What I Learned From Feeding 1000 People

Our church put on a luau two Saturdays ago. People showed up. People had a good time. No one got hurt. Success. No one really knows how many people showed up, mostly because it was impossible to count the kids since they were running around everywhere. I was in charge of planning the food. They told me to plan for one thousand. So I did. Some people say that we had between 800-1000 while others are saying more like 1000-1200. I don't know. At some point it stops mattering. As long as you have enough food it's all good.



Here's the thing, it was really hard. If I had to do it again I probably would not. It was a lot of work and I frankly did not grasp the scope of organizing something so big. Not only do you need people to cook it all you need people to serve food, to get food on the tables, to fill up water pitchers. You need to come up with a budget, call around for the cheapest price, order food, be there when the food is delivered and a bunch of other things. And I was in charge. It's too much for one person to try and do solo. Don't do it. I wish I had organized myself earlier to get a committee together, but I didn't even know where to start until it was crunch time and then I cried out for help.



People came through in a big way. My friend Ruth frosted 30 big cakes on the day of the event. It was her birthday. She couldn't even have a single slice because she's celiac. But Ruth is a problem solver so she got it done. I had a handful of people who helped me get organized that were problem solvers. Some people tried to help that were not problem solvers and I "fired" them quickly. You can't have people complaining, whining, and being critical, not when you are on a time crunch (plus, I did enough complaining for everyone) and you still need to make 150lbs of macaroni salad. No thank you. I love you but no thank you.

Some people are really good at problem solving. I appreciate people like that.



I'm not a great problem solver. I've had to learn a thing or two because our life depends on problem solving with me working full time, Christian in school, and those three kids we need to raise. I have to say though that my strength is not in actually solving the problem but surrounding myself with problem solvers and knowing what to ask for.



Service is a tricky thing. You want to serve and be generous but you also need to guard your time. My good friend, a full time professor, mom of 3, and also Mormon, told me that her service is to her family. Since she works she guards her free time so that she can spend time with her family. This luau took me away from my family, a lot. Even on Sundays, the one day where we just relax together, I was on the phone for hours trying to coordinate things. Have you ever resented service? It's such an unsavory feeling right?

If I were to commit to doing something like this again I would ask for more help from the beginning. And maybe, if I were in the situation that I am now with our hectic life I would say "no." I know it sounds terrible, I know it does, but it's the truth. People ask me all the time "how do you do it all?" I know you read my blog and you see pictures of my kids on Instagram. What you see is a split second. You see a moment that was captured. You don't see that after I put the picture of the delicious dinner I served my family Eliza pooped in the tub and instead of eating dessert as I had planned I cleaned a poopy tub. No, I don't do it all just like you don't do it all. When I approach social media and read blogs I enter it with a filter. I know that people's lives aren't perfect. If they're sharing a perfect moment that's great. I love it. I love reading about your awesome husband who brings you breakfast in bed. I love seeing your kids all cute and tidy ready for school. I love seeing your fabulously designed house. But even awesome husbands can be irritating, and tidy kids rip their jeans, and fabulous decor gets dirty or broken. I know that and I hope you know that too. It's called life. It doesn't mean that life isn't good, it just means that life is normal. And because I have a very busy normal life sometimes I have to say no.



I am a happy person. I am in love with my husband and we have a great relationship, My children are healthy. We always have what we need. It's a good life and it's also hard because doing simple things, like going to the post office with three kids is akin to swimming in a pool of acid.

And although I probably wouldn't do the luau again it was really neat to see people coming together to help out. I am so thankful for the helpers, for the woman who came and put foil over everything because the flies were starting to appear. I love that woman! I don't know what her name is but I love her.



Thank you to everyone who came and helped. Obviously I could not have done it without you!

Donut Balloons

Everyone has their thing that they crave regularly. For me it's donuts. I don't even eat donuts that often, maybe once every two months, and I'm so particular about my donuts I'm often disappointed when I do get to eat donuts. And still, I often catch myself wishing desperately for warm glazed donuts. I think that's why I'm so smitten with these donut balloons.

