Super

I would love to hit publish on another photo montage depicting an all-star weekend. But my love affair with a pair of Magic Erasers on Saturday afternoon and the war I waged on Peter's annex closet on Sunday morning weren't nearly as photogenic as a party on the Potomac or a blushing bride.

But just as I thought our home improvement themed weekend, spent under house arrest, applying an absolute resolution toward getting our home into a clean, organized, working order, wasn't going to produce a single photo friendly moment, there was a glimmer of glamor.

Say, when the meatballs were served.  

Or when I figured out what to do with the niche in the entry way. 

 

Or better yet, when my no rest for the weary Cubs fan who just wanted to watch the bottom on the ninth and finish his beer mantra, paid off with the look of utter excitement and astonishment at our house from the sensational, celebrational, super Grandma Shirley, our guest of honor on Sunday evening.

Super Grandma Shirley, SGS for short, is Peter's grandmother. Now, I remember Mrs. Lauer telling me not to use words like 'super' when writing English papers. That there were better descriptors. But I believe 'super' is the only word to describe Shirley. It encapsulates her contagious zest for life; her enthusiasm for family, friends and the social events that bring them together; her ability to do yoga every morning and hop into the captain's seat of a boat better than I can; her classic style, perfect posture and impeccable manners; and above all, her warm smile and laughter that lights up a room.  

SGS returned from Florida this weekend, and without being here for the purchase and move-in, I knew a welcome to our house, a little sneak peak before every last piece of furniture has arrived, and a dinner party would be appreciated. 

So around 5:30 PM yesterday evening, when there were no boxes on the first floor, Burton Morris was on the wall instead of the ground, Louis Armstrong was trumpeting in the background, the table was set, the menu, selected - a little something to take SGS back to Paris where she and her husband used to vacation, Peggy, Jan and Shirley arrived.  

With yellow tulips, making the dining room look a little more like the bistro I was trying to create. 

Dinner was roasted pommes de terre, steamed haricot verts, and seared steak au poivre served with a brandy pan sauce. Dessert was David Lebovitz' via Dori Greenspan's French apple cake.

 

And the wine was a 2007 Fort Ross Pinot Noir Reserve.

The pain in my shoulders, back, legs and feet, from dusting, scrubbing, lifting, hanging, and doing my last long runs before the Marathon, quickly subsided when everyone gathered around the dinner table on Sunday evening. The weekend was super, just like that.

Despite the chores, errands, and to dos that need to get done on any given weekend, you can always make it an all star one, by inviting someone super to join you.

Lo.