Weekend Catchup: Blue

Well thanks to my new friend Pill (what, TMI? We're all girls here. Mostly.), who I love because she makes my skin clear and actually caused me to *lose* 5 pounds, I was EXTREMELY crabby Friday afternoon as it was the end of the "off week", which those of you who've also been friends with her will know = "Stay Away From Her, Bitch Crazy!".

Thankfully I got over it quickly, like in hours, but as a result I was exhausted and pissy and totally missed an opportunity to see the fabulous TR for awhile, which bummed me out additionally but was quickly remedied by my fabulous Child, who fed me chocolate and put on something dumb to watch that I didn't have to think about.

I'm sometimes afraid I'm too non-traditional of a mom (June Cleaver would never have told her daughters, had she had them, that she was PMSing) but then again normal is boring. And she seems to be just fine - just think of all the coping skills she's learning.

Also thankfully, TR is the most patient person on earth and also very very smart.

And cute.

(cough.)

Anyway.

I didn't do much else with my weekend other than organize my books, which were encroaching on every surface of the house. I even donated a bunch to the library which, while it makes me feel good to give things away, also made me feel uncluttered.

I also put up a *few* Halloween decorations, despite my prior protestations about it, since I came across my Halloween bins and remembered about this...



...which I made last year and love to bits.

And the tombstones are up.

And the pumpkin patch is calling. Damn.

So after all that organizing and putting-out (sounds dirty, isn't) I headed with The Child to her grandpa's to watch his dogs while he and his girl were down in Denver for the night. She did the 5K Breast Cancer Walk, and then they decided to make an evening of it.

Bonuses for The Kid and myself...

a) The new hot tub he just put in. We were so in it. Strangely I got pruny really quickly - this didn't happen in the hot springs. More research needed.

b) His gas range & oven. I wept once, I think.

I have an electric range. I hate it. It doesn't cook evenly, it *always* boils my pasta over due to the cycling on and off of the stovetop bits, and you can't broil anything properly.

I made a steak for us in their broiler, and it was so good there was nothing left when we were done. Nothing. It was perfect because I remembered the rule... 7 minutes on one side, 5 on the other. Works every time. (For a little more well-done, just add another minute per side, but truly this makes a perfect steak in a gas broiler.)

In the morning, I made eggs and OMG MIRACLE... no sticking, and they were absolute perfection. They were a great start to a Sunday that was really really relaxed and calm and didn't involve me acting like a loon for any amount of time, with the exception of the ungodly amount of fresh mozzarella I ate with dinner.

It was shameful, but as it's a rare treat I will just do a little longer on the bike tonight and call it good. Life is short.

I also decided, while being cold and looking out at my ugly lawn, that my next house currently has 6 things that will be deal-breaker musts:

1. An electric fireplace (effective without killing you with fumes and exploding logs).
2. A furnace that is somewhere I can get to it that doesn't involve spidery, dark crawlspaces filled with the potential for zombies and clowns. In fact no basement at all would be great.
3. Air conditioning because I'm a wuss - unless we're in the mountains, then ceiling fans.
4. No grass anywhere at all - I want that shit xeriscaped to within an inch of its little lichen-covered life. This is slightly negotiable if there is someone to mow the grass besides me, and if there is a sprinkler system. I could tell you I want xeriscaping because I'm very earth-conscious, and this would be true, but I can't lie - the top of the Top 3 Reasons is "I'm lazy".
6. No carpet. Anywhere. I don't care if it's frickin' TILE as long as it's not carpet, but I'd prefer wood.
5. A gas stove because hell yes.

There are other things too, of course. I don't want the roof caving in on me ever so a new one would be nice, if there are termites I will get Orkin because I don't care, and I really really really want a claw-footed tub, but those are things that can be dealt with and adjusted for.

It'll be awhile of course... at least until The Kid finishes high school.

How was YOUR weekend?