Weekend At Home

We haven't spent a lot of weekend time at home the past few weeks, but with no plans for this weekend, we caught up on some yard work, doing some raking and trimming.

 It was a cool and sunny fall weekend - perfect October weather!  The mums and pumpkins are looking really bright.

 Sunday I spent a little time inside making pumpkin spice cookies...they made the house smell so good!

Parrotheads and Glade Top Trail

September and October have been so busy it seems like they have flown by.  Last weekend, we went to a fun Jimmy Buffett themed fundraiser at the Shrine Mosque.  The second band, Cruise Control, was great and we'd really like to see them again.

 On Sunday, we joined some friends for a drive in the woods on the Glade Top Trail.  The leaves were beginning to change, and it was a beautiful day to be outside.

 Views and days like this are why I think October might be my favorite month.

On Course!

Fun Fall Weekend

It was a fun-filled fall weekend!  I took a vacation day on Friday so my mom and I could go to the annual Ozark Craft Fair.  There are fall fairs and festivals almost every weekend in September and October in the area, but this is one of my favorites.  Last year I bought a soy candle in a Mason jar, brought it home, and thought how cute it would look if I peeled off the label.  So I did and it did.  After lighting it, I liked it so much that I wished I had noted the e-mail address or the phone number on the label that was now long gone.  After many searches online and at other craft fairs, I came to accept that I would have to wait until Ozark's fair this year to restock.  I was glad to see the candle people in their regular spot!  Mom and I both bought candles, and I confirmed that I could call the couple who made them if I needed more.  Whew!  It's the little things in life that make me happy!

On Saturday, we looked at a house that is a little bit in the woods, but not too far from town.  It doesn't entirely fulfill our wish for more garage space for David, but we're still a little tempted.  I spent lots of time decorating in my head.  On the bright side, there is no charge for imaginary decorating, and it doesn't make you sore to move imaginary boxes!

On Sunday, we went to Farm Fest at the fairgrounds.  David seemed to enjoy pointing out all the tractors that he would need for the house that we looked at.  The house sits on just under an acre, so I think he must just want to play with tractors. :)

It seems not quite fair that the weekends can fly by so quickly!

Beautiful Fall Weekend

It was a great fall weekend in the Ozarks!  We beat the rain to Silver Dollar City on Saturday afternoon for the Harvest Festival and watched them make cedar shingles using the power from this old tractor.  As the dark clouds gathered, we decided to move on and were the only people on the bus going back to the parking lot.

 On Sunday while David worked on his camp trailer, I went with Christina and Heidi to pick up Christina's new family member.  Our drive took us right by the same pumpkin place where I bought neat pumpkins last year, so we made a detour for these beauties.  I think we could have happily filled the car even more, but we needed to leave room for our new passenger.

 Here she is!  She seems to be leaning toward Molly for her name.  See that tiny pink tongue sticking out?

 She was the best little rider in the car, quite content to hang out in her carrier.  After some towel chewing and playing with a stuffed bear as big as her, she settled down for a nice long snooze.

It was a very fun weekend, but it sure was hard to get up and go to work on Monday!  Guess that is the price we pay.

New Kitchen Rug

I received some money for my birthday and decided that it was time for a new rug for the kitchen.

 I sent this picture to my mom when the rug arrived - it's me, saying, "Just what I wanted!  How did you know!?"

 It is a smaller version of the rug in the living room.  Same color and pattern.  It's much brighter!  I can tell that the living room rug has had some wear, but it still looks good.

It's been almost a year since we got new counters, sink, and faucet in the kitchen.  I still really like them all and wouldn't change a thing!  Thank you, Mom and Dad, for the new rug!

Early Fall Fun

 On the weekend of my birthday, I went to an auction with my parents while David had to work.  I texted David a picture of this very creepy jack-in-the-box.  Don't you think that would frighten a child?  I told David I was bringing it home. ;)

 These pretty peaches came from an orchard about 30 minutes away.  They looked and smelled delicious!  As I spent an hour peeling 8 peaches, I was thankful that I do not have to can food for my family to eat through the winter.  If I can only peel 8 peaches an hour, we'd surely starve.  Instead of canning (because that is not going to happen!) I put the pieces in the freezer to have for a cobbler sometime.

Tis the season for many fall festivals.  We went to a very small one at a local park where they have an 1800's homestead set up.  I thought the light coming in through this old barn was so pretty!

Birthday Month!

September is birthday month at our house.  David and I both have September birthdays, but my birthday this year seemed to go on and on.  I am spoiled!

I woke up on birthday morning to these very cute - and delicious - pirate donuts from David.  Jimmy Buffett sings a song called "A Pirate Looks at Forty" and if you have read the blog a long time, you know that we have had a couple of pirate themed 40th birthday parties for friends and for David's 40th.  This was NOT, I repeat NOT, my 40th birthday, but pirate donuts are fun for any birthday!

The week before my birthday, my Grandmother had taken a tumble and landed on her face.  We were thankful that she didn't break an arm or leg, but she did break her nose and was still pretty bruised a week later.  

 Mom brought the party on the road, so I enjoyed birthday cake with Grandmother and again with my Grandma that day.

 

 I wasn't at work on my birthday, but this fun surprise was waiting when I got back.  A birthday door!  For me! :)  I like it so much that it's still there.

We had a delicious lunch, and a cheesecake that my friend made from scratch. I also received the honor of a crown and magic wand for the day.  You get funny looks walking around like this!

