Louisiana Book Festival 2009

Fall is here....festivals, fairs and fun. One of my favorites is the Louisiana Book festival. Full of books, authors, food and food. There are some strange sights and sweet sights, ordinary and too darn cute sights. Here is a sampling of some of the sightings of this year's book fest.

Did you catch the dog in the basket on top of the bike???

Dog Bed Cover

I have been wanting to make a cover for an old dog bed that has been chewed by June and patched. I got to do that this past weekend when we were deluged with rain. It turned out ok and was very easy to do, but I think I could have done without the buttons, because the very first time June laid on it she chewed one off.

Livingston Parish Fair

Husband and I had a ball with our grandkids and children at the annual Fair. We had corn dogs and funnel cake, nachos and of course cotton candy. The kids took a ride real horses. All the lights and action was exciting, not to mention all the neat carnival rides and games. Rain was threatening all evening, but we miraculously missed getting soaked. It was a neat evening and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Miracle Girls’ Birthday

The twins were 3 months premature 3 years ago. They both survived and are thriving today thanks to many prayers and our Good Lord. We had a great time at their 3rd birthday party last Saturday. The girls had lots of friends and family attend. Their dad smoked a pork roast and we had pulled pork sandwiches and delicious baked beans. We had to leave early and didn’t witness the big fiasco with the piñata game. However, we heard about it later….poor Emma accidently hit Audrey in the eye with the stick. All ended well and they had a good haul of loot from their presents.
Happy Birthday Sweet Girls!!!

Labor Day Weekend

Camping in Florida again. This time with my son Kelly and his family. My daughter Emily and her children stayed in a hotel, while we camped in the camper. My husband and I were supposed to get there early Friday to set up camp. Toward the end of our 6 hour drive, I looked at the shadow of the camper on the side of road and saw something flapping on top. I thought it was a tarp Kelly had used to cover a small leak we had on the roof. I mentioned it to Dan and we kept on going. When we arrived at the campground we realized it was the rubber cover on the top of the camper that was flapping and just about shredded 1/3 of the way back. Of course it's not under warranty, so we threw a tarp over it and tried to enjoy the rest of the evening. As we were sitting outside waiting for everyone to arrive, I heard a dripping noise coming from under the camper. I though maybe the air conditioner was dripping or the hose to the camper and I asked Dan why the tire was wet. After a little inspection, he opened the camper door and it was flooded inside. Earlier in the day, Jasper (our 3 yr old grandson) was in the camper and tried to turn the water on in the bathroom sink. Unfortunately he left it on with the stopper in and hence the flood. We drove on over to Wally World and bought some groceries and a shop vac. Back at the campground we sucked up all the water we could and put up groceries. By that time I was exhausted. Then the kids showed up and we went on to have a wonderful weekend....not counting when Catherine (our 5 yr old granddaughter) got lost Sunday night for about 10 minutes. She was found safe and sound and all was well.

We also brought June, our lab, for her 1st camping trip....not sure if she enjoyed it, but I did.

1st day we spent at the beach.

The 2nd day we went to Turkey Creek, a fresh water creek in Niceville that is super cold. The kids loved it.

Supper at Ma-T's

Last weekend Emily kept Kelly & Karen's children so they could have a weekend date. Emily & the kids came over for supper Saturday night and we had red beans and rice and fried chicken. They had to eat in the family room because the dining room table is full of stuff from Dan's mom's house. I think they enjoyed eating at a table by themselves. They got very talkative and giggly as you can see. In a few years they will probably hate me for putting this on the web.

Emily was keeping Steve's & Amanda's girls this weekend and they came over for supper Saturday night. We had meatballs in brown gravy. They all like rice and gravy and ate well.

They love to play dress up with all the costumes I get at garage sales. Here is a video of them all playing together. Excuse the messy house, Dan's mom's stuff hasn't found a home yet. The laundry also needs to be done...but fun things first!

!

Hwy 127 Yard Sale

My husband and I decided on Wednesday to leave Thursday after work and go to the Worlds Longest Yard Sale. It goes from Alabama to Ohio and is held the 1st Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in August each year. We got to the the sale on Friday a little after noon and shopped till about 4:00 that day and shopped Sat & Sun all day. The areas close to the little towns were usually busy with many vendors in one area. There were antiques and lots of tools and yes....even some junk. Most vendors were willing to haggle. Dan got a 40 gal black cast iron jambalaya pot for $135. He was happy about that.

I bought lots of little sewing supplies and buttons and a couple of washboards to hang in my laundry room.
After the yard sale ended on Sunday we continued north to Shipshewana, an Amish community in northern Indiana. I had a good time there shopping and Dan squeezed in a float trip and a little fishing. There was a huge flea market on Tuesday and I spent way too much money. We headed home Wednesday and stopped at another Amish community in Nappanee Indiana where we toured an old Amish house and farm. It was a busy trip, but I had a great time. I might go back again next year.