Could you just walk right into this painting?  Me, too!

And reading this, just fuels the fire!

And, since I also believe the following statement is true…

…I’m outta here!  Heading toward the sand and sun and water in Panama City.  Tina and Shirley and I!  Can’t you just see us now ?!!

I’ll catch back up with you on Monday!  Have a wonderful weekend!  I will, for sure!

Joy has told me for several years about a most wonderful shop over in Bainbridge, GA, a little town about 50 miles from Dothan. She said it had so many things I would like.  She has shopped there, but it has never been convenient for me to go.  She called the first of the week to see if I would go with her on Friday.  I said I would, and we asked Pop to go with us.

Since Joy and Pop live on the other side of town, I went over and picked Pop up and we went to Joy’s house.  We got into her car, backed out of the garage, and then she stopped.  She turned around and looked at me and said, “I hate to tell you this.”   She did not, however, hate to tell me this…I could see it all over her face.   She continued,”  Tommy wasn’t able to get me gas, so we have to stop and get some.”  What she meant was, “Na Na Na Na Boo Boo…You gotta get out and pump gas”.  Because, the fact is, as a grown woman of 55 years…she CAN NOT pump gas.  I think this is deplorable.  What woman in today’s world cannot pump gas?   It just makes no sense to me.  I asked her what she would do if she was alone and had to have gas and  she said she would find some kind man and smile real pretty and make him feel sorry for her and he would pump it.  I told her she was a disgrace to womankind ever where.  She did not care.  She laughed…a mean, maniacal laugh. She showed me this book she has been reading…

Pity she won’t get to finish it……

We stopped at the Shell Station.    So, I ran the card and took out the pump and started the flow.  P.E.O.P.L.E……that gas was not the least bit willing to get into her Volvo.  It dripped…dripped, I tell you.  It took over 10 minutes to get it up to $20.00.  Of course, she wanted me to fill it up.  I didn’t.

Some nut case in another car was having fun with their car horn.  I thought it must be a child, but when I looked…no, it was a grown woman.  On and on and on and on. I was still trying to pray the gas out of the pump.  It was all just too much.  Joy got out and said, ” Sister, what’s taking so long?”  So, I stopped pumping and went inside to get a bottle of water.  I asked the clerk if their pumps were always so slow… because I never wanted to come back if they were.  She said they had some body come and fix them earlier, but there were still a couple of pumps that were slow.  I said,” I ‘m supposing #8 is one of the slow ones, huh?”    And she laughed!  “I bet that’s the one you got, ain’t it?” she said.  “It is, ” I said.  Then I suggested she put a note on the tank. 

I got in the car, and down the road we went toward our destination.  Bainbridge, GA is a little town about 50 miles away.  It has a lovely town square with all the shops located around it.  A very well kept garden area with comfy benches to sit on.  Pop had already decided that he was going to pick out a bench and enjoy the sunshine and the people.  We pulled up into the square and there was no doubting which shop it was.  There were lots of buildings around the square…much like so many Georgia towns.  But, nothing else looked at all inviting or even open.  But, that was OK…cause the store we came to see was more than enough. 

 This was one amazing store. These was stuff…and stuff on top of stuff…and stuff behind the stuff.  Every single shelf was like that!  Throughout the whole store!  And, it was all current merchandise, too.  We walked through once just trying to see everything.  Then we went back and picked out some things for Christmas gifts.  They began wrapping our gifts and as we continued to walk around, we found more that we had not seen earlier!

We had a ball!  And, we both got a lot of our Christmas list crossed off.  AND…they wrapped everything…for free!  We had so much they put the wrapped presents in garbage bags!  Back to the car, and Pop came walking through the square to meet us.  He had found a place that sold ice cream and a shady tree to sit under.

Joy had heard of another few stores in another little town named Colquitt.  So, off we went.  We talked of first one thing and then another….nothing of great importance….just enjoying being together.  The weather could not have been any better for us…warm and sunny with a little breeze.  Arriving in Colquitt, we visited the two shops.  Pop sat in the car and napped a little.  It did not take us nearly as long here as it did in Bainbridge.  But, we found a few things that begged to come home with us.

We made our way back to Dothan, and all went our separate ways. A beautiful day…Volvo gassed…shopping accomplished….memories made.

Saturday dawned just as beautiful as Friday.  And, what fun…today we celebrate the first birthday of that sweet boy, John Thomas!

Tara and Will live on Bush Mountain (Abbeville), about a 45 minute drive, and Tara has to drive it every day…Will, too.  They have such a lovely home, in the middle of beautiful untouched land.  John Thomas has a perfect place to grow up.  Will, and his cousins who live close by, are all big hunters. Tara had everything decorated and festive and ready for a party!  Both sets of his grandparents were there and several aunts and uncles and cousins and even a great grandfather.   Ian even came down from Birmingham!

