Fair Grove Heritage Festival

My Mom and I don't get to spend much time together even though we are just six miles apart. Our schedules are full, evenings are crammed with housework, chores, supper and what extra time we do have, well it just doesn't coordinate. We hastily planned today just a couple days ago to attend this good size craft festival. We met up with Lisa and her Mom, Judy along with the life of the party, Grace!! It was such a great, relaxed day...I loved it!! It is amazing how many crafty-talented people are in this corner of the world. The fun of these festivals are enjoying the different booths and what they have to offer. To see the unique creations, to taste the yummy treats (LOOOVVVEEE the funnel cakes, roasted pecans, fried oreos, grilled corn on the cob...) not to mention bumping into those acquaintances that you may see only once or twice a year. We saw a few of those today!

Grace really kept the excitement up and us on our toes as she set the pace...racing to each and every jewelry booth! Yep, that girl looked glamorous by the time she was finished layering on every bracelet and necklace she purchased. We really got a kick out of her, she would look and look. Once she spotted what she wanted, her little purse couldn't get unzipped fast enough for her to pull the money out. But what cracked us up was that she would pull her money out BEFORE she made a final decision on WHAT to purchase!!!! She also modeled her butterfly face painting and stopped abruptly to pet EVERY single dog she spotted within reach...the child fears nothing! She waved at us during the pony ride as if she were Princess Grace of Missouri :) She was a little burst of energy and it was fun to see the festival through the eyes of a child, enjoying the simple pleasures of small town life. Thanks, Grace for filling this afternoon with such wonder. Like I said, I loved this day!!

Letter received by the City of Conway

I was at work yesterday afternoon when the city clerk came walking in with a single piece of paper in her hand. I really thought it was something she wanted to hang on our bulletin board, instead she said she was specifically looking for me. She handed me this piece of photocopied paper and said she thought Chris and I would appreciate a copy. This is verbatim what the letter said:

City of Conway -

Again this year I write to tell you what an enjoyment coming to your Comm. Days was. We had the Democrat Tent and we were treated courteously and your people were very friendly and helpful.

But mostly I would like to make you aware of something that happened to us there. My friend and I were trying to get stuff set up. She has had a heart device implanted and I'm 65 years old. We were managing and quite well but 2 of your community - an Austin and Aaron Huggler - both kids - came 4 different times to see if they could help us in anyway - unloading the car, setting up the tables, etc. They were so nice - so many kids these days don't know respect or being helpful, etc. but those 2 were a delight and wanted nothing from us. So many people call to complain and I thought taking a few minutes to let you know if your community has very many young people like these 2, you should be very proud! I don't know what kind of family life they have or parents or anything but someone has done something very right.

Thank you,

Judy Uebinger
Eldridge, MO


After reading this letter at that moment at work, my heart swelled with pride and my eyes filled with tears. Chris and I have always said, "we don't really care how you act at home but when you are in public you better 'straighten up and fly right, or ELSE!'" Our goal when having these precious babies was to raise them to be respectful, productive, Christian men that society could be proud of...I guess we must be doing something right after all. We have been blessed by two awesome sons!!

Fall Front Porch

This is the majority of our porch that my Mom decorated. Scroll down to see more of the creative things she did tonight as well. It was a nice surprise when I got home from work (she does this yearly for my birthday).

Sunflower bag

This huge sunflower bag was created by my Mom just for decoration on my front porch. It is so colorful! The two shoe planters sitting beside it are actually part of my flower bed. We needed something heavy to kinda hold this bag in place so when the winds decide to gust, it hopefully won't be across the street :)

Helen's Creative Genius

I've always wanted a front porch to decorate and when we moved into this house, I got my wish! Fall is my favorite season. Maybe, in part because I am a fall baby as I celebrate my birthday in October. The month when the leaves are just brilliantly colored and showing off nature's vivid beauty. It could be the different shapes and hues of pumpkins, gourds and mums that grace the pumpkin patches, the creative mazes,dried out corn shucks...then there's the food that invites fall, like big pots of chili, hot apple cider, and those 'oh, so yummy' caramel apples! Then it's time for the hayride down a long, dusty country road. And who can resist jumping in the crisp, fallen leaves that only comes once a year? How can I not mention the great fall festivals swirling in each small town, so inviting and being able to socialize with those you may only see occasionally? I must mention those cute-faced scarecrows that grace so many yards or porches during this season. The list goes on of things to truly enjoy in this latter part of the year.

