my favorite salad =) a friend made it for us when chloe was born, and i made it last night for our thanksgiving meal at church. i'd put the dressing on anything. so simple and fresh, and no oil or mayo to boot!
Waldorf Salad With Creamy Lime Dressing
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tsp grated lime rind
1/4 cup lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes for both)
4 tsp sugar
2 large tart apples, unpeeled and diced
1 cup diced celery
9 oz salad spinach
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (i used slivered almonds, toasted in a pan)
- in a medium bowl, whisk together first 4 ingredients for dressing
- mix in apples and celery
- toss spinach with dressing and nuts, or arrange dressing and nuts on top
bon appetit!
Monday, November 21, 2011
november 14
a day to make up for the snow on october 22 ;-) it was really too warm for long sleeves!
after naps, we rarely go out since it gets dark so early these days, but today it was so nice out, we did anyways:
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| chloe spotted this at the pond |
after naps, we rarely go out since it gets dark so early these days, but today it was so nice out, we did anyways:
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
visits
the weekend before last we had not one, but two sets of visitors. my godmother, known to the girls as 'grandma #3', took us to the circus on saturday! our family friend miranda also came along and treated the girls to these glow sticks (light sabers? magic wands? wizard staffs??). as you can see, they were (and still are) a hit, whatever they are =p
sunday morning we visited Fourth Presbyterian Church in bethesda, since we were invited to ben's program director's house for lunch. of course, he got paged just as we were leaving church, so we dropped him at NIH and headed for the cabin john playground to see if he'd still be able to make it for lunch. it turned out to be a lovely day to be out:
after lunch, we headed home to await nai nai and ah gong's arrival:
we got a bit of a late start on monday, but we headed out to the germantown (aka castle and pirate ship) playground, with a few detours on the way to the car:
nai nai and ah gong snuck out later in the afternoon, and came back with...
my parents stayed through tuesday evening to watch chloe's gymnastics class. more on that another time, but one pic from that night:
we're thankful for loving family!
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| it was a small circus, but the elephants were pretty nifty |
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| hermione, anyone? |
sunday morning we visited Fourth Presbyterian Church in bethesda, since we were invited to ben's program director's house for lunch. of course, he got paged just as we were leaving church, so we dropped him at NIH and headed for the cabin john playground to see if he'd still be able to make it for lunch. it turned out to be a lovely day to be out:
after lunch, we headed home to await nai nai and ah gong's arrival:
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| they came bearing books - sure way into chloe's heart ;-) |
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| got it! |
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| soneone got a little sleepy on the way there |
nai nai and ah gong snuck out later in the afternoon, and came back with...
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| woohoo! we all love it. and chloe knows all her white keys now! |
my parents stayed through tuesday evening to watch chloe's gymnastics class. more on that another time, but one pic from that night:
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| chloe, second from the right |
we're thankful for loving family!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
criss cross applesauce
naptimes these days are a disaster, if you judge by amount of sleep occurring. occasionally they're really tired and do go out, but for the most part, they just enjoy each other's company too much. even when they comply with the 'stay in your own bed' policy (i usually give this about an hour to see if they'll actually sleep), they just lie there 5 feet apart, chatting happily about the various zoo animals in their room today (my favorite is the 'wolfs') or which of the 'bad guys' they need to zap.
it is pretty fun listening to their conversation though. when else do you get to eavesdrop on every thought that crosses a person's mind? toddlers (at least mine) seem incapable of having a thought without verbalizing it =p lately though, what's struck me is the new material. by which i mean a behavior, a game, a phrase whose roots i don't recognize. of course, their fertile little imaginations are always coming up with new things, especially cooperatively, but i usually see some source, however distant, in what we've done or talked about or read recently.
the girls spend an average of 3 hours a week apart from me, 3.5 if you count chloe's gymnastics class, after the 15 minutes of coaxing her to stay in by herself. maybe 4, if i get in a weekend run. i should hardly be surprised that they're starting to get other input, but it makes me a bit sad all the same. such a few short years that they spend at home. someone hit me upside the head the next time i start thinking of them as a burden! =D
ps - can anyone tell me what 'criss cross applesauce' actually means?? that was lucy's phrase today. some kind of game?
