fun stuff – Page 10 – ToadMama.com

March 19, 2013

Snow Belt Confirmed

A little over a week ago, I did a post on what I thought was our last snow storm of the season.

I was wrong. We got snowed on again.

Lucky for us, we only got a few inches.

It was very cold, though. And downright miserable. I am really ready for Spring now.

The dogs didn’t mind the snow too much.

Bell and K Wrastling. — Belle and K Wrastling.

Belle, who is BADLY in need of a haircut, and K enjoyed some outdoor “wrastling” for a change. They usually wrestle in the basement.

I made a little slideshow of them playing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2f10TWmSlQ&feature=share&list=UURk2SuI5Ak0Du7nVW5VaODQ

How badly does Belle need a trim? Our youngest, Eric, and his fiancee, Kelsey, came down for a visit last night. When Eric saw Belle, he thought she was a new foster dog I hadn’t told him about. As soon as it warms up, she’ll get bathed and trimmed.

The daffodils are blooming. It’s really time for Spring.

Saturday, it was like 60 and partly sunny. Really. Here’s proof.

The grand kids spent the weekend with us. On Saturday afternoon, I took them for a walk around town so Hubby could get a power nap.

They were hamming it up for the camera. And I wasn’t too serious about shooting, which is why this super-cute pic (I think) is blurry.

This next shot is my favorite from our stroll.

Gaige, Brianna, and Joey at the Courthouse

Although this next one makes me laugh. There’s a story behind it, which you have to read to appreciate the humor in the shot.

As we were walking through town, Gaige and Joey were walking ahead of Brianna and me. Since I was letting them be goofy in pictures, every now and then Gaige would stop and say, “Here’s a good place for a picture!”

As we neared my friend Janet’s store — The Empty Nest — I told them not to get too far ahead because there was a store window we had to stop at.

When Gaige got to the window, he looked in, and yelled back to me, “Brianna can stand in front of this one!”

It’s very pretty and VERY pink.

I made them pose there for me. The boys were not happy. Here’s that pic.

They DO make me laugh.

More kid pics to come in the next post!

March 17, 2013

Girlfriend Getaway – Part 2

After spending most of Friday at the Green Dragon, as detailed in Girlfriend Getaway – Part 1, we visited some of our other favorite places in that relative vicinity (Carson’s in the Cornfields and the Flower & Craft Warehouse), then grabbed dinner and called it an early night.

We’re not very exciting. But we like it that way. The whole point of the annual trip is to hang out and reconnect with friends. We’re not Moms, wives, daughters, sisters, etc. during that time. We’re just three girlfriends having a good time doing what we want to do when we want to do it.

Friday night, what we wanted to do was chill. So we did. Then bright and early on Saturday, we were back at the shopping thing.

Unfortunately, the room behind Tracey and I was occupied by a couple we think was auditioning for a porn movie. That’s what it sounded like, anyway. And at about 6:00 AM on Saturday, they were at it again. Unreal.

I capture that first image as I left to get some coffee. That was actually the view from our parking lot.

It was a bit later when I captured the second shot.

Lancaster really is crawling with Amish folk.

The buggy shot was from the motel parking lot, too.

I made the girls pose for a picture before we headed out for the day since we knew Tracey would be leaving around midday.

Tracey thought she was being sneaky taking a picture of me. So I took a picture of her taking a picture of me. I told you we’re exciting.

The barn is across the street from another one of our favorite places, The Olde Mill House Shoppes.

The Old Mill House Shop — The Olde Mill House Shoppes

Lancaster County is very picturesque. It’s a great setting for a relaxing trip.

Carol and I happened to stop back at our motel on the way to dinner, so I was able to capture these cool sunset shots.

The weather was cold and blustery the entire time we were there.

Lancaster always seems to be windy. I assume it’s because there’s so much farm land and open space.

Sunday morning was the coldest day of them all. With the wind blowing, it was downright frigid as we loaded up our cars. And I’m a cold-weather girl.

I didn’t take nearly as many “action” shopping photos as I have in years past. Why? Because I have taken so many of them in years past. And we’ve been doing this for a LONG time.

Maybe, as I get things situated around the house, I’ll be able to reveal some of the stuff I purchased. I didn’t come home with any large treasures, but I did get lots of cool little home decor stuff. I did some Christmas shopping, too. Which means, I can’t reveal everything I bought.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. Except for the fact that it went by far too fast.

