So we hop the metro and walk around to the correct weekend entrance.  Max signs us in, Dad and I dump our stuff on the x-ray belt and walk through the metal detector.  All is good.  Then it’s Mom’s turn.  She puts her stuff on the x-ray belt and walks through the metal detector…and the guard asks to go through her purse.  Thinking she left some nail clippers or a metal file or something in there, the rest of us just kinda watch the other guard who’s screening the two people behind us who have badges and are armed and notice that Mom has still not been cleared. 

The guard even calls in his supervisor and is pointing out something on the screen.  He’s pulling out two small bags that seem to be in the area identified on the monitor and suddenly Dad and I know what the problem is – Mom’s lipstick collection.  Have you ever actually looked at the shape of a lipstick tube?  It looks surprisingly like rounds for a large gun.  So here’s my mom, with her collection of 30 or so different shades, and here’s this security guard who is now laughing his head off asking “Do you really need all these” (Answer, “Yes, of course!”), and here’s my dad saying “Good thing she cleaned it out last week, she used to have more in there.” 

Parents.  Can’t take ‘em anywhere!

1. When you get out of work early, it is very do-able to make a crumb cake, mini-pumpkin spice cakes, and two pumpkin pies in an evening.
2. I am the biggest sap in the world when it comes to the Thanksgiving Day parade.  Seriously, I get teary-eyed when Santa appears.
3. Not only am I really, really looking forward to watching the parade with BOB next year, but s/he is excited, too, judging from the amount of moving around that went on (either that, or s/he just really likes crumb cake)
4. A stand mixer works sooo much better than a hand mixer when dealing with 5 pounds of whipped potatoes
5. When one has a massage on Friday, one should not move heavy rocks on a Saturday
6. A stop at the outlet mall on the way back from West Virginia realized presents for all of us except Lucius.  But he doesn’t seem to mind so much when offered turkey in exchange
7. Possibly the best part of Thanksgiving is just about here – getting ready for Christmas!!!

This paint job has bothered us for years, so we finally decided that with a baby coming soon and the need to be able to resell in the next year or so we needed to fix the paint job.  And neither of us wanted to take a day to do it ourselves.  So we sent out for professionals.

First, let me say that we know what we like.  We went to the paint store and got lots of samples to make the room more “neutral” – and ended up with almost the same color.  People are going to come over and not even notice, I’m sure. 

Second, Behr prime and paint is awesome.  If you’ve ever painted red before, you know it’s the hardest color to do well (turns out it works best when you have a grey primer underneath it – that would have been useful to know 3.5 years ago when we were on our third coat with the Glidden!).  This stuff goes on nice and even and looks great. 

Third, everyone has an interesting story.  The combo package of John and Tim Clayborne spent the day painting and chatting with Max as he “supervised” the progress.  John, the dad, has been a painter for decades and used to have his own crew of Bolivian expert painters.  Tim has his own heavy metal band, that has toured with one or two relatively big name groups. 

Last, if you have the money, pros are worth it.  It ain’t cheap, but boy does it look good!

Top Story: Cruise called “absolutely deplorable” with overflowing toilets, spoiled food and rotten milk (with a picture of people waiving from the balconies on the boat)

Next story: Blast Rips Pakistan Police Station; 15 dead and more than 100 injured (with a picture of a wounded civilian man in obvious pain getting help walking from another civilian man and a military man.)

I am so thankful that I live here.

Last night we watched The Blind Side.  I’d like to think that were I to have enough money to have a $10,000 sofa in my living room and send both my kids to private school and own two BMWs that I would be the kind of person who would do something like Leigh Ann did, but I’m just not sure I would.  For now, though, at least I have Toys for Tots at Christmas.  Best line of the movie?  “Who’d have thought we’d have a black son before we met a Democrat.”

I got a call yesterday at the baby furniture is in and scheduled a delivery for next weekend.  Yay!  But now we’ll have to do all the stuff we’ve been putting off until the furniture got here.  Crap!  Oh well, it will all have to be done in the next coupld weeks anyway as 33 weeks is just around the corner…

Around 8:45 this morning

What’s your favorite type?

What happens in my office if you miss your deadlines