busy week

Whew.  It's after noon on Monday and I am still recovering from a somewhat exhausting, but totally fun, weekend.  My parents arrived in town Wednesday afternoon, and we kept pretty busy the entire time they were here, with trips to the Italian Market, cheesesteaks, a birthday party for Greg, a picnic, the Art Museum, ghost tours, and even some handyman stuff.

One of the minor household irritations since we moved in has been the toilet bowl's tendency to rock back and forth when being, ahem, used.  Spending time on the throne, as they say, was nerve-wracking, as any kind of sudden movement could result in the sensation that the entire toilet was tilting on its side and all the pipes attached to it were shifting in the walls.  Luckily, my dad knows his way around toilets, and with a quick trip to Lowe's for a wax ring and some hardware, he had everything under control.  Next time you're in town, come sit on our toilet! You won't regret it.

Greg's birthday party was a lot of fun.  We had his parents and his brother and soon to be sister-in-law over.  I made the Spider Man birthday cake pictured at the top, my first attempt at baking a cake.  Luckily my mom was there to explain what "grease and flour the pan" means. Seriously, I wasn't quite sure.  Greg did some swordfish on the grill which turned out to be very moist and delicious, and Barb brought some asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and provolone. Between all that and my quick and easy paella, and the beautiful flowers Erin brought, we felt as though we were really dining in style.  It surprised Dave, who up to this point has been served pizza pretty much every time he comes by.