Gack. Ook. Gyuuuh.

I was at the fabric store yesterday to pick out buttons for Am's new sweater. Yes! It's done, it's adorable, it's too big for her in a good way, & I am inordinately pleased with it. As well, it took less than a month, which is a record for me & sweaters. (All of you speed knitters out there - no, I am not that slow... but I work part time and have a toddler. And I like to sleep. And it's been summer, so I've been dragging myself outside and stuff.)
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Anyways, despite slim button-pickin's, we persevered & found enough buttons. As it was Get Your Home-Ec Supply List day, there was quite a crush of teenagers & their mothers at the till. (I've never seen a father take a kid for Home-Ec Class stuff. I've seen boys taking the class, but no dads along for the ride.) So I found a pattern for a sleeper for Am, then finally got in line.
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And as the line wended towards the till, we went past a pile of interesting looking knits. Fascinating, really. Quite interesting. Missoni, actually, when I checked the info, and on sale. Hmmm. I thought "I'll go home, see if there are any patterns online that tickle my fancy, & maybe go back."
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Can you see where this is going yet?
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(Let me give you a hint: the horror, the horror... )
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I think I've addressed the "What On Earth Were They Thinking?" before, but in a european (ie: Burda) manner. These are all North American. And unfortunate. I was even playing fair & not looking in the Bridal section. (Typically, home of the heinous & horrible.)

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Although I can totally see the unfortunate red number in a wedding party.

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I'm not sure how cold I'd have to be to put on that blue jacket.

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And I'm pretty sure that you couldn't get me into that pantsuit jumper thing, no matter what. I'd rather be naked. I'd look better & be more comfortable.

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Why? Why encourage the pet-dressers? Why? PETA, is this not animal abuse? Pam Anderson, where are you?

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This is perhaps forgivable, as a sports-fan paraphenalia, until you realize that one of those is a two person poncho. A poncho for Siamese twins, perhaps.

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All right, this is charming, & the only reason why I'm not going to renounce McCalls forever.

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I'm going back to my sewing machine now, to mull the awful awful options ou there in the world.

Well. The Eagles Have It.

Yes, we're back from Napa Valley, hale & hearty. And over fed. And wined right up. And I'm trying not to be overmedicated, but the world, it hurts, without my DayQuil. I either found my very own headcold in Napa, or I caught the one that Mom & Am had/is almost done with. Either way, I am sick.

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California was sick too, but in that groovy cool way. And I didn't hear anyone say groovy or sick, or even cool. There was one use of the word gnarly, but it was (properly) in reference to a stand of trees. I think I need to maybe rethink my conception of California. Dude.

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I just reread this post, & I sound spoiled & vacuous & addled. I can live with two of the three being true. It's really nice being spoiled. And the addled, well. I think there's some kind of ratio between how much crap my sinuses are producing & how addled I am. Vacuous is just a temporary sub-set. Oh well, read on, my dears.

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Wait, do I sound confused? It's just the meds wearing off. Let me start over.

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Napa was incredibly, stunningly gorgeous. We didn't see a cloud until the day we were leaving, and it was hot. Hot. 103, 107, 110. And hot. And sunny. Lovely to sit outside - very still - and taste wines. One of the couples on our trip got engaged -hurray for them! - and so, well, it got drunker than the typical wine tasting, where you taste & swish, then dump the rest, but whatevs. The help of a disco nap had me in good shape (mostly) for supper, which featured the Most Amazing Tomato Soup Ever, a great sole, & an adorable lemon dessert. (Imagine a little snowman, made from Meyer lemon sorbet, nestled in a lemon peel, with a little lemon peel hat. Adorable. I feel fine eating things with faces though, so I ate it. Partially. I was pretty damn full by then.)

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The weekend was larely about consumption - sometimes consumption veiled as "experience", but mostly consumption. And it was grand to just wallow in the selfishness of it all, and have two disco naps a day, & then rest afterwards. There was another incredible meal, and a third amazing amazing phenomenal* meal, and some other really good and cool stuff, then there was Target, & Jack In The Box, & Ross Dress for Less, & Trader Joe's. There was the pool by our room, there was the gorgeous night air, there was the incredible fruit selection at the buffet breakfast. There was also the lame duck minivan rental, & the overrated taxi, but the rest? Pure gold.

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It was a very, very great weekend. And unlike almost every other great vacation I've take or had, I didn't take hardly a photo. One of the gals did; she'll copy a cd for us. When that happens, I'll post some. But rest assured, we were fabulous. There must have been paparazzi snapping pics of us, or something.

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I'm back to doing my thing here, I'll try not to wear my dark galsses too much. Particularily because it's overcast as hell.

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*Did you know there is a pork equivalent of Kobe beef? It is f-i-n-e, fine. That meal is going to get a post of its own, I promise.**

**I know, footnotes are usually smaller, but that porkloin, I've never tasted better. Wowza. Yum. Crazy.

Are you excited yet?

Because I sure am. Even as we speak, I should be packing my bags to go to Napa for 5 - count 'em - five days. With my husband. And two other adult couples.

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And no baby...er, toddler. I'm excited about the prospect of Time To Myself, with no need to worry About What Little Hands Are Getting Into, but I'm super going to miss my girl. If this is like my other stints away from her (1 day, 1 night; three days, two nights), I expect that I will thoroughly enjoy my time away, then fall ravenously onto her little pudgy self & eat her up once I'm home.

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The question is - do I wake her up that evening? Because I work Tuesday morning, you know, so I don't see her in the morning... or do I wait until I get home on Tuesday afternoon?????

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Only time will tell...