Well, hello there! : )

I miss my bloggy friends!  There just aren't enough hours in the day and my need for sleep outweighs my need to blog, I'm afraid.  A bakery will sure wear you out, I tell ya!  ; ) 

I wanted to stop in and wish all of you the merriest of Christmases and a most prosperous 2012!   I miss interacting with all of you, reading your posts and keeping up with what's happening in your lives, so between now and the end of the year I am working on a schedule for myself.  I want to get back to my blog, find the time to write about my day and share my experiences with you.  I want to read about your families, see what new things you're doing in your homes and learn from your amazing insights and experiences. 

We are busy getting ready for the big Christmas weekend and have plans to enjoy the time with our families.  I have so much for which to be grateful, not the least of which are my kids and grandkids!  We'll all be here, along with a few other family members and friends, eating too much good food and opening too many presents and, most of all, enjoying the blessing that is Christmas.  How I LOVE this time of year!  : ) 

God bless each and every one of you and may you have a most joyous Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!  : )  I'll be back soon! 

Miscellany Monday...and it's about time!!!

Yes, I've been gone for too long.  But I tell ya, it's been a crazy few weeks in my little world!
Here's an update on what's happening in the Land of Kelli:

1.)  The Tasty Cupcakery is now up and running and boy oh boy...is it EVER doing well!  Our wonderful friends have helped spread the word and we are in awe of the way things are going.  It is AMAZING.  Already she has outgrown the space she's renting and at this rate she'll be looking for new digs in less than a year.  The sandwiches, soups, and certainly the sweets, are so good that people just keep coming back for more!  She hasn't even started week 2 yet and already she has catered a business luncheon, received several large orders for cupcakes, is doing a wedding cake and cupcake tower, and just doing her best to keep up with it all!  : )

2.)  Of course there was plenty of work to be done before the shop could open, so all of us chipped in and worked our little tails off until the place was ready for business.  I made two of these valances and I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out:

The space is small but it sure looks sharp with the colors and designs Brie chose.  : )

And of course we had to build an entire kitchen.  The room was just an empty space when we started and we had to be really creative in working with the layout, placement of sinks, etc. based on the plumbing and electrical locations.  I don't have a pic of the kitchen or I'd share it with you.  It works....for now.  ; )

3.)  Perri is now playing fall softball with the girls on her high school team and we're spending every Sunday afternoon in Buffalo, a town about 30-40 minutes from us, for tournaments.  I'm glad she's getting this opportunity to improve her skills so she's ready for the high school level of play when softball season rolls around in the spring.

4.)  Brie and I had our girls' night out last night.  Haven't done anything like that our midnight movie adventure last fall.  : )  This time it was to see Colbie Caillat (click the link and sit through a very short advertisement to see her latest video single) and it was AMAZING.  The Clay Center in Charleston, WV provides a wonderful and intimate venue for a concert.  We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Andy Grammer (click on this link to see the video of my FAVORITE song he performed last night) was opening for her...even though we really didn't know who he was.  ; )  The dude walked out on the stage, said "Hi!  I'm Andy" and started singing and we were totally blown away!  And he is not just a singer but an entertainer.  He had the audience pretty much wrapped around his little finger.  I was so impressed that I came home and bought his album on iTunes.  And I just know it will be on 'repeat' quite often.  ; )

I am so glad that this was what Brienne got as her FIRST EVER CONCERT EXPERIENCE!  : )

5.)  Brie and I made apple butter at a fundraiser for a local fire department on Saturday.  That is an ALL DAY job, ya know.  And after the week Brie had with the shop just opening and everything, I think this officially exhausted her.  ; )  PURE CRAZINESS...that's what life has been these past few weeks.

6.)  And that just about sums it all up.  Lots of bakery time, delivery time, time with the grandbabies, etc.  It's been crazy and I've barely had time to think, let alone blog.  But I have definitely missed you folks!  I'm going to try to carve out a little more time for myself so I can post a little more regularly.  It's all about routine, I know.  Just gotta work it in.  ; ) 

A Bee-autiful Weekend for Some Honey

This past weekend was a-buzz with activity. 
There were bee beards, beehives

and honey products out the wazoo. 
We were bee-yond excited to take part in the 

31st anniversary of the West Virginia State Honey Festival. 

(Okay...enough bad puns already.)

