Party time!

November 15/11.

The "official" celebration for Auntie Ray's 92nd birthday will be at our place tonight.

Age 92 doesn't come around too often!

Guests will include Auntie Ray's son, Kevan, her daughter-in-law, Marilyn, my sister, Carrie, her son, Lee, Carrie's boyfriend, Paul Nodwell, our good friend and extended family member, Mary Spence-Thomas (whom Ray adores), Sam, Kate, Max & me! Should be a great gathering.

Now in the midst of an ongoing, unending clean-up, in an attempt to make the house look presentable for guests!

Went to Chinatown last night (Gerrard Street, just east of Broadview) to pick up menus from Pearl Court,

so we can order food for the bash. (Auntie Ray has always adored Chinese food, but rarely gets to have it).

Dropped a copy of the menu into Kevan & Marilyn's mailbox on the way home, so we can select dishes everyone will like! Pretty soon, I'm going to start work on a fresh fruit salad to accompany the luscious cake Marilyn is bringing!

Meanwhile the rest of Monday was taken up by boring things like laundry, dishes,

grocery shopping and the dreaded changing of the cat litter. (don't know if I can HANDLE all the excitement).

(Just call me Suzy Homemaker)! - NOT!!!!!!!!!

Now I am in hysterics here! Anyone who knows me, knows I am the LEAST domestic woman on the planet. Stepford Wife speaks out here, - "Hmmmm. Let's see now. WHAT should I be doing next? Perhaps preparing a meatloaf for my family?"

I ask you,

where the heck are the Bolton Bros to spice up my life when I NEED them?? Woo hoo!

I have a wonderful friend, (who prefers to remain anonymous when it comes to blogs). For months now, we've spoken several times a day on the phone, very often commiserating about the mucho monotonous, mundane crap we have to work our way through on a day-to-day basis. (you know, the kind of useless, mindless chores,

that just make you want to go Ka-BOOM!!!!!!!!! (and not in a GOOD way) It's AMAZING how much laughter we generate with our own looney lingo! - (I'm tellin' ya, this woman could be a stand-up comic)!

The latest crazy conversations we get into involve Gladys Kravitz,

(nosy neighbour from the original TV series Bewitched)! - originally played by the brilliant Alice Pearce, (who died at age 48 of ovarian cancer back in 1966).

Later, portrayed by the equally hilarious Sandra Gould, (who passed away following heart surgery, just days before her 83rd birthday in 1999).

At any rate, my friend does a bang-on impression of Gladys Kravitz

and leaves wild phone messages that have me in stitches daily, (especially when she yammers on "mundane crap")! Can't bring myself to erase a particularly whacky recent one, in which she went into that pinched, grating Kravitz twang, saying,

"Helloooo! Hellllloo? Guess you're not there. I just got back from checking the clothes on the line and they're frozen solid! My GOODNESS it's getting cold out there. Well, must hurry back inside.

Abner's getting amorous, dear, and I'm in the middle of making ambrosia and mint juleps."

Hysteria ensues each time she calls! Thanks for helping keep my life so upbeat Gladys! You rule!

Thankfully, my own grocery shopping experience was knocked up a notch or 10, as I strolled the cosmetics department, only to hit on THIS!!

Hugh Laurie, my House hero, advertising a new skin product! Right on! Love it!

If I was a guy, this would definitely make me want to buy L'Oreal Vita Lift 5!!! (Hey, might even buy it MYSELF)!

I suffered from lunchbag letdown though, when I discovered the Loblaws shelves devoid of Diet Canada Dry Gingerale. Doh! (it's a MUST at our place)! But things were looking up considerably when I hightailed it over to Price Chopper across the street,

only to discover a goldmine of the stuff! - In fact, a whole houseful!

So, there you go! My "exciting" mundane Monday! The countdown is now underway to party-time Tuesday! Anyone for Canada Dry? ("The champagne of Ginger Ales")? Or, if you'd rather, we have REAL champagne! Cheers and ROCK ON!!