From Scotland to Slovakia in a Day

Does the blog title intrigue you?  Well.....let me assure you that we are NOT in Europe!  Rather, we are in the DC area enjoying the many cultures that abound here.

We stayed at our favorite B&B in Takoma Park and hopped the metro into Old Town Alexandria where we began the day as spectators of the annual Scottish Walk.

This was a delightful parade offering entertainment by numerous Scottish bagpipers

all featuring different clansmen plaid.


Doggies of Scottish origin

And, perhaps, some not indigenous to Scotland, but entertaining, nonetheless.

most were dressed in their wee fine plaid, but this little guy didn't quite fit the part.

There were some fancy cars

And the Loch Ness Monstor

and a few Scottish Santas among the group.

The event was more entertaining than I would have ever imagined, although I do question the presence of King Henry VIII among the participants.

After the parade we ambled along the Potomic where we spotted this yacht owner getting ready for the annual boat festival of lights.  Couldn't help but chuckle at the Santas relaxing by the palm trees.

Our plans for the day included a performace of the Christmas Carol at the Little Theater in Alexandria.

The tickets were only $15.00, so how could I resist?  Particularly since the Ford's Theater seats for this Christmas Classic were running $134.00 minimum?

Well.....let me just say that you get what you pay for.  But the play was definitely entertaining and one of the quickest that we have ever attended.

But, in the long run, three ghosts came and went and Scrooge realized the error of his ways.   And the performance of Bob Crachet was extremely entertaining.  We certainly left the place laughing!

With the night still quite young, we boarded the metro to Metro Center and made a quick walk to view the National Christmas Tree, which looked quite spectacular this year.

  Despite the crowds, we still managed to make our way close enough to get some terrific shots.


We headed back to the Metro, and this time headed west to the Arlington area, where we met up with my good friend from high school, Winthrop.  He drove us to his home for some entertaining conversation.  Time flew by way too fast, and before you know it, Winthrop was driving us into Georgetown, where we had reservations for dinner at the CapitalPrague Restaurant.  Our original plans were for him to join us, but, alas, he could not.  Maybe next time?

I had heard about this restaurant when it first opened, so I was eager to check it out personally. The staff was eager to please, and was more than happy to take our photo.

 It didn't take long for Marty and me to choose an order of the Bryndzda Halusky, a typical Slovak dish, which Amy and I partook of many times while in Modra.

Ahhh...It was melt-in-your mouth fabulous!  Not quite like the flavors of Slovakia, but certainly a whole lot closer!


After all of that walking today, I decided to splurge on the warm cheese strudel with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

are you drooling yet?


After dinner, we walked the mile distance to the metro where we began our trip back to Takoma Park.

Scotland in the morn'     finished with Slovakia in the evening       with a whole lot of fun sandwiched in between.

Really, could you ask for a more exciting day?

Thanksgiving Treasures

We were SO blessed to be able to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday in delightful company!

This little guy did a fabulous job helping me make Cranberry Kissed White Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls.

All of that hard work deserved at least a little taste....right?

The finished product was certainly hard to resist...

So why not just dig in?

But it wasn't all about cooking.  Some Trolls were in dire need of a makeover...

although I can't say I saw much improvement.

There were books to read,  checkers to play,

 and some outside football despite the freezing cold.  BRRR!! 

Ok, so the little one never made it outside to play football, but we still had fun dressing her up to match Pap-Pap.

Friday's highlight was a much anticipated visit to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.

You could make your own crayon label, melt a crayon into a mold, and play with some Crayon Clay

                                      

which was obviously quite entertaining for some.

But you didn't have to be a kid to have some fun.  Even Grammas and Pap-Paps could be easily entertained.  (At least this set was!)

There was some interactive play with Crayons on a screen.

(Note the second purple crayon on the screen mimicking Pap-Pap G.)

We got to decorate a heart with melted crayon colors

and draw a picture which was cut into a puzzle.

It was really quite fun for all.

And on Saturday,  I was able to enjoy the afternoon with my youngest daughter,  in Lititz, which is beautifully decorated for the Holiday Season and always a delightful afternoon out at this time of year.

The Wilbur Chocolate Factory has a unique chocolate display featuring fairy tales.  We had no trouble spotting many of our favorites.

This sleigh and reindeer display added to the holiday decor of the town.

If you live near Lititz and haven't visited in awhile, I highly recommend an afternoon out.  The shop owners are welcoming to window shoppers.  And you can pop into Tomato Pie( right across from the Wilbur Factory)  for a bite to eat, or just treat yourself to yummy latte.

Believe me, you're bound to find something entertaining.

Like a bear sporting a mustache.  A first for me...that's for sure!

Dinner for a Dozen

Or.....in other words...  "The More, the Merrier!"

Was I up for the challenge?  You betcha!

After making space by removing pretty much anything not bolted to the wall, I realized that there was just no way I was fitting a dozen people around my dining room table.

I'll admit it, I did fret a bit.  After all, there are only so many ways that one can arrange chairs around a table, and I had exhausted every possibility.  And it didn't exactly calm my psyche to find the remains of a rodent embedded in the back of a padded barstool that has been in my basement for years. (Needless to say.....that chair is history.)

So, I finally called in my handy hubby to see if he could offer some ideas.

His first brilliant remark:  "Why don't we put the kids at a separate table?"

Really?  We're going to sit a 4 year old and 21 month old by themselves?  And how exactly did that help, since I had already planned to put the baby into a high chair anyway?

He sheepishly looked at me and said, "I was thinking more along the lines of Amy and Stacey."

Oh, I'm sure they would have loved that idea!  He must have forgotten that they grew up......years ago!

It didn't take long for him to kick into handyman mode.  I had pulled out an old folding table that I would have sworn I had thrown out,( but obviously did not), and I had attempted to see if I could use it to extend the eating area.

Before I knew it, I was looking at a perfectly fitting extension.  My husband had taken a piece of plywood, cut out an angle on either side, and fastened it to another layer that resulted in a relatively level eating surface that gave us the extra room that we needed!  All of this in less than 30 minutes from start to finish, after I had spent hours rearranging furniture to no avail.  I should have asked earlier!

Throw on a tablecloth, add some china place settings

And you'd never know about the modifications.

especially with some clever edible place cards and decorative napkin rings to distract the eye.

Dinner was fabulous and loads of fun from start to finish with plenty of options, particularly for dessert.

Pecan PIe

Baked Pumpkin Custard

Pumpkin Chiffon

Kahlua Cheesecake

or Decadent Chocolate Turkey Cupcakes, which are not only yummy, but entertaining as well.

Dinner for a Dozen........Loads of fun!

Have you ever seen a merrier crew?