Before Brie was able to find a location for her cupcakery,

she had booked a couple of fairs/festivals where she could set up to sell.

She has decided to not set up at the one later this month
because it will mean closing the store for two days
and it is less than two weeks after she opens.

But I'm so glad she decided to go ahead and do the Honey Festival!

We had gorgeous weather, sold lots of stuff,
and met some really nice folks.  : )

I snapped a pic of our tables so you can see some of Brie's handiwork.  

The small containers are homemade marshmallows
and next to them are the honeybun cupcakes.  

YUMMY!

 These are my pepperoni rolls, with and without cheese. 

 Starting at the bottom:  pineapple upside down, strawberry rhubarb, black forest,

s'mores, peanut butter and chocolate, pancakes and bacon.

 Some of my faves...the strawberry rhubarb is killer!

 She had to bake several dozen more on Saturday night after we returned home from the festival.

The peanut butter-chocolate, honeybun and white wedding cake disappeared quickly!

And I'm pleased to say that I had to bake more pepperoni rolls, too!  

It was nice having customers return on Sunday before we closed 

because they had tried them on Saturday and wanted more.  : )

It was definitely a crazy/busy weekend and I missed my kids,

but it was also a good weekend and helped us get an idea of

which items need to be more heavily stocked.  

Grand opening is less than 2 weeks away!  : )

5QF

I'm hookin' up with MamaM for Five Question Friday.  It's always a good time so why not join in?  Just click here and link up.  The rules are simple and you never know...you just might make some new friends!  ; )

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?

Ummmm.....let me think......NO!!! I haven't BEEN ANYWHERE to make any purchases this week!  Being a bit of a homebody lately. 

2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

My dream concert was The Eagles and thanks to The Hubster, I got to see them!  He paid WAY TOO MUCH for the tickets when they came to town and I have to say, it was worth EVERY.  SINGLE.  PENNY.  ; )

If I need to choose one that I still haven't seen, I think I'd have to say either Billy Joel or Elton John.  I've had a love affair with Billy's 52nd Street album since it was released back in....oh my.  1978.  SERIOUSLY???  1978???  

Okay, I feel old now. 

3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?

I hate scrubbing toilets.  YUCK.  But seriously, most favorite chore?  Is there really a favorite chore?  I guess I have to say I don't mind laundry too much.  Especially since my laundry room is now a sunny yellow and I have my super fantastic new washer and dryer.  : )

4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?

Right now I'd have to say new appliances.  Not because I don't like the ones I have!  I really do.  I love my double wall ovens and my five burner gas cooktop.  They make me happy.  : )  But I'd love to have a commercial kitchen.  I'm green with envy when I see Pioneer Woman's 'lodge'.  Oh, to have that at my fingertips!  The stuff that dreams are made of.  

5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?

Two words for ya: 

KRAFT MAYO

'Nuff said.  ; )

How DO YOU do it? A Plea for Tips, Tricks and Ideas

Okay.  

It's that time of year again.

School is back in session and so are all the after school practices,

football games (they start this Friday night),

homework time,

LOTS of routine.

So many things to keep track of, get scheduled, etc.

So, I bought a BIG dry erase, one-month calendar page

that will stick to the fridge.

The spaces are large enough to write in everything we have to do,

everywhere we have to be.

I hope.

Anyway, I'm working on getting that filled in 

and I'm also getting back to my meal planning 

and putting to good use my meal strategies 

that make my life a little easier.

I always try to keep 1 lb. pkgs. of browned, crumbled 

ground beef in the freezer for quick meal fixes,

and the same with Italian sausage.  

It makes it so easy to whip up a fast dinner.

But right now I need to stock up on...

well, pretty much

EVERYTHING!

So, all you busy moms out there,

share your secrets with me!

What is it that you do to keep it all 

running smoothly during those busy times?

Also, I have another issue I'm attempting to tackle.

Tucker has always carried a lunch from home

more often than he's eaten hot lunch at school.

Between his food allergies, texture issues 

and just plain and simple picky-ness, 

it's always been easier to assure that he had enough to eat

by packing his lunch.
Some days I just wanna say:

But now, with dietary guidelines being enforced,

school lunches have gotten so bad that even Perri

is packed most of the time.  

Let me tell you,

if Perri won't eat it...it's pretty bad.

