Labor Day Weekend

Oh, I've labored alright.

I have spent the weekend nesting, for the most part. And feeling VERY appreciative for all I have--great house, nice garden, awesome boyfriend, terrific friends and family, and the cutest damn pets....oh lord. Cute attack! As we speak!

Recent events (need I say more), I figure, are as good a reason as any to stay in this holiday weekend and count my blessings....

....and clean, and organize, and decorate, and cook and basically stick as close as possible to my domestic roots.

I'm a homebody at heart, what can I say?

It's been a great weekend. Friday night, afer a long delightful run, found us at the Tennyson Street First Friday art walk--always a good (free wine!) time. To bed soon after the art walk found us waking bright and early--sans hangover--on Saturday morning, to which we greeted the day with a tasty breakfast with Shar and Alex at the Mercury Cafe, which they loved, by the way. After breakfast I hit a local fabric store I've been dying to try--and now I know why...the prices are unbelievable! I scored some fabric to make pillows for our bed with, as well as some cheap chintz that will make fabulous tablecloths. And some pretty ribbon for .25 a yard...because seriously, what girl can have too much ribbon in her plastic storage container of tricks?

Later that afternoon, we watched the CSU/CU game at Jenn and Yoni's....and it was a beer-drinking, white-knuckle of a game. And CSU lost. Booooo. I was supposed to go out with Megan that night for a bachelorette party "planning" meeting for Emily's upcoming bash, but since Megan got caught up serving crab cakes at the Taste of Colorado, I stayed in and watched "In America" with Kevin. GREAT movie....add it to your NetFlix queue immediately!

Waking Sunday to another gloriously hangover-free day, I set to work repotting plants and scrubbing the kitchen....we're talking washing the top of the fridge here, people! Kevin, who thought he had to work, ended up coming home--to the UK/Louisville game, much to his delight. Before the game, we hit the Otis, a new bar/sandwich place in our hood. We each devoured a tempeh sandwich and tots--TOTS!--and a Dos Equis. Now, even though the food was none too spectacular, we did walk out of there with a HUGE score....a cute vintage wrought iron patio set! It's adorable! It was just sitting all lonely behind the deck of the restaurant, and Kevin asked if we could buy it. I mean, this set has serious potential, even covered in dirt and lying on its side--we saw it immediately! The owner, kind of a weird, quiet type, GAVE IT TO US! For free! It's got some total retro flair--it's a light bluish/turquoise, which we decided to keep, and has just a little rust, but only enough to give it that shabby chic look. It needs a new top and naturally, some new cushions. Thank heavens for the fabric store discovery...oh happy day!

While our cute set waited for us to pick it up, Kevin watched the game and fixed my bike and put a rack on the back of it...so I can tote around a big baguette and artisan cheese! Hee! Meanwhile, I sewed, piddled in the yard, pulled a huge trash bag full of clothes out to give away, organized my shoes, and cleaned out one of my craft boxes.

After all this--you think I'd be totally beat wouldn't you?--we took Lucy to the dog park, partially so she could play, partially so I could donate 2 old lawn chairs to the park. Resourceful, huh? I know those chairs will be enjoyed. We picked up our new patio furniture on the way home and admired it with the utmost glee as it perched on our back patio, looking like something in a European tea garden. I insisted we remove the old cinder block and board bench immediately, as it was totally hideous. Uggh, ick.

While Kevin took the laptop to the porch to read blogs (that's my man!), I whipped up a homemade batch of zucchini lasagna...and by zucchini I mean that this ubiquitous veggie took the place of the lasagna noodles. Boy, did it turn out....HUGE. But mighty tasty. Atkins devotees everywhere would be proud. Paired with a salad and a shiraz (side note: I bought 6 bottles of wine the other day! For 35$! That's a steal!), the lasagna was a hit.

Last night ended by reading all the depressing coverage in the Sunday paper. Consequently I awoke at 2 am thinking about it, then about my new hire, then about work, then about some other personal issues....and I didn't fall back asleep until 4 am this morning.

But did that stop this manic domestic Labor Day diva? Hell no! I got up at 9 this morning. First stop: Target (My Target habit is a bit out of control, I will admit. Hey Kev--did you hear that? I know my recent Target shopping is a bit ridiculous!!). But the Target in our hood is so quaint and Mexican, and the stuff in there is so fun. Cute napkins for next weekend's party? New lamp for living room? Stainless steel trash can? Cat food? Canisters? Dog treats? Rugs? Frames? Yay Target for providing me with such frivolous wares!

Second stop: car wash. Had to wash last week's camping grunge away. Last stop: Safeway and to get a cup of coffee. Now I'm home, blogging here to you and eating a fakeBLT. Kevin is at work, so I'm free to do as much dilly-dallying on the homefront as I wish. On the agenda for today: penis pinata, bathrooms, another pillow, a run.

Alas, the moral of this run-down of my weekend is three-fold:

1. The things you can accomplish without a hangover are AMAZING!
2. The gas savings and stress level of not going anywhere over this holiday weekend are also amazing;
3. Don't take your home for granted...nurture your space, care for it, love it, let it become you......because one day it could all go away.