Valentine's Day Prep

Last night I packed my bags for the girls' school parties...

 ...and this morning I wrote a list to keep everything straight today.  The gist of today is, there are two class parties and two ballet classes for the girls.  It's a busy holiday day!

Valentines Sweets

Georgetown cupcakes were at the top of my wish-list for Valentine's Day.  Since we are really busy tomorrow, the actual holiday, we picked up our order this afternoon.  I can't wait to dig into these delectable sugar bombs.

 While Evelyn was at ballet this evening, Julia and I whipped up a batch of heart-shaped sugar cookies.  She will bring half of them to her preschool party tomorrow...

 ...and we get the rest!

American Girl Lunch

Once upon a time, I promised Julia I would take her to lunch at the American Girl doll store in Tysons Corner.  I had intended our lunch date to be in January, but the bistro was closed for two weeks for remodeling.  Today was finally the day for my little redhead to bring her little redhead, Rebecca, to lunch.

 Julia loved having Rebecca sit in her own little chair.  She kept moving it all around the table, trying to find just the right spot for her doll.

Julia and I both had a delicious lunch (you can probably guess who had the hot dog and who had the salmon), followed by scrumptious desserts.  Rebecca had chocolate milk and a grape; she has a small tummy, so she didn't want to eat very much.

 After lunch, we wandered around both levels of the store, admiring the merchandise.  We picked up a souvenir t-shirt for Rebecca and a chapter book for Evelyn.  Rebecca also had her hair done in the doll salon - a half-ponytail braid.  You can tell by the smiles on Julia's face that she had a blast...and will definitely want to come back again!

Fat Tuesday King Cake

Happy Fat Tuesday!  Teddy Bear is ready to gobble up the king cake we made for Julia's preschool.  (We made a second one for us to eat, of course!)

February Flower Buds Program

The theme of Brookside Garden's preschool program today was love.  We read stories about Valentine's Day, and the kids made pop-up cards with flowers inside (look at that writing!).

 We also went on a scavenger hunt around the gardens and in the conservatory, looking for red things.  Julia liked these pinkish-red plants and flowers.

 The only thing she didn't find on her scavenger hunt list was a red living animal, like a cardinal.  Ah, well, you never know what living creatures you'll see on any given day!

Gluten-Free Cake Pops

Evelyn's 3rd-grade teacher has a daughter with a gluten allergy.  Up to this point, Evelyn hasn't brought in any baked treats because the teacher wouldn't be able to share them with everyone in her family (Evelyn's words/idea).  

After doing lots of research and asking Evelyn's teacher about specific ingredients, I made a batch of gluten-free cake pops.  There are three basic ingredients for these homemade treats:  gluten-free cake mix (I used Betty Crocker), Betty Crocker frosting and Wilton's candy melts.  Honestly, these came out better than my normal cake pops - everyone thought they tasted better and I didn't have as many cake pops crack when the candy coating had hardened.  Evelyn can't wait to bring these to her teacher for Valentine's Day!

Writing and Making Valentines

We girls blocked off an hour this afternoon to write out valentines.  Evelyn decided to give Fun Dip valentines to her 3rd-grade class.  I love the goofy smile on Evelyn's face in this picture:

 Julia chose crafty bear valentines for her preschool classmates.  She had a great time putting them all together and then signing her name.

 Then all three of us girls got busy writing cards for family, friends and teachers.  Good times!