May the chips fall your way tonight, a girls poker night sounds grand! And Chinese and a movie sounds great too. Enjoy your kiddos too - whether it is one at a time or together.

Tonight is my mini celebration dinner. My In-Laws were here last weekend which not only screwed up MOthers Day for me since it was ALL about her, but our Anniversary went by unmentioned on Monday as well (Happy belated Anniversary Annie!) so DH and I will toast to wedded bliss as well as being smoke free.

Tomorrow I am going on a custom kitchen tour. One of the super upscale kitchen redo places here has talked 6 clients into hosting an "Open Kitchen Tour" where you can see the kitchens that were done and actually ask the owners questions. Each kitchen will also feature a wine sampling and hors d'oeurve from a local winery and a local caterer. Pretty ingenious way to market themselves I think. I will report back on the experience. Tomorrow night both my kids are having friends sleep over. I've discovered that it is easier for them each to have a friend over so no one gets left out or is accused of "bugging" the other ones. Sunday we are going shopping for a new toilet. Be still my heart (yes, that is sarcasm you hear).

I am about to clink and wish everyone a happy and safe weekend!

Alexa

Alexa, head over the the Bathrooms forum and you will learn everything you never wanted to know about toilets. For the record, I am ordering a Kohler Memoirs (can you believe that's the name of a ter-let?)for my new bathroom.

Since I am now a retiree, (for now), weekends are like every other day but more people are in the way!

Tonight DS #2 is coming for dinner. I made a wonderful lemon dill rice dish last night along with honey-mustard pecan coated salmon, so we are having leftovers of that.

I am still hard at work on my garden, trying to get projects done before the heavy heat sets in. I bought two Limelight Hydrangea and I have to put them in the holes I dug. Got rid of some aromatic daylilies that attracted the deer.

The rest of the weekend is just this and that.

May, hope the cards fall where the May -- in your favor!

Poker night sounds like a blast, May! Have fun with the girls and also with Ben!

Alexa that kitchen tour sounds cool. Will they allow you to take pictures? And congrats again on the "smoke free". That is something to celebrate!

Pam, I planted a Limelight Hydrangea last year. It is doing really well, I am hoping I'll get blooms this year.

I have been under the weather most of the week, but not so much that I missed work. But I am sure glad I had today off because I feel like crap! Feels like a head cold but with laryngitis and now some nausea, too. I am sure I'll live.

No huge plans for the weekend. Tim's niece is spending the night with us tomorrow night, then Sunday I have another plant swap to go to. Maybe I'll get some great stuff to add to my perennial gardens.

Looks like I'll be clinking with chicken soup tonight! LOL

Linda

Happy weekend all !

May sounds like a fun night.....just remember you got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, know when to run.....hey you think there is a song in there?

Pam I have a gorgeous Limelight, bloomed from the get go. Huge now, maybe 5 years old.

Alexa I am so proud of you and the smoking thing. Enjoy your meal tonight and those three handsome men you live with!

Linda, enjoy swapping!

Thankfully there is nothing much happening here this weekend. I am so burnt out with Meredith's return home, getting her set in grad school, apartment hunting for her, week long house guests (her BF and his parents) and just stuff!

Clive is up at the cottage, Meredith is going into the city to see friends so I'm all on my own (thank you Lord) until Sunday.

Sunday, Sara and Doug are coming over. Sara is graduating grade 8 and Meredith and I are taking her dress shopping. Should be tons of fun! Just us girls and Daddy's credit card!

Right now I think I'll pour myself a glass of wine, slip into a hot bath and reflect on just how damn lucky I am.

I can't handle poker and I never gamble - we played bridge when I was at Rice. I suppose if it's silly poker, then I could handle it, but if it's girls' night, I would be out of luck anyway.

I'd love to go with Alexa on the kitchen tour, however!

Pam, I've had my garden mostly planted since February, but it's taking a while for seeds to sprout, and everything seems to be growing very slowly. It's like I'm in a time warp.

Linda, I've been under the weather for the past three weeks although the symptoms are very mild now - I just have a persistent low grade fever and congestion that won't go away. I have a doctor's appointment for Friday, and I'll probably be all better before then.

Sharon, I like dress shopping also, unlike my sister. If I do go shopping with her, I help her pick things out because she doesn't know what looks good on her.

I became very sad this afternoon because my favorite furniture maker who has been making most of the new designs I have done lately got deported this week. He owns a fairly large shop and had several employees. I hope he can get his paperwork in order to come back. I didn't realize how emotionally attached I was with him, but I really appreciated how he understood my designs. I provided him with full-scale cardboard versions of the furniture, some of which had complicated compound curves, and he was able to reproduce what I designs with very few revisions necessary. Also, we communicated very well, and he would always call me if he had questions or needed additional dimensions. I know he was here legally until his visa or something ran out, and so I expect that he will come back, but probably not for a few months, and I have new designs that I need to get made, not to mention inventory for ones that he has already made for us.

Lars

Have fun May - sounds like you have a very busy social life!

Alexa - that sounds like a cool tour - looking forward to the post tour report

Doucanoe and Dedtired - I hope to do some yard and garden work too. Our weather looks pretty good for the whole weekend

Chase - enjoy the time alone - we are starting to plan our summer visit to you!!!!

Lars - hope you feel better before Friday

We have not much going on finally - get out in some nice weather to deal with our badly neglaected lawn and gardens.

Going to do lobster and shrimp on Sunday - no clear ideas exactly how yet.....

Clink to you all

Janet

I think I started some of my garden a bit early... the jalapeno plant has a full pepper on it and a tomato plant has tomatoes. Can't wait to get them outside but we had freezing weather recently so not even close yet.

One of my most carpy weeks in years! Monday my truck died on the way to work... picked up by a co-worker but I was late due to my work day being expanded. Lost my paid day off for perfect attendance this quarter. Got my truck back from the garage Thursday and when I went to go to work it was dead. Wrote up for missing work that day. Locked myself out of the house tonight and had to drive to the garage to get the spare key in my truck that is being fixed again.

Almost afraid to touch a drink tonight as I might finish that bottle of 15 year French Oak Reserve. Last bottle was not so good but the current one is delicious... already drank almost half.

My operation is Tuesday not tomorrow. I thought Saturday was a strange day for a doctor to be working. Can't wait to find out what is going on... starting to get pretty sore. Already a storm of paperwork...

When it rains it pours.

: )
lyra

Yikes, Lyra! Crappy week, indeed! I'll have a glass of wine for you and hope everything gets MUCH better for you!

Linda