A Fresh Start

Happy week-in-between Christmas and New Years.  I trust that you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was great... though something about it was different this year.  My daughter swears that it didn't seem like Christmas due to the fact that we didn't have one iota of snow.  Not one.  The grass is green, and the leaves have now fallen.  (It was an odd year for leaf-fall.  Anyone else notice that?)  Anyway -- snow is a Christmas-must for my daughter, so she was disappointed.

As for me, I have to agree with her about something just not feeling Christmasy this year, though I think it has more to do with events leading up to Christmas, or should I say the lack thereof?  Some years, we do lots of festive things during the Christmas season, and this just wasn't one of those years.  No complaints.  Just a statement of fact, as I honestly can't see where we would've thrown in one more "have to be there" item on the calendar.

I had a medical issue to deal with during November and December -- and am happy to say that all is well. I'll spare you the details other than to say that all the fuss and calendar-arranging over it kind of robbed me of the energy to fuss much over Christmas.  Once upon a time I would cover the house with Christmas, but I have learned to be more discerning, and only use what seems "right" for each year.  As in previous years, this year was more about little vignettes around the house, rather than covering every inch -- which ended up being a good thing, because...

The day after Christmas, my husband cooked us a fabulous meal of Chicken Parmesan with salad and homemade bread.  While we ate, he said, "How about if we start cleaning the carpets tonight?"  Now, cleaning the carpets is not MY THING -- so, I've learned to take him up on it at every opportunity.  We decided to go for it, doing the downstairs by thirds in each room so that there was still someplace to walk.  He managed to accomplish the task over a period of three days, even getting most of the upstairs completed, while the rest of us reorganized the house around dry areas of carpet.  What a good feeling to have it done!  As a result, Christmas got cleaned up, gifts got put away, and the house got a general tidying up!  Hip, hip.... HOORAY! Even our daughter (who hates parting with Christmas decor - especially the tree) could appreciate the fresh start.

There are still some Christmasy decor items scattered around, and I will whittle away at those as I have time.  There are no overwhelming tasks involved.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season, and our security guard son was able to be with us for both Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day -- what a blessing.  I was prepared to rearrange our traditions, so that he felt like he was a part of the whole process, and not forgotten or left out.  But, he took it upon himself to work things out, without any pestering or pushing by me.  It made me realize how much he appreciates our traditions.

I hope that your Christmas was filled with the blessings of health and family time, with fresh air and free time, with PEACE and love, and with THE SAVIOR!

As we look to 2015,  my prayer is that:

• I will prioritize the things that are really important to me in life, and let go of things that just don't fit.
• I will use my time, energy, and resources more effectively and efficiently.
• I will become braver about using the word "NO" in order to save some sanity at the end of the day.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that it is not MY JOB (alone) to save the world.  I just need to do MY PART.
• I will look (more often/more naturally) to the Lord for guidance rather than trying to handle so much in my own strength.
• God will use MY GIFTS in a way that allows others to see HIM.

Wishing you a blessed new year!  I'll be back sometime after school starts up next week... maybe sooner.

DIY - A Wrapping Paper Placemat/Runner

I mentioned this little "runner" HERE, but I wanted to give you some additional details.  Remember that I used a short roll of gift wrap from the Dollar Spot at Target?  The width was pretty close to the depth of my microwave -- which is what I was wanting to dress up a little.  Our microwave is on a cart, and the top usually has some kind of decorative display on it.

I cut a length of paper that seemed appropriate, and then I started trimming.  Realizing that I wasn't good at cutting the rough edges straight, I resorted to using the paper cutter that I use for scrapbooking.  I matched up the clean edges, folded the paper and trimmed the rough sides with a nice clean cut.  Then, I went one step further to make it a little more interesting... I fringed the edges!  I didn't measure, I just eyeballed it and snipped away -- all the way around.  And one last step... I messed up the fringe a little so that it was more obvious instead of just laying flat.

I love the look!  This could easily be done (fringe and all) for a table runner, or even many individual placemats!

