Well, I just put up the last ornament on my Christmas Tree Advent Calendar.
Guess that means today is Christmas Eve. One last day to get ready…
and prepare for Santa’s overnight visit.

My advent calendar was made by my Grandmother on my Mom’s side… Kitty.
Okay, Catherine, but all of her old lady friends called her Kitty… and therefore so did I. Because it was cute.

Anyway, she made several of these calendars, one for each of her children, and eventually one for each of us grandchildren. We grew up thinking that they were an original design of her own. That she was extra crafty and made these wonderful heirloom calendars all on her own.

It wasn’t until just a few years ago during one of my Holiday Home Shows that someone showed up and said ‘Hey, we have the exact same calendar.’ Skreech… back it up… what??? It was that day that we found out our dearly departed Kitty had been using felt craft kits. Same goes for a collection of handmade felt ornaments… toy soldier, angel, rocking horse…
kit… kit… kit.

I still love the calendar & ornaments and think of her fondly every year I bring them out.
But now with a slight chuckle thinking of her holiday “shenanigans.”

My cousins in Minnesota are gearing up for the holidays. Three adorable kids looking forward to the Big Day. Oh yeah… and look at those great mirrors over the fireplace! Huh, pretty shnazzy, right?! I love how they’ve decorated my tiled mirrors for the holidays!!! Wish I could come up there to celebrate with my Minnesota cousins!

Merry Christmas Caroline, Christopher & Mitchell.

Look who’s taken up residence in a large stamped bowl. Apparently these mischievous Elves have abandoned their “shelf” to wreak some havoc with my cousins up in Minnesota!!! Looks like they’re taking a “bubble bath” in sugar cubes!!!

Exactly one week later…  and I’m back for another healthy dose of Cirque du Soleil.
And coincidentally, the seats that we have this time are EXACTLY the same as last time?! My parents ordered the tickets online, and my niece Taylor was sitting in MY seat from last time.

Kinda fun to see the show for a second time. To see the things you missed the first time. And to watch for any small differences in the performance. It is live after all.. so something’s gotta be different!!!

Also fun to see it with my sister Jen and my niece Taylor. It was their first time under Le Grand Chapiteau! Jen has seen some of the shows in Las Vegas, but never a traveling show under the tent. And for Taylor this was her first time seeing Cirque du Soleil live EVER!!! Also their first time enjoying circus popcorn with chocolate M&M’s sprinkled all over… yep, my doing!!!

The show was wonderful again as expected. There were a few differences. Some of which I was not pleased with. But no one else would probably even notice. For some reason, the juggler at the beginning who does his “duet” with the drummer was nowhere to be found. No juggler ever?! And the “Aviator” character who did the traditional tubes & planks balancing act on a non-traditional swing… did hand-balancing on that same swing?! No tubes. No planks. Same actor. Same costume. Similar, but different… and sadly, not quite as exciting.

Otherwise, our evening under the Big Top for KURIOS was fun for the family. My parents enjoyed the show, and Jen & Taylor loved their “first” Cirque du Soleil experiences!!! And I can never get enough!!!

Yesterday was a wonderful day… beautiful weather, incredible rides and a full day of fun with my niece Taylor and sister Jen. It’s was our annual adventure to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ilinois. My cousin Kim was supposed to come with, but she was instead bed-ridden with a back injury. Probably not the best idea to taunt the injury with jostling on some roller coasters?!

We arrived early before the rides open. They allow you to enter the park, but the actual lines don’t open until 10:30am. So there was plenty of time for a few “glamour shots.”

We considered several different roller coasters for our first ride of the day. Taylor was being a little cautious, so we ended up back on “The Viper”… her favorite wooden roller coaster from last year. Lots of bumps, twists and hills that make you fly out of your seat. Okay, she’s right… it is a pretty great roller coaster!!!

Of course there are the prerequisite spinny, twisty, going-around-in-circles rides that Taylor loves!!! Jen gets a little squeamish on these spinny rides, so it’s just Taylor and I taking on the challenge… again… and again… and again…

We didn’t quite make it on “The Demon.” A little too “bouncy” and not quite as smooth as we would like. Taylor did it last year but wasn’t too much of a fan. Too much head shaking & jostling around. But I did get a great shot of it while we were waiting in line for another spinny ride!

Next up was her other favorite roller coaster… “The Whizzer.” It’s one of the original rides form when Six Flags opened thirty years ago. It’s not the tallest or fastest, but it does give you a great view of the rest of the park and its many roller coaster!

And yes, for the record…
Every roller coaster does have a sign that clearly states cameras are NOT permitted while on any of the rides. It also says that arms & legs are to remain in the car at all times. Ha!!! But if we all followed the rules, we wouldn’t have great pictures like this, right?! I rest my case.

