Lazy Monday . . . Sort Of

Mondays are my only real days off. I mean, technically, I have Sundays, too, but I'm usually doing Praise Team or Toddler Nursery at church. If I'm doing Praise Team, I actually have to get up earlier than on a general work day! But anyway, back to Mondays.

Today was a beautiful day, weather-wise. My sister, Rachel, decided to bring my niece, Ella, over for a walk. I decided to go ahead and have her for lunch and made a repeat of the salad I made on Saturday evening, but used Cajun chicken instead of shrimp. Both versions are excellent, but I have to say I liked the chicken better. Also: Thank God for the Forman Grill!
I love that thing.

So, after lunch, we went for a nice walk. Ella got to touch trees and old, crunchy fallen leaves. She also seemed pretty interested in the pond. (This is one of the few words I know in sign language, so I was sure to share this with Ella. I'm positive she'll be using it by the time she's eight months old.) She really seemed to be taking everything in, but (far too soon) it was time for her nap.

Ella is seven months old, and beginning to experience a little bit of stranger anxiety. (I think it's fairly evident in this photo!) However, she's starting to warm up to her Auntie Em again. I mean, I'm Auntie Em, galdarnit! Everyone loves Auntie Em. (Although a friend of mine told me I'd have to be wary of twisters!)


Soon after Rachel and Ella headed home, my friend Candie asked if I wanted to join her for a trip to Hobby Lobby. Silly Candie. Of course I did. We took The Bonneville over to Kokomo where I got some yarn and some buttons for my scarflaces (scarf/necklace - purely decorative, not for warmth). Candie is a crafty, crafty person
(http://candiecooper.typepad.com/savvycrafter/), so she spends a lot of time at these places. The difference between the two of us is that she will actually use all of the things she purchased there today! Pictured here is my eco-friendly shopping bag with my clearance yarn and "Grandma's Bag of Buttons".

Side note: When I checked the mail today, I was so tickled to find that my new business cards had arrived! For rationalizations that I have long since forgotten, I really thought I needed these. They will be fun to hand out to new business contacts and new friends, though! The front is pictured below, and on the back is one of my favorite quotes:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it
-The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam