weekend update

Friday the girls and I went to have dinner with my friend Chris who was visiting from Romania. It was wonderful to see her as she hadn't been here in a while. We had an excellent chili dinner, sat around chatting and enjoying each other's company. Now that she lives so far away even though we keep in touch it's a real treat to spend time with her. It was also great to see her parents again, it had been a couple of years since the last time I had seen them. They are such nice folks I always enjoy their company and conversation. We also got to meet her nephew Timmy who is just the most adorable rascal ever.

Later in the evening after dinner the kids gave a mini concert. S and D played piano for us; Chris and I sang along. S really enjoyed playing Beatle's songs; I guess we'll have to get her a song book of her own so she can really learn them instead of just sight reading (although she is an excellent sight reader).

Saturday S and her friends wanted to go to the mall to look at prom dresses. D was supposed to have a playdate -- I wound up driving a van full of kids to the mall. We met up with two other friends there. S and her friends went off on their own, D and her three friends wandered around to all of the girly stores: Claire's, Icing, etc and had a great giggly time together. They even rode the carousel twice.

Normally I hate the mall. I am a go-to-the-store-buy-what-I-need-go-home type of person. Plus the mall tends to be rather noisy and crowded so after a couple of hours I have had enough. Somehow we managed to stay for four hours and everyone had a great time, it worked out well.

That evening the kids and I sat down and watched Merlin. It's one of their favorite movies, we borrow it regularly from the library. It's a great story and I enjoy their delight in watching it so often.

Yesterday one of our neighbors had a St. Patrick's Day get together for the neighborhood. He made 21 pounds of corned beef! He makes what is probably the best corned beef I have ever eaten and he truly enjoys feeding a crowd, but that is a LOT of cooking. The party was great and it was wonderful to see everyone. It seems that we all hibernate during the winter and don't get to see each other until spring. So this party, which has become an annual event, is a great way for all of us to catch up on the news, admire how much the kids have grown and socialize. Funny enough, even with about 100 people in attendance, we still all want to gather in the kitchen. Makes you wonder why no one builds a house where the first floor is simply all kitchen.

With all of this activity there was no time for knitting or sewing of fabric strips. I'm also still not done putting together my order for seeds and plants. Little by little it will all come together.

Hopefully there will be an FO to publish soon.