So I'm packing a LOT of lunches these days 

and I'm really sick of packing the same ol' things.

This is me most days:

 See the confusion?

Is there anything unusual that you pack for your kids?

Any ideas you'd be willing to share?

Breakfast ideas are most welcome, too,

I'm currently on the lookout for recipes for nutritious 

but tasty muffins, breakfast bars, and any dishes

that could be made ahead of time to serve them before they

leave for school.  If they can hold it in their hands and eat it on the run,

so much the better!  Some of our mornings are rushed.

But we also have mornings where there is time to sit down

and eat a good breakfast before we leave the house.

If you've previously posted this sort of thing on your blog,

just leave me a link in the comments! 

If not but you're interested in hearing about the ideas 

I receive from others, let me know.

I think it would be great if we'd all band together

and share what works for us when it comes to 

streamlining our busy mornings

and keeping our kids healthy and well fed.  : )

Weaving Threads

I have something I want to share with you.

Unless you are a relative of mine or you have some 

other connection to my family,

I know this won't mean nearly as much to you as it does to me,

but I feel the need to convey to you the importance of family treasures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It seems I'm feeling quite sentimental here the last few days.

A very dear cousin recently sent me a video of a 

family get-together that took place in 1960, 

five years before my birth.  

I have to tell you.

I bawled like a baby.

It opens with my Daddy, smiling and enjoying his birthday celebration

with all the folks he held most dear.

There are many aunts and uncles, most of them gone now.
Aunt Mayme fussing at Uncle Bob to get the camera away from her
and Aunt Matt running from him.  : )

The almost-five-year-old version of my brother (he was 10 when I was born)

sitting with an ultra thin, oh-so-young version of my Mom.
Lots of cousins dancing and acting silly.

It was a pivotal moment for me, seeing these people in this way.

One of those uncles I don't recall ever meeting.

I'm sure I did as a very young child, perhaps even a toddler.

He and his family moved away and then he died rather unexpectedly

when I was still young.

Until watching this video, he had been merely a handsome face

in a handful of still photos stored in a cardboard box at my Mom's house.

But this video, this treasure, allowed me to see him 

really LIVING.

Laughing, joking with his siblings, having fun.

And most importantly to me, there was my Daddy.

Alive again, looking young and vibrant and happy.

The same with all those aunts and uncles 

who are no longer with us.

It broke my heart...

but in a very good way.

I miss these folks and I wish they were still here.

I wish I could have realized at a much younger age

what a gift it is to have a large and loving extended family.

I wish I had spent more time in their company,

listened more intently to their stories,

paid a little more attention.

It's just a few threads in the fabric of my life.

A snippet of time that I'm sure my Uncle Bob (the man with the camera)

never imagined would mean so much more than 50 years down the road.
But what an impact it has had on me.

I hope that when you watch this

it will make you stop and think.

The next time you have a chance to spend a few minutes

with an aunt or uncle or grandparent...

TAKE IT.

Enjoy it.

Savor it.

REMEMBER IT.

The older I get, the more important

those fond memories become.

When loved ones pass on,

those memories sustain you.

Those little threads we weave create a warm cocoon

which will warm our hearts even in the coldest of winters.

The Picture Door

In my kitchen there is a door.  

It is a plain ol', ordinary door just like all the others.  

It conceals a coat closet that has storage that runs deep under the stairs.  

This door is made of poplar and has hinges and a doorknob and matches all the others in the house.  

There really is nothing special about this particular door,
but I daresay we have a better recorded history of it than any other door on the face of this earth.  

You see, around these parts this door is simply known as 
The Picture Door. 

The beautiful picture quilt my Brie made for me,

photographed in front of The Picture Door.

How appropriate.

 In all the excitement surrounding the engagement ring, 

we nearly left out poor ol' Picture Door!  ; )

(There it is, just behind her thumb.)

Okay, so it didn't start out that way.  We built the house in '98 and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.  And it isn't like we walked through the house trying to find the perfect door in front of which to take  pictures, but doggone it...this door was just handy.  ; )

 Sometimes it's quite by accident, too.  This is from an outdoor birthday party

that ended up at my house due to some really gusty winds.  

Chairs were set up wherever they would fit

and STILL we end up with a shot in front of The Picture Door!

