Life with Loki & Spook

We have been cat owners for two months now - literally - two months today - and so far, it's been an experience! Even looking back at these pictures from the last few weeks, they've already changed so much! Now that we know a little more about their personalities, let me tell you a bit more about them!

Loki - named for the Norse god of chaos; he couldn't have been named better! We firmly believe he is the baby of the two, but he is definitely the one in charge. He is the first one to get into anything & everything, leading the charge on creating mischief! He has also been the one to become incredibly cuddly after our return from Norway; he loves sitting in laps & snuggling & his purr is so loud that when he went to the vet for the first time, they couldn't hear his heartbeat over his roaring motor! 

Spook - also perfectly named, this little guy seems to be very easily spooked by everything! He is timid but talkative & doesn't try things until he sees Loki try them first! We are convinced he's the older brother because he often "hugs" Loki or pulls him close & grooms him... those seem like big brother traits to us! He is very slowly becoming more sociable - but it is definitely a day by day process with this little scaredy cat!

They keep us entertained - whether it's racing from one end of the house to the other (which happens often) or diving around the house attacking each other (also happens often) - they definitely have very distinct personalities that shine through more & more each day. If you're sitting on the couch, Loki will probably crawl into your lap to snuggle but Spook will always be content to just sit near to where you are. Perhaps in time I'll have two cats in my lap?

I take way too many pictures of them - but then again, they are always doing something cute & cheeky!

Sometimes I think they even look like little cat models, ha-ha! Granted, this is only when they are sweet enough to pose for pictures... & that's a rare occasion indeed. But I have captured them napping on my book (made it a little hard to read) & Spook came upstairs one morning & let me know his thoughts on how I was doing my make-up...

He was almost compelled to help me rub something in - I must have missed a spot. When it's time for Saturday breakfast, Loki is always glad to be first to the counter! At least here I'm holding him, he's usually first to the counter because he's jumped on the counter! That habit is not breaking... *sigh* And of course, if you're eating anywhere besides seated at the dining room table, you can bet one or both of them are going to come over & investigate!

Sunday afternoon naps are always enjoyed a little more when you have a kitten in your lap - & Loki is always glad to oblige us, even stretching his toes out & getting cozy! One day maybe Spook will experience the joy of snuggling with someone & he'll be hooked too...

All in all - these two silly boys are adding a lot of fun (& fur) to our lives. We love watching them grow & getting to know them better every day! I hope they are a part of our family for a long time to come!

Weekend Things

Proof that everything old is new again - as I made my way to my office on Friday, I couldn't help but laugh at my shoes. They were a birthday gift from my husband and I clearly remember my 15-year old self begging & pleading for a pair of "muffins"... & being told I could save my money & buy them. I did just that & thought they were the most wonderful shoes ever. Now, for my 40th birthday, I again wanted a pair of "muffins" & I have them - they are great & very comfy! I'm sure comfort wasn't my chief concern when I was 15, ha-ha!

The kittens get more snuggly every day - Spook is still not 100% sure about being loved on, but he will let us pick him up from time to time now. It usually only lasts about a minute, but we take what we can get! Maybe he's never going to be a snuggler? Either way - these two little fluffballs add so much joy to our lives & keep us entertained!

Saturday was a beautiful day & I spent a chunk of the day with my friend Jayne in Page County! It had been a while since we'd had a girls day & so we cruised through the beautiful countryside, & visited some of our favorite places: the Coffee Shop Boutique, With My Soul Boutique & The Virginia Gift Shop - all such awesome places to shop! Jayne treated me to lunch for my birthday & we headed back to our houses shortly after 2:00.

One of my purchases was the t-shirt below; all of the proceeds go to the people who have been displaced because of Hurricane Helene. The company; Simply Southern, is based in North Carolina & I love the way this business (and so many people) are coming together to help one another after the devastation that has been brought onto the mountain communities of North Carolina (and other states).

Saturday night Ryan & I spent some time sitting by our fire pit in our back yard - our first fire pit fire of the 2024 Autumn season! It was so nice to just sit in the crispy air, smelling the fire & listening to the logs crackle... Granted, when some brush down the hill crackled, I almost fell in my haste to get out of my chair & to our back door! I know - scared of my own shadow! I'm sure it was just a raccoon wandering around in the woods past our back door but I have much too vivid an imagination! Either way - the fire pit is out, ready to rock & roll & I love being able to sit in our cozy backyard!

