My Favorite Things

Biltmore, Here We Come!

Hello there!!  

We are officially on vacation (hurray!) and we're heading to Nashville and then to the Biltmore for 3 days, followed by a little road trip around the South for a few days after that.  It's basically going to be a bit of a foodie tour.  What?  You don't plan your vacations around the meals you'll eat when you're there?  Hahaha.  

I've wanted to visit the Biltmore for quite some time now.  I even shared a book I'd read back in October of 2010 that is historical fiction but set at the Biltmore, which made me totally want to go visit and see this 250 room estate for myself!  It was completed in 1895 by George Vanderbilt and is one of the largest homes in America.  Something about it totally reminds me of Downton Abbey now, too, so that's just another reason it intrigues me so much.  Soooo we're heading that way....will be there in a couple days and I can't wait!!

As usual when we travel, I'll be tweeting about our adventures and will of course blog all about our trip as well, when we get home.  Until then, if you'd like to keep up along the way, you can follow me on Twitter or just pop in here at the blog-o to see my tweets over in the right hand side bar.

Also, as usual when we travel, my sweet sister, Gracie, and her husband, Chris, will be staying at our house with our puppy boy.  We're so thankful to have them at home, taking care of Windsor while we're gone.  We know he's in good hands!

Hope you have a fabulous day and we'll chat soon!

Siblings :)

Good morning, Peeps!

So last night was my little(est) sister's graduation party and it also marked the first time that all of my siblings and I have been in the same place at the same time, in a year and a half!  It was kind of a big deal.  :)  So of course, that meant that an impromptu photo session was in order!  (Pardon the bad fluorescent lighting...we were in a church basement.) 

As you can see above, there was a whole lot of laughing going on.  I love those nuts.

From left to right: David (the lone brother...poor guy), Glory (the baby and the graduate), Gracie (the middle child), Me (the oldest) and Diann (the baby mama....as you can see, she's about to be a baby mama again!).

There were multiple cameras taking pics of us all at the same time, which is why -- in no picture -- are we all looking at the same camera at the same time!  Hahaha.

We decided to put our hands on Diann's tummy (which I think made David slightly uncomfortable....lol)....but we couldn't stop laughing.

And the more we laughed, the more Grace (on the left) realized that she'd put her hand right on Diann's belly button.....and that felt sorta gross......which made us laugh even more......which made Diann's belly wiggle.....which sorta grossed Grace out even more!  Hahaha!!  It was a vicious cycle!  LOL.  Like I said, I love those nuts.  Every last one of them.

Mom and Dad finally got in the mix....

And a few other randoms from the evening....

This is me with Miss Ally, my niece, who is now four years old.  FOUR.  Some of you have been reading this blog long enough to remember when she was born!

 

Malachi (age 3) is turning into quite the grown up little boy....he's not a baby any more and he talks a LOT more than he did the last time we saw him.  Cute little monkey.

Ally with her Uncle Dave...

Baby Zoey (who is ONE now!) and Uncle Chris (Gracie's husband).

So yes, this means that next month when Diann has baby number four, she'll have a 4 year old, a 3 year old, a 1 year old and a newborn!!  Crazy town!  LOL.  I can't wait to meet that new little bundle!!  I just wish they lived closer!!!  Wah.  And with my brother living in Nashville now, we just don't get us all together nearly enough.  Last night was soooo much fun.  I love my siblings and I'm so glad we took some pictures to document the mayhem!  Hahaha.  (Special thanks to Bartley for playing photographer for us!)

Wishing you a fun-filled weekend!

Chat soon, Dearies...

Saturdays Are For Fun

Hi-ya!  So Saturdays call for adventures, wouldn't you say?  Outings with the family or road trips to parts unknown, hunting for treasures in antique stores or eating something delicious at a place you can't go to just any old day of the week.  Yes, Saturdays should be reserved for fun, at least once in awhile.  ;)

This Saturday, I thought I'd tell you about our adventures from last Saturday.  It was Mother's Day weekend so we road tripped to see Bart's mama....we picked her up and headed to a teeny-tiny town called Barnes, Kansas, population 140.  People.  140 people.  Haha.  We've been there several times before....this post has lots more pictures.  The main street in Barnes looks like it hasn't changed much in the last 100 years or so....it looks like about the only change happened back when they removed the hitching posts and paved the street!  Ha!

