We have a few colleagues departing this summer, and I hosted them for a Bon Voyage dinner.
Jackson went to a friend’s house just as the party was starting, so it was just the adults.
Mixing and matching my champagne glasses with my mom’s I started with welcome glasses of bubbly. We also had crackers, cheese, fruit, olives, and nuts to nibble on. I’m glad we had these set out, as all but one guest arrived 30 minutes early. The last guest arrived 40 minutes late! We know she got stuck at the office and then stuck in traffic, so we waited for her before we started dinner. We had a nice time chatting and gathering information on the best carpenter, tailor, etc. while sipping and nibbling.
For dinner, I had set the table using my mom’s china. We found the pattern while poking around at her Home Goods store one day. There was only one plate on the shelf, but she loved it. I tracked down the pattern – Tonquin Blue by Royal Staffordshire – and started her collection. It was bittersweet to use her china. It is a beautiful pattern and it makes me think of her. But I would much rather that she be here to use it herself. I practiced my calligraphy by creating place cards for everyone – using blue ink on white cards.
On the menu we had Beef Tenderloin with horseradish sauce, miniature roasted potatoes, garlicky green beans, and an apple, walnut, feta, craisins salad with homemade raspberry dressing. We had miniature raspberry trifles for dessert, with homemade pound cake. We also had homemade gingersnaps and shortbread to nibble on with our tea and coffee.
We talked and laughed and had a great time. And then Jackson came home from his adventures. It was time to get him to bed, so the dinner party concluded, and we agreed to get together again soon.
This is a terrible picture of us, but I’m including it for posterity. These are really great colleagues! (and the hydrangeas on the table were gorgeous!!)
Our Administrative Professionals Day celebration was such a success last year that we had to do it again this year!
Our theme was “It’s a Jungle in Here”. I used up leftover party decorations from Jackson’s Wild Kratt’s birthday party and created a Pittsburgh style cookie table.
I designed the invitation, the table signs, and poster. I even made a PowerPoint presentation-creating the slides in Adobe Illustrator.
I planted wheat grass seeds in glass jelly jars a week in advance and used them as centerpieces, with jungle ribbon and an animal native to Indonesia (like this Komodo dragon and this orangutan) in each one. They were so cute!
For the cookies, we had:
Pizzelles
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Miniature cheesecakes
Oatmeal craisin with white chocolate chips
Philly K Cookies
Nut horns
M&M cookies
Macadamia white chocolate chip
Italian Knots
Brownies
Peanut Butter Kiss cookies
The event was another huge success. We are already tossing around ideas for next year!
I think this was the longest birthday party that I have ever been a part of!!
The mall was an hour away from home – we left around 11am. Our taxi made a few wrong turns, so it ended up taking us 1.5 hours to get there.
We had a surprise when we showed up and found that the birthday boy was not there! He was sick (contagious) and the venue would not agree to reschedule the party. Instead of cancelling, the family decided to host the children without the birthday boy. He joined for a few minutes by video chat. We sang Happy Birthday to him, and then we went off to celebrate his birthday without him.
We started at lunchtime. There was fancy catering set up, but of course Jackson was so excited that he only ate two bites. The iFly was divided into two sessions. While one group of kids did the iFly, the other group ran around and enjoyed the other rides in the mall. There were go carts, roller coasters, and a snow zone. It really was an amazing day, and so unfortunate that the birthday boy could not be there.
Jackson loved the iFly. He loved playing in the snow. He loved driving the go-carts. By the time I dragged him away, it was dinner time. He was getting hangry (remember, he had virtually no lunch) and wanted sushi. I was irritable and wanted to go home. A few other families were still around as well, and we agreed to grab dinner together once we coralled the kids. In the meantime, I tried to grab a snack for Jackson, but there was no food available as it was during Ramadan. There were few prepacked snack options, but they were on hold/reserved for those breaking fast. We went to the food court and found that everyone had put their names on waiting lists – to eat once fasting time was over. We were 10th in line at Genki Sushi, so we continued to try and find a place to eat in the mall, but there were no openings. It was now around 7pm. We did stop at a frozen yogurt shop called Sour Sally. They were out of ‘regular’ froyo but had ‘black’ froyo. We gave it a go, and everyone loved it!! We will definitely be back.
