Date Night? Hardly.

On Saturday, the kids’ Nana came down and picked them up after Jingle’s basketball game (by the way, have you ever seen 5 year-olds play basketball?  It’s joyful) and whisked them away for the night.  Mr. Mingle and I had all of Saturday afternoon, evening, and a large part of Sunday all to ourselves.  Oh my, oh my – what to do?!?  How about we go to a movie and dinner? No?  Hmm.. how about we get out of town for the night? No? Hmm.. how about we fix up the kids room to move Savvy out of our room and into Jingle’s room?  OKAY!

 Kids Room  - BEFORE

We knew heading into the weekend, that even though the kids were out of town, our time spent would largely be spent on them.  However, we went into the events with gusto and enjoyed the time together even if there was some work involved.  As soon as Nana took the kids we hopped on BART and headed out to the East Bay to meet up with my mom and borrow her (big-ass) truck.  Then Mr. Mingle and I headed another hour east to Antioch where we picked up a used bunk bed that we’d found online for a fraction of the price we’d pay new elsewhere.    We got a loft bed that sat on top of a dresser and desk combo, and an unattached bottom bed  that could go under (in a perpendicular fashion) or be placed elsewhere.  After stopping for a quick snack, we headed back to the City with our new beds, and it was already 7pm by the time we got home.  Fortunately the rain held off until just as we got the things in the door.

We then headed out to Lowe’s for a few hardware pieces, and also to our favorite Indian restaurant for take-out.  If the kids were out, at least we were going to treat ourselves to something they would not eat.  Now… back to Lowe’s.  We have never been there just once.   We always either forget something, or we get the wrong size of something, or we just have no clue of what we need in the first place.  This time around was no exception.  Luckily we brought the sample screws and dowels, so at least we got the right size, but we did not get enough.  Still, we were able to get most of the bed set up last night.

At one point, Mr. Mingle says “Can you imagine if the kids were here while we were doing this?”  And I laughed.  Because I could imagine it, very well.  We would have got a fraction of the tasks accomplished.  Between Jingle wanting to “help” all the time, and asking a billion questions along the way, to Savvy pulling Daddy away to play all the time, we would have been lucky to successfully unload the car, let alone get anything in the bedroom.  Mama would have been frustrated, Daddy would have been frazzled and who knows what that room would look like.  But, they weren’t there, so by late Saturday night we had the new bed set up and the room cleaned out enough to bring at least some of Savvy’s stuff in.   We’re not yet certain of what to do about her dresser.  Some of our plans will need to wait until I’m employed again.

 AFTER (pre-IKEA)

Note all of the animals on the bench in front of the window

Today, we did do one thing that we never ever get to do with children and that is.. sleep in. (what were you thinking??).  Sleep sleep sleep.   I cursed my cat last night who kept waking me up and wanted to shout “What are you doing?? The kids are gone, LET ME SLEEP!!!” But a) she’s a cat and b) she’s like 15 years old and we treat her with the respect she deserves after living through all the changes she’s seen in her life.  But… I did get to sleep in, and she finally agreed to sleep on top of the covers and not below them.

Once we did further clean-up on the room, we made our second trip to Lowe’s for the additional parts, and then drove to pick the kids up.  We had decided to transition Jingle’s toddler bed over to Savvy instead of using the new twin bed that came with the loft so that we only needed to buy one mattress and it didn’t take up as much space in the already crowded room.  Since we still needed one twin mattress, and some new bed linens, we had ‘big plans’ to take the kids to IKEA so they could help pick things out.  Oh my god.  That was the perfect example of why we would not have gotten anything done if they had been home all weekend.   Have you been to the IKEA children’s section with children??   Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis Iwantthis.  Sadly the one thing that we really did want, a new duvet cover for Savvy (so she doesn’t have to have everything hand-me-down),  was sold out.  But, she’s easy.  We got her a big pink pillow instead and told her we’d come back for her princess cover and she was okay.   

