The Icky Day

Sorry, but blogging fell by the wayside the past week because I'm crazy busy.

I didn't even have time to write anything up for Father's Day because I was hosting a Father's Day cookout for Hubby's father.

See picture above of the two adorable and wonderful fathers in my life.

That was FUN busy.

Monday started the icky busy because I'm getting ready for our son's graduation party this Saturday.

We invited 130 people who I have to feed and entertain for four hours.

That will be the fun part...

The icky part is getting ready for them. Yesterday began with me circling our house inside and out with this:

This spring I noticed some pesky pests around the house like ants and earwigs which to me are like small rodents running around and freaking me out.

I went on a "rodent" rampage and hopefully they won't be bugging our grad party guests.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I had to clean the laundry room.

Darn, I didn't think to take a BEFORE picture, but this is the room where everyone kicks off their shoes as they walk in from the garage. All footwear piles up and dirty, gross grit and grime gather underneath. I rarely clean it up because what is the point?

This is the AFTER picture:

I know what you're thinking...

 WHO has a shoe rack THAT orderly other than the shoe store or Martha Stewart? 

That order lasted for about two hours. The entire time, I stood and stared in awe.

I knew the vision was fleeting.

Meanwhile, the washing machine was churning on and on with a week's worth of laundry.

Imagine my utter horror when I pulled a pair of my son's work shorts out of the washer and his cell phone clunked to the floor!

That meant it went through the wash and rinse cycles!

I shook the soggy thing, but the screen was showing a water level.

I knew it was already dead.

Can this day get any ickier? I pondered.

I thought of stocking the phone with goldfish so we could watch them swimming onscreen and 

cheer up my son.

I certainly couldn't call him at work with the icky news.

Then I scrubbed down the kitchen chairs with the added burden of that dratted drowned phone swimming in my brain.

Does anyone ever scrub down their kitchen chairs?

Even sillier, last weekend, Hubby used a machine to blow the dust off the coils under the refrigerator for the party.

Who in the heck will be down there looking?? 

I just might make the guests kneel down to take a peek.

I forced myself to the basement to finish up my son's scrapbook to display at the party.

The fun memories of graduation helped keep my mind off the fact I murdered a phone that very day...until I heard the garage door cranking up.

Sonny was home!

He burst in the door and immediately kicked off his grassy work boots in the immaculate laundry room. What was the point of cleaning it five days before the party??

After reminding him of his loving childhood and all the wonderful things I had done for him all his life,

I showed him the phone.

I did see a grimace flash across his face, but it softened at those tender childhood memories.

"Mom, I'm not mad," he said. "But I'll have to use YOUR cell phone."

Note the slight strain in his expression at the thought of using my boring red phone.

As if that wasn't enough...this happened:

Those are three graduation balloons that I warned my son to tether. That's a big rule with helium balloons in our house. We have a TALL ceiling in our family room with a whirring fan. The balloons rise and get sucked into the fan and "ruin the motor" according to Hubby.

Sonny and I tried to think of a way up there. Our ladder does not reach this high.

(Please note the cleanliness of this room. Please let it last until my guests arrive.)

"Maybe we can call the fire department," I suggested. "They can bring in a cherry picker."

We knew we had to figure out a plan of action before Hub arrived home.

The day was really getting icky!

Sonny thought of putting tape on the end of a broomstick. Standing on a ladder, he untangled the mess.

 

He's a genius! One problem solved.

Things were looking UP!

Then...

Hubby came home and announced Hub's new I-Phone would arrive on Thursday.

Sonny's face lit up!

"Can I have your old I-Phone?"

Look how happy he is now!

Body language does not lie. That's a true smile.

WHEW!

But, he still has to use my phone for the next two days.

Somehow, I feel like I got the raw deal.

All the weariness and worry I just weathered,

and HE winds up with the I-phone.

The slaving will continue all week. My sister and her family arrive on Thursday to help with the party, then we leave on Monday for a Michigan vacation.

