Lucky Dogs

We hosted one of BestestHusband's co-workers and her family for dinner tonight, and boy, was it a great night. 

BestestHusband attempted a Julia Childs recipe for boeuf bourguinon. Not only did he attempt it, he succeeded. It was fantastic. And I didn't cook a bit of it.

The visiting family brought their 4 year old and 14 month old girls. Our girls were over-the-moon excited about having a playmate. And they really did have a fantastic time together. They played very well, especially considering MeToo didn't get much of a nap. But the shrieking and giggling was loud and non-stop. I consider that a success, as far as 4 year old playdates go.

The girls sat at the little table, and the grownups got to chat at the big table. We really like the co-worker and her husband, and it really was nice to sit and catch up. And when the kids needed supervision in the girls' room, we all relocated to the rug, and continued the chat. Peepee accidents, wine glasses, toddlers, dogs, nudists, and toys are all part of the fun when you get families together. Normal hospitality flies out the windows when a group of little girls gets together, and apologies become unnecessary.

Our guests brought a salted caramel apple pie for dessert, with ice cream, and cookies for the girls. Heavenly. And I didn't cook a bit of it.

Our dogs served as doggie ambassadors to a dog-nervous 4 year old. They were on their best, most charming behavior. And the visiting 4 year old did very well too, actually petting and kissing them at the end of the night.

We changed 3 out of the 4 girls into jammies, and read a group bedtime story before parting ways. It really was a win-win for us all. It was a novel story for our guest, and a quicker way of getting our overly-amped girls closer to bedtime. It was perfect.

And our lucky dogs? They got to clear off the plates of two under-appreciative preschoolers. The dogs got their own plates of boeuf bourguinon. There was a lot of wine in that sauce. Should be interesting...

I hope your weekend is full of small pleasures, and I hope you get to be a lucky dog, too.