The lighting is usually pretty good there.  The French doors leading onto the deck are directly across the room from The Picture Door, therefore the subjects in front of said door are bathed in natural light. 
Or, if it happens to be dark outside when we're needing to snap a shot, the light over the table is to the right and the lights over my kitchen island are to the left, leaving The Picture Door right there in the middle with no harsh light to ruin the photo.

Well, except for those pesky sidelights on the front door.  

You have to remember to avoid having them in the shot.  A bit much back light at times.

And a bit much glare on the floor.  ; )

BTW, this was Halloween.

We're not just a bunch of weirdos.

PLUS, this door is in the heart of the main floor of our home.  If you are entering or exiting the kitchen/family room area, you will pass this door.  Therefore, if an adorable child is passing through the room he/she won't be able to escape the tortures of you won't miss another photo opportunity, because they're always within easy reach!  You can be grab them and force them to stand and smile encourage a pose right there in the perfect lighting by The Picture Door.

This particular smile is saying "Mom, PLEASE.  Snap it already!"

So you see, it was never planned that this would be the spot for all snapshots taken in this house.  It was, in fact, only pointed out to me in the last few years that we sure had a lot of pictures of the kids taken in that very spot.  And that, my friends, is how this ordinary, unassuming, six-panel hunk of wood became known as The Picture Door. 

Obviously when Brie snapped this one, she didn't pay enough attention.

She almost didn't get the door!  ; )

Now do tell.   Is there a particular spot in your home where it seems you take an awful lot of pictures?*  Flip through that shoebox of photos you haven't gotten around to organizing lovely family album and see if you find a common theme. 

*This question does not apply to those camera wielding goddesses who always post those great, spontaneous shots of their kids.  I am in awe of you.  I bow to you.  I am not nearly so organized or coordinated as to always have my camera in hand, nor do I have the skills.  My pictures pretty much stink, as you can see by the above shots.  ; )

Confession Time

It's a fact.  

I am the world's worst mother.   

It's the kids' first day of school and who forgot to take pictures? 

Ahem....*hand going up*.....that would be ME. 

And no, it isn't just the first day of school.  It's Perri's first day of high school.  

Such a momentous occasion and I, being the forgetful person that I am, forgot to snap pics.  

Sheesh.

How do you picture snapping moms manage?  

I mean, my intentions are wonderful. 

(And yes, I know what they say about good intentions.)  

My photography skills are minimal at best, but I try to remember to grab the ol' point and shoot.  

Then somehow I end up breezing through the occasion, 

just living it and doing what must be done, 

forgetting that I have the perfect tool to capture those moments right there within reach. 

Therefore we got not one single, solitary shot in front of

*The Picture Door.

Sorry, Amanda.  I'll try to do better next time.  ; )

{*The Picture Door is a family joke.  I'll fill you in on that one at a later date.}

Since I didn't think of it until we were on our way to Tucker's school

to wait on the bus to pick up Perri, 

I snapped a couple in the parking lot.

Sad, I know.

I managed to coax a smile out of her before she got out of the car.

She'll probably kill me for this one.  

My long and lanky fourth grader.

 

Yes, he was in a good mood.

He's my morning person.

Perri?

Not so much.

So there we are.  You now know the truth.  

My parenting skills are sadly lacking in some areas. 

My shame is deep.

Now, on with your day.  

And don't forget your camera. 

The Last Day

Today is it.  The last day of my official summer.  Tomorrow the kids go back to school and this household will resume something that resembles a routine.  There are both good and bad aspects of this annual occasion.

The Good:                                                      The Bad:
Up at 6 every morning.                                    Up at 6 every morning.

Structure to the day.                                         A little less structure never
                                                                        killed anybody.  ; )

Kids will be with friends.                                  I'll miss having them at
                                                                       home. 

More time for me to write.                               *No bad side to this!

For now I'm going to leave you with a few of my favorite shots from this summer.  And I'm going to go and enjoy this last day and try to not think about the fact that it is, in fact, the last day of Summer 2011. 

Morning on Myrtle.  

Don't know the person in this shot...I just loved the way the light 

was reaching down through the clouds.  

Beautiful.  

Tucker's first experience with All Stars.  : )  

He was so thrilled to be chosen and had such a good time.

A boy and his fishin' pole.

My Tucker Man does love to go fishin'.

Any day spent in the ballpark is a good day.

Any day spent watching my Yankees is an excellent day!