One other reason we went to IKEA was because that was where we originally got the todder bed, and needed some replacement hardware.  After getting through the entire store, we learned that you have to go to Returns to see about hardware pieces.  Mr. Mingle stood in the purchase line with the kids and I went to Returns.  I had to pick a number and got ‘46’.  They were currently on ‘18’. Oh hell no.    We will go back to Lowes if we have to, then wait another hour plus with the kids at IKEA!

We get home and sure enough, Jingle wants to help.   Mind you, everyone was also crazy hungry.   And if your last name is Mingle, and you are hungry, that is ‘crazy with a Capital C’.   So, I worked quickly to get dinner on the table while Mr. Mingle did the final hardware installs on the bed railings.  After dinner we all worked to get the new linens on the bed and the kids were excited.  I had placed some of Savvy’s animals out on a bench seat all cutesy-like to show her that it was now her room too, but when we got home she and her brother quickly threw all those animals into a new under-the-bed storage unit we bought from IKEA.  Oh well, out of sight, out of mind.

Since she was now in a big-girl bed, Savvy wanted to read to herself tonight and did not want Mama to read.  She pretty much kicked me out.  Jingle wanted to read to himself too, but he’s at a stage where he is learning to read and wants one of us close by to help with the words.   So, Mr. Mingle helped him through his books and then both kids went to bed.  Jingle fell asleep instantly.  Savvy on the other hand continued to chatter to her animals for a long time. I went in to quiet her down a few times, but by 10:30 she still was not asleep.  In the end, we both decided she might want to go back to her crib tonight.  She is now asleep.

Post IKEA run

Note - no animals on the bench and Savvy is in bed reading to herself on her new pillow.

 

This was not a date night weekend, but it was the most productive weekend we’ve had in ages.  Perhaps since either kid was born.  We may have spent a lot of time driving and working, but it also gave us a chance to just hang out and talk without constant kid interruptions.  And, in some ways, that was just as enjoyable, if not more so, then a dinner and a movie.  And now, ultimately, we will get our room to ourselves again…

Dynamo Donuts Review

Today’s review is of Dynamo Donuts.  My husband and I first discovered Dynamo before our kids were born and have been going back ever since.  It is in the Mission District on 24^th near Portrero and is not located near my old job, or his current one.  And that – is a good thing.  It means that we are not regularly tempted to go here, and try to save it for special occasions.

Dynamo Donuts is the gold standard of donuts in my opinion.  It sets the bar to which all other donuts should be held accountable.   I also love the shop itself.  All the donuts are made onsite and come in a variety of flavors.  For those people who like the standards: ‘raised glazed, old-fashioned, maple bars..’ this may not at first be to your liking, but I challenge you to try and you may be converted.

They have donuts that have cardamom, and orange, and passionfruit… and rose.   But they are so so good.  The cake part is perfect, and the donuts are made so that none are overly sweet.  My favorite, and the one which I must get each and every time no matter how many times I tell myself I’ll get something different, is the maple glazed bacon apple donut.  I’m not kidding you – it is the bomb.  Surprisingly, my second favorite is their “I’m not a gluten donut” when they have the lemon buttermilk donut.  It is covered in powdered sugar and YumMEE.  (As a side note, my son’s favorite donut for his first few years of donut eating was the Chocolate Rose donut.) 

The shop has a small indoor seating area (and recently introduced a small table for little ones).  We were going there for about a year before we even realized that they have outdoor seating in back. It is a lovely courtyard that on sunny days is the place to be with your donuts and coffee.

The serve top notch coffee – Four Barrel Coffee – which I must admit actually isn’t one of my favorites.   I am a traditional coffee with cream drinker – no frills, but today I decided to splurge and get a latte, and that my friends was GREAT.   

