Loooong day

I woke up this morning with the intention of walking at 9:00. But it was raining and I'd been out late the night before drinking cosmos, singing karaoke, riding in a boat on a smooth lake, hanging at a friends house who was trying to keep her son and his girlfriend from ... from .... you know, from stuff. Drinking wine and getting to bed late. When we connected about our walk I want it on the record she was the first to bag, but if she hadn't -- I would have!

So. I tried to sleep more, but today was the day Peter's parents were coming in ... and there were a few things left to do at the cottage. I had put a load of laundry into the dryer last night that needed to be folded; I needed to make a few beds, I wanted to pick some flowers to put in a vase on the porch and I needed to vacuum. I had also said I would cook them dinner, so I needed to plan a menu.

I managed to haul myself out of bed, shower and I picked up the cookbook I was going to figure out dinner from and off we went. I made the beds, I put the dishes away, Charlie started a fire because it was chilly and damp as it was raining and after doing a bunch of miscellaneous cleaning ventures, I decided to vacuum. Now, we know the vacuum there is worthless, and when we opened the cottage I carried my own over. But I figured that it would be able to spiff up a little. No, it was just pushing the dirt around. So Peter and I decided we needed to get a new vacuum -- so off we went to Ocean State Job Lots, and in addition to a vacuum we picked up a few little rugs to replace gnarly ones that had been there forever. We got back and started putting the vacuum together when they drove up. Then we helped them unpack their car (they live in New Mexico in the winter) and then around 1:00 I sat down to make my shopping list.

But I was hungry. And figured that they must be as well. Peter's brother drove them, and he said he was definitely hungry. Since I was going to the grocery store I asked them to give me a list ... and off I went and it was crowded and I was like, OHMYGOD, what a day, I've been shopping and cleaning ... and now shopping again!

I returned to the cottage and we ate lunch, then I realized I had to get home and clean that house because all of a sudden our cozy little dinner party had expanded to 12. Peter's sister, boyfriend, two children and one of their girlfriends were enroute. I dispatched Peter and his brother to the supermarket to bolster the larder, so to speak, and Maddie and I headed home to clean and cook. I rushed upstairs and made my bed and cleaned my room because I knew everyone wanted to see the new bathroom. Yikes.

Then I rushed downstairs and cleaned the downstairs bathroom, picked up the living room and Maddie started vacuuming. Then I had to hit the kitchen, where lo and behold I discovered at 4:30 that the meatloaf I was making needed an hour and a half to cook and I'd told everyone to be there eat 6! Yikes again.

I made an enormous meatloaf the size of Montana, these crazy delicious mashed potatoes that had everything sinful under the sun in them (cream, butter, parmesan cheese) and roasted carrots that said they served 12 but everyone, including the kids, inhaled them. That meatloaf, the size of Montana? Is now the size of Delaware. It was delicious.

I had asked Peter to pick up dessert at the grocery store because the coconut cupcakes I intended to make seemed impossible to deal with at the late hour, and it was a good call, because there wasn't a moment the oven was available.

Everyone arrived around 6:oo-ish, which was kind of early in regards to the fact that we didn't actually sit down for dinner until 8:00 -- but the kids were off doing their thing and the adults were chatting and catching up. It was good. I had a few glasses of wine and was quite relaxed, and everyone was gone by 9:30.

And then I was told I needed to be up and out of here by 7:00 tomorrow morning to see Maddie's softball tournament.

Seriously? I guess sitting around in a chair watching softball will be a cakewalk after today!

And so summer begins.

Meatloaf sandwich anyone?!!!