random thoughts – Day 1,257 – (Saturday) – breakfast and barbie

Pannukakku breakfast.

The monthly Finnish breakfast was today and Saima Park was jumping. It runs from 8:00 to 10:00, and my family and I usually meet around 8:30. This morning, the place was packed and nearly every table was full. By 9:00, the breakfasts were sold out. 

The attendance varies from month to month and it must be impossible trying to plan how much to make. The feature of the breakfast is pannukakku, an oven baked pancake. It take 40 minutes to bake, so it isn’t like more can just be whipped up in a flash if it’s an extra busy event.

After the breakfast, my sister and I stopped at her house to divide a bag of tomatoes from our friend Jane, then we went out to do errands. We browsed Big Lots and visited every aisle. I usually stock up on the 30-count packages of makeup remover wipes, and check out the grocery items and makeup. I almost never visit every aisle, but we had plenty of time today. My purchases were the real glamourous items – makeup remover wipes (five packs, which should last around four to five months), bar soap, wafer cookies, Wallaby black licorice, Milk Duds and Good and Plenty. After Big Lots, we had time for a stop at Dollar Tree because it wasn’t too far and we still had time.

Barbie movie crew!

Then “the time” finally arrived. We had plans to meet our cousins Missy and Ann Marie, and our friend Jane for the 1:20 screening of Barbie. Yes, I already saw it last Friday, and Missy saw it at a special screening the day before it opened, but we both liked it enough to want to see it again. We also were reminded how hard it is to fit five people in a selfie as we tried to capture the day. 

It was as good the second time as the first. I love the acting and the costumes. All the Barbies and Kens are great. And Allan. BarbieLand features a cul de sac paved in pink brick and lined with Barbie Dream Houses with pastel colored Corvette convertibles in the driveways. So pretty. I could live there.

It was fun to be part of a group at a movie on a Saturday afternoon. I might want to make this a habit. We saw a preview for Wonka, which looks to be the Willy Wonka backstory before Charlie finds the golden ticket and inherits the chocolate factory, which could be kind of fun.