Neighborhood Notes

Thank you  Isabel Pearl  for hosting a fun and delicious Cookie Decorating Party for families in Central Portland.  Our generous hostess, Isabel Cruz, thought of everything. Hot cocoa, grilled cheese sandwiches and noodles for the kids. And sangria, pulled pork tacos and savory tofu for the adults. Oh, and let's not forget the cookies. Fresh from the oven, in holiday shapes with so many icings and candies that it was hard for a kid to choose where to start. After the sugar rush hit, a few hardy adults followed the kids out into the courtyard to run and play tag in the cold.    It was a wonderful party, in a lovely setting, with great food and a very gracious hostess. Thank you Isabel Pearl! Here are some fun photos from our  flickr page . Enjoy!     
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Cupcake Jones  braved the ice and snow on Wednesday to share scrumptious cupcakes, fresh frosting and fondant cutout trees and stockings with  Isobel's Clubhouse .  It was a long, cold walk, uphill both ways, but the intrepid staff gave it their all to bring joy and chocolate. Children and their families frosted cupcakes, ate icing and played indoors together on a cold winter day.  Thank you Cupcake Jones for your ongoing generosity to the clubhouse and families. We have some fun photos on our  flickr page .  Love the stylish winter gear sported by the kids.  

Our friends at  Isabel Pearl  have offered to host a Cookie Decorating party for families on December 18th at 3:30.  Isabel Cruz will be our host, and she'll provide cookies, decorations and an 'after school' snack. Those of you who have dined at the restaurant know that they are fond of families, with their nice kids menu and healthy, flavorful food. We're excited to celebrate the holidays with the restaurant, and thank them for hosting this event.   Please email us to indicate your interest in attending this tour. We'll collect all reservation requests for 3 days. If we have more requests than available spots we'll draw names to choose attendees. Everyone who responds will get an email letting them know whether or not they are on the list. We'll get back to you on 12/12/08. If you receive a spot and decide that you cannot attend, please let us know so we can offer your spot to the next family on the list.  
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Thank you  Sweet Masterpiece  for hosting  families this afternoon for a delicious field trip.  Crystal, one of the owners, connected with the kids right off by passing around an actual coco pod. And impressed the parents by fielding tough questions about chocolate terminology. We all loved the 'behind the scenes' look at how to dip chocolate candies and seeing what a ten pound bar of chocolate looks like.  Crystal wrapped the tour up by passing around creamy chocolate and steamed milk so kids and adults alike could make their own hot chocolate. Delicious! And all the parents appreciated how kid friendly and thoughtful the staff were to have a big group of kids having fun and enjoying fine chocolate. If pictures of kids clamoring for chocolate makes you smile, you'll definitely want to check out the  photos on our flickr page . There's one where it looks like the children are trying to claw their way into the chocolate case. Uh huh. Th
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The U.S. Wushu Center invites you to an Open House on Saturday, December 6th at 5:00.  The open house will include martial arts demonstrations. This is your chance to see great Wushu and Taichi performances by masters from China as well as teachers and students After the performances there will be a holiday party including food (potluck), a DJ, dancing and a drawing for prizes. This is a family-friendly event and is open and free to everyone. Those of you who attend  Indoor Active Play  will recognize the space, as the party will be held in the basketball court that we rent on Mondays and Tuesdays. Master Yu Shaowen is the host. For more information visit the  website  or call 503.227.3738.    

 <<UPDATE: this tour is completely RSVP'd. Sadly we cannot accept any more attendees.>>   Sweet Masterpiece  has generously organized a Chocolate Shop Tour for kids and the adults who care for them. Curious what a 10 pound block of chocolate looks like? Then this is the tour for you. Children will learn about chocolate making, watch staff as they dip candies, and make their own hot chocolate. And adults, if that's not enough for you, save the date for Sweet Masterpiece's wine and chocolate paring on 12/8. 
Please join us on December 3d from 3:30 - 4:30 at Sweet Masterpiece, located at 922 NW Davis. 
Reservations are necessary for this event. We're trying something new in an attempt to make reservations more fair. We'll collect all reservation requests for 72 hours. If we have more requests than available spots we'll draw names to choose attendees. Everyone who responds will get an email letting them know whether or not they
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 <<UPDATE - This event is full. Sadly we cannot accept any more RSVPs>> Join us for a special event with  Nuvrei . This event requires an RSVP .  Nuvrei bakers will teach children how to make marzipan, and how to shape and color traditional fruits and vegetables. We’ll also get to learn about their upstairs expansion and plans for making the Pearl District even sweeter. What should I bring?   Materials are provided. You may want to bring an apron, or wear clothes that can get dirty. We'll be working with sticky almond dough and paints. Details  The Clubhouse opens at 3:30. The event will start at 4:00, clean up will start at 4:45 and the event will end at 5:00.  Like all events at the Clubhouse, this is a parent/caregiver and child event. A parent or caregiver will need to be with the child at all times.  There is no cost for this event. As our space is l
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The Thanksgiving Reunion Market brings shoppers and vendors together one last time before the holiday to encourage a farm-to-table feast! Stop by and enjoy complimentary hot cider and grahm cracker cookies from Two Tarts Bakery while shopping for winter produce, baked goods, artisan cheeses, and holiday decor. The Thanksgiving Reunion Market is held at at SE 20th and Salmon (between SE Belmont and Hawthorne). 1–5 p.m.

This pre-holiday market has become the premier shopping destination for all the ingredients for a homemade holiday feast. In addition to shopping for all the Thanksgiving meal necessities—from turkeys to cranberries to the sweetest pumpkin for pie—customers enjoy an entire day of chef demonstrations offering holiday cooking tips and seasonal recipes. The Feastival makes a festive beginning to the holiday season. 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Eastbank Thanksgiving Reunion- Tuesday November 25, from 1pm - 5pm
The Thanksgiving Reunion Market brings shoppers and vendors together one last time before the holiday to encourage a farm-to-table feast! Stop by and enjoy complimentary hot cider and grahm cracker cookies from Two Tarts Bakery while shopping for winter produce, baked goods, artisan cheeses, and holiday decor. The Thanksgiving Reunion Market is held at at SE 20th and Salmon (between SE Belmont and Hawthorne).

Take advantage of the weather this weekend (64 degrees, clear sunny skies) and visit the Portland Saturday Market. If you can't make it Saturday, no worries, the market is open on Sunday as well.  The Portland Saturday Market is packed full of home-cooked fare and hand-made arts and crafts .  You might be surprised to know that the Portland Saturday Market has been in operation since 1974.

Location:
Portland Saturday Market
Old Town at SW Ankeny & Naito Parkway
Portland, Oregon 97209

Time:
Every Weekend (rain or shine) | 10 - 5 PM Saturdays, 11:00- 4:30 PM Sundays

Entry Fee:
FREE!!!!     Photo - eyeliam | Creative Commons   Here's a message directly from the folks at the market: "Items are still sold by the people who make them, giving the customers the chance to talk directly with the artisan about their craft and why artists choose to make their living at the market...I
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