Things I Love

Ring Master MomOctober 18, 2015Leave a comment

Healthy Halloween Food

I’m all about celebrating holidays in my house, and Halloween is no exception! I’ve put together a few of my favorite healthy snacks and meals we love in our home!

First up is a spooky ghost face parfait. Add a generous scoop or two of greek yogurt, fruit, more yogurt and top with three blackberries to create a ghost face!

Ghost pancakes are a fun way to start the day! I always add a small amount of oil to my cookie cutters before pouring in the pancake batter so nothing sticks when you remove the cookie cutter.

A great snack idea for little ones is cutting a banana into slices, and adding peanut butter and sprinkles. I have to say that the cyclops eyes are my fave!

Another wonderful snack idea is pumpkin pretzels (found at Target) with golden raisins and skull cucumbers!

Color coordinated juices and ghost chips are a fun snack idea for Halloween. You can find these chips at Whole Foods.

For dinner, we roast our favorite veggies in season and add them to scary pasta! You can find the pasta with natural dyes (yay!) at World Market. Then we top with a splash or two of our favorite vinaigrette.

My kiddos love creepy dinner ideas, and this one is so easy and fun! I slice hot dogs and then boil for a few minutes. The curl up into worm shapes – ew! Add berries and cubed cheese for a colorful meal!

This has to be my children’s favorite Halloween dinner probably because it’s the grossest looking idea! I cooked chili and hot dogs separately. Then I sliced hot dogs and used a straw to poke out two perfect circles. They call this one pig snout chili and always want more.

Every year we make pizza with different Halloween shapes. This time we slices olives to create bats, and used a tulip cookie cutter to create a ghost.

Below are affiliate links to items I used to make the above food. Thanks for your support and Happy halloween!

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Ring Master MomOctober 14, 2015Leave a comment

Halloween treats

My children still only want to trick or treat at a few houses on Halloween so I don’t mind making a few treats with them during October for some special fun! Here are a few of my favorites.

Nothing screams fall treat like a caramel apple. I love to slice up apples first and then set aside caramel sauce and toppings.

For a silly breakfast treat, take powdered donut holes and add eye sprinkles!

Brownies cut with cookie cutters and Reese’s pieces make for a great looking dessert.

We also played a Halloween touch and feel game. (Don’t worry, we didn’t have this food to go waste! It was immediately snacked upon after finishing!) We had some family over for this game and I blindfolded everyone and told them I had just come back from the cemetery. Tortilla pieces were handed to everyone and I described that as pieces of skin, banana chips were witches’ fingernails, baby carrots were fingers I had sliced off, pretzels were petrified rat tails, and room temperature olives were eyeballs. It’s great to see how people (even grown ups!) squirm and make hilarious faces when they’re holding these items.

And finally, we love to “Boo” our neighbors. We’ve been doing it for years, and this is what we included in our bags this year.

Below are affiliate links to a few items pictured above. Thanks for your support, and Happy Halloween!

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Ring Master MomSeptember 4, 20142 Comments

The future of food

Do you dream about the future? Will we have flying cars in our lifetime? Ever wonder about what our food will look like?

A little background on me – I love food. I enjoy cooking, baking, and dining out with my family. I love food so much that the vocal point in both labors of my children changed from a calm and serene Hawaii to the meals I ate while there. I guess you could call eating an experience and my happy place.

Please note that there are many more of what I think of as disturbing things going on with our food. I don’t have time to list all of my grievances here. Any bold phrases are links to articles and more information.

What we eat has changed dramatically in the last 50 years. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Let those numbers sink in. Every wonder why they’ve raised so much? There are more additives and fillers to keep “food” cheap and you coming back for more. Why is there a need to add sugar to everyday items such as bread or soup? Because it’s cheaper than using real food and your brain will be tricked into craving more.

For some reason, ultra-bad trans fat is still lurking in many foods. Here’s a hint when you’re buying – if it says zero grams of trans fat, there’s trans fat inside! Zero grams is not the same as none unfortunately.

With daily news articles discussing GMO/Monsanto vs organic crops, last year the UN completed a study saying that small scale farming is the only way to feed the world. Should we eat what nature’s given us? How far should we go to feed ourselves?

It’s hard enough being parents and worrying about every tiny decision in your child’s life. Companies make it incredibly difficult for you to go to the grocery store and make healthy decisions. They are there to sell you their product, and will do whatever it takes to grab your child’s attention. How would snack time change if our produce aisle looked different?