Our Baby Maria Turns Four

Baby Maria who is no longer a baby turned four! Her nickname at home is still nenem (baby), and sis or sissy because we just love having her as our daughter and sister. And even though she carries out her roles very well she is also very much her own person, independent of the rest of us. I look at pictures of her from when she was one, two, three, and some of the expressions are the same. That determined, knows what she wants, very present expression has been a part of Maria ever since the day she started crawling around and growing into herself.


Maria loves people. She likes meeting new people and connecting with people she already knows. She will get on Skype and talk to my mom and grandma for as long as I let her. She loves her friends and wants to do nice things for them all the time. She adores her brother Enzo, she has really found a best friend in him. Aside from when he's in school they are basically together all the time. They share everything, including a bed. She is protective of Eliza and likes to feed and dress her. She loves animals so much sometimes I feel guilty we don't have a pet just because I know how connected she feels to animals. She notices everything especially people's feelings. She has ideas, lots of her own ideas. She'll listen to your ideas but rarely will want to go with your ideas.

She is learning how to read and can already sound out some words, only she'll never tell you she's the one learning since she decided that her stuffed animals were the ones who were going to learn. So when I sit down and do reading lessons with her I have to direct her stuffed unicorn or stuffed frog the whole time and pretend like she's not even there. She'll respond in a silly voice as if she's speaking for the animals. She's just like that, super creative and a performer. She makes up jokes, lots of jokes, and because they're so wild we always end up cracking up.

After a week of the stomach flu and then a birthday adventure to a pony farm that flopped because of the rain, we finally got to celebrate her birthday this past Saturday. It was a small party and it was really fun. We ate Brazilian hot dogs (hot dogs with mashed potato, vinaigrette, corn, shoe string potatoes, and other fun toppings) and had ice cream and brownies for dessert.

Enzo, who has developed a whole repertoire of acrobatics on the hammock did tricks during the whole party while the little girls danced around in costumes. It was the perfect way to celebrate Maria and I'm glad we got to do it.

Black and White Tabletop Pieces

It all started with the black graphic pitcher, and then I couldn't stop day dreaming about black and white tabletop pieces for my kitchen.

1 // Graphic Pitcher 2 // Porcelain Cups  3 // Ceramic Cup with Wooden Saucer 4 // Newton Cream and Sugar Set 5 // Small Butter Knife 6 // Noda Enamel Spoon

Sick | Vulnerable

via luxtei

Nothing like a powerful stomach flu to make you feel really vulnerable. I never liked being sick, although it was a lot easier before I had a husband and kids. You go through your day doing a million little things but when you're sick nothing gets done. Normally when the kids ask for a cup of water you walk a couple yards to the kitchen and without even thinking you end up picking up a couple toys that's on the floor, wipe off the table, change the baby's diaper, and then return with the cup of water. So much of what I do is in auto-pilot mode. When you're sick even the simple task of getting your kid a cup of water becomes really hard because the moment you stand up you have to run to the bathroom.

Yesterday the kids were basically on their own. If it weren't for the iPad and goldfish crackers I'm not sure they would have survived. But they did. And Christian and I are starting to feel better and pleading with the universe that our kids will not get whatever it is we have.

Yesterday was also Maria's birthday. She didn't get a single balloon or a nice cake. She did however get a new princess dress, a princess doll, and a princess plastic tea party set, all things she wanted and I wasn't going to get her. But then on Saturday when I ran to Costco to get 15lbs of butter for our luau and was feeling really stressed I decided last minute (this is why I hate shopping, when I'm stressed I make bad shopping decisions) to get her what she wanted. Rarely does a bad decision end up being a good decision but in this case it was awesome! She was so happy with her new doll and new dress she played tea party all day long, in between watching Eliza of course. So even if she never plays with her new toys again it was worth it.

We're celebrating her birthday on saturday, that is if no one else gets sick.

Ginger Root Sculpture

Ginger Root Sculpture via Leif

Happy Friday!

via Amplified

My motto is to think positive, roll up my sleeves and get things done. I'm not a huge complainer because as they say, there's no problem so bad that complaining about it won't make it worse. Complaining is unproductive and I don't have time to be unproductive. But lately, oh man, I have incarnated into Debbie Downer. Ask me how I'm doing and I will reply, in the verge of tears, about how I just can't do it. 

