Harry Potter Birthday Party

Not many thirty-six year old men want a Harry Potter themed birthday party. Then again, I am not like most thirty-six year old men.

It was a week before my birthday, and after my husband had asked me for like the thousandth time what I wanted to do for it, I finally blurted out half-jokingly (and in a British accent no less), “A Harry Potter Birthday Party!” He looked at me and asked, “Are you serious?” and it was then that I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do. Enter Pinterest and Google, with their vast resources.

I managed to somehow not take so many pictures, however, which is kind of sad because I most certainly could have taken more, but I was quite intent on having a fantastic time. I didn’t even take a picture of the Butterbeer, which, by the way, was AMAZING! Hmmm… perhaps I should sneak into the kitchen and fix myself another one. You know, for archival sake.

There, that’s better.

Now, the most challenging part was making everything for the party. I made labels for candies for Honeydukes (and procured and filled mason jars with said candies), signs for various shops and classes, house crests, and a picture taking area for guests inside a wanted poster. I made all the food for the party, including roasted chicken drumsticks, ham sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, pumpkin pasties (seriously delicious!), pub-style meatballs, caramel apples, a replica of Harry’s eleventh birthday cake Hagrid made him, along with stuff for Herbology class, like baby carrots, broccoli, miniature heirloom tomatoes, quartered dill pickles, olives, blue corn chips and various dips. I even made a Mandrake plant using basil and ginger root, to which I carved out a little face in. I also had a very well stocked beverage station for Potions class. Lots of stuff, which required lots of preparation to complete, but I wanted the party to be amazing, so alas, I suffered through it all.

Now, while this was mostly going to be an adult party, there were going to be kids. I was unaware there would be nine of them, however. Luckily I had already planned out (well, as planned out as I actually do, anyway) a Horcrux Search game. When I saw the kiddos were at there most sugar-high selves, I decided it was indeed time to find all eight of the horcruxes. Now many of you purists out there would shout that there were only seven horcruxes, but I assure you, Professor Quirrell was a horcrux, albeit a temporary one according to J.K. Rowling. I decided to be Quirrell for the party, but my cloak was in the way after about five minutes of wearing it, so I ditched it. I gave out clues as to where to find the next horcrux and had the kids guess where it might be based off of my clues. I tried to hide them as close to places where they were hidden in the books, like Ginny found Tom Riddle’s diary in the bathroom, so I hid my version of the diary in the bathroom with the ghost of Moaning Myrtle on the mirror pointing the way to find it.

I also had a wand making area in the spare room so the kids had an activity to do that didn’t involve us adults. I figured washable markers and wooden dowels wouldn’t do much harm. I figured wrong. Washable markers do not actually soak into the wood, and therefore end up on everything from hands to walls to counters to carpets to tables and everything they come into contact with, further proof that washable markers are a governmental conspiracy to get us to wash stuff more often.

For the Potions class, I had a sheet of various Potter-related drinks inside a plastic sheet protector on the table for people to mix their own drinks. Of course, in all the chaos to get everything ready before guests arrived, I didn’t have time to test out any of them… not even the Butterbeer! Fortunately this is where Pinterest did not fail me, as these were apparently tried and true recipes. Both the alcoholic and nonalcoholic versions of the Butterbeer were delicious, using either butterscotch schnapps or butterscotch syrup respectively and mixing with cream soda topped with whipped cream gently stirred to create the signature foam. I seriously cannot get enough of this super-sweet and indulgent drink that I’m certain contains more calories than a fast food meal!

Now that I’ve had my party, I can’t wait to help plan my second cousin’s eleventh birthday party which, after coming to my party, also wants to do a Harry Potter themed birthday party as well. The only takeaway I’ll have is to perhaps not try to do it all on my own. However, at the same time, I wanted people to just come and enjoy and not have to do anything in return.

Things I would do differently are not use washable markers but perhaps, instead, they can make wands using wooden dowels, hot glue, beads, and acrylic paint like I was originally planning. I also would put the house crests onto fabric banners, double the amount of Pumpkin Pasties (I only made one batch), and make smaller food identifier cards for the food table.

