RockNVoll He isn't inviting more people, he just gave today as the deadline to RSVP and apparently people waited until the last minute.
Bagged salad it is. But I'll add some stuff.
Well then WTF to letting people RSVP up to three days before? He owes you so big.
Because no one in this country can plan. I really don't know how many people will actually show up. About half the people bailed on his birthday gathering (but I blame that on the host).
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:52:37 GMT -5
Please tell me specific green salad ingredients. And make it easy.
He did want to do corn on the cob, but first, its a pain and messy and second, its actually hard to find corn on the cob, especially this time of year.
RockNVoll Ohhhhh, good idea about the sectional. I also thought about bringing the kids little table down, but didn't know where to put it.
It went from 21 people to 27 people in literally 5 minutes today. I want to strangle him. I was venting to you, but it was just about his medicine stealing ways, not his incredibly crappy planning and leaving everything to me ways. This requires in person scotch drinking venting.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:33:33 GMT -5
How many burgers would you do? I'm ordering 6oz patties pre made so that should be easy. I HATE feeling like I'm going to run out of food. The chicken was a last minute husband addition. I hope he forgets about it.
emilyinchile There is only a little Waitrose close to us. I may try to get another side dish or dessert at the store though. I feel like I don't have enough sides, but don't know what else to do.
I would add another 24 pack of soda and a pitcher of lemonade for adults/kids
Food is fine. I would also say you are a bit heavy on the meats. Figure 30 hamburgers (and cheese) and the rest then can stay the same for other meats.
You can cook the burgers and brats ahead of time and store in a nesco with some broth and sprite. That might help?
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 11:06:08 GMT -5
So my husband has touted it as an American style BBQ. I do have condiments, but no pickles. I'll add that and some juice or water. I have yet to meet a single vegetarian here so I think I'm safe with all meats. Plus, I have no idea where to find a veggie burger here.
We do have outdoor space, but it is, at best, considered a small courtyard. It's probably 20 feet long by 10 feet wide. We also have a small deck above that can hold 2-3 chairs and opens out from the dining room.
Oh, and did I tell you that my husband is not home to help with ANY of this. He worked until 11 last night, has to go in the office Saturday morning before the party (at 3pm), and oh yeah, the kids are off school too. Shoot me now.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 8, 2015 10:42:37 GMT -5
So, apparently my husband has invited his entire group at work over to our house for a BBQ. Sounds nice, right? Well, remember we live in London and have limited space. He just told me that 27 people are coming. So, including the 4 of us, that is 31 people in my house. WTF?!?!?!? Anyway, commiserate with me and give me menu suggestions. Oh, so 9 of the 31 are kids (who knows what ages).
8 bottles white wine 8 bottle red wine 24 cans of Coke 24 cans of Diet Coke 54 cans of beer (variety)
40 burgers and buns (with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion) 12 sausages and buns 10-16 chicken breasts
Potato salad Pasta salad Potato chips Doritoes Veggies and ranch dip (carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, celery) Fruit salad
Rice Krispy treats Brownies
What drinks are good for the kids? My kids only drink milk and water. And OMG, I had to ORDER ice. This stupid country.
Tagging RockNVoll and scm1011 so they can tell me where in my house I'm supposed to put these people.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 3, 2015 5:59:26 GMT -5
@shoegal
Ha. We are kindred spirits.
And not to brag, but OMG, it was the BEST vacation. I HIGHLY recommend going to the Maldives. It was beautiful. The resort was the entire (very small) island and the staff to guest ratio was laughable.
/Sits next to Pom and my3bears with spreadsheets open....
Seriously, as long as we continue to shovel money into our 401ks and into the market, and our dedicated cash reserves are above a certain amount, we try not to get too caught up in the other bits.
And, I think it's lovely that your great aunt wanted to leave you something special - you clearly deserve it if she thought you did.
Thanks. The great aunt thing is a bit weird. I wasn't particularly close to her so it was a surprise to be included in her will and especially to be one of a few people included when she had dozens of nieces and nephews and probably a hundred great nieces and nephews.
As I said, all in all we are fine. It is just the ups and downs I have trouble with. I guess it affects me more than my husband because I'm the day to day details person while he is the big picture guy. I dunno.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 19:41:15 GMT -5
I have a main floor laundry and I HATE it. I so wish it was near the bedrooms and I'm on that likes to watch tv while folding. It might be that one of the kids rooms is four flights of stairs away from the kitchen/family room. Put it near the bedrooms!!!
We haven't filed yet. We have to wait for a K-1 and then, for the first time ever, we are having them done for us. I can't bribe the accountants with promises of a new camera or computer like I did with my husband. I'm a little nervous about the outcome as we moved and had some employment changes. I hope we don't owe.
Wait?! Doing the family taxes earns a bribe?! I need to get on that!
Yeah, I had to bribe him with something otherwise they would get done at midnight on April 15. It was well worth the bribe to not have to worry about him forgetting.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 10:13:24 GMT -5
The vacation was well planned for and well needed (we hadn't been on one in two years because of our move). And the other stuff is manageable. I don't get why I'm having trouble with it all. Some days I think I'm rich and other days I'm poor. This HCOL city doesn't help, expectations are so different. But I also think part of it is that the FIL thing brings up a TON of other in law issues.