What little decorative tricks do you have up YOUR sleeve this Christmas?

An Old DIY Ornament Favorite

So, this post has been pretty popular lately, thanks to the great linky parties that I linked up with three years ago!  At the time I shared this idea, I said to use either glass or plastic fill-able ornaments.  This many years later, I will tell you that I made my ornaments with the large, glass balls, and they are way too heavy for my tree.  I would highly recommend using the plastic ornaments.

The good news is that they sure are a pretty way to fill a large bowl.  Underneath, I have some extra gold ribbon as a nest-of-sorts.  It just shows through a little in a few places.

I added some pretty pine cones, and a glittered, silk poinsettia stem.  These Vintage Sheet Music Ornaments are still one of my favorite DIY Christmas ornaments.  If you need a last-minute idea, they are SUPER-easy, and you can find the directions HERE.

Glimpses of Christmas

My daughter just asked me if I had written a blog post lately.

"Nope," I said.  It's not that I've planned NOT to.  It just hasn't happened.

She thought about it for a moment and replied, "People probably think you've fallen off the turnip truck!"  -- which really made me chuckle.

Since our daughter was quite young, she got the idea of verbal "expressions," but she got this one all wrong.  I tried to explain to her that she was thinking of the expression:

"I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday!'

which is the equivalent of

"I wasn't born yesterday!"

which does not mean the same thing as

"People will think you've fallen off the face of the earth."

OR saying that somebody has

"fallen off the wagon."

Did you follow any of that?  If not, don't worry about it.  It's just a long way of telling you that my daughter's words lit a fire under me, and here I am writing another post... finally.

So, guess what happened today?  The sun came out.  Really.  Our area isn't usually quite this gray in December, so this morning when the sun came out after SEVERAL really gray days -- well, I grabbed the camera just like I told you I would.

I feel like the decorations around here are a little half-hearted this year.  As I mentioned in previous posts, there's been a lot going on around here.  I've got one more afternoon of childcare tomorrow, and then I am home-free.  But life has been busy, and rather than stress out about what isn't done, I'm just letting it be.  For me, I'm just looking for some peace this holiday season -- not polished perfection.  Can I get an AMEN?  Let me also say that I salute those of you that have the time and ambition to "do it up big."  {And p.s., I have enjoyed touring your homes!}

MOVING RIGHT ALONG.  Sorry if I am belaboring that[above] point this year, but I am mostly preaching to myself that it's okay to keep it simple.  Thanks for bearing with me.

In keeping with simplicity -- I'd like to share a few Christmas scenes from around our home.  It felt good to take advantage of the sunshine this morning to get these shots.  EnJOY!

The weirdest thing happened this year.  I stocked up on candy canes -- specifically a brand that I've been buying for lots of years... cheap and delicious.  My daughter opened one to snack on, and it had ZERO peppermint flavor!!!  Have you ever had that happen?  Weird, right?  So, as far as my family is concerned... I purchased a Christmas decoration -- not a SNACK!  Oh well, fewer calories that way!

Simplicity :: A woven tray filled with pretty collections in jars and bowls.

I LOVE this silly little ornament.  I'm not sure if it's because that roof looks a little bit Mary Engelbreit-ish, if it's that glitter, or if it's a little bit of the Scandinavian looks that I love.  Each year I try to find a little place of honor for this gem.  Do you do that with favorite ornaments, or do they automatically go on the tree?

Speaking of little gems -- have you tried these Candy Cane Tootsie Pops?  They are awesome!  I happened to be standing behind a lady at Target who was purchasing them, and when I inquired, she really bragged on how delicious they were.  Hmmm.  She should know that she got me hooked! [as in "who cares if the candy canes have no flavor!"  LOL

This little scene [below] is atop my microwave.  Do you like the little runner?  It's wrapping paper from the Christmas Dollar Spot at Target.  I can't tell you how many times I have looked for that ever-blogged-about gold polka-dotted paper at Target.  No dice.  It's always GONE.  But I spotted this and just couldn't resist.  I knew I'd find something to do with it.  Hey - I might even wrap gifts with it! *wink

Thanks for stopping by to see my glimpses of Christmas!  May your Christmas Season be filled with GREAT JOY, remembering the REASON for the season -- Jesus Christ!

