As many of you know, Hurricane Irene swept up the east coast on Saturday afternoon and evening, bringing lots of wind and rain along with it. Sadly, our neighborhood didn’t fare very well with high wind gusts slamming a bunch of giant trees down on power lines, roads, and even homes.
Thankfully, our house was spared. But many of our neighbors and friends weren’t so lucky. It broke our hearts to look out from our patio to see that a tree in our neighbor’s yard had fallen onto their home (it easily could have hit ours if it fell in the other direction).
Thankfully although they were both home with their two dogs at the time, no one was hurt. But parts of their house are flooded and shattered, and we’re so sad for them – and anyone else whose family or house has been affected.
When it came to what we did during the storm, we just hunkered down at home between 6pm to midnight when the winds were at their worst. And after hearing/seeing a few large trees come down on our block we decided to sleep in interior rooms, just to have a bit more protection in the event that something fell on our house (since our basement is below grade, we worried it could flood – which is why we opted for interior rooms over lower level spaces). Clara slept in the hallway in a pack and play (since it was insulated by rooms on all sides)…
… and John and I dragged the not-as-heavy-as-ours mattress from the guest room into the kitchen (which is also in the middle of our house).
Thankfully our basement didn’t flood and although we have a bunch of branches and debris to clean up on our yard (along with a few larger tree limbs in the back) we feel incredibly fortunate.
We’re still without power along with what we hear are around 800,000 other Richmonders (ours went out around 5pm on Saturday, so we’re on our third day without it). We’re hoping to have it restored soon, but realistically know that it could be a few more days or even one to two weeks (a statement that they just released alludes to the latter of those timelines). A number of trees on the power lines in our neighborhood means that it might be a while for us, so our blogging schedule may be a bit irregular until our area is back up and running. We also might not be able to keep up with comments, facebook, and twitter as much as we’d like (since you know we’re usually so chatty), but we do have plans to stop in with the afternoon giveaway as usual, and hope that everyone else who is dealing with any sort of storm repercussions is doing ok.
Oh and we felt compelled to check on our first house and were so relieved to see that it appeared to make it through. Although there was a huge tree on the house across the street. Scary stuff.
Between this and the earthquake on Tuesday, we’re ready to be done with natural disasters for a while – especially since it’s rare for either of them to affect Richmond so much (the last major storm in our area was Isabel in 2003, and most Richmonders were without power for about a week). Let’s hope we’re back up and running sooner than that. Luckily a few of our relatives do have power and enough food/water to go around. In fact here’s Clara on Sunday morning after the storm passed and we headed over to Grammy’s house, where there’s power, glorious power (which seems to be a rarity in our city). We joked that all of the chaos drove her into the arms of her cousin John…
… where they watched a video together and had a grand old time.
Thanks so much to everyone on twitter, facebook, and here in the comments who checked in on us this weekend. You have no idea how much we appreciate the love and send it right back atcha. And for anyone else who was affected, we’d love to hear from you about how you’re doing.
Saffakate says
We just got our power back at work even though they told us
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that must be so nice. Congrats!
xo,
s
Anne says
Glad to know your family and neighbors are safe despite the damage. I hate to see those beautiful old trees down…so sad. I hope you’ll get your power back soon! I’d offer to let you come by to use our shower/washer/etc. but that would probably be a bit on the creepy side, huh? :) Take care!
Carrie f says
Sorry to hear about your neighborhood! Glad you are all okay though (-: take care, carrie & finn
Emily says
Yikes! So glad you all are ok! And also nice to see that both your babies (houses) survived as well! :)
Liliana says
Glad all is well at the Peterski’s casa = ) At my house we lost a tree. Went into the neighbor’s yard but didn’t damage anything.
Have to say I love stormy weather but not the damage it causes.
~ L.
jennifer says
Growing up on the Outer Banks I thought I was ready and prepared. However, this power thing has driven me crazy! Finally escaped (with 2 children and a dog)to my parents today! Hubs will probably have to work tomorrow. His downtown office still doesn’t have power. However, our future home (“around the corner” from you guys) was unscathed and our family and friends on the OBX are facing some major devastation and life changing journeys they too are all safe and healthy. That is all I can ask for. I pray for our neighbors and friends around Richmond (& home). We’ve seen some terrible messes! Glad you guys were safe!
Shanna Watson says
So thankful you & your family faired well through the hurricane & earthquake. I live on the Eastern Shore of VA and we made out very well, actually better than I expected. I have to say I could go the rest of my life not feeling another earthquake…that was very scary!