To test out the quality of Dynamo on others who have never been before. my donut guests today were a few vikings  (You know, the red haired people who only eat meat?).  Anyway, as one would expect with a viking, their favorite was also the bacon donut, and they ended up taking 2 more bacon donuts home to Daddy who could not join us today.  We had two 2-year olds with us, one 3-week old (who will enjoy the donuts later thanks to Mommy) and us moms.   The kids were able to sit at the kids table (the baby was sleeping) and the Mamas got to visit a little. When the kids were done they then found all the donut related books available for their (and our) reading pleasure.  My favorite was called “pat the foodie” and is a parody of “Pat the Bunny”.  For those familiar with that childhood favorite, please check out the pics below.

All in all, and it should be no surprise given my intro above, my ratings are as follows (1-low; 5-high):
Donuts: 5
Coffee: 5 (as long as it’s the latte)
Ambiance: 5

Company: 5

I am on the lookout for other donut places in SF and the Bay Area to try and other friends who would like to join me for a Friday donut review.  Please let me know if you have any recommendations or interest!

 His shirt says "WHAT WOULD BACON DO?"

Socks and Carrots

Of all house chores, the one I actually like is folding clothes. This is mainly because I watch TV while folding and therefore feel like I'm being constructive (when really I am using it as an excuse to watch TV without guilt). The problem though is that all these folded clothes need to be put away and I hate that. I'm not proud of this but folded clothes have been known to reside on our couch for days at a time. 

Socks are the worst. With four people in the house it seems like everyone wears three pairs a day for the amount we fold. And we seem to have twenty single socks with no matches at any given point in time. (seriously though ...where do all those socks disappear to?!)

Recently I encouraged Jingle to help put his own clothes away so that's a good step. (Mr. Mingle knows how to put his clothes way too.) And, we recently came up wih 'sock basketball' where we open the drawers and start throwing the socks in from across the room. This has definitely made the chore more fun and Jingle will help. I also have been known to play sock basketball when I am home alone too...

Tonight J and I had a big game of it with everyone's socks. He was the shooter while I was the rebounder. While we were busy doing this, Daddy, Grandma and Savvy were playing with circus themed finger puppets in the other room. There are six animals and Savvy calls them by their proper animal names...'bird', 'elephant', 'giraffe'....but the bear she calls Carrot. Here's a picture of Carrot:

Kids can be so wonderfully clever and helpful sometimes.

Happy at Home, Noises and All

Today was a day spent less on the job hunt and more on home-related activities.   We first met with Jingle's teacher for parent-teacher conference this morning - no surprises there.  He's brilliant as expected. (I am required to state this as his mother).   Then, Mr. Mingle went off to work, and I came home to get a slow-cooking soup on.  On tonight's menu is split pea soup, which is perfect for this very rainy day.  It's almost as if I planned the menu for the weather (which I didn't, but I will pretend I did).

Afterwards I did some small job-related activity and then headed back to Jingle's school for the book fair again.  Unlike on Monday, today there were a lot of kids there wanting to buy books, erasers, and pencils during their lunch break.  I ran the cash register for two hours and quickly learned to ask the kids how much money they had before I rung them up.  They would come up with $30 worth of stuff and then I would tell them the total and they would pull like $6 out of their grubby pocket and ask "is this enough?"   oh no Sweetie...  You need to put back most of these things....  There were also some kids who came with handfuls of coins and eyes wide "What can I buy with this?"  ... usually, the answer to that was... "well... you can buy an eraser..."   Here is how the purchases broke down in general... little girls left with kitten posters and little boys left with lego-related books.

By the time I was finished Jingle's school was over and I brought him home with me.   We have spent the last hour or so doing his homework and then art projects.  His aunt bought him this really cool gift which consists of a monthly surprise delivery based upon a theme and it includes two art projects and other related items.  This month's theme was 'Money' and the art projects were a duck-tape wallet and an owl (piggy) bank which he could paint.   It also came with some rare coins from other countries (i.e. Ugandan something-or-other), stickers, and a cookie snack.   I'm not sure who is more excited to get these monthly deliveries - Jingle, or his parents!