We wound our way back to the sushi restaurant, and there were only a few names ahead of us. The kids were starving, the parents were starving. We finally got seated and ordered. This was a lot of fun – it was almost worth the wait! We used an app while seated at the table to order what we wanted and they brought our orders out to us. We could keep adding to our order – and they would keep bringing the food out, and when we were done, we closed out the order and paid. Everyone left full and happy. The parents got a good laugh looking at our American kids gobbling up sushi and dumplings!
You would think that we could head home now, but one of the mom’s reminded us that the kids needed black t-shirts for the musical rehearsal in the morning (for their head shot photos), so off we went to a shop called uniqlo for black t-shirts for the kids.
We got lost going home. We made it home at around 10pm…11 hours after we left the house.
Jackson turned 10 this year – double digits!! After much deliberation, he decided that he wanted a Minecraft party and so I got started with the planning.
Creating games and activities that stayed on theme, but also had elements of math, science, and art was quite a challenge – but in the end, I was quite happy – and so were the kids.
The party was scheduled after school on a Friday – so we had a pizza party. When the kids arrived, they were each given a personalized VIP all access pass and then selected the toppings that they wanted on their individual pizzas. The kids ran around for a bit as their pizzas cooked and then after our bellies were full, we started with the activities.
Deciphering the encrypted clue
Activity 1: Mining: Geocaching/Scavenger Hunt
This one was a challenge! I wanted a geocaching hunt, but I was unable to set the coordinates for each cache, with enough accuracy for the kids to find them. I tried lots of apps and re-set coordinates a few times before deciding to focus on the ‘hints’, and to scrap the coordinates part of the activity. I encrypted each hint using the classic substitution cipher to make it bit more challenging.
It was dark and pouring down rain. We were all running around outside in the rain, trying to find the clue to the next cache, which held the clue to the next one. In the midst of all this madness, we discovered that one of the clues was missing! I’m not sure whether the wind/rain blew it away or whether it was the ‘suspicious looking’ older kids that watched me hide them! I ended up telling the kids where to go next. Most of the kids were really engaged and enjoyed this activity. (especially finding a clue in the locked ice cream cooler and frantically asking the venue staff to unlock the cooler so that they could reach their next clue!) I had two that were totally not into it.
The last clue led us to a ‘diamond’. It was actually an egg-shaped ball of tissue paper filled with candy and treats. We played a quick game of ‘pass the parcel’ before sitting down for an art project.
Earlier in the week, Jackson and I painted 12×12 square canvases with a background of green for creepers and pink for pigs, and created grid marks with chalk. I got the idea from Pinterest.
At the party, the kids used a pattern to color in the grids using different hues and shades. This was a bit messy, and the kids could really be creative. Everyone seemed to enjoy this activity, and they all took their canvases home.
We sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice cream before moving on to the final activity.
Activity 3: Hunting: Nighttime swimming with a bouncy slide!
It was dark and the rain had stopped. I threw inflated cows and pigs into the pool, and the kids had to ‘hunt’ for them. They were supposed to pose for a picture with the Instax camera when they caught their ‘meat’, but it was too dark. And the kids were having too much fun! They got to swim for about an hour before the pool closed.
I’m glad that I decided to use an outside venue to host, so that I could enjoy more of the party. It worked out great. I was so happy to have a few extra hands to help. I did have to pack up all of my party decorations and supplies and drag them home, but otherwise, they did all of the cleanup.
The kids took home party bags with 3x3x1 Rubic’s cubes, pickaxe pencils, Minecraft vinyl stickers, ring pops, licorice TNT, their canvases, and their VIP name tags/lanyards. I had also planned for them to take a few instant photos of themselves enjoying the party, but they just did not turn out.
The party was a success! And a week or two later, a mom randomly approached me and said they were at the venue the night of the party. She said our party looked like so much fun, that now her son also wants a Minecraft party!!
I like to gift friends and colleagues homemade cookies and candies at Christmas. As I was doing all of my baking this past Christmas – and going through the small bottles of store-bought vanilla, I decided to gift homemade vanilla next year. Vanilla is not easy to get in Indonesia, so it will be a welcome treat. And starting now, ensures a good strong vanilla for next holiday season!