We go to Barnes, Kansas because there's a cute little restaurant and bakery that Bart's mom loves and I must admit I'm secretly a little smitten with it myself.  Mostly, because it's housed in a building that was originally built in 1906 and still has the original tin ceiling in the dining room.  Have I ever told you how much I love original, antique tin ceilings?  :)  That's a picture of it up above.  

The restaurant also has a door handle that's over 100 years old (just like the rest of the building) and has a sign next to it that says to push really hard, the handle's over 100 years old and is a little stubborn!  Haha.

 

I looove the teensy-weensy post office in Barnes.  I'm guessing that, unlike the post offices where I live, this one does NOT come with a 30 minute wait in line!  I want this to be my post office!  lol.

After lunch, we always, always have to head across the street to the antique store, Barnes Mercantile.  It's been called Barnes Mercantile since it was built in 1895!!  1895!!  How crazy is that?!  Turns out though, that this year there were a few changes at Barnes Mercantile.  Firstly was this manure spreader parked out on the sidewalk.  

 

The second change was this little man below.....he greeted us right when we walked in the front door!  

Handsome little fellow, isn't he?  There were obvious changes inside too, in how things were arranged and such.  Plus, the loveliest girl was waiting right inside the door and after greeting us warmly, I couldn't help but ask her about some of the changes I was already noticing.  Turns out, this girl and her husband have bought the Barnes Mercantile since we were there last year.  She smiled and lit up as she told me all about their plans for the building, showed me pictures hanging on the walls, of the building when it was first built, as well as the family that originally owned it.  I told her that when we were there last year, the older lady that owned the building told us all about the track on the ceiling that runs from the back door to the freezer.  The track was there so that back in the day, they could bring in huge hunks of meat, could hook it on the track and slide the meat thru the store and right into the walk-in freezer.  She even opened the old freezer door and let us peek inside.  I was thrilled with that bit of history about the store last year but that was NOTHIN' on what I learned about the building this year!! 

The new owner told me that there is actually an OPERA HOUSE on the second floor of the Barnes, Mercantile!!  An opera house, for pete's sake!  In fact, she said that she wished her husband was there (he was away in a neighboring town, at the moment) because he'd be happy to take us upstairs to see the opera house any time!!!!!  How nice was that?!  (She was in a wheel chair and couldn't take us up herself.)  She said the upstairs is in pretty bad shape at the moment, but they're hoping to get the building added to the national registry of historical buildings at some point, so they can get some funding to help fix it up.  But she said there are two rooms in the front part of the upstairs and one big 'theater' room in the back half of the second floor, complete with a stage in one end of the room.  They'd brought downstairs, the original wooden seating chart....they have it hanging on the wall when you walk in the store.  It has 3 sections of seat numbers with small drilled holes under each seat number and then tiny little pegs to put in the holes as the seats were filled.  Sooo cool.  

It was SO nice to meet a young person with such a passion for the history of that building, a building that I've loved for several years now.  I'm thrilled that she and her husband have bought the place and wish them well in keeping it up and running.  They're actually making it more of a 'mercantile' in one side of the store, selling groceries and such, while the other half of the store is still selling antiques.

So after wandering thru the store and daydreaming about seeing the opera house upstairs, and about what it must have been like to go to a show in the opera house, back in the early 1900's......we finally made a few purchases and headed across the street to another antique store, also new since we were there last.  I took the picture of the printers cabinet above, just because it's so beautiful.  Just look at that hardware!  The upper portion of the cabinet was in pretty bad shape and was missing some drawers, but I still thought this part of it was so gorgeous.

Want a peek at some of the treasures that DID come home with us?  

If you've been reading this blog for very long, then you may have seen my collection of antiqe pink ornaments.  I used to get them out only at Christmas time until I finally realized that seeing these gems makes me so happy, it's a cryin' shame to put them away for most of the year.  That was when I decided to keep them out, in apothecary jars, in the studio so I can look at them all year long.  

I was thrilled to find two more boxes of pink beauties to add to my collection.....and for only $4.95 a box!  I also snagged two kitschy Santa mugs that make me smile.

A vintage table cloth, an antique drawer and a new McCoy vase to add to our collection of McCoy pottery.....

