Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Bye Felicia....err....August

I know August has been over for almost a week now...but I'm going to stick with my title because sometimes the title is the hardest part. According to the Weather Channel, it would seem that the weather in my area of the world is going to be warmer than average this Autumn...and honestly that news just really hurts my heart. Mostly because I've recently bought some really cute booties, cardigans and jeans that I'm itching to wear in cooler weather... *sigh* If that's not a first world problem, I don't know what is!

Perusing the Dean & DeLuca catalog...& everything looks delicious.
Absolutely spoiled rotten...good gracious.
The work week flew by...as it usually does... Time flies when you're having fun, right? And yes - that means that most of the time, I have fun while I'm at work! What a novel idea!?! After the disaster that came with ordering a couch from World Market and having it delivered damaged not once but twice; I spent some time searching for a different couch, since a busted up one wasn't going to work. Beyond the search for a new couch and watching plenty of baseball...that was really the extent of the work week. 

Of course, during the game on Tuesday night I felt compelled to place my Max Scherzer No-Hitter bobblehead near the TV for "luck" or "baseball mystical good ju-ju" or "vibes"...whatever you want to call it. Max took a no-hitter through six innings, got eleven strikeouts and only allowed something like one or two hits. So yea...I think that's a thing now....

Bobblehead Baseball Mystical Magical JuJu at work...
Mid-week shopping goodness.
Getting the "I told you so" face from my dog...about a baseball game...
My little sister flew in late...so very late...on Thursday evening and well; honestly I was fast asleep when she arrived back to the house around 2 AM. I like to sleep...I need to sleep...it's important to me. I assumed that I wouldn't be seeing my sister until around lunchtime on Friday, when she and my Mom were planning to meet me for lunch...but amazingly she came creeping down the stairs around 7:30 in the morning, arms wide for a hug. As soon as she sat down, my dog climbed into her lap and placed his paw on her chest - his way of claiming her as his own for the weekend. He's a mess...but then, so is she...so it all works out.

Watson says "and you will be my human..."
Temptation they name is cupcakes!
Friday night skies...
Friday night was a fairly relaxed evening - which, isn't that how a Friday should always be? I met the family at the new house as they were finishing the final walk through and was finally able to take in the *mostly* finished product. Moving day(s) are mere days away and so we were offered the chance to point out any last minute fixes that needed to be made. It was also Lindsey's first time to see the house and when she's home again, the house will already have been lived in some. After a delicious supper we watched the Nationals game and simply enjoyed each other's company - and Watson enjoyed having all "his people" in one place.

Apparently shopping for furniture is really funny...
Absolutely spectacular Saturday weather. *sigh*
Saturday was full - in a good way - but gracious, it was full. We went to do some furniture shopping to get the day started and while I wasn't looking at this point, I just enjoy looking at furniture in general...so I liked it just fine. We had some delicious BBQ at a new place in our neck of the woods; have you heard of Mission BBQ, it's delightful and so yummy! The perfect lunch to munch on when there is a cool breeze and blue skies...oh it was good! After a quick drop into the Volvo dealership (my little sister is intrigued...) we went home to chill out just a bit and watch MSU lose the football game...BOO.

After a short interlude at the house, we headed across the mountain to The Copper Fox, one of our favorite antique shops. We perused the shop and found plenty of interesting and unique things...but nothing we absolutely needed...so we continued into the National Park to Skyland Lodge for supper. The meal was pretty tasty - as it always is - and after, we stopped at one of the many overlooks to catch the sunset. So - I took about fifty pictures of that. And I've put about ten or twelve of them on this post, ha-ha!

Meatloaf...Fried Half Chicken...Turkey Breast...Blackberry Cobbler
That setting sun was something fierce...
And behold...(almost) all of the sunset pictures from Saturday night...because...well...gorgeous.


I'm pretty sure there is no way to recreate color like this...
I don't know why my camera did this...but I'm glad it did...
The valley at sunset.
Sisters & the sunset!
Away the sun goes...
Jumping for joy...or something like that...
Hands up! Suns down!
Cheesing for a photo!
Gorgeous colors...
Reflections in the lake...
Sunday my little sister joined me for church...but on the way we made a very important stop - we hit up Starbucks for our very first PSL's of the season! If you aren't sure what that is...1) you've been living under a rock and 2) it's a Pumpkin Spice Latte! I don't know if it's my sudden need for all things to be Autumnal...but it was absolutely deliciously tasty! I've missed the PSL! After church, Lindsey and I made a Home Goods run; Lindsey doesn't have a Home Goods near her and she wanted to check out the deals, we each got a couple things and then raced to meet our parents for brunch!

The clubhouse where my parent's new home is located has a wonderful little restaurant called Regions 117 and we all met up to have some really delicious flapjacks, stuffed french toast, home fries, fresh fruit and some super tasty red beans and rice croquettes! We looked around the clubhouse just a bit before heading home, loading up a chair to be dropped off and refinished and heading to the movies to see The Light Between Oceans. All in all, a really good movie, although I think I enjoyed the book a wee bit more... We grilled out for supper and Lindsey and I watched an episode of Sherlock before calling it a night.
The first PSL of the season!
Monday morning I slept in until almost 8:00 - what an absolute gift! After a few cups of coffee, I felt like I was up to the challenge of painting my soon to be TV stand...so my Dad helped me hoist it out onto the deck and onto some newspaper and the project began! I probably inhaled too many fumes and I definitely sweated more than I had all weekend...but by the time we had to leave for the airport around 1:00, the project was complete! And I have to say - I loved the way it turned out!

My Mom and I dropped Lindsey off at the airport - deep in the heart of DC - and after our farewell hugs, we navigated our way around DC and to Ikea. Which...apparently everyone else in the world had decided that Labor Day was the perfect day to visit Ikea. I have never seen so many people in Ikea in all my life - it was madness! I'd wanted to look at a couch and sadly, it didn't quite live up to my standards...so while I didn't make any large purchases, I did leave with some frames, a lamp and a poncho. Before making the drive home, we stopped in at Chuy's for supper - and let me assure you - we will be back! It was so delicious and just writing about it makes me crave some queso and chips!

The before & after (sort of blurry...)
A delicious spread courtesy of the Chuy's Happy Hour Nacho Trunk!
I don't know if you've ever eaten at a Chuy's before...but apparently during the week, from 4-7 they have a Happy Hour Nacho Trunk and that was one of the most wonderful things I've ever encountered. Settled in the back of the trunk of a car (inside...and cleaned up...of course) are chips, queso, salsa, seasoned ground beef and refried beans...and you just get to help yourself to as much as you'd like. It was divine! 

After a quick jaunt home; listening to the Nationals game all the way, my Mom and I closed the holiday "weekend" by just being lazy. I do love a good long weekend and this one was just that: a good long weekend...made especially good by my little sister's presence. So now the work week has begun again and the countdown to moving day is getting incredibly close... 

I'm so glad August is over - not because it was bad - it definitely wasn't. I just so love the last four months of the year and I can't wait to see what they have in store!








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