Girlfriends are some of life’s best treasures. Especially when you’ve know each other since you were kids. And your friends know your family personally. And your whole history. Even the not-so-attractive bits.

I am always thankful for my friends, old and new. But lifetime girlfriends are priceless treasures. I am very thankful that I have both of these wonderful ladies in my life. I’m glad we have all made the effort to get together on a regular basis, even if it is sometimes only once a year. It’s not always easy, or convenient, but it is always, ALWAYS worth it.

I love you both dearly and am already looking forward to our next rendezvous.

March 14, 2013

Girlfriend Getaway – Part 1

I was going to do a single post all about my recent trip, but then I realized I got so many interesting shots at the Green Dragon that I should just share them. I mean, the Green Dragon is quite a unique and colorful place.

My two girlfriends and I have done an annual trip like this for 18 years running. All but one of those trips has been to Lancaster, PA. And most have included a visit to this crazy place.

The Green Dragon, billed as a “farmer’s market and auction,” has been in business in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, since 1932. It’s an amazing, eclectic collection of merchants selling the widest variety of stuff you could ever imagine. Most of these pics speak for themselves. So sit back, scroll through, and enjoy.

Do you see the frog? No he did not come home with me.

As an aside, Carol got a polka dot sweatshirt for her birthday from Granny T, too, but she was too embarrassed to wear it and have us all match.

Team Parking. You know, for the Amish buggies.

Need an alien, anyone? Fuzzy, I know you want one.

Biker Barbie and her possessed-looking baby doll friend.

Easter Bunny (these were all over the place in Lancaster this year)

Yes, this bunny came home with me. Carol gets props for the name thing.

Sausage on a stick. — Sausage by Newswanger. How’s that for a name?

How’s that for variety? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Really.

The Green Dragon is always fun for us. But then, how can you not have fun shopping with your girlfriends?

I really love those ladies!

March 12, 2013March 12, 2013

Better Late Than…

I’ll be honest. One of my favorite sayings is, “better late than pregnant.” But since I just found out that one of my blogging buddies in Thailand — Jade at Tasting Grace — is pregnant, and I am SUPER excited for her and her cute hubby, I just couldn’t bring myself to use that as a title for this post. She and her cute little husband are going to be the best parents.

As I was looking through pics last night, I realized just how bad I have been about posting here lately. I mean, some of these pics are from February. And we’re already very close to mid-March.

But I still thought they were worth sharing.

Another Valentine's Day display. — Another Valentine’s Day display.

I absolutely LOVE looking at the various store windows on Old Town Warrenton’s Main Street.

My buddy Janet at The Empty Nest has the most-beautiful Spring window.

I didn’t take that picture, but didn’t think she’d mind me sharing it with you.

Speaking of The Empty Nest, this is one of the adorable little items offered for sale there.

I just love that store.

This sign was in the window at Shelf Life, another gem on Main Street.

A simple message that everyone should subscribe to.

You all know how much I love this store, right?

Oh, and here are a couple of cool house and porch captures.

I really love blue houses. And I am such a sucker for red.

A blue house with TWO red doors. How can I not love that?

Funny story… while out shooting snow pics on Wednesday morning, I met a guy named Carlos (I think that was his name, anyway) who said he lived at 25 N. 6th. I didn’t realize that was this blue house. Otherwise I would have told him just how much I love his charming abode. His name might have been Ron. Or Bob. I’m awful with names.

Here’s another N. 6th Street neighbor’s place.

Is this the cutest porch or what?

And this image was captured at The Berkley Gallery.

Even buildings is slight disrepair hold some charm. The lines of this place always capture my eye.

Speaking of lines… I really like this last shot, too.

Next, I’ll have to share some of the great captures from my girlfriend getaway.

I really am trying hard to get caught up. On posting AND reading.

To all my blogging buddies who are probably feeling a bit abandoned, I have NOT forgotten you.

January 25, 2013

The Good, The Bad, and the Weird

I take a lot of photos. And I have a thing about saving far too many. Even the odd ones.

Today, I decided to share a few…

We’ll start with a GOOD one.

Those of you who haven’t seen Utah… add it to your bucket list now. Make sure all of the national parks are on the itinerary, too. Especially Capitol Reef National Park. As the web site says…

Located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country, Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline (a wrinkle on the earth) extending almost 100 miles.