At the moment, he's sitting behind me on the couch making a story up with some magnetic cars he's playing with.    I love it when the kids get involved in a dialogue with their toys or stuffed animals and can make up an entire conversation all by themselves.  Oh shoot, I just sighed loudly and disrupted his concentration, "Are you okay Mama?"    This kid is super attuned to any noises.  Actually both my kids are - is that the same for all children? 

Kid: "What is that?"
Mom: "A car."
Kid: "What is that?"
Mom: "Another car."
Kid: "What is that?"
Mom:  "What is what?"
Kid: "That noise"
Mom: "What noise"
Kid: "It sounded like a 'tick'"
Mom: "I'm not sure, I didn't hear any noises over your singing".  [How do they hear other noises while they are singing??]

Jingle and his Owl Bank

Lack of Concentration

I am having some trouble focusing on this job hunt of mine.   On one hand it is so nice that everything is at our fingertips with the computer and internet, but on the other hand EVERYTHING is at our finger tips.  Today I planned to spend a majority of the day in front of the computer looking for a new job, but I find myself constantly distracted.

It started this morning.  Once the kids were dropped off at their respective places I came back to the house and thought - "hmm, I better clean up the kitchen or it's going to drive me crazy" and I did that.  Then I made some coffee and sat down with the coffee and iPad in hand.   I downloaded a new app with an old familiar name to those who have been in my position before: "What Color is Your Parachute?".  I spent a good 30 minutes, just planning my day.  Oh...what? I needed to download a new task manager app? okay, done.   Then I started in on my "...Parachute" activities.   I actually think I'll find this quite useful ultimately as I always struggle with the question "what do you want to do?"

But, after about 30 minutes, the iPad needed charging.  So, another coffee in hand, I headed downstairs to the computer to do some searching.  But, every time I click on any link, there are always 10 other links waiting to be clicked too.  'oh.. what's this job?...oh, what's that job?... what is this company?.. where was that first listing again?...' and so on.  After about a half hour I thought that maybe the neighbor with the new baby would like a visit and sent a text.  Oh goody, she wanted me to come over at 11:30.

I submitted for one job and then headed over to the neighbor's house.   Got to hold a 6 week old baby for about 20 minutes - that was nice.  Back home. Lunch time.  Fixed myself lunch and turned on a TV show while I ate.   Finished lunch, but the show was still going, so I folded clothes until it ended.

Now, I'm back downstairs.  Submitted for a second job.  Oh.. what's this? Blogger is open?  Maybe I should write a new blog entry.

Okay, blog entry is done, I better go make some more coffee...

Always On My Mind

Today I volunteered to work at a Book Fair at my son's school. We were selling books to earn money for the teachers. This was the first book to catch my attention:

Psycho Donuts Review

If you have come to this blog via my FB then you likely know why I have titled it Donut Fridays. But some of you may be wondering why I call it Donut Fridays.  Oh, you're not? Let me tell you anyways.

About three years ago I started posting about Donut Fridays on FB.  It was a treat to myself and it kind of became 'my thing'.  Sometimes I felt it was to my detriment as I would see people I hadn't seen in years, except through FB, and they would say "what have you been up to? I know you like donuts."  This happened to me at my twenty year reunion last year and then a few other times as well.  But, I have decided to embrace this... If this is to be my thing, then I will own it.

And to that end, I feel like I can't call this blog 'Donut Fridays' without actually offering a Donut Friday review.  So, to honor this, today I will provide my first official Donut Friday Review.

I had plans to visit my good friend Fossie in San Jose so I did a search for the best donut shop down there and came up with 'Psycho Donuts' in downtown SJ. The original is in Campbell and that's where their donuts are made and then delivered to the downtown SJ location.

