Last Friday afternoon a friend of a friend of mine came down to the states from Canada. She was here to pull together a bridal shower for our mutual friend. I had met this girl once before and spent a little time with her at the bachelorette party but didn't have a chance to really chat with her. (Although I do not typically write and refer to people as 'she' and 'her' in my blog posts, I think I will this time just to keep things somewhat anonymous if at all possible.) This friend from Canada came into town and went shopping to purchase many of the ingredients needed to make the foods she was planning to make. I had offered for her to come stay at my house the night before so she could get some of the cooking done ahead of time and we could have some time to get to know each other better. After a little more shopping and a trip to pick another of her friends the cooking began. I helped with prep work, whatever she needed me to make and what at times seemed like continuous dish washing over the course of 24 hours. It was really fun, three girls in my kitchen all deeply engrossed in culinary activity. It wasn't long before we found a flow and were making progress. A minor mishap with a cake put us back a bit but we carried on. Forward march! That night and the next day we worked together to create more than enough food for the party. Three kinds of home made hummus, 3 kinds of tzastiki dip, mini shephard pies, cheese platter, olive tray, vegetable platter, falafel with pita, pumkin cheesecake, and mojitos with a choice of lavendar and ginger simple syrups. Thanks to the fantastic weather on Saturday the party began outside on the patio where we sat and ate for over an hour. It was fantastic (in my opinion). The party lasted just over 4 hours going down in history as one of the longer bridal showers.
As the bridal shower ended and the ladies were leaving one of my husband's high school friends showed up to watch the Sounders vs Timbers soccer match. I set out a little of the left over food, poured the two guys and myself a drink and settled into my chair ready to watch the match. It wasn't long before I was leaning forward and leaping out of my seat to yell and cheer. More fun!
The next day we had some friends of ours who have 4 lovely children over for a visit and to join us for dinner. We caught up on all things kids and then cooked a taco feast for 9. The kids laughed and played well together and the parents even had time to chat. Another fantastic evening!
Monday came along and my dear sweet friend, Dawn (okay, so I will put one name in here) came over after work to spend some time with me. She brought the wine (14 Hands) and I put on the spread of appetizers and a 'make it yourself' chef salad bar. It was awesome to take time to talk, listen, laugh and grow closer in our friendship.
Tomorrow is Tuesday and I am taking the evening off....well, right after I deliver a meal to a mom in our MOPS group who had her new little bundle of joy a few weeks ago. Michael and I are going to go over and visit her in the afternoon and deliver a dinner for her and her family. After that, Tom, Michael and I are heading to Big Daddy's to listen to "Wings N Things" and have dinner out. Should be a really fun evening.
I love having people over to our home. I love making food for people and sharing a meal together. I like to make people feel warm, welcome and cared for. I guess it is a gift. All I know is it gives as much or more to me as it does to them. :-)
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