Saturday at The Pea

Saturday morning, Hugh, Mom, Kristi, and I headed out to Pea Green for the fall edition of Pickin' at the Pea. Longtime readers here know how much Kristi and I enjoy this particular antique market, and, may be interested to note that, at this point, Mom and Hugh are also becoming big fans.

Of course, the Mennonite donuts are always a big draw, so much so that, this year; there was a minimum placed on the number of donuts that each customer could buy. This meant that both Hugh and I had to hit the line just to buy enough to go around for our group. It was worth it.

New to the market this year was homemade sourdough loaves. I didn't purchase one because I have a perfectly good sourdough starter just chillin' in my fridge, so I can bake a loaf whenever I want (the fact that I had completely forgotten said starter in the fridge until I saw the loaves for sale is neither here, nor there).

There we e actually quite a few new vendors at the show, making it the biggest one, yet.And, while I didn't go with the intention of buying anything, I could not pass up several amazing (to me) finds, including two tabletop blow mold candles and a vintage Gurley turkey candle. Gurley candles were a staple in homes when I was a kid, and they take me right back to my childhood.

 

Initially, Hugh was unimpressed.

But then he laid eyes on Kristi's treasures and he realized that it could be so much worse 😂

Prior to Saturday, I would have said that Hugh's favorite part of the show is the donuts, and, while they are still in his top ten reasons; I can now say with confidence that the slow drip coffee and actual bargain hunting have joined  the list. In fact, Hugh engaged his bartering prowess to score a large black and white print for the guest room for less than half of the original asking price. He was quite pleased with himself, I assure you.

Mom didn't make a single purchase, but I think she had fun, regardless. And we certainly enjoyed having her with us.

All in all, it was a great day! Plus, I snagged this antique silver serving dish, which is already serving up a creepy surprise on my Halloween table scape. These are the small things that bring me such joy at The Pea.

I'm kind of weird like that.

Friday Favorites, September 22 Edition

Ok, when I said I was determined to post a Friday Favorites post every week this month, I didn't mean they would be the only posts I write this month, yet, it appears that this is the case. 

All is not lost, I do still have a week left to pull a few out of my ass. We'll see.

In the meanwhile, here are some things that are making me smile this week, including the bouquet that I picked at the flower farm last Sunday. Mom and I were determined to visit the farm one more time before the fields were spent, and I'm happy that we made it happen.

I'm also loving the roses around my porch; they are in their final bloom of the year, and, the final bloom is always my favorite.

Tomorrow, summer ends and autumn begins, which means that I will no longer be displaying my Halloween decorations "too early". This is good news, because I am already 100% decorated inside, and, Hugh is gathering the supplies we need for the outside display. I'm also just about to start burning my favorite Halloween candle; I've purchased this Wicked fragrance from Fragrant Jewels at least seven years, running (maybe more), and it always say's "Halloween" to me.

Boomer Dog is also in the autumn spirit! He's rocking a new bandanna and he has zero regrets.

In addition to being the first day of autumn, tomorrow is also the Man-Cub's 25th birthday, which, simply blows my mind. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was 25? Time flies.

And, my son will forever be a favorite. He and the daughter-in-love are camping this weekend, which means we won't see him on his actual birthday, but we plan on celebrating with him on Sunday.

Tomorrow, Mom, Hugh, Kristi, and I are going to spend the morning at Pickin' at the Pea, which is also one of my favorite things to do, so; there will be plenty of things for me to write about in new posts.

Really.

I swear.

Friday Favorite, September 15th Edition

I'm a day late posting this because, yesterday, I was busy getting my ass kicked by our Barn Dance fundraiser. That is a whole 'nother story for another day. Today, I'm talking about the awesome going away gift that Erin and Kristi gave me. Why did they give me a going away gift, when they are the ones going away, you ask? Because the gift consists of all the things that I will need when I go to visit them, hopefully very soon.

Before I get to the gift, though, I should mention that, technically, only Erin is going away at the moment; Kristi will be staying with us for a while yet, as her spousal visa is still in processing somewhere, in the wonderful world of bureaucracy. Again; story for another day.

The gift bag they gave me is full of awesome stuff, including everything that I will need on the long flight to the UK.

Travel sized product bottles, make-up wipes, an eye mask, and some packages of liquid hydration, as well as the cutest luggage tags and an organizer for my travel documents.

They also included a travel diary, so I can write all about our adventures, an umbrella (because it rains a lot in Wales, in case you hadn't heard), and some stickers that I can use when I scrapbook the trip.

It was all so thoughtful! I can't wait to use it all, hopefully very soon. Thinking about visiting the girls takes the sting out of how much I'm going to miss having them just right up the road.

But only a little bit.

