Skip the Decaf

I'm fully caffeinated. Oh, no, maybe that's just how you feel on a full night's sleep. It had been awhile.

After the Gala at the NAC last Wed/Thurs (I was within spitting distance of Yo-Yo Ma! No, I didn't spit), I did manage a bit of a nap. Then I had a client, followed by choir Thursday night, and went out for a bit with Weasley and Lord Elgin afterwards. Friday was busy with errands in the morning and volunteering at the school for Early Literacy in the afternoon. Friday night, I went out with Frances for dinner (Thai food- yum!), and a play at the Kanata Theatre. It was billed as a comedy and thankfully, it was very funny (I don't think I could've stayed conscious for something slow moving or badly done). I was in bed by 11:30, a bit early for me. But as I had to be out the door at 5:50 am, a good choice.

Did I mention I'm not a morning person? Ugh, getting up when it's still dark. And cold! Cold outside, and cold in the house. It was 65 degrees when I came downstairs. I turned on the heat (I'm sure Hubby was appalled, but give me a break - I'm not waiting until I can see my breath before I light the furnace!). I walked over to the Decorating Diva's (DD from now on) and waited for her, then we headed off to the Congress Centre to decorate for the Elisabeth Bruyere Foundation's Fundraiser. It was a disco theme, so many mirrored balls and gaudy feather boas, etc, etc. I worked from 6:30 am (unloading, then unpacking, then decorating) until 6:37 pm,when I got a ride with DD's parents (yep, it's a family affair - her mom and aunts and sister and sister-in-law and cousins all work various events). I hung out with the kids, got them to bed, and started tidying for the birthday celebration the next day. At 12:30 am, I hopped in the car and drove back to the Congress Centre for takedown. I knew I would be leaving early - I figured 4 would be my max. Well, I bailed at 3. All the major stuff had been taken down, and we were just in the packing mode, but I was fading fast. I grabbed a quick shower (no hair) before crashing just before 4. Up at 7:30 for a real shower and a quick bite before heading to church. Sang, came home after the service and got the rest of my stuff organized for guests.

Weasley (bless his heart) arrived first and jumped in to help, getting dips in bowls and running up and down to get stuff from the basement fridge. Oh, did I mention that I was seriously annoyed with Hubby, or was that a given? Two reasons for that. First, in the morning before we left, he was all grumpy and snapping at the kids, and I got ticked off, too. And he told me I was being a "complete and utter grump" because I hadn't slept, and was that what he had to look forward to all day. Umm, excuse me? I'm not the one who started yelling. And secondly, I planned on setting the dining room table (meaning getting the table pads, a tablecloth, and getting the chairs all organized) and setting up the fold-up table since there were going to be 14 of us. I was going to do all this the night before, with the plan of serving appetizers on the island, and the kitchen table as the buffet. But Hubby said "Do you have your heart set on the dining room? It just seems like so much work. Why don't we just do it in the kitchen/family room. The kids can sit at the table with a few people and the rest of us can just sit on the couch or chairs." Fine, I figured that I would relinquish control (note to self - never again!), and go with his idea. Also so that he could see that it might not be a great idea in the future, bacause it would be packed and crazy. But he gets all pissy if he thinks I'm trying to be too (pick one - fancy/posh/formal), and hey, it's his family we're entertaining. So we get back from church and he says "do you want me to get the table pads?" at which point I looked at him with an incredulous glare and said "The time for that has passed. You said no. This was your choice. I would've done that last night, but we do NOT have time for it now" and proceeded to set up the kitchen.

Did everyone, especially the kids, have fun? Yes (I think so). Did everyone enjoy the food? Yes, they seemed to. Did the seating arrangements work out (kitchen table/family room)? Yes, it was fine. Was the serving/prepping/appetizer portion of the day stupid and crazy and cramped? Yes, I'd say so. Whatever, we survived. But next time I'll just set the fucking table and not consult with Hubby. It's easier that way.

Oh, and in exciting news (well, not that exciting, but I'm kind of a freak), my picture was on the front page of the Arts section of Saturday's paper. It's a group shot of DD and Laureen Harper (the Prime Minister's wife) and the rest of the decorating crew for the NAC Gala. There's a shot of the stage all set for the dinner, and a whole story about the timing of it all. Cool.