This weekend, I took a break from the DC tour of homes, and The Cribline House Pick of the Week, and I went South to Rappahannock County, VA the home of the Inn at Little Washington (Washington, VA) and Sperryvillefor the President’s Day weekend.
There are no cell towers out there, so I...more was disconnected for 2 solid days. When was the last time your smartphone was useless? No email, no texts, no mobile phone.
I went out with a couple friends and I made a reservation at the wonderful and friendly Hopkins Ordinary bed and breakfast in downtown Sperryville… with some of the best chocolate chip cookies around btw… great rooms, great hospitality… only the reservation was for the wrong night. So, just when I thought we were stuck without a place to stay, my good pal Jimmy, a local resident, put me in touch with his friend Pam who was just putting the finishing touches on her newly restored and impeccably decorated rental cottage. It was available. What for a moment seemed like a

 
The following information was sent to us by Brie Hall:
 
Lent will begin on February 22, 2012, with Catholics around the world fasting and receiving ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross as a symbol of penance and conversion. In the Archdiocese of Washington, Lent...more also marks the beginning of “The Light is On for You” initiative and also “Operation Rice Bowl.”
 
            Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and is the 40-day penitential period before Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. The imposition of ashes is an ancient practice found in the Old Testament. Once a public sign of an individual’s repentance, it became part of the Church’s Lenten preparations by the seventh century. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), Catholics between 18 and 59 years old observe a modified fast. Guidelines allow for one full meal per day. Catholics age 14 and over abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and every

Complementary fashion and beauty services at L2 Lounge in Georgetown: Nice!

Thanks to our caring community, we found the foster homes needed and then some for the dogs who were temporarily displaced during a renovation project at our New York Avenue adoption center. We can’t thank our friends and supporters enough for stepping in to help animals in need. In an effort...more to provide a better environment for all of the animals in our care, major improvement projects continue at our New York Avenue facility, and this time, it is our cats who are looking to their community for help.

The current construction project will displace numerous cats from their temporary homes in our adoption center – once again, as the only open access shelter in Washington, DC, this impacts us tremendously. WHS takes in an average of 30 animals every day and we never turn away an animal who needs our help. We hope we can count on you to help by providing short-term emergency foster care, or by spreading the word your families, friends and communities.
 
Foster

Target Corp. will host free in-store reading events at all Target stores nationwide this Saturday, February 25 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., in celebration of the National
Education Association’s (NEA’s) Read Across America program. Each event will include a reading nook inspired by Dr. Seuss’ “The...more Lorax,” a reusable Target
bag filled with activities for children, readings by Target team members, and more.
 
Since 2003, Target has supported the NEA’s Read Across America program, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on or around
March 2, the birthday of beloved children’s author, Dr. Seuss. As a result of its support of programs like this, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education
by the end of 2015.
 
Click here to find the Target store in your community.

 
Take a look at these photos, courtesy of the Washington Humane Society, of dogs currently available for adoption at the WHS Georgia Avenue location.
To find out more information about the Georgia Avenue shelter or more information about any of the dogs you see above, visit the Washington Humane Society's website.

 
The following information was sent to us by Mike Bailey:
The Family & Youth Casting Call (FYCC) is a fun family and youth fishing event at Fletcher's Cove on the C&O Canal in Washington DC. The 2012 event is scheduled for Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21.
What better way...more to get kids “hooked” on nature than by teaching them how to fish?  This April, local and national fishing and conservation organizations will once again host the Family & Youth Casting Call to help “set the hook” for children to learn about nature and fishing in the Washington, DC area. A wiggling fish on the end of a taut line can be one of the most tangible connections between having fun outside and learning about conserving our natural resources.
During this action-packed event, partners will provide all the tools and training necessary for youth to catch fish in the C&O Canal. Volunteer instructors will teach safety and basic fishing techniques and our sponsors will supply the bait

February is known as Heart Month in American, and for good reason. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in America. Each day, across the country, roughly 2,200 people that die from the disease. It’s also the...more leading cause of disability across the country, preventing people from working and living their lives as they would like to. With this in mind, it’s a good time to pay attention even to the little things that can either help or hurt the heart.
“Snacks may seem like trivial things, overall,” explains Jolly Backer, the chief executive officer of Fresh Healthy Vending (www.freshvending.com). “But if you think about it in terms of a year, you will end up eating around 400 to 750 snacks per year, if you have one or two per day. That really adds up and can make a big difference in your heart health.”
Snacks, for most people, are a reality of life. Not many people will go day in and day out

WASHINGTON  (WUSA) -- Hundreds of people enjoying a beautiful Saturday morning at the Georgetown waterfront found themselves in the middle of a grisly death investigation.

District Police and first responders swarmed the banks of the creek behind Thompson's Boat House, after someone...more enjoying the unusually pleasant morning came across the unusually unpleasant sight of a body half submerged in the water.

Friday night a report of a body near the boathouse sent police on a search that came up short. Saturday morning the body washed up across from the Swedish embassy.

It's not clear what if any evidence was collected on that scene or near the body. Many tourists and visitors got caught up in a CSI investigation that closed off for hours a portion of the waterfront.

The body has been transported to the medical examiners' office to determine a cause of death.

Social networking has been and still is a big part of our lives. For some of us, it's our whole lives.
But, it can ruin your life before the blink of an eye and put you to shame. I’ve always said that Facebook should come with a sign that says: “handle with care.” Every time I tell someone...more that, I get the same reaction: the silent smile, the nod and shaking of the head at the same time. How tragic.
Facebook was invented in 2004 and has 845 million active users with different opinions, different personalities from different locations. That’s what makes it so fun, so mysterious and makes it so easy to find friends that you didn’t even know you had.
Who needs them? Nobody knows, but what we do know is that 5000 friends on Facebook makes you cool. How tragic.
As a 24-year-old Swede with roots from Iran and family all over the world, I am really thankful that Facebook was invented. It has helped me a lot in my work and with family connections. But some people are just

 
200,000 Teens Will Give Up Food to Fight Global Hunger  World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine, Feb. 24 -25.

Who comes to mind when you think of people who are resilient? I believe we think they are people who have “superpowers” or are legends. The truth is they are ordinary people like you and me doing extraordinary things. Some are people who are dealing with significant health issues. Other people...more use their strengths and positive attitudes each day to handle difficult situations such as a job loss, living in a turbulent economy, life or career transition, or loss of a loved one.  Others set specific goals they want to accomplish. They want to take their life to the next level to reach a deeper meaning and purpose.
One person that comes to mind for me is Randy Pausch, the teacher from Carnegie Melon who passed away several years ago from pancreatic cancer. At the time of his famous “Last Lecture”, Pausch was given three to six months to live. Pausch's speech "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," was as upbeat, inspirational and resilient as the man himself.
What do resilient

 
The following information was sent to us by Marianne Worley:
 
A new “Baby-Friendly” hospital is born as MedStar Georgetown University Hospital joins an elite group of birth facilities to obtain “Baby-Friendly” designation. MedStar Georgetown is the first hospital in the DC Metro...more area to receive this coveted award.
 
Baby-Friendly USA, Inc. is the accrediting body in the United States for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), a global program sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The initiative encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing facilities that provide an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies.
 
“This important designation is indicative of our staff’s outstanding commitment to new mothers and their babies here at MedStar Georgetown,” said Richard Goldberg, MD, president of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. “The combined expertise and