Hello my dears! It's a lovely rainy morning as I write this. I'm sure Callum won't like rain on his last week of summer vacation, but I love the sound of it against the window as the sky grows gradually lighter. We had a really nice weekend this past weekend. A good mix of family time and getting done all the things you need to get done. We met Neel at the pool Friday night. He's had a really stressful go at it at work for the last few weeks (August always turns out this way, it seems.), so it was nice just to toss the football in the water and hang out and figure out what to do for dinner. We picked Greek. Callum had his baseball session on Saturday morning (new bat!) and while he was there, Neel and I snuck out to try a new coffee shop around the corner. Cafe Stella in Norfolk (for my local peeps) doesn't have a web site, but we found it to be delightful. We bought some coffee and a can of beans, and I plan to go back. Might be a nice place to get some work done in the fall. I may not be hip enough, but I can fake it, right?

After baseball, we had some lunch, and bribed Callum to go to the tile shop with us by promising a jaunt to the train store. The tile shop was FUN. We coalesced some decisions for sure and are working on others. I heard words I never thought I'd hear my husband say: "I don't mind spending more money for it to look nice..." And then I dragged him directly to the diamond store. Ah, no. Seriously though, our main question now is white subway tile and a paint color on the wall or colored tile? What think you? I go back and forth. I worry that colored tile might get too dark in the shower/bath stall.

Sunday was a work day. After weeks of lovely company and eating out, it actually felt good to load up my grocery cart with food and staples to make meals for the coming week. And why is it when I decide last minute to rush to the grocery store to beat the rain (and leave the house in shorts, one of Neel's t-shirts, no make-up and hair a mess) that I run into so many people that I know? While I was gone, Neel worked on a little room in our kitchen hallway that we call the "back-back" that's become a junk room. It has some shelves and no door, so it's turned into a cluttered mess. We want to get a door on it, add some more shelves and move our wine rack in there, but the first step was a giant clean out. We got the space cleared yesterday and Neel got in two of the shelves. It already looks loads better, but I can't wait for that door! Callum had a friend sleepover last night and we had make-your-own pizzas and homemade sundaes. The boys put things like banana peppers, black olives, pepperoni and loads of cheese on theirs. Neel and I had olive oil, carmelized onions, cauliflower, prosciutto, and parm. I'm sure they thought it was boring! I wonder when they'll get up?

So what does your week hold? Poor Callum is soaking up every minute and he's understandably nervous about starting Middle School next week. We all are, I think. But enough of that! There's fun to be had! I have one eye on the tropics (it's hitting peak time of hurricane season) and one hand reaching for my swimsuit, hoping for a few more beach days.

And before I let you head out, I hope you'll drop over at Insideology today where I'm so honored to have written a guest post for the lovely Annie. I love her reviews and the way she spins her tales of life in London, so I wanted to tell a little bit about my world. We had lunch Saturday at Doumar's, home of the ice cream cone! How cool is that? Doumar's is an institution in my hometown with a wonderful history, and I hope you'll go check it out.

See you Wednesday, gang.

People. I made a cake. Red Freaking Velvet. This is such a huge deal, I still can't believe it. I'll tell you all about it on Wednesday, if there's enough left to photograph and there probably will be since Neel didn't have any for dessert Sunday night. I am so not a baker, but my dad came into town on Friday and for some reason whenever he comes I want to bake. When my mom comes, I want her to bake. That's different. We almost didn't do it, but Cal loves Red Velvet Cake so we went for it. More later.

So Alfie is here. Did you know he likes to shop? We did our usual "First-Night-of-a-Visit" dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, and then on Saturday morning he and I hit the mall. I may or may not have purchased some Mario Badescu at Nordstroms. Oh, who am I kidding. Of course I did! Also, I like aviator sunglasses on me more than I thought I would but I didn't get any. We have to go back. Callum had a hitting lesson Saturday afternoon that Alfie and I sat in on, and apparently Cal needs a new bat. Next stop, Dick's Sporting Goods. Did I mention that Alfie likes to shop?

Poor Neel has a chapter due that he's primary author on and he's been working all weekend, but he snuck away long enough to come to dinner with us at the Norfolk Chop House. This was a new-to-us restaurant and a newish to Norfolk one. We had a lovely time. Going out to dinner is one of the things our family does best.

We made our growing-famous Beer Butt Chicken for dinner last night, but not before Alfie and I braved miserable traffic and worse music on satellite radio for a quick and futile trip to World Market. Shopping is another thing we do pretty well too. We've been watching a lot of Olympics, and Alfie brought Callum an Olympics game for the Xbox which is awesome. They're breaking all sorts of world records. Oh, and we kept it simple with the potatoes. Olive oil, salt and a little balsamic vinegar. Homegrown potatoes are creamier somehow than store bought. They were heavenly.

Alfie is here for a couple more days, one more than I thought actually, so we're going to have some fun. Hit the beach, make an emergency orthodontist run (snapped wire), a Project Runway marathon, and all manner of more food and drink. What did you guys get up to this weekend? And what's on tap for the week? Oh, and that Number 15 there? Go visit Theresa at InspirationCOOPERATIVE, I got to spend my Monday with her. Talk about an honor! I'm flattered beyond belief.

monday mash up, august 20

monday mash up, august 13