Drunken Barbie Birthday Cake

My coworker’s birthday is coming up, so I made her a Barbie cake. Of course, Barbie was drunk as hell, losin’ shoes and shit.

When it gets a little slow at work, the internet magically appears. Lately our fascination has been Pinterest. I think it is supposed to work like an idea board where you pin together items to do together when, say, creating a meal or redecorating the living room. We use it to laugh… a lot. Oh, sure, we’ve both used it for other things, but for the most part it is the random humor people have pinned we check out. Anyway, at one point we found a picture of a Barbie-like doll ass-planted into a cake in a drunken-fallen-girl pose surrounded by alcohol. Let’s call this my inspiration for her birthday cake. She loved it.

(The original... for comparative purposes only.)

Cake

I used to love making cakes. Of course, that was when I didn’t have a job.

Working and running a side business are completely doable. I did it for years when working at Crapmart. However, working most Saturdays and later nights then I used to now at the vet clinic, I find it nearly impossible to do the kinds of cakes people want me to do without taking time off of work. This isn’t such a great idea. The last wedding cake I did I ended up barely breaking even on the cake itself (I only charged two-hundred-thirty dollars) but lost two days I could’ve worked to bake and decorate it. If they weren’t friends of ours, I would’ve charged more to make up the difference, but me being me, I didn’t.

I’ve already had two brides ask me to make their wedding cakes this summer and I had to be honest that I don’t feel comfortable making cakes anymore, especially for a wedding. I mean, I can do it, but for what most people are willing to spend on cake I can’t. It seems people have no problem spending almost a thousand dollars on flowers, but three hundred dollars for a wedding cake large enough to feed two hundred people? Hell no!

Now I have a ninetieth birthday cake to make for another friend at church and I am not taking time off work to make it, but also am having to strategically plan how to pay for the ingredients because, surprise! I didn’t ask for a down payment. I know I am a horrible business person, but c’mon, at some point common sense has got to kick in. After this, it might be time to hang up my pastry bags.

Thirty Five

What do Dr. Seuss, Jon Bon Jovi and myself have in common? That’s right, today is our birthday!

Why bring up famous people? Because it seems that is what we as a society do. Instead of comparing ourselves to our peers, we compare ourselves to celebrities. I don’t know why because it doesn’t make us any more significant by aligning ourselves with people so many other people know, even if, like myself, you share the day and year with Chris Martin, lead singer of the band Coldplay, nor does it make us any less trivial for not having celebrity status. There are others, like Desi Arnaz, Karen Carpenter, Bryce Dallas Howard and Daniel Craig, but really when I think about my childhood, Dr. Seuss and Jon Bon Jovi are what come to mind. And really, as kids, we looked for any reason to be both different and to find a way to fit in.

It doesn’t matter how old I get, every birthday I think back to my childhood and making my birthday cake, Rainbow Chip. Yes, I realized the irony of a queer closeted kid making rainbow chip cake with rainbow chip frosting. Still, something about a simple cake with sprinkles in the mix and frosting is quite nostalgic, even to this day. Whatever life brings you for your birthday, may it be full of laughter, friends, family and sprinkles. Oh, and chocolate.

My Husband

Today is my husband’s birthday. Unfortunately we are too poor to do anything to celebrate it.

Actually the us being poor thing isn’t anything new. I mean, after years and years and years of it we should be used to it by now. However, it still comes as a shock when the bank account approaches single digits towards the end of the month. Let’s just say neither of us are competent budgeters. Alas, this post isn’t about budgets or competency or tiny available balances, it’s about my husband and today is his birthday.

We met in 1995 in a 7AM Psychology class in college. It was my first college course, and only God knows why I chose that time. But if I didn’t I wouldn’t have met the man I would eventually marry (only recognized by our church, mind you) and embark on the adventure known as life. Fortunately we have just enough in common to keep us interested and just the right amount of separate interests to keep us from tearing each other apart. We’ve dabbled into each other’s separate interests without any success, but I don’t regret trying them out and I doubt he does either. Well, maybe a little. I’ve still got fabric for a couple different quilts he wanted to make.