I'm linking up over at Nesting Place for the 2014 Christmas Tour of Homes,

and at the 2nd Annual Holiday Home Link Party.

Life... an Occasion!

"I've been here, there, and everywhere," wrote one of my favorite bloggers, and I thought how lovely that sounded, and how I would like to write that to you and tell you of the places I've been that have kept me from being here.

But, in my case, that's only wishful thinking.  What's really been happening is that I have a few too many irons in the fire [plus, add a few "irons" that are only roadblocks in my own mind], a tad of allergy-or-something-crud that has been trying to beat me down for a few weeks, and we have been [until last Thursday] "one car down" from our usual parking lot -- causing us to be running here and there a little bit more than usual to accommodate everyone's work schedules.

I've got a few items that I really and truly just need to check off on my December calendar before I can move forward.  I have to say, this makes the rest of the month [and Christmas shopping] feel a little like the proverbial "other shoe" waiting to drop.

And then, a few days ago, when I least expected it (snuggled on the couch watching "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium"), I heard this:

"Your life is an occasion.  Rise to it!"

Rise to it.  Meet the challenge, in other words.

So, I am really trying.  Also, trying not to let that "dangling shoe dread" get to me -- because that's not usually my style.

Baby steps.

The tree is up, thanks to my girl.  It is as lit as it's gonna get, and I'm good with that.  I am reminding myself - as should you - that comparison is the thief of JOY.  My house at Christmas is not now, nor will it ever be the same as anyone else's house at Christmas.  We each do what works for us, and at our own pace.

Right now, that = one lit-only Christmas tree + simple holiday decor -- and JOY. [*wink]  This year, I have really let the decorations lead me instead of me leading the decorations.  I used to decorate for Christmas by pulling everything out of the storage boxes and finding a place for it.  NO MORE.  Now, I only grab what speaks to me, and usually I have already planned a place for it.  I've been waiting for a bright-shiny day to take some pictures around here, but that just hasn't happened.  This week promises to be a little slower schedule-wise, and so I'm hoping for that sun.

In the meantime, I'd like to recommend these great blog posts by some of my favs.  They'll help you keep things in perspective  -- you know, just in case the season is getting a little out of control for you.

*When You Need to UnDecorate for Christmas

* The show must go on. But at what cost?

Thinking About Christmas Traditions

I remember, back in my school days, being asked to write about our family's Christmas traditions.  At the time, I was thinking of "traditions" as being big, ceremonial things that our family did year after year.  I kind of came up dry, and I think I hurt my mom's feelings when I told her I couldn't think of any traditions we had.  Truth is, I just wasn't getting an accurate picture of the word TRADITION.

Through the years, I've come to realize that a BIG part of my family's traditions revolves around food -- nothing that is particularly from our heritage in any way, but things that are just special-occasion favorites to us.  Some people plan a new menu each and every year to keep it interesting, but my family knows what we like, and what we like is cheese-ball and crackers, and sausage balls waiting as an appetizer when we arrive at Mom & Dad's.  We like our main course to be beef, and it wouldn't be Christmas without mashed potatoes!  As for dessert, Peppermint Patty Brownies are a favorite, and there are always frosted "cut-out" cookies.

I've also realized that one of the things I love about Christmas is bringing out all of the "old faithful" decorations.  Some people decorate in a different color scheme each year, but to me, a big part of our decorating is our "same old" tree with the mismatched lights and the family-made ornaments.  I can't imagine a tree with color coordinated balls, or something that "matched" our decor.  For me, decorating for Christmas has almost nothing to do with home decor, and everything to do with memories.

It took me a long time to realize our most precious traditions, and to bring the things I love into clearer focus.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?  Do some of them revolve around FOOD?

Do you have a favorite ornament that you can't wait to hang each year?