Misleading labels make it easy to bring home crap. I cannot believe we live in a world where it’s okay to label a yogurt container as “strawberry” when it contains no actual strawberries.

I still don’t get artificial colors in foods. There are natural dyes, but of course they’re not as bright and more expensive. With links to ADHD in fake colors and pesticides, wouldn’t you want to subtract this from your diet?

Natural doesn’t always mean healthy, but if this is what the sun does to real vs chemical ice cream, sign me up for real every day of the week.

I am not perfect in the quest to feed my children ONLY locally sourced, organic, dye-free food, but I try very hard to find real food to feed my family. Friends often ask how my kids eat such a wide variety of foods from different cultures and the answer is as easy as they eat what I cook. If possible, I’d eat jelly donuts for the rest of my life, but it really wouldn’t last that long. It’s hard to make sacrifices to eat well, but it’s worth it. This article reinforces the need to start out as early as possible to set a good example for our children and instill great eating habits.

Another great tip for getting little ones to eat and snack healthy can be found on my Instagram page or searching through #eatyourrainbow. I am surprised at how taking a minute or two to arrange colorful food in a beautiful way gets them to explore things they’ve never tried. Even my husband munches on things he normally wouldn’t grab from the fridge.

I’m hopeful that in 50 years, my family is eating actual food with no fillers, additives, or chemicals. What a concept!

What are your thoughts? Do you and your family have guidelines before going grocery shopping? How do you feed your family?

Ring Master MomAugust 9, 20141 Comment

Update time

Hi Friends!

I am sorry I’ve been MIA here this summer. It started out with a bang and I’ve been tired by most evenings I wanted to blog but happy and my heart is full of wonderful memories with my family. This post is going to be about my struggles with my period so if the words “uterus” or “blood” scare you – I’d advise you to a) grow up (ha!) and b) find another site to keep you occupied.

I decided to share my experience because it was hard to find friends who had gone through this. Even the older ladies in my water aerobics class had no advice to share with me!

I have had horrible periods my whole life. They are heavy, long, and painful. I’ve never skipped school, sports, or work because of this, but I’ve had my moments where I have had to close my eyes and focus on something happy. After having kids, I can liken the pain to contractions!

In early June, I talked to OB-GYN about my options. The pill sends my hormones into a tizzy and caused lumps on my breasts the last time I took it. Since I was pretty sure I was done having children, we discussed surgery options. I would first have an ablation and if that didn’t work, I’d have a partial hysterectomy. James and I had discussed these options prior to my appointment so none of these options were a huge surprise to me.

And I’m sorry, but this brochure had me cracking up when I received it. I cannot relate to her at all. I know I’m not the average age for this surgery, which is one of the reasons I’m sharing my story here. I want other young ladies to know all options and see what’s right for them.

I had blood work and a pap-smear to rule out cancer. Phew! Also had a 25 minute vaginal ultrasound to get the full picture of what was going on down there. And side note – buy a girl a drink before such a long ultrasound! My OB-GYN told my that she saw 3 things that were causing my bad periods. First, thick lining which would be taken care of with a D & C. She also spotted fibroids and polyps which could be taken care of by having an endometrial ablation. I was also told that these three things can make it difficult for women trying to get pregnant. Knowing that info made me hug my babies extra tight when I came home.

A week or two after my appointments, I was at my favorite blogging conference – ALT – in Salt Lake City. On the last evening, right as the garden party kicked off, a friend tapped my shoulder to let me know I had a spot on my skirt. Color me embarrassed as this has never happened to me! My friend Troy took this pic about a moment before the drama unfolded! Notice the light color of my skirt!!

I hurried upstairs to change and quickly shower. When I was in the shower, I noticed that I was bleeding like never before which explains why a super tampon and giant pad did no good after 45 minutes. This did scare me though and then my lining came out. Three times. Since I couldn’t stop this, I knew I needed to go to the ER. I called my friend Jess who was still enjoying herself at the party and asked if she’d come hang out with me at the ER for a bit. I am very thankful that she came with me as it took several hours to get everything sorted.