Throughout the years, he has been the one to take charge in the relationship. He took care of the bills, the decisions, the everything. Until one day he had enough and made me make a decision. I don’t know if he regrets the fact that I’m much more opinionated and speak my mind more than, well, I never really did before, but I know that I am grateful for him for bringing out those aspects. Being complacent does, after all, become quite frustrating after a while. I have taken on bill paying and have always done most of the cleaning and cooking, but I still let him talk on the phone with practically anyone. I hate talking on the phone. Partly because I’m deaf and can’t understand half the words people say, and partly because my visual brain prefers visual contact either in words or being able to see the person to account for body language and attempt to read their lips. Okay, so these are mostly excuses. I just really don’t like talking on the phone. Never have. Probably never will.

So today being his birthday, and my day off, I’m not exactly sure what we’ll do. I’m not sure if we’ll take advantage of this gorgeous weather we’ve had the past couple days (albeit cold mornings) or if I will instead get the house cleaned and ready for a small party we’re planning for Friday night after the play he’s been helping with like I had originally planned. I wish we could afford to take a trip or even just take him to buy new clothes or be able to have a real birthday party instead of a small get-together for cupcakes and drinks. I don’t know if some day this will ever be able to happen, but I hope it will. I do know, however, that I would be lost without him.

Happy Birthday Greggy! May your dreams never fade and your hope for a better tomorrow never waive.

My Brother K.C.

Have you ever had a brother who was the epitome of sweet and innocence and purity that you wanted to do everything in your power to protect him from the world? No, I’m not talking about myself, but my little brother, K.C.

Today is my little brother K.C.’s birthday, which means this is the last of the sibling posts. To start with, K.C. is his first name, not initials, even though there are periods after each letter. If you want to know the reasoning behind this, you’ll have to ask my mom and stepdad, but as far as anyone is concerned it stands to reason that it is for Kansas City… as in Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals. Yes, a football and a baseball team. Again, for an explanation you’ll have to ask the parental units. But, in all honesty, the name fits him perfectly.

So K.C. was fairly young when our mother and his father separated, so as any good big brother would do, I did what I could to help get him to baseball practices and games and help him with school work and have a somewhat normal childhood. Unfortunately both my sister Kassidie and I failed to teach him a few fundamentals, like how to cook. I can only blame myself as I taught her but didn’t even think about helping him because she was completely interested in learning while he was more interested in showing me how completely inept I was (am) at video games.

Right before he started high school, my stepdad and him moved to Wenatchee, a five hour drive from here, which meant we didn’t see him very often after that, about once or twice a year. Sadly I wasn’t able to witness my brother become a man, but alas, he seems to have done so fairly well without me. Although, I must admit, I still don’t think he knows how to make a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese.

Happy birthday K.C.! Have a wonderful day, a wonderful year, and may all your dreams come true! I miss you terribly and can’t wait to see you again this summer.

My Sister Kassidie

If ever the story of an ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan were told in the human world, it would be about my sister, Kassidie. Sad, but true.

When Kassidie was a baby, she sho’ was ugly. But at about four years old as my mom and I were posing her in front of a blooming lilac bush for a picture we both seemed to think the same thing and said aloud, “Wow, Kassidie is pretty today!” Call it mean or call it honesty, but she has always had a great personality, just an awkward baby and toddler stage. I wish I had pictures to show you so you wouldn’t think me a horrible brother for saying such things.

One of the things Kassidie has always been good at is making you feel guilty for not wanting to do something with her. Even at the age of two she would sweetly ask if you wanted to play the card game ‘Go Fish’ and if you didn’t she would scream, “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m going to go KILL myself!” before scurrying off to her room and slamming the door. Seriously, I wish I was making this up. According to her husband, she no longer announces that particular line, but still manages to convince him to do what she wants to do.

