Butler's Orchard - Blackberry Picking

It is blackberry and blueberry picking season here in Maryland. We decided to stop by and pick some berries. The girls loved it!

Indian Edge Caverns

Before a day at Hershey, I wanted to check out the caverns in the neighboring city. The name of the caverns was, Indian Edge Caverns. It was founded by the Indians, of course, but they didn't venture very far into the cave. It wasn't until the 1800's that a farmer took residence inside the cabin and lived there until his demise late 1800s. It then became a private cavern and about 30 years ago, they paved a trail inside the cave and put up lights for easy viewing. There is still graffiti from early 1800s advertising peanuts, but the peanut company ran out of business over 125 years ago. Interesting... well worth the visit.








Nayeli and Vicky were very scared and wanted to leave. Do not take toddlers inside caves! Lesson learned.

Hershey's Chocolate World

A couple of weekends ago, we spent a day at Hershey's Chocolate World. It was a free tour of the chocolate factory and how they make chocolate. The tour has singing cows and free chocolate! If you love chocolate, it is a fantastical experience!





We got a hotel room in a nearby city of Harrisburg, PA (the capital city). We stayed at the Four Points Sheradan. It had a great lobby and swimming pool. I took Nayeli and Victoria swimming in the pool with their inflatable shark and whale. They cried and cried and after about 2 hours, they couldn't get enough of the pool.





At night after a long day at Hershey, we decided to drive up to Hotel Hershey (I really didn't want to pay an upwards of $450 a night for a hotel). We ate at a restaurant called "The Harvest". It was behind the ice skating rink. The restaurant required that we have reservations, but we didn't have any. So they offered us seating outside in the 90 degree weather. It was okay until I found out that the waitress forgot about us. We were practically dying in the heat and a couple of guests got up and left shortly after sitting down. We were very hesitant to leave since we spend all day trying to find a great place to eat. And this place got rave reviews... Once we got service, the food was great! The meal ended with a Reese's shot to top off my chocolate cravings. I left happy and over a hundred bucks poorer. It was worth it though.

Pizza Day!

Rolling Out the Dough

Eating the pizza
Yum!
Make your own pizza

Honey Wheat Pizza Dough


1 1/2 cup water, warmed to 110-120°F
1 packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup honey (it is up to you how sweet you want it)
4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil and set aside.
2. Combine the water and yeast in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Combine flours, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
4. Add the yeast mixture, honey, oil and garlic, stir until dough begins to form -- it will be slightly sticky. If it is flakey and not sticking together, then add a little bit of hot water until the dough is easily kneadable.
5. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth but still tacky -- about 10 minutes.
6. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to the prepared bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover with a clean, damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough doubles in volume.
7. Stick in the refrigerator overnight for some very yummy dough! (optional) You can make the pizza right away if you want.

8. Punch the dough down, remove from the bowl, and let dough rest for 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half and turn one piece out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into desired shape and size.

Putting the Toppings On
Baking Pizza and Breadsticks

Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA

Elmo

Sesame Place is a really cool little theme park based on monster puppets. The girls really liked meeting with all the characters and riding the water rides. It was a blast! It was a place worth visiting. We got to see Elmo's World live and ride on a few water rides. The park is small, but it is big enough to enjoy most of it in a day.


Big Bird
Ice Happy




Bert and Ernie

Brookside Botanical Gardens

Today, we went to visit the Brookside Botanical Gardens in Wheaton, MD
It was really nice. It is fascinating how we always tend to find the coolest places on our way out of somewhere. I transfer in a few months.

Cost: Free

Picks from Baltimore Aquarium and Other Places

Vicky sleeping in Baby Backpack
Tire Swing
The Undernehrs at Baltimore Aquarium

Sucking on Suckers
Phoebe relaxed on the couch.


Nayeli at the Baltimore Aquarium
Mom in front of the Chesapeake boat
Mom at Baltimore
Mom and Nayeli
Jelly Fish Exhibit
Hard Rock at Baltimore
Green Spotted Frog
Feeding Time
David hanging from bars
Aquarium
All smiles at lunch time.