The donuts were fitting to the name, and were totally insane. There were no signs to explain the types in the case before us so we had to ask the lady to explain. Although I enjoy donuts, I'm pretty particular about the specific types that I like.  Usually, I'm not a jelly donut, nor a chocolate donut fan but when they said it was a chocolate raspberry donut then I thought that was the one for me.  After all, when done right, these are the two of the best flavors that can be mixed together.  I also got a small cinnamon and sugar one to taste the quality of a 'typical donut'.

Fossie and her dog were also with me and we left her dog tied up outside while we ordered.  The people who work there wear white outfits fitting to those who work in insane asylums and Fossie's dog cried outside as if it were being stabbed to death the entire time we were there.   It was a fitting sound effect to the Psycho theme.

The donut itself was 'okay'. The raspberry jelly filling tasted more like jello then jelly.  The chocolate cake part was pretty good - chocolaty without being overly sweet.  The cinnamon sugar donut was good but typical of any donut.  I was kind of sad the donuts didn’t taste a little fresher as the lady kept telling us how they had just been delivered from the other place right before we got there.

 
The second most important part to any donut trip is the coffee.  It was surprisingly good considering now generic it looked when I ordered it.  I was handed a cup, a half gallon of half ‘n half and was told 'go pump it yourself'.  But, despite that, coffee was hot and tasty and the perfect balance to the crazy donuts.

My friendly company was top notch, especially once psycho doggie calmed down when we joined him outside. And, we couldn't beat the weather.  I don't even know what winter is supposed to feel like this year since it has been so pleasant.
 
So, all in all, here is my rating (1-low; 5-high):
Donuts: 3
Coffee: 4
Ambiance: 3 (kinda creepy)
Company: 5

Although it was one of the more unique donut shops I've seen and had original offerings, the actual taste of the donuts that I ate weren't memorably spectacular.  And, donuts are sweet enough so in my opinion they don't need excessive frosting on top as well.  I suppose I must continue the search for the perfect donut...

 

 

Kinda Sorta Pretty Accurate

Today I visited our 'tax guy' to see about our chances of getting a refund.  His office is in his home and he is a collector of odd things.   Before I met him I never realized that there were multiple Ouija boards from places all over the world, and that one would be inclined to collect them.  However, he's got them hung up all over his walls.  I began chuckling to myself as it occurred to me that once I left, perhaps the tax guy and his assistants pull off one of those boards, place their hands on the planchette (I had to look this word up) and then chant "How much taxes do they owe?" while waiting for Ouija tax spirits to guide them to the numbers.  As far as my knowledge of tax law - this could be just as accurate as filling out those million forms.

I have never actually believed in Ouija Boards.  I recall going to slumber parties as a kid and being the one who wanted to mess with the others who wanted to play.   You know what is accurate though?  Fortune Cookies.  

Just look at the one I got today:

I mean seriously how do they know?!  

Grateful

When I was let go last week, it was a contentious ending between my boss and I, and my first concern was about what everyone would be told for the reason of my departure.  I was also worried that I would become the scapegoat for everything that goes wrong there from here on out.  It was a very tough pill to swallow because I had worked so damn hard there.  Then, on Friday, everyone was told that I resigned and that the company accepted my resignation, and it was immediate.  From what I gather, that was the extent of the conversation.   After that, my phone began to light up – texts and emails from coworkers started coming in.  And they were so NICE.  I cannot express how grateful I have been to receive these messages which show great concern for my leaving, as well as thankfulness that I was there to begin with.   It will help me to reflect positively on the experience instead of leaving with a bitter pill in my mouth.

Besides my work mates, family has been reaching out.  Calls, texts and emails  - telling me that ‘when one door closes, another opens’.  It’s one of those cheesy clichés that I would normally roll my eyes at, but this time, I must say I believe it.  Mr. Mingle has been very supportive too, and does not blame me for losing this job.  It just wasn’t the right fit for us. (Frankly, I was making him miserable nightly by bringing home my work aggravations all the time.)

