French apartment renovations, Day 675: Happy (absentee) birthday Dio!

Dio is camping so his birthday doesn't really feel like a birthday. He'll be back tomorrow evening so we'll celebrate a bit late. I was able to talk to him briefly this evening. Apparently everyone at the camp was too cold at night. Eric went to a nearby supermarket and bought a few extra blankets. I hope our kids are warmer tonight!

Lots of cleaning and organizing this morning, getting ready for my friend to arrive. Ivy worked on building her cardboard fort.

She had soccer practice mid-day. I ran a few errands during her practice (lightbulbs primarily). She had a friend over in the afternoon and they made several additions to the "Chateau Freeze." It now has windows with handles, skylights, safes, and other fun features.

My friend arrived mid-afternoon. Once she got settled in, showered, and changed, I gave her a tour of the Communist apartment that she'll be staying in starting tomorrow (once the plumber comes for the final hookups). Then we took a walk around the port and enjoyed the perfect spring weather.

I made chicken with mustard cream sauce (French bistro classic, sometimes made with rabbit), green beans, and for dessert fromage blanc topped with my mom's bitter orange marmalade. Mmmm....

After dinner we put light bulbs in the new chandeliers. I bought two different kinds, and we settled on the smart bulbs because we can choose the perfect color as well as dim or brighten the lights. I only bought enough for one chandelier, so tomorrow I'll need to go back and buy more.