Looking adorable in her little French frock, no?
The reception for Kristen and Bill’s wedding on June 30th took place in our back yard, and I have more pictures to share later, but when I was cleaning the camera just now I came across this one that I had to share.
We drove up to Alexandria today for cousin Desiree’s birthday party. Juliette had so much fun in the playground and in the pool and with the hose toy. Thought you might like to see the videos I took with my iPhone at the party.
They got their fancy dresses on and had a great tea party Thursday night with the new china tea set Granny Bama sent. The only thing missing was cousin Desi.
She had a blast playing in her new play house with Uncle Johnny when he and Auntie Di came over this morning.
Grandma Florida sent Juliette a Princess Castle for her birthday and she took to it like a fish to water.
Yes, she did – and leis and flower “hair bows” and a magic wand – and after she turned me into a frog, she took a picture of me and told me I looked like a troll under the bridge. Isn’t that nice? She also told I was “the best papa ever” at our nap, so I guess it all balances out in the end, right?
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Some pictures from our own garden of the peonies in bloom.
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We went this year as we’ve done every year for a while now, out to Delano to Countryside Gardens to see their peony show. It was the perfect day for a long drive into the country, and the flowers were worth the effort to get there. In the end, we brough two new ones home. Red Grace, a stunning deep red peony with a bloom nearly a perfect globe shape. We’ve been waiting three years for this grower to have enough of these to start selling them, and this year was our year. The other was Laura Dessert, a Japanese form with white outer petals and a yellow center that is supposed to be very fragrant.
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For those of you in the Twin Cities, you may be interested in a new Asian buffet. It is on the south frontage road of 394 between Louisiana and Xenia. We have been watching the construction for several weeks, wondering when they would open for business. Apparently that happened last week. After reading several encouraging reviews on Yelp last night, we decided to try it for dinner tonight. The verdict? Delicious and surprising, in a good way!
We loved the decor, though just a tad on the bright side for me – but at least you can see what you are eating. I love the koi ponds at the front and it’s quite tastefully done for a buffet.
The roast duck alone is worth the price of admission in my opinion. I had three servings. The shrimp in coconut sauce was very good, and there were lots of various seafood dishes I did not try but really wanted to. The short ribs were tender and ginger-loaded, a nice twist. The fried cod was most surprising of all. Very lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked. I wanted to try several of the steamed or fried fish dishes, as well as the crab claws, the crawfish and more of the shrimp dishes. I enjoyed the dumplings and dim sum that I tried, though the hot and sour soup needed to be more of both. The sushi was plentiful, very fresh, and quite good for a buffet, though I have had better. But for the price, what can you honestly expect. Harald quite liked the Mongolian BBQ station, though you need to be patient on a busy night.
Actually, a busy night is probably the best night to go as the food is served and replenished frequently. The table service was courteous, attentive without any unnecessary hovering, and accommodating.
And best of all, kids under 3 eat free. We will definitely be going back soon. The fresh fruit selection was an attraction for Juliette as well.
I would highly recommend it. I haven’t been to a good Asian buffet since the last time I was in south Florida, and it is high time we got one here in Minneapolis. Actually, it’s in St. Louis Park, but close enough.
I’ve been at an in town day quilt retreat for the past two days. I can’t tell you how much I have needed this break from work and just to bury myself in what I love to do. Yesterday I spent all day finishing a special quilt. Today I finished up Juliette’s quilt top I started a year ago, and got the backings for four quits pieced and handed off to the quilter. Such a relief! And I’ve started a quilt kit that Harald picked out a while back when we stopped at Crystal’s Log Cabin Quilts in Grand Marais. I’ve made good progress on that one and it’s a simple pattern, so I may even finish it tomorrow.
Oh, and did I mention that the retreat/workroom at Four Seasons, is FABULOUS?! Second floor, wrap around windows bring tons of light, lots of space, and a great quilt store downstairs for just about anything you need. I highly recommend it. And getting to come home to Harald, Juliette and my own bed every night is so good. Best of both worlds!
Below is Juliette’s quilt top I finished today.