Thanks to FB, I’ve been back in touch with old friends recently who I haven’t seen in years.  And, it was those old/new friends I had to reach out to when I found myself in my work predicament.   Their skills, availability and willingness to help was exactly what I needed right then.  Others have said ‘send me your resume’ even though I haven’t seen them since high school.  I can’t believe I’m saying this right now, but I’m really grateful for Facebook!  (But really I’m more thankful for the people on FB, you know that right??)

And my kids…. My kids have charmed the pants off of their caregivers so much that both of them told me that they would watch my children for FREE once they heard our predicament.  Seriously!?  How lucky am I to have such loving people looking after the kids, that they treat them as their own.   I won’t be taking too much advantage of this very kind offer, but just hearing that melted me.

Geez, I’m even thankful to the lady at Safeway today who told me that I would save $1.70/gallon of gas if I bought gas there.  (She couldn’t tell me where ‘there’ was, but she was VERY excited about it).

I’m trying to use some of this time to give back to others.  Today I dropped some baby items off at a new neighbor’s house – they just had a newborn.  I let them know I could even watch the little one if mom wanted a break  - because hey! I’m home all the time!  I also almost got a little giddy when I received an email from the school PTA asking for volunteers next week and I realized I could do that!  

And, to end on a final note of thankfulness, my computer literally just shutdown all applications and restarted itself as I typed that last sentence.  Thank goodness I didn’t lose this blog entry and have to start all over again!

What Just Happened?

One day I am a working mom of two. My job takes up more time then my kids and I'm stressed beyond belief. By the time I get home I just want to wash away the work and see the family. But I can't. The emails keep coming, everyone is upset (at work), everyone is tired (at home) and I'm exhausted. I love the kids dearly, but don't seem to appreciate them for who they are. I'm just trying to get through dinner time and bedtime. Weekends are fun, but then Sunday night arrives and the work-blues set in.

And then the next day, I am unemployed. And, it was a most spectacular exit. Dramatic and heartfelt. Although I wasn't happy, I wasn't asking to leave. But, in the end, the company made the decision for me. Here one day, gone the next. The emails stopped. I was told not to return. Okay then, now what?

There is a looming mortgage - but that doesn't scare me (yet). There is the job hunt ahead of me, for although I was stressed at my old job, I must work. There is no option to change that if we want to continue to live where we live, and do what we do. Which we do. But, the job hunt doesn't scare me, it seems almost exciting (for now). There is the challenge of saving as much money as possible. It was interesting how quickly we knew the immediate items to cut. Housecleaning? gone. Swim lessons? gone. Public parking at a train station? gone, gone. But what's next? Childcare...

After all, if I am at home, why would we pay to have the kids in care? My daughter is in full time daycare, my son is in kindergarten with after school care. We can't pull them completely out because otherwise I would never have time to actually search for a job. So - we will leave the daughter in day care half-time only - I will have the mornings to hunt. Then I will have her in the afternoons. After that we will pick up our son from Kindergarten. Then I will have them both in the afternoons. Every day. What scares me? That does.

Oh sure, perhaps I'm a horrible mom for saying such a thing - after all they are MY children. But, I have always had a VERY healthy respect for stay-at-home moms, and that is one job that I have never held before. How exactly does one keep the children entertained (without constant TV), fed and happy, AND keep the house clean to boot? This concept alludes me. But oh.. I will learn quickly. Soon, I will search for my new job (for the paycheck) in the mornings, and I will begin my interim job as stay-at-home mom in the afternoons. This will be a treat and it will be a challenge. And, honestly, I'm really quite looking forward to this adventure.

