THE LABOR DAY COOKOUT: Leslie and David have been working really hard getting everything ready. They are expecting a big turnout. David has invited the staff from the gym. A few of them said they could come. Others said they may stop through, if time permits. Of course some of their regular friends will be there and a few new people, as well.
The patio is suitable for the cookout. They will do more work to it at a later date.
LESLIE: Hey guys. The kids are both napping, so I thought I would take a moment to update you on our progress. As you can see we have worked on the patio. I am using the term "we" very loosely.
LESLIE: I spent the day preparing the baked beans and the potato salad. David prepped the meat and decided to grill a few ribs to test out his new grill. Better to make sure it works now than to wait until we have a house full of people.
LESLIE: Okay. I have to admit, my honey put his foot in these ribs. I'm not sure we are going to be serving them on Saturday. Those folks may be getting chicken instead of these lip-smacking ribs.
DAVID: Uh, darling....my boys are not coming here for the chicken. They are coming for my special ribs.
LESLIE: Honey, you know your boys will eat anything that isn't moving.
LESLIE Anyway, we are excited about the cookout and we can't wait to see you this weekend. Okay, David doesn't want me to say goodbye without you getting to see his special grilling apron. I tell you the truth, I worry about him sometimes. If he wasn't so cute...
David: Ha ha. Isn't she funny?
Leslie: Okay honey, hurry up and show them your apron. It's getting a little chilly out here.
OTHER UPDATES: Antoinette was supposed to be giving you an update on her new kitchen remodel, but she was in no mood to talk about it. They have made progress, but there were a couple of bumps along the way. She had requested they redo the cabinets in antique white with a Tuscany feel. Apparently, there was a major miscommunication, because when she returned from a catering job (leaving her dear husband in charge), the cabinets where mahogany stained. As you can imagine, she was less than thrilled. Tony is still in the dog house for that one. He says it was just a big mistake, but she is not convinced he didn't have something to do with it. He has always loved mahogany. She is rolling with the punches, though, but this means she has to pick a whole new backsplash and countertops. The french doors she ordered for the family room, arrived, but they are the wrong size. They are waiting for the right ones to arrive. Nikaya has been sulking the past few days, because she is concerned about her sleepover. Antoinette has assured her that the sleepover will happen as planned.
Rod and Danielle have been seeing quite a bit of each other since dinner at Danielle's house. The boys have really warmed up to Rod. The cookout will be their first official "couple" outing. Roderick is thrilled. He is also working on the weekend getaway plans for him and Danielle. Danielle has a couple good babysitters lined up, but hasn't decided who will get the job.
The patio looks great! The food looks good. I didn't get any barbecue during Labor Day so those ribs are looking "really" good!! Look forward to seeing Rod and Danielle.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see who is coming to the cookout! Food looks delish! Love David's apron, did you make it?
ReplyDeleteGeorgia Girl - Thanks. I will have David set aside some ribs for you.
ReplyDeleteFrannie. Thanks. The guest list changes daily. I do know the Lil' Ty girl you sent will be there with her mommy, Naisha. The hard part for me will be remember all the new names. I did not make the apron, I bought it from WandyLovesDolls (Etsy).
Everything looks great Vanessa! I cant waite to see the cook out and how much fun everyone will have. I too have been dabbling in making food but havent quite got the hang of it just yet!
ReplyDeleteThe food looks great. Can't wait to see the rest of the food and the turn out of the cookout. The patio looks good.
ReplyDeleteLooks good! I can smell the smoke! I'm always interested in scenes using alot of dolls, so I can't wait to see the cookout. There has to be some card playing and trash talking. That is required by law! Don't you just love that brick paper! I cut one sheet to fit one thing but I will not cut the rest! It comes in so handy for everything! It is the prefect scale.
ReplyDeleteWow Vanessa! I love your sets. They are so realistic, but your food is out of this world! Wow! It's amazing. I'm so hungry now.
ReplyDeleteGreat dialogue between Leslie and David. It shows the strength and deep love in their relationship. Looking forward to the video!
ReplyDeleteYummy!! Those ribs look good!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for your kind words.
ReplyDeletewilliam - Yes, having a club means you will need some food. I have food that I made years ago that looks pretty pitiful. I still have a long way to go, but I have made progress.
Chynadoll - I am hoping that enough people drop by the cookout, that there won't be a lot of focus on the food. Those 3 items will be the only new food items. I will be reusing some of my other food, too.
