Brunch...A Week Later

Please join me again in my trusty time machine, as we journey to one week ago.

Blog Party #3 at John O'Groats. Yeehaw!

I know I'm the last to blog this time, so please feel free to read other more timely accounts by Kate, Leslie, Nanette, R, Wan, and Winnie. Theirs are filled with beautiful photos, while mine is not.

Why not?

If you recall, my Canon point-and-shoot died, so I am now using a crappy Nikon Coolpix S9 that I won a few years ago at my old firm's retreat. It is the horrible combination of the lame camera and my own user incompetence that made my pictures so awful -- so much so that I ended up whipping out my iPhone to take a few pics, despite having a real camera at hand.

(I hope Mr. Monkey masters this stupid Coolpix during our vacation. I'm going to stick him with that sad little thing, while I use this. Bwahahaha!)

So here's my shoddy pictorial. The other girls already did such a great job of describing our fun that I feel little need to add more verbiage, except that I absolutely loved my Huevos O'Groats and side of bacon, and I highly recommend John O'Groats to anyone who loves breakfast.

As always, I have a the usual treat for blog party members on the party blog, so be sure to check it out.

Thanks so much for coming, everybody! I had such a wonderful time. The next party will be in March, after our trip to South America!

So Tired

But it's a good tired. And so many fun things happened today, too! I didn't get home until about 10 tonight (fun dinner with Mr. Monkey and his co-workers from the Midwest home office), so that put a bit of a cramp in Monkey Blogging Time. Good times, though!

Argh. I may have to wait until the weekend to catch up. My apologies, dear readers. It will be worth it, though. Promise! Today was such a fun day at work. Mid-day, particularly. I'll give you a hint.

Friday, I'm off to a site visit again 130 miles away, so it'll be another "wake up at 4:30 a.m." day. I gotta get all the sleep I can tonight!

Don't forget the blog party is on! Can't wait to see you guys soon! (If you're a latecomer to the fun, it's not *too* late yet. Here are the criteria to join the party.)

In the meantime, check out this great rundown of seasons one through three of Lost. It's everything you need to know about Lost in 8:15. Pretty impressive and entertaining. The narration is most excellent. Enjoy!

Blog Party #3 Details

Date and location selected! Please RSVP!

Join the Brunch Bunch!

Hey, party people! The planning for Blog Party #3 has begun! I have a few places in mind, but I need your input as to dates.

My readership has grown since Blog Party #2, so if you're a new More Fun Than a Barrel fan and are interested in joining the fun, check out the criteria for admission here.

Want to see what you missed before?
Blog Party #1
Blog Party #2

Those of you who are already on the party bus, join the current discussion here.

Queens of Brunch

Everyone's a queen when you eat at Tiara Cafe! Ha! (Thanks to maily for pics of my crowning achievement.)

Nine blogging princesses got together for brunch today to share laughs and stories and good food. It was my first time brunching at Tiara Cafe (I've had breakfast once and lunch countless times). While the brunch menu is not remotely as extensive as the lunch menu, there are options for everyone. I must inform you, however, Tiara Cafe's strongest dishes are its creative sandwiches and appetizers, so, if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend trying lunch!

Winnie and tater, who were a little under the weather, had their choice of tea.

Our dishes included a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, a Frittata la Frere (an open-faced baked egg souffle topped with artichoke hearts, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, and thyme)...

...some Farm House Breakfasts (two eggs any style, hash browns, choice of breakfast meats, and toasted brioche with blood orange marmalade), the Royal Treatment (a Farm House Breakfast with a choice of griddle treats -- Lilcee opted for a Bearded Mr. Frenchy, which was a golden cornflake-crusted French toast with maple syrup), the Grip (a buttery toasted breakfast sandwich with scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, grilled tomato, and cheddar)...

...Billion Dollar Babies (silver dollar pancakes with maple syrup and vanilla bean butter), Waffles Dorado (golden light waffles with maple syrup and vanilla bean butter), and chickpea fritters with aioli sauce.

And here we all are!

Thanks so much for coming, everybody! I hope you had as much fun as I did. Like last time, I have a little treat for you on the party blog. It was a pleasure finally meeting some of you and seeing the rest of you again! Make sure to catch the recaps by Kay (beautiful pics!) and Winnie, too!

Blog Party Reminder and Pro Karaokefest Pics

Please RSVP by Friday. Thanks.

And...check out pro pics (so impressive!) of the infamous Karaokefest 2007 on Crissy's blog.

Crissy, you are too much! Even on your day off, you can't resist snapping away! I'm so glad you were able to come, and we all love these photos! So great!

Meet the Monkey (Again!)

Blog Party #2 is set! Check out details on the party blog!

If you're interested in coming and don't have an invitation to the party blog, go here to see how to get in.

Blog Party #2

It's on! I need a more accurate headcount. Please go to the party blog!

If you're interested in coming and don't have an invitation to the party blog, go here to see how to get in.

Food, Folks, and Fun

Today, 11 lovely blogging and lurking ladies joined me at 26 Beach for brunch. Party time! Good Food + Good Company = Happy Monkey!

This was Blog Party #1, and, if I may say so myself, I think it was quite the success! 26 Beach was a great place for a group gathering. The food was delectable, and the staff, while a little slow at times, was accommodating to our boisterous camera-toting party posse. Now I know why Kay always has the most gorgeous pics on her blog. She has some serious equipment!

I had a Portugese Royal, which consisted of eggs scrambled with onions and zesty Portuguese sausage served over brown rice. Alyssa had a Garden Royal, which was similar but had vegetables and cheese instead of the sausage.

I enjoyed my dish, although I recommend you try a french toast option if you ever go to 26 Beach. It seems that french toast is what they do best! I had a bite of Lilcee's Blue Lagoon (which was also ordered by Sarah). 'Twas two warm, fluffy croissants drenched in sweet teeth-staining blueberry goodness. I also had a bite of Kay's Apple Cinnamon (which was ordered by Amber, too). Caramelized apples and pecan syrup atop croissants! Mmm! Just call me Ms. Sneaky Fork!

Check out the other yummy-for-your-tummy dishes my cohorts ordered, including a Monte Cristo, a pan-fried goat cheese salad, non-croissant french toasts, and a breakfast sandwich.

It was so fun, not only putting faces to names, but actually hearing everyone's voices, as Jolene so aptly noted. Alyssa also observed that it's sort of hilarious that many of us knew so much about each other without even knowing each other! It sounds hokey, but I hope our laughter-filled meal was the beginning of some real-life friendships.

The fun didn't end with the food. ballin_axehammer surprised us with Hello Kitty gifts! So thoughtful and so unexpected! Everybody, especially Lilcee, was delighted by these party favors. Merci beaucoup, ballin_axehammer!

Thank you all for coming! We will definitely be doing this again (perhaps on a monthly basis), and I hope to see you next time!

Party people, check out the party blog for one more goody that I didn't want to post publicly....