it's back to pb&j sandwiches, maybe beans & rice

Neighborsmama came into town for an extended weekend trip.

Friday night -- meat packing district restaurant exploration, and seeing the movie Friends with Money. Not as funny as I hoped it would be, and not much of an ending, but excellent set of actresses. Makes you realize how few good mainstream roles there can be for women in their late 30s and 40s.

Saturday -- shopping at H&M for shirts and skirts, random visit to Bloomie's for friend's husband's underwear crisis, and finally to JCrew for shorts -- the most we've ever paid for shorts, but considering that it's the only shop that has the right fit, and that we haven't bought any shorts in years, probably ok to do.

Saturday night - Spicy & Tasty Sichuan restaurant in Flushing. 8 people, a feast, and the meal only came out to $81. I will have to go back and check my notes on what we ate. It was truly amazing. And garlicky, the next morning, could still taste garlic on my tongue.

Sunday - lunch at La Flor with the world's sweetest french toast and bread basket. The sticky bun was the best. Then a visit to Williams & Sonoma for grownup cutlery (time to trash the Ikea stuff) and thank heavens for gift certificate that hadn't expired, and bookcases and other organizational furniture at Container Store. This is where I spent a lot.

And it was worth it...but I'm definitely back to the no-frills budget for the rest of the month.