So, as I mentioned…the Darling’s 5th Annual Fry fete was Saturday. Before the competition for best fryable we all got to enjoy some fried cheese curds (Mads is now a fan of them) fried pickles, fried turkey and Sneaky Monkey – the traditional drink of the Darling Fry Fest.
It was a serious competition as you had to have your entry signed in by a certain time and ballots had to be signed. Entries ranged from tacos and crab stuffed jalapenos to ice cream sandwiches. Though I missed out on some of the entries to hold Mads during her afternoon nap, I was able to grab a bite of the winning dish. There was a tie for 3rd place: pickle tacos and strawberries (I missed those); 2nd place went to lightly battered Jimmy Dean Sausage Biscuits (OMG! My mistake was asking S to half one with me. I could have easily eaten 3 or 4 of them); and 1st place went to a coconut-battered (I think) PB&J sandwich (Don’t knock it ‘til you try it – it was amazing!). The frying was concluded with fried twinkies – always a favorite.
Sunday, we headed to BFE, also known as Fremont, for my cousin’s wedding. It was a lovely ceremony in a nice shady garden. It was followed by a light reception (yummy artichoke dip).
Following the ceremony and light reception, there was a Chinese banquet. I saw family and family friends I haven’t seen in ages – it was nice to have all my cousins together, as we were all still at the “kid’s tableâ€. It was fun when we were kids, but probably even more fun now that we’re adults. Mads held up well and didn’t fall asleep until we left the reception at 9.30p (She was up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 7am, surprisingly.)
It’s the week before a 3-day weekend, so I expect it to be slow this week. Am looking forward to the weekend, despite not getting to sleep in anymore.
(I know that I need to post more pictures, but we’re having issues with the photos…stay tuned!)
Because I thought it’d be neat to see where I’ve been (and where I haven’t) and using 1,000 Places to See Before You Die as my guide…a page is born. Just click on the link to the right.
Will add blurbs and pix, if available, when I can…famous last words, huh?
Another thing completed this week!
New shoes to go with my new dress…
Thank goodness for lunch breaks…Â
I really cannot wait until the month of August is over. Looking back at the calendar – we’ve had something every weekend. Our only “free” day was the first Sunday of the month.
We started out our activity/event-laden month with my cousin’s son’s birthday party at Ryder Park in San Mateo. Mads had been here before with her day care group. It’s such a great park – new play equipment, swings, “sandbox” and even a water play area. Despite eating before we left, Mads gorged herself on watermelon, then we took her on the swings. Probably not the best idea on our part.
The following Saturday we met some new friends who had just moved here from Philly. Since they have two little boys, we met at the newly refurbished Children’s Playground in Golden Gate Park. I chose that spot because of the carrousel, but for some reason it didn’t open while we were there.
The next day, the Wongs paid us a visit – and we finally got to meet little Holland! I think the girls got along, until Mads tried to run her over with her walker toy. Just kidding. We broke in the new gas grill and had cheeseburgers for lunch. Holland also received many a puppy kiss from Lucie – which she didn’t like too much.
I guess you could say that we were busy cleaning the house in preparation for the big O-N-E party. A lot of good that did us, since we had the party completely outside!
Slowly, Mads’ party was getting OOC (out of control) – my last count was 50+ people, 40-ish adults, 10 children and 2 dogs – in our tiny backyard. Our kitchen was literally CostCo and I couldn’t see the back of the fridge if I tried. The party didn’t spill into the sideyard as I had hoped, but rather into garage and computer room. But I think that everyone had a good time – there was plenty of food and plenty of cupcakes: yellow cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and (my fave) coconut cupcakes! (Thanks to grammy and aunt katie!) We did buy a small cake for Mads to get messy with – and she did. Cake, frosting everywhere! People, beware, do not take cake away from this girl because she will scream like no tomorrow. After cleaning up a little, we opened presents. I am happy to say that she received more clothes than toys. One toy, she could not even wait for us to take it out of the box – the princess cruiser, she can ride this as she cruises for prince charming. Complete with lights and songs and no volume control! (Thanks to B&A!)
As if the party wasn’t enough for a weekend, we were off to a bridal shower the following day. My cousin is getting married next week and we figured we’d better get to know the girl he’s marrying, non? Actually, it was just another reason to eat. Chicken croquettes, wontons, lumpia, pancit, vietnamese spring rolls, mac&cheese and a chocolate cake and cheesecake to top it all off. There goes those last couple pounds I dropped.
This coming weekend we are off to the Darling’s 5th annual Fry Party. For the life of me I can only remember the last two – so either we didn’t go or we did and had a great time and I just can’t remember! Once a year our friends, the Darlings, host a day of “debaucherous frying”. Think of all the crazy carni food you can imagine in one place: Fried turkey, fried pickles, fried twinkies, fried cheese curds (my favorites). The winner of best fryable was the deep fried big mac – yes, folks, dipped in batter and then fried, the big mac was da bomb! I’m always a fan of the deep friend snickers, almond roca and oreos. Battered & fried chocolate? Can it get any better than that?
K-bean hit parade
Toob: Damages – if you’re not watching you should; Flight of the Conchords – so silly it’s hilarious
Tunes: Amy Winehouse, Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol, KT Tunstall, Bebel Gilberto
Pages: The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel – am only part way through it, but am loving it. Thanks to my friend Dani for the recommendation.
Okay – posted a meaningful post, what’s next on the list?
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- Find shoes to go with my new dress
- Post a meaningful post on Kellybean – it’s been a while, I know. August, for some reason, has been a tremendously busy month
- Get a mani/pedi – scheduled an appt already!
- Find a container for Madison’s time capsule (well, maybe not by the end of the week)
- Write something for Madison’s time capsule – awful parent, I know (probably not by the end of the week, either)
- Thank you notes
- Fast for the Darling Fry Party – more on this later
One year ago today, this picture was taken…
…time flies when you’re having fun!
Our friends JC+Tessy invited all of us for a weekend getaway to The Sea Ranch.
Luggage, baby, grandma and dog were all packed into the car and we made our way north. We stopped for dinner in Novato (which was a BIG mistake) and made a quick run to Target (I forgot to pack wipes, of all things).
Looking at the map, the route seemed pretty straightforward. SF-Petaluma-Hwy 1 and we’re there. Throw in fog, windy roads, fog, cows on windy roads, did I mention fog, and a motion-sick mama we didn’t pull into the house until close to 11p! We left SF at 6p.Yikes!
A day of hiking and exploring the area’s beaches was put on hold. S & I spent Saturday battling food poisoning (no more visits to Pasta Pomodoro, which is probably a good thing). By late afternoon, we were feeling a bit better and so we took Lucie and Mads to the beach.
Lucie, without saying, had a great time chasing her ball on the sand, into the waves, etc. We tried to build a sand castle with Mads, but she was more interested in demolition. She did get a handle on her sand rake, though.
Feeling much better Sunday, I packed lunch for all and we all headed out Sunday afternoon – why is it when you’re leaving some place, it seems a lot closer, etc? We stopped at a Sonoma Coast beach to picnic. S had let Lucie off-leash and the lifeguard got in his truck to drive 20 feet, to tell him that Lucie must be leashed. Lifeguard, then got back into his truck to drive back the 20 feet to his designated parking spot in the sand. Lame-o. Did he really need to get into his truck? (Mind you, this is a ginormous Dodge Ram type mama truck.) Talk about a negative environmental impact.