Fighting winter blues

what a busy weekend we are having! but there's nothing like going to gatherings with friends to beat the winter blues that tend to overcome all of us around this time of the year.

to start off our weekend, the girls and i went to a valentine's treat exchange, hosted by my friend, Shannon, who writes the blog, Cooking with Friends. do check out her blog! the goal of the exchange was to partner up with another person attending and make the treats together. Kristin and i got together with the kids that morning to make rice crispy treats covered with butterscotch and chocolate (Kristin's recipe). the kids had a great time and it was so fun to be in someone else's kitchen to cook. thanks, Kristin, and thanks, Shannon, for hosting such a fun party!

then on saturday, we hosted a brunch party with some friends. on the menu was blueberry bread pudding and cheese grits (a shout out to my days in North Carolina), and friends brought delicious quiche, fruit salad, tabouleh, and breakfast pastries. i baked a cake in honour of valentine's day (this time, i tried a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache - i had a great time experimenting with the ganache which worked so differently from frosting) and shared the treats i got from the treat exchange the day before. the kids put on a dance for us after the meal and we had a great time catching up with friends.

i have learned that this is the only way to see people during the cold winter months because we are all hibernating inside and even when we are outside, we're all bundled up we can't recognize anyone! the girls loved spending some time with their friends and i think it was early enough in the day that no one really had a melt down!! :)

in the afternoon, Phil took Skye to her school carnival while Claire napped (a rare occurrence, but the party tuckered her out). and then i took the girls to a chinese restaurant to meet some friends to watch their lion dance. the girls were terrified of the fire crackers and the masks, but couldn't take their eyes off.

today, we will celebrate lunar new year with a group of korean americans. the girls want to put of their hanbok (korean traditional dress) and do jul (bowing to elders who give you money). i'll try to take pictures if the girls manage to keep their hanbok on. :)

happy valentine's and happy new year, everyone!!

treats from the exchange and my chocolate cake