Saturday, March 13th

MOMS of Mantua Children’s Consignment Sale – 8am to 1pm, Mantua Pool Clubhouse, 9330 Pentland Place, Fairfax. Fantastic bargains on baby and children’s clothes, toys and sporting gear. Half price sale on specially marked consignor’s items starting at 12:10pm. Sale is CASH ONLY.

Dr. Seuss is on the Loose: Long Branch Nature Center – 4-5 pm: Join Cat in the Hat, Yertle, Getrude, The Lorax, and more. Ages 5 to 10.

Goodnight Walk: Awakening Wildlife: Celebrate the extra hour this weekend with a nighttime stroll and catch a glimpse or the sound of creatures stirring after a long winter’s rest. Families with children, four years and older, are invited to Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Enjoy cocoa after your walk. The fee is $6 per person. To make a reservation, call 703-941-1065.

Congressional’s Annual Gala and Auction, the schools’ largest social and fundraising event, will light up the night at the elegant Arlington Westin Gateway Hotel. Raffle Prize is a 7-Day Cruise for two people. Reservations are due immediately.

Sunday, March 14th

Daylight Savings Begins – set your clocks ahead one hour.

Create and Grow A Tropical Paradise: As part of Harry Allen Lecture Series at Green Spring Gardens from 1:30 to 3 p.m., come hear Joe Seamone, aka Boca Joe, share which tropical plants are the best and most dramatic. Find out how to create, grow and overwinter your piece of paradise. See amazing “tropical” gardens located in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as across the country. The cost is $10 per person. To make a reservation, call 703-642-5173.

JEB Stuart High School Spring Fiesta & Raffle – 5-7 pm in Cafeteria. Food is being provided by Moes, Chipotle, Qdoba and Baja Fresh. Win raffle prizes. Food Tickets are $5 per person. Raffle tickets, drink and desserts are $1 each. Tickets will be on sale at Curriculum Night on Wednesday (3/10) outside the auditorium. Some of the raffle prizes include iPOD Nano, Digital Camera, iHome, Tiffany Bracelet and a Digital Frame.

Monday, March 15th:
Mason District Community Feedback on FY2011 Advertised Budget: Mason District Government Center at 7 pm. The meeting (one of a series being held throughout Fairfax County) will give residents the opportunity to ask questions and discuss specific concerns. Representatives from the Department of Management and Budget will be present at each meeting.

And if you like to Plan Ahead:

Saturday, March 20th:

Spring Eggstravanza & Puppet Show: Come to Hidden Oaks Nature Center from 1 to 2 p.m. to celebrate the first day of spring with a puppet show, stories and crafts highlighting the awakening of many of the woodland creatures and the blooming of the new season. Discover the natural and cultural history of eggs. This activity is recommended for children four years and up. The fee is $5 per child. To make a reservation, call 703-941-1065.

Animals in Spring Puppet Show: Join a naturalist from Hidden Oaks Nature Center at Woodrow Wilson Library from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. as she shares the wonder of Fairfax County wildlife using stories, demonstrations, specimens and often live animals. This family activity for all ages is free. To make a reservation, call the library at 703-820-8774.

Worm Workshop: at Green Spring Gardens Park – 2-3pm. Celebrate this first day of spring with a family-friendly way to help keep our planet healthy! Explore the dark and wonderful world of worms in our indoor compost bin. Then make your own 10-gallon bin with newspaper bedding, food scraps, and real live wiggly worms to take home. Enjoy a wormy snack too! $25/project includes all materials, Age 6 & up.

Sunday, March 21st:
Trees for All Seasons: The Harry Allen Lecture Series features Sean Hogan at Green Spring Gardens from 1:30 to 3 p.m., who opens our eyes to an unexplored world of foliar beauty from China and Japan to Australia and New Zealand. Hogan is the co-founder of Cistus Design in Portland, Oregon, a nursery world-famous for its collection of rare plants and display gardens. Copies of his new book, Trees for All Seasons, will be available for purchase and signing. The fee is $10 per person. To make a reservation, call 703-642-5173.

Today, I discovered that our Falls Church location (5872 Crossroads Center Way – next to Ruby Tuesdays) is offering 50% off on ALL orders placed ONLINE through the month of March.

Just order online at Qdoba.com during the month of March. Wait for email confirmation – prices shown will not reflect the discount. Take your order confirmation to the our Qdoba location bypassing the order line. Proceed directly to the cashier. Your order will be waiting for you and you’ll only be charged 50% of the bill.

What’s for dinner at your house tonight?