A stack of books, chosen solely for their book cover colors -- perfect for props in photos.  :)

Ahh....the new McCoy is already right at home in the dining room....

And the drawer has already been put to good use in the studio, housing Mister Huey's spray mists.  Though don't be fooled by this picture....a new collection of colors have already been added to this stash, so this drawer is now full to capacity and I'm wishing I'd bought the other one that was there with this one!  Ha.

All in all, it was a really great Saturday.....filled with family, long chats in the car, good down-home style food, and the thrill of the hunt at a couple of antique stores.  I loved it.  

Had any good Saturday adventures yourself lately?

My Parents' Puppies!

So, last Sunday, we drove out to my parents' house....for a couple of reasons, really.  Ally & Malachi (my 4 year old niece and 3 year old nephew) were in town for a few days, for a visit and we wanted to see them.  But we also went to meet my parents' new puppies.  We took Windsor with us so he could play with the kids and so he could meet the puppies too, and so we could watch the puppies playing together and so we could watch the kids playing with the puppies and......well, you get the idea.  We spent two hours in the back yard, wearing them out!!  And by "them", I mean ALL of them......the puppies, the kids....heck, even Bart and I were worn out when we were done!  Haha.  Ohhhh, what fun it was though.  Puppies and kids are just full of wacky antics and you throw a bunch of both together and hilarity ensues!  ;)  

I didn't manage to get a photo of all 3 puppies together, because our giant puppy wasn't the least bit interested in sitting still like these two did!  Stinker.  

 

This is Sophie.  Or Sophers, as I like to call her when I'm snuggling her and smooching her head.  She's a brave little girl.  Windsor is a verrrry big boy compared to these two, and while they were both pretty timid around him, Sophie would get her nerve up and approach Windsor again and again, until he'd look at her and send her running to Bart again, for cover!  Hee.  She's a sweeeeeeet baby who loves to give kisses.  Doesn't she just look like a girl?  A pretty little girl!  

And this is Sebastian.  I love that his ears sort of look like he has crazy bed head.  :)  He's a verrrrry well-behaved little boy who was not too sure about the giant puppy running around in the back yard.  He was definitely a bit scared of Windsor, but got more brave as the afternoon wore on.  He's suuuuper sweet, just like his sister, and was very happy to just sit next to one of us and hang out.  No need to approach the giant scary puppy!  Hahaha.

Meanwhile, Windsor of course, just wanted to PLAYYYY but the little puppies weren't so interested in rough-housing with the big puppy so he had to learn to be the "older" dog, which was something he was definitely not used to.  He's had lots of practice playing with other dogs (and LOVES that more than just about anything!) but he's usually the 'baby' of the group and definitely not usually the dominant dog, at the dog park.  It was fun to see him as the more mature dog around other 'babies'.  He did really well, sweet boy.

Sophie and Sebastian are brother and sister.  They are approximately 4 months old now and their vet suspects that they are Australian Shepherd and Border Collie mixes.  A lady that my parents know was driving down a country road near where this lady lives, and saw a bag on the side of the road.  She got out to investigate and found SIX PUPPIES in the bag, dumped on the side of the road.  Can you even imagine?!  Goodness, I know stuff like that happens all the time, but it is truly heartbreaking to see their sweet little faces, and to get their soft little puppy kisses and imagine what might have happened to them, if God hadn't put that lady in the right place at the right time to find them. 

Anyway, this is the story of how my mother and little sister ended up bringing two puppies home.  Surprise, Dad!  LOL.  (For the record, this wouldn't be the first time my mom has brought home a surprise pet!  Haha.)  

Annnnnyway, aren't they adorable?  

Happy weekend!

Annual Planting Day at the McVey Ranch ;)

I suppose technically, it should be called Planting WEEKEND because it takes more than a day to get it all done.  We've got a good system down now.  We head to the nursery Friday afternoon, as soon as Bart gets home from work.  The nursery is much less crowded on a Friday afternoon, than on Saturday morning.  PLUS, if we get all of our plant shopping out of the way on Friday night, that leaves all day Saturday to dive right into the planting instead of having to shop first and then plant.  AND, we don't have to rush thru the shopping part, which I kind of love.

