When Papa Buys the Blue Cotton Candy ~How we Celebrated our 45th ~A Special Evening with Special Friends ~We are Blessed

We had just a few hours before we took our family to the airport,

so we went to the Farmers Market. We enjoyed walking around and

looking at all the home grown and hand made items.

I purchased a bundle of asparagus, Hubby purchased Beef Sticks,

and the grandsons wanted Cotton Candy.

I do think it was quite delicious.

We made quick stop back home to pick up their bags,

wash their hands and faces, and change shirts.

It’s always hard to say goodbye, but this time it was maybe a little easier,

As we could say, “See you in July”.

We all needed a little rest, as It had been a busy five days.

Then it was time for these Retired Empty Nesters to return to our

Everyday House Chores and Creative Projects.

Thank you, everyone, for your heartfelt messages on our Anniversary.

We celebrated all Weekend…starting with dinner downtown on Friday Night.

Hubby and I returned to the Farmers Market on Saturday.

The Plaza downtown starts like this.

With plenty of hard work, it is transformed to this,

tents, booths, tables, merchandise, and lots of people.

There’s live music, different musicians each weekend.

This week, we purchased a loaf of

Sour Dough Bread…

 …And some Micro-greens.

That evening we celebrated our forty-five years of marriage

By opening one of the bottles of Wine that we brought home

from our Trip to Asheville and Tour of the Biltmore.

We enjoyed slices of that fresh Garlic Parmesan Sour Dough Bread,

with Dipping Oil and a little Charcuterie.

The Perfect Ending to a Perfect Weekend, Dinner out with these friends,

A tradition that we have honored for about four decades.

Our Anniversary is the 6th…theirs is the 8th.

We do our best to celebrate on the day in between.

Sweet Memories.

Take Care,

~Natalie

A Perfect Ending to a Great Week ~We are Blessed

Our daughter and grandsons came to visit for five days.

If you’ve been following along, you know that we packed

two weeks worth of activities into those five days!

Great Aunt Stacy invited us to see her place of work,

The Animal Care Clinic.

We tossed treats to the resident Clinic Cats.

We gave some kitty love to Lucy,

the oldest Clinic Cat that spends most of her time in Stacy’s Office.

Not sure who enjoyed this more,

the boys or the cat?

We went back to Storybook Land.

The train was not running on our earlier visit,

so we had to go again for a ride on 

The Storybook Land Express.

Storybook Land is Celebrating its 50th Anniversary this summer…

And we’ve been going there for 40 of those years!

There is something fun for the young and young at heart.

After a picnic lunch in the park, we all went home to rest,

as we had big plans for our last night together.

Allevity Entertainment…

Featuring “Epic Games & Thrilling Attractions”

And they are not exaggerating.

There’s something for everyone, including Laser Tag,

Bumper Cars, and Bowling.

Papa had fun playing along with the boys.

This Gigi had fun watching all the others having fun!

The Nachos were Huge.

It was a perfect week.

We made Sweet Memories to last a lifetime.

Take Care,

~Natalie 

Family Summer Fun, continued ~Also a Visit from long-time Special Friends ~We are Blessed

With only two days left, we checked a few 

more activities off our Bucket List.

After breakfast, everyone got ready to go out and about.

The boys dressed for the Golf Course.

Papa took them out for some chipping and putting.

Mama and Gigi were going out for coffee and errands.

We went to the Krave Cafe and shared the Florentine.

It was filled with a delicious combination of savory ingredients:

roasted chicken, spinach, white cheddar, mozzarella,

balsamic glaze, and herbs de Provence.

(Image from Krave Facebook page)

At The Krave Cafe, the crepes are prepared upon ordering.

They are fresh, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

We enjoyed Mother/Daughter conversation

while sipping on our coffees.

Their presentation is lovely.

Since our crepe was savory, we ordered something sweet to finish,

A Carrot Cake Muffin.

Do these faces look familiar?

Yes, Dennis and Patty were back in the Midwest for a visit.

They attended their granddaughter’s graduation in Minnesota and

then came here for a couple of days to visit old friends.

We spent the evening having dinner together, and

 catching up on life, over a glass of wine.

Amy and the boys picked up Pizza to take to Great Grandma

and spend a little more time with her.

They definitely made her day!

After their bellies were satisfied,

the boys attended Bible School with their Great Aunt Stacy,

who has been the Youth Music Director at our Church for decades.

Another quick stop at Twist Cone is 

a “must” at the end of the day.

What’s your favorite ice cream treat?

Here, Jack is having a Chocolate Shake and

Henry has a twist cone with sprinkles. 

Take care,

~Natalie

More Summer Fun ~Family Visit ~Dacotah Prairie Museum

This Papa and Gigi loved sharing the local attractions

with our grandsons.

We were welcomed into the Museum by this majestic mammal,

The American Bison.

Did you know there are two baby Bison out in one of the barns

at Storybook Land?

Henry checked out this Mud and Stick Hut…

…and whole family fits inside this Native American TeePee.

Upstairs, we discovered an area just for children,

A Country School-themed Exhibit with a barnyard

and kitchen where they can do their chores,

and pack their lunch to take to the schoolhouse.

In the classroom the order of the day is 

reading, writing, and arithmetic.

This is fun for all ages, perhaps one of our highlights.

Another highlight was purchasing “Penny Candy” in the gift shop,

(for twenty-five cents)

We stopped for a quick lunch before Papa got ready

to leave for League Golf.

When Papa left for the Course,

We packed up and left for Storybook Land.

There’s the Land of Oz and the Barn that blew away in that famous tornado.

The Grandsons went on the ride, while Mama and Gigi watched,

safely on the ground.

However, one’s never too old to ride the Carousel.

We packed a picnic lunch for our dinner, 

something that we did once a week when

Mama and her sister were young.

After a fun filled day, the boys were tired and went to bed.

Mama and Gigi stayed up late for a little

Mother/Daughter Crafting.

Stop back as there’s still two more days to tell you about.

Take care,

~Natalie

Our Summer Fun continues ~A Family Visit ~Sunshine and Ice Cream ~Four Generatons

The day after our Memorial Day Cookout

found me out at the airport.

I was there to pick up some precious cargo.

Yep, our daughter and grandsons were

on that plane.

Once we got home, they wasted no time in bringing out

the Legos and the Game Boards.

Their visit coincided with our hot weather…

temperatures above 90°

We burned some energy at the neighborhood parks.

And cooled down with Italian Ice Twists at the Twist Cone.

This week’s flavor was Strawberry Buttercream.

The boys wake up with their body clocks,

which are set to Eastern Time.

After breakfast is a good time for reading and art.

Of course, one of their priorities was to visit Great Grandma.

She enjoyed looking at their school yearbooks,

 their certificates, and awards.

Here’s one happy Great Grandma.

Here’s the Annual Four Generation Photo. 

And here’s the “okay, now you can make a funny face” photo!

Stay tuned for more Family Fun photos tomorrow.

Take care,

~Natalie