Sherri's (Never A Dull Moment) World

Skylark's Hidden Cafe

 We went out with our friends, Rob & Kara, Saturday night on a whim. When we meet over dinner, we are GUARANTEED to have a night of witty banter, intelligent topics, laughter and sincere conversations about life, love and our families. Last year we made a pact to take turns choosing different restaurants each time we get together (whenever possible)-- and Saturday it was Kara's pick.

She chose a sweet little eatery in the Fairhaven District (Bellingham, WA):

When you walk into the front entrance, you can dine on the main floor at tables with wingback chairs... or in the upstairs loft... or downstairs in the "hidden cafe". That is where we spent our evening.

The food was unbelievably DELICIOUS! We consumed crab-stuffed mushrooms and fresh sourdough bread (appetizers), Bill tried their award-winning clam chowder (and he RAVED about it), Rob tasted their corn chowder and then our entrees arrived. Kara ordered crab-stuffed sole, I had sauteed prawns with pesto fettuccine, Bill devoured his wild caught salmon and Rob had a balsamic salad.

Then our cute, knowledgeable waitress returned to enquire about dessert. Were we interested? (yes) Rob asked if they had any dessert specials. She said she had one in mind but would only describe it if someone at our table liked pineapple and/or coconut. I told her to spill the beans (I LOVE pineapple and coconut). She proceeded to describe a "Hidden Cafe" cheesecake specialty-- imagine a luscious slice of cheesecake with a macadamia nut & coconut crust. But wait! There is more... On top of this cheesecake are chunks of caramelized pineapple and big curly flakes of coconut with a dollop of whip cream.

OH YEAH..... That is what Kara & I ordered:

... while Bill ordered their bread pudding with bourbon sauce (his absolute favorite).

It was a wonderful dinner experience. And I am STILL dreaming about that cheesecake....

Upon leaving the downstairs (Hidden Cafe), we passed through the main floor to find a jazz band playing in the front corner. Next time we are going to choose the wingback chairs  in hopes that we can dine with some nice music in the background... that is if we don't violate our "new places only" rule:

Here is to GREAT FRIENDS!

"X-Men First Class"

I finally talked Bill into going to see the latest "X-Men" movie Friday night:

I have always been an X-Men fan, especially since it has to do with both genetic mutations and the superhero complex.

First Class is an origin story of sorts, showing how Charles Xavier (a.k.a. "Professor X") and Erik Lensherr (a.k.a. "Magneto") came to be friends and then enemies.

This prequel integrated a fabulous cast of mutants, working for both good and evil purposes. Our favorite was Raven (a.k.a. "Mystique") who was adorable as a girl and then so vulnerable in her relationships with both Charles and Erik:

This movie spent a lot of time developing the characters and providing explanations for a lot of the future X-Men movie storylines. It was intelligent,  thrilling and deep in emotion, all at the same time! It was helpful to understand Hank McCoy (a.k.a. "Beast") and his role with the CIA:

 
The story takes place mostly in the early 1960's, where there is great tension between Russia and the United States regarding the Cuban missile crisis.

Kevin Bacon plays the energy-glutton, Sebastian Shaw, who is determined to start WWIII.  Shaw's megalomaniacal plan, hidden submarine lair and insidious charm - not to mention snazzy dress sense - would make him a perfect James Bond villain:

He surrounds himself with a slew of mutants with amazing powers, including the telepathic Emma Frost:

 

In my opinion, watching this movie is like reading a well-written and beautifully rendered comic and seeing all the threads from previous instalments falling into place.

 Oh, and watch out for two surprise cameos that are just the thing for those who are missing the earlier films - you will LOVE them!

What do I rate "X-Men First Class"? I give it a solid 9 on the Rodgers movie rating scale. I was THOROUGHLY entertained!

 

Just For Bill

Today I am dedicating a song to Bill for his birthday!

This one describes who we were in high school PERFECTLY:

 

Though we are both grown up now and working professionals.... I am still the nerdy geek and he is my all-star athlete.

I love you, Bill Rodgers. I am so happy you were born to make my life complete.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! :-x

Moving In Together...

Natasha has had a new man in her life lately.... his name is Jesse:

She brought him home for an official "Meet The Parents" weekend around Mother's Day (yet another blog post in progress).

They decided to move in together last month .

So I thought I would make them a "housewarming" present. I learned a brand new technique  recently involving glass etching paste:

You start out with a pair of glass coffee mugs, wine glasses or even beer glasses. You rack your brain for something clever to put on them (names, monograms, cute saying, clip art, etc.). You cut out the REVERSE of your idea on craft vinyl using a die-cutting machine like a Silhouette or a Cricut. You stick the vinyl onto your glass(es). You dab on glass etching medium and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then you rinse your glass(es) with water and remove the vinyl outlines. TA DAAAAAA! You have etched glass!

 
I decided to make a pair of "his & hers" mugs. Natasha's mug says "mmmmmm.... delicious!" and Jesse's mug says "soooooo good".

I added some Starbucks "VIA" instant coffee and a cute card and popped them in the mail.

Natasha said it was the BEST housewarming gift ever! I love that. And I adore her. :)

Double Play Date

Last Sunday, I offered to have Elijah over for a playdate at Honey & Papa's house. I picked him up at 9:00 a.m. and we hung out for a bit on the back deck, blowing bubbles:

Then Bill came up with a FABULOUS idea! Why not take Elijah and Savannah to the park?

So we put Elijah in his carseat:

and Savannah on my lap and headed down to the local park on the Skagit River:

Bill was in charge of Savannah and he put her on a 30' training leash.  Savannah is still a little scary to Elijah because she is FULL of puppy energy and is so excited to see him that she runs and jumps alot. I was in charge of Elijah, so we walked about 31' BEHIND Savannah & Bill along a trail:

The trail led to a little lazy inlet of the Skagit River:

It was SUCH a nice day that Savannah tried out her water legs:

Meanwhile, Elijah and I stopped to take a break (please know that I have Savannah's play balls in my shirt pouch pocket) and feel the warm river sand in our toes:

Elijah stooped over to feel the sand slip through his fingers:

In no time at all, it turned into this:

and

He shrieked! He flung sand everywhere! He was having SUCH a great time!!

and

 
and

and one more:

Savannah shook off her coat.  I dusted sand off of Elijah. Then we went back on the trail and played on this wide open field:

and

(This time I had crackers in my pouch pocket--- so Elijah was having a couple.)

When we thought we had tired out our little "toddlers", we packed them up in the car and took them back to our house. We split up S & E and took them to two different bathrooms for a nice bath.

Savannah was shampooed by Bill:

While Elijah played in our other bathtub:

 
and

When both S & E were sparkling clean again, Elijah had another snack while he played with toys:

As for Savannah, she was DEFINITELY pooped out:

She was content to lay on my lap and share crackers with Elijah...

I think we are going to have to do this AGAIN. :)

 

I LOVE This

The world would be a nicer place if we all could do this... :)

The Train Wreck

 

Bill and I love to try new places to dine. Some of our friends have RAVED about this unusual eatery called the "Train Wreck" in Burlington, WA. So we decided to test this rumor ourselves on Saturday night:

   

Picture an oddly-shaped skinny brick building situated near local train tracks. We saw a few locals slip into the heavy wooden doors at the side entrance while we approached the glass doors at the front of the building.  We stepped inside and it was PACKED. There were big screen TVS near the bar showing sporting events, metal lanterns hanging from the ceiling, heavy wooden tables and chairs were scattered about with train memorabilia decorating the walls. Two skinny waitressed wearing Train Wreck T-shirts and tattered short jean shorts worked the room.

We studied the menu and our mouths began salivating. I chose a pulled pork BBQ sandwich with sweet potatoe fries and ordered a Sierra Pale Ale. To my surprise, the sweet potatoe wedges came with this mango-jalapeno dipping sauce that was to DIE for:

 
Bill is a much more daring "foodie" than I am. He ordered a calamari bacon burger with homestyle fries. He said it was a TOTALLY awesome pairing that practically melted in his mouth:

OMG! We give this new experiment TWO THUMBS UP! We will definitely visit this restaurant/local bar again... only next time I think we will slip in the side entrance like the "regulars" do. ;)