The peaceful beauty of Amish Country.

Wow.

Planking Perri.

No, I don't get the appeal of it.

No, I don't know why it became THE thing to do.

Yes, I find it slightly amusing.

Her gymnastics muscles sure paid off in this one.

I'm outta here.

I have ONE LAST DAY of summer to enjoy.

A Teasing Visit

She stopped in last night for a brief visit. 

I was a little shocked by her arrival.  I hadn't watched the news

or even read the newspaper recently to hear of her pending arrival,

therefore I was pleasantly surprised.

It felt like an old friend returning home 

after spending far too much time away.

I was afraid that when I opened my eyes this morning

she'd already be gone, 

but she actually decided to stick around for a bit!

It is so unusual for her to visit us in August

but after the summer we've been having,

I am ever so grateful she's here.

Her name?

AUTUMN.

And she's my favorite.  ; )

Last night's low was right around 60* and today we'll not even reach 80*.

I can't begin to tell you how happy this makes me!  : )

The sky is blue, the sun is shining, a gentle breeze is blowing

and all is right with the world.

Well, sort of.

Okay, not all.

But this sure beats the 90+ temps and high humidity we've been battling 

ALL.  SUMMER.  LONG.

I know this is just a tease.

It's far too early for Autumn to stick around

 in all her cool, colorful glory,

but I'm enjoying her visit as much as I possibly can.

I've already been fighting the urge to break out the fall decor

for both the inside and outside of the house.

I LOVE DECORATING FOR FALL!

But I keep reminding myself...

It's only August.

All I can say is

LOOK OUT, SEPTEMBER 1st!  

I sure am ready for you this year.

Uniformity

It's now very real.  My baby girl is starting high school.  Guess I was able to not think about it too much this summer even though I've been busy running her to various high school sports clinics and practices, band camp and practices, etc.  But yesterday it became a glaring reality.  She got the uniform. 

I can't tell you how much this uniform has been discussed in recent weeks.  

Would they have one that would actually fit her?  

Is it going to be as hot to wear as it looks like it will be?  

How uncomfortable will the shoes be?

Yesterday all those questions were answered. 

 (1.  Pretty much.  2.  YES.  3.  Not terribly.) 

Reality has set in...my baby girl is now a high school student.  

I'm so proud of her I could just burst!  : )  Ya see, I was a total bookworm/nerd in high school.  The only things in which I participated were student council, honor society, front office and library assistant, etc.  I am too uncoordinated to be an athlete and I was utterly terrified of making a fool of myself in front of others.  It sure did keep me from having much fun.  And every single day I am grateful that Perri is a confident, outgoing, eager young lady who is not afraid to put herself out there and take chances.  : )  

Just had to share this pic of her in her beautiful new uniform and I promise that 

one of these days I'll snap one of her in FULL uniform.  

You know, including that really cute hat-of-a-thing she gets to wear.  ; )

Miscellany Monday

Gettin' it Together

Or at least trying.  My house.  My schedule.  My family.  And anything else that might be falling apart around here.  ; )  School starts back on 
   and we began our practices this morning.  You know, practicing getting out of bed before 10 or 10:30?  Got them up a little after 8 this morning.  That time will move back a little each day until we make it to six a.m.  *sigh*  I can't believe summer is over and we're back to this.  :(  

The Guest Room is Currently Occupied

My mom is visiting us for a few days.  Tucker is thrilled because that means a new victim  person to play games with him.  One after another after another after another.  Board games, card games, you name it.   That boy is a game playing animal!  He can go for hours at a time without a break, even when his opponents are begging for mercy.  

Gettin' Down to Business

My girl is, anyway.  Brie has started her own bakery business and after only a month it is really taking off!  : )  For those of you on Facebook, you can find her at The Tasty Cupcakery and you may feel free to 'like' her page.  ; )  Her website is currently under construction but as soon as she has it up and running, I'm sure she'll post the address.  Be sure to take a look at the photos of her creations!   Not only does she make beautiful and delicious cupcakes, but she also makes salted caramels, marshmallows, graham crackers, and all sorts of yummy stuff.  One of our faves is when she takes a couple of her graham crackers, sandwiches a homemade marshmallow between them, and then dips the entire thing in chocolate!  Sort of a homemade 'Moon Pie', if you will.  GOOD STUFF.  : )

Here are a couple of shots of the cupcakes she made for a Hello Kitty party this weekend:

She cut out those fondant Kitties freehand...no cookie cutters involved.

