Fair Day

Homerun the First Time at Bat

We had our first catering as Sage Catering last Saturday. And, we hit a total homerun!

It was a benefit dinner by a nonprofit, First Down Dreams Foundation, to raise money for Children's and Children's Village. We served approximately 150-160 people. They decided to serve the meal buffet style in order to save on cost, so we set up cool buffets with tons of food. The students from YV-Tech helped us run the gig, and they did a fantastic job. It really went off well.

The food was excellent. For starters, we had cucumber cups filled with shrimp cerviche, puff pastry with brie and chutney, fresh clams casino, and parmesan crisps with blue cheese and chutney. For salads we served spinach salad with goat cheese, candied pecans, dried cherries, apples and a bacon balsalmic vinaigrette, bleu cheese potato salad (my mom's recipe) and Pasta caprese salad with fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and a vinaigrette. Sides included fresh corn salsa and herbed rice pilaf. The entrees were chicken stuffed with bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms and herbs served with a cherry honey mustard (it was a to-die-for sauce, my idea thank you) braised beef shortribs with a cherry barbeque sauce and cedar plank salmon with a lemon dill creme fraiche. Desserts: chocolate decadence, apple tarte tatin and fresh peach creme brulee served in the peaches. It was a beautiful evening, and the food was truly excellent. Although, Jeff at McDonald's on his way home because he forgot to eat some of the leftovers.

The next morning, I awoke to find my feet literally covered in blisters that I didn't remember getting during the event, and a bruise on my shin that I don't remember. My body was sore for days; I haven't done any events like this for a long time. I'm outta shape! And there is no work, like restaurant work. I don't think Jeff hardly moved at all for the whole day afterwards. I had to go to Portland for the day, so I didn't really get a break. Although, the eight hours in the car were much more appreciated than they would have been if I hadn't spent the few days before working 18 hours in order to be ready for the catering.

Eventually we should have pictures of the event. I didn't have time to snap very many myself and Denise Andersen, who took our other pictures, was there. So I hope she got some good ones. I do have some pictures of Jeff and the kids. They worked so hard and did so well. I think it's a real testament to Jeff's abilities as a cook and a teacher that he could take kids, after three weeks of instruction, and pull off and event like this one.

We are, understandably I think, very proud of ourselves after this last weekend. It really was a homerun on our first time up to the plate by ourselves.

Walls Are Goin' Up!

I just might let myself get excited now. The lease is final--we are just waiting for the actual papers to be ready to sign, but all the dealing is done. There is a floor and there are walls. There is something so satifyingly real about seeing those walls and walking through the floorplan that I have studied and debated for months. So I'm going to actually say, I think we might truly have a restaurant next summer--probably in June. Seriously. I took more pictures of the kids on the site, and Jack discovering the big front loaders and such which I will post to flickr soon.

I wrote once about the decision to cater in the meantime. Well, we did decide to go ahead with that, and there are ads that will be going out in October, and we have things scheduled. Just one small problem, we don't have a kitchen. Lucho threw a fit, and I'm still trying to find a way around him or a different space. I would say more, but this is a public space and I don't have anything nice to say. There has to be a way around him. He can't win this. Or there has to be another kitchen. I've probably said too much, so moving on . . .

Our house has more important big news: Lucy Pooped in the Potty!! After a two year long battle of wills, which she has won without hardly a contest, she took herself to the potty without saying a thing, and just did it. All the cajoling, bribing, begging, punishing, pleading, and singing on the potty and she just went to the potty and did it. Amazing! Although unexplicable, I'm willing to call it a success and celebrate!

And now to get our minds literally out of the gutter (I know it's an awful pun, but I just couldn't resist, and I'm typing this late at night) I have discovered the cutest new craft--see pictures. The pink one is a mouse and the green one is a turtle. They are called "amigurumi" and the idea comes from Japan. My kids like them--Jack is particularly fond of throwing the heads around before I get them sewn onto the bodies. They are way fun to make. And, they make me rather happy.

Lucy, the Big Girl Preschooler!

This last Tuesday, Lucy had her first day of preschool. And, although Lucy is no social maverick, we survived. Most importantly, they didn't kick her out.

The night before we had three or four different potty accidents, she spent the entire night screaming at us, and I was convinced they would refuse to have her the next day. I even called my mom, desperate for advice, and ended up arguing with her a little over the best approach. Finally, I just kinda gave up. I mean, we have worked this whole summer to potty-train and prepare her for preschool. There wasn't much left that we could do for her.

So Tuesday, we get ready and despite having to get her immunization record last minute, we were on time. Applause for me because being on time anywhere is a serious feat! It was simply an open house for the first day. A come in, play with the toys and get acquainted with the space and people sort of day while the moms, and a few dads, are still around. Lucy was really excited, which means that she promptly screamed at the teachers for talking to her. Typical. After some soothing, a timeout and a few threats, we finally discovered a toy that she liked, away from all the other people (not a surprise). Jack on the other hand, easily made friends with three other boys who were playing with trains and was content and at home with the entire thing.

