Jamming vacations into the weekends

I'm sorry!  I'm a terrible blogger and don't visit my usuals as often as I would like...

Anyway, here's what I've been up to and I'll try and do better for my blog friends.

Since last week.  My van is not fixed yet and based on the cost of a replacement hatch, it's going to a black lift gate.  Not the pretty blue, but oh well.  It'll be my next craft project to sand it down and paint it. :)  I'll stick it on my to do list.

I just ordered the liftgate and will pick it up this afternoon.

My birthday party was Thursday night.  Meri and Shub came as well as Josh and Carli.  

J and C were leaving for their adventure in Arizona early on Friday morning, so this was their send off meal too.

Early the next morning, I met up at Josh's apartment to get some cleaning supplies that they were getting rid of.  I helped them load up the car and then left them for the final touches.  They were leaving behind a super grill too and asked if I'd find a home for it.  I was just a couple miles away when Maddy answered a text with SURE!  So I went back to the apartment to get it, passing them as I rounded the corner and they were heading out.  They didn't see me.  Tunnel vision. :)

Got the grill, cover and grill utensils all loaded up and ready for my mini-vacation for Wisconsin.

The neighbors in "college town" live for when students move out.  So many students leave REALLY good stuff on the curbs for the trash.  As I was loading the grill, one neighbor was picking thru the trash can...

I did grab the vacuum cleaner for Meri...

So that evening after work, Meri and I headed to Wisconsin to hang with Maddy for a couple days.  Got there around 10:45pm, just in time for supper!  Maddy and Matthew had baked us some cauliflower crust pizzas.  YUM...  We'd snacked the whole way on healthy things too, so the car food didn't do too much damage to our diets.

Matthew had to work Saturday and then came back to the house long enough to pack up the car for a camping trip with his high school buddies.

We went for a walk that morning at the lake. The breeze was fantastic!

When we got back to the hosue, Maddy grabbed the remote and said that in honor of my birthday, I got to pick a movie from the 80s that I wanted us to watch.  The first one that made me feel all nostalgic was Tootsie.  So Maddy didn't dither and clicked on it.  They enjoyed it with me!

Then a 2nd walk at a dog park with the girls and the "girls".  The dogs took OFF in the dog park and Meri and I got our exercise in!  

I don't think I've run in public for a LONG time.  Thankfully we were the only ones in the park.  After corralling the "girls", I had an impromptu photo shoot of Meri that Shub had requested.  

Done.

Then since the dogs were just not cooperating, we took them into the puppy dog walk area and let them run free until Daisy found a big mud puddle and jumped in.  

Yikes!  They're spirited!!!

Daisy got a shower when we got back.

After a delicious supper of lentil sloppy joes in the Instant pot, and oh my goodness, that was SO good!!!  We got to crafting!!!

Here's what we made.

Button necklaces

Hobnail vases

and embroidery hoop/flower wall hangings.

I wore my necklace for the whole drive home and will show it off at the next ASG meeting.  

I was really impressed with how the hobnail vases turned out!  Of course a couple of the sticky knobs shifted when spray painting, but for the most part, they were very cool.

For food this weekend, Maddy (and us as the sous chefs) besides the Lentil Sloppy Joes, we made Orange Chicken in the IP.  MMMMMMMM  We're talking about testing a bunch of recipes and maybe putting together a cookbook of sorts of our favorites.

And there was chocolate cake...  :)

My life is complete.

Meri and I drove home after lunch on Sunday and  got home in time for supper.  Shub had made burritos for Meri and Robb had picked up Mexican fast food for us at home.  MMMMMMMM

On Monday morning's weigh in, I had only gained 2.5 pounds since Friday morning!  Working it off this week.

My sister and her family stopped by yesterday on their way home from Indiana and I gave them some of my stash of Twin Bings and Icy sticks.  That should have been enough sugar to keep them going for the last 3 hours of their trip!

ANYHOO!  Back to work.  I hope you had a great weekend!