respite
September 02, 2014

Despite the following lists of things we accomplished, it was actually a relaxing, restorative, rejuvenating weekend. I feel much better--and my house certainly looks much better!

shopping:
Grocery store
Walmart
Sam's Club
Italian deli
Festival. (Festival three time, actually. Once to grocery shop for us, Once so Spouse could get Nephew stocked up, and a trip on Monday to pick up sandwich buns and some odds and ends we'd overlooked on Saturday.)

cleaning:
general de-cluttering of LR & DR
cleaned my bedroom
beds changed & done up fresh
bathroom cleaned
vacuum run
dusting done
kitchen floor swept and mopped
rugs changed and washed
kitchen sink scoured
garbage can cleaned
lots of dishes washed
all the laundry done



yard work: lawn mowed
trimming done
walks & drive blown off
pool pumped off, skimmed, vacuumed & treated


cooking/eating:
On Friday, we decided to try Dickey's Pit BBQ. It was fantastic brisket, but I didn't care for their sauce, or beans, or potato salad. Neither did Spouse. We ate it, but we put Russell's sauce on the meat.

On Saturday morning, we stopped at Panera for coffee and a roll before we headed off to run our errands.

After we got home from shopping, Spouse made a fresh batch of his incomparable marinara sauce, and served 1/4 of it up on Saturday night, with imported penne, Italian sausage, and Calabrese bread (all from the Italian deli). I contributed a tossed salad and a pan of (Ghirardelli mix) brownies.

Sunday morning, Nephew came into town to help with the yard work, so Spouse made us a lovely hot breakfast. The rest of the artisanal bacon from the Madison Farmer's Market, eggs to order, southern-style hash browns, and bakery bread toast. Yummy!

Sunday afternoon, Spouse smoked a pork shoulder that he had rubbed the night before, and made a pot of homemade BBQ sauce, corn muffins, and a small batch of baked beans. Which was lovely, but I would have been happier if he'd happened to include a vegetable. The BBQ itself was phenomenal. And there was enough pulled pork for another meal, which was a bonus.

Monday, Spouse was "played out on the cooking thing", as he put it. So breakfast was raspberry coffee cake from the Festival bakery, and dinner was pulled pork sandwiched with fries and a tossed salad.

relaxation and self-indulgence:

swimming, reading, web-surfing, playing games, fiddling around with my new phone, a self-manicure (OPI "Mauving to Manitoba", from my collection) naps, puppy cuddles, hanging with Nephew, and ignoring texts and calls from my family. (For Spouse, add talking on the phone, because it is something enjoyable and relaxing for him.)