Just sitting outside after a good dinner...

I made a summery dinner tonight. Grilled boneless chicken thighs marinated in Lawry's Sesame Ginger marinade. Potato wedges covered in EVOO (as Rachael Ray would say) and garlic and grilled till crispy. And, of course, fresh corn on the cob. It was great, but I made sure to leave room for ice cream. I'm drinking a glass of my first ever home-made ice tea. I've never made tea before. I went to a friend's this week and the tea she served was wonderful, and I followed her recipe: 2 family size bags of Lipton decaf tea, 8 bags of Good Earth Green decaf, Splenda and lemon. The hardest part was finding a container to make it in. Looks like I'll be buying a gallon jug.

I spent most of the day with my mom. We started out at Annapolis Mall. I bought myself a pair of earrings. She bought socks. Woohoo, are we shoppers or what? Then we went to Old Country Buffet. We said hi to the regulars. I wonder if they go there every day because we always see them and we only go there sporadically. I always say this, but it's my mother's favorite restaurant and she's always so happy when we go there. We definitely get our money's worth. We ended our day out at Trader Joe's, then I brought her home. My dad is in Atlantic City, and she really doesn't like being alone. My sister was with her last night, and hopefully someone will stop by to visit her tonight.

My friend Dave, who has a painting company, is painting Emily's bedroom and bathroom. I'm so glad that I asked him to paint for me. I'm a perfectionist, and I could do it, but professionals are so fast and know all the tricks to get it right. I've spent a fortune on that blue painting tape; he doesn't use any. He spent the day at the house today and will be back tomorrow. When he's done we'll finally get to use all the new bedding that Emily got for Christmas. Unfortunately, I'll need to make curtains, but that might be a fall project.

Later...