Friday Favorites, September 8th Edition

I said last week that I am determined to post a Friday Favorites every week this month, and look at me! Here again, today! This might just work out.*

Speaking of workouts, one of this week's favorites has to be the fun that we all had at our last golf lesson this past Wednesday. We actually  got to get out on the course, where we played a couple of holes with our instructors. Were we any good? Oh, hell no. Did we have fun? Most definitely! Will I sign my staff (and the Daughter-in-Love, because she is a natural and it's so much fun to watch her grow in this sport) up for another session next season? Abso-freaking-lutely!

Golf season has been fun, but I'm ready to move onto my absolute favorite season; spooky season! Hugh got the memo, because, I came home to this last night...

...some men bring their wives flowers. We call these men amateurs.

As we move into spooky season, we move out of gardening season, which I will miss. There are still plenty of goodies in the garden, of course, and; I won't be doing my final harvest for a while yet, but the end is coming. The tomato haul has been especially good this summer, and I recently roasted a batch and made my own pasta sauce. It was really good, and I think I will make several more batches for the freezer.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my new phone case, as it has become one of my favorite cases of all time.

The pop-socket came from a boutique in New Mexico; I picked it up on my girl's weekend and am thrilled with how well it goes with the case.

So, there ya go!

*The author of this statement urges you not to hold your breath and accepts no responsibility for episodes of unconsciousness should you do so.

You Know It's a Good Party When It Takes an IV to Recover

Two, in fact. Not for me, but for Queen B, who attempted to quell her anxiety about giving her Maid of Honor speech with tequila. I could have told her that was a bad idea, but some lessons just need to be learned the hard way.

Prior to her self-poisoning, Queen B looked absolutely beautiful as she walked the aisle in support of Miss Mia, who, it should be noted, was just about the prettiest bride I've ever seen.

The entire bridal party was gorgeous, in all honesty, and, while I didn't get any pictures of them; the groom and his groomsmen were none too shabby, themselves.

The entire wedding party showed up to, well, party. Hard. In fact, once the official ceremony concluded, they were off and running. Queen B was not alone in her hangover, is what I'm saying.

Hugh and I had a great time, too. We danced more than we have danced in years, and, surprisingly, I am less sore today than I feared I might be.

The only failure of the evening was our failure to get a picture of the three of us together, but, Queen B had already headed to the bridal salon to vomit the contents of her entire body into an empty White Claw box, wrapped in a trash bag. We raised a classy one.

All kidding aside, she really is a remarkable young woman. She's been the Maid of Honor twice this summer, traveling for two bachelorettes, one shower, and two weddings, not to mention the 60th anniversary party that we threw for Oscar and Emily, and a funeral for the uncle of one of her best friends. Oh, and she changed jobs during all of that. She's just about over traveling and is looking forward to spending some time feathering her own nest. Rightfully, so.

We're still incredibly happy that her travels brought her home so much this summer, though; because we're selfish like that. 

Hugh didn't even mind hooking her up to the IV this afternoon; he was just happy that he could put his new EMT skills to use making his baby feel better. Hopefully, it's not something that she needs again anytime soon, but you have to give the kid credit for a most amazing puke and rally at the wedding.

That's my girl.

Friday Favorites, September 1st Edition

It's September, y'all! You know what that means, right? It;s time to start decorating for Halloween!

That's what you were thinking, right? You do that, too, I mean, if you're going to go to all the trouble of hauling fifty totes out of the attic, you might as well enjoy the display for longer than a couple of weeks, amiright? I'm right.

As an aside, that is the speech that I make every year when Hugh gives me the side eye about busting out the skeletons. You would think he would have learned by now, after all, we celebrate thirty years of marriage on Monday, and, I have been slightly Halloween obsessed since the day he met me; this is hardly new territory for him.

Anyhoodle, Happy September! Now, on to this week's favorites (honest to God, I am going to do a Friday favorites post every week this month, even if it kills me).

My garden continues to be my favorite way to decompress from a long day at work. My cucumbers and tomatoes are abundant this year, which has resulted in a lot of cucumber salads (for Hugh), Caprese pasta salads, and bruschetta topping, as well as a batch of goat cheese stuffed jalepeno poppers that were so spicy, our eyes watered. 

Hands down, my favorite tomato variety this year was the Asian Pink Egg variety, which was new to the garden. The fruits are the prettiest shade of pink on the plant, ripening to a ruby red when picked. They taste amazing and have been so easy to grow. I hope the nursery where I purchased the plant will carry them again next spring.

The anticipation of fall always brings out the crafty side in me, and this year has been no exception. My first craft of the season was this floral arrangement. I liked it so much, I made a smaller companion for it (not pictured) and then changed up the florals and made a third one to be used as one of the door prizes at the upcoming Barn Dance fundraiser for Not So New Job (picture coming soon).

That's it for today. I have to head into the office, even though it is Friday and I am technically off. We ended up having to schedule a couple of interviews that require special accommodations, which could only be satisfied today. It's ok, though; we're heading into a long holiday weekend (also a favorite!), so I won't complain.

Happy Labor Day weekend, y'all! And happy month before Halloween!