As a teenager, she was a rebel, and not without good reason. Okay, so really as a ten to twelve year old she was, so really preteen. I had already moved out of the house and was living with my husband at the time so I didn’t witness too much of the rebellion. But her and I have always been close, even though as youngsters she would bite me and I would claw her with my fingernails to pry her mouth off my arm. Again, she took ‘Go Fish’ very seriously. And we both still have scars. Part of me still wonders if her violent tendencies stemmed from the fact that her imaginary friends were Freddy Kruger and Jason, both horror movie villains, due mostly in part because we watched a lot of horror movies as a family.

Anyway, we started hanging out a lot around the time she was thirteen and our little brother K.C. was eight. During this time we would talk about everything, make meals together and play games, stuff families usually do that she didn’t really have the opportunity to explore because she was suddenly thrust into the matriarchal role when it came to our little brother. I don’t know many teenagers who’d willingly take that on, but my sister did so amazingly. It was also during this time she began to explore religion and at sixteen decided to become a Jehovah’s Witness, much to the chagrin of most of the family. At the time I didn’t understand her decision, but a few years later it became apparent her reasons for doing so were justified after a court trial and family feud that is still stewing to this day.

And just recently she became a mother to a beautiful baby girl. Of course, the fifty-two hour labor after her water broke ordeal may impede on a quick second child, but I have no doubt she will be a great mom.

So while I know you don’t celebrate birthdays, I’m wishing you one anyway. Happy Birthday, Kassidie! May you continue to be a beacon of inspiration in my life and everyone who surrounds you!

Our Dog Lucy

Today our baby turns five. It’s hard to believe our puppy is a senior now.

Okay, before I start getting hate mail for calling our five year old dog a senior, let me clear a few things up. First of all, she is a Great Dane, so life expectancy is only between seven to nine years. However, due to the horrific health problems from allergies and the medications to keep her comfortable, she’ll probably be on the shorter end of that average. So while she still acts like a puppy most of the time, she is starting to show signs of aging in her face and when we wake her from her slumber.

Anyway, Lucy is five years old today, and we have no plans with her. Does that make us bad puppy parents? I mean, I could always use the excuse that I have twenty batches of cake to mix and bake and cool today, or that we are in the middle of packing and moving to not celebrate this milestone. I could, but should I? Methinks not. Besides, I have to run back to the store anyway because last night I got a call from one of the grooms for the wedding cake I’m making and we need to change the bottom tier of the cake from a 12” square to a 16” square to accommodate the last minute people who decided not to RSVP in a timely manner. I knew I should’ve picked up enough supplies for more than just a little bit of overage but was thinking I didn’t want to pack and move anything extra if I didn’t have to. Curses.

So perhaps while at the store I’ll pick up some stuff for a nice dinner for Lucy. Nothing fancy, just some smoked salmon to which I will add some peas, potatoes, carrots and apples and just enough for a meal. Besides, last year I made her a meat cake with mashed potato frosting and while that was fun, I also didn’t have a huge cake order to contend with and could take the time to make it.

Our Lucy may not have any manners and may get in the way a lot and may have a super-jealous streak and may have chronic yeast infections and allergies to practically everything, but we love her and wouldn’t trade any of that for another dog. I just wish we were financially able to give her a little brother to play with, but at the same time I think she is perfectly content having us all to herself… with the cats, of course.

Happy Birthday, Woman (Little House on the Prairie reference, so please don’t get all up in my grill if you are highly offended by the tone.) I hope you adjust better to the move than I think I will, and I hope that your goofiness, clumsiness and complete lack of grace continue to shine for many years to come.

My Sister Ashley

Do you have a sibling who every once in a while makes you go, “Huh?” That’s my sister Ashley.

Ashley is the unpredictable one. Seriously, you never know where her mind will take her next. Even as a child she’d make decisions that seemed completely silly and then surprise you with an intelligent comeback. It’s these extreme polar opposites that make her fun to keep track of and watch. And on top of that, she’s funny, wild, and beautiful. What can I say? All of our parents are beautiful and they made beautiful children.

