Gluten Free Ice Cream cakes at Friendly's

I've been wanting to share this with my gluten free friends.

We were in PA with my gluten free family at Brian's birthday. I didn't think ahead far enough to request a specially made ice cream cake, so Brian and I were heading to Walmart to get ice cream sundae materials or something similar. But I decided to stop at Friendly's first on the off chance that they had an ice cream cake that was "cake"less.

We ended up with two or three flavors, the crown of which was a Reese's peanut butter ice cream cake covered in chocolate. I was so pleased to be able to have something special to share with my gluten free family members without a lot of effort. So, if you have a Friendly's nearby check out their current selection of ice cream cakes and rolls (click on individual cakes or rolls for ingredient and allergen listings). I wish we had a Friendly's here, but at least a know that I can get them when we go home to PA - or on vacation. :^)

Oh, and by the way. The cost was very reasonable. I've paid for ice cream cakes at other places and they can be quite pricey, but I think that the cakes were $15 and the rolls $8 or $10. I'm sure it varies by store.

Backtrack: Christmas

Christmas Eve -

We had just returned from a Candlelight service. That was quite an adventure. The first was full, and since we weren't very thrilled with sitting in an overflow service, we headed to second church whose service started later. The children decided that we would sit on the front row. We quickly became amused that the interactive service folowwing Luke 2 and carols that went with it, was almost identical to a program that I'd had the children memorize this year. They enjoyed the two harpists, but were still disappointed that the candlelight service was only candles at the front of the church. We'd thought that we would get to hold them.

Opening presents from my parents in PA

Christmas Eve night

Bella likes "flying" to Brian and then back to me.

Christmas Morning:

Ethan was surprised with the Ocarina of Time

Rose got a violin

Anna got a Furreal cat and kitten, then the girls opened these:

Gold Christmas dresses

The hat was one of Bella's presents.

Bella didn't care for it, and it was a little big.

Rose loved it - isn't she adorable?

Christmas dinner was at our house

They all got crochet hooks in their stocking,

because I'd been making a scarf, and they

were all asking me to teach them.

Whose present was that?

Baby's First Christmas

Now we're at Gran's:

Seven months going on 13.



Listening to Gran:

The long-awaited "Christmas Ball" - I only have this one

picture because we all had to dance!

Bella's new bear. She likes the tag.

Anna Kate likes bears. She named him "Fuzzworth."

And took him to bed with her the next night.

For now he's back in Bella's crib, but

we have to keep an eye on her. :^)

O Church, Arise

One Thousand Gifts - Nature in Winter

10.) A real snowfall
11.) Children sledding all day
12.) Hot chocolate in cold hands
13.) Cardinals in icy branches
14.) Snow crunching underfoot
15.) Magnolia leaf shaped icicles
16.) Chickadees at the feeder
17.) The birds finding the front porch window feeder
18.) and off topic - Baby being delighted to see picture of herself and Daddy on facebook this morning

Happy Groundhog Day!

• If you missed Phil's prediction, watch it here
• If you're in the South (like me!), forget Phil and go with General Beauregard Lee's prediction
• Make a dirt pudding groundhog snack
• Make a cute groundhog bookmark
• Draw each other's shadow silhouette
• Draw a groundhog
• Read a groundhog story - if you don't have any books, here is the history of groundhog day, read a story together, and let your beginner reader read a story here
  

We enjoyed these activities with some books and a dvd from the public library that we shared with out friends today. Have a great time!

Goldfish

I overhear Rosie talking to her rainbow goldfish crackers. "I need to eat you so that you can have a party in my tummy..."

Southern Snow - A Rare Treat

From Three Weeks Ago: This is Anna Kate standing in flurries excitedly exclaiming, "I have snow on my finger!" (swiped from the bag of mulch.) That was pretty much it for that time.



Yesterday and today were our annual Ice and Snow days for the year. that's about how often we get a snow that you can play in. and it was a good crusty snow this time, perfect for sledding.

that's how far the sled would go

my family loves the way the ice molds, then

comes off the magnolia leaves in imprinted sheets

Anna Kate handed Bella a piece of ice, which

she thought was very neat for about one minute -

then she started yelling about how could it

made her little fingers!