Sunday after church & a quick lunch at home, I met my Mom in Berryville, VA for Luckett's Fall Market - so glad we were able to go! Luckett's is the most delightful little shop (it's really not little) & every Fall & Spring, they have a huge market at the Clarke County that has an endless supply of home decor, antiques, fashion finds, food trucks, greenery & flowers... the list goes on & on! 

The whole set up is incredible & I am so thrilled because I made a find this year! There was a gorgeous black refinished vanity with an unbelievable price tag of $125 - & then the shop owner told me she'd give it to me for $100! After a quick phone call to my husband, I made that deal with her & it's now sitting in our bedroom! I think going on Sunday afternoon, which is the third & final day of the market, is a really great idea! So many of the booths were offering their items at a discounted price or were much more willing to make a deal - so I think I'll stick with Sunday as the day to go!

Aren't the displays gorgeous? The weather was perfect too - if a little warm! If I had an unending supply of funds (don't we all wish that)... I could have gone crazy! As it was, I am still pretty tickled with my vanity find & I also got a wooden dough bowl for just $10. So I'd say my trip to Luckett's Fall Market this year was excellent.

Sunday evening was laid back & chill - watching football & playing with the kittens. I find that I really enjoy Sundays in the Fall; watching football while having some soup or chili simmering on the stove, maybe a cool Fall breeze is coming in an open window? That was our Sunday afternoon & it was lovely! It was especially lovely because I had Monday off for Indigenous Peoples Day, so I was able to sleep in & spend some time just being relaxed & calm - so nice. I cannot believe October is already halfway over - time flies, faster every year!

40th Birthday Weekend

One day I won't be playing catch up on my blog... but today is not that day, ha-ha! I'm only a week behind, so there is that! Last weekend, Ryan and I set out after work on Thursday and headed up I-81 to Lancaster, PA for the weekend; especially since meeting and marrying Ryan, Lancaster has become a special place for me and I decided I wanted to spend the weekend in the area and celebrate my birthday there - so my husband and my parents planned a lovely weekend for me! 

We had dinner on our way up at one of our favorite spots in the area - Dockside Willie's! Ryan has a history with this spot; he worked here during college and still has a good relationship with the owner and his son! We had a delicious meal and Ryan got to catch up with his former co-worker, now owner - who was even nice enough to gift us a box of River Rocks to take home - so awesome! If you are ever in the Harrisburg, PA area - don't miss Dockside Willie's, or it's sister restaurants Tequila Willie's and Duke's Bar & Grille. All three are an amazing dining experience!

Friday morning started a little later than we planned - I guess we were both pretty tired, because we slept in until almost 9 AM! I haven't slept so late in years, I swear! I was blown away when I woke up and looked at my watch; seeing that it said 8:47 blew my mind! After shifting some ideas around, we headed to the Green Dragon Farmer's Market in Ephrata... and y'all, what a delight this place was! The Green Dragon is one of the largest flea markets on the East Coast and is open every Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM... and I think it's a don't miss stop if you're in Lancaster County for a long weekend! 

The Green Dragon has 30+ acres of free parking, seven market buildings and over 100 specialty market vendors - so when I say you will have plenty to look at, I am not kidding! There are vendors selling items that are likely similar to what you'd find at a garage sale; Ryan and I found some amazing matchbox cars and Snoopy comics from the 1970's - on sale for $1 a piece! There are also stalls selling antique, candles, body products, jewelry, purses and more... and then you get into the market buildings and it's a whole different world than the vendors outdoors!

Inside the market buildings there is Amish-built furniture that will take your breath away... I have never seen so many gorgeous pieces! There are also produce sellers with some of the most beautiful fruits and vegetables I've ever seen and the flowers; oh my gosh! Stunning! I don't know that I've ever seen such massive mums in my life! And lastly - the Amish baked goods! Shoofly pies, whoopie pies (some bigger than my hand), loaves of bread, cookies, pies, cakes... so many amazing things! Don't miss the Green Dragon Market if you are in the Ephrata area on a Friday! 

We headed out around lunchtime to Shady Maple Smorgasbord; a spot I've wanted to eat at for a long time, and I finally got the chance last weekend! Shady Maple is a gigantic buffet in East Earl, PA: they have a 200-foot long buffet and serve around 1.5 million people a year... seriously - it's gigantic! And the food they serve is divine! I will definitely be making a return trip here - no doubt about it! Ryan also grabbed me some gorgeous wooden roses from the lobby; blooms I will have and cherish forever! Also - the whole bottom floor is a gift shop and if you can't find a gift here - you can't find one anywhere!