it is pretty fun listening to their conversation though. when else do you get to eavesdrop on every thought that crosses a person's mind? toddlers (at least mine) seem incapable of having a thought without verbalizing it =p lately though, what's struck me is the new material. by which i mean a behavior, a game, a phrase whose roots i don't recognize. of course, their fertile little imaginations are always coming up with new things, especially cooperatively, but i usually see some source, however distant, in what we've done or talked about or read recently.
the girls spend an average of 3 hours a week apart from me, 3.5 if you count chloe's gymnastics class, after the 15 minutes of coaxing her to stay in by herself. maybe 4, if i get in a weekend run. i should hardly be surprised that they're starting to get other input, but it makes me a bit sad all the same. such a few short years that they spend at home. someone hit me upside the head the next time i start thinking of them as a burden! =D
ps - can anyone tell me what 'criss cross applesauce' actually means?? that was lucy's phrase today. some kind of game?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
helping
i slide the vacuum back into the closet, and she comes running. mommy, i wan hup! oops. i forgot to let lucy help me push it across the foyer into its place. out it comes again, and a little hand balances next to mine on the handle that she can just barely reach. back to the closet we go together. i hup, mommy! <big smile>
i wonder if this is how God smiles at us when we do His work. pleased with our desire, guiding our steps, rejoicing in the touch of our little hands next to His.
i wonder if this is how God smiles at us when we do His work. pleased with our desire, guiding our steps, rejoicing in the touch of our little hands next to His.
Friday, November 4, 2011
halloween(s)
well, we got good mileage out of our costumes this year. the girls had not one, but three trick-or-treating opportunities. the first was a morning event at the rockville town square, a neat little pedestrian area of shops and restaurants. daytime events make for such better photos ;-)
take 2: friday night party at church. the girls were rather intimidated by the older kids and adults in costume, and found the wizards and clowns particularly alarming =p they did have some fun in the smaller game rooms, hitting golf bowls, tossing beanbags and throwing balls for candy prizes.
and finally, the actual day. the best part of it was having our dear cleveland friend George Sun visiting. you could tell the girls felt right at home with him (and so they should, with all the time we spent at their place!). we went around to some of the single family homes, and were also surprised by some of our apartment neighbors who had prepared treats for the girls. all topped off with some yummy chinese food. good stuff!
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| the first lollipop of the season - this was really the highlight. a delighted chloe lived up to her bouncy tigger costume, prompting much chuckling and reminiscing among the shopkeepers |
take 2: friday night party at church. the girls were rather intimidated by the older kids and adults in costume, and found the wizards and clowns particularly alarming =p they did have some fun in the smaller game rooms, hitting golf bowls, tossing beanbags and throwing balls for candy prizes.
and finally, the actual day. the best part of it was having our dear cleveland friend George Sun visiting. you could tell the girls felt right at home with him (and so they should, with all the time we spent at their place!). we went around to some of the single family homes, and were also surprised by some of our apartment neighbors who had prepared treats for the girls. all topped off with some yummy chinese food. good stuff!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
rock creek reservation
every weekend, ben runs a trail at the rock creek reservation, through the woods, around lake frank, across the meadows, past a lilypad-laden pond. every week he tells us how beautiful it is out there. so a few weeks ago, we were all up late saturday night, and next thing we knew, it was 10 am sunday morning and there was still no 'det up peez, mommy' in my ear. needless to say, we missed church that morning ;-) it was a gorgeous day though, so we decided to take a family hike out at daddy's running grounds.
the next week, daddy told us again that the leaves were at their peak and we should really go out to the lake. so the girlies and i spent a lovely morning there:
daddy was right!
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| chloe actually did quite a good job of walking, for the most part |
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| the girls had to be dragged away from the stream. they claimed to be panning for gold ;-) |
the next week, daddy told us again that the leaves were at their peak and we should really go out to the lake. so the girlies and i spent a lovely morning there:
daddy was right!
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