The other thing about Ashley is that, well, when it was just us boys and her, basically when we’d go over to our dad and stepmom’s house, we’d all gang up on her, as she was the only girl. Of course, that meant she didn’t share a room with anyone, so you can imagine that is where the lion’s share of the jealousy stemmed from. Alas, I hope that this upbringing helped form her into a more resilient person, because God knows I was picked on enough in school for being fat and wearing hearing aids and still see myself as that sometimes, I couldn’t imagine having a brother in the same grade and school as I to torment my middle school years!

However, going back to unpredictable, I remember when we all were getting our hair cut (keep in mind this was the 80s) and all four of us boys got the traditional mullet cut (super short top, shoulder length back) and she wanted the same thing and so we all matched. My mother was not well pleased, but looking back, I think this is just the type of person my sister is… fearless. Well, fearless except for her best friend’s cousin beating the crap out of her so frequently she had to change schools. That cousin is now married to my husband’s brother, so crazy never really left the building!

No matter what life throws at her, she makes the most out of it. Her house is always meticulously decorated and clean, well, with the exception of her boys’s room, but to be fair, they are slobs, and she is a gracious host. I also understand her frustration when she takes the time to plan something nice for her kids and nobody shows up. Instead of letting it show, she takes the opportunity to make it special time with them. Sometimes I feel bad for her because all she wants for her kids is the same big Christmases and birthdays we had growing up, and sadly I don’t think those will ever be again.

I guess the thing I am most proud of her is that when she makes up her mind to do something, she does it. I don’t always agree with her decisions, but I have to admire the fact that she isn’t like me and stalls or tries to find an excuse not to do something. Wants a baby? She has one. Wants a house? She buys one. Wants a new car for her birthday even though she might not be able to afford it? She gets it anyway. She very much lives in the now while at the same time keeps the future close at hand. Because behind those seemingly erratic decisions, lies a very intelligent and resourceful mind.

Happy birthday, Ashley! May life continue to surprise you and may you always continue to surprise us!

Boxes

Our dining room is currently filled with boxes. Most of them are still empty.

After going through the craft room and sorting between Keeps and Sells, I started packing up my fabric I’m keeping, about the only things not currently in boxes. Let me just say that while packing a large box filled with fleece is manageable, a large box filled with quilting fabric is not so much. But at least it is boxed and ready to move, right?

With one of the kiddos here for the last few days and other one since last night, and working, packing hasn’t been much of a priority. And with our fifteen year anniversary quickly approaching, as in two days, and the next day my stepmom’s birthday, the day after my sister’s birthday and the day after that my grandpa’s birthday, I’m uncertain when I’ll be able to start packing again. However, a room full of empty boxes are begging to be filled, so perhaps after the munchkins go to bed tonight we’ll start packing up some books or other stuff we won’t need to use in the immediate future. Who knows, maybe we’ll find a few “treasures” along the way to get rid of.

Dr. Seuss, Jon Bon Jovi and I

What do Dr. Seuss, Jon Bon Jovi and I all have in common? We all share the same birthday.

Today is my birthday. Yea. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm but instead of doing anything fun for my birthday I’ll be working on cake orders for other peoples birthdays and celebrations. Double yea. The more I think about it the more I just want to buy plastic flotsam and use that as décor instead of take all that time making something people will probably take off and throw away to get to the good stuff. We’ll see where the day takes me on that route. I do still need to make a piano’s keyboard for the piano cake, however, so I’ll probably whip one of those up before the day is over. On top of that, I’ve got other projects I said I’d get done, and in usual Cory fashion suggested ways to complicate a rather simple idea, but fortunately in an uncharacteristic move, I verbally explored what I will probably end up doing while having the conversation with the person I’m doing the project for and decided to go ahead and go with the original plan. Oy! Why is it that I self-sabotage so often? I guess it is because I know that I can do these things, I just don’t always have the time to make them turn out the way I envision them.

So today will have no cake for me, no party or celebration, no nothing but grocery shopping, dog bathing, house cleaning and project starting and completing. I wonder if Dr. Seuss or Jon Bon Jovi ever had days like that? I mean, we’re all extremely talented individuals (“He’s so talented, don’t you think? I just love him, he’s so sexy.” Sorry, movie quote moment), but as Pisces we’re always trying to appease others. I have a feeling I’m not alone in this.

