36

The weather's getting a bit nuts, so I'm going to keep the text brief and post this quickly. That way I can be prepared for the kids to come in all worried about the storm.

I've had an excellent birthday weekend. Last night Pete took the kids to Deerfield and we headed out. First stop was Evanston to see Bridesmaids. Highly recommended. We loved it. After that we drove down to Lincoln Square and attended a Chopping Block class. Here was our main course, pre-boil.

 Here's Pete with the rest of the raw ingredients.

 You've got to hand it to him, the man has technique.

 I just found this bowl kind of pretty. It was the remoulade sauce for the fried oysters.

 Here we are, ready to fry.

 And here's Pete making friends with the crawfish.

 

Perhaps "taunting" the crawfish is more accurate.

Our classmates were all quite pleasant. We chatted a bit and let the two husbands do the heavy lifting.

 Everyone told me we would have to suck the brains. I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. I was probably doing it wrong.

 I got to do the Bananas Foster. Here's a picture of me tipping the pan to set the rum afire. I thought I was going to lose the whole thing over the stovetop, but I was successful.

 Full and happy:

But our night was not over. We went over to Martyr's to see The Opposition Party play. They're an afro-pop group, several members of which are friends/former roommates of Pete's.

This morning Pete and I slept in until 8AM and then headed out for a breakfast which was uninterrupted by children needing to go to the bathroom. The day was sunny and beautiful. After we picked up the kids Henry went to baseball practice. Clara and I walked up to Walgreen's and back over to watch a little practice. After naps we went over to Sharon's for some dinner and cake.

 She and the girls had put up streamers and balloons. Sadly, the weather had turned a bit by then, so we weren't able to hang out outside, but we still had a very nice, mellow time.

 The kids helped me blow out my candles. Pete thought the cake looked like it had experienced a chocolate tsunami. It was delicious.

 Thanks to everyone who called, sent cards, left messages on facebook or otherwise wished me a nice birthday! It was a very nice day!

And now we just have to get through this thunder and lightning...