Went to a party

Saturday night was the big costume party. Tom loves it and spends hours, literally hours getting ready. He had gone to the local costume store to get face paint and wig and other accessories. he told me he ran into several people picking up fancy costumes for the evening. I had gone to the thrift store and found a cute little outfit for $6, a blingie slinky rock star outfit in silver. I don't do gory or gross. At the party I was accused of not having a costume, the sparkle dress was almost ordinary for a costume party.

I hid from Tom for most of the day while he stresses over his rig, which consists of a hunch back and pillow under a black hood and cape, under a Santa robe. He puts a pig nose on with a Santa Beard and wig, calling himself the conflicted Santa. He paints his face all freakish and nasty. Thank goodness the costume is so hot and sweaty, I know he will be ditching it at some point during the evening. Under Santa is the pig from Animal Farm. I ignore him, sitting at the bar by myself, until the costumes are ditched, leaving most of the clothes in the coat room. He goes around snorting at everyone and creeping everyone out. He loves being unrecognizable.

Others come in elaborate costumes. Our host and hostess are dressed from the black swan. She looks gorgeous as a ballerina. Her husband has a mask and cape. There is a phantom of the opera and the whole cast of Gilligan's Island, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Maid Marian and Robin Hood, a few clowns, Las Vegas show girls wander the room. Mickey and Minny Mouse make an appearance, Steve Jobs attended from the dead unblemished. A few wall flies hang at the bar with no costumes. They came up just to see the fun. The DJ and his assistant are dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Adams. The music is fun from Thriller to Hotel California.

It is standing room only and the dance floor is packed. Once Tom ditches the freakish attire I can dance with him. We spin and spin until the end of the night. We are one of the last to leave having been one of the first to arrive. We came in after the dinner crowd. Arriving at seven. Tom left the Beaver game before it was over, but the writing was on the wall for that game. He didn't need to torture himself watching it.

One nice thing about dancing the night away is, no hang over. I wasn't sitting drinking too much at the bar. Every time Tom and I got up to dance my drink was cleared away. I was drinking the Patron again. It is a slow sipping drink. I don't think I quite finished any one glass before we would dance again. By the end of the night I was drinking Shirley Temples and coffee. Too much coffee, as I couldn't sleep well once we got home. I should have been exhausted. It was after 1:00 am, when we pulled into the driveway.

My girlfriend came over to help me with the house on Sunday. Tom was home which made it difficult as he was underfoot where we wanted to work, his man cave. I have finally caved in on the furniture and blew my dream budget away buying new furniture, not used. I picked up a black leather couch set; love seat, chair, and couch, with coordinated 10 x 12 foot rug to keep the new furniture from scratching the floors, plus a couple of coordinated rugs for the exterior doors to the room. I pulled two matching credenzas out of the garage, with the help of my girlfriend, which had been left from the previous owners. Tom joked that those old pieces were the most expensive because we had to buy the house to get them.


The boys had just brought up the futon from the basement on Saturday. I had the boys switch the futon frame with the antique bed frame in the basement. The antique spool bed is probably over two hundred years old. I hadn't had it set up because I wanted it safe, but I need the futon upstairs. Having seen the futon in place in the game room, I realized I need to just get the right furniture for the space, a real couch and chair. Of course Tom wanted a recliner built in to the couch, but not only was that really much more expensive, but they are ugly and heavy, and we are just two women in a mini van.

I remember removing the nasty hide a bed with mice nest, from that room when we first moved in. Those kind of furniture are monstrous heavy. More than I wanted to deal with. One person can sleep on this sofa just fine. We did it when visiting my sister in NY. She had us sleep on her leather couches. It was just right.

The boys had to move the futon again, from the game room to the sitting room facing the kitchen. I called and had them do it before we arrived with the couches. We made two trips to get the couch set home, tying the biggest one to the roof of the minivan, with bungi cords. Tom got the boys to work moving the futon again. I got to miss the running commentary I knew would go with the moving of the futon, having had the boys just bring it up from the basement earlier. None of this furniture is light or easy to maneuver.

We bought sticky backed felt for the bottom of all the furniture to help prevent scratching the floors. For 99 cents, a pack of eight pads can save years of scratched floors, a cheap investment.

I may say that I blew my budget, but I was truly trying to low ball some furniture. Now I have exactly what I wanted, all of it, including rugs, for $1200, which is still much less than what I thought I might have to pay. Tom would still like a poker table. I could bring up the round one from downstairs, temporarily, at least to see how a table would look in the space. With the three piece couch set and the pool table, things are looking good in the man cave. I have to say I think I have an eye and good taste. I bought stuff in a classic style that 15 years from now will still be appropriate. I wont get tired of them, like that perfect little black dress.

The color of course is black for the orange and black theme Tom will eventually create with his accessories. I still have to pick up a futon mattress. One store had them, but I am hoping to get one with a cover I like in a price I like, still looking for the deal.

The weekend was crammed packed again and there is still more to do. I did have a note in my e-mail this morning. I have an interview for a job for the holidays in a week. I am going to see about getting an interview outfit and check out the location. I am all a twitter.