begonia

I dove into the weekend full force, knowing that a rejuvenatory Monday holiday was in store at the end. Clara and I headed out early on Saturday morning, the promise of a hearty Screen Door breakfast propelling us across the river. We managed to snag a seat inside while we waited and I stared at cute babies while Clara gazed appreciatively at the lazy-cool hipness of most of our fellow diners.

As our wait neared an hour, we were finally called to take a seat in the dining room. We had been considering our menu options while we waited and were soon ready to order. I opted for the heart-healthy biscuits and gravy with a side of cheesy grits. Clara chose an elaborate stack of ingredients than included an English muffin, artichoke hearts, and an egg. A sense of calm pervaded as we dined, despite the busy din of customers and the knowledge that a lot remained to be accomplished that day.

Next, I got to introduce Clara to the affordable joys of SCRAP. Even more fun than digging through buckets of fabric scraps or flipping through boxes of greeting cards is arriving at the cash register and seeing your always-surprisingly-low total pop up on the screen! Where else in the world does this happen? I selected a roll of yellow floral fabric, a small stack of birthday and get well cards, a pretty roll of pale mustard colored thread, and a gorgeous eyeglass case. My grand total? A whopping $1.55. Success!

After a brief detour through downtown (which included me almost driving into oncoming traffic on a one-way street) (oh, and multiple wrong turns in a dark and claustrophobic parking garage), we returned to the burbs. Clara needed to pick up some fabric and notions for a new sewing project and I wanted to stock up on some fun just-because yardage, so we decided on Mill End. I was gladly prepared this time for the onslaught of lovely patterns and bright colors adorning the hundreds of bolts arranged around the store.

I selected four patterned fabrics and some solid back ups, while Clara snagged home décor fabric along with some interestingly shaped and textured buttons in bold, modern shades. Before long, it was time to depart and for me to start preparing for the evening distillery tour that Jesse and I were to embark on!