So, if I don't make it back on here for the next few weeks,

I can't wait to show you the marvels of Michigan.

But first, I need a little nap...

Basil Bombardment

Memorial Day weekend, I told you about our new herb garden.

Hubby bought me a fancy planter and we proudly planted one plant each of rosemary, chives, and cilantro plus lots of sweet basil. I know I planted too much basil but

I couldn't help it, I was drooling over all the summer recipes I would make without spending four bucks on a small wad of wilted basil from the grocery store.

We added two red geraniums for color.

 

I have told you before that I can be a tad obsessive with gardening.

I never tire of watching things grow and I grow attached to the growths.

They're like my children. 

Here I am happily posing by my one week old baby basils last weekend.

I was so thrilled, I gathered the ingredients to make one of our favorite summer dishes.

No wimpy store-bought basil for me...I have the REAL basil from my own garden.

I must admit those tomatoes on the vine are the fake tomatoes they sell at the grocery when Michigan tomatoes are out of season. They look mouth-watering, molded out of shiny, red plastic and hot glued to the fake vine.

Don't be fooled! They taste like plastic, too.

REAL Michigan tomatoes are plucked from the vine in August.

I will be blogging about REAL tomatoes as the summer progresses.

Meanwhile, here's how the delicious dish looks all sliced together.

It was yummy, but still waiting on the REAL tomatoes.

Another week passed and basically, the basil went bombastic!

In just two weeks, the baby basils triumphed into teens.

So much for the touch of red.

Heck, I'm having trouble finding the rosemary, chives and cilantro among that bunch of basil!

I rushed to the computer to search for more basil recipes. After whipping up seven different versions of pesto, and learning how to freeze pesto ice cubes for winter soups...

I'm thinking by next weekend I may have to open up a roadside basil stand.

It's either that or a pasta restaurant or pizzeria.

As if that's not enough to overtake my mind, I pass this on my trail walk every morning.

 

The municipal garden. 

Yep, I love to watch other people's gardens grow, too!

I even stopped and talked to this couple about their planting.

I couldn't help it...I AM a reporter, after all.

I think they thought I am some kind of stalker zeroing in on their zucchini.

Actually, I'm relieved other people will be doing all the work and I get to watch all the gardens grow. I love the colorful flowers and my favorite are the huge sunflowers.

I'll take pictures of the municipal garden as the summer hurries on...

and things keep growing...

and growing!

I just hope my girth doesn't grow at the same rate as the garden and my recipe file.

My Baby Graduates

Sorry I haven't updated my blog this week.

I'm still recovering from my son's graduation from High School.

I signed up for one last school committee of my parenting career and chaired the

Reservation and Check-in Micro-committee which is a sub committee of the committee as a whole for the After-Graduation/Casino Party. I never again have to committee myself for a school project EVER AGAIN! 

NEVER!!!

NO MORE COMMITTEES! I swear I will NOT volunteer again!

The graduation ceremony was bittersweet as we watched the graduates file in to

Pomp and Circumstance. Seeing those kids who I had watched grow up, while serving on numerous school committees really made me tear up.

Here's my son waiting in line to receive his diploma.

I added the arrow so you would know which kid is mine because I can tell he can see in his peripheral vision that his mother was aiming the camera at him.

I think there should have been a committee that makes the students smile and wave at their parent's camera during graduation, even though I think that would require an act of congress.

Here he is checking in at the fancy check-in tables at the After-graduation party.

As you will recall from earlier in this blog, I was the chairman of this fine committee.

It looks very orderly with just one jovial student checking in...my son.

Note how nicely the decoration committee decorated the tables for my committee.

It went wild a few minutes later and stayed wild the entire evening

with fun casino games...

a money cube...

A funny photo booth...

And, the exciting prize extravaganza.

I crawled into bed at 3:14 am.

Now I need a committee

to get me out of my jammies, and into cook-out clothes to attend the multiple graduation parties tonight.

Anyone want to volunteer?