 

If you've been hanging around here for very long, then you probably know that this is an annual event at our house.  Planting day (weekend) is kind of a big deal around here.  I love, love, love planting day (weekend) and always have to take Laverne, the Nikon, along on our trek to the nursery because who can resist rows and rows of gorgeous flowers all in one place?!

Above is a peek at some of what we brought home.  

Here's what we planted in the back, in all the pots on our deck.  I loooove sitting out on our deck, rocking in my chair, surrounded by gorgeous colors!

In addition to all the flowers we planted, we also planted 8 heirloom tomato plants....some are our favorites from last year that we chose to double up on, and the last three on the list are brand new to us this year.  Here's our list of tomato varieties...

2 Black Krims
Carbon
2 Cherokee Purples
Pineapple
Brandywine
Yellow Brandywine 

And now we begin the hard part.....the 2-3 month wait for those babies to grow til we can eat them!  

While we were planting in the front flower bed, we made a little discovery in the tree that's also in the bed.  See that bird hiney sticking out of that nest?!  It's a robin...or rather, it's a robin's hiney.  

Side note: Don't you think it's interesting that God chose to take a pretty ordinary looking (some might even say, boring) bird and gave it one of the prettiest colors of eggs??  I love that.  Robins' eggs are so pretty.  And don't you remember as a kid, what a treasure it was to find a robins' egg shell on the ground?!  Score!

And now let's talk about this one.....clearly worn out from all of the {insert air quotes} assistance {end air quotes} he gave us throughout the day.  LOL.  He just decided to stretch out in the front yard for a bit....you know, to watch the neighborhood.....make sure he's available, should any of the neighbors want to come and give him some lovin'.  :)

I think I've told you before that he LOVES to have a 'job'.  So sometimes he gets to "be my helper" and carry empty cereal boxes or toilet paper rolls out to the recycling bin for me.  Or he gets to carry a REALLY IMPORTANT piece of {junk} mail back to the house, all the way from the mail box, and deliver it to daddy or mama.  Or as was the case on planting day, I gave him the spade and asked him to carry it from the back yard to the front yard to give it to his daddy.  He was more than happy to help.  ;)

Side note: His head is all wet in the photo above, because he's recently discovered how fun it is to get drinks out of the hose while his daddy is watering!  Hahaha.  He 'bites' at the water as it's coming out of the hose and then shakes his head like crazy, when he gets all wet.  It's actually very entertaining to watch.  LOL.  Unfortunately, most of his head ends up soaked in the process.....but at least he had fun!  

This concludes the annual retelling of our annual planting day (weekend).

Have a goodie!

P.S.  How about a crafty link before I go?  

Two Peas has a special right now, on these darling Amy Tangerine hand-stitched tags -- buy 2, get 1 free -- while supplies last!  

I Believe In Miracles :)

Hellooooooooo there!

Did you think I'd fallen off the planet??  Haha.  I have a story to tell you today.  It's the story of a girl and her laptop.....a laptop named Shirley.  (She's best friends with the camera, who's name is Laverne, because everyone knows that Laverne was the fun one and Shirley was all business.)  :)

So last Friday night, I was working late.....had just edited a SLEW of photos that were for a deadline on Sunday.  Bartley wanted to stay up to watch basketball (how many of you are ready for March Madness to be over? ;) ) so since we were gonna be up for another couple of hours, he decided to make us cappuccinos.  Let me just interject that he makes VERY good cappuccinos.  So he did what he usually does....he made mine first and brought it over to hand it to me.  I was sitting on the love seat with my feet up, laptop on my lap.  Can you see where this story is going???

He handed me my cuppa and walked away and somehow in the seconds that followed, I realized that the big fatty Starbucks mug was FULL and it was HOT and I proceeded to pour it all over my dear MacBook Pro (right into the keyboard, mind you), my iPhone (which was laying on the love seat next to me), a brand new book and every layer of clothing I was wearing.  It wasn't pretty.  I cried.  

Let me see if I can paint this picture for you.  I jumped up and held the laptop by it's corner with one hand (it's a 17", so it's not small!) letting coffee pour out of it all over the love seat while Bartley grabbed the mug out of my hand and ran for towels.  I pulled the power cord out of the computer just as the screen went black.  The entire love seat (all of it) was covered with coffee.  Covered.  Coffee was inside the case on my iPhone.  The pages of my new book were drenched.  I was soaked to the skin. 