Alas, with much to do and so little time to do it, I must work on the projects I’ve committed myself to doing, even if that means it’ll be at the expense of my birthday. Perhaps while I’m at the craft store getting stuff for the Sunday School class I’m teaching this weekend, I’ll pick up a little something for me. Or perhaps I’ll make it a double-duty something for both! Any excuse to buy a few yards of fabric to teach kiddos about God while at the same time making sure it’ll work for the back of my Central Park quilt I plan on making soon has to be a good thing, right? Maybe I can squeeze in a little me time while out running errands. Hopefully this whole 34 thing will turn out better than 33 did.

My Brother Brandon

Brandon and I are probably the closest alike of any of my siblings, except that we are not blood related and he has ambition. Aside from that, we are both extremely creative in many of the same ways.

The year was 1986 when my father and stepmother started dating and I was introduced to her two kids, Brandon and Ryan. Of course, the first thing that went through my head was that my original name was Brandon and my brother’s name is Ryan too. Weird coincidence. Another weird coincidence was that Brandon is the artistic storyteller, like me, and Ryan is a daredevil, like the other Ryan.

Being so similar to a sibling can be, well, difficult. For one thing, I found myself being competitive for the first time. After all, there was somebody else who could do many of the things I could do. Brandon was competitive too, but more often than not he was collaborative. Instead of working on something by himself, he’d get others involved. Actually what he would do was get so many other people involved they did all the work while he barked out all the orders. Hmm… I must have taken a cue from him while working at The-World’s-Largest-Retail-Store because I ended up doing the very same thing.

But the biggest difference between Brandon and myself is that he has always felt free to express his feelings at any time without worry of what someone else might think. I find myself holding back most of the time or blogging about them on here because writing them out actually helps me express myself better since my tongue doesn’t always work properly. He also has always been comfortable in his sexuality in that he never felt ashamed or embarrassed to cuddle with his male friends even though he’s straight. That last bit may sound odd, but that is Brandon. I don’t think there is anyone else out there quite like him.

Currently Brandon works in the television industry for the animation department of a major cable network. I think he’s pretty happy there because basically he never has to really let go of his childhood except for that pesky business side of, uh, business.

Happy birthday, Brandon! I hope your dreams never get smaller and your success only continues to grow.

My Other Brother Ryan

Today is my other brother Ryan’s birthday. Prepare yourself.

Yes, I have two brothers named Ryan. If you want to get all silly, my first name was Brandon for about three weeks but swapped with my middle name, Cory, due to a family controversy over who had the name picked out, and I have another brother named Brandon. Yes, my family is like that. Okay, so technically this Ryan and his brother Brandon are my stepbrothers, but really, they were 1 and 3 when our dad started dating their mom.

So to clarify, we the kids decided there needed to be a way to distinguish between the two Ryan’s and thus came up with a simple plan of referring to the older one as Big Ryan and the younger one as Little Ryan. Well, Big Ryan didn’t like being called that anymore, so Little Ryan decided to rename himself Cheese Grater. Seriously, I couldn’t even try to make that one up. His reasoning? He doesn’t just cut the cheese, he constantly farts in a steady stream of short bursts. We the Children shortened it to Cheese. People still call him that. And sadly, my brother Ryan was still called Big Ryan by more and more people, some of whom didn’t even know there was a Little Ryan.

The two Ryan’s are a lot alike. He’s also an adventurous, risk taking, hilarious individual. The main difference was that growing up, he had a blankie. Yes, Ryan, I’m bringing up that dingy yellow blanket you used to sleep with. What’s more, he called it by its Vietnamese name, mền , which, yes, sounds exactly like it’s spelled. He would cry if he couldn’t find his mền to sleep with. We the Children never failed to find a way to tease him about that. Or the fact that in order to fall asleep, he’d bang his head on his pillow, nose down, for twenty minutes. Let me tell you how much fun that was to be on the bottom bunk!

