Flexing my muscles!

So, my project this weekend is to tile the bathroom. Two weekends ago, DH pulled the carpet and yesterday I finally had a few minutes to get backer board (the previous weekend I spent most of the weekend at the ice rink while the girls either had rehearsal for or skated in the ice show). DH has also been sick for a few weeks and I don't want him breathing the dust from cutting the backer board, so I started doing it for him. Not a bad job so far. I have half the board set.

Last night, DH pulled the toilet for me and advised me on the finer points of how to prep the area (cutting back the trim, etc).

Once the girls wake up, I'll work on cutting the rest so one of us can screw it down and I can dryfit the tile and then set it tonight.

I can't believe after 8 years, I finally have no carpet in either bathroom!! I'll post pictures later of the finished little bathroom that we finished putting back together last weekend.

China at lunch - on a Thursday?

Sometimes, you just have to throw caution to the wind and do something fun. If you can surprise a friend (and even her darling husband) it's even better.

One day, I happened to stop by a friend's house and it turned out she had a special spinach pizza in her oven. She invited me to stay and share this delicacy that she had willingly shared with me. I've been thinking about it for years.

Today, I returned the favor. Earlier this week, I placed an order with Giordano's in Chicago and ordered my friend's special deep dish spinach stuffed pizza. I invited her to lunch telling her that I had a mystery ingredient and wanted to surprise her with lunch, put a table cloth on the table, set out the good china, the wine glasses to use with the water (I don't have water glasses), and covered the box the pizza arrived in and boy was she surprised when she discovered that the mystery ingredient for lunch was her very favorite pizza. In a last minute inspiration, we called her husband to join us and I set another place.

Her son gave us the biggest happy dance smile when he discovered that I had pre-made chocolate milk!! And not only did he get some with lunch, I sent the rest of the container with him. Oh, and he also borrowed our marble run toy.

So, on a Thursday, I put out a nice table cloth, my good china, and had a rare pizza treat. AND IT WAS WONDERFUL!

Tonight, as I washed the plates by hand, I thought not about what a pain it was to not just throw them in the dishwasher, but about how much fun it was to just use the dishes for lunch, on a Thursday, when it wasn't a holiday.

I challenge all my friends to take out the special dishes one day because it's not a holiday!!!

This year, I was invited to an Oscar party - a women only wear your finest do or don't party.

So, I thought about wearing my do/don't combination (my wonderful dress with winter boots and scarf), but then I was told that comfortable shoes were not allowed.

Instead I went with my nice (but 10 years old out of style) dress and uncomfortable shoes that I wore all night.

When I left, S2 was laying in a chair, very tired. I asked if she felt well enough to take a picture of me. She perked up immediately, took a crooked picture of me, then snuggled back in the chair looking tired.