Just Peachy

Just wanted to share a pic of my latest kitchen creation.  I've told you all before that I make the ugliest pies known to man.  I just don't have that touch when it comes to making crusts and they never look terribly appetizing. They don't taste bad at all, but they're UGly.   That's with a capital UG.  ; )

Anyway, when I make a pie I like to have fun with it.  I did just that this weekend.  I got a little creative with some pastry and a sharp knife and this is what I ended up with:

I think that's just about all the miscellany I can handle for today.  

Wanna join in the party?

Head on over to Carissa's

and link up!

This is Some Good Stuff

Do you ever read a blog post and just know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was written absolutely, totally and completely from the heart?  I have.  Many times, actually.  Several of my bloggy buddies are just the kind of writers who are so completely open and honest in their writing that you can actually feel their pain, their joy, their sorrow.  I love it when someone's writing grabs my heart and my mind and doesn't let go.  Or perhaps it's that I don't want to let it go.  Either way, it's good stuff.

I sometimes think that my writing is at its best when my heart is hurting the most.  Terrible to think that I have to be in emotional turmoil in order to crank out something worth reading, but that's often the truth of the matter.  In the two years that I've been blogging, I have written only a handful of posts that I consider to be truly decent prose.  The kind that cuts deeply and bares the soul.  Number one on that list is this one.   I wanted, needed and was compelled write that.  Sometimes that's just the way it is.

And then you have someone like Rachel.  It seems that to write something touching and beautiful, Rachel requires only to get out of bed in the morning.  Perhaps not even that.  Perhaps she simply props herself with pillows, pulls out her laptop and proceeds to tap out the amazingly/simply/touchingly honest stories of her life each morning before her 7 children are up and about, ready to begin their days.  I don't know how she does it.  I only know that I love reading how she continues Finding Joy in everything she has and everything she does.

Rachel's post today is about life lessons.  If there had been blogs all those years ago when I started my family and there had been someone like Rachel sharing her words of wisdom, I would like to think that I would have read them, taken them to heart and used the things she had learned through experience to better my own life.  Contrary to what we think when we're young and ready to take on the world, we don't know everything and we don't always even know what's best.  They say you can't learn from another person's mistakes, but I believe we can learn if only we really, truly listen.  As in listen with your heart.

For instance, I wanted desperately to be a great mom.  There was nothing I wanted more...ever.  But I was young and still had a lot of growing up to do, so I definitely made mistakes.  Patience was not my greatest virtue.  I would worry and fret over what I now see as small stuff.  Yes, I thought I knew everything, thought I knew what was best for me and for my family and that no one else could ever truly understand the things we had facing us.  I may have been right and I may have been wrong.  I'll never really know.  But I do know that if back then I could have read Rachel's post from today, it would have definitely touched that place deep in my heart and I would have made these things my goals.  Many years later, after divorce and remarriage, I was given another chance at this thing called motherhood.  I had learned many lessons from that first time around and I'd like to think I'm doing a better job than I did all those years ago.  I do know that I'm trying.  And, every single day, I'm still learning.  Life really is one big classroom.

Do yourself a favor.  Read this post, especially if you have kids still at home.  Or if you are thinking of having kids.  Or if you have no intention of having kids but simply want to read some really good writing.  Print it out.  Hang it on your fridge.  Read it every morning over breakfast.  Share it with your spouse.  Many of these things, I'm happy to say, I had already learned for myself.  There are a couple I'm still working on and I suppose I'm happy to say that, too.  That means I haven't given up hope of being the best I can be.  ; )

Follow Directions Much?

We were in the breakfast area of the hotel Saturday morning

grabbing a bite before we hit the road.

Totally surrounded by families, older couples and 

the occasional sleepy-eyed teen

seeking a waffle and a glass of juice,
we perused the offerings and made our choices.

Needing to warm a cinnamon roll,

I went to the area where the 

microwaves and toasters were located

and that's when I saw it.

I was laughing so The Hubster 

had to come see, too.
And of course it was necessary to 

pull out my phone and snap these pics,

'cause I had to share it with you guys!

Pretty simple instructions, ya know?

This would be WHY:

Really???

WAY TO GO! 

Wanna see?

