"Mom... it's NIBBLES, not NIPPLES!" (too much Pho fat, too-literal cooking direction interpretation)

Today, all anyone could talk about was Jeremy's homemade Pho. I gave Jackie her late birthday card (she thanked me for it), and paid Nathan back his $2... both very important things, to be sure! I talked to Jeremy about my mom's Thai basil and how much he'd need: he is expecting a bunch of people tonight, so maybe Jon should bring all of it even if all you need for one bowl is a few sprigs. (Pho restaurants give you an excess of those!) He told me that he still had a LOT of fat in the broth: you do need a little bit, but not like an inch! Good thing he has a lot of garbage bags for the bones and everything else afterwards. (his dishwasher will also come in handy)

So I told him that my mom puts her excess cooking fat in a yogurt container and puts it in the freezer; once it's full, she throws it away. Apparently, this is better than pouring the fat down the drain... Jon joked that Jeremy could serve a side dish of fat tonight. I don't think there will be many takers for it, heh. We also asked people about folding chairs: Andrea offered hers even though she'll be at a UBC reunion dinner... she'll be there in spirit as the five chairs, haha. Lesley will be there too, she says. Also told Jeremy about the bonus person there tonight: that future reference point about another guy who cooks MIGHT come in handy, you never know! ;)

In service today, James Houston was talking about a paraclete (the Holy Spirit; an intercessor). Steph and Citrus decided to get creative with the word, so Steph drew a parakeet on her bulletin (and added baby birds when he mentioned mentoring) and Citrus added a pair of cleats! Too hilarious, haha. They were paying attention to what he was saying (once it started making sense :P), but just wanted to laugh about that.

Afterwards, both Dawn and Auntie Catherine (Chung's mom) came up to me while I was talking to Kevin about school / practicums and gave me a birthday gift... how nice of them! Auntie Catherine said that she couldn't take me to lunch next week, but maybe the week afterward: I'm good with whatever she decides! Melia also came up to me and said that she found me a ride: apparently, Henry lives seven minutes from me, so I should call him / see if he's at church on Friday nights and make plans then. Sounds good to me, but I don't have his phone number... all in due time, I suppose! Kevin asked when my exact birthday was after thanking me properly for the card I gave him... he says he might write me a card too, but he has a terrible memory, so he'd just say Happy Birthday now. Fine with me, heh. (then I told Auntie Fonda and Auntie Tracy about how old I'd be... they seemed disbelieving and said I looked young, heh)

Later, Joey asked me about the poncho that Steph got me from Mexico; apparently, Mike had bought one too and worn it to yesterday's walkathon! Jon told Daniel that there was this huge box of fried chicken at the walkathon when he was telling Phil's cousin (also named Jeremy) that his wife Michelle didn't like fried chicken, so the only time he can have it is when they go out to eat! (he was trying to convince Angus, Phil, Mike, and others to have some for lunch) I talked to Danielle / Jen / Phil / Darren for a while, asked Denise about her sister Julie in Alberta, and then bugged Christon about the Wal-Mart "88¢ candy and chips" intervention. He hadn't gotten sick till he was back home from Mexico, but not from all the junk food... phew!

Auntie Grace introduced me to new kids named Jesse and Meg: I'd seen Jesse in the toddler Sunday School, and apparently their mom is in the Mandarin congregation. It's cool that they're going to be in Awana and Benjamin Fellowship on the weekends. Then I saw Citrus getting beaten up by Sam's brother Jeremy... that might be an unfair match since Jeremy is a big kid!

Later, Steph told us her favorite "cooking disaster" story since we were talking about people who can't really cook... unlike Erin's mom, I've got boiling water down pat! (although I did have to ask once or twice if it had boiled... *blush*) Her friend Mandy's brother had once called his mom (who was in Hong Kong) to ask how to make a certain type of Chinese soup with a lot of vegetables in it. She told him to put carrots, cabbage, bones, and some other stuff in a pot of boiling water. He followed her directions a little TOO well... when Mandy got home later with Karen Grace and some other people, she lifted up the pot lid and asked him what the heck that was! He told her "Mom told me to put these things in to make the soup!" Yes, but there was a WHOLE CABBAGE and UNPEELED CARROTS in there... when the girls fell on the floor laughing, he defended himself by saying "Mom didn't tell me to chop up the cabbage or peel the carrot!" Oh man, even *I* would know better than that! HAHAHAHA!


Funny parental hilarity of the day:

Mom: "Do you want to go to Nipples and Bites? We're going to eat at Nipples and Bites!"
Steph: "Mom... it's Nibbles and Bites!" (food sampling from various local restaurants)

For the record, I declined since I have to take a nap later before making plans with Jon for tonight. (besides, I had to update and such... aiya, I missed the Awana orientation, but I know what's going on from past years, so it's fine!)