Once the supplies arrived in the mail, it was time to get to work making homemade Vanilla Extract for Christmas!
I washed the bottles and let them dry.
The beans were too long to fit in the bottles, so I cut them to shorten them first, then I slit them open and put about 5 beans (total) in each bottle. I don’t have a funnel, so I poured 8 ounces of vodka into a measuring cup with a spout and poured the vodka into the bottles, ensuring that the beans were covered. Combined, the beans and vodka filled 4 and ½ bottles.
I closed up the bottles and now they are stored in a cool dry place (as cool and dry as I can get in Indonesia!) and are ‘brewing’ away!
They will be ready to use as early as June, so I plan to use the ‘funky’ one with the tall bean and extra vodka for my own use. The others will be kept until December, to be used as gifts. Who will not LOVE homemade vanilla extract for Christmas?? I’ll have to design a cute tag for the bottles when I’m ready to give them away and I’ll be sure to update the blog with more photos!
While living overseas, I like to share our American culture with others. (Last year we had just arrived, so it was just the two of us…and the cable company) This year, I invited the Cub Scouts to celebrate Thanksgiving in Indonesia with us. Although this group is multinational, none previously had the opportunity to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast.We met up at the Kite Museum for a tour and making kites to knock out the last requirement for the Art Explosion elective, and then we all caravanned to my place for lunch.
Webelos Scouts celebrating Thanksgiving in Indonesia
We met up at the Kite Museum for a tour and making kites to knock out the last requirement for the Art Explosion elective, and then we all caravanned to my place for lunch.
Thanksgiving place setting with place card and menu cardWebelos Scout parent volunteers – carving the turkey
Upon arrival, the kids attempted to fly their kites outside and played at the neighborhood playground, while the grown ups got everything set up inside. We had some snacks set out: roasted cashews, cinnamon spiced almonds, cheddar cheese, apple slices, green olives, and pita crackers. Some noshed while others carved the turkey, poured juice for the kiddos, and pulled the side dishes out of the oven.
When everything was ready, we gathered in the living room to quickly share our Thanksgiving traditions and the feast began!
Thanksgiving Lunch
We had roasted turkey, sage stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, corn pudding, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, green salad, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and chocolate chip cookies.
The kids sat at the kids table in the family room. They were all so well behaved. They were adventurous in trying new foods, and they even put their plates in the kitchen when they were finished eating!
Homemade Apple Pie and Pumpkin PieEnjoying the turkey after a busy morning making and flying kites
At the adult table, we took turns sharing a few things that we are thankful for. I think everyone was thankful for Cub Scouts – the opportunity to spend quality time with their children as well as having the opportunity to meet people outside of their normal/natural circle of friends.
Now that our second Thanksgiving in Indonesia is a wrap…I think it is time to put up the Christmas tree!
What a fun time we had for our second Halloween in Indonesia – decorating, pumpkin carving, and trick or treating!
Halloween Decorations
Restraining myself, I waited until mid-October to pull out the Halloween decorations! I reused many of the items from our Harry Potter birthday party, taped paper bats to the windows, hung a black feather wreath on the front door, and pulled out my spider web door mat and skeleton dishes that I picked up at Kirklands last year, while I was in the U.S. (squeezing everything into my suitcases!)
We made a special trip to the fancy grocery store in search of a pumpkin for carving – and we felt so lucky when we found one! We took it home and carved it the very next day. My Indonesian colleague was so intrigued with this real pumpkin that looked just like my fake Halloween pumpkins!! I showed her how we scooped out the insides…this one was definitely real!
I even used an actual recipe to roast the pumpkin seeds. I’ve never added more than just oil and salt, but this time I added garlic powder, pepper, and some chili powder (I was out of the paprika that the recipe called for). They turned out quite nice.
