Day 120
03/09/09 13:41 Filed in: Diary
Sometimes the last minute, impromptu, invites are the best ones of all.
Today started out about as promising as a limp lettuce. I had to go shopping again. I needed to get the food for the BBQ on Saturday. I find that no matter how much I want to be organised and ready in advance, (yes, I do want to, I just don't always manage it!), it is so difficult when buying food for a party.
You don't know how many are going to actually turn up. Lots of people don't reply, or they reply late, or they say yes and then something conspires against them. Then in terms of when to physically buy the food the dates on the perishables are not far enough in advance to allow you to buy for the future. So I always end up leaving the bulk of the purchases until one or at most two days before. I have had it where I've invited people around in the afternoon and I have raced around the shop trying to grab everything in the morning. That is not recommended. It is usually a Saturday so the shop and car park are full to bursting and I end up knackered before I have even begun the party preparation.
Anyway on this occasion it wasn't too bad. Our eldest daughter wasn't with us so youngest was glad to get out of the house. Especially when she knew what the shopping was for. For some reason she seems to think it is more exciting shopping to buy party food than when buying the regular weekly food. Whether she still felt like that afterwards I don't know. I always try to get her involved in picking up the grapes and strawberries and things so she doesn't get bored too quickly, but it doesn't always work.
When we returned home and had put everything away I was about to try and persaude youngest to play happily on her own so I could get on with some work. But she was saved by the bell, or rather bleep. I received a message from a friend inviting us around for afternoon tea. It was the same lady who reluctantly turned us away yesterday. No she isn't 'ever so British' she just felt bad about the day before and asked if we wanted to have a drink and a natter. I accepted and we drove around straight away, (yes, note we drove, I had learn't my lesson from yesterday and knew it would be quite late when we left).
Whilst we were drinking a cuppa she had the brilliant idea that the three kids could make cakes. She had bought some of the easy to make fairy cake boxes. So they could all have a box to do each. It all seemed a bit manic with demands for favourite whisks, and fighting over icing packs, but the kids loved it. I didn't intend to stay too long, but once the cakes were started, I couldn't just leave before youngest got the chance to decorate hers. I sent my partner a text to let him know where we were and helped youngest to sprinkle, ice and of course taste the cakes. I didn't realise he had no house keys again and was once again sitting outside in the car desparate to use the toilet.
Our friend allowed youngest to bring the cakes home. She said they would all be presented for the guests at the BBQ on Saturday. However our batch didn't last that long, and I never saw the other cakes again so I guess they didn't either. With all of the cake mixture and sugar topping the kids ate they were quite hyper when we left and didn't seem bothered that their tea time had been and gone. I dread to think how long it took our friend to calm them down and clean up her kitchen. Youngest and I had great fun, but I am not sure I will return the "cookery class" favour anytime soon
.
You don't know how many are going to actually turn up. Lots of people don't reply, or they reply late, or they say yes and then something conspires against them. Then in terms of when to physically buy the food the dates on the perishables are not far enough in advance to allow you to buy for the future. So I always end up leaving the bulk of the purchases until one or at most two days before. I have had it where I've invited people around in the afternoon and I have raced around the shop trying to grab everything in the morning. That is not recommended. It is usually a Saturday so the shop and car park are full to bursting and I end up knackered before I have even begun the party preparation.
Anyway on this occasion it wasn't too bad. Our eldest daughter wasn't with us so youngest was glad to get out of the house. Especially when she knew what the shopping was for. For some reason she seems to think it is more exciting shopping to buy party food than when buying the regular weekly food. Whether she still felt like that afterwards I don't know. I always try to get her involved in picking up the grapes and strawberries and things so she doesn't get bored too quickly, but it doesn't always work.
When we returned home and had put everything away I was about to try and persaude youngest to play happily on her own so I could get on with some work. But she was saved by the bell, or rather bleep. I received a message from a friend inviting us around for afternoon tea. It was the same lady who reluctantly turned us away yesterday. No she isn't 'ever so British' she just felt bad about the day before and asked if we wanted to have a drink and a natter. I accepted and we drove around straight away, (yes, note we drove, I had learn't my lesson from yesterday and knew it would be quite late when we left).
Whilst we were drinking a cuppa she had the brilliant idea that the three kids could make cakes. She had bought some of the easy to make fairy cake boxes. So they could all have a box to do each. It all seemed a bit manic with demands for favourite whisks, and fighting over icing packs, but the kids loved it. I didn't intend to stay too long, but once the cakes were started, I couldn't just leave before youngest got the chance to decorate hers. I sent my partner a text to let him know where we were and helped youngest to sprinkle, ice and of course taste the cakes. I didn't realise he had no house keys again and was once again sitting outside in the car desparate to use the toilet.
Our friend allowed youngest to bring the cakes home. She said they would all be presented for the guests at the BBQ on Saturday. However our batch didn't last that long, and I never saw the other cakes again so I guess they didn't either. With all of the cake mixture and sugar topping the kids ate they were quite hyper when we left and didn't seem bothered that their tea time had been and gone. I dread to think how long it took our friend to calm them down and clean up her kitchen. Youngest and I had great fun, but I am not sure I will return the "cookery class" favour anytime soon
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