Ascend Prime Anniversary Dinner

We celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary by going to Ascend Prime Steak and Sushi in Bellevue. The restaurant is located on the 31st floor of an office tower in downtown Bellevue.

The view was amazing. We were there during sunset and the skies were pretty clear.

The clientele was a bit strange. J was expecting an older crowd. There were three young Chinese couples. The young ladies were taking selfies most of the time. One of the young men was dressed in a sweatshirt and sweatpants. The service was top notch. We had more than one waiter. We enjoyed chatting with the younger one. 

J had a hamburger and I had salmon. The steak sizes were quite large and the prices were very high. 

My dessert was served with dry ice which was fun and dramatic. 

I have a video of the dry ice but it needs a bit of editing in order to share it. 

Will we go back? I'm not sure. I really loved the view. I wonder if they would allow you to just have dessert?

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This Family Knows How to (Tea) Party

J and I planned and successfully executed an afternoon tea party for moms of Boy Scouts. I think we started planning back in March.

We had several goals for this event. One: for the moms to have a chance to get to know one another. Two: for the scouts to learn how to prepare and serve food and tea. A third motive might have been to demonstrate what an afternoon tea looks like.

We had ten moms and scouts including me and my son. We had one last minute drop out due to sickness and one last minute addition. J and the Scoutmaster were hoping for a larger turn out but I was happy with the size of the group.

I began collecting tea cups back in March. I went to an estate sale where I found about 6. Our photo backdrop was borrowed from C's high school. The event was held at the church were scout meetings are held.  I borrowed four tea pots from friends. The rest were in my collection or were bought recently from thrift stores. I also borrowed a plate stand from a friend. The church where the event was held has some 3 tier plates which we were able to use.

The food was:

- scones baked (using a mix) by the scouts, with jam and Devonshire cream

- cucumber sandwiches made by the scouts

- salmon salad sandwiches prepared by the scouts (I made the mix beforehand)

- cream puff and mini eclairs (purchased)

- macaroons (purchased)

- lemon bars which I made

- cut fruit: pineapple, strawberries, grapes, and blueberries.

We had tea donated by a mom who works for a non-profit tea company. We were able to offer lots of choices. 

The Scouts took orders for tea from their moms using a notepad and paper.

When the moms arrived they were escorted to the table by their son (or sons). 

The table decorations. The church supplied the white table cloths. We used two tables with five moms at each table. I brought 2 of my vintage table cloths to add some colour. The centrepieces were designed by me. Inside the apothecary jars are roses made of paper. 

I did calligraphy on the name cards.

We used paper plates that look like china plates. 

I glued one get to know you question on the back of each name card. I also printed out more questions and they were scattered on the table. I do know that some of the questions were used at my table. My table was was a quieter one with no moms knowing each other before the event. 

The get to know you questions were:

Who at your table has the oldest child?

Who at your table has the youngest child?

Who at your table has two or more Boy Scouts?

Was anyone at your table born in a faraway place?

Who at your table has been married the longest?

Who at your table has the oldest living mother?

Do you have a hobby?

Do you have a secret talent?

If you went to college, what was your major?

If you work outside the home, what is your job?

All time favorite movie? Two is OK.

Have you had an unusual job (even a short term one)?

What do you like to do with your son? Favorite shared activity.

Do you like to camp? 

Have you attended a Scout event that you enjoyed? Tell us about it.

Have you travelled to an interesting place?

What book are you currently reading?

A took photos of each mom with her son. He also helped cut fruit.

no C didn't dye his hair. there is some strange reflection/lighting.

The Scoutmaster took a group photo at the end of the event and a photo of the tea family.

Are you wondering if anything went wrong? We forgot to bring the cucumbers for the sandwiches. C was sent to the grocery store to replace. I forgot the salmon salad mix at home so A was sent home to get that. We had two cars which was good. Another mishap was during clean up. A scout was carrying a three tier stand (the only one with china plates) a little too carelessly and one of my china plates hit the floor and broke. That plate was a recent find at a thrift store so not too valuable. We didn't plan ahead for lunch for the scouts. We had them come at 11:30 am and the tea was at 2 pm. C was sent to get pizza from Costco but that took much longer than anticipated.

The title of this blog post is because all members of our family helped pull the event off.

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