Its been a weekend of nonstop shopping around here. And those of you who know me best know how I feel about shopping (somewhere just before "toenail extraction"on the pain scale). Especially when I was shopping for a ball gown and kitchen countertops...not at the same store, mind you.

Friday my friend Susan and I drove south to Va Beach sans kids. As an aside, for the second time in 2 weeks I was able to leave the girls with a babysitter and NO ONE CRIED. Shore Health Services, Tracy's employer, holds a black tie fundraising event every fall and it is time to begin shopping for a gown. Susan and I tortured ourselves by squeezing into too tight, too sequined, too EXPENSIVE, too orange, too fluffy, and just too...something. Everything was horrible, size 2, or breathtakingly beautiful with a matching breathtaking price tag. We had a great time, though, and enjoyed a sane lunch in civilization without dealing with fussy little people. The lady eating next to us had her toddler in tow, and we looked on with pity as she repeatedly wiped his silverware clean after he threw it to the ground.
Saturday Tracy and I hauled the girls north to Salisbury, MD to look at kitchen countertops. Our house is falling apart: we need a new roof, new windows, chimneys need repointing, a new faucet in our bathroom, new countertops...I could go on but it might sent the blog company into overload. SOOOOO we have decided to take out a home equity loan to accomplish the most important of these items. We're getting bids from roofers and repairmen, and are now trying to select counter tops. This is not easy with girls in tow, believe me. The conversation with the saleswoman at Lowes went something like this: "Can you tell me the basic difference between Silestone and...Kate, get out of there!...and granite? India, stop pulling your sister's arm. I'm sorry, what were you saying about porous...Kate, no running please...porousness? What about...India, I can't take you to the potty this minute...about maintenance...could you excuse me for a second?" Would you believe India went to the bathroom 4 TIMES in a half hour in Lowes?

Somehow we did finally get our questions answered and picked out something we like. Then I left the girls with Tracy while I tried on more ball gowns. And found one. Relief. Now I have to wait for the order to come in and go BACK for it to be fitted. Sometimes I would like to be a guy and just wear the same tuxedo every year. So cheap and easy.

Sunday was much more fun. My friend Louise had a birthday party for her son, Thomas, and today's photos are from his celebration. Louise is from Tasmania and I could listen to her talk all day "...hello luv. This heat has me positively gobsmacked..." She has lived in some interesting places, including Thailand, so everything she does has an eclectic flair. Sushi and ribs on the "barbie"(yes, she said it) were on the menu for the grownups. What a combo, especially with margaritas. The kids had a wonderful time; particularly with this amazing water slide! It was so hot that the grownups were tempted to jump on, too.

We're going to spend this week trying to stay cool; we've had a heat index of over 100 almost every day and some unbelievable storms at night (60 mph wind gusts). Tracy just read the projected temps and this week sounds even worse. We'll just count the days 'til the Galax Fiddler's Convention and some cooler mountain air!