Hot Pink!

Cheating on the title? I don't think so! Here's my crape myrtle, in full bloom, and this is one HOT pink blossom!

Today was my friend G's birthday, and she's been so busy lately that she had forgotten all about it till I called her last Tuesday to check on her after the earthquake! So we made plans to get together for her birthday, and today was the day. I took her up to the new quilt shop, since I knew she'd not been there and would probably not drive up there on her own. This has become a bit of a tradition with us anyway: I take her shopping on her birthday, let her pick out something she loves, and that's her present.

Then we went to dinner at one of her favorite places, Avanti Cafe in Pasadena. A quick stop by the ol' homestead so she could catch up on the renovations, and that was that! A good day out, fun and celebration.

For your edification, here's our new baby:

Isn't it cute?

And D4 left the "quick start" operating instructions attached, so I don't mess it up!

It is sitting on the runner that matches the dining room rug. I love the new rugs! And funny thing, they look soooo much better freshly vacuumed!

Tonight is the finale of Design Star, which is one of my favorite shows, and I'm going to miss it when it's gone. One of the things I love about the show is that, unlike most reality competition shows, the people on this one are genuinely nice. Case in point: last week, the two finalists had to re-do three rooms each for families that had suffered a lot of damage from Katrina, and were still struggling with empty houses. The two designers got help from the previous two who'd been sent home; when Matt got to pick first, he chose the woman, because he felt his "competition" would benefit from the skills of the carpenter guy! Now really, how great is that? Would have been so easy for him to sabotage her by choosing the carpenter first! No matter who wins, I think they are both winners in my book!