As part of my 40th birthday celebration, my husband decided that I needed to milk a cow before I turned 40... so after an afternoon that was filled with a pedicure, visiting some family and cruising around the Lancaster area, we headed to a family friend's farm where I got to get up close and personal with some bovine beauties! These ladies were gigantic and all in a row, and while they are now milked with milking machines, I did get to get up close with one and milk her the old fashioned way. It wasn't difficult but man, I am also very certain that being a dairy farmer isn't a missed calling on my life! 

The final stop of our day was CR Lapp's Family Restaurant; Ryan's parents owned a restaurant called Lapp's Family Restaurant when he was growing up (they actually had two), and this restaurant was once owned by Ryan's uncle and now his cousin Chrissy owns it! We were able to see some family and have dinner with Ryan's friend Aaron and his sweet little son, who chattered and kept us laughing! They serve some divine Chicken Corn Soup (Ryan's grandmother's recipe) and I was happy to devour a bowl of it for my dinner, along with the salad bar - and to our surprise, we were treated to dinner by Ryan's cousin, in honor of my birthday! This is another spot you should definitely check out if you're in the area - great food, friendly people and just an all around great place to dine!

Saturday morning we didn't sleep quite as late - and once we were ready, we headed to Whisk Cafe in Elizabethtown, PA for a divine breakfast! This place is special to Ryan and I because we visited here several times when we were dating - so it's a little flashback to our early days together! Whisk serves some amazing breakfast and lunch; including lattes that are the size of your head, ha-ha! I had one of the seasonal special lattes: blueberry cobbler, and my waffle was topped with cinnamon apples and a maple bourbon syrup - so good! We took some time to shop at the Tanger Outlets on the main drag of Lancaster and then met up with my parents for lunch at YP - home of the best strombolis! 

After lunch, we poked around Kitchen Kettle Village but y'all - I swear there must have been a thousand people there! It was hard to walk around, it was so crowded! We ended up not staying very long because there were just too many people for it to be enjoyable, so Ryan and I went to the Bird-in-Hand Farmer's Market instead and had a much better time perusing there! Ryan was able to get some favorites from Weaver Meats and I got a glass of Cherry Apple Cider that was to die for! Yum! 

We made our way to the Air BnB that my parents had booked for Saturday night - a lovely little spot in a renovated firehouse - and there were surprises aplenty! A whole bevy of Nothing Bundt Mini's and numerous presents... I'm a very spoiled lady! I had to open one gift then and there, it was tickets to the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater for that night to see Hairspray! It has been a minute since I went to a play or a dinner theater (sixth grade was the last time for a dinner theater...) so this was a treat! I really love the play Hairspray and honestly, the whole experience was pretty delightful! 

The cast for the show were extremely talented - all of them could, but some of them could SING - if you get my meaning! The food was good and the dessert options were great; they even had signature cocktails to go along with the show - although I just got a cocktail that they have all the time! I was also surprised that all the servers had signed a birthday card for me and left it at our table; such a nice little touch! The show was great - and they are doing White Christmas in December - that would be such an amazing treat to see; our family loves that movie! 

Sunday morning we celebrated with Bundt cakes for breakfast, ha-ha! Nothing like the breakfast of champions to kick off your 40th year, am I right? I was so blessed with books aplenty, some adorable fall/winter clothes, a new Cirkul cup and more... did I mention my husband took me shopping on Saturday? Oh! And he got me a gorgeous Michael Kors purse! When I tell you I am spoiled! We didn't have plans until 12:30, so Ryan and I went back by the outlets to peruse a little bit before meeting up with my parents for brunch! 

We had brunch at a completely new to me spot: Loxley's! The actual name of the restaurant is Loxley's Treehouse Restaurant and Bar; yes, this restaurant has treehouses as part of the seating arrangements! Now - the treehouse portion wasn't open on Sunday, but the whole restaurant in themed around Robin Hood (he was the Earl of Loxley, if you'll remember) and it was such an awesome spot to dine! Not to mention - the service was great and the food was phenomenal! We will definitely be going back when we are in the area - I want to go on a Friday or Saturday and sit in the treehouse, ha-ha! 

It was truly such a wonderful weekend - and it was also wonderful when all was said and done to be able to come home to our lovely house, with our mischievous kittens and just be at home! I am a blessed lady and I was reminded just how much as I celebrated turning 40. I can't believe I've already lived 40 years of life; here's praying the Lord blesses me with at least 40 more!