Fall Events Line-Up

Since we decided to take a wee vacation in the month of September, we'll be running just two fundraiser events for this Fall. Per our usual format, we'll accept reservations on a first-come, first-served basis.

Saturday, October 20th, 7:00 pm

Fall Harvest Feast

Roasted hazelnuts with thyme and sea salt

Pear with carmelized onion and taleggio cheese

Roasted pumpkin soup with black pepper croutons

Choice of seared organic strip steak with gorgonzola butter

or

Wild mushroom tartlet (vegetarian)

Turnip gratin

Braised black kale

Vanilla poached plum brulee

Seating limited to eight. $45 per person including wine.

(Event was a success!)
~and~

Saturday, November 17th, 6:00 pm

Belgian Beer Tasting

featuring

A flight of quality Belgian brews including generous samples of:

Duvel Golden Ale (8.5%) A light amber, creamy ale

Bornem Double (8%) A nutbrown delight

Gulden Draak (10.5%) A heavier, sweeter dark amber

and Boomgaard Framboise (4.1%) A refreshing raspberry brew

served with

Grilled cheese sandwiches
with carmelized pear, gruyere and ham (optional)

and relish plate

Seating limited to twelve. $25 per person.

(There's still plenty of seats left for this event.)

How Cool Is This?! Part 2

O and I just received a second correspondence from Women for Women:

Hi John and Olaiya,
We here at Women for Women HQ were inspired by your series of events that you held to raise money for sponsorships. We are working on a story about how people use the web to raise awareness for Women for Women International and were wondering if we could use your story. We want people to see what they can do to help, and think what you all did was a perfect example. Please let me know if you object. Again, thanks for all you do for women survivors of war.

T.G.
Women for Women International

Of course we emailed right back and told them we'd be honored for them to use us as an example in their story. Maybe the Full Belly Seatle will get a little extra press! Woohoo!

BTW, the Fall lineup of events is coming soon!!!

Third Full Belly Event is Charming!

For our End of Summer Barbecue, both Mother Nature and the parks department cooperated. We got gorgeous weather after a week of rain and clouds. And Volunteer Park was okay with us hosting a BBQ for 30+ folks, so long as we agreed not to toss our charcoal embers into their garbage cans.

We got a huge boost from volunteers who helped us set up, prep food and serve guests. We can thank Meredith for setting up the badminton courts. Catherine was a huge help with the food, as were Brandon & Molly. And Calvin helped schlep ice and get the grills going. We owe everyone who helped out a debt of thanks. Their efforts, along with the generosity of the guests, enabled us to clear over $300... almost enough for another entire Women for Women sponsorship! Soon we'll have a second sponsored sister to blog about. Thanks everyone!

Guests arrived early and late. Here are Dan and Britta flashing some scooter chic as they showed up.


Diane and Silvio posing with Wendy, who flew all the way from Spain to join us!


Andres rode from Ravenna on his bike.


Andres got put to work helping Calvin and Brandon get the grills going.


Catherine, who was a huge help to Olaiya during the food prep stage, talks to Sachie in front of the dahlia garden.


Guests Walter, Mel, Courtney and Laura were staking out the picnic tables.


Meanwhile, Molly was helping get things ready for the grill.


Molly's hubby Brandon keeps an eye on the stuffed portobellos.


After the food came out, Laura, Mary, Mitch, Carrie and Molly wasted no time getting in line!


Mel, Calvin, Walter, Meredith and Courtney clustered by the picnic tables.


Eric sporting a big smile.


Derek, the spirit of sustainability, brought his own plate and silverware. Clay and Emily look on.


Brandon and Olaiya finally got to eat too!


Olaiya takes a load off and enjoys some of the grilled corn.


The back of Mel's head, and Diane having a good time.


All the cool kids circled up on the blankets.


Mary, Gary and Diane wonder what happened to Lani!?


And, of course, there was an amazing dessert: a peach and blueberry rustic tart.

Important News!

Based on the funds we've raised so far, Olaiya and I were able to sponsor our first "sister" through Women for Women. Each sponsorship costs about $350, and we're hoping to be able to start a new one three or four times per year.

Our first sister is a fifty year old Nigerian woman with seven school-aged children, looking for support in getting her own business started. I'm hopeful that she'll give us permission to share her picture and more identifying information. I'd love for everyone who attends our events or even just visits the blog to meet some of the people Women for Women connects with.

This is what it's all about folks. O and I exchanged excited emails today when she let me know that the introduction package finally arrived. Hopefully this is just the first fruition of a beautiful community-based project. Thank you all again for your wonderful support.

Minor Set Back

I'm afraid we're having to cancel a Full Belly event. :(

I guess there has to be a first time for everything. Too many schedules to accommodate, and last second changes. It just made more sense to postpone the Mid-Summer French-Moroccan Feast and turn it into a Fall event instead. This is especially sad for Olaiya since it was her favorite menu going into the season. The good news is that it frees me up to spend time with my father, who is visiting for a week from Mexico.

I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to connect with Women for Women before the August Barbecue and maybe even have a sponsor sister to talk about! We should have enough funds already raised to begin the process.

I read this pair of connected quotes yesterday and thought of the FBP:

"If you eat well, you must speak well" - Yoruba proverb
"The ancient Africans taught that if a person is good to you, you must forever speak good of them... In order to keep the good flowing, you must speak of it... Everything we receive in life is food for your growth. If we eat from the plate, we must give thanks. Remembering, without that food, at that time, we may have starved." - Ivanla Vanzant