Pumpkin Carving
Trick or Treating
The neighbors stopped in after the kids were done trick or treating and I whipped up a pitcher of my ‘go to’ red wine sangria – it really fit the Halloween theme, a Texas Sheet cake – enough chocolate cake for a crowd – with purple and orange confetti sprinkles on top! I love this butter toffee popcorn recipe. I made two batches. The first batch was crispy, buttery, and delicious. Unfortunately, it was late when I made the second batch. I took the tray out of the oven to cool, and went to bed. When I got up the next morning, the popcorn went soft – the humidity here was just too much. I did put the popcorn in a ziplock bag with a slice of bread, to see if that would help…but it didn’t.
Well, we couldn’t have ALL sweets, so we also had the Pioneer Woman’s Nachos. I made these for my dad for dinner last summer (I told him it was taco salad!) and he could not get enough of them! I had the same reaction here on Halloween. My neighbors gobbled them up! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
We also had the roasted pumpkin seeds, fresh watermelon slices, and ice-cold lemonade for the thirsty trick or treaters.
Our second Halloween in Indonesia will be hard to top next year!!
In my line of work, promotions are hard to come by – we compete against our peers to fill a designated number of spots at the next pay grade. Even if you have been recommended for promotion by the promotion boards, there might not be enough spots. In this instance, you miss out on the promotion, and start all over again the next year.
I should have been thrilled when the stars aligned and I was finally promoted. However, I learned that I had received a promotion on the same morning that I learned my mom’s passing was imminent. It was an awful morning, and I was certainly in no mood to celebrate.
Now that a few weeks have passed, I took advantage of the Columbus Day holiday and invited a few colleagues (who were also promoted!) over for lunch. We had the day off, but the kids had school, so we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon talking about how we got to where we are today, and the next steps – for our next promotions!
We started with a glass of champagne to toast our success.
I added fresh squeezed lime juice, lime wedges, and simple syrup to the tray. Then of course, I opened the champagne!
We had fresh lime sodas and mango juice to drink.
We had Italian wedding soup, Greek salad, fresh Italian bread, and baked ziti for lunch.
And for dessert we had tiramisu and pizzelles, served with hot tea and coffee.
I made the tiramisu using this recipe from All Recipes. All of the tips I read insisted that I use real espresso. So, I had some delivered from Paul cafe!I’ve tried this recipe before, cooking the eggs in the pan, and my eggs curdled. I now use a ‘double boiler’.A friend gifted me her Kitchen Aid stand mixer when she received a new one. It is still running strong on the transformer! (Note the UHT (shelf stable) whipping cream.) Most recipes call for Marsala wine. I didn’t have that, and I didn’t have any rum, so I used cognac. I tried dipping the ladyfingers into the coffee on a shallow plate, but I ended up dunking them in the measuring cup with tongs. That worked best for me. After they were chilled, and ready to be served, I sprinkled them each with a bit of unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa powder.The table was set – ready for food and guests! I put each tiramisu cup on the little boards, with a fresh mint leaf – plucked from our herb garden.
I mentioned earlier that promotions are hard earned, oftentimes taking 6, 8, 10 years or more to achieve. Technically, I am competing against each of these ladies for future promotions, but this was a warm, friendly gathering – each of us sincere in celebrating each other and encouraging success.
I volunteered to help with the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet this year.
It turns out that the banquet is actually a breakfast that we combine with the bi-annual awards ceremony, the Arrow of Light (AOL) ceremony, and the crossing over (to Boy Scouts) ceremony.
Collaborating with the scout leaders, I designed the program: Awards first, then crossover, and lastly, our Blue and Gold celebration. This program included blue, yellow, white, and green candles. I did not have colored candles, but I did have acrylic paint. I painted clear glass votive cups to match the required colors. The program also called for colored face paint. I could not get my hands on safe/quality face paints in time, so I used water-based/non-toxic paints mixed with zinc-based sunscreen. The colors were vibrant, did not stain the kids faces, and most importantly, were safe.
I then designed the coordinating e-invitation, welcome posters, thank you tags for the parent volunteers (these were attached to blue and yellow iced fleur-de-lis shaped sugar cookies), and personalized AOL photos of the kids crossing over to Boy Scouts.
Luckily, I had lots of help decorating: blowing up balloons, hanging streamers, setting up the awards tables. Everyone had a great time, and we’ve set the bar for next year!
Pack 3455 Appreciates You!Treats for the parent volunteersPainting votive cups for the AOL crossover ceremony.Arrows of Light
