Busy as a birdie?

birdy couple, originally uploaded by roxydynamite.

Operating at warp speed here this week. The Self Portrait Challenge theme of Pop Art intrigued me but the only thing I had time to pop this week was the Aleve. We are STILL working on the house. Hopefully this weekend is the end of it. We have two new furniture pieces being delivered tomorrow by the Habitat for Humanity store. One super long 50's couch for the upstairs room which is shaping up nicely. A 60's modern buffet to fill in the gap in the living room left where the old bookshelves were. All this rearranging could be a full time job.

Work is super hectic now and will continue to be as we've taken on producing a sister paper from our office. Times in the newspaper biz are changing. Many papers are really hurting. We're not doing so bad but a bit of belt tightening is welcome in this climate.
Sweets parents arrive a week from tomorrow. I want to make a good impression. We've met before but this will be their first visit to our home. I want it to be a pleasurable and memorable visit.

To add to the complications, we are having what Sweets and I thought would be a small, intimate engagement party to introduce the two families and close friends. Next thing we know, we're being asked for registries and given lots of advice. Like we need coordinating tablecloths and paper goods, punch, catered food. I am not a newbie at entertaining. Somehow by terming this little shindig an "engagement party" a little primoridal light has gone off in everyone's head and the scene it lights includes centerpieces, punch, gift tables, finger foods. So it has gone abit astray from what we were envisioning but that's okay. We've quickly learned that even though we are told time and time again that getting married is about us. There really are lots of people putting in their two cents about what they think is ideal and proper. Sometimes you have to make other people happy, too.

My mother is now obsessed with cake. She's in charge of the cake for this party. Her idea of the perfect cake is not mine. As we were bickering, I realized she wants this to be special for me. Her idea of special may be slightly different than mine but what is truly special is that for what feels like the first time in my life she has taken an interest in me and wants to help me. So we went to a baker together and compromised. She lost on the fondant. I lost on the whipped cream. We compromised on weather appropriate buttercream. She won on the cake flavor. I won on the fillings. Together we chose the design. Round bottom layer, heart shaped top layer. I insisted on bluebirds of happiness as decorations. She chose yellow and lavender flowers.
We had breakfast afterwards and discussed catering. And disagreed on what to get. We'll have to give it some time. We're not used to getting along all the time. But we're trying.