Is familiarity important to you around the holidays, or do you like all-things-new?

Thanksgiving on Sunday ~ The Best Thing We Ever Did

We found out early last week that our son would have to work on Thanksgiving Day.  Two jobs, spanning the day from 7AM to 10PM.  Boo.  The retail world is not my favorite thing right now.

But, I learned a long time ago [from my mom] to make the best of things.  You know -- the "when life gives you lemons" principle?  Besides, Thanksgiving is more of a state of mind that a specific DAY.

So, when my frustrated son texted me to give me the Thanksgiving news, I shot back, "I'm sorry. Maybe we can do a turkey just for us on another day.  Keep your chin up. xo"

I didn't know what day that might be, but I was determined to fulfill what I had meant as a promise.

When he came home on Saturday evening and said that he didn't have to work at all on Sunday, my brain starting weighing the options.  By Sunday after church, it hit me that TODAY WAS THE DAY.  Because of the combination of my hubby's and my son's work schedules, the only time we could all do this together was... SUNDAY.

We talked about it on the ride home from church, and after verifying all of our son's favs, we stopped at the grocery store, and stocked up for our evening meal.  After a quick lunch of leftovers, I got started.  I was on a mission, so everyone sort of left me alone.

I decided that I could make this feel like "flying by the seat of our pants," or I could make it feel like Thanksgiving.  I chose the latter.  At our house, that means a tablecloth and runner, good china, good silverware, the beautiful crystal glasses that we got as a wedding gift, and of course -- most of the standard Thanksgiving fare.

And, I am happy to say that I pulled it off.  It wasn't much by some people's standards, but... I was only looking to put a smile on my son's face.  It was a great meal, and we enjoyed it SO MUCH that we had to save the pie to put in lunches the next day!!

Thanksgiving Day will still come along tomorrow, and we won't be together -- but I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve.  I hope that the memories of our Thanksgiving on Sunday will come to mind throughout my son's workday.

I just baked our family-favorite coffee cake for breakfast.  Our son usually eats on-the-run in the morning, and this will be a special treat for him, as will the Cinnamon Applesauce salad -- a Thanksgiving tradition that I can put in his lunch tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.  I hope you will make the best of whatever circumstances life throws at you tomorrow.

Make lemonade!

Gallery Wall Update... Already!

You can go HERE to read my complete Gallery Wall post, but here's a picture to show you what I ended up with.

I loved it for about 18 hours, and then... I just couldn't take that mirror any more.  At the time that I did the wall, my daughter said that she hoped I didn't put that mirror in a place that would startle her all the time.  Afterall, the wall is behind our kitchen table.  This area sees a lot of activity.  So, I hung the mirror high.

But, after living with it for several hours, I had to admit that even though it looked good up there, and we weren't startling ourselves or anything... I didn't really care for the things I could see in it --like the top of my refrigerator, or an odd look at where the wall meets the ceiling [depending on where you were standing].  So, the mirror came down.

I sort of prefer the irregular shape of the layout, rather than a perfect box of gallery elements on the wall.  I admit: I look at this arrangement every day and smile, and that {as a famous "friend" would say} is a GOOD THING.

 

As the U.S. rocks these freezing November temperatures, I hope that you are staying cozy and warm.  One of our local weathermen reported that ALL 50 STATES had freezing temperatures overnight on Monday, and that it was likely to be the case overnight last night as well.  Unprecedented for November.  We're off to a wild and crazy start... and it's not even officially winter yet!

Think warm thoughts!

Project Life Update ~ 11.17.14

Wow, have I ever been out of touch lately.  Life has taken a few twists and turns that have kept me busy, and away from blogging.  Hopefully things will slow down a little around the holidays (go ahead and laugh at the fact that I actually BELIEVE this!), and I can get back to some chit-chat around here.  I really miss it!

I recently realized that I had taken photos of a few new scrapbook pages, but never shared them with you.  For the most part, these pages are about family adventures - one of which is the Mum Fest.  I shared about that HERE.

