Home again, home again,

Jiggity Jig!

We had a BLAST on vacation. We went to Beaver's Bend State Park in Broken Bow, OK with my parents and my brother and his wife. The park is gorgeous and the small town is so cute! I didn't catch any fish, but S caught 4, and I think that's awesome! Here he is with his last one!

Sweet little rainbow trout!

I'll post pics of the family later this week, my mom and SIL got the best ones, so I'll show you those when I get them. For now, I'll show you the view from our bedroom. Each bedroom in the cabin had it's own personal balcony, and ours looked out into beautiful woods. It rained Sunday and Monday, but only after we had gotten in for the evening, so that was OK . . . in fact, it made for a really lovely evening cuddling on the couch!
We went on a FABULOUS canoe trip (OK, so I didn't like this one as much as last year, but it was fun.) The company that took us has several trips, a 10 mile (all day), a 6 mile (half day), and a 4 mile (3 hours). Last year we did the leisurely 6 mile, with mostly calm waters and little paddling or maneuvering. THIS year we did the 4 mile with rapids and a small waterfall. It was quite stressful for an inexperienced paddler (ME)! Poor S had to calm me down, maneuver, get out and push, maneuver some more, push again, and make small talk with in-laws. He is SUCH a sport! So with all the fast movement, getting stuck, flipping the canoe over, and stress, I didn't get many pics. But I did snap a pic of the van that picked us up. The company is GREAT! We love them so much, we vow to use them every year!
Finally, S and I stopped in a little antique shop in Broken Bow on our way out of town, and I bought a quilt. I want SO BADLY to start an antique quilt collection! Have I told you this? I have 5 generations of family quilts, 2 of which need repairs and restoration. Well, I have vowed that anytime I see an old quilt for a good price, I'm going to pick it up. I saw an old quilt for$35 in the shop and SNAPPED IT UP, without checking it out first.

Now, I knew I should look at it. I looked at the other 3 in the ship, but for $200 a pop, I couldn't afford them (but they were gorgeous). This quilt is UGLY! (In case you couldn't tell). I really don't like it! It's a Double T, a temperance pattern from the 20s, but I'm PRETTY sure it's from the 80's as there are some hot pink and navy blue patterns mixed in (bottom left corner sashing). But the way I look at it, I have an ugly, not so antique, quilt that is worn down. I can use it to practice repairs and restoration on until I'm good enough to mess with the valuable quilts. So anyway, wish me luck!

I'll be back with more pics and some crafty stuff soon, I promise!

See ya!

Preparations

We're going on vacation on FRIDAY! WOO HOO!!!!! We will be in Oklahoma fishing with the fam! We went last year, and had a blast! Can't wait for a little R&R!

With that in mind, we are preparing for the vacation (hence the title) . . . have you noticed it's more work to get ready for vacation and return from vacation than it is on a normal week? I'm so frazzled!

Last weekend we went to El Campo for a buddies' wedding. It was a lot of fun and good to see everyone. We stayed with our good friends and got to see this little man.

Isn't he a heart-breaker? We expected to see several more buddies, including the friends who are suppose to receive the gift I previewed last week, but since they couldn't make it, I guess you'll have to wait another week until the post office can get it to them!

While we were getting ready for the trip Friday night (you know, laundry in the washer and dryer and pie in the oven) our electricity went out for an hour and a half! Basically ruined the pie! It came back on around 9:30 PM, and we had to leave at 7:30 AM, so we came home to a wreck. But for an hour and a half, that wreck looked pretty good . . . see?

So now I'm trying to clean up the house from last week. My mother-in-law is sweet enough to come take care of Ralphie while we're gone . . . but I hate to have her see the house messy. She is one of those women who ALWAYS has a perfectly clean house, no matter what. I don't know how she does it, but I have YET to find a spec of dust in that house! One day, I'm going to learn how to do it, but I just can't seem to crack it. My mom is the same way, and I'm totally jealous!

Finally, I'm gathering things for OK and putting them places I hope I won't forget them. I mean, I love my family and all, but I'm going to need some entertainment! In this pile, you will see 2 small quilts I need to bind, an embroidery project, and a knitting project (some are in bags). I also have 3 books and fishing equipment . . . I mean to relax the H*** outta this weekend!

See ya!

P.S. My best friend is moving back to Texas from Hawaii in November. Screams of excitement are emanating from Richardson . . . can you hear them? Whoop for all the "Monday Night Craft Night" gals being back in the same state :)