The cutest moment to me was when she asked me to take off her sweater, and then took it from me to iron it with their play iron. Precious. Although, Lucy didn't really play with any of the other kids, I was really proud of her. She didn't fall to pieces, and she played very close to the other children, covertly studying what they were doing. She really did well for her. I had a chance to warn the teachers about the potty issues and the screaming, as if they didn't notice. But I'm pretty sure that most the other kids are not that much better potty trained than her, and I don't think she's even the worst screamer that they've ever seen.

On Thursday, she had her first real day of preschool. By this point, I was more worried about having to tell Jack that he didn't get to go, than Lucy going. Again, she screamed a few times, but I guess she calmed down pretty quick. The teachers had me leave her at the door and walk away, which was so odd. Jack didn't mind at all. He got to go to the office with me and flirted up a storm with the girls. Then he went shopping with me, and I guess he thought that I wasn't looking because he tried to slip five different bags of Mike and Ikes in the basket. Sneaky little devil.

After preschool, Lucy said that she went down the slide, and that she likes Mrs. Cutie (it's really Mrs. Koday, but Lucy says Cutie). I don't know if she talked to the other kids. The teachers said that she did well.

Ever since, she's been telling me that she's a Big Girl. She has never once cared before to be a Big Girl. It has never interested her. There was nothing cool about Big Girls compared with princesses, fairies (berries, Lucy calls them) or dancers (dans-swers). And now, all of the sudden, she is a Big Girl. You see, in Lucy's world it is okay for everything to turn upside down from one day to the next, as long as it was her idea first. Of course.

If you're married to a chef . . .

I was just reading a book on home management, when under the caption "cooking" I found the line, "If you're married to a chef, you can skip the following section." HA! Seriously, let's review what it's like when you are really married to a chef.

If you're married to a chef,

• You can expect to have your cupboards rearranged so that they are partly organized by his system and partly by yours, which means that you permanently can't find anything. He doesn't have time to overhaul the whole system, but believes that your system is unprofessional and therefore embarks on fixing it for about five minutes. Then you get to wonder where in the world it would be professional to store your angel food cake pan, which by the way is far, far away from anything useful because he doesn't like angel food cake and thinks the pan is silly.


• Your cooking will always meet with a running commentary on how to do everything differently or better or like so and so, or my personal favorite, the "real" way.


• He will have many suggestions and plans about how to buy and use food to prevent spoilage and waste, but he will expect you, like any good prep cook, to implement his plan. And laud his wisdom in creating more work for you.


• On holidays, he will conveniently disappear during major food prep periods. And IF you find him, he will amazingly orchestrate the event so that everyone is following his instructions, working like little busy bees. This he will call expediting.


• If you cook him a nice meal and wait to eat together, he will not be hungry when he gets home. And he won't want to eat with you, insisting that more leftovers would be nice.


• He will not cook at home. Ever. The only exceptions to this being if you are seriously incapacitated for an extended period of time and there are no church ladies or mothers or sisters left in the world. Or, if he is trying to prove a point about how you should use something up or do something. Or if he wants something out of you.

So, if you are married to a chef, you should read and study the section on cooking more than anyone else because he isn't going to solve your problems in the kitchen. He will create a few. He will offer advice and suggestions. But, he will not cook at home. And you have to feed a chef, in my case a darn good one, dinner.

Lots of Good News

It's been a busy, but fun weekend, and I have lots of news.

First, we looked at the abandoned kitchen and it will definitely work. It was kinda funny when we were talking with the building manager because he mentioned having to talk to Lucho about us using this space. And then we mentioned that we were still in litigation with Lucho, and he responded that maybe he didn't actually have to run anything past Lucho. I seriously wish I could see the look on his face when he finds out we are going to be catering, which he had to give up after he got rid of Jeff, in the same building. Well, I honestly think it is karma or something like it.

Lucy and Jack got to ride horses for the first time at my mom's family reunion up at Ensign Ranch. It was a pretty big deal to them. They were so cute when it came to actually getting on the horses; they were quite nervous. Lucy threw an absolute fit about wearing a helmet, until finally I just forced it on and buckled it before she could get it off. Then I told her that she was scaring the horses with all her screaming, very likely to be true, and that she needed to talk to them like you would a baby. So, she rode around saying, "It's okay, baby. It's okay" in this high, sweet voice. Adorable. And Jack thought that it was all very serious business. He was so intent on holding onto the saddle horn that he could not smile for me once. After Lucy rode the brown one and we were almost ready to do, she asked so sweetly to ride the black one. The guy said that the black one was a little more skittish, but she said please with those big blue eyes and she got to ride the horse. I think she loved the black one, Tia, best of all. She told the horse "Good baby. Good baby" as she rode. I loved it.