With all thoughts of cappuccinos gone out the window for the night, Bartley jumped on his computer to see what we should do about Shirley, the laptop.  After reading awhile, while I alternated between praying and crying, he determined that most people said to stand the laptop up like a tent so that it could drain and dry out for 48 - 72 hours and to, under no circumstances, turn it on until you're sure it's had at least that long to dry out (so you don't further fry anything inside it).

So we 'tented' it.  And we waited.  And we prayed.  All weekend.....waiting....praying.....and then praying some more.  I'm not kidding about this.  There is nothing wrong with buying a new computer but it's not really something you want to have to do in a big fat hurry because you've constantly got deadlines to meet!  Buying a new computer is something you want to be able to plan a bit so that it comes at a convenient time in your schedule.  Let's just say this was not a time when I wanted to buy a new computer!  I had deadlines on Sunday, for Pete's sake, and again on Tuesday.  I have stuff to do!  :)

Meanwhile, we dried off my iPhone as best we could and stood it up on end too, so it could drain, if needed.  I used Bartley's computer to gimp thru getting some assignments turned in over the weekend, which is no small fete since he doesn't have any of the programs I use or any of my files on his computer!  And then on Sunday, I took my brand new book which was soggy all day on Saturday, but had become nice and crunchy by Sunday, and I went outside on the deck and read while Bart stayed inside watching more basketball.  I rocked in the rocker and read and read and read.  I read almost the entire book on Sunday.  All total, I think it only took me a day and a half to get thru.  I'm awfully glad I was still able to read it, because in spite of the crunchy pages that kind of grossed me out to touch (I'm kind of weird about wanting my books to look PERFECT at all times), it was a reaaaaaaaally good story!  You should totally check it out.

Blue Moon Promise by Colleen Coble

My iPhone, as it turns out, seems to be working fine!  The sound is maybe a little softer than it used to be in the earpiece, but other than that, it's working perfectly!  Praise the Lord.  Seriously.  :)

Monday rolled around......the end of the 72 hour wait.  When Bart got home from work, he attempted to take the back off the computer just to check and make sure it was dry inside (which I absolutely could not watch....never take the back off your computer unless you're a computer technician....!  Haha!).  Once he put it back together, he plugged it in and hit the power button and then I heard it.  That glorious 'ping'.......the sound that the machine was in fact, powering on.  When the screen came up and looked normal, I could have cried....again.  He opened some different programs and tried to perform some normal computer tasks and other than some sticky keys, Shirley, the MacBook Pro, seems to be working perfectly normally!!

I firmly believe in miracles.  If you had seen how much coffee was pouring out the side of this computer when I stood up yelling for help, you would believe in miracles too!  To have had coffee literally EVERYWHERE and to have ended up with both my phone AND computer functioning normally is a miracle.  There's no other word for it.

And so, dear friends, that is the story of a girl and her laptop.....and the power of prayer!!  *wink*  To say that I am beyond grateful, would be a gross understatement.  I can't even tell you the relief I felt when this machine turned back on....what a blessing.  One for which I'm extremely thankful.

How're YOU doing?  

P.S.  The photos in today's post have nothing to do with anything but we all know that a post with photos is the best kind of post.  And seriously, just look at that handsome boy's face up there....what's not to love, I ask you? 

Edited to add: Some of you were wondering.....the love seat is leather so it wiped right up.  The rug, somehow came out unscathed....I guess I managed to keep all the liquid over the love seat.  And no, thankfully, I didn't get burned.  It was DEFINITELY super hot, but didn't burn me.  (You guys are so sweet....)

 

Bit of a Catch Up

Hello, dear readers....

Thought I'd pop in with a bit of a catch up as to what's been going on here at the McVey Ranch over the last week or so -- since I haven't been spending much time in the studio getting crafty.  Instead, I've been spending lots of time in the family room with our little patient, as seen above.  Thought you might like to see what I meant, when I said they shaved a huge spot on Windsor's belly/sides for his surgery.  His other side looks the same as this one.  Plus, that shaved spot on his front leg is where his IVs were and he's got another shaved spot on a back leg where he had a pain patch giving him meds thru his skin.  I hope the poor boy's hair grows back in quickly.  He's gonna be kind of chilly walking around the neighborhood as soon as we can resume our daily walks!  You can also see the lovely black duct tape on his cone.  That would be because of the little stinker's attempts to eat the cone.  Thankfully, he's gotten to where he doesn't mess with the tape too much, but in the beginning, he just tried to eat the tape off too.  Silly puppy.  

