Tile and Grout

I never thought I would be so excited about grout. But this weekend, Learner and I tiled our front bathroom. (Learner did the heavy lifting and I fetched him tools and took photos.) And grout is one of the last steps that finishes the job and makes it look professional.




Then today, Martha Stewart had a project involving decorative tiling. When she mentioned thin set and grout, I was excited that I knew what they were and how to use them!

Free Pie

I just gave blood and got a free chocolate satin pie from Marie Callender's. They are running a promotion until the end of May, so go donate! (You get to pick any type of pie. The Blood Bank is at 1900 W. Orangeburg in Modesto)

Gardening

I am actually working in the garden! The pomegranate tree is blooming and there is a humming bird flying around it feeding right now. I trimmed the pomegranate tree and one of the rose bushes. I think we need more fruit trees. I suspect that they may be easier to grow/maintain than vegetables. (Of course, it takes a few years before you have an established tree that bears fruit...but hey.) Woo!

ETA: I've done even more pruning to several more trees. It is uber hard work. But the neighbors will be happier with us. And I think we have a ginko tree. Who knew?

Katharine v. Taylor

The American Idol final two are Katharine and Taylor. I was so hoping it would work out this way.

Tee hee

Post Party Depression

Well, not really. My mom said that this year was the nicest mother's day brunch ever. Yea!

Vegetable Gardening

I'm thinking about gardening in our huge backyard. So far, it looks like very hard work to grow your own vegetables. But it might be fun. Has anyone else grown their own veggies or fruits in the backyard?

Mother's Day Brunch

So far, my plans for mother's day brunch (for my mom, two sisters, and me) include: apple pancakes, eggs benedict, fruit salad (my mom's request), champagne (everyone's request), and coffee. I feel like something is missing. Oatmeal or toast or something should round out the meal. Maybe cake for dessert. Would it be weird to have hummus and pita as an appetizer? I made really good garlic hummus a couple of weeks ago, and you always want to give people something small to start while you pull the more complicated parts of the meal together. Hmmm...

Any suggestions, readers?

Bueller?

My Sister's Wedding

My sister set a date for her wedding. She's deciding between City Hall and Vegas. Apparently, City Hall might be too small to invite more than just the parents. I think I'm rooting for Vegas.

Houseguest

Learner's mom has been with us since Sunday. She is leaving today and then planning to come back tomorrow.

Lawn Jungle

Learner and I took a whack at our jungle (lawn) in the backyard yesterday. Today, I continued. Whew! It is exhausting trying to mow down a massive two foot high collection of grasses and weeds. The yard isn't finished yet, but looks much better.

Hard work nothwithstanding, I love that our backyard is HUGE. I can't wait to fix it up and play croquet or put up a hammock or have a picnic! Yea!

Modesto: Not a Destination Town

I'm trying to round up my family for Mother's Day.

People may actually come to Modesto.

Free Cone Day

Today is Free Cone Day. For all those that live near a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream shop, go enjoy!

I love free cone day, but alas, there is no B&J's here.

TV Turn Off Week

Yeah, right.

Okay, I might try to cut back this week, but nothing is stopping me from watching Veronica Mars on Tuesday night. So there.

Hometown Cockroach

Don't eat at the Hometown Buffet in Modesto. Just don't.

I direct your attention to Learner's blog for the whole icky story.

Back in the Saddle...so to speak

After missing a few runs, I was back today with a 3 1/2 mile run! What a relief. The run felt great.

A Hitch

I've been scouting a location for my home daycare business and it's perfect. Close enough to downtown, off a major street, near the freeway for Bay Area commuters, and next door to a gym with a big parking lot. The house has a good layout for indoor and outdoor play, lots of space, and separate living space for us.

There also seems to be an unlicensed daycare operating two doors down. What should I do?

The Californians

So if you blink, you miss me...and fifty other extras. I had to frame through a bunch of concert crowd scenes, but I found myself in the movie! I also found three of my friends (in a different scene) including my friend in casting who is listed in the credits.

I might have to buy this movie.

The Hilarity

Circa 2003, I was an extra in a little independent movie called "The Californians." For a couple of years, I checked imdb to see when this movie was going to arrive in theaters, or, at least, the video rental shacks. Then I gave up. But today I saw one of the stars on TV and checked again and...ta da:

My First Movie

3 miles...3 miles...7 miles!

Another milestone. Woo. 7 miles felt great. I used water and gel for the first time today. I think it was helpful.