A peaceful Friday night

I survived the first week back at school without a scratch. Beth went home from school with a friend, so I was driving home by myself. (I'm never alone in my van.) I stopped by my mom's house. Her neighbor has recently moved and gave my mom a bunch of draperies to see if I wanted them. So, I looked at the drapes and, I think, I can use all that she left. Yay! Free drapes for me! I also needed to borrow my mom's chainsaw. I feel the need to decapitate some ugly shrubs and that seems the easiest way...even though I've never used a chainsaw. (Mom's is a little electric one and I really think I can handle it. We'll see.) As I was ready to leave, Mom went to the basement with me to get the chainsaw and she couldn't find it. I had to run get Cori from my SIL's house. I wasn't 2 miles down the road before Mom call and said she'd found it. I went on to get Cori, planning to return to Mom's immediately after. However, I called and asked if she would eat pizza if we brought it back and she said yes. Cori and I decided to go get Elvis and take him with us. He LOVES my mom and it would give Alli and Boy Wonder a little time off, too. I finally got back to my mom's with Cori, Elvis, and pizza. We ate and talked. Cori helped entertain Elvis when he got cranky. It was a nice evening. Mom gave me chainsaw lessons before we left.

We got home and discovered that Alli and BW had gone to his mom's house. Elvis wanted to watch one of his movies so he did that in Beth's room. Cori watched trash on MTV. I settled in for a few episodes of the Gilmore Girls. It was a nice evening. Alli and BW showed up a little before 9:00 to pick up Elvis and "go ride around a few minutes." I have no clue where they went but they were gone until midnight. Not that I cared. I was tired and went straight to bed.

I'm up this morning waiting to chainsaw. I'm sure the neighbors don't want to hear that noise very early. I'm thinking 10:00 is an appropriate time to saw? I don't have a lot. There are three really ugly, really tall shrubs between my house and a neighbor's. I'm sure they were planted to provide privacy, as her house basically backs up to my pool. They just aren't attractive to look at though. I'm planning to cut them all the way down and have the alcoholic carpenter make some nice privacy screens from lattice to replace them. There is also an overgrown, unattractive shrub in the front yard that serves no purpose. It's coming down, too.

Beth and Cori have some work to do this weekend to pay for their phone service. Beth is choosing to text a lot so she has to earn the money to pay for unlimited texting to be added to her phone. Cori needs minutes for her prepaid cell. They can start by hauling the shrubs I kill to the street for pickup. They also each have a list of other tasks to be accomplished. We are in the homestretch of de-junking the back storage rooms so they can haul the last of that out, too.

It's going to be a busy day around here. I hope we get a lot done and feel better about the house. I also hope all parts of my body are still attached after my great chainsaw attempt!