How about bubblegum flavor? There is a bakery here that has a rainbow colored vanilla cake with bubblegum icing. My husband LOVES it (and the kids).
I need to explore this for my business, I think it might be popular with kids...but we're 5 adults and no kids. I don't think bubblegum would be a big seller with my family
I never thought it would be popular with my husband, but he picked it and loved it.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 9:50:12 GMT -5
Oh, I wasn't invited, but the worst wedding I've heard of was an outdoor wedding in July in the pit of South Carolina. The couple LOVED this outdoor location and HAD to have it on her (late) father's birthday. Uhm, pick one or the other, outside in SC in July is not an option. The guys must have lost about 10 pounds due to sweating under their suits.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 9:44:26 GMT -5
Does anyone else have times when they feel like they are up and down with regards to money? We spent a TON on our vacation (well worth it, but expensive), then we find out we have a credit for the kids' school tuition (yay), then we find out that my FIL's health is bad and we will have to take over the family vacation home sooner than later (boo), then I find out that I'm getting an inheritance from a great aunt (yay, but I don't deserve it), then we have a bunch of other expenses come up (boo), then we find out that my husband is getting a bonus payout (yay). All in all, it is good, I just can't keep up with the ups and downs. I'm not sure how to process it all.
mbcdefg I think it could work. Clarify is probably better, but I don't think qualify is necessarily wrong.
I'm trying to decide what frosting flavor I should put on the white cake I intend to take to my Mum's on Sunday. She called to invite us on Monday as predicted, but is in a snit because we shouldn't call it "Easter" lunch since my sister and I are heathens who have left the church.
She calmed down when I suggested that if I was invited to someone's home for Passover Seder, I'd be going for Seder dinner and it wouldn't make me Jewish either.
Anyway, so what flavor frosting, I still don't know. My dad and my husband - ever imaginative guys - have suggested chocolate and vanilla respectively. I think I can be a little more adventurous.
Oh and it has to be white cake because I haven't tried this recipe before, and don't want to experiment on the first client who hasn't haggled about the price of her cake.
How about bubblegum flavor? There is a bakery here that has a rainbow colored vanilla cake with bubblegum icing. My husband LOVES it (and the kids).
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 8:40:04 GMT -5
We haven't filed yet. We have to wait for a K-1 and then, for the first time ever, we are having them done for us. I can't bribe the accountants with promises of a new camera or computer like I did with my husband. I'm a little nervous about the outcome as we moved and had some employment changes. I hope we don't owe.
Post by UnderProtest on Apr 2, 2015 5:08:47 GMT -5
Buried in the thread linked below is a list of restaurants that @misoangry recommended. I've had a couple and I like her suggestions. Just an FYI, the pub mentioned above is a chain. It's a pretty good chain though.
The first thing that came to mind was our hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti. It was such a peaceful and cool experience, though certainly a pricey add-on. The next hot air balloon trip I want to do is in Cappadocia. I also want to go to the hot air balloon festival in New Mexico.
Damn it. Can we go hot air ballooning around here? I've always wanted to do that.
Post by UnderProtest on Mar 31, 2015 10:42:13 GMT -5
Well, it was just a week and a half ago, but our best splurge was our resort in the Maldives. OMG, it was amazing. I have never been somewhere where the pictures didn't do the place justice. It was even better in person. But the spa, scuba diving, and snorkeling we did there were also nice splurges.
Post by UnderProtest on Mar 23, 2015 9:20:49 GMT -5
Not too bad.
Friday- 23GBP for some groceries Saturday- probably 50ish GBP at the pub for drinks for my husband's birthday 80GBP for the babysitter Was expecting to go out to dinner, but we drank too much so we skipped dinner and went home.
Sunday- 80GBP for afternoon tea
Quite reasonable, but we are still getting over vacation sticker shock.
(CNN)Try to contain your squeals of delight -- there's a pop-up micro pig cafe opening in London.
For one weekend in May, a venue in the city's hispter-infested eastern burbs is offering hands-on hog time with pocket-sized porkers.
The ticket-only "Pignic" will allow guests to experience what it's like to trough down with the animals.
And no, there won't be bacon on the menu.
While it may sound like an absurd new trend -- we're looking at you Moomin Cafes -- the Pignic (based in The Proud Archivist cafe, 2-10 Hertford Road, London; +44 2035982626) claims to have a serious purpose.
Organized by listings website Yelp in conjunction with animal charities and welfare groups, it's billed as an attempt to educate would-be pig owners about what to expect alongside the pitter patter of tiny trotters.
Yelp's Alex Shebar says he came up with the concept after hearing about how a trend for micro pigs -- spurred by celebs such as Paris Hilton -- resulted in abandoned animals.
Cat and owl cafes Often sold as "teacup pigs" because of their diminutive size at birth, most grow to the size of a large dog, much to the horror of some ill-informed owners.
"London has had this love affair with animal cafes recently -- cat cafes and owl cafes -- and at Yelp I'm trying to get people to further explore their city, so I thought this would be an interesting way to do it," Shebar tells CNN.
"Then I read about this trend of abandoning micro pigs, it really upset me. So I thought we could do something that combined this love of animal cafes with educating people about the needs of the pigs."
Yelp says the £30-a-ticket event ($45) has proved a popular, with scores of people signing up in the hope of snagging a place on one of the five days from May 21-25.
There are no current plans for any further Pignics, but Shebar says it might happen.