This is Fall!

I love this time of year! This is my favorite season. The hot summer is over. It’s getting cooler. There’s a crispness in the air. And the leaves of the trees start turning their gorgeous colors!!

These are the trees in our front yard. This one is on one side of our driveway,

and this one is on the other side of the driveway.

I took these pics a few days ago, but you should see the yard and driveway now. Most of the leaves you see on the trees here are now on the yard and driveway. I think it’s a beautiful sight. This is what Fall is to me. I remember walking through dry leaves on the ground hearing the crunch under my feet. Going Trick or Treating from house to house on Halloween and kicking the leaves that were ankle deep and watching them fly. The colors, oh, the colors! Only God can create such wonderful beauty!

It’s been raining almost non-stop lately. Hubby is anxiously waiting for it to dry out long enough to run the lawn mower over the leaves to mulch them up. But I’m going to enjoy the sights as long as I can.

Arkansas Crafts

It’s been a week since Hubby and I went to Ark. to see all the crafts. We took our computer with us and set it up at the hotel for the two nights we were there. I didn’t even think about getting on the computer and writing all about our days looking at crafts. Sometimes I wonder where my brain is!

We did have a great time inspite of the weather. I guess I shouldn’t be too critical because, even though it was cold, it wasn’t as cold as they were predicting. AND it didn’t rain! That was a big plus especially at War Eagle because it was VERY muddy with all the cars running over the same area of ground. I wish I’d taken a pic of the ground. It was bad, bad! So, yeah, we were surely thankful it didn’t rain.

We left here about 8:30 am on Wed. It took us about two hours to get there. We went directly to Wishing Spring Gallery.  We had a great time looking around on the three floors of the gallery. Of course I bought another piece of pottery. I LOVE pottery and I like to support American-made craftsmen, especially local ones.

From there, we headed on down the road to Spanker Creek. It’s a little area of country by a creek and backed by a large hill with lots and lots of trees. A really beautiful spot for  an arts and crafts festival.

 

There was a little stage set up for entertainment.

 

 With all the rain we’ve had this year, the little creek was running big.

 

The festival is getting bigger and better every year, in my opinion. I think this is their third year, and there were more booths than ever.

 

One booth was making miniature hay bales.

 

There was a train for the kiddies to ride. It was made from 50 gallon barrels. Isn’t it cute?

 

The food was great!

After we left Spanker Creek, we found our hotel room and settled in for the night.

The next morning we got up and headed to War Eagle. I forgot to take the camera, so you’ll just have to trust me that the festival was amazing! I saw a lot of different booths than in years past. The crafts are getting better and nicer than ever before. I’m truly impressed with people’s talents.  We spent all day there, looking, eating, and wading through the mud. I filled my tote bag full of crafts to bring home.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Frisco Mall in Rogers. There, of course, was another small craft show where I bought this cute little ceramic bear.

The next morning was going-home day. We drove back through Belle Vista and stopped at the festival there. I had my camera this time, but I just didn’t get it out and take pics. It was more fun to just stroll and look through all the tents of crafts. Hubby liked this festival the best. It wasn’t as crowded, it was well-organized, all local crafts, clean and easy to get around. It wasn’t as big as War Eagle, but I have to admit, the crafts and fine arts are much nicer than at the other shows.  

We started home by 3 pm and got home by 5:00. It was a wonderful time and fun to get away for awhile, but there’s no place like home. Now I can dream about going again next year!!

Apple Butter Makin’ Days

It was Mt. Vernon’s Apple Butter Makin’ Days this weekend. One of the largest Fall festivals that goes on around here every year. It started Fri. and lasts through Sun. Also, Friday was a special day for Hubby and me. It was our 45th wedding anniversary. I had to work but I got off at 1:00 pm. We decided that we would celebrate the day by going to the Festival. Even though it was the coldest day we’ve had since early Spring, we drove the 30 plus miles to Mt. Vernon.  

It was soooo cold and damp, that I had a hard time enjoying myself.  Just being in the happy crowds of people, smelling the apple butter cooking, watching the kids running around shooting each other with their marshmellow guns, listening to the entertainment and looking at the crafts made the day fun in spite of the cold.

