busy Sunday morning
Sunday, Sept. 05, 2004, 1:24 PM

What a busy morning! Spouse got home early last evening, and was wiped after a twelve hour drive from Oklahoma. We ordered a pizza and he went to bed early, after one of my patented stress-relief foot rubs.

I stayed up and finished a beading project--a crossover stitch choker with #11 seed beads in carnation pink for the sides, and clear, a/b finish triangles for the crossovers. it came out well, with an almost geometric effect.

The problem with Spouse going to bed so early was that he was up by five. He was planning on a long walk with the dog, but we got a rainstorm right when he was getting dressed, so they had a rain delay. By then, he had me up, and I went ahead and made my coffee and struggled through the arduous process of reading and answering emails with a busted mouse. W had written to ask about Spouse's health, and I wrote her a long, chatty answer back.

Once they got back from their walk, I jumped in the shower and got dressed to go out, and we went to the diner for breakfast. I had homemade diner french toast, with raspberries instead of syrup. Spouse splurged and had his usual. Not exactly low-sodium diet food, but one breakfast a month is not something I can refuse him.

We knew we needed to get a new mouse and a few other things, and he'd said he wanted to go to Whole Foods, but he decided he really wanted to see the kids, so we called. Their mom was up for it, so we stopped and picked them up, then headed for the brand new Super-Wally's in Lake Geneva.

Niece had a list of things to get for her mom, and we usually let the kids pick a little something out for themselves when we take them shopping, like a cd or a movie. This trip, Niece picked out a nice, inexpensive tackle box to use as a bead box, and a pack of beads shaped like various sports balls. Less than ten bucks, no big deal.

The Nephew decides what he really, really wants is a boombox. So then Niece decides she wants a bookshelf stereo. Well. We managed to steer them to the most reasonably priced choices, and made sure that each had the features they were looking for. It came out to around $30. Each. And Niece got her bead stuff, too.

Spoiled much? Their uncle told them, "All I know is, when I'm dead, you two better be bawling like hell at my funeral." I told them you better miss me when I'm gone, too!

Yes, I know I have issues. I just don't want their mom to think we are in competition with the kids' other aunts and uncles. When I do that kind of thing, it is MY aunts and uncles* I'm competing with. (And clobbering, incidentally.) I decided what kind of Aunt I wanted to be when I was younger than Niece. And that is the kind of Aunt I am. Patient, tolerant, generous, and very involved. The antithesis of what I had.

Well, after we dropped them off, we headed back towards town, and tried to do some meal planning. We stopped at the farmstand and the Italian deli for some stuff, and came on home.

Tonight, I'm making Racheal Ray's Mini-Italian Meatloaves, with penne pasta marinara on the side.

Tomorrow, Spouse is doing a rotisserie pork roast on the grill, and I'm steaming fresh corn-on-the-cob and sauteeing new potatoes. Cold watermelon for dessert. Not too shabby, eh?

When we got home, I put the shopping away, and Spouse installed the new mouse--a Microsoft wired optical jobbie. Pretty spiffy; it is blue and silver and looks good with the HP, and is very precise. I love it. My scooter-pie bought a Texas Hold'em poker game for the computer, and I didn't really buy anything for me except a pack of beads. But I did check out cordless phones, because I want one to replace the old Panasonic in the back hall. I pick that phone up because it's handy, but then I'm stuck in the back hall, which is not so handy. The only thing is, it has to be one that you can mount on the wall. Wally's has a G.E. for $19.88 that would be perfect. I'll probably pick one up in the next month or so.

All of that brings us to right now, and me writing this entry while Spouse gets some mowing done.

So for now, there is nothing more to report, and I am off.

*I'm not talking about Uncle Ron, or about my darling and beloved Great Aunties and Uncles, here. Just those sorry excuses for humanity, Dad's brothers and their wives.