The doctors first came in and held my hands and told me that they thought I was having a miscarriage. I told them not possible – I’d just had a super long ultrasound. They wanted a pregnancy test first which was fine by me, but it took them an hour to come back and let me know that I indeed was not pregnant. An hour of thinking that you maaaay be having a miscarriage was not fun. I was finally given a hormone and told that the bleeding would stop soon.

I got back to my hotel room to sleep for a few hours and then hop on a plane back to SF, nap, cook dinner, and go back to sleep. I woke up at 6 the next morning, packed for camp for a week for myself, Alice, and Patrick and we were on our way to the woods! The hormone I took to stop the bleeding took that entire week to work. I still had to go to the bathroom almost every hour for the first 4 days. This was difficult to do with two small kids but luckily my Dad and good friend Rebecca were nearby to grab the kiddos while I ran up to the head!

Surgery was scheduled for my next period and I was in and out in a few hours. I ended up having a bad reaction to the anesthesia and was violently throwing up the first day and in total pain. Like the “nobody talk to me and I’m going to see if laying on the bed upside down helps” kinda pain. James was a rockstar and called the doc to get some meds to control everything. One pill for nausea and for pain was all I needed. Recovery has been good otherwise – just feeling uncomfortable and still bleeding til things are normal again. I’m very hopeful for less pain every month and I’ll keep you posted if I have undergo anything more dramatic.

My hope with this post is to inform others of options. It was tough to find others out there who have had surgery in their early 30’s. I’m excited to feel a bit more normal and not like I need to go to Costco every month for supplies.

Ring Master MomMay 15, 2014Leave a comment

Every Mother Counts

I was in labor with my son Patrick for 26 hours. My daughter Alice took 13. The only time I cried for either birth was when I was getting an epidural for Patrick. For hours and hours intense contractions increased and lack of food for energy were catching up with me and I decided to have some help to relieve the pain. As the needle went in, tears came flooding out. All I could think about were other women in the world right then and there experiencing the same pain but were not as fortunate to receive medication when requested. The nurse wiped away my tears and reassured me that everything was okay, but I could not fathom why I was so lucky to receive medication when others had to suffer. The irony is that for the rest of Patrick’s birth, I could feel the pain on one side and not the other since the epidural did not work correctly.

As Mother’s Day came around again, I still felt haunted by how “easy” my birth stories are compared to other Moms. Scrolling through my feed on Instagram had me troubled that day. Through an inspiration blogging conference, Alt Summit, we had been introduced to an organization called Every Mother Counts. At the conference, we had watched a documentary that showed how Mothers across the globe gave birth. The complications and seriousness of childbirth is intense.

287,000 women die every year as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

That’s one woman every T W O minutes.

On average – four orphans are left behind.

Not only is the role of Mother gone, but whatever position/s she held in her community.

The most compelling stat is that 90% of these deaths are preventable.

On Mothers’s Day, I felt helpless. My two beautiful children were enjoying lunch when I walked into the office and started sobbing to my husband James. I had horrible guilt about enjoying these carefree and magical moments while other Mothers were not able to enjoy theirs. I follow Every Mother Counts on Instagram, and seeing something in their feed that day started the wheels turning. What can I do for others? What can I do to ensure that other Mothers are around to not only play with their children, but continue teaching and building their communities? James agreed that the best way

Reading more on the Every Mother Counts page, I am ready to help change these numbers. I am compelled to host a screening of the documentary I watched called No Woman, No Cry with my friends and talk about how we can help. Fundraising before and that night along with donating phones will be the first steps, and once I have a date finalized, I’ll have a better idea of what else I can do for the organization. Please stay posted here for the invite. Once a few family events on my end are scheduled, I’ll be posting all the details for a night together with my girlfriends. Checkbooks at the ready, people.

#Alt Summit believes every mother counts

Ring Master MomMarch 5, 20144 Comments

I am

a chauffeur
a gardener
a landscaper
a window washer
a cleaner
a wet nurse
a baker
a chef de cuisine
a nurse
a teacher
a farmer
a handyman
a swim instructor
a dance teacher
a photographer
a writer
a tickle monster
a swing pusher
a librarian

This list could be revised each day and never ending, but I think you get the point. I am asked constantly about what I actually do as a stay at home Mom. The best responses come from people who haven’t had kids – “Well, how fun for you to get to play all day and not have to work!” While it’s true that I do play, I also set up each craft, game, puzzle, meal, and any trip we take during the day. My goal in life was to become a mother, and I thank God every day for the blessing of a son and daughter.