My Year in Status

I feel so sad at how little I've written in my own blog this year. If I had time to blog, it was often devoted to Jingle's Reflections, which although fun, doesn't allow me to express things from my point of view. My "blogging" was replaced by brief Facebook statuses when the desire was there to reach out to the virtual world. But I find it harder to post a status update because it almost feels like a competition... am I 'witty' enough? Will anyone care? How dumb/pathetic/stupid does this make me sound? Then again - when I decided to post things that in hindsight I may have thought second about - those were the status updates that got comments. Whoo hoo! People "like" me. I find Facebook in general to be a little awkward as a social network and I see the different ways that different generations use it. My younger cousin uses it to literally connect with everyone, and then tell everyone about everything that she does. That is a bit much for me. I wonder what she will think when she looks back at 30, 40...60... shoot - what will kids do in 60 years?? Will landlines and books become retro and cool again?

I do enjoy reconnecting with people, even though most of the time, once I do, I don't know what to say beyond 'hey'. However, when people do comment on status updates I find it fascinating that all kinds of people from my past say things. Most recently, I had my best friend from when I was 6, my BF from when I was 13, current friends, and old high school friends all giving me advice on how to cut Jingle's fingernails. How cool is that? (yeah yeah - it may sound weird, but it was cool to see a mosh of old friends responding and caring to respond)

So, now - in order to tie my Facebook Status into my Blog, here is "My Year in Status" which was so kindly provided by a handy dandy facebook app. Although, I find it odd how the app decided which status updates should be included or not. For example - where's the post about my banging my head on the Starbucks case when looking at the pastries? Or the one about my boss sending me an email that said "Last world Friday"...because really, Mrs. Mingle's Year in Status is really not accurate without updates such as those is it?

Have a Happy 2010. Here's to more blog entries, less facebook statuses, more conversations, less texting. oh, who am I kidding. TTYL. LOL.

Mrs. Mingle's Sandbox Bakery Review

Before you read the review below, I must provide a little background...

1. The Mingles LOVE Bakeries
2. This bakery opened 2 blocks from our house
3. This bakery has been the talk of the entire neighborhood for months. I recently found myself in a conversation with a woman on the bus talking about when the bakery would open, who owned it, how old the owners children are....
4. It opened on Monday, and by Monday afternoon, many parents had posted on our neighborhood Yahoo group what they ate at the bakery that day.
5. Katy and I were laughing about #3 and #4 above and she said that I had to provide her with a full review of our first trip to Sandbox Bakery.

So, after months of not posting anything, it is ultimately food that drives me to write. Very fitting for a Mingle don't you think?

As we headed out the door on our family field trip to the newly opened Sandbox Bakery, not even the rain droplets could dampen our spirits. We had eagerly been awaiting the opening for a year and finally the day had come. When we first walked up to the bakery we were greeted by a very friendly canine (surprisingly unleashed) who seemed about as happy to see us as we were to see the bakery. After petting the dog* we stepped in front of the bakery and, as if by magic, the glass door slid open to allow us into its inner sanctum. As we eagerly looked into the pastry cabinet, deciding our future (sweet or savory?) it was clear we had a difficult decision ahead of us. There were Jingle size muffins, almond croissants, scones, cheese Danishes, morning buns...

Although everything looked delightful, I think that as a newly opened bakery they may need to get used to the heat settings of their ovens because a couple of the items looked a little over done. After careful consideration we each chose to go the savory route and picked out a cheese scallion scone. After further consideration we also decided that we would not get our son his own bakery item, but instead would make him eggs when we got home. There was also a choice of two coffees (personally dripped as you order) – there is Ritual Coffee or La Paz Coffee. The latter name, I am not certain of, except for I know it reminds me of the breathing exercises pregnant women use during the birthing process. However, despite the fact that the coffee beckoned to us, we did not order any on this first trip based on the fact that we had already made ourselves a pot of coffee at home just to give us the energy we needed to get to the bakery before 7:00am.

Upon returning home we consumed our edibles to great satisfaction. The scones were light and soft with a nice balance of cheese and scallion flavoring. I am excited to make another (and another) visit to Sandbox Bakery, until I determine which pastry is my favorite.

*The friendly dog appeared to belong to the owners and had escaped from their house to follow the smells to the bakery. Who could blame him?