Off to Market....

For weeks now I have been looking forward to my first "holiday marketplace." I know it sounds silly, just days ago there were little ones parading in full costume through the neighborhood in search of bucketfuls of candy. Yet, I am still finding myself anticipating the joys of the season. Yesterday morning, coffee in hand, I marched off to the Believe Marketplace. Such a friendly, inviting place to be and I was really wowed by the variety and craftsmanship.

First, let's talk about the tree when you first walked in......

Just wow!!! It was amazing - and they were raffling it off - seven foot tree complete with all these beautiful trimmings. Some lucky person in at that marketplace won this gorgeous tree, delivered right to their home! Kudos to the Glittered Rack for this beauty!

And to welcome you on to the grounds, there was music (vintage truck was a super cool hit with my boys) and a 'farmhouse inspired' booth with some pretty incredible pieces. I was especially fond of the large Farmhouse sign!

After only a few minutes, I suddenly became aware that there was so much to see and unfortunately, we were limited on time, so we had to scurry through some booths. We stopped for coffee (to fuel the journey) and we were able to see each and every booth. We ended our shopping at the bookstore, which was packed but had such a great variety of goods - everything from ornaments to jewelry. We found several Christmas gifts there. I especially loved the booth with all the signs right at the entrance - there were so many to read and they were all amazing. In another booth, we saw a giant Jenga set and Yard Yahtzee - such fabulous ideas!!

And if you happen to be a pillows and blankets gal like I am, The Sheet Lady's booth was a big hit. On one of the displays, she had these chunky throws - one touch and I was in heaven - so incredibly soft! Amazing quality and craftsmanship again and the large pillows - especially the ones that were flannel checks were perfect for the holidays. LOVED this booth!!!

As our morning came to a close, we picked up various cards advertising upcoming markets. The strategy is forming since many of my favorites from this show will be present and some of the upcoming shows. So excited to go again!!!

A Season of Thanks....

It was such a beautiful day yesterday and we were looking forward to a night of Trick or Treaters on our doorstep, so I decided to take the lab full of boundless energy for a walk. We walked to the park and down to the bus stop where all the little kiddos waved and yelled "PUPPY" - she thoroughly enjoyed the attention, believe me. We rounded off our walk at the mailbox which was chopped full of the assorted goodies we normally see. But something caught my eye, a rather thick envelope. So I opened it to find two neatly folded pieces of gift wrap in red and blue, along with a note card embellished with the American Flag. Reading through the materials I discovered that this was sent from The Wounded Warrior Project, and contained stories that touched my heart.

Once the candy has been eaten and the last pumpkins taken away, most minds settle directly upon the next holiday - Thanksgiving - but let's not forget there's one in between. Veteran's Day is Saturday, November 11th this year, with Friday being recognized as the federal observance. My flag will be flying high that weekend. I've already made plans to take the boys and their grandparents on a picnic down on the State Capitol grounds. It's been nearly a year since we've toured the memorial to the USS Arizona, and my parents haven't seen it since it was renovated and all the new dedications were placed. My stepdad being a Navy Veteran, I thought this would be a nice way to honor his service to our nation.

Long fly our flag in this great nation! And a heartfelt thanks to all those who have served so tirelessly and bravely for our freedom!