I'm so thankful for God's perfect timing yet again......it might seem like a hassle to have to deal with all of this post-surgery mess during Christmas/New Years, but honestly it's been a huge blessing because Bart's had the time off from reffing in the evenings, thanks to the Christmas break that schools/universities take.  Him being home in the evenings has been a huge help because we've tried to let Win out of the kennel whenever we can to give him time to stretch out like you see above.  He's done lots of resting just like that, and when he decides that he's ready to jump and play, that's when he's had to go back in the kennel so he doesn't hurt his incision.  

We have a follow up appointment at the hospital with him tomorrow, and I'm hope-hope-hoping that we'll get the all clear and can lift all restrictions but we'll see.  I'm hoping but trying not to get my hopes up.....if you know what I mean.  :)  OH, how I miss sleeping in our BED though!!!  ;)  I'll keep you posted.

We also spent this last weekend with lots more family time.  Since my sister (Diann) and her husband and the littles didn't get to come for Christmas, they came the weekend after so we could celebrate Christmas and watch the littles open their gifts, and then they stayed overnight at my sister's (Grace's) house so we could celebrate my sister's (Glory's) birthday on Sunday.  Did you get all that?  There will be a test at the end of this post.  Haha.

It had been several months since we'd seen the littles so you know we soaked up as much time with them as we could!  That's Ally, above.  Can you believe (those of you that have been hanging around here awhile) that she's about to turn FOUR?!

They posed for pictures while hanging on the bannister.  :)  Malachi....he's about to turn 3.

And this little sweetie-pants......oh my.  This is Zoey and she's gotten soooo big.

There was lots of this going on, on Saturday.  Lots of presents and unwrapping and playing.  

Then, on Sunday they all came over again so we could celebrate this girl's birthday.  This is Glory, my littlest sister.  She's the baby of the family.  Well, until actual babies came along.  But you know what I mean.  :)

There was also lots of swinging on our neighbors' swing set.  We went on Saturday -- literally just walked next door as there isn't a fence between our yard and theirs.  As soon as the littles walked in the door the next day, they asked if we could go to the "park" again.  Hahaha.  

There was also lots of baby snuggling.  As you can see, the infinity scarf I made last week, happens to be a great baby cozy.  :)  Zo-zo fell asleep hanging on to it.  

I also managed to finish this cowl.  I felt very fancy that day.  Hahaha.  All in all, it's been a really great couple of weeks.  I'll let you know what the doctor says at Windsor's apmt. tomorrow.

Oh, and one more mention before I go.....

For all of you Studio Calico fans out there, be sure to check out this new class from Amy Tan!!  This looks like it's gonna be a fun one.

Hope you're all having a great day!  Let's hope Windsor gets the all clear, so I can start working upstairs in the studio again soon -- I've got a Papertrey box that should be arriving later today, that I'll be very excited to bust into!!  ;)

Have a goodie, dearies.

Love, the McVeys

Dearest Readers,

Just wanted to post a note to wish you and yours the merriest of Christmases....from our home to yours.  We've already had the first two of several family get-togethers today and are looking forward to celebrating more in the next few days.  

We'll be nursing Windsor-puppy and snuggling our bug whenever we can and looking at him thru his kennel door the rest of the time, we'll be eating way too much good food and laughing and movie-watching, we'll be exchanging gifts and dreaming of a white Christmas (that won't be here this year), we'll be falling asleep after eating too much food and we'll be watching football, we'll be reading the Christmas story from the Bible and taking time to remember the real reason for celebrating at all, we'll be singing a carol or two and I might even squeeze in a little time sitting next to the kennel while our drugged up puppy sleeps (or doesn't, as the case may be), with one of these....

But most of all, we'll be rejoicing in the birth of our Savior and soaking up every bit of love and joy that we can.  Life is not always easy.  Life is not always neat and clean and tidy and wrapped up with a big fancy bow on top.  But life is sweet and we'll be looking for precious moments to savor with loved ones....and we're wishing the same for you.  It is our greatest wish that you would know the peace and happiness that comes from knowing Who holds the future.  

