1 cup rice
salt
pepper
1 cup dry white wine
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 c parmesean cheese

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and some salt and pepper for about 5 minutes until it's soft. Add the sweet potatoes, and cook for a few minutes. Add the white wine and stir until its absorbed. Add the water, about 3/4 cups at a time and let it absorb. It will take about 25 minutes for it to all absorb. When the liquid is absorbed, add the parmesean cheese, and enjoy!!

Squirm and Lys!!

2008-09-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

Our awesome friends Jeremy and Alyssa are on the hunt for a Grad School program for Jeremy... so they came all the way from Seattle to UVa to look and visit us! We had such a fun weekend eating out and listening to music, playing the Wii, and even had a trip to Gold's Gym. Unfortunately this is the only picture I took while they were here!! Come to Charlottesville!!!

A close encounter

2008-09-28T17:54:00.001-07:00

I had the front door open the other day because it was so beautiful outside, and wanted to get some fresh air! I was VERY close to having this guy in my house.

I chased him away, but he was back.

Eventually I had to get up and shut the door. He is so nosy!

Oh so close...!

2008-09-11T15:16:00.001-07:00

I drove home today from school with the foggy Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, and came upon my favorite store, with one of my favorite sights... signs of Fall! I count down everyday with my students how many days until the first day of Autumn (I think its 11 now!). I can't wait :)

As much as I long for chilly nights, carving pumpkins and drinking hot cider, I long even more for what Isaiah 25 talks about. I read this tonight, and am so thankful for a God that keeps His promises.
"He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears. It will be said on that day, Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

A different view...

2008-08-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

Jon and I got to go on a hot air balloon ride over Charlottesville this weekend. It was so beautiful and fun!

Welcome to Room 106!

2008-08-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

My lack of blogging (if anyone even reads this!) is due to the first week of school! I have been super busy and super tired. I did have a great first week of school though, and here are some pictures to show you what's going on!

Is that a dead animal on your floor?

2008-08-08T20:06:00.000-07:00

No, its the remnants of Jon's hair...

Jon had begun to resemble a Beatle (we do love John, Paul, Ringo and George, but seriously...), and got the great idea to buzz his hair off. After 8 days of deliberating, he finally took the plunge. So, tonight we went to town, and he is a new man! Instead of likening Chewbacca, he actually looks like a State Trooper now...

Naive excitement

Oh my gosh, we're really doin it!

Well, no turning back now!

Still handsome! And 15lbs lighter!
The crime scene. The weapon.

I love this boy...

2008-08-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

JT turned 26 on Wednesday!! We have been wanting Mario Kart for the Wii for so long, and its sold out everywhere. His parents found it on Amazon and sent it to him! He was so happy!

Hooray!

We even had a great birthday dinner, and I made shishkebobs for the first time in my life! They were fantastic, I must say...

My mom, super woman

2008-08-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

My mom is the most amazing person ALIVE! She can do anything, and and anything amazingly. She came to visit last week, and did so much generous, kind stuff for us! Including washing every single book in my classroom. AND she made this amazing cherry pie that looks fake because its so perfect!

Just mindin' my bidness...

2008-07-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Sitting at the office desk on the 2nd floor of our house mind you... when out the window, who else do I see but our feathered friend...

Its been awhile since you got a Beau update. Don't worry, he's still kickin it at the ol' homestead... walking on our roof and making a ruckus.

So Southern and Cultured...

2008-07-28T10:22:00.001-07:00

Well, Jon is very southern... I guess I"m starting to give in. As for the cultured part- we like to pretend! There are so many great things about Charlottesville, and one of them is the abundance of wineries around. On Sunday, we took off to King Family Vineyard, which is only like 8 minutes from our house. with our friends Maggie and Lewis. On Sundays, they have polo games- which I had never seen. Its kind of like field hockey or soccer, but on a horse. While the polo game was fun, lets be honest, we were far more into the wine tasting and our picnic!

ridiculously good looking people

The horses and polo guys (jockies?) doin their thing. *Note the gorgeous mountains*

Lew loves him some wine

Thompson/Lovett party of 4

Thank you Bobby Flay

2008-07-25T08:26:00.000-07:00

How yummy does THIS look?

Currently being out of school, I pretty much spend my days looking for new things to make for Jon and me :) I think this will be one of them for tonight!