Sarah says
Glad you are all ok! Having children makes things like this so much scarier! Thinking of you all the way from new Zealand:)
Dawn says
Seriously, Irene may have spared NYC, but for the rest of us from NC up through NJ, we were not so lucky. I am so glad that you all are safe, and you were on my mind throughout the weekend, as we were hunkered down in Baltimore. Those winds were so scary, and as we heard trees crashing around us, we were so glad to have been spared that level of damage. We lost power about 6am on Sunday morning, after making it all the way through the night without it going out but flickering a lot. Within 20 minutes of losing power, we had a couple of inches of water in our basement, thanks to the sump pump now being off. I told my husband that after this event, we are saving all our pennies and buying a generator. No way I am going through this again, especially after Isabel and the blizzards. Glad you all are safe, and I love, love, love the pics of Clara and John. xo
courtney says
I’m so glad all of you are allright and your home was spared! So sad for your neighbors though as well. Sending love and well wishes for you and everyone affected by Irene!
Maggie Rose says
So glad to hear you are all ok! As a native of Washington and Seattle, I have no experience with hurricanes but the wind storms we get are scary enough. Was worried about all my bloggers on the East Coast!
Sam @ The Junk House says
Glad you guys and the house are ok! The pictures of your neighbors’ houses are so sad, but at least everyone is ok. That’s the important thing!
Lesley says
I’m so glad you guys are ok!! I live in the heartland of tornadoes and each one scares the crap out of me. The wind is the worst. I hope this encourages you to keep an emergency pack together, if you don’t have one already. The best tip I ever got was to put extra bike helmets in there. Genius!
YoungHouseLove says
So smart!
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Glad everyone is okay. Hope your power comes back on soon.
jeannette says
love to you and your neighbors from new mexico. i’d bake them and their doggies these cookies if i were there.
xxx
Cooks’ Magazine Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies
Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 1 hrs
Serves: 24, Yield: 24 cookies
About This Recipe
“This is straight from America’s Test Kitchen — wonderful caramel-y, crispy-chewy, salty cookies. Use a nice sea salt if you’ve got it.”
Ingredients
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, about 65 degrees ( 1 3/4 sticks)
1 cup granulated sugar ( 7 ounces)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed ( 1 3/4 ounces)
1 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats ( see note)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Directions
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars at medium-low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute longer. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula.
Add egg and vanilla and beat on medium-low until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl again.
With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated and smooth, 10 seconds.
With mixer still running on low, gradually add oats and mix until well incorporated, 20 seconds. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.
Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons (or use #30 cookie scoop), then roll between palms into balls.
Page 2 of 2Salty Thin and Crispy Oatmeal Cookies (cont.)
Directions (cont.)
Place cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart, 8 dough balls per sheet (see note above). Using fingertips, gently press each dough ball to 3/4-inch thickness. Lightly sprinkle sea salt evenly over flattened dough balls before baking.
Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are deep golden brown, edges are crisp, and centers yield to slight pressure when pressed, 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through.
Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely on sheet.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 (35 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 24
Amount Per Serving% Daily ValueCalories 155.2 Calories from Fat 6743%Amount Per Serving% Daily ValueTotal Fat 7.5g11%Saturated Fat 4.4g22%Cholesterol 26.6mg8%Sugars 10.7 gSodium 115.4mg4%Total Carbohydrate 20.2g6%Dietary Fiber 0.9g3%Sugars 10.7 g42%Protein 2.2g4%
© 2011 Scripps Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. http://www.food.com/355907
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! Such a cute idea! They’re staying with a relative for now, but when they’re back we’ll definitely be bringing them lots of goodies (once we get power of course, haha).
xo,
s
eileen marie says
So glad to hear you & yours are fine! Phew! We did not realize Richmond was hard hit in the storm! We did hear that one of your faves -OBX was struck as well.
YoungHouseLove says
I know, so sad! Hope all is well out there! We hear there was lots of flooding/washing out.
xo,
s
Heather says
So glad you were able to get through the storm. Really glad you posted about this. As I live in Southern California, I don’t experience anything close to what East-Coasters do- although our winter rain brought mudslides to some cities. I am thankful to you and your followers who are willing to share their stories. All that’s going on here is 110F heat and it’s humid!
Kim says
I’m in PA – close to Philly – we were EXTREMELY lucky and only lost power for @ 10 minutes. Some of our neighbors were out for 2 days – but we didn’t have any damage near us like your neighborhood. My prayers are with you, your families and neighbors – anyone who has had damage or lost power. Hope you get power back quickly :)
Lindsay B says
I’m so glad to hear you’re ok! I live in Charleston SC and the hurricane just missed us. I didn’t realize how lucky we were until watching the news coverage this morning. My heart just breaks for everyone affected.
My fingers are crossed for your power coming back on soon!
Ami says
I’m so, so glad that y’all are okay and were spared major damage. I grew up in Houston, and my folks still live there so I know exactly what you’re going through. Many prayers and crossed fingers that you guys get your power back soon.
Thanks so much for the update to let us know you’re okay! AND I ADORE the Clara and her cousin pics. SO cute.
