Cutie in Carhartt's

Our little man is 19 months old & advancing every day - if not in stature (though he grows by leaps and bounds!) then in vocabulary. He's now trying to repeat words that we say, and getting quite close (if not right on) a lot of the time. If it's a word he's not sure how to say then he'll bob his head while "mouthing" it silently. He still has his own special language too though, and I'm sure only another 1 1/2 yr. old would be able to translate his utterings! Sometimes I'm thankful that I can't understand him - especially when he's teething... like right now!

Today's poll - what do you think of this chair?

After finding this chair in a bunch of junk I won at an auction, the question now is... to keep, or not to keep. Bear in mind that it's not structurally sound, and the weave is broken in places. Your HONEST and candid opinion is wanted here. =) I could tell you in advance what Joe voted, but I'll save some fun for later! Thanks for taking my poll!!

A: I love the chair, even if it isn't sound.
B: I don't think it's my style, but it is kind of cool.
C: Without the decorations, it would just be a junky old chair to me.
D: A broken chair? What's cool about that? Not cool. Ugly, even.

Fall is my favorite!

On my pub table in the breakfast nook.

On the island.

On my counter beside the sink.

I just love this time of year! I know for some people - I won't name any names, since I have to live with him ;) - fall means not much more than a few pretty leaves and the dreaded winter that looms in the near future. Instead of exclamations such as "Wow, isn't this season amazing! Look at those trees, and that incredible blue sky!" the sentiments are more like, "Man, it's freezing out here! I can see my breath!! I hate winter! Aaagghhh! Here it comes!!" But for me... well, like I said, it's my favorite. I love everything about it, from the pumpkins to the roasted marshmallows. It's refreshing and invigorating at the same time. Ahhh... breathe deeply from the crisp autumn air, and enjoy!

Old McDonald had a farm... but I bet he didn't make hay like this!

First we raked... and raked...

Then we loaded it in the tractor bucket...

Then dumped it into our hay "manger"!

The first person who ever said "make hay while the sun is shining" actually had a pretty good idea! We mowed the pastures recently and there was so much grass lying on the ground, looking all sad and lonely, that we decided to try making our own hay "while the sun was shining" - the old fashioned way! We bought an extra yard rake, and went to work yesterday. It took us all afternoon/evening, but it was well worth our effort in the end, and we didn't even get to all of it! We stored 20 tractor buckets full, which is about a month's supply for our 3 hay-burners. (At the outrageous price of hay in this area, we got blessed just at the thought!) All it cost us was a bit of diesel fuel, a $10 rake, some blisters on our hands and a lot of energy. Yet, while it may not sound like your idea of a good time, I actually thought it was a ton of fun, and though it made me feel exhausted at the end of the day, it was also somehow totally relaxing just to be outside in the beautiful weather, burning off energy and smelling that wonderful hay. Although, today I feel like I need a serious back rub, and wouldn't you know it... Joe is gone again for another couple of days! Maybe I should go out and rake a little more to see if that soreness eases up. I told Joe we could even make our own "down on the farm" exercise video's - guaranteed to get you looking great in no time! Farmer's tan and all. =)

Fun All Day - At the VA State Fair!

Joe on the mechanical bull - how cool! Yeehaw, cowboy!

Here's Pastor Melvin, going for 8! (Or anything!)

Magnus got a lot of attention in his cowboy attire.

Hey Dad! Those horses are just my size!

Giving our tired legs a rest before the rodeo.

Posing with a longhorn - don't we look authentic? Haha!

The Happy Family Fair People

Magnus checkin out the "chicks".

Our yearly trek to the VA State Fair in Richmond is one my absolute favorite days of the year! I literally came home with a sore face from smiling too much in one day... how is that even possible? I'll definitely need a double dose of Oil of Olay to smooth out all those extra laugh lines that emerged! Melvin and Tamela joined us for our day of animal shows, pig races and fun, although Melvin had to miss part of the festivities due to his obligation to coach football at the local public school. Tamela stayed with us though, and we walked around until our legs were sore, wondering how many "points" we'd burned off and could re-claim with more fair food. =) The guys complained of soreness for several days after their bull-riding experience (they rode twice), but they were really putting their all into it so I guess they had a pretty good excuse. We never ride the fair rides, although we did let Magnus ride a kids' car ride and the carousel. That kid had so much fun all day that he never fussed once, even when he got tired and needed his nap. I just put him in his stroller at that point with his blankie and he faded off into sweet fair-dreams and slept for a couple hours while we walked around some more. He was a perfect angel all day long... quite unlike him, actually! Too bad the fair only comes around once a year!