A Continuation of Yesterday's Post
I put together a couple of collages of the Amish Country pics.
(Click on the collage to enlarge it, then hit your 'Back' button to return.) 

This first one is from some of our shopping.

Yes, we went to a Christmas shop,

Tis the Season.

Christmas in July, ya know!  : )
Christmas makes me happy and I'd even do a Christmas shop in January.

Yeah, I'm one of those people.

I never get sick of Christmas.

Clockwise from top left:

NUTCRACKERS!

I love them.

I think they're beautiful.

I have my own little collection of  them.

A person can never have to many nutcrackers.

I. WANT. THESE.  

; )

A shot from the second floor of the shop.

This is a big ol' round building

and the interior is very dramatic.

All the lights, all the trees, all the glitter and glow.

It's truly spectacular.

Bins and bins of decorations are divided

according to theme.  

Several small rooms all around the perimeter 

of the building cover everything from

traditional to hunting/fishing lodge,

Wizard of Oz to teddy bears,

primitive to modern.

They have EVERYTHING.

The Big Guy himself.  : )
I love me some Santa/Father Christmas/Saint Nicholas.

Whatever name and form of the legend you choose,

he's my homeboy.

Love that guy.  : )

And now, on to some more shots of the hotel.

Lots of shots from lots of perspectives.  

The library just off the lobby.  A lovely, quiet place to 

browse the shelves; a comfy chair to sit and read;

a cozy corner to work a jigsaw puzzle.

The second floor breakfast and sitting area.,

complete with a Baby Grand.

The beautiful, sweeping staircase.

A bright and inviting area with board and card games.

The beautiful flower beds out front.

I can't begin to tell you how beautiful and inviting 

The Carlisle

really is.

*You may remember that last year I did a post regarding the Inn at Amish Door.

We have always stayed there but this trip was rather last-minute and they had no vacancies.

The Carlisle was a wonderful substitute and
I'm sure we'll go back. : )

And a bit more of our shopping excursion.

(Yes, we shopped a whole bunch.  

Is that not one of the reasons you go to Amish Country?)

As I mentioned in a previous post, most places aren't 

wild about you taking pics in their shops.

I managed to sneak a few.  ; )

Do you not LOVE this stuff?

There will be more on that sign in the bottom right pic in a future post.

*If you love any of it enough to want it, just check HERE.

Pretty and Peaceful

This is just the tiniest snippet of the beautiful scenery

I've enjoyed this weekend.

How could a person not be at peace 

with a scene like this laid out before them?

And this sunset sky.

Is it not breathtaking?

The Hubster treated me to a couple of days 

in Ohio Amish Country.

We stayed at The Carlisle at Dutch Valley

and this is the view from our balcony this morning.

When the fog clears, the rolling countryside

seems to go on and on forever.

And in the fog at the top of this shot

I could see something trying to peek through the misty air.

I zoomed in and this is what I saw.

Just beautiful.

And this was our room.

The quilts on the beds were simply beautiful

and the artwork throughout the room was lovely.

Isn't the furniture pretty?

Love this little corner.

I'm not sure why the colors in these pics do not look true 

on my computer screen, but the carpet was a 

very pretty dark shade of green.

Not the ugly pea soup shade that I'm seeing here.  ; )

And the walls were a light sage.  

Very tranquil.

Very tasteful.

The bathroom was SPOTLESS.

That's a must for me.

I detest a nasty hotel bathroom.

The dressing room/closet.

(The closet area was to the left of this scene.)

Notice the mini-fridge under the counter.

LOVE having a mini-fridge in the room.

When you have dinner in the Amish Country, it's extremely difficult

to save room for dessert.  That handy little icebox enabled us to

order fresh, homemade pie to-go.

Midnight snack, ya know?  ; )

I have a ton more pics on my phone that I hope to share with you in the next day or two.

I took a few shots of the rest of this lovely hotel

and snapped several when we were out shopping.

Some places frown upon picture taking when it comes to 

craft or decor items,so I wasn't about to attempt it with my camera.  

Hope the phone shots are okay.

Perri and Tucker left yesterday morning for King's Island and Great Wolf Lodge for the weekend.

Brie, Josh and the boys took them for a little getaway 

before school starts back.

They won't be home until tomorrow evening sometime.  

I hope they're having as good a time as we did.

: )