1.  The day of the wedding, we had literally an hour before we needed to get dressed, and the boys voted that we hit the beach…however, the best I could do in that short timeframe was to take us to a little marina where the kids could splash in the water.  2.  This was taken as we drove along…so beautiful!  3.  More splashing/cavorting.  4. The boys didn’t think to roll up their pant legs until they were already soaked, but hey, it’s the thought that counts.  5.  Kiddo was given this oyster by a fisherman just docking for the day; later on, he tasted an oyster (not this one) and was revolted (yay, more for me!).

6. Then we spent a little time at this treehouse, this glorious amazing treehouse that I think maybe two of my houses could fit into.  7.  The amazing treehouse also had a zipline.  8. Then we got dressed and went to the wedding; here’s my boys at the cocktail hour before the reception, cherry cokes in hand (don’t they clean up nicely?). 9. During the reception when the groom danced with his mother, the bandleader invited all mothers and sons to dance, as well.  I’m a lucky mama, that’s for sure. 10.  The reception concluded with a bonfire, complete with s’mores. It would not be inaccurate to say my boys are now major fans of wedding receptions!

Thanks for checking out my 10 on 10 entry; now please go visit my dear friends Anna and Nicki.

1.  Making filling for mini King Cakes, though I didn’t actually use Cookie Butter….this time. 2. Checking out the King Cake filling in progress. 3.  Penny posing for the camera. 4.  Penny knows how to sit on command! 5. Playing in the backyard with Penny.

6.  The mini King Cakes did not last long at all!  7.  I love Penny’s “I find something rather interesting” look, especially her ears. 8.  The kids requested Spaghetti Tacos for lunch.  9.  More cute Penny ears action.  10.  The boys fell asleep on the couch watching a movie.
Now please go visit Anna Sawin’s Blizzard edition of her 10 on 10!

1. The Museum facade. 2. When you are 16 months old (and dressed in a ladybug romper), you do not take “no” for an answer when you want to push your stroller for a while.  3.  I loved this DO/DO NOT sign.  4. GWTW exhibit signage.  5. Prop Confederacy recruitment poster used in the film.

6. Peekaboo with Nana! 7. This one has me completely wrapped around her tiny little finger. 8. One of many amazing watercolor sketches of various costumes (this being the green dress Scarlett wore to the barbeque at Twelve Oaks). 9. Vivien Leigh’s Academy Award for GWTW. 10. Niece very much enjoys pointing, and this Christmas tree in the museum foyer was especially point-worthy!

There were many more wonderful parts to the Gone with the Wind exhibit, but this isn’t a 10,000 on the 10th, so y’all will just have to go see it for yourselves.

Now please go visit my friend Nicki and see what wonderful treat she has for us this month.

1. Properly equipped with safety gear (glasses and earplugs), the boys were riveted watching the shooting.  2. Kiddo loved collecting spent shell casings. 3.  Yes, even yours truly got a little shooting in!  4. Some of our UNC friends were with us, which explains the Duke pumpkin target.  6. Both kiddos enjoyed shooting (under heavy supervision) but sometimes in a pinch even your finger will make a very nice pistol.

6. During a lull in the shooting, this kiddo enjoyed looking at the clouds (he saw a lot of dragon-shaped ones that day). 7. This kiddo had quite an extensive shooting lesson (here they were covering All Things Triggers).  8. Then he got to shoot! 9. A small portion of our ammunition supply for the afternoon. 10. More spent-shell casing collecting…

(Top to bottom, Left to right).  1.We always get stuck trying to get from Gate 9 to the midway and have to backtrack, and that’s with the map.  2.  My menfolk went on the Ring of Fire ride and it may have officially been the last ever crazy-spinny-hanging-upside-down ride for my husband. 3. I love all the crazy carnival signs. 4.  Waiting in line at twilight.  5. These bulldog animals are new to this year’s fair; I asked my husband if he wanted to try to win one of the bulldogs that had a red “State” shirt (he went to Mississippi State. Go Bulldawgs), but he said NO, because it wasn’t a maroon shirt. Hmph.

6. Behold the glorious funnel cake!  7. Alligator on a stick! This is some yummy stuff, though it’s admittedly not for everyone.  8.  While I didn’t ask for the bucket of chili cheese fries, I didn’t exactly refuse to help eat them. 9.  State Fair Fun!  10.  This illustration on one of the signs on the midway reminds me of my boys!

Diet starts tomorrow, y’all.

These were taken on a recent family visit to the State Farmers Market in Raleigh. It’s open year-round (I think Christmas Day might be the only day it’s closed) and we love it. Well, the kids sometimes complain in the car (“It’s booooring”) but those complaints dry up as soon as they start tasting samples or we buy them a few (dozen) of those honey sticks.  This visit was no different.  We only stopped and went home when the back of the car filled up and we (practically) ran out of cash.

(Top to bottom, Left to right).  1. We are big fans of sampling farm-fresh peaches.  2.  Farm-fresh blueberry samples aren’t half-bad, either. 3. “Yard-Long Beans” were truly a yard long! 4. Kiddo was given this hosta plant for free, but only after taking a solemn pledge to take good care of it and water it faithfully.  5. The farm-fresh blueberries deserve a close-up.

6. All the cash we had left in our pockets after buying 2 potted gardenias, a few quarts of peaches, a quart of blueberries, a huge bunch of spinach, a yellow watermelon, some honey sticks, some sweet corn on the cob, two tomatoes, and some banana peppers.  7. Unloading the car.  8.  The kids “helped” Daddy plant the gardenias, which meant in this case that they hauled away the mystery bushes that had to make way for the gardenias. 9.  The kiddo’s Free Hosta plant, awaiting its new home.  10.  Kiddo tried to plant the Hosta under a tree, but it was too rocky there.

For the record, the peach pie and peach crisp I made from this trip are long, long gone, but oh-so-fondly remembered!

Now please go stop by and visit with my friend, Liza, and see how her summer is going.

Hope it was a really happy birthday (x two), y’all!

1.  Yes, another Krispy Kreme run.  2.  Pretty flowering bush in the park.  3. Ahoy, sushi boat! Unquestionably the yummiest boat afloat. 4. Kiddo nearly nailed my camera with that ball. 5.  The Husband is busy chopping firewood for next winter.

6. Surprised it took this long for them to try riding on the tree swing together.  7. Friend R has a great laugh.  8. Friend R poses her dolly for me.  9. More tree swing hangtime.  10.  Kiddo took it upon himself to write out the week’s menu; funny how every single night we are having one of his favorite meals! Except Friday, I guess we won’t be eating Friday. So sad!

Now let’s go check out my friends Liza Hall and Anna Sawin and see what their 10 on 10s have in store for us this month. I wonder if there’ll be any sushi boats in their posts?