White Peach Sangria

1 bottle		white wine (Spanish table wine)
3 ounces		brandy
2 ounces		triple sec
1 cup		orange juice
1 cup		pineapple juice
2 ounces		simple syrup
3 ounces		white peach puree (peel peaches, remove pit and puree in a blender with a small amount of water
		fresh peaches, oranges and apples, sliced

Place all ingredients in a pitcher and stir to mix. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours. Serve over ice.

Servings: 6

Cooking Tips

*To prepare simple syrup, mix equal parts of sugar and water brought to a boil for 2 minutes in a small saucepan and then cooled- leftover syrup can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Fun in the Sun

2008-07-21T13:46:00.001-07:00

Jon and I just got back from spending 5 days with the Thompsons in New Smyrna Beach, FL. We always have so much fun, and had even more fun this year with our niece Presley!

The star of the week :)

night time entertainment from JT

at my favorite restaurant The Garlic

Four wheeling on the beach!

our awesome ride

So happy to be a beach baby!

The Market

2008-07-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

One reason I love Charlottesville so much is the local farmer's market. My perfect Saturday is to get up and walk to the market, get some coffee and a donut and stroll the aisles of the market!
Not only are there so many beautiful things to look at, but its a great chance to support local growers, and get fresh produce that is safe and didn't have to travel far!

One of my new favorites-- rainbow swiss chard. Its beautiful and delicious and super healthy for you! Just sautee it in some olive oil and enjoy :)

I made enough basil pesto to last for a loooooooong time!

Becca Boo and I made some fresh squeezed lavender lemonade

Fun weekend

2008-07-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a blast! We had our friends Lewis and Maggie over for dinner and had a rousing game of Scrabble, and a lot of fun hanging out with such dear friends.

Saturday we went to Ruckersville with our brother and sister in law Ben and Summer and our friend Brandon to be old folks and go antiquing and then to a wine tasting at a vineyard! Unfortunately I didn't take my camera, but here are some pics of what we got!
An awesome old mirror from the 40's that we put above our fireplace, and a sweet trunk to use as a coffee table.

sweet mirror
sweet trunk

On Sunday we headed up to D.C. (where Jon stayed to work all week :( ) but got to see our great friends Josh and Marisa (and baby Lincoln). We had dinner and walked around the city at night and got some great views of the memorials.

the man
great friends
so cute pushing the stroller together...

Finally, I had an exercise in extreme self control last night. As you can see, Beau was RIGHT in front of my car, and would not move. Yet... I let him live...You were lucky... this time

Get a human!

2008-06-27T11:00:00.001-07:00

This is very helpful if you hate calling service places such as your cable company, credit card, etc...
These phone #'s give you a direct line to people. I've tried it and it works!

www.gethuman.com

The thorn in my side...

2008-06-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

Living in the city the last two years, I have been woken up in the middle of the night to bumpin bass coming from cars driving down the street, yelling neighbors, sirens, car horns, and even the lovely high pitched song that the Hispanic family installed on their van that played whenever they put it in reverse!
Now that I have moved out to the country and the serene mountain side, you would think the noise would cease. Well, I long for the sounds of sirens and blasting music because now I have to listen to a PEACOCK! Yes, thats right... there are three peacocks on our property and I want to kill them.

Beau is the most annoying thing in the world! Sometimes he walks on our roof and it sounds like someone is coming to break into our house. Then he sleeps in a tree directly behind our bedroom and sounds like a woman crying for help!

The culprit

Being Domestic

2008-06-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last week we discovered a cherry tree on our property and decided to get pickin! We picked a ton, and then I decided to do the healthy thing and make fried pies out of them! They were amazing, especially for breakfast with coffee :)

our stash

JT getting it done

Some honeymoon pics...

2008-06-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, my camera died on like day three of the honeymoon, and it was overcast the days that I had it! Alas, these are not the greatest pictures, but it will give you an idea of how fabulous the Dominican Republic was to us!

JT with one our favorite drinks, Coco Loco! Watch out, it might give you the runs...

On the ship taking us to snorkel with the sharks! Yes, sharks...

On the scary bus ride... notice the truck we are running off the road

Micheal Jackson show! I wish I had taken my silver glove...

One of the entertainment nights

Our fun room with a Honeymooners banner... we stole it and now its on our bedroom door.

I've joined the Blogging world...

2008-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

All of my friends have inspired me to start a blog... and living out in the woods in a cottage we have some pretty great stories as newlyweds, so I thought "what better thing to do than share them with the world on a blog" :)
So, enjoy the ramblings of Mrs. Thompson...