After several roller coasters and a lot of spinny rides, it was finally time for lunch. And who doesn’t love huge corn dogs & cheesy nachos?! Not the healthiest of options, but… when in Rome…

And then it was back to the spinny… maybe not the best idea on a newly full stomach?!
I’m sure some good Dippin’ Dots will settle that back down!!!

We took a calming “diversion” to settle someone’s stomach and recharge in the calming & air conditioned Sky Trek Tower. It’s a very slow, revolving elevator that gives you great views of the park.

Front to back… “Raging Bull”, “Giant Drop”, and the original classic “American Eagle”…

“The Whizzer”…

“The Viper” on the right…

The classic carousel at the entrance…

Another great shot of “The Viper”…

And “Hurricane Harbor Water Park” that we never quite make it too.

After our refueling ride up the tower, it was finally time to tackle some water rides!!! First up, “Logger’s Run.” Another Great America classic that has been there for thirty years… and you can tell.

And once you’re wet, you might as well go for another water ride… this time it was “Roaring Rapids” where we all got soaked!!!

What better way to dry off than another trip on Taylor’s favorite “The Viper”???

And Taylor’s nemesis… “Raging Bull.” It’s my favorite of all the roller coasters, but Taylor was NOT a fan last year when she went on. I think it was far too open on the sides, and only has a lap restraint – not the full over-the-shoulder-lock-you-in-contraption as some of the newer ones. So the closest we got to it this year was walking under it as we were in line for “The Viper”… again.

Sunset shots of “The Viper” and “Raging Bull.”

And what trip to Great America is complete without a couple funnel cakes at the end?! I mean if you’re going to go, you might as well go all the way, right?! So I had them add ice cream & hot fudge to mine! Taylor chose the classic powdered sugar route… but obviously was left wanting more!

After the funnel cakes, our day came to an end back where we started. With a beautiful view of the iconic Great America Carousel. And the conclusion to another great day at Great America with Taylor & Jen. Sorry Kim… maybe next year?

My cousin Kim has been out working in her garden again!
And this time she’s over-flowing one of my berry bowls with her bountiful harvest!
Thanks for sharing the photo Kim… now can we “share” the veggies too?

We drove home from Peoria in the late afternoon hours. We were hoping to make good time and quite possibly enjoy a beautiful sunset along the way. About halfway home, the sky took a turn and huge clouds swooped in. Dark, impending clouds… and you could see where the storm was dropping huge amounts of rain. And the cloud was headed our way.

As the cloud passed over us, the sky got suddenly dark & gloomy. But also made for an incredible sunset. Almost looked more like a forest fire than a sunset?!

And here’s Cousin Kim enjoying the sunset, with that fiery orange glow on her face,
and trying to get that “perfect” stormy sunset photo!

Soon enough the clouds to ur right were being taken over by the large storm cloud.
It was pretty cool to watch them “mix it up”… blue skies, white clouds & dark storm clouds!

But then soon enough, almost as quick as it blew in, the storm cloud moved on…
and we were treated to a “second” beautiful sunset!!!

While visiting Peoria for the weekend, our plans were changed slightly due to the heavy rains that came through this morning. We decided to do some sightseeing in the Peoria area. Which took us to the Giant Burr Oak tree.

And with the build-up and posted “pedigree” that this tree has…
I was excited & relieved that the tree did not disappoint. The giant burr oak tree is very large with beautifully dark glossy leaves. The oversized branches are growing every which way. Some of the larger ones are drooping so low that they are actually resting on the ground… or even better, propped up by constructed tripods.

Here you can see the constructed tripods propping up a branch…

And here you can see my Cousin Kim and my very first art fair friends Gerry & Rosene.
The master gardeners and longtime friends!!!

Every year, the rural town of Chenoa pulls out all the stops for July Fourth. All of the charming “hometown” activities you would expect. Including a parade through the center of town. And what little kid doesn’t like a parade… especially when the toss candy to you as they drive by?! Well, my college friends live in this quaint town with their ten kids. Some of the older ones weren’t there for the parade… but the littler ones were all excited, and maybe a little apprehensive, about the approaching parade. And by “parade” I mean every firetruck, tractor and politician from the surrounding towns. A few bands, a couple clowns and some Shriners in their mini cars!!!

The littlest one Ryann getting some comfort on the lap of older brother Camden…
before she built up enough bravery to head out on her own!

Finally, some candy to grab… worth the wait!!!

Finan & Rosie were anticipating candy as well… seasoned veterans that they are!!!

And the pride of a full bag of candy at the end of the parade!!!

Looks like my cousin Kim has been out collecting more homegrown strawberries for breakfast. Good thing she has a nice ceramic basket to put them in. Just sayin’…