So ... last week was looking kinda bleak. But now things are looking up. Dig it:

(1) Both boys back to full strength - still coughing from the pneumonia, but school-bound on Monday.

(2) Finally ordered the new windows and patio door for the ENTIRE house I've been obsessing over since 2005. And Tim let me get shutters, too. Shutters, people! For every window. F-ing curb appeal. And he ponied up for grilles on the patio door, even though he hates them.

(3) Qualified for 0% interest on the above, which means we can actually afford to get them.

(4) Awesome day at work on Friday. I work with awesome people at a kick-ass company with great clients.

(5) Beat Tim twice at Scrabble today - the last game I got TWO 50-pt bonuses for using all my letters. In one game. Which is pretty much unheard of. One of them was this crazy one that left Tim's jaw on the table.

(6) Vikings and Twins won yesterday.

(7) Just got an email from Greg, who picked me to receive a free subscription to "Vanity Fair" when he was offered one today. Sweet!

Hope you're having a great weekend too ... I'm off to buy some lottery tickets.

UPDATE: And I got a haircut that doesnt suck ... AND Tim mowed the lawn without me ragging on him ... AND Tim started the dishwasher for me ... AND the weather was perfect ... AND we all took a family bike ride without major bitching from the kids ... AND the list goes on. Again, strange to have nothing to bitch about.

I found this really cool photo on this really cool site.

Okay.

Abbey WAS on the third cream for the face rash she's had since last December.

Today we go see a pediatric pulmonologist - who in addition to treating her shortness of breath, writes me a prescription for whatever he thinks is causing the rash.

I call the doctor who prescribed the first and third creams, but not the doctor who prescribed the second cream because she caused the rash to pretty much overtake the entire side of Ab's face, and the first/third doc says no way take what the pulmonologist prescribed, which I was pretty much expecting.

Now he's given Ab two more medicines - the fourth cream and an oral medicine.

I also got him to (finally) refer me to the dermatologist.

Dermatologist office makes me an appointment with their PA. I call back and say, gee, I bet your PA is really good at her job, but after 7 months I really would like to see an MD. The lady on the phone, no shit, says "Well you certainly are asking for the moon." And she didn't mean it jokey.

WTF?

I blame myself. Why have I let this keep going on and on and on and on? Ack. Me and my trust-all-doctors mentality.

So the CFL bulbs we're supposed to be using to save energy and the planet contain toxic mercury. How Alanis Morissette "ironic," huh? Naturally they're all over my house.

Last night the boys broke one while wrestling in the basement, prompting immediate poor-man's hazmat response from me and the husb.

There are some pretty strict guidelines for cleaning up a broken CFL bulb - starting with no vacuuming, since you can send mercury dust into the air and cause more contamination.

You can read the EPA's guidelines for cleaning up broken CFL bulbs here.

In case you're wondering, I'm thinking of switching to candles and kerosene.

JUST WONDERING: Why none of the boxes used to package the CFL bulbs contained instructions on how to dispose of spent bulbs or clean up a broken one? How many people out there have NO IDEA these bulbs require such careful cleanup? Perhaps I should start a foundation? Oh wait, that would require work.

Writers.

Block.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH.

(So much to do. So little progress. So so so so screwed.)

Abbey's first sleepover went down a few nights ago ... they staged a Zombie Vampire prom, complete with dance floor (leftover vinyl from our new bathroom floor), crowns, crepe paper, "blood" punch (red Juicy Juice in grandma's glass punch bowl), Taylor Swift (because of course zombie vampires dig her tunes) and chaperones (me and Tim).

They wore my dresses (from Mollie's 2nd wedding and Addy's a few years back) and used my makeup to get all undead/dead.

So what I'm wondering is, would this be normal for 9 year olds? Or should I be worried? Maybe it's cabin fever?

Full dance-floor shot here:

[More]

Tomorrow is 50s Day at the kids' elementary school.

(this is not the important part)

Kristie Lou, aka "THE Best Friend EVER" - is making Abbey, aka "The Luckiest Kid Ever" - a custom poodle skirt tonight.

(holy crap!!!!!!!)

There will be pink felt swingy-skirtiness.

There will be a pink poodle with gold leash.

There will be 24 tiers of black ruffly-poofiness.

There will be awesomeness.

There will be absolutely nothing for me to do, after I measure Abbey's waist.

And it must be finished before 7:30am tomorrow morning.

The best part is Kristie always wanted a poodle skirt as a little girl ... so this is less of a sweatshop thing for me, and more of a living-out-a-childhood-dream thing for her. (Or at least that's what she tells me.)

MORE FOR YOUR MONEY: When asked, "What would Katie do without you" she replied ... "I don't know. Buy something tacky at Party America?"

Um yes. Yes I would.

IMAGE: The materials...

BookBook case for my MacBook Pro!

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Oh you Vikings.

Concerning the nasty rumors that Starbucks now sells instant coffee: