It’s rare to have both my mom and sister off at the same time and as we grow older, its even more difficult to spend quality time together. So, as my sister is on maternity leave and my mom on a working hiatus to help with the baby, the three of us, plus babe, took a trip out to Richmond to visit our friend’s new doughnut and deli  shop. The Grove is a quaint little spot run by our friends, Renda and Tam. If you’re driving there, you’ll pass a cornfield and a row of beautiful oak trees lining a small road. Inside, the walls are filled with eclectic, retro-inspired posters and graphics. The display counter is often filled with an assortment of colorful, shiny, glazed doughnuts, topped with everything you ever wanted when you were a kid, from cocoa puffs to rich brown caramels,  sweet strawberry glazes, bacon and maple, and  even some filled with s’mores. Renda and Tam are always Instagramming their latest concoction of flavors and it is so tempting not to drive down to Richmond for a quick bite. When we visited, Renda made us her Cha-mango and it was so a m a z i ng ! I’m a big mango and tamarind lover, and this drink was probably one of the best thing I’ve ever tasted. The Cha-mango consists of a slurry of fresh mangoes topped with chunks of sweet mango with pieces of spicy and sour tamarind and chamoy on top. I will definitely have to make more trips out to grab another cup, or two.

The lesson learned after having a baby, is that when you go shopping, you no longer have the need to buy anything for yourself anymore, because buying baby clothes is so much more addictive. We spent a good majority of our shopping time in baby stores, oohing and ahhing over baby fashion before picking up a few accessories for Olivia.

* The Grove Donutz & Deli doughnut photos found here