I've been pretty lax when it comes to keeping up with picture taking for the blog, so there are other completed pages that I still have to photograph for you.

One of those pages I cannot show you, but I will tell you about.  Many of you know that I work at our church providing nursery-care during the week for moms who attend English classes, Bible studies, and mom's club. I cannot tell you how these sweet little ones steal pieces of my heart.  I want to remember their faces, for all-too-soon, they move on to the next department -- or in some cases, move away.  One day, I decided to snap a bunch of pictures to preserve in my scrapbook.  I don't think I have to tell you that the page is especially precious to me.  I won't share the pictures of my precious MINORS here, but suffice it to say... they are cuties!!!

That's all for now, friends.  Stay tuned for more, coming... well, hopefully SOONER than later!  Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 a college soccer game :: an apple orchard and a dam spotted on the ride home

lunch with a friend :: celebrating our 22nd anniversary

...and the Mum Fest

Friday Farrago ~ 11.7.14

Well, this might be the most mish-mashed Friday Farrago ever.  Of course, it IS only my second "farrago" post, so I guess that's not saying much, but...

LIFE has been so busy lately.  Monday through Wednesday FLY by with lots of baby-rocking.  Before I know it, it's Thursday again, and I have to buckle down at home and get things done, or else the following week spirals out of control.  How do I know?  Oh... don't ask.

At any rate, if you follow along here, I'm sure you're well aware that I haven't been posting as often as usual. Not for lack of wanting, I assure you -- but the time just gets away from me.  For a while now, I have had little snippets of posts ready -- but nothing big.  So, I thought I would take a bunch of "nothing bigs" and combine them for the second in a series called  "Friday Farrago."

Ready?  Hold on tight.

A Coke and a Smile

One night a couple of summers ago, my hubby and I found ourselves home alone.  On a whim, hubby said, "Let's go for ice cream!"  We took a long and winding ride down country roads to get to one of his favorite ice cream places.

Admittedly, ice cream isn't really my thing.  Let's just say... it's not usually my friend.  On this particular night, I chose the smallest cone, which... wasn't small enough, apparently.  Before the evening was over, I was very sick. Like, sick enough to make me think about whether or not I ever needed to eat ice cream again.

The culprit was so obvious.

Days later, as we looked back on the situation, I said to my hubby, "Next time, ask me out for a Coke."

I like to say I was raised on Coke -- but the truth is, we didn't drink pop at home except for special occasions.  It was my GRAM'S treat to us when we visited her.  We could always count on white peppermint Canada Mints and CocaCola at her house, and though we had a few other "favorite" snacks, she'd often out-do herself, trying to find a treat that we'd never had before -- or the latest and greatest new thing on the market!

[The end.  Yeah.  Obviously this post has no good transition or ending... just some memories that came to mind, one sort of leading to the next.  What can I say?  They made me smile.  I thought I'd share.  That is all. By the way, the people at Coca-Cola don't know me at all, but I still love their product to this day!]

Grandma's Vase

Not long ago, I invited a friend over for lunch.  I told you about it HERE.  It was a gorgeous day, and I found myself with my act all together [woo hoo] and a few minutes before my friend arrived, I actually got to go out in the yard and cut a few pretty blooms that I had spotted earlier that morning. [They were already slightly faded by the time I snapped these pics.]  It was just a few short stemmed beauties, so I brought them in and put them in this sweet little vase made by my Gram.  When we were kids, my sister and I used to use this vase on our bedroom dressers with pretty little blooms in it.  It's always such a sweet reminder of my Gram... really -- her fingerprints are all over this post today, aren't they?

Table Talk

We started our marriage with a hand-me-down kitchen table that came from who-knows-where.  [My hubby probably knows, but this is my story... LOL.]  The table wasn't pretty.  It swelled out in the middle, and tapered a little at the ends.  Built that way, but awkwardly un-natural - and very laminated as I recall.  Nothing wrong with either of those things I guess -- but it wasn't us.  It hadn't been chosen.  Merely settled for.

Our choice was a round oak tabletop on a pedestal -- with a leaf.  