This past Saturday was the third Gourmet Club dinner. It was started last year by my sister-in-law, Christina, after she went on a cruise and took a gourmet cooking class. The twelve students prepared a gourmet meal together and then shared it afterwards. Around that time she also saw “Julie and Julia” and this further inspired her cooking. She enjoyed the class and the movie so much that she wanted to start something similar with friends. The idea is that one person agrees to host the meal at her home, decide on a menu and buy the ingredients. We all pay $25 to cover the cost of the ingredients and wine.
Christina's menu was French cuisine from Julia Child’s book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” In December, another friend hosted and did a Williamsburg Christmas meal. I was the third to host, and we made a Mediterranean meal. Besides enjoying delicious meals, we have the chance to spend time together and get to know people better. What makes the gourmet club fun is that the personalities are as unique and different as each recipe. Enjoy the photos!
Last Friday, John and I headed to Seattle for a night away. We dropped of Jill at my mom and dad's house, I took the day off from work, and it was John's last day of spring break. We drove around the water to UW and worked out at the IMA. Those facilities are amazing! I got to watch "What Not to Wear" while on the ellyptical, and then lifted. John and I played a game of Squash which was a lot of fun. After showers, we headed to the UVillage for some coffee and window shopping at stores that we just don't have on our side of the Sound like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware.
Because we were staying at John's grandpa's house in Ballard, we decided to find a little place to eat. After driving up and down Greenlake and Fremont, we stopped at "El Chupacabra," a little but very active Mexican place with good and inexpensive food.
Grandpa Dion's house will soon be sold, so we were grateful to spend a little time there, perhaps the last time.
In the morning, we drove to Pike Place Market and arrived as many of the vendors were still setting up. That's my favorite time to go. We browsed the produce, bought some, along with fresh herbs and some spices--very good prices! A stop at Local Color for a mocha and the most delicious sausage breakfast sandwich rounded out our time together in Seattle. We loved having some time together, since John's third quarter of school was fast approaching. I love and appreciate the moments we have together, even if few words are spoken. Walking hand in hand down the cobble streets of the market is little bit of heaven for me.
A couple of days ago, someone let me know that I sounded very haughty and angry in the post about family finances. The person said that I sounded like a know-it-all and was basically saying, "Oh, you stupid people." To the five or so people who see this blog, I apologize if I came across like that. It certainly was not how I wanted to sound or the point of the post. If I thought anyone was stupid, it was myself and John because of our past mistakes with money. Indeed, I do not think I know everything---it's amazing how little I know. What the post was meant to do was to share what dumb things we did in the past and what we have learned and are doing now.
I stand by my opinion that buying cars, homes, anything we can't afford is a bad idea. Perhaps, as we were, it is stupid. :)
Comments, whether positive or negative, are welcome. It keeps it real.
Whenever I hear about newlywed couples financing new or newish used cars with the excuse of “we needed this”, I want to take them by their shoulders, shake them and yell, “Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!” Early in our marriage John and I made this same mistake. We paid the stupid tax that Dave Ramsey talks about. People go buy a car that they can’t afford naively thinking that it is necessary. Truth is, it is not. There are very good and extremely safe used, inexpensive cars that can be bought for thousands and thousands less. Saddling oneself with a hefty car payment just does not make sense. We’ve learned (through mistakes) that this is true. We paid for four years on our Ford Explorer before selling it when we moved to Bremerton. Was the car fun to drive? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Absolutely not.
Now, I look at the old car(a stable and safe car) we drive as a badge of honor and wisdom gained. We have no car payments and no debt except the mortgage (we will have John’s school debt, which we plan to pay off ASAP).
Recently, I found out that my sister and brother and their families would be taking a trip to St. Louis at Easter. This is something I would love to do. This is something that I cannot do though, without having the money saved for a trip like this. No amount of coaxing or subtle guilt trips should persuade one into doing something that financially would cause a family instability. And we do not want to borrow money from family for a trip. When I have the cash—and I said CASH—no credit card charges, I will go in a couple of months.
I encourage all those sticking to a budget (a necessity) that you owe no apologies or explanations to anyone for the choices you make for the financial well-being of your family.
For great practical and common sense tips on getting out of debt, check out Dave Ramsey's site and his Seven Baby Steps.
Last spring we bought half a share in a local farm. For $300, we got to pick up fresh veggies, greens and herbs each Wednesday for 24 weeks. Many people are doing this, as it supports local farmers, and those who buy a share receive fresh and pesticide free vegetables. We also signed up to cut fresh flowers from the U-cut garden. Having a beautiful bouquet on one's table was such an added bonus. This add on was $60 which came to about $2.50 per bouquet. After a day's work in an office, getting to stroll through a huge flower garden, scissors in hand was most wonderful.
And you get to meet the farmer, Nikki Johanson, who is about as down to earth as they come.
Check out this link to learn more about buying a farm share and supporting your local food growers.
As part of John's belated birthday gift, I took him to the Chimacum Café which is about a 45 minute drive from Bremerton. A coworker told me about the place and said how big the portions were and how good their homemade pies are. Apparently, one woman makes all the pies and one of the favorites is the blackberry pie. Mind you, this pie is not made with the blackberries we saw all over the place here which are large and seedy. Her pie is made with the small and practically seedless blackberries which are now hard to find. While we didn't taste the pie, we did enjoy a delicious breakfast (I took home half of mine), and really loved the drive out there.
The drive to the small town of Chimacum gives the eyes a real treat. Driving north on Highway 3, you cross the Hood Canal Bridge, which is a highlight of the trip for me. The Olympics get a little closer and one gets a different view of them. You slowly wind your way down to the Beaver Valley and see wide open fields, some with small farms and cows, another one with bison. Jill sat in the backseat taking in the sights and smells and stared at the cows.
The Chimacum Café is not fancy. Rather, it is a casual atmosphere with good comfort food where our waitress kept our coffee mugs filled, and the kitchen served up some delicious breakfast fare. We plan to go back there again to try the lunch or dinner and some of that pie. Here's a good article about this nice little place.
9253 Rhody Drive Chimacum, WA 98325 (360) 732-4631
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