This is the first moment I had Patrick placed in my arms. Note the lights are still bright which means someone under the picture is busy stitching me up. I was incredibly tired after 26 hours of labor and have no strength left to open my eyes. Yet my heart is full of love that I’ve never thought possible and any thought of pain or feeling uncomfortable has vanished at this point in time. Patrick grabbed my finger and I was instantly in love with him even more.

The next picture me holding Alice for the first time. Classic me – no makeup, just joy. The grin from ear to ear shows how happy I am that 13 hours of labor are now behind me.

A quote from Gretchen Rubin sums up my life right now quite perfectly. “The days are long, but the years are short.” Alice and Patrick keep me on my toes every day and the amount of love I receive is the richest payment of all.

Ring Master MomFebruary 9, 2014Leave a comment

Forest on First Preview

Another amazing cafe is opening in Los Altos and today we were all invited to a preview party. It’s called Forest on First and it’s an all natural organic cafe with juice bar and treehouse for the kids to play. Yes, I said treehouse, people!

We were greeted with their signature green juice and I got to try a latte. Obviously the coffee is amazing since it’s Four Barrel, and the juice is really smooth and fresh.

Alice loves any type of green juice and as you can see, she couldn’t put her glass down!

Patrick had a great time navigating around the treehouse while we got to sample the menu. In addition to being a sit down restaurant, you can order dinner to bring back home. My word, I am counting down the minutes till I can take home a roasted whole chicken. It’s juicy, tender, and the rub is perfect. Not too salty, but full of flavor and a very small hint of heat.

Behind the eating area, there’s a huge place for kids to play and run around. Alice loved playing with the magna tiles.

The reading nook looked so cozy, especially on this overcast and rainy day.

If you are a fan of Bumble, I know you will love Forest on First. Same concept of local and fresh food while providing a place for kids to explore. Also, I am a sucker for cute details like a roll of butcher paper attached to the side of wall featuring daily specials, chalkboard menu and vintage arrow sign.

If you’re in the area, come play with us soon!

Ring Master MomDecember 19, 2013Leave a comment

Disneyland 2013 – Day 3

Again, I have to say that one of the reasons to stay at the Grand Californian is early entrance to the park. It’s great to grab a fast pass for a ride you could never normally get on during normal hours (ahem, Cars) or enjoy a little quiet time with kids, get a fast pass for World of Color later that night.

The kids were excited to be at Disneyland again, but today we were at California Adventure. We started with the Little Mermaid ride which Alice declared her favorite. I loved watching her face in this ride since the Little Mermaid has always been my favorite movie. One of the best parts about being a parent is getting to relive your childhood but getting to see the wonder and their face light up as it happens.

We then visited Cars land and enjoyed several rounds of rides when James got that look in his eye. The one that lets me know he’s up to no good. Yesterday Patrick did not enjoy Splash Mountain, but did go on it and no tears were shed. James asked Patrick if he wanted to go on the Tower of Terror (yet another ride that the minimum height is 40” and Patrick is that exact height) to which PJ actually said yes. People, I do not let my parents go on this ride for fear they will have a heart attack. We explained that it’s pretty scary and he still said he wanted to go on with Daddy.

I knew it wouldn’t end well, so while the boys went off to scare the crap out of themselves, I went with Alice to get an iced coffee and special treat for later. Horray for Starbucks in California Adventure and the cute cups they have there.

I got a cookie also because I had this horrible feeling that Patrick would never go on another ride again after the ToT. We met up with the boys after coffee, and sure enough, poor Patrick did not enjoy himself. I think his exact words were that he didn’t love it and he wanted to sit for a while. He and Alice split a cookie while we walked around and found cute things we’ve never seen before inside California Adventure.

We found a spot serving beer and had lunch there since there was a place for the kids to run around.

And one has to have a Mickey pretzel for traditional purposes.

After lunch was a minute walk back to the hotel and then back for more fun. We’ve never really explored California Adventure before so it was nice to walk at our own pace and decide what we wanted to go on again or try for the first time. I know there are many more rides and places to explore, too! This jellyfish one was a first time for our family

And then we wandered back to Bugs Land and Cars Land to round up the day

Oh, and I guess we did stop to take a picture with a character. No real wait for this, so it kinda seems like it doesn’t count. Alice wanted to take a picture but got scared at the last moment. Thank goodness for Daddy cuddles.