They had a little train ride,

and a horse and buggy ride. I didn’t get a picture of the horse. Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera went dead on me. We were going to ride the horse-drawn buggy, but it was just too cold to wait our turn. 

We got some really good food, a hot cocoa, (which tasted good AND warmed my hands at the same time), and finished up with an apple turnover which was to die for!! I didn’t buy anything, but not because I didn’t see a lot of goodies I would have liked to have. I was just too cold to stop and take the time to pick anything out and pay for it. Hubby and I are going to Ark. for all the craft shows in and around Bentonville this coming Wed.  I sure hope it warms up a little by then.

Friends Forever

Some people you meet in life just seem to “click”  and you remain friends forever. This is true for one of my dearest friends. Her name happens to be the same as mine, we’re the same age, and our birthdays are only two weeks apart. We got married about the same time, had kids about the same time and still live close enough that we can still see each other once in a while.

We started out as neighbors in our first homes together — in a mobile home park. We discovered that we had a lot in common plus the fact that we both LOVE to crochet and craft. We’ve been friends and kept in touch throughout the years. Been through tough times, sad times, happy times, and several moves for both of us. She now lives about three hours from here. It’s hard for us to see each other in person now, but we started a tradition last year that we’ve decided this year we just NEED to keep going.

Last year, we met half-way between our homes in the nice, quiet little town of Mt. Grove, Mo. It’s right off the Interstate so it was easy to find each other. I moved over to her car and we talked and talked. We exchanged birthday gifts and talked some more. Finally, our stomachs started to tell us that we needed to feed them. We drove toward the town and found a wonderful little restaurant that serves a buffet of Oriental foods. Yum! It was so delicious! After we ate, we drove on into town and found a little second-hand shop. (We both LOVE looking through other people’s junk and finding treasures!) All this time, we’re talking non-stop, laughing, catching up with the news, and having a great time just being with each other. AND we came away with a few sacks of goodies we just couldn’t live without!

Well, yesterday was the day we got together again. It was almost a carbon-copy of last year. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful for a little drive in the country. We met at the same place as last year. We talked and talked just like last year. We exchanged gifts, found the same little restaurant, and even sat at the same table as last year! The food was sooooo good! 

After lunch we went looking for the same little thrift shop.

It was still there and just chalked full of goodies to sort through. We had such fun! And left with sacks of  just-can’t-live-without stuff!

We said our good-by’s, but not before we decided that this visit was going to have to be a yearly tradition. I’m already looking forward to next year! Thanks, Barb, for being my friend, forever!

A Good Day

All the years that I’ve been married to my Hubby, we’ve had a standing date to visit Hubby’s folks on the weekend. We lived away from here for about nine years, so that wasn’t possible. But when we moved back, the tradition continued. Sometimes I work on the weekend and I’m not able to go with Hubby. But sometimes I don’t work, so I’m able to go with him.

My In-Laws have been blessed with good health all these years. My FIL has been getting pretty crippled with arthritis, but he still tries to keep going and he never complains. Unfortunately about three years ago, his mother started showing signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Her condition has rapidly been getting worse. She’s been diagnosed at stage 7, which I understand is the last stage.

My FIL insists on keeping her at home. It’s been a difficult road, especially for the daughters, but they’ve managed. It’s very sad to see all of this happening, but my MIL does have some good days. Today was one of those days.

I didn’t have to work today, so I got to go visiting with Hubby today. Hubby’s brother and wife  were there along with his sister that goes over on the weekends to help. MIL seemed very tired when we got there, but they had just finished with their noon meal. In spite of feeling tired, she wanted to get up and go. Where did she want to go? As soon as she was up, she couldn’t remember, but we walked with her through the room until she wanted to sit down again. A minute later, she wanted to go again. This went on for the two and a half  hours that we were there.

We all did a lot of talking, and MIL tried to join in. It wasn’t long until she was “talking” with us and even making a few jokes! We were all amazed at how much “fun” she seemed to be having with all of us there. She was smiling a lot. At one point, Hubby put his hat on her head and she left it on, so I took her picture.

I took another picture of her sitting on the sofa with her daughter. I told her to smile, and she acted silly with me.

We all got quite a kick out of her antics and jokes. It was a good day. It was almost like having her back again. At least for a day.