Sophie's Birthday

It's about that time of year, again!

Meals On Wheels

So I started volunteering with Meals on Wheels again, after a 2 year hiatus while I was pregnant with Grace and then when she was an infant.  Now that she's a Toddler, I'm initiating her to volunteering like I did with Sophie.  She even started coming in with us when we delivered the food.  I hope that my kids grow up feeling that actively helping the less fortunate is an important and necessary part of their lives.  Here are some pics from our Meals on Wheels trip today.

The meals are packed in insulated bags.

Grace taking iPhone pictures of herself in the backseat.

My cousin Aimee tells Grace to make a funny face!

Our reward: lunch with my aunt and cousin at Nordstrom Cafe afterwards!

Avocado Ice Pops

I love all things avocado...in savory or sweet recipes, this fruit which used to be considered the "poor man's butter" is so satisfying.  I'm definitely going to try this recipe before the summer is over.

image via epicurious

Avocado Ice Pops

1. Boil 2 cups water. 

2. Add 1 cup sugar and simmer until dissolved. Cool completely. 

3. Mash 2 medium avocados. 

4. Stir in water and ½ cup lime juice. Fold in ½ cup chopped mint leaves. 

5. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze overnight. 

Brunch in Georgetown

We met up with my sister's and cousin's families today and had brunch at Filomena in Georgetown.  Afterwards, we all took a short walk down to the Georgetown Waterfront so the kids could run around and watch the ducks.  It was a lot of fun getting together with all of the little cousins, who are all around the same age.

My two darlings!

She really does want to be JUST like her older sister!

Cousins: Matthew, Ethan, Bodhi, Sophie, Grace and Remy

Pedicures

Grace and I with our pedis, August 2012

Going Dutch

We spent the day at Dutch Wonderland today, and it was a great time although we were hot and sweaty by the time we left.  It's no Disneyworld, but in many ways that's a good thing!  It's small and therefore not overwhelming.  Plus, no lines even though it was a Saturday!  All of the rides and attractions are geared towards young children, so they got to participate more than they would at a conventional amusement park.  I'd highly recommend anyone with small kids to visit this place at least once, if you're living in the DC/MD/VA/PA areas.  Make sure you google coupon codes for discount tickets!

Chevron bulletin board

I spent today finishing up on this bulletin board for my cousin who's going back to college.  Isn't it cute?  It was pretty easy to do, considering the pattern (it's hard to keep patterns straight when you're stretching fabric).  It just made me think, should I be selling these on The Pied Paper?  It was simple to make, and the profit margin would be considerably larger than stationary.  The only problem would be shipping something so large.  The board above is 4 feet x 4 feet.  Thoughts on whether I should sell these?