Know that we're thinking of you and wishing you much happiness, this Christmas and always.

Love,

the McVeys
Dawn, Bart & Windsor 

Happy Thanksgiving

Good morning, Dear Readers....

Just wanted to pop in and wish you a very happy day.  

It's Thanksgiving Day here in the US.  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our blessings....all of the things we're thankful for....and when I think about those blessings, I think about you.  All of you who read my blog, who spend a part of your day with me, who take time to interact with my by leaving comments and sending emails.....I appreciate each of you.  My list of blessings is long and I'm extremely grateful.  

I hope that wherever you are, you have a wonderful day and I hope you'll take time to reflect on the blessings in your own life.  And for all of my US friends, I hope your day is filled with family, gratitude, and lots and lots of cheesy potatoes with that turkey!  Haha.

As for us, we'll be spending the day with family....my side of the family is coming over for a big lunch.  (I should probably go look for some stretchy pants now (I prefer to call them sexy yoga pants)....I have a feeling I might need them shortly after lunch!)  We'll have a very full agenda what with all the eating and napping and movie watching and laughing.  ;)  Wish you could be here as well.  

We'll also still be nursing our pupper, who was neutered on Tuesday.  He had no trouble at all with the surgery.....he's just kind of whiny as he recovers.  Poor baby.

 

I'll leave you with a picture that makes me smile (& sometimes laugh) every time I see it.  Silly puppy.  He used to be able to walk along this step.  As you can see, he won't even be able to sit on it much longer.  We took him to the vet on Saturday for his pre-surgery blood work and he weighed 50 pounds.  When we took him in on Tuesday (just 3 days later) he weighed 53 pounds!  He gained 3 pounds in 3 days!  Crazy!  

 

OH, one other thing.....for those of you that might want to do a little Black Friday shopping, I've got a sale or two to mention.  Two Peas has 20% off all regular price products TODAY thru the 28th, so you don't even have to wait till tomorrow to get started shopping if you'd like!  

The sale also includes those Mister Huey's sprays I've been having so much fun with!

They're also offering free shipping with a $35 purchase for Cyber Monday, as well as a free gift!  See the coupon code in the graphic above!

Also, Studio Calico is having a Black Friday sale.  Click the link to check out the sale items.  Plus, did you know that you can buy Mister Huey's spray mists in collection packs?  Look how pretty they are....

 

Mister Huey's Classic Collection Pack (this one includes my favorite Calico SHINE!)

 

Mister Huey's Autumn Press Collection Pack

Mister Huey's Memoir Collection Pack

Aren't they so pretty lined up like that?  :)

I guess I'd better go for now.....it's almost time for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to come on tv!

Happy Thanksgiving and lots of love from our home to yours,

Louisburg Cider Mill

So a couple of weekends ago, Bartley and I made our annual trek out to the Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg, Kansas.  We love to go out once a year for the atmosphere, some apple cider and cider donuts.  I always take along Laverne, the Nikon, but I also managed to get a few great shots with my iPhone this year.  Here are some photos I snapped from both cameras....starting with an iPhone photo and the Instagram app of the cider barn where they press the apples.  In case you want to follow me on Instagram, my username is dawnsing.

You can buy pumpkins at the cider mill.....

You can also get lots of goodies to eat, either from inside the Country Store, or from the walk up stand outside.  Usually it's a lot more chilly when we're there so hot apple cider is usually just the ticket.  However, this year it was considerably warmer so we opted for some chilled apple cider with our donuts.

The menu board options at the outside walk up stand....

And a peek at a few of the shelves inside the Country Store.....

Here's a shot of our apple cider donuts inside the bag.  I got this shot with my iPhone, shooting inside the bag and I think the white bag served to diffuse the bright sunlight really well.  Who knew?!  

It was a great way to spend a bit of our Saturday afternoon.....sitting on a hay bale, eating cider donuts and drinking chilled apple cider.  I love weekends with my hubs.  Looking forward to this next weekend already, but that's pretty much always the case, right?  ;)  We have an idea about a fun outing for Windsor, if the weather cooperates.  Stay tuned.