Hubster's Birthday

My heart dropped at 4:15 pm today when I got a call telling me two samples were coming in that needed testing. I had been hoping to get out of work and to put Hubster's birthday together a little better. Staying later at work wasn't in my game plan. My plan was to pick the girls up from daycare and to go to the store together to get their Father a birthday present, to call him and to tell him to plan on going out to eat. Instead I ended up calling him, asking him to get the girls, and just going and getting his card and present myself.

When I stormed in the door, I could hear everyone upstairs getting their nightly bath. I ran up the stair took over the bathing duty and then rushed everyone out to the car so we could go to that other " really good restaurant in downtown Hampton", Taphouse. Located at 17 East Queens Way Hampton, VA 23669; Tel. (757) 224-5829. This is a Pub/ Restaurant that serves a large variety of burgers, salads, appetizers, unique entrees, pasta, and seafood. I'm not sure how many beers they have available but it's a list that covers the front and back of a sheet of paper! I had an ale called Flying Dog-in-Heat Wheat and Hubster had the Black Turnip ( It was on the list or 50 beers to try before you die). The Dog-in-Heat was light and also citrus like, it was okay. And the Black Turnip was like a meal by its self. It was full of different flavors and quite smooth, but then after 5 sips was was getting to be a little much. So I wouldn't recommend this beer. We enjoyed picking from the large assortment of beers and the prices were 3-4.50 bottles and drafts.

Hubster had the Grilled Tuna Sandwich, I had some spicy sausages with rosemary potatoes, and the girls split the appetizer order of 1 POUND of chicken fingers!! Hubster liked his Tuna. I was very surprised with the pairing of rosemary flavored potatoes with a sausage that was so hot in heat. But the pairing worked and I though it was good pub food. The girls chicken fingers were the best any of us had ever eaten in our lives. I have never seen the girls eat chicken so fast. Hubster and I were so surprised that we had to sample them. They were soft and tender and the fried breading on the outside was amazingly good.

After dinner we headed home, where I reminded the girls about Daddy's birthday. The one gift I bought him was a set of wine glasses. The girls helped out with the assembly of the cake I had baked earlier in the week and set in the freezer. The recipe for this cake is from Andrea Nguyen.

It came out like the picture and tasted very fresh and light. It was not a cake you could prepare ahead of time though.

Oh, this is Oldest on her new bike from her
birthday last month! And log in soon to see Youngest's Birthday next month!!

St. Valentine's Day

Last night Hubster and I decided we should celebrate St.Valentine's Day early. Our yearly celebration is going out to eat. The girls get all the heart boxed chocolates, dresses, tights, and t-shirts with hearts all over them. Hubster and I enjoy a night out of good food more than anything. It took years for Hubster and I to learn that unless we were going to a place that took reservations way ahead of time, we weren't getting in anywhere for dinner on St. Valentine's Day. It mobbed all over!

It will also be Hubster's birthday on the 16th-Wednesday. This is always celebrated with a night out to eat, and sometime I make a cake. This year I plan to make a cake since Oldest's Pony Cake was eaten at school and everyone has been craving cake since. I'll write later down about my cake ideas.

Yesterday wasn't going so well. It all started on my way to work. (Yes, Saturday I had to work.) I was going through the dark tunnel and then driving on the bridge and there was a sharp pain in my upper left cheek. It throbbed and then I rubbed my face and it went away. I blamed it on the sharp sun in my eye. Then I arrived at work and started my block's walk and realized I still had the pain but it wasn't a headache really. I blew it off and got to work.

Midway through the morning I decided to go out to the Post Office to mail the Valentines the girls had taken long hours making for their grandparents. The Post Office was packed! Then as I put the packages together I realized I had forgotten the girls' valentines. I was ticked. So mad that I wanted to drive home that moment, to get them!

But I thought again and tried calling Hubster. His phone was off.... and ohhh yeah, I was the one responsible for this. I turned it off before I left the house that morning because the battery started getting low at around 3AM. It started with a warning beep every hour or so. We were both in the middle of our sleep- so although it was VERY annoying, we both just kept laying in bed, waking slightly every time we heard the beep, but doing nothing about it. When I got up I just went to his phone and turned it off...didn't even plug it in to charge. I really wanted to throw it across the room, but I restrained.

So: With no valentines the girls had made, not the greatest sleep, the pain in my brain, having to work on a Saturday, and not being able to get a hold of Hubster (knowing it was my own dang fault), I sent the candy and oatmeal to the grandparents and went back to work. Later I called my Mom and told her the homemade valentines would be arriving later in the week.

When I got home Hubster was out and about. The girls were asleep in the truck as he unloaded feed from his truck. He suggested I take Oldest out to practice riding on her new bike. After giving him a run down of my crappy day and taking some headache medicine, we walked/road down to end of our street and sat to look out at the water. This walk fixed everything. Hubster than suggested to warm up and that we'd go out to eat.

Hubster suggested the Surf Rider Restaurant Bluewater, located at 1 Marina Rd in Hampton, Va. Tel# 757.723.9366 It is located at the marina and very impressive with large yachts all around. In side there is a framed newspaper article about their famous Hampton Roads Crab cakes. They have been voted to have the best crab cake in the area.The restaurant is very new and clean. There is a bar and an open window to the kitchen for the wait staff. The seating- all booths and tables set very close together (Did I tell you it was packed and the people just kept coming in at 9:30pm?). In a weird way the setting felt- New California design but also old fast service Silver Diner. The prices range from $8-$25. Hubster had a platter of fish, hush puppies, scallops, shrimp, and a famous crab cake. I had a cup of their homemade She Crab Soup and the Ceaser Salad with a Crab cake. The girls split the penne with Alfredo sauce. It was all very delicious. I would give it 5 stars and look forward to going back sometime.

When we got home I starting thinking about the upcoming week. This meant laundry, the girls' valentine's party at school, and Hubster's birthday. I want to try this white sponge cake with strawberries that Andrea Nguyen wrote about: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/05/strawberry-and-cream-layer-cake-recipe.html

Hope it comes out like it looks! Then, also we will fill out Oldest's Princess Valentines and Youngest's Dinosaur Valentines. They will go in the bag with the homemade cookies Grammy made and we will be ready for the week........i think.....