This is the scene on our couch most nights. The three best friends on one end and me on the other. I’m glad they have each other but it does get a bit lonely sometimes. Especially since I’m the one who loves the kittens SO MUCH. Chris says that’s part of the problem.
The boys were off school on Monday and the temperature was in the 80s. We needed an outdoor activity and Ferguson’s Apple Orchard was just the ticket. To be fair, it’s not about the apples, and we didn’t pick any. Instead, we enjoyed all of the other attractions and had a blast together.
The book festival continued with the Young Writers Showcase today and both boys were in it again this year. I really enjoy hearing the progression of writing as the kids get older. The change from 3rd grade (the youngest authors) to 8th grade (the oldest) is just fascinating. Both boys did great—Robbe had a fantasy fiction piece that he worked hard on and really impressed us with. Chase challenged himself to a poem about the lake house written in haiku stanzas. It was a lovely event.
Is there anything better after a crazy week (book festival prep, parent/teacher conferences, book festival events, and all the normal life stuff) than kitten snuggles on a Friday night? For me, that’s the dream.
Just a girl and her wagon-full of book festival marketing materials walking to the first event of the 2024 festival. And it was a great kick-off. Visit cvbookfest.com/events for the full lineup. There are virtual attendance options!
It was a beautiful afternoon here so Chase and I popped out for an after-school stroll. With the sunshine and the near-peak colors, it was a pretty dreamy way to spend a bit of our day.
Catching up on events from the weekend: we joined some of my family for a *virtual* Teddy Bear Run on Saturday. Chase and I ran/walked about 2.25 miles and had a great time. We even enjoyed a picnic lunch with everyone after. Chris and Robbe had a soccer game to attend so they ran on Sunday instead…but it still counted!
The October 4-H meeting means pumpkin carving time! It’s a beautiful way for the boys to handle their designs with friends for support and to not have to deal with the mess. Win-win! They came through with some great ones this year!
We’ve been busy volunteering for our 4-H club’s haunted barn fundraiser and last night was our scare night (our other shifts have been set up and the family fun day). The scaring is the real deal, though, and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to make people scream. This year we were stationed in the corn field. We did some jump scares, some corn rustling, and some surprise running. I don’t know why anyone would want to be scared like that, but I appreciate that they pay our club money to participate.
I’m so proud of this sweet girl. She gave her everything today at the sectional tennis tournament and—lucky me—it was held in Eau Claire so I got to watch! I wish we lived in the same town as this one. Shes just so lovely. And she even let me borrow her shirt so I could represent!!
Tonight’s highlight was the boys’ first fundraiser dinner. I can’t believe they haven’t been to one before. We supported the county 4-H program AND I didn’t have to cook PLUS there were cookies, cupcakes, and ice cream. I think it’ll take less convincing to attend the next one.
Dear Evan Hansen arrived in our neighborhood for the weekend and you better believe we were first in line for tickets. It might have been even better the second time! And Chase loved it, too. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy musicals?
Today’s art appreciation came in the form of a new glass art mosaic on campus at UWEC. Not a mural, but we like it nonetheless.
Robbe offered up an impromptu piano concert tonight and he had two very engaged audience members.
My mom’s birthday was in March and I thought it would be a fun idea to do a weaving tutorial with a talented artist in the area. Little did I know this simple idea would not be so simple to coordinate. Six months later and three reschedules, but we did it. And it was very cool. What a beautiful and complicated craft. It was fascinating to see it come together.
So, there you go…happy birthday, mom!
We snuck in a quick trip to the lake this weekend to celebrate my dad’s birthday. We basked in the unseasonably warm day, played some games, cleaned up a bit of summer, enjoyed a delicious bday dinner, picked some pumpkins, and I rocked my first attempt at making divinity (a fluffy candy I’ve never heard of). It was a lovely celebration of one of my favorite people.
You know what makes laundry on a Friday night more fun? Kittens. Kittens is the answer to everything.
Look who came to visit for a tennis match today! We felt so lucky to be able to watch Lily play—it’s been too long. Such a beautiful afternoon for it, too.
I know, I know…another mural. And this river-themed one is right across the river from our house. Crazy, right? I’m a fan.
That’s right. The book festival is back and it is consuming most of my work time these days. I do really enjoy doing it but, man, sometimes it’s a bit much.
Luckily, I have two more feline friends to “help” with my random projects. Take this book photo shoot, for example. Murphy had a lot of suggestions to improve the shots (most of the suggestions just included inserting himself into the set up).
small city | BIG DAYS
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