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Now through Sunday, March 7, 2010, enjoy unusual mid-winter savings on pewter birdfeeders, wind-chimes, t-shirts, puzzles and note cards by local artists. The gift shop rarely offers discounted prices.

Many items are in limited quantities such as Carruth sculptures, plaques, travel mugs, candles, tea, dishes, and jewelry by local artists. The Great Snowmageddon Sale is located in the Horticulture Center and includes items from the Historic House.

Visit the shop in the main garden building at Green Spring Gardens, 4603 Green Spring Road in Alexandria.

Shop hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday; noon to 4:30 p.m., on Sunday. Members of the Friends of Green Spring Gardens receive additional discounts.

You can see additional photos from Green Spring Gardens gift shop in my Holiday Shopping post from last November.

There were approximately 30 guys out on the soccer field next to Bailey’s Elementary School. They were shoveling the snow off of the field and were well equipped with shovels, tarps and at least one wheel-barrel.

Now that’s dedication and true love for the sport of soccer!

It was too cold at 35 degrees with winds blowing around 10 mph for me to even go over to the park and take up close photos. So I must apologize for the distance of the photos that I took off of my bedroom balcony.

Can you see the beautiful GREEN turf? Wow.

They came back again on Saturday and now the field has been cleared and the soccer games have resumed. Nice job guys!

I posted earlier this week about how you might be able to get your kids in on The White House Egg Roll. The lottery registration ends tomorrow, Feb 28th at 11:59 pm EST.

And, as I posted in late December, Monday, March 1st is the deadline to submit paperwork for your child to be included in the lottery to attend Bailey’s Elementary School Magnet program.

On Tuesday, March 2nd, there will be a special election to pick our new Fairfax County School Board member; recently vacated by Kaye Kory. Choose Sandy Evans or Samantha Rucker – just be sure to vote. The polls will be open from 6 am until 7 pm.

As a bonus, a quick productivity tip.

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Ingredients:

• 6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
• 1 cup Ranch Dressing
• ½ cups Breadcrumbs
• ½ cups Cornmeal
• ¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Cajun Season Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven at 425° F.

On a large plate mix together breadcrumbs, cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, cajun seasoning and garlic salt, set aside. Pour ranch dressing into a bowl and dip each chicken thigh into the dressing and then into the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet and repeat until you have all of the chicken thighs on the cookie sheet.

Place in 425° F oven and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

So simple. My family loved it – I hope that yours will too!

My friend, Ellie wrote an update on her blog (Around Annandale) regarding the Proposed Library cuts in Fairfax County. The proposed cuts are indeed devastating. You can read it about it HERE.

And more disturbing news: – According to the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance blog posting School Board Urges Higher Taxes to Pay for Pensions:

While attending the Fairfax County Budget Forum at Marshall High School on Feb 20th:

The FCTA asked why the school board is urging the supervisors to raise taxes by $81.9M although only $9M is needed to pay for next year’s expected increase in student enrollment.

The school superintendent acknowledged that the reason is the increased cost in employee benefits, especially pensions. According to the schools’ proposed FY2011 budget, employee benefits costs are increasing by $98M, of which $71M is for pensions and another $15M is for retiree medical benefits.

(Side Bar: I have no affiliation with the Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance nor do I know if their numbers are correct. You’re on your own here).

More on Fairfax County (proposed) Budget Cuts:

Today’s Washington Post has an article “Fairfax County budget proposes tax increase, cut in school funding” – read it HERE.

The Washington Post 2/22/10 – Demonstrators Urge Lawmakers to “save our schools“

Watch this Youtube video of County Executive Anthony Griffin talk about the FY2011 Proposed Budget explaining the funding for schools.

Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance FY2011 Budget Notes with download-able spreadsheets.

It’s going to be an interesting Spring as the budget gets marked up (April 20) and approved (April 27). If you’re interested in having YOUR voice heard then plan on attending one of the Budget Public Forums on April 6th, 7th & 8th. You can Sign up HERE

I’ve seen the event on TV and have always wondered how people got tickets for their kids to attend.

Today, I found out that it is done via a lottery.

This year, the lottery registration will begin on February 25th (at 12:01 am) and will end on February 28th (at 11:59 pm).

So, mark your calendars and be sure to register next week/weekend.

And, Good Luck to all of us!

I have O+ blood type and just scheduled an appointment for 3:30 pm today.

They make it easy to schedule appointments online. Won’t you schedule an appointment too?

We believe we found the perfect hill — check out this short video of four Lake Barcroft Families taken yesterday, Feb 14, 2010:

It’s over near Long Branch Nature Center off of S. Carlin Springs Rd.