We hosted our first dinner party at the farm today and it felt really, really good to have friends around the table(s) again. It was also good incentive to get the last things done around here that we had put off. 

The menu was pretty simple as usual – steak and hamburgers for the grill, baked potatoes, BLT salad (we skipped the turkey this time). 

The girls made two kinds of cupcakes which were less simple – chocolate fudge cherry vanilla and raspberry-filled lemon.  Both went fast!  New favorite game around here – Cupcake Wars, the home edition. ; )

Ed and his family have newly arrived in England.  He and Allen have worked together different times over many years and were deployed together when I was expecting Brendan.

He is like the Pied Piper and the children were drawn to him magnetically.  Abbie didn't let him out of her sight and insisted he sit next to her during dinner.

She does actually have coordinating clothing, fwiw, but has ideas of her own and usually reworks her wardrobe throughout the day.

Tomorrow is Cambridge again the girls tell me. So we better go finish night two of our Jack Black movie weekend and get those dishes done.  I hope your weekend is full of good friends, good weather,  and good food. : )