We went…we saw…we shopped…we laughed…we cried…we had a ball!

Oh, but it was such a wonderful weekend. The weather was perfect! Really…just perfect. Just a little cool, not hot, breeze blowing…perfect. We 3 always have such fun together and this time was no exception.

We pulled out around 4 and headed up toward Atlanta. No major stops along the way. We were too anxious to be there. Found our motel…….but they were NOT expecting us! Can you imagine? I made reservations…and got a confirmation (so I thought). But, obviously I didn’t…because they had never heard of our merry band of travelers. But, the Lord knew all about it, and had made sure there was a room available for us just like we had ordered! And, so we unpacked the car, and made it inside, and crashed.

Friday morn- slept a little late, but got to moving quickly when we woke. Atlanta is a big place and we had major places to be! Grabbed some cheese crackers and granola and drinks and headed to the car. First stop, Michaels, where much silliness ensued. Now, we do have a Michaels that we can shop at home, BUT, Shirl had a bazaar at her church coming up and she had to make something to sell. She thought wreaths would do just fine, so she set about buying supplies to make 4 wreaths. Not that we had room in the car for 4 big wreaths…but that has never stopped us before!

As you can see…good looking men were following us everywhere! We finished there, and made our way on to Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, Jo Ann. Now to cover these 4 stores…row by row…front to back, takes some time. So, it was beginning to get a little late. Our dear Shirl had chosen Thursday morning before she came to Dothan as the best time to have major dental work done. Her mouth was full of ulcers and she had bitten her tongue, and she was in pain. So, we found a drug store, and got her some meds. She and Tina and I were starving because we had only had cheese crackers and a little pkg of granola ALL DAY! But, dear Shirl said she had to have something soft. Tina and I watched the Cheesecake Factory disappear from view, as we looked for a place to find something ‘soft’. And, we ended up at IHOP! Blueberry pancakes for supper! Not a bad second choice. Tina managed to get some meds onto the ulcers in Shirl’s mouth.

Then she got to feeling so good, that she even ordered a desert crepe after her meal! Back to the motel, where she and Tina got set to make wreaths! They worked hard and long…pausing occasionally for me to put my 2 cents worth in from the couch!

Bet you’d like to hang this one on your door! They did a great job, with only a little coaching from me. Of course, I taught them all they know about making wreaths! 🙂 JK!

I’d better stop here and finish up tomorrow. Here are a few more pics from Friday………note who’s sitting in my buggy!!!!!

No. No, that sign is not about me.

Beautifully wrapped gifts we brought from home to share with each other! I’ll finish up the story tomorrow!

“God has given us these times of joy!” Nehemiah 12:43

This week-end is time for fun and frolic. My friends, Shirl and Tina and I are hitting the road………….

We have our bags packed………………….

Just a few necessities…………..

We’re planning for this……

and a little of this……..OK…..more than a little……BUT, in better places, too……….

and we are going prepared in case some of this comes along…..I’m just saying…..

Now I don’t like to brag, but Tina and Shirl and myself were inducted into The Super,Smart,Savvy Shopper Club quite a few years ago. So, we know how to do it. And, we plan to put our talents to work. No. No you can’t…you could never keep up. Heck!!! sometimes I can’t keep up. So, I sit and rest a spell, and they oh, so kindly come back by to retrieve me.

However, if it gets to be too much we have a plan…….

OR…..

The only problem we will have is finding restrooms for Shirl. She drinks coffee all day and it has to be recycled. But there are never enough womens rest rooms. So…this idea is for her!

Clever, huh? (this is not my original idea)

Must rest now……big days a head! I’ll see you on Sunday…unless I try to blog at night…which I’m thinking looks pretty doubtful…….

Enjoy your fabulous, fall week-end! Bye!

Sometimes we wait and wait and wait some more to do the things we know we should. I suppose it is easy for some. They know what they should do…and they just go and do it. But, others,wait for something to inspire them or change them or push them. They wait for a sign. So, being the good friend that I am…I want to help. So come on…be brave…the time is now…here’s your sign!

Autumnal…I like that word. Are there words that you like to hear? Or to say? Well, autumnal is one of my favorites.

It is like a warm blanket woven with beautiful wool in colors of red, brown, olive, and most importantly orange. And, the air around it is clear and cool…with just a hint of smoke from a leaf pile somewhere nearby. And the ground it sits on is brown and dry, except where the leaves have fallen. Most still have their fall colors on, and have not changed into their brown bedclothes as yet. The pumpkins in the wheelbarrow are a rainbow of the colors….just like the leaves. There are red ones, and orange and green, and brown, and even white. Such beauty……autumnal beauty.

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
George Eliot

That is a new quote…well, to me anyway. And, I liked the image it portrayed. A bird, so enthralled by the beauty of autumn, that it flew to new places so as to experience it again and again and again. (Sort of like me with a bag of Dark Chocolate Dove in the little chunky squares. It is so lovely an experience…OK…so I’m stretching it a bit…but you get it, don’t you?)

Now I have not read or thought of this little poem (below) for years. I can actually remember back in the 3rd grade, my teacher, Mrs. Whiddon, at Grandview Elementary School, would read to us every day after lunch. We would lay our heads on our desks and listen as she took us on grand journeys ,one place or another. Her voice was made for sharing delightful literature with children. She was quite old, as I remember, with white hair. Very tall, and lots of marvelous jewelry. I remember her talking about this party that October had. It was my first experience with the idea that words could paint pictures such as this. It was the first time I knew that inanimate objects could be given human characteristics and have such fun!

I happened upon it again today, while looking for quotes. And, I can promise you that I will not lose it again! Want to join Finn and I at the party?

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came –
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
George Cooper

No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
John Donne

A fall basket I have put together that blends the colors of autumn.

Good ‘Ole Pop Tarts. They have been around for over 50 years, and still sell about 2 billion a year! I haven’t thought that much about them…other than picking up a box of 12 Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon for Alex at the grocery store each week. I used to buy quite a few when my boys were younger and still at home. Let’s see…Frosted Strawberry with sprinkles….Plain Blueberry, and Brown Sugar Cinnamon…Frosted. Those were always on my list! And, not just for breakfast…they ate lots of them for an after school snack. I figured, they must be healthy…they have fruit in them!!! 🙂

Pop Tarts are really not very exciting or worthy of much excitement. But in the last few weeks, they have been in the news several times.

1. The LA Times (LA…Los Angeles, not Lower Alabama) reports that W*lM*rt shipped huge quantities to Florida during a recent hurricane. Could you imagine Frosted Strawberry Pop Tarts being the food you’d go to in a weather catastrophe? I would at least have thought it would be the chocolate or brown sugar cinnamon! But, the people in Florida were sending out an SOS for more Pop Tarts!

Picture from NY Times

From the Pop Tarts web site, the yummy description…….

Choc-o-Lantern Chocolate Fudge

Chocolatey deliciousness all dressed up for Halloween – chocolate crust, fudgy filling, orange icing, and bat- and ghost-shaped sprinkles.

Happy snacking!