Little Ryan was, and still is, fairly athletic. Soccer, wrestling, even surprisingly basketball he was good at. I say surprisingly because the kid was tiny. Still is tiny. Okay, so short with a wrestler’s build is more accurate. Some of my favorite memories of him are just the two of us playing what we called Roller Ball where we would play one-on-one basketball in our rollerblades. So much fun! Ah, how I miss those days.

But alas, he’s all grown now, and while I can’t say he still sleeps with his mền, I can say that he is far more independent than I would’ve thought him to be. Happy Birthday, Ryan! I hope your day is filled with amazing things, and the year ahead brings you nothing but happiness! And because I’m evil, and this video never seems to get old, here’s that wonderful recording of you dancing to Bobby Brown’s Ain’t Nobody Humpin’ Around!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zZl1d0Eohmw

Old Mac with Spam

Last night we went out with a bunch of people to celebrate our friend Laura’s birthday. While there was a little over an hour wait for the restaurant, the food was totally worth it.

A few days ago our friend Laura was trying to finalize plans for her birthday. She really wanted Montage for dinner then head over to Kennedy School McMenamins for more drinks, so even though we knew the wait for 20 people to get seated in the small dining area of Montage would be a challenge, we were all ready for it… especially since they don’t take reservations. As it turned out, 20 turned into 12, but the wait was still the same, and there was another party of 12 right after us on the list.

While waiting outside in the threat of rain that fortunately never manifested itself, we were talking about the food from those in our group who’d eaten there before. I was pretty sure I was getting macaroni and cheese based off the conversations, but was unsure of which one I’d be selecting. After we were all seated and ordered drinks (I had a Your Not My Real Dad based solely on the name, but must admit the combination of Peach Schnapps and lavender was delicious) I perused the menu in search of something to eat. Of course, me being me, I chose the item I’d planned on before even walking into the restaurant, Old Mac… with Spam. It was delicious.

Once we were all done eating, paid the bill which was an adventure all in itself with a dozen people trying to figure out what they all ordered, my partner and I headed home while the rest of the group went to Kennedy School. Let me tell you, trying to sleep last night with a belly full of mac & cheese was not on my list of good times, but I guarantee we will be going back to Montage again. Something about really good Cajun and southern comfort foods makes me happy and this place did not disappoint. Of course, the extremely attentive (and eclectic) staff made the night fun, but having good company to share a meal with made it great.

Montage is located in Portland, Oregon at 301 SE Morrison St, 97214.
http://www.montageportland.com/

Jobs, Movies and Birthdays

Today has a bunch of reasons to celebrate; it’s my first day back to work in nearly two years, Back to the Future Trilogy comes out today on Blu-ray, and it’s my partner’s birthday. I have a feeling the first two items will make the third that much better.

Okay, so first things first. I start my new job today and I’m a little nervous. I’m not so nervous about the job itself, I’m more nervous how being out of the workplace in general for so long will affect my performance. Of course, let’s be real here, my job is going to be sitting in a chair at a desk and talking on a phone. I’m not worried about that portion, but I am worried about how long it will take getting back into a work routine. I tried it ten months ago with this blog, making it daily to have a goal to accomplish each day, and so far haven’t missed one, including while out of town, so hopefully it will go by smoothly. After all, there is only one day of training involved.

Then there is the issue of our dog, who over the last couple years has gotten quite used to me being around all the time. Actually, I think she’ll adjust perfectly fine. Every time I’ve tried to play with her or get her to do anything she gives me a look like, “Really? You want me to get up off my ass and play?” But as soon as my partner comes home she’s all tail-waggy and jumpy and excited and wants to play… with him. Perhaps me being gone all day too will make her excited to see me when I get home. Perhaps.

Even though it is my partner’s birthday, he unfortunately has a very long day ahead of him. Between substitute teaching, helping with a school play that starts Thursday, and a special choir session tonight, he’ll be gone from 7am until 9pm. Not exactly the best way to spend a birthday, so I’m glad he had a great party on Saturday at least. Who knows… maybe I’ll surprise him with another birthday present.