We had dinner reservations at a new restaurant for me, and I wasn’t totally impressed. It’s hard when you’ve had the Napa Rose two nights before, but it seemed pretty basic. They did serve wine (always a plus) and this was a nice salad, so it wasn’t a total bust. Just have to be in the lookout for another place to eat next time.

The evening ended with us getting bundled up

and lots of bubbles with glowing bubble guns in the dark. The kids decided it was time for bed (ha, I finally wore them out!!) so we skipped the World of Color for jammies and bed. Walking through the lobby, we got a chance to hear the Christmas carolers in full costume. I love the little touches at the Grand Californian.

And the best part of the day was once we were in our room and I had finished getting jammies on Patrick and Alice, I heard fireworks off in the distance. I then noticed a flash of light against our window and low and behold, we had a perfect view of the Disneyland fireworks so we cuddled up on our balcony to watch together. What a special treat and perfect way to end our trip together.

Of course the last morning calls for beignets before we check out

And if you’ve been paying attention, yes I had my kids wear matching shirts the last 3 days! Well, the first day was Mickey and Minnie, but I am obnoxious and got matching Buzz Lightyear ones too. Alice is Patrick’s little shadow so whatever he does, she does. It’s cute that she’s into the stuff he likes right now, too.

On our drive back, James and I started talking at the same time about how great this vacation was together. Despite a long car drive there and back, being with a 2 & 4 year old non-stop, we really didn’t feel exhausted. You know that saying that when you’re a parent you need a vacation after your vacation? James and I decided that this was the first time that wasn’t the case. And we are all talking about when our next trip will be.

Ring Master MomDecember 17, 2013Leave a comment

Disneyland 2013 – Day 2

We are really lucky that several years ago, we received a code in the mail for a huge discount at the Grand Californian despite us having never stayed there before. James and I stayed at many cheap hotels nearby but now that we had kids, it was nice to find someplace quiet and extremely close. Proximity is a huge thing when I have napping kids, too. I love to get them into bed before they nap – something hard to do leaving Disneyland as any parent knows! Staying here gives us an early entrance to the park along with tons of perks like finding a fast place to grab food. Mickey waffles are a great hit with toddlers, and we hit up White Water Snacks in the hotel because there’s never a line and it’s a great quiet place to relax before we hit the park.

Also, the kids don’t really know about taking dining or pictures with characters and Alice isn’t into the whole princess thing (yet!) so it’s nice that we can walk around and enjoy rides together. I know that can change the next time we go, so I’m thankful for the amount we were able to go on.

We hit up Fantasy Land first since there are so many original rides here with horrible lines once the park actually opens. Of course the first ride I drag the kids on is Snow White’s Scary Adventure. Alice was a little clingy after that, but loved the carousel and Patrick of course was begging to go on the teacups.

And Alice would not go on Dumbo because her beloved horsies were in close proximity, so Patrick and I got to fly high up in the air

We hit up lots more rounds of fun nearby, and then went on Pirates a ton and the Disneyland Railroad cause the kids love trains.

Lunch was our usual spot – the Blue Bayou. I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl, and I love how quiet and relaxed a meal can be while inside Disneyland. It’s incredible to sit and enjoy the quiet bayou noises and recharge. They’ve upped their menu this year, which is always a plus in my book.

And brought out a special dessert for James. His birthday is the day after Christmas which makes it hard to celebrate because not many places are open and if they are, they’re packed. We always do a birthday “day” here for him.

I was thrilled that after lunch, I was able to talk Patrick on going on Splash Mountain with me. He is my cautious guy and while he did not cry on the ride, he said it wasn’t his favorite after the big drop. Fair enough, and I was so proud that he went on with me. He is 40” tall, and that’s the minimum height.

After that, we hit our hotel for a nice nap and then back to play! We had never been on the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh before, and the kids asked to go on that one again and again and again. It was perfect because it had no line, nothing scary to freak Alice out, and didn’t get old for James and I. And, there was a great little place to grab some sweet treats. I get a caramel apple every time I go, and it’s always different. This year it was a hunny pot complete with bee. Hee hee!!

Lots more rides and then dinner at Rancho del Zocalo for my fave – fish tacos! It’s another relaxing place that I never feel rushed and can catch my second wind for rides at night! It was great to end on this one since it was Patrick’s first ride as a baby

And then time for some beautiful lights

and fireworks!

