One of Many Crazy Weekends

We'll Start with Friday Afternoon.

Wash'n Gourds.
The kids and I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed the dirt and peelings off of 100 gourds. These gourds will be used at the upcoming community picnic. We tried everything (including a high-pressure steam cleaner) to get the little bastards clean, but in the end, the gourds still looked nasty. I later learned to soak them in a mixture of hot water and fabric softener for 15 minutes before scrubbing. Okay...I'll remember that for next year. Still, it was some quality time with my children, who for the most part, were happy to help.



Oktoberfest
Doug and I ditched the kids and happily skipped off to a land of beer, shnitzels, beer,carnival rides, and yes, more beer. It's been a long time since I've been on a carnival ride...I LOVE THEM!!! WAAAAHOOOOOO!!!! The scarier the better! Doug on the other hand, is not impressed and struggles to find the thrill. Bummer. I'd love to hear the guy scream! The beer was good. I drank more than I thought I would. Those steins were HUGE!!! I had to use two hands when tilting one up to take a guzzle sip. When we weren't standing in line or swimming in adult beverages, I was mean and partook in one of my favorite past-times...PEOPLE WATCHING!. What better place than a drunken carnival in ALABAMA?!?!?! For a little extra fun, I secretly snapped pictures of some of my favorite freaks individuals. No. In case you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm NOT a nice as I might seem. Fun night with my hubby and good friends.

Pics of Doug and me. A few friends thrown in.


Below is a small selection of my "WTF?!?!" collection.
I've prefaced with my "OMG! Get the camera!" face.


Saturday: The Monte Sano Art Show
What a beautiful day! (Okay, it would have been much more beautiful if I could have fit my fat ass into my shorts and didn't have to borrow a pair from a friend. These things do tend to put a damper on a girl's day!) I love taking the kids to things like this. We ran across an oil painting of Falls Mill in TN. Having recently been there, this caught Faith's eye and pulled us into the artist's booth. Faith was fully enamored and asked the artist several questions about her art. Precious. Austin found a scrap-metal exhibit that caught his interest. He took a ridiculous amount of pictures and had a great time.




Sunday was the community picnic. After last year's great success with the kids, I was asked to run the gourd decorating table again this year. Who knew the kid's would take to this so much? Doug says that my table's popularity was only rivaled by the free food. Again...WHO KNEW? I'm already signed up to do it again NEXT year! (Hopefully with bigger tables and a canopy. Geez. I melted in 100 degree weather for 3 hours!) Unfortunately the popularity of this silly project kept me chained to the table. I missed EVERYTHING! Such a bummer. Thank goodness for Doug. He kept an eye on the kids and socialized with all of the neighbor dads. The Bear Scouts got to check off a requirement by talking with the on-site police officer. The officer gave a small lecture and answered questions. THEN HE HANDCUFFED THEM AND THREW THEM INTO THE BACK OF HIS SQUAD CAR!!! Fantastic. The boys loved it.



So that was our crazy-fun weekend. A little too much for me,
but all self-inflicted!