Summer barbecue

I haven't had any blog time lately because things are just so nutty here. We've got some carpenters from Portugal lined up to work on the house, all legal (I wish people would stop assuming everyone in Portugal works under the table), and they're coming in ten days. It's a between jobs thing and they're squeezing in some work at our place when they can over the next six months. It's all very last minute and it will be like that until Christmas. They'll just kind of show up and then we have to leave them the house and let them work.

So for this visit we have ten days to clear out the upstairs and break the faux ceilings and most of the walls. All the kids things have to be packed and we have to find a place to live for the ten days too. I guess we at least have some notice but ten days isn't much.

In between this there's the end of the school year for Little S and the Wednesday picnic/barbecue I planned in the backyard with ten moms and about twenty kids. It kind of snowballed because at first it was just supposed to be our Wednesday art group but people kept saying things to me like "do you think I could invite Delphine?" (there are two Delphines coming) and I have a hard time saying no to anyone so I said "why not." It should be lots of fun and I love a backyard party but the house is a little skeery.

The whole house is hopping with fleas and there are boxes piled to the ceiling in the living room. And as if that wasn't enough there are large pieces of ceiling and house debris in the backyard where my terrace should be. And adding insult to it all is the famous tractor ruts all over the yard from the bulldozer, but hey I really don't care. If it doesn't all get cleaned up by tomorrow I'll throw a tarp over it. I've even invited Mansion Mom (I'm really curious about her). So yes, love me love my house.

And... if you love me and my house now then maybe later I'll let you sit in my very awesome cast iron Napolean III bathtub bought off of E-bay for nearly nothing. That thing is going in my future bedroom, right in the center of the bedroom like a piece of furniture. I'm in love with it. Right now it's in the (you guessed it) BACKYARD. It's quite pretty though. It should add to the kooky party ambience chez moi. Love me, love my bathtub.