Busyiness

I had to retype that post title because the spelling always seems incorrect...this weekend was filled with fun things from start to finish. First off, I couldn't RUN from my office fast enough on Friday afternoon. This is such a crazy time of the year in that respect, and it seems like Friday comes along and I am still annoyed, frantic, bewildered lady all day. There were some innocent people in the parking lot that could have been goners with the way I whipped out of there. Despite the looming pandemonium of the new vampire movie, that night Corey and I decided to go see "The Blind Side" and I highly recommend it to pretty much anyone. There are so many elements to it that people may relate to in one way or another. By the last few scenes the tears were everywhere. PS Tim McGraw is in about 50% of the movie and Corey claimed he never saw him...Saturday we got up early and headed north; Carlie and I went with Corey's mom to a local crafts/fundraiser thingy and to Irma's Finland shop where I bought some candles for my iitala candlesticks that were Grandma Kemp's. They are one of my most treasured items and they are really gorgeous enough to be out all year. That night, we met up with the other coaches and their wives to go to dinner for a new tasting menu. The restaurant was chaotic but it was great to be with everyone and it was my one naughty meal of the week, so it was well worth it. Sunday was another early day as I headed to the cities with a friend for some serious shopping. We hit IKEA, and I had printed out my list from their website, which helped keep me on track. The cart was FULL but it was so much cheaper than I had anticipated. We went to Crave at the MOA, a new place we had tried this past summer, and it the sushi was as good as I remember. Good old MAC set me up with some new, sparkly pink and brown eyeshadows for my increasingly pale winter skin. We finished up at Trader Joe's and were home by 5:30. Not bad for one day.

Rummaging

My neighborhood advertised for a multi-block rummage sale, so I decided that would probably be enough traffic to warrant the effort of folding and unpacking items. Luckily I had started early enough the day before, hauling in tables in the rain and marking items. I've only done one other sale, and that was pretty much a bust. I had planned to open at 8:00, and sure enough, by 7:05 the vultures were already circling. I was prepared with hot tea, two layers and a winter hat. I think my garage was located in the vortex of the morning's wind. The funniest moment of the whole day was watching a woman (in shorts and a t-shirt, mind you), equipped with a fanny pack, running down the street in order to get the hot items before other customers.

Weekends

Last Friday my mom and I went to the Quilting Expo. Besides the fact that I was probably the youngest person there, it was completely amazing. The walls of the arena were covered with larger-than-life plethoras of patchwork, intricate traditional patterns and shapes, and even some avant garde clothing and other strange wall-art items. Kat reminded me a few months ago that very few people in our generation can do things like sew, knit, even bake, and I was surrounded by these unbelievable pieces of art. Maybe I'll leave the sewing to my mom, but will really go after knitting and that pottery class I've been eyeing for the fall...The Despins were up and Nathan really wanted to ride the very large Italian bikes with the surrys on the Lakewalk. Man, it was way harder than it looks! We also went on the Vista, which he said "wasn't that exciting." The other picture is Ashley and her friend, who were at our house a few weeks prior (staying warm); she and my sister Karla & my mom came over for brunch.

Weekends

There's been a nice balance of short bursts of obligation and fun moments in the last few weekends. My sister and her kiddies came to visit, which included dinner out with them, Corey and my parents (which really only happens on holidays), in addition to Sunday brunch at my parents'. In honor of our togetherness I broke down and bought my absolute favorite sparkling wine that I profiled on my other site. Then last Friday, Corey and I had dinner with some friends and still made it home early. Saturday we had brunch (I'm a big fan if you didn't notice), went to the new and gargantuan Menard's, made a mental list of some house items/summer projects, and each got a new hat to boot. Fun and even some productivity. Plus it makes you forget how much you can dread Monday mornings.