Kitchen Triumphs

I have really been enjoying fiddling in my kitchen recently. I've had a few flops when trying new things, but largely, we've had a lot of success. 

A recent string of success included...

Homemade Bagels!

Yogurt so thick it could sit on its side all day long.

and delicious, delicious granola bars.

Under the Blankets

One of Papillon's favorite games to play involves wrapping up in a blanket. Could be a big blanket, small blanket, towel, whatever.  And it could be that she is "getting married" or she is "being a princess". Doesn't really matter - the important part is that it is over her head.  More often than not, in attempting to get the blanket to stay in the correct position, she gets really frustrated. But that doesn't stop her.

On this particular day she had pulled the comforter around her and was taking care of her baby doll.

Sympathy from a 2 Year Old

One day recently, my sister (aka, Aunt Mimi) got a bit of a stomach bug. I informed Papillon that Aunt Mimi was sick and we should send her a picture to make her feel better.  I told her "Let's show her how sad we are that she is sick. Can you show her how sad you are?"

This was her first face...

And this was her second.

Despite the lack of sympathy, she really does love you, Aunt Mimi.

Book Thing - Thank You

We love books. And so I just want to take a moment to thank Book Thing for allowing us to indulge our passion without breaking the bank.  On a recent trip to Book Thing we came home with quite the stash...70 books maybe? Maybe it was 80. I forget.

Now if only there was a corresponding non-profit that allowed you to pick up as many bookshelves as you need....

Family Birthday Party

Yup, Hibou's just about 13 months, and I am just now writing about her Family Birthday Party. But, what can you do. Life moves fast.

Grandpa, Nana, Nannie, Aunt Mimi, Grandad and Grandma Lori all joined us for an afternoon of fun.

Aunt Mimi's birthday is just 3 days before Hibou's so we had some presents for her too.

Hibou is actually pretty skilled at present opening.

Only, it takes a long time. One tiny piece at a time.

Fun toys!

Hibou was having a grand time, all happiness and smiles. Then I got out the cake, and when I walked past her with her piece of cake, and didn't give it to her immediately....she flipped out! She clearly loves cake and didn't want to wait for us to sing to be able to dig in!

Happy Birthday, again, little Hibou.

Crow Farm

After spending the morning in Chestertown, we ventured out into the "country" to take the girls to visit the farm where Mon Amour and I lived before they were born.  Much has changed since we were there last.  They are now a full fledged vineyard, and B&B. The house we had lived in is now a little cottage open for vacation rental. All the new people that we met at the farm couldn't believe we had actually lived there. It's a pretty tiny place!

Fancy new sign!

Checkin' out the cows! They have a LOT more cows than they did when we lived there. It seems the beef side of their business is taking off...

We also met the miniature ponies. They serve no practical purpose. But they are adorable.

In light of the expanding beef business, they now own their own bull (technically they share it with one other farm...he's pulling double duty!).  This bull is much much nicer than the bull they rented back in the day.

Papillon was equally excited and terrified.

And of course, before we left, we had to sample the goods.

Tasty wine, fun memories, and cool new developments. It was a great visit!

A Visit to Chestertown

At the beginning of March we had the opportunity to pay a visit to our favorite little college town. Mon Amour was invited to participate in an alumni discussion panel thing. So while he passed on whatever wisdom he's gleaned post-college,  the girls and I met up with a good friend.

We had tasty lunch.

Super tasty, apparently.

Hung out at the local library.

Where they have awesome books and awesome puzzles.

It was a wonderful, somewhat spontaneous and delightful visit.