Susan says
Sooo scary! Hurricane Opal knocked over a gigantic, monsterous tree in my front yard years ago. I was fortunate like you guys…it didn’t land on the house. I can’t imagine what it must sound like inside when a tree does come down on the house…very scary. Glad you guys are okay! What a week!
Saffakate says
By the time Irene reached us in New York, she may have been downgraded a little bit and the wind wasn’t as strong as it seems to have been for you guys, but we did get a heavy rain and lots of flooding. Some pics are up on my blog here: saffakate.blogspot.com/2011/08/when-irene-came-to-visit.html
So glad your family is safe and sound!!
YoungHouseLove says
Ugh- so sorry for that scary flooding! Stay safe!
xo,
s
Connie says
Dear John and Sherry happy to learn that you survived the storm without any loss or damage, it was a doozie wasn’t it?Such strange things happening, here in Montreal we are not prone to earthquakes or hurricanes yet last week we did experience tremors from the earthquake in your state and yesterday as Irene was moving up the coast around 2p.m it started rainning here and we got blasted with such high winds that we too lost several big trees in the city, some falling on houses, on cars, on power lines etc., window panes were falling out of high rise buildings, we lost power around 3p.m with several thousand people still without power today, flooding occured in several areas also, none as bad though as our neighbour to the south, Vermont, they had flooding of biblical proportion. It will take them a long time to get over this.
The storm abated here around midnight and today is a glorious sunny day. We do live in strange times. Lovely to see Clara safe and happy, where is the little tyke Burger, how did he fare during the storm? Our dog kept howling to go out in the rain the silly thing, he went out for a minute but when he couln’t keep his footing was howling to come back in. Keep safe and hope the power is restored asap.
YoungHouseLove says
Burger was completely fine throughout the storm. Just happy to hunker down and snuggle us on the sofa and on the mattress on the floor. Meanwhile during the earthquake he was so freaked out. Poor guy! Glad this time he was cool, calm, and collected.
xo,
s
Kate says
Glad to hear that your family made it through. My hubby and I live in a similarly aged and wooded neighborhood on the MD side of DC, and we are so thankful that we too were spared, although some of our neighbors’ houses look like your neighbors’ houses. Here’s hoping your power comes back quickly…I know the company’s employees are working hard ’round the clock!
Meg says
So glad to hear that you and your fam are safe. My heart goes out to those whose homes were damaged by the storm. My husband and I lived in the area of N.C. close to the outer banks, where the storm came raging though. Glad to know all is well with you and yours.
Christine says
Glad to hear your family is ok! I live in NY and we were very lucky. I must have been subconsciously thinking of you guys during the storm- I had a dream last night that I was covering everything in my house with ORB spray paint, and telling my husband that it was because “that’s what Sherry said to do.”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that’s so funny! I have had dreams about ORBing bunches of bananas from the grocery store. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Jullie K says
So glad to hear that you and your family made it through safely. Somehow I’ve had the good fortune to never lose power or have damage due to an earthquake, flood, or fire (San Diego, CA). This is the perfect opportunity to count my blessings and revisit an emergency preparedness plans. I think you did a post on this exact thing?
YoungHouseLove says
We did post some great info from two readers who had house fires about being prepared/avoiding those, but have yet to share expert advice on hurricanes and earthquakes (although we have just heard from a pro who we’re hoping will share tips and info with everyone soon)!
xo,
s
Laura says
glad that you guys are doing alright! seems like the vast majority of people with house damage were on the southside like you all. i live in the fan and we had power back on as of 1pm yesterday…so here’s hoping that yours is restored quickly as well. i lived in hampton back in 2003 when isabel hit and my family was without power for 11 days. in some ways it was a blessing because it built so much community in our neighborhood…but it definitely was a struggle to sleep without the a/c. stay safe and enjoy one another’s company!
Sam says
Fingers crossed that your power is restored soon (or is already back on)!!!! Glad to hear that you are all safe and were able to avoid any damage to your house!
Jackie says
It definitely makes you count your blessings huh? I am glad to hear you’re all okay and pray that nothing like this ever happens there again. We will keep you and your family in our thoughts and prayers. xo
Mary @ stylefyles says
Clara’s facial expressions are priceless! Glad you and your home made it through unscathed – seems like the storm’s impact varied from one spot to the next – in CT my parents had some trees down in their yard (and one missed the house by 3 feet) but some of my college friends in Jersey barely had branches land from the storm.
Melissa M says
How scary! Really glad that you guys, your house, and family are all safe. Early last week we were expecting to get slammed hard – living on the coast of South Carolina – and breathed a huge sigh of relief when it passed us by. Feeling sad to see how it moved up the east coast though and damaged so much property.
Beth C says
So glad to hear you guys are safe. I hope the power comes back up soon. (A friend of mine in NY is in the same situation.)