Ms. Leo - You and I are always on simiilar wavelengths. I do want there to be card playing. I was thinking about making a real working fold up card table. But that is NOT going to happen. They were suppposed to play cards back at the beach. Let see what happens this time. I do love the paper, but I really wanted the red brick. I had lots of trouble finding even this. I bought all 13 pages that were left.
Dani - Thanks. I was tempted to lick my fingers after I made the ribs, but then remembered where I was.
limbe dolls - Auntie Paulette is planning to be at the cookout. I sure hope she has a good time. David is no Rod, but he and Leslie do have a nice relationship. Leslie loves him in spite of his domestic limits.
mrscarissa - This was my first trial set of ribs. Now I think I can make some good enough to put in the store.
I don't think you will regret the purchase but did you try Jim's Printable Minis?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.printmini.com/printables/wpf/bricksp.shtml
You can cut and paste them several times into sheet big enough. You might even be able to play with the color. I plan to on an upcoming post.
Ms. Leo - I have just gone through 2 color cartridges in less than 3 months. Sadly I am out again. I got the last batch from ebay. I will try ebay again, but a different vendor. I think I was cheated out of some ink last time.
ReplyDeleteWow! That food looks good :)
ReplyDeleteDollie Series - Thanks! I have some more work to get these items better, but for the cookout, they will work out just fine.
ReplyDeleteYour patio is coming along nicely. The food looks wonderful. It makes me sad that I am not invited because it looks so real and making me hungry. David looks good in his apron also. I can not wait to see the video of the BBQ, Antoinette and Tony's kitchen and the get-a-way with Rod and Danielle. I am sure Auntie Paulette would love to babysit the boys.
ReplyDeleteThe patio came out really, really nice! I really like the brick pattern you have going and the rocks.
ReplyDeleteThe food of course always looks so real. I also really like David's apron, he's lookin' handsome and like he means serious business when it comes to that grill. :)
Great job Vanessa!
Love Patio, And Food.....Can't Wait To Get To See The CookOut And Nikaya Sleep Over Hopefully She Have It With Everything In The Way For Her Parents.....And Awwww Rod And Danielle Mi Fav Couple/The Best Couple....Can't Wait To See Them Either.
ReplyDelete-Fan
Tracy - Thanks. They are running me ragged over here, but they make me smile, so I won't complain. I am really happy that I no longer have to take down my dios. Nice to know I can come back and upgrade them later.
ReplyDeleteChristina - Thanks. There are so many stories on the horizon. I better speed up this process. There is a lot to get done before Christmas comes.
ReplyDeleteKat - You are more than welcome to stop by the cookout. There will be plenty of food. Leslie was hoping that the Taylors would have their remodeling done, so some of the people could spill over into their yard, but it is not going to happen. I, personally, wouldn't mind keeping Julian and Jacob for a weekend.
ReplyDeleteI love these photo previews more than the stories themselves. Mainly bc I am more interested in the details and the photo previews give me a chance to study the details of things slowly and deliberatly.
ReplyDeleteI do love the details - they really inspire me.
I need to start looking into more polymer food making. The range of food you are able to make is incredible. Any tips on resources or plans to do a How-To?
I also need to consider re-painting of furniture and accessories - like your grill. It really increases the authenticity of scenes when everything isn't in Barbie colors.
I love how Leslie and David "honey" each other with an edge. The apron is cute - so is David's pride in it and Leslie's "over it" stance.
ReplyDeleteAs for the patio - both thumbs up! Very cool scene.
Looking forward to the par-tay!
D7ana - Their parties and functions stress me out as though they were functions I was hosting. All the housecleaning, home repair, cooking, and figuring out what to wear. I keep telling myself less stories with all these people.
ReplyDeletekristl - Glad you enjoy the photo previews. Of couse without the stories, there would be no need for scenes. LOL! Now that the setups are permanent, I spend a little more time on the dios. There wasn't much need before since they were taken down right away.
ReplyDeleteAs for the food. I tried to make food years ago. It took a while to get to this point and I still have a long way to go. I am in the process of opening up my doll food store. My color theory class from college and my sculpting knowledge from doll making has been invaluable. Getting the color right is half the battle. I treat it like a sculpting project. I study food every time I see it. That has made the difference for me. No plans to do a how to because 1)there's no time. I'm barely sleeping as it is. 2)I am so unorthodox. I really do make things up as I go along. I don't measure things. I rarely do them the same way each time. I do a lot of eyeballing things. So trying to do a tutorial OR trying to explain how I do things is painful for everyone involved.