NOT So Laboring Of A Weekend

Labor Day weekend found us tucked away in the country.......

........surrounded by trees & a creek....CAMPING!

cooks

even a little rafting was in order

Sunday morning we ventured out of camp which we don't normally do but it was a fun afternoon of window shopping......

middle of the woods mini-golfing......challenging I tell you!

BUT fun!

love nature heart finds

thanks to tammy & taylor for smiling & making the rest of look a bit looney!!

mining

fishing pre-man-made-fishing pole style

love this guy & not just because he whipped up a yummy vegetable stir-fry

nature torch makin

triple chocolate dutch oven cake for my birthday......be jealous! THANKS TAMMY!

banana boats for the kids

chaco lovin' family

AND last but surely not least......a hughes camping trip would never be complete without packing up in the down pouring rain!! at least someone's enjoying it!

another enjoyable weekend......in nature.....without the buzzzzzz of life! see you again in october woods!

a bestie visits.......

i HATE that most of my besties live far from me & that at any given moment i can't just make a call to grab a cup of coffee! but i LOVE when we are able to get together.....even for a few hours! even for an unexpected visit. even when my house is filled with dust balls. even when my vacuum has become bff's with my kitchen chair {cause he can't seem to make his way to the closet!}. even when we don't really have food bought for a meal. even when my iron/ironing board have become a seemingly permanent fixture in our living room. even when the toilets may have some filth lingering on them. {did i just admit that?} even when i haven't had a shower ALL DAY & i smell from a post work out session......9 hours earlier.

yep......she arrived & it's as if my own child/husband entered my home. i could have cared less of all the above mentioned {well almost!}.......she could have cared less!

we dined on lentil stew & cornbread

we laughed about nothing AND everything

and the kids acted themselves.......cause she's family to us!

BONUS......she'll throw you over her shoulders & run around the house till your empty of the giggles!

the only thing i left longing for more of was her presence......MOVE HOME ROSIE! you are loved.

{what's kinda nice too is i still was able to blog about this cause you can't see dust & dirt in pictures.......BUT did you notice the vacuum & iron? they thought they needed their photo op too!}

Is it "Donuts" or "Doughnuts"??

So I'm not the kind of girl who CAN'T resist passing up a Krispy Kreme Donut shop when the "Hot Now" sign is lit up......don't get me wrong I'm not a hater of those yummy circular treats with a hole in the middle, I WILL eat them.....rather it's just not my "sweet of choice"! BUT there is this great donut {or is it really doughnut??} shop downtown where they have every doughnut/donut you can imagine! It's my nieces 3rd birthday today & who wouldn't love a specialty doughnut/donut for breakfast?! So her "untle Jon" {as she affectionately calls him} stopped at Julie Darling's for 1 doughnut/donut.....

.......who invited the other 6??? So we couldn't let them feel unwanted, I mean really we have manner's people!! Nope at 8:32 pm the girls & I indulged.....maybe 3 were eaten in less than 1 minute....who's to say? It's forever our secret!

If you're ever in downtown Chattanooga I HIGHLY recommend this place........why is all the "cool stuff" downtown?? Hmmmm

Reporting of 2 August Birthday's in September....

I get to share a birthday with my best friend EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR!! My twin! Yep! A pretty lucky girl I am!! Love this, especially years where maybe we are more low key about the celebration.....like this year! But we were together & it was instantly a party! My mom always has a special "Sabbath lunch" {our church day to those unfamiliar as to what "Sabbath" is}, it's a tradition we all look forward to....kids & adults!

So here are some scenes from our "special lunch"

always have been a HUGE fan of jelly bean......most the jelly belly sorts!

you will find a variety of foods on these "special lunch" days as we just tell mom some of our favorite foods

special hand made/wrapped gifts from the girls.....warms my heart!!

{from Kayden}

{from Emery}

{gift basket from mom}

My chosen cake every year.....cheesecake! It's the best EVER!

"The Blowing Out Face"! It's just become a tradition!!......and I love all the kids doing their own thing.....like Lauren thinking I'm the craziness Aunt EVER! Or Kayden trying to keep Emery from blowing out my candles!!

and while we dined on YUMMY cheesecake the kids ate ice cream out of the carton & cookies {HELLO HEATHER CHAPMAN!!}......who has the best Aumie {my mom} EVER?!!!

Our actual birthday found me at a computer class but that evening we all met up for dinner

Tired & dirty from school and all!

You didn't think we'd fail you on "the blowing out face" did you??

I LOVE LOVE LOVE her with all my heart & couldn't imagine another person to share my birthday with!