It was an especially good birthday - thank you to all those who made it so!

Camping Close to Home

A few weeks ago, our new-to-us camper made its maiden voyage to a nearby lake for the annual Bass Pro's Outdoor Days.

 I can be a reluctant camper, so David bribed me with these delicious cookies.  Have you had these?  They're delicious!

 This is our new pop-up camper.  It was great!  Riley loved laying on the bed and looking out the window.  It was like dog TV for him.  He was much more calm than in the tent where he can't see anything.

 It was hot hot hot the weekend we camped, so I was very thankful that David brought along our shade.

This isn't our pop-up at it's best, but look how roomy!  David has big plans for making this camper much cooler and off-road capable.  I know he's got lots of pictures of the progress of his project so maybe he'll make a blog post about it.  Pretty please, David? ;)

Water Dog

Every year before they drain the pools, our town hosts a Dog Swim at one of the city pools.  They don't chemically treat the pool on that day, so it's safe for the canines.  

 There were dogs of all shapes and sizes, some in life jackets like Riley.  There were lots of water-loving labs, and the funniest little dachshund swimming around in the middle of the pool.   Most of the dogs just socialized around the perimeter of the pool, but Riley was all about his racquetball and the water.  Other dogs tried to introduce themselves, but he had eyes only for that ball.

We stayed until Riley seemed to be worn out, but I'm not sure he was ready.  He spent the evening sacked out in his favorite chair.

Still Here!

It appears as though I took the summer off from blogging.  Not for lack of material, as we had a great summer.  I just never seem to get around to it.  I enjoy looking back at old posts to see where we've been and what we did, so I'm going to make another attempt at keeping up with the blog.

To get the ball rolling, here's me on the first day of school this year.  January-March, I participated in a Biggest Loser contest with some friends at work.  Our team won!  I kept working at it, and lost a total of 45 pounds since January!  Despite it being the season of all things pumpkin and caramel, I'm working at maintaining new me.  Clothes shopping has suddenly become fun again!

But don't worry...we are still eating really well!  This was the mountain of ribs David made for my Dad's birthday.  We ate all we could hold, then fill leftover bags to go home with Dad and to David's buddies at work.

You're a Grand Old Flag

In St. Charles, the stores all had their patriotic decorations out.  It reminded me to get out my Fourth of July decor after we got home.  

 I just had to bring home this 13 star flag from one of the stores.

 I got this flying Uncle Sam in a flea market a few years ago.

 A few tea stained flags and a couple more Uncle Sams - I made the one on the right out of wooden spools.

And a table square made by my great aunt.  In this spot, I can enjoy it without the kitty laying on it.

Midnight Madness Scavenger Hunt

In February, we attended a scavenger hunt and had a great time.  The same master minds behind that scavenger hunt planned another for June.  This time we wised up and asked Todd to join our team.  Last time, all the clues were posted on poles at the clue location, but this time they made it more challenging.  One of the clues was in the song being played by this guy on the Galloway trail.  We almost missed them since we weren't exactly looking for people!

 The highlight, or low point depending on your perspective, was having to karaoke before getting the next clue.  See how I cleverly removed myself in order to take a picture?  I have never ever done karaoke, and hadn't really planned to.  Thankfully, Todd and David saved us by singing Time Warp from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

 Eventually, we did reach a clue posted on a pole like the first hunt.  This clue asked us to take a picture with an emergency vehicle.

 The EMTs at the nearby ambulance barn were really good sports, even joining in the picture.  Sorry about the blur - we were in a hurry!

 Last time, we came in next to last.  This time, we took THIRD place!  The prize was a very useful package of toilet paper.

 The race ended at a bowling alley, which made me very happy.  I've been wanting to go bowling for a long time.  I wasn't prepared and didn't have on socks, but guess what they sell in a vending machine at the bowling alley - socks! :)

 For a while, I was winning - even beating David.  It didn't last, and I ended up losing badly, but it was a great time!

 Melissa's two brothers-in-laws did a great job of planning the scavenger hunt.  It must have been a lot of work, but I think everyone had fun.

 Check out that form!  I've got to find a way to secretly practice so that maybe I can beat David next time.  Shhhh!

Fair Weather

On the second day of our St. Louis weekend, we headed to World's Fair Donuts to kick off our World's Fair themed day.  

 If you've never been there, you need to know that you're not really there for the donuts.  They're good, but it's the atmosphere that you are really there to see.  It looks like time stopped on the day the shop opened.  It's really a cute place, but not fixed up to look vintage so much as it's just never changed.

 Next we went to Forrest Park to see the World's Fair Pavilion and the World's Fair exhibit at the Missouri History Museum.

 I did not know that Dad's been talking about seeing this for a while now, but I was really glad that we got to go when I found out.  It was an interesting exhibit and we all learned a lot, but I wished there was more "big stuff" to see - like one of the cars from the Observation Wheel (ferris wheel) that held 60 people - per car!

 After our brains were full, it was time to fill our stomachs.  Hodak's had been recommended to us by friends, so we got in line behind many other people to wait for a table.  Despite the long line, we didn't have to wait long before delicious plates of food arrived in front of us.

It was very good...and very filling!  Somehow we made it all the way home without napping.  We had a great weekend in St. Louis - full of fun and good food.  

**Fair Weather is a young adult book by Richard Peck about the Chicago World's Fair