Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Haircut and a Head "Meesage"

One of Ava's favorite things to do is go to the salon to see Katie "cut, cut lady" for a haircut and a head "meesage."  


Look Bella, fishy!!



Her favorite part!



Ahhh, relaxing...





Listening very welll!!

Big girl :)



"I want to wear my princess shoes."



Almost done!



Beautiful!!




Monday, August 1, 2011

A Caterpillar Cake and Three Pom Poms

I can't believe my baby is one year old already!!  She has grown so much so fast! I am trying to savor every moment.  We had a great party on Saturday for her.  It was so great to have so many family and friends there to celebrate with us!!! I also had a lot of fun planning and preparing for the big event.  It was a lot of work but I was really proud of the results. 
I saw a caterpillar cake in a magazine and decided to jump in and try to make it myself.  Being that my cakes are usually lopsided, crumbs all in the icing disasters this was a bold endeavor for me.  But I kept positive thoughts and was confident that I could do it.  I just needed to take my time and concentrate.  When I was done my whole body was sore!! It was worth it though and it turned out great.
For decoration I made large pink "pom poms."  I love these so much! They are really beautiful but are super easy and cheap to make.  Here is the link for the directions to make these...Pom poms
We also had lots of food!! Watermelon, pizza, soft pretzels, chicken fingers, cake, cupcakes, couscous salad, cucumber salad, and BLT pasta salad.  I forgot to take pictures of all the salads I made but I wanted to share the recipes with you...

Couscous Salad
1 cup dry couscous prepared according to directions on box
1 small red pepper chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 oz Mediterranean herb crumbled feta cheese (Trader Joe's has a great one!)
green olives sliced
fresh chopped basil
about 1/3 cup balsamic dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Prepare couscous and cool in refrigerator.  Once cooled combine all ingredients in large bowl and mix.  Chill in fridge for few hours before serving.
This recipe is super easy and something I make all the time.  It's very versatile as you can substitute many different ingredients.  I love to keep this type of salad in my fridge so I have something easy and healthy to grab for snack or lunch.  Quinoa is a great grain to use with this type of recipe as well.


Click link above for recipe
The only thing I changed was to use half as much onion and I used theTrader Joe's Mediterranean herb feta.

The link above is the basic recipe but I changed a few things...I used bacon ranch dressing, grape tomatoes cut in half, and green onions.  I also used pre-cooked bacon which made it super easy.

Most importantly all the kids had a great time!!
And Bella liked her cake!
Happy Birthday Isabella! I love you!
Thank you to everyone who came and shared this special day with us!!! I love you all so much!!

Friday, June 3, 2011

"I hope you dance..."

Three years ago a little girl graced me with her presence and changed my life more than I would ever know.  I will never be the same.  She is my angel, my rockstar, my comedian, my artist and my everything.  Happy Birthday baby I love you with all of my heart and soul!

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Edge of Glory

My amazingly talented husband singing an acoustic cover of Lady Gaga's Edge of Glory


Saturday, May 28, 2011

"These streets will make you feel brand new..."

I really enjoy the change of seasons but I am especially enjoying that the beautiful spring weather is finally here! We have a lot of great stuff planned for the spring and summer and it's so nice to be outside in the sunshine!! One of our trips I am looking forward to the most is getting back to NYC! I love New York so much and have so many great memories.  I thought I would share some of my favorite places with you. 


Central Park
Of course this refuge in the middle of the greatest city in the world needs to be mentioned first and foremost.  Central Park provides a vast oasis of tranquility from all the hustle and bustle of the fast paced streets of New York.  You can walk the trails for hours, climb the huge boulders, take a carousel ride, see a concert, feed the ducks, people watch, take the kids to the playground and admire the tall buildings peaking out from above the trees.  On the way back from the carousel stop at Ballplayers' House and sit at an outdoor table for a drink and a snack.  Jeff and I loved going to Central Park when we lived in NY and now bringing our kids back here to play is amazing! Interactive Map of Central Park

The Pink Pony
The Pink Pony is a cafe on the lower east side of Manhattan that serves French, American and Moraccan food.  It's a casual place great for conversation.  This is where Jeff and I had our first "date."  We talked for hours in this little cafe on Ludlow Street. 


Ferrara Bakery

Ferrara Bakery is known in New York as "the" Italian bakery in Little Italy.  I cannot visit NYC without stopping here on the way out for some amazing deserts! They have everything you could want in Italian deserts and their cheescakes are unbelievable! The service here is also exceptional!


CBGB
I almost didn't mention this place because sadly it is no longer there but my list of favorite places in NYC would not be complete without it.  CBGB is the infamous place where the Ramones got started and has a long punk rock history.  It's significance for me though is a little more personal.  My husband Jeff played his first show with the band Astronaut here on my 23rd birthday.  This is the infamous place where we had our first kiss :) Read about the history of CBGB and what it is today here.