And presents, galore!  He got the first one, the musical dog, and that was it!  He loves music!  He’s is walking well, and now has a riding toy and a big red wagon!

Afterwards, Suzanne fixed Ian his favorite hamburgers and then Ian, Don and Alex played chess until waaaay late!

FAMILY…what a blessing!  I could say more, but that sums it up…we are blessed!  It is a gift from God.

Adam and Suzanne went to the party earlier that day, so Adam could make some family pictures for them.  He made quite a few, but here’s my favs.

And, it’s Saturday! We made it up earlier today, because we had planned 2 days worth of activity into this one! Had breakfast at the motel, and set the GPS toward the community of Crabapple. This is where our favorite primitives store is located…as well as the arts festival we plan to attend.

Since I got this new phone, I have been able to put all sorts of things on it. Now all of you are probably way more knowledgeable about these things than I…but, I’m getting there. Anyway, one of the apps is a daily Bible verse, as well as devotional. I checked the one for today to share with the girls, and this is it: “For wherever two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20 We felt that was just a little ‘wink’ from God. One of the things that makes our friendship so special is the bond we have in Christ. We love the Lord and love doing things in His name. His love forms a bond between us that nothing else can. We always spend part of our time together discussing things we have studied or read. And, often one or the other of us can add to or help clarify something for the other. Each morning we thanked God for his rest, and our friendship, and for the beautiful world He created for us to delight in.

We found the little crossroads where the festival was being held. Right there was the store that we all love to peruse. These are the only 2 girls I know who can appreciate this type of decor. Very simple, very primitive, no frills. ( This is not the old time country of lace and geese and mauve and country blue. ) The lady who owns it is well known for her knowledge of this kind of decor, as well. We knew this would be a fine show if her name was associated with it.

Here are a few shots in and around her store.

We made our way on through the show. Many antiques, quilts, collectibles, and such.

We finished seeing all we could see, and then headed to Roswell. We had passed a funky looking store as we went by this morning and we wanted to return to check it out. We spent some time there and it was a full of treasures. The owner pointed out a little outdoor bakery and cafe and we went over to have a bite to eat. Tina left to go and get the car, so I would not have to walk so far, and as she was gone…I remembered that I had bought a gift at the show and had failed to pick it up before we left. Sooooooo, we went back to Crabapple, and Shirl went and retrieved my purchase. Back again to Roswell, and some shopping in the restored old town. There, groups and individuals had made all types of scarecrows and each lamppost was holding a different one. This was my favorite.

The scarecrow is on the LEFT…in case you weren’t sure! All along the sidewalks were several cafes with outdoor seating. And, that is where we wanted to eat…outside…enjoying the air, and the people, and the animals! There were so many dogs! And, so we put our name down and sat down to wait.

Along with the scarecrows on the lampposts, there were whiskey barrels all along the street, as well. They had been planted with a variety of plants and greenery…and for the season, each had 3 white pumpkins added to the center. So festive.

Finally, after about an hour of waiting, we were seated at a table outside. We enjoyed our meal immensely, and hated to have to get up and leave.

Back to our motel, and the wreath makers set about their work. My feet were as big as boats after being on them all day, so, I headed off to bed. They finished their work, then came in the bedroom and proceeded to watch The Blind Side…and discuss it…right where I was sleeping!!! It’s not like there wasn’t another TV in the sitting room!!! 🙂 Here is a one of the Christmas wreaths…beautiful! This pic does not do it justice.

We had brought all our packages from the car, and repacked them to try to save some room. So, Shirl and Tina began the task of loading the car.

They made this trip 3 times to get it all loaded! Then they woke me up, I gathered my little bag, and we all headed to the car.

They had packed the car, all right! This is a picture from the front seat looking to the back. Yikes!

You’re right. You can’t even see out the back window! As long as I did not breathe too hard, I was fine. Good thing I didn’t want to cross my legs!!! I kid! One more stop on the way home at Target…and we pulled into Dothan in time for Tina to get to her church picnic. And, Shirl left today to go home to Moultrie.

And, that’s the end of Fall Fling 2010. A time of renewal for us all. A time to be together with friends who know all about me and love me anyway. A time to share things of the heart with each other, that only we would understand. A time to be ourselves, as we can only with each other. We shared as much as we could, solved as many world problems as we could, and laughed as much as we could. And, as you well know: “A cheerful heart is a good medicine…” Proverbs 17:22. We are well.

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!