That image is one of my favorites there, captured during a visit in September 2011. It’s amazing, as is much of Utah.

As far as BAD shots go…

I have lots of them, too. One has to take lots of pictures to capture that one great shot. In doing so, sometimes you get images like this one.

Waiting for the "Cheese" — Waiting for the “Cheese”

This is a horrible picture. But I love it. Just about everyone has a weird expression on their face as they wait for me to get the self-timer set.

Captured during a May 2006 trip to Chesapeake, Virginia, to celebrate my brother’s retirement from the US Navy.

This image always makes me smile. Speaking of smiles…

This is where the WEIRD comes in.

I take pics of some odd stuff. But I like capturing things that make me smile. Like this image, captured in a gift shop in Ocean City, Maryland during an October 2012 visit there with my daughter, Amy.

I ran across that image the other day and sent it to Amy because I knew it would make her laugh. It did.

She said something to the effect of, “I thought that would end up in your blog header or something.”

I thought the blog header would be a bit much for that lovely image, so I decided to share it here instead.

I often see stuff like this, which is almost ALWAYS made in China, and can’t help but wonder what the Chinese people really think of us Americans.

One of these days, I’ll have to do a collage of all the weird stuff I have captured. That would certainly be entertaining.

Now ends this for-entertainment-only post (aka otherwise pointless).

I hope y’all have a good weekend. Stay warm!

January 5, 2013

The Big Transformation

Shortly after Hubby and I moved to Warrenton in October of 2011, I discovered a cool consignment shop where I bought this funky little table.

I loved it. Hubby hated it. The high-gloss white was a bit much. As were the furniture tacks around the edge. But I thought it had character. And I knew I could paint it one day.

Fast-forward a year.

Hubby removed the tacks for me this morning before I left the house with the table.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, today was a big day for me. My very first chalk paint workshop at The Empty Nest.

The Empty Nest , 92 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia

The Empty Nest is a delightful shop owned and operated by Janet Metzger, a woman who is as nice as they come that LOVES painting, sewing, and just about anything else crafty. She’s quite talented.

Janet is a proud stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP). It’s that paint which first drew me to Janet’s store. I was beyond excited when her store opened last July. I even made sure I went to the grand opening.

I’ve always liked decorating furniture. And ASCP is the perfect furniture paint. It requires no sanding, no stripping, no priming. Heck, you don’t even have to remove the hardware if you don’t want to. It’s easy peasy. As long as you know how to use it.

And today, FINALLY, I learned how to use it.

I’ve experimented with it before, without a whole lot of success. So I was really ready to see how things were supposed to be done.

That sweet Hubby of mine bought me a gift certificate for today’s Bring Your Own Piece Workshop. Which is where my funky little table and I spent the day.

There were five other women in the class with me. None were keen to have their faces appear in photos. I hate having my picture taken, too. But I did manage to capture some shots of their projects to share.

The first step was deciding what color or colors to use. I chose Graphite for the top, Old Ochre for the base, and two accent colors, Emperor’s Silk (red) and Arles (yellow). I wanted to add some unique color but, for Hubby’s sake, didn’t want to go too crazy. He’s a little more conservative than me.

Okay, a lot more conservative. But anyway…

It was fun watching fellow students transforming their own pieces.

Of course, Janet was there every step of the way. She consulted on color choices, demonstrated techniques, coached, chatted, cheered us on, etc. She fed us lunch, too, which was provided by my favorite Great Harvest Bread Company.

Have I mentioned how much I like Janet and her shop? Just about every person who has come to visit us in Warrenton since The Empty Nest opened has been dragged into her store. She’s going to get sick of seeing me one day…

One of my classmates was kind enough to take some pics of me. So I could prove that I really did participate.

Do I look like I was having fun? I was. Really.

14_painting_class — What a pretty clock!

Every single student left with a very cool, hand-painted piece of furniture. It was awesome. I couldn’t wait to get home with my “new” piece.

See how cute it looks in my foyer?

I am really happy with how it turned out.

Here’s a shot of the table in the foyer from a couple weeks before Christmas…

And here’s the table after its big transformation…

It fits my style and decor so much better than the glossy white table. The Old Ochre color is so much warmer, and it lends itself much better to the whole distressed look.

I like that color so much, I think it’s going to go on my dining room chairs, too.

See, Janet? I will be back soon. I have to buy more paint!

So… what do you think?