We always grab some popcorn before they start and enjoy the magic together.

One reason I love going to the park during December is how beautifully decorated everything is.

The planner in me wants to know when they start decorating, where they store everything, how it’s kept for next year, what they do to improve decorations, etc. My brain never shuts up about this stuff – but I kinda love that I don’t have to do it.

I know there are a thousand more things we could have done: rides, character pictures, parades, etc, but it is just so nice to have kids at this age who want to relax and go on rides. It makes for a great day together.

Ring Master MomDecember 15, 2013Leave a comment

Disneyland 2013 – Day 1 – Arrival

I will never forget how different it was when I started dating James. His world seemed fast and he was confident and ready for an adventure. A few months into dating, we were grabbing breakfast at a Google cafe when a friend asked what plans we had that weekend. James shrugged and said, “I dunno, Disneyland?” and we both sort of laughed. But with the whole weekend to ourselves before kids, we thought, “Why not?” James had a great time, and loved it much more than he thought he would. I had only been twice as a child, but we started going twice a year until we had Alice. The last 5 years we’ve gone in December and stayed at the Grand Californian which I believe makes all the difference.

Just the top half of the lobby tree. I think they added juuuust a few more lights from last year’s tree.

We had been going with my parents the last few years which really made the trip magical. They would switch taking kids on rides, I’d nurse, then I could go on a few with James, and they’d spoil the grandkids rotten! We also had a tradition of dining at the Napa Rose for dinner but not all together. They’d eat first, then come back to the hotel and tuck the kiddos in bed while James and I had a nice quiet meal to ourselves. Since my Mom’s still in isolation, she and my Dad couldn’t make it this year.

James and I have never not taken Alice and Patrick to a restaurant because it hasn’t been deemed “kid-friendly.” This is something I tell all my Mommy friends who want to know what to feed their kids just learning how to eat, or when to take them to a restaurant. Kids eat whatever you’re eating, so give them everything. And we took Patrick out to eat the first night out of the hospital (hello, Mommy wanted sushi!!) and checked out early with Alice to go grab a dinner at a steakhouse. There’s no such thing as kid-only restaurants. I say that any place that serves food is a place I take my family. We do not do phones or electronic distractions as meal time is a chance to hang out, catch up, and enjoy food. Of course I would never take my kids places if they got up and down, screamed, or threw things. I’m really glad that they’re well behaved and enjoy their food.

The Napa Rose is a restaurant James and I enjoy dining at for their long meals, great wine list, and seasonal menu. We arrived at our hotel on Monday and walked around, unpacked, relaxed, then it was time for dinner. We arrived a few minutes early and got a table in front of the fireplace and James ordered a glass of wine while I started with my fave there – their Napa Rose cocktail.

My Mom bought Alice this dress last year at Disneyland since they didn’t have one in her size at the time. She was finally able to fit in it, so I thought it would be a perfect night to wear it for my Mom. Alice could not stop adjusting her skirt to make sure everything looked perfect.

We started our meal with a few salads to share with the kiddos. This was the baby field greens with marinated cucumbers. Alice is on a huge cucumber kick so she pretty much devoured all cucumbers in sight.

And we also had the tempura fried lobster with asian greens. The kids did not enjoy the lobster (horray, more for me) but I love that they tried it.

Alice ate one of my favorite sides, the truffle mac & cheese served in the cutest baby copper pot.

I had the grilled Black Angus beef tenderloin, hazelnut potato gnoochi, and brussel sprouts. Patrick also wanted to order the beef tenderloin, but I was able to talk him into sharing with me. Boy did he love this dish! James had the sauteed venison, hunter sausage, pork roast, and bortolli beans. James loved his so much that now I have get to cook him venison. I doubt I will get anywhere close to the Napa Rose, so if you have a recipe, send it my way!

The chef suggested the ice cream sundae for Patrick and Alice, and this is what showed up so they were pretty much in heaven.

James ordered the chocolate mousse and Patrick requested the gold flake. He cracks me up.

I had the salted caramel cake but in true Jeannette fashion, ate around the chocolate. I like ordering desserts like this for James cause I know he’ll eat it up.

It was an incredibly relaxing evening with a few of my favorite people and I think we should do long dinners more often.