Elise says
Oh my god! So glad to hear you and munchkin are safe, when I watched the news this morning (we are in Australia) and saw Richmond was without power and had been so badly hit my first thought was for you and your family. Hoping for a quick and easy (ish) recovery for you and your community
AshleyM says
My grandma died three years ago in Houston in Hurricane Ike. It was so terrible and unexpected so when hurricanes come through anywhere familiar I start to freak out. I’m so glad to hear that you and your neighbors are safe. I am currently in Georgia for the Air Force and my husband is home in Maryland and I have to say we were both very nervous this weekend. Luckily he is also safe. So glad that is over!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Ashley, I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine. So good to hear that your husband is safe and it’s all over.
xo,
s
Sara says
Storms are terrifying, glad you made it through ok!
Your number one Australian fan :)
Mary says
Glad that you and your house are okay. Hope that the clean up goes well.
Amanda says
Glad Richmond wasn’t hit too bad! The Peninsula took quite a hit, but it wasn’t too bad riding it out here in Williamsburg. Our power went out at 3 pm, before we even got that much wind.
Dominion has said that 75% will be back by the end of Wednesday, and 90-95% will be back by the end of Saturday, with the remainder being the hardest hit areas down in Norfolk and Va. Beach.
Williamsburg didn’t get it too bad, although we did have some trees down all around. Not nearly as bad as Charley in 2004 in Orlando.
Hope you get your power back soon!
Kacie says
Eek! I’m so sorry! That must have been pretty intense for you as parents. Hope everything gets cleaned up soon.
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.com/
Susanne says
Thanks for the update. You guys are super talented bloggers. We know it takes a lot of work to make it look so darn easy. I’m very glad to know you and your family are okay and that your home is damage-free.
Erin Lindsey says
I am sorry to hear about the power still being down and the issues in your neighborhood. My mom has a home on the Eastern Shore, my brother and I were so worried about her we made her go home to Richmond. She got hit worse there than the shore! We had a scary night and were without power for about 30 hours, but its back now. Hang in there.
Amanda says
I’m so glad you guys are safe! I hope you get your power back soon!
Jenn Khoury says
So glad that you made it through okay. If going through this situation weren’t stressful enough, adding a toddler to the mix just makes it that much harder! Kathy G is on the money… anything can be replaced but the ones we love! Welcome back!
MJ says
I am very glad you are all safe. Hopefully, power will be restored soon.
mrs.origami says
So glad you guys are ok and your house was spared! I am in richmond too and we are also okay. Been without power since a bit after 12 noon on Saturday. This week was supposed to be my vacation too but i’d much rather be @ work in the a/c! I took a bunch of photos in my area and monument ave looks like a tree graveyard! So sad!
On the bright side though I was able to clean my entire home out of sheer boredom! :) I don’t feel so bad bc I know I am definitely not the only one without power. Stay safe !!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so sad about Monument Ave. We haven’t ventured down there yet., probably because I’m scared to see it like that. Such a beautiful street. Hope everyone is ok and gets power back soon down there.
xo,
s
Missey says
SO GLAD you guys are okay but so sad to see all the damage.
On the bright side, great pic of Clara & John – he looks like he’s just BARELY tolerating her affections! :O)
Hang in there, guys. We’ll be here when you’re ready for us!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- he was totally over it. His face said “somebody get this baby off of me, I’m not amused” but poor Clara did not get the hint! Haha.
xo,
s
Stephanie Montecalvo says
So glad you guys are ok…we are still cleaning up the effects of that nasty storm up in here in Long Island…so many people with out power like yourselves…stay safe!!!
Anna says
Glad to hear you guys made it through ok. It’s scary sitting inside a house that suddenly doesn’t seem so big and strong anymore, isn’t it?! I completely know your pain having sat through the Aussie Cyclone Yasi that hit earlier this year. Hope your power comes back soon!
Tania says
I’m so glad you are all okay but I’m sorry your street was hit hard. Yesterday I posted an insignificant paint question without realizing what your family and friends may be going through. You answered back very shortly even with the chaos unraveling around you! You guys are the BEST! Hang in there and I hope you get power soon. Tell your neighbors they are lots of people out there pulling for them!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Tania, you’re so sweet! We figured most people who weren’t affected might not have any idea of the chaos, but it was nice to be reminded that others are safe and dry. Your paint question gave me a sweet little break for a minute there.
xo,
s
Amanda says
So glad to hear that you and your loved ones are safe!It’s horrible to see the destruction Irene left in her wake. Also, just wondering if you guys knew about the “Asian girls for dating” ad at the top of this page, since it’s not really in character with your blog.
YoungHouseLove says
Ugh – thanks for that tip! Those are random google ads, so they put things in there that are supposed to only be home-improvement related. Don’t know how that snuck in, but we’ll try to track it down and block it as soon as possible.
xo,
s