A fall tradition at the Huggler house is when my Mom, Helen comes over to decorate the front porch, as if to encourage this marvelous season. She has a gift. A gift that enables her to take a whole lot of nothing and make it into a whole lot of something. And that 'something' is usually spectacular!! I see that in so many projects she dives into. Mom definitely has a crazy creative genius...and I'm glad she's passed that onto me. So, I just want to say "THANKS, MOM! It's fabulous!"

Magnificent Mushrooms!

These magnificent mushrooms were also found in our front yard this morning. I searched the internet this afternoon for identification of this particular one but didn't have any luck. If anyone knows what this mushroom is called, I'd appreciate your input. They sure are pretty!

Mushrooms Galore

Chris and Aaron discovered these mushrooms in the front yard today, not sure what kind they are but we left them alone.

But, I'm always SO busy.....

I received this very funny (and true) email this week and it was too good not to share. Hope everyone that reads it will get a good laugh!!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder.
> Somehow I feel better,even though I have it !
>
> Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -
> Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
> This is how it manifests:
>
> I decide to water my garden.
> As I turn on the hose in the driveway,
> I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
>
>
As I start toward the garage,
> I notice mail
on the porch table that
> I brought up from the mail box earlier.
>
> I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
>
> I lay my car keys on the table,
> put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,
> and notice that the can is full.
>
> So, I decide to put the bills back
> on the table and take out the garbage first.
>
> But then I think,
> since I'm going to be near the mailbox
> when I take out the garbage anyway,
> I may as well pay the bills first.
>
> I take my check book off the table,
> and see that there is only one check left.
>
> My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
> so I go inside the house to my desk where
> I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
>
> I'm going to look for my checks,
> but
first I need to push the Coke aside
> so
that I don't accidentally knock it over.
>
> The Coke is getting warm,
> and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
>
> As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
> a vase of flowers on the counter
> catches my eye--they need water.
>
> I put the Coke on the counter and
> discover my reading glasses that
> I've been searching for all morning.
>
> I decide I better put them back on my desk,
> but first I'm going to water the flowers.
>
> I set the glasses back down on the counter,
> fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
> Someone left it on the kitchen table.
>
> I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
> I'll be looking for the remote,
> but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
> so I
decide to put it back in the den where it
belongs,
> but first I'll water the flowers.
>
> I pour some water in the flowers,
> but quite a bit of it spills on the floor..
>
> So, I set the remote back on the table,
> get some towels and wipe up the spill.
>
> Then, I head down the hall trying to
> remember what I was planning to do.
>
> At the end of the day:
>
> the car isn't washed
>
> the bills aren't paid
>
> there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
>
> the flowers don't have enough water,
>
> there is still only 1 check in my check book,
>
> I can't find the remote,
>
> I can't find my glasses,
>
> and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
>
> Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
> I'm
really baffled
because I know I was busy all damn day,
> and I'm really tired.
>
> I realize this is a serious problem,
> and I'll try to get some help for it,
> but first I'll check my e-mail....
>
> Do me a favor.
> Forward this message to everyone you know,
> because I don't remember who the heck I've sent it to.
>
> Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

Scrabble Queen Tammy is dethroned by King Bryon

Ya know, I faithfully click on the links that connect me with blogs that belong to personal friends. I really enjoy catching up on what they've been doing and here I sit, struggling to find something to blog about as I've neglected to post in nearly 3 weeks. Imagine! Me, not having anything to say....ha..ha...I'm the Queen of talk.

Oh, I guess I could tell you about me being Queen...Queen of Scrabble that is...or was! We were invited over to the Medley's for a serious scrabble game(s). I had told Bryon months ago to 'bring it on' as I am the QUEEN and I would kick his butt...whatever! I sat down, snacks on the table, fuzzy navel in hand and, well, we let the games begin. I was doing great...I had the pieces right where I needed them to fall and the points were racking up...yeah, baby!! I was pumped, I was energetic and talking trash (of course it was the fuzzy navels, I'm sure of it!) Anyway, Lisa is keeping score and updating us after each play...I was stoked as I knew for a fact, Bryon was gonna regret challenging this scrabble queen. That is until the final score was read...I was dethroned by six points. SIX stinkin' points...ugh! King Bryon made it known that he rules the castle now. At least until the next challenge, I plan to study the scrabble dictionary and bombard him with some idiot word, like the one he used: "qat"...hello? Anyone ever heard of this? Yep, didn't think so...that dictionary is made up of pretend words...well, I have to have some kind excuse :)