A couple of month ago I committed myself to organizing food for a big church event. It's a luau and we're planning on feeding 1000 people. I had no idea what I was getting into. "Sure I can organize the food." And a small army to cook it. And another small army to serve. And another small army to get the food on the tables, help with prep, help with distributing food, unload the truck, pick up the pig in the next town over, find someone who can use a machete to cut the pig, make sure all the dancers have a plate of food, and so many other things that have fallen through the crack I'm just going to pretend they never existed in the first place. 

Warm Open Faced Egg in Avocado Sandwich

There's all this back and forth about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. If I eat right when I wake up I feel sick. I like to wait until I've fed the kids, until Enzo is off to school, until Maria is settled, and after I do my HIIT exercise of the day, take a shower, and start working, to then eat my breakfast. Usually this ends up happening around 10:30am or 11:00am.

By 11:00am I need more than just a bowl of cereal. 

In the beginning of the year White on Rice Couple posted a recipe for Baked Eggs in Avocado with Bacon on Toast and then baking eggs in avocado became the new cake pops. You couldn't go on Pinterest without seeing another recipe for baked eggs in avocado. At least the new fad is healthy.

I was a bit hesitant to try it because warm avocados doesn't sound that appealing. But one morning after getting everyone settled and after working for a couple of hours I was ready for a hearty breakfast. I had perfectly ripe avocados and a huge appetite so I gave the baked eggs in avocado trend a try. It's a keeper!

Warm Open Faced Egg in Avocado Sandwich

serves 2

2 medium sized ripe avocados

4 small eggs

salsa

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425*

Put the avocados in half and remove the seeds. Rest the avocados face up in a cast iron pan. Crack the egg directly on top of the avocado, some egg white will probably spill over. If you don't want it to be messy only place the egg yolks in the avocado hole. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 15 minutes - 20 minutes. Spread the avocado and egg on top of toast with some salsa. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Minimalist Serving Bowl Set

 

 

Creative ceramics. Handmade in Ireland. Obviously I think her work is beautiful. But more than that I really like her story, like a lot! Karo is self taught. She used books, tutorials, and the internet and of course hours and hours of practice, and I'm sure frustrations, learning her craft, creating functional art; beautiful art I dream about owning.

Out of all the pieces in the KaroArt shop these bowls are my favorite.

Superhero Popsicles

Oh you know, just the kind of poster I would have in the kids' room.

Which one of these is your favorite?

Lobster Rolls | Lobster Anywhere

We live in Santa Cruz California. September is our summer. Usually the months of June - August are nice, warmish, and pretty sunny. But September, oh September, September is hot and perfect, just perfect! This is coming from a Brazilian girl of course, who thrives on muggy hot weather.

These days you'll catch us at the pool during hot late afternoons. All our windows are open. We watch the sun set over Monterey Bay, 43 miles away!

When the kids aren't in school they're in swimsuits. If we're not in the pool we're on the slip-n-slide or throwing water balloons at each other, minus Maria. Maria hates water balloons thrown at her although she's pretty good at throwing them at us.

So while the rest of the country is raving about pumpkin lattes we're  here enjoying our Summer - swimsuit, getting soaked, and cold lobster rolls.

Lobster Anywhere sent us a lobster roll kit. We made half a recipe and had plenty for the whole family.

My kids get so excited about getting packages. I get excited about the simplicity of getting a delicious dinner on the table in under 10 minutes.

The kit comes complete with a quick recipe so you can easy make a traditional roll. I dressed ours up with roasted tomatoes and some greens.

If you want to make your own lobster rolls at home here's a recipe you can try.

1 1/2 lbs lobster meat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
4 split rolls, buttered and toasted

In a bowl combine the lobster meat, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to allow the lobster to absorb the flavorings. Fill the rolls with lobster salad and eat immediately. You can also add finely chopped celery to the lobster salad for an extra crunch or chopped parsley for a little more flavor.

What's September like where you live?

Flowers in Waffle Cones | Friday Flowers

Thinking about Maria's fourth birthday that's coming up this month and possible decorations. She sure loves flowers and ice cream. I think if she saw these she would be delighted.

// DIY Paper Flower Cone Bouquets
// Flower Potlucks
// Flower in Cones