Then after that we drove out to Mattawa for my cousin Bryce's baby blessing. We stayed with my Grandma Jo, and Jack had the best time driving all of her decorations that could possibly be construed as cars and throwing decorative balls from Africa. The thing is, he's so cute about it that even when I have to say no, I'm trying so hard not to laugh. I mean, he drove a block with a horse and buggy painted on it all over her living room and lined it up with a bunch of antique toy cars. It was hilarious--I mean, it was very naughty--except it was really hilarious. Case is a beautiful baby, and it was really special to see all those men stand up there, surrounding that baby with love and strength as Bryce blessed him. I need my own baby because I really don't like having to give the babies back after holding them. My babies are huge, and Jack almost always refuses to give me kisses anymore. He is too big and important for that sissy stuff. I need a little one.

A Wonderful, Awful Idea

Today I got an email from the builders for the restaurant that Jeff and I are trying to open. They are delayed again, and now the restaurant will open in June instead of January. I wish, now that this is the third or fourth time that they have told us that they are significantly behind, that I didn't react. I wish I could pretend that I hadn't gotten my hopes up, I hadn't started counting down to the time that I could work from home instead of the lab, and it didn't make me cry. It's just that every month that they are behind is another month that I have to spend most of my time away from my kids, letting someone else enjoy their childhood, while I work at a job that has nothing to do with anything that I dream for my life. But like I said, this isn't my first time lamenting a delay. Today, I was more frustrated that I again felt powerless in the face of the wave of disappointment. And then, I had an idea.

(Okay, whenever I write that last line, I can't help but think of the Grinch. "An awful idea. And then the Grinch had a wonderful, awful idea" because Lucy likes that book, and I have read it a lot, all year long)

So sometimes when you can't get the ship of the line that you are supposed to get, you take a sloop and make do. Jeff and I know of an abandoned kitchen from which we could easily run a catering business. Ironically, it is in the basement of the building that Zesta is in, but I'm not letting them stop me. We could have it up and running by the end of September maybe, October definitely. In time for the whole of the holiday season and all the lovely office parties. And after the office parties, is February and February is the best month for Wine Dinners because it's Valentine's Day which is all about wine, chocolate and date nights. And after February is spring, which means weddings, and I love weddings because weddings need food. Catering would allow us to remind people that we exist, build on our reputation and prove that we have the best game in town. It would allow us to create and build relationships with wineries and people of interest in the community.

And most of all---it would mean that the builders are not in control of our lives anymore. We would be doing what we want to do, not what they tell us we can do. It would make all of this waiting useful. So that next time when the inevitably announce that they are behind, I don't spend all day somewhere between homicidal rage and paralytic depression. I'm not saying that I will be able to smile, but maybe for once, I won't cry.

More Photos of Riley

If you click over on the link to the camping photos in Flickr, you can now also see new photos of little Riley. He is so dang adorable!
I don't know if he likes me so much right now. He is very sleepy--maybe a little jaundiced--and so I showed his parents how to wake him up by holding him under his arms. He hates it and gets quite upset, so I'm sure that I am not his favorite for introducing that little trick. His cry is so soft, like a little lamb bleating. It is absolutely precious. Lucy cried like that at first. It doesn't last, but at the moment it is so very cute.
I am a big fan of having my own blog. It is really too fun to share all our photos and news. Now I can keep everyone updated.

Aunt!

Danna had her baby on Thursday. Everything went smoothly, and the baby is so cute. This is my first niece or nephew, and I had never stood in the hallway waiting for a baby. I have always been the one having the baby, or not close enough or old enough to be in the hospital. It was a strange, unnerving experience to be on the other side of the door. I was so anxious for my sister because I knew that she was worried about having a birth like Lucy's. I stood there outside the door with my ear pressed against, and later with a stethoscope that a nurse let me borrow trying to keep tabs on what was happening. But, everything went well. She pushed for a third of the time that I did and didn't tear at all. Not a stitch! I was so relieved, as I had been begging and bartering with heaven while I stood on the other side of that door that things went smoothly.

Riley is adorable! Perhaps all babies are, but I think this one is especially. He is soo long--22 1/2 inches and big 8 lbs 10 oz. Lucy was two full pounds lighter than him! He knows his mama and the first time I handed him back to her, he snuggled right in and cooed. So sweet. I remember those moments with my babies. I've often tried to write a poem or something to express or capture those feelings, but they always turn out more sentimental than a hallmark card. Oscar Wilde said "All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling. To be natural is to be obvious, and to be obvious is to be inartistic." So I will spare you my bad poetry. But the baby is beautiful and I took a few cute pictures.

He has huge feet, which we have dubbed his Phelp's Phlippers because he is an Olympics baby. I love baby feet. His are so newborn still, all wrinkley. cute.