Prizewinner
8:47 a.m. - 2007-11-15


Saturday was spent on a jaunt to Oakland for the bead show, then to Abby's house with Auntie M and Melissa, out for Thai food (delicious!), and then to the Creative Festival in San Mateo. I was looking to spend my birthday money from Jason and the EGs, and I had in mind a computer program for for drafting sewing patterns. I was not able to find it, and I despaired of ever finding something to spend my present money on. However, on the way home, after inching through Berkeley in the Big Game traffic, we stopped at the Joann's before dropping Auntie M off at Jason's. I was at least able to spend the EG money on a huge grid-covered plastic mat which was on sale for the exact amount of money that the EGs gave me, so it was 'meant to be'. I have been using it on the end of my bed to cut out patterns, and it is great. There is something about the plastic surface that makes it a pleasure to cut things out, perhaps it is the way the scissors slide easily on it.

Sunday was spent on errands. We went to the farmer's market in Almond River. It had rained the night before, but was clear in the morning, giving the fall leaves and brightly-colored fruits and vegetables extra beauty. What a nice morning. I still had a birthday gift card to use up, so we went over to the bookstore to check out the possibilities. And I found the perfect book, another great polymer clay book by Donna Kato! Melissa is going to get serious about setting up an Etsy store for her jewelry, so I need to get busy making pendants and such. So many new techniques to try!

Then the fun part was over and it was time to shop for a new vacuum to replace our poor recently deceased machine. I have been trying to keep the house clean with a small attachment and wand, since the suction still works even though the beater bar is broken, but the charm of that has faded rapidly. We finally found a new vacuum at Sears. I was waiting in the pick-up merchandise area while the spouse was outside pulling the car around to the door, when a man in the store area announced a contest over the PA system. He gave the first question: Which president was responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday? I was standing not five feet from the man so I called over to him, "Abraham Lincoln". A supercilious man walking by said to me in a 'you fool' kind of way, "Franklin Roosevelt!", but the contest man was digging through the prize bag to hand me the prize, and he said "Abraham Lincoln is correct." The supercilious man slunk away in defeat, and I got my lovely prize, a teeny tiny candy bar. I couldn't believe it that I finally won something and it turned out to be so lame. I said "THIS is my prize??" but alas, it was. They should have rethought that because we all have bowls of leftover candy at home so don't need more. I gave my big prize to the spouse to eat.

Now I am busy making Christmas presents and getting ready for the big Thanksgiving food shopping trip.