Weekend run-down

My mother decided that she needed to see the cow parade in person this year, so we had a visitor starting Thursday. And we all know what visitors mean: lots of activity.

Thursday: Out for a sushi lunch after she arrived. Carried in 4 boxes of my old books from her car and spent afternoon exclaiming over each old friend I found inside. Also got a box containing my roller skates and skated awkwardly to the bus stop. Evening T-ball game. Cortney's yummy butter bean salad and squash biscuits for dinner.

Friday: Stop at Dunkin for coffee and the pleasant surprise of Free Donut Day on the way to Keene to check out the fabric stores. Mom has been "taken over to the dark side" in the quilting world, which sounds very similar to the dark side of the knitting world and includes amassing large quantities of materials you aren't sure you'll ever use and visiting every store that sells said materials wherever you go. I used my gift card from Diane to buy a few patterns and some fabric to make myself a shirt. Played a few games until Sebastian came home. Gallery Walk downtown with free Ben and Jerry's. Watched The Thin Man. It was awesome.

Saturday: Pancakes and bacon. Cow parade. Barbecue for lunch. Hike at Chesterfield Gorge. Side trip to Stuart and John's Sugar House for my favorite kind of ice cream. Jeremy contacted the company to find out where we could get it that wasn't the place run by fundamentalists. I had my beloved Bear Claw again! Home again home again. Jeremy and Sebastian went to the Swampbats game. My mom and I watched Transamerica which was funnier than I thought it would be.

Sunday: Exit mother bright and early for her 9 hour drive. Went to see Up. I was warned it was sad, but that did not stop me from sobbing and blubbering no less than 3 times. It was also funny and scary, but I have not seen anything so touching in a long time. Ignored the dark clouds and made a pit stop at the grocery store for a snack dinner on the way to the lake. I'm no fool and I know how cold movie theaters and lakeside can be, so I was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt. My children, however, were swimming and Jeremy was shivering in his shorts and t-shirt. (I was still just as cold as they were and lamented not bring my down jacket.) We huddled up for a windy early dinner of baguette and mozzarella balls, grapes and nuts. Then we headed home where I passed out on the couch for over an hour. After putting the kids to bed Jeremy and I watched Murder by Death (very funny) and I went to bed.

So there's the run-down of why I was so rundown I took an uncharacteristic nap.