The Way It Was

We arrived at my mother-in-law's house on Wednesday evening. I've always thought of her home as one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. It was built in 1890 and has had only three owners. First it was a nursery and then it became the home of a doctor. His office was located in what now is the "recreation room". My mother-in-law still has his old x-ray machines and signs.

The front of the house.

The back porch.

The side yard & pond.

The kitchen (check out that awesome sink!)

The dining room.

The living room.

The kitchen on the left, dining room on the right.

Downstairs bathroom.

After eating a nice dinner, Dale and I took a trip to our old ice cream spot, The Cold Cow. Dale got a soft-serve twist in a pretzel cone with rainbow "jimmies" and I got a banana split loaded with all kinds of yummy toppings. I think I'll have gained 10 lbs. by the time we make it back to Missouri.

On Thursday, Dale and I took a trip to my favorite Thrift store in all the world--Red, White, and Blue Thrift.

I could have spent the entire day there. As it was, I only managed to make it through 1/3 of the store. I was able to purchase a black, Gap winter Pea Coat for $7.50 (compared at $130), a Juicy Couture tank top for $5 (compared at $100), a new, tags unremoved, Rampage skirt for $8 (compared at $50), and many other exciting finds. Oh, how I love to thrift shop and Red, White, and Blue is like thrift shop heaven.

Later that day, we had dinner with our wonderful friends...

An old picture from their Facebook page. They have since added another little man to their darling family.

We finally had a decent pizza! Those New Jersey Italians sure know what they're doing!
The kids all played as if they had never been away from each other - and their parents did too. ;-) I think it was close to midnight when we finally left! We had a lot to catch up on. We feel so blessed to call them our friends.

Upstate New York

The first segment of our east coast trip is over and I am left with many wonderful memories, but I miss my loved ones already! We arrived in Hoosick Falls, NY at 11pm on Friday night. We had driven a total of 27 hours between the two days of travel. Overall, it was an uneventful trip except for our two-hour lunch break in Lake Erie, PA. We were able to eat at a cute little restaurant on the Lake. It was a beautiful day and it was my favorite eating ambiance; outdoor seating overlooking a body of water.

 

 On Saturday morning, we enjoyed a leisurely morning with my Aunt Missi, Uncle Greg, cousins; Ethan & Ashley, and my Dad. Oh, how I have missed my Daddy! It was so good to see all of them. Later that day, my beautiful cousin, Elizabeth, (who is more like a little sister) got married. It was a beautiful wedding. We all had a wonderful time celebrating the union of such a special couple. I'll be sure to add pics when they are ready.


Sunday, I was able to spend some time with my grandparents. I was especially thrilled to see my Grandmother because she is the best Grandma in all the world. I only wish I was able to spend more time with her. After they left, Dale, the kids, and my Dad went to the largest Walmart I have ever seen. It was two stories tall! It had an escalator! And not just for people-it had a separate one for carts! The kids and I acted like total hillbillies. I was taking pictures like crazy and the girls had no idea how to get on and off the moving stairs. It was quite comical. Dale and my Dad pretended they didn't know us. Hmmph! It's just proof that he needs to take us out more.

The carts get a ride of their own.

Juliette is thrilled to be riding the "moving stairs".

Not too sure about all of this...

Sweet Summertime

One of the things I love most about our town is being surrounded by an abundance of natural beauty. Today my friend Angie and I took our children to a little place just minutes from where we live.


The girls had a blast playing together...


Juliette is showing off her missing bottom tooth. She just lost it, her first, last night.

Richard and "Livy" (Olivia) got along great today...

Doesn't Richard look like an angel in this picture? Let me assure you, the boy is no angel! Rock throwing, letting beach toys float down the River, walking all over the blankets with sandy feet, taking his shorts off and running around neck-ed on a public beach, throwing dry towels into the river...these were just a few of his many naughty pleasures. It felt like he was being punished every fifteen minutes!

BUT, I am grateful to have a healthy, happy (though extremely disobedient at times) son and overall it was a beautiful day with wonderful friends. We thoroughly enjoyed the majesty of God's creation above......

and below the surface of the water.

Historic St. Charles, Missouri

Last weekend my girlfriends and I visited one of my *new* favorite places in all the world; Missouri's first state capitol, St. Charles. Brick streets & sidewalks, antique lampposts, horse drawn carriage rides, historic buildings, seemingly endless quaint shops, fine dining, a marching band that periodically marches through the street-all of my favorite town characteristics-all in one place. It was a very good day, to say the least.

Our trip began with a McDonald's breakfast at 6am. I got my favorite treat; a cinnamelt and a caramel frappe. We won't talk about the excessive calorie or sugar intake-this was a special day.


We arrived at around 10:30 am., took a good look at our surroundings, and began our shopping adventure...





At 11:30, we enjoyed a beautiful, outdoor lunch at Little Hills Winery.



They seated us right next to the tranquil pond! (It's the little things in life that make me happy.)

The food was delectable, the service exceptional, but the company was by far my favorite part...

We had some live aviary entertainment while we waited for our meal to arrive. A crow helped himself to a patron's unwanted fries...

A tiny bird took full advantage of a giant bird bath opportunity...

We had the most fun in "Thistle and Clover"; a Celtic shop. It was here that we all fell in love with an irresistible Irish man.
He and Angie hit it off right away...

Seconds earlier, she made his hand fall off. Clearly, he was not amused....neither were the shopkeepers.

I never knew a man in a skirt, big fur hat, and purse could look so handsome! Maybe I should have purchased some Irish garb for Dale...

Heidi, you naughty girl!

He brought out Rebecca's wild side...

By this time, Tressa was wondering how she ever got herself into this crazy mess! She seems to be thinking, "Who ARE these woman!?"


My friend Angie and I discovered that we have the same taste....in everything! Our favorite shop was called, "European Accent".

It was here that we bought matching red scarves and set our eyes on the most adorable black, wooden wheelbarrow with wicker basket carrier.

She was able to purchase it for $30 less at a different shop, but here, it was love at first site for both of us. I can't wait to help her decorate her front porch with it!
And finally, we arrived at the little shop I've been dreaming about since discovering it last September....Cobblestone.

It was filled with all sorts of primitive eye candy.

I purchased a plaque I had been searching for for over eight years. It says, "Give us this day our daily bread". I've found the perfect spot for it in my kitchen.

Last but not least, we enjoyed a twenty-five minute horse drawn carriage ride through the town.

This is another thing I can mark off of my list of "Things to do before I die". The horse's large, heavy hooves made a soothing, methodical sound against the brick street. The slate blue, velvet seats were soft and luxuriously plush after a long day of shopping. "Madi" trotted steadily past all the adorable shops, past the scenic Missouri River, past the black, shiny statue of Lewis and Clark, past the old train station, bringing us back to where we started.

I think we counted five separate weddings on our trip around the city. The weather could not have been more perfect for those blessed couples.

Farewell, St. Charles. We hope to visit again very soon!