New favorite designer?

Apparently it is Barclay Butera, since he is responsible for this fabric. Yes he is.

Tire-ed!

Our weekend:

Cleaning with my friend Mrs. Meyer's - a little Lemon Verbena here, a little Geranium there - lots of Swiffer and Pledge dry cloths, Bona hardwood floor cleaner;

Congratulating two very good friends on their ENGAGEMENT!

Meeting up with Wayne the Metalworker (still working on the kitchen exhaust fan surround). He is from Maryland, but he could totally be from Davie County, NC so we get along pretty well;

Date night at Tenpehn - it was Restaurant Week in DC.

Scrubbing on hands and knees;

Shopping it up at the Home Depot (twice) - that store up in NE DC has been on my good side lately. Really helpful and knowledgeable staff and things we need in stock!
and Frager's (three times: the hardware store - I did not know they had a basement!, the rental shop, and the paint store), where we will be opening an account, don't you worry;

Scraping off stuff that only comes off with fingernail scraping;

Getting the hairs cut, because if I don't look good, what good is a clean house?!

Pledge dry-clothing the hardwoods, ummm, again;

Eating at Taylor Gourmet - they are responsible for most of the renovation weight I am carrying - and the Peruvian chicken place near the Navy Yard.

Moving in - not us - our first tenant.

Churching it up on Sunday.

Directing the painters - outside trim, inside touch ups, and today - outside rear! That last color selection was made in record time. Exhaustion does funny things to a girl.

Welcoming first guests - nice guys from church who helped move in our friend, my good friend (sans adorable blond children who throw shrimp), and our *now* close neighbor friend Jamie and little CJ!

Contemplating where all the dust comes from;

Doing laundry WITHOUT using quarters!

Changing the heating and air system filters!

Paying the locksmith, and, may I say, they make a Pretty Penny.

Dusting the light fixtures.

Wondering if our backyard would wash away since there is a big drop off from the mini-yard to the parking area - a section of yard seems to be sliding down along with the very last vestiges of melting snow.

Sweeeeeeeping and realizing that the inside probably keeps getting dirty due to the fine mortar and plaster dust residing on our front steps.

Putting out OUR trashcans for the first time!

Done (-ish)!

We closed. We settled. We have the keys.

And we're exhausted.

Too tired to shout whoooooo-who!

Do you think they spend too much time together?

Wonder Husband and Jason, Realtor to the Stars, dressed alike for our big meetings Tuesday. Do you think they are spending too much time together?

Jason still manages to smile (and did some awesome negotiations on "escrow"). Wonder Husband might be thinking, "My wife is crazy and I can't wait till her brother takes back his camera". No, no, he is probably just embarrassed to be dressed like another guy for the second time in a week (TJ, at work, matching green argyle sweaters).

This is shocking and gross

No, not the shrimp pad thai. Shrimp pad thai is lovely.

You may not want to read this post.

You may not be my friend after you read this post.

Or you may not want to be my house guest after you read this post.

Sunday night Wonder Husband got crazy and rolled up our living room carpet, to better show off our apartment's GORGEOUS, heart pine floors (did you see the ears of Washington, DC real estate agents perk up?). Such massive action involved moving all of the living room furniture, which involved calling our nice neighbor at 10:something pm to come help Wonder Husband move the couch because I am a wimp, err, wise woman and knew better than to injure my back right before we (hopefully) move.

I was in the kitchen preparing a late dinner for Wonder Husband when this all began and I heard, "Gross!! Gross!!" from WH as he moved our little two drawer wood file cabinet/side table. He dashed into the kitchen for a paper towel. What could be so gross, behind the furniture that even WH would not touch it with bare hands?

One of his favorite things actually.

A shrimp.

Gross.

I don't know the last time we had shrimp. I don't know the last time (ever) that one of us would have deposited a shrimp behind a piece of furniture. Gross. How could our little sniffing doggie guests have not discovered it? Thank heavens it did not reek to high heavens.

We thought through shrimp possibilities. Hmmm, maybe several months ago when we had Thai food with our friends, including the most adorable little blond children in the world? A possibility. Not definite. Just possible.

I mentioned the situation to my good friend, the mother of those adorable blond children. She *immediately* said, "Oh, that's probably from a time you fed Will and he flung a shrimp!". Glad that is resolved.