The Coffee Shop

The Coffee Shop is a restaurant located in Union Square.  I love this place! There is always a wait to get a table but it's a great place to take the kids for lunch.  Try the fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomato and olives on tuscan bread with basil pesto, it's amazing! The food in NY is so good!!

Yaffa Cafe

Another one of my favorite restaurants! Yaffa Cafe is located in St Marks in the east village.  The decor is very eclectic, the food of course amazing, and the service is superb!  They have an awesome outdoor courtyard in the back with tables to enjoy outdoor dining.  If you go for brunch have a mimosa and the eggs benedict.  Love this place! Also a great place to eat with the kids.  Ava loved it here and all the decor was a great distraction for her. :)  While you are down here take a stroll down St Marks for a unique shopping experience and some great people watching.

Street Fairs

One of the greatest things to see in NYC when the weather is nice is the street fairs.  You can find so many unique things that only NYC can offer!  From spice markets, $5 pashmina scarves, jewelry, and dresses to crepes, empanadas, sweet corn arepas and falafel.  Street fairs are easy to come across when walking around the city all day but if you want to find one before you head out this is the source I always use...NYC Street Fairs


The Living Room

Another lower east side favorite of mine, The Living Room is a music venue on Ludlow St.  Once located on Stanton St this unique village hang out moved to it's current location in 2003.  The place where I got to hang out with Norah Jones is definitely one of my all time favorites with a lot of great memories!

Baked by Melissa
Baked by Melissa is a recent "find" for me.  I found out about it only in the last few times I visited and had no idea this place existed when I lived there.  This is definitely not your ordinary cupcake place! These are mini bite sized cupcakes in the most unique flavors.  Forget the boring chocolate or vanilla cupcakes, these bite sized pieces of heaven include chocolate chip panacake, cookie dough, peanut butter and jelly, s'mores and tie-dye.  Again an amazing and unique part of the enjoyment that can only be offered in NYC! They also deliver outside of the city if you really need your fix!  


I really could go on and on about the places I love in NYC but I will leave you with this for now...it will give me an excuse to write again and share some more pieces of the greatest city in the world!

"Concrete jungle where dreams are made..."



Saturday, May 14, 2011

The White House

I have been slacking on the blogging but wanted to mention that I did receive a response from my letter to President Obama a few months ago.  Well, not sure if it was from the big man himself but the email was from "The White House."  Here is the previous post... My letter to the president
Getting a letter from the president brings back some memories for me...my grandmother, someone I have looked up to my entire life, had a framed letter from Nancy Reagan hanging in her bathroom which I read every single time I went in there.  She had written to her about having both lived through breast cancer.  I admired my grandmother so much for battling cancer. But, as a child reading that letter I thought my grandma was so cool because she was "friends" with the president's wife. :)
Not as cool as my grandma but I was glad to at least get a response and be reminded of this great childhood memory.

The White House, Washington
 

March 10, 2011


Dear Friend:

Thank you for writing.  I have heard from many Americans concerned about environmental issues, from recycling and pollution control to the well-being of our national parks and wildlife.  I appreciate your perspective.

America's natural resources and landscapes are among our Nation's most precious treasures.  We have an obligation to be responsible stewards of our environment and to protect these resources for future generations.

My Administration is taking action to protect and restore our land, water, and air.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which I signed in 2009, provides funding for hazardous waste cleanup, wastewater infrastructure construction, and projects that improve our Nation's parks and wildlife refuges.  In March 2009, I also signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, the most extensive expansion of land and water conservation in more than a generation.  It designates thousands of miles of trails under the National Trails System, protects more than 1,000 miles of rivers, and secures millions of acres of wilderness.

As individuals, we can all take steps to reduce our impact on our environment.  Americans can walk, bike, and use public transportation; buy products with less packaging; recycle and reuse paper, plastic, glass, and aluminum; and teach young people about environmental preservation.  Families can save money by purchasing energy-efficient products, turning off lights, and unplugging appliances.  These small changes in our daily lives help build a cleaner, safer planet.  To learn more about our environment and how you can make a difference, I encourage you to visit www.epa.gov or www.WhiteHouse.gov.  For more information on ground water and drinking water, please visit: water.epa.gov/drink.  To learn about America's Great Outdoors Initiative, visit AmericasGreatOutdoors.gov or read my 2010 Great Outdoors Month proclamation.

Thank you, again, for writing.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Visit WhiteHouse.gov

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Quote of the day...

"Brownies and pretzels, that's all the food I need." -Ava

A Day in the Life of the Merrill Family...

Bella has not been a happy camper lately and the car seems to be the only thing that keeps her content these last few days. So, we decided to get all bundled up and go for a ride...
We found ourselves driving through Fairmount Park and then through Wissahickon Valley Park...

It was a beautiful sunny day.  The final traces of snow are melting and the kids took a nice nap in the car which was a great break for Jeff and I. Then we stopped at a diner in Chestnut Hill...









After driving around for most of the day we decided to head home.  Just as we got out of the car at our house Ava got car sick so we ended the day with a bath...





A day in the life of the Merrill Family