Party Planning

Today we are celebrating my partner’s birthday, which means that yesterday instead of grocery shopping, making two birthday cakes (one for him), doing the dishes… twice, laundry, mowing the lawn and then making dinner, I should’ve also been cleaning the house. Oh, I had time, I just didn’t want to.

Cleaning means admitting the house is dirty. I prefer the term less than perfect, because, after all, who wants perfection? I’m sure most of the cleaning I do today before we go out to dinner then come back for cake and cocktails will consist of vacuuming, Febreezing and putting away my sewing projects I’ve got scattered in the dining room. I’d dust, but who am I kidding, I won’t.

House is clean, cake is ready, wine is purchased… these are all important. But the most important thing about planning a party is remembering to actually interact with your guests. If you invite people over and then are stuck in the kitchen the entire time trying to prepare stuff for the friends you’ve invited over, that’s not a party, that’s work. That is why whenever we have parties (which, mind you, we are the most boring people in the world, so we don’t do this all too often) we make sure as much is done in advance as possible. If there is a particularly tricky dish you really want to tackle but has to be done right before serving it, perhaps it isn’t the best idea to use for a birthday party but saved for a time when everyone can be involved in the process or be working on their own dishes, like during the holidays.

Parties should be a time to relax for everyone, including the host(s). Sure, something won’t go according to plan and the dog will probably knock somebody over and said somebody will spill their drink on somebody else and a chain reaction not unlike dominoes standing on end where just one tile gets pushed and soon they all fall down occurs. Okay, so a drastic scenario, yes, but not an unlikely one if you’ve ever met our dog, Lucy. By keeping the offerings simple you’ll allow yourself, and your guests, a chance to have fun. After all, isn’t that what parties are for?

Pet Birthdays

Yesterday was our dog Lucy’s 4th birthday, so what better way to celebrate it than with a cake. A meat cake, that is.

Looking over the last few years we really haven’t done anything for our dog’s birthday, let alone any of our pets’s birthdays, and I figured why not make a special treat just for her. So I pulled out an old container of ground turkey I’d thrown in the freezer before it went bad… wow, this isn’t starting out so special is it? Six month old possibly freezer burnt lean ground turkey? Oh well. I put the ground turkey in the microwave and zapped it for a minute at a time until it was thawed, mixed it together with some fresh rosemary and sage I picked from the garden along with an apple, couple handfuls of carrots and celery that I finely chopped in the food processor, and three beaten eggs with a scant quarter teaspoon of salt and a couple grinds of pepper. If I was thinking, I’d have also chopped up some garlic. I baked it in two six inch cake pans until it was done and let it cool.

I also peeled some potatoes and boiled them until cooked, drained and tossed them into the KitchenAid stand mixer with the whisk attachment and whisked them with some olive oil, garlic powder and Nancy’s Honey Yogurt, which used to be known as just Plain Yogurt with Honey, and is a whole milk yogurt and very delicious. I continued to whisk the potatoes until they were smooth and frosting consistency.

After the meat cake layers had cooled, I plated the bottom layer and filled the center with mashed potatoes, adding the top layer and covered the whole thing with the potatoes in the same manner as I would do with frosting on cake. When it was done, it looked like a frosted cake too. For decoration, I added a border of peas on the bottom and cut out her name from slices of cheddar cheese before we wished her happy birthday, cut half of it out and gave it to her for dinner.

I know this seems like a lot of effort, but really, aren’t our pets worth it? They give us so much love and affection day in and day out, it seems like making them a special dinner once in a while is such a small thing to give them in return. Of course, when our dog first started showing signs of skin allergies, we decided to simply make her meals for her, which was basically a chicken stew with potatoes, carrots and peas without any seasonings. Very bland, but she loved it. However, this is not something I would prefer to do with our dog, as she is so huge I was making a batch every other day!

Our pets are such a huge part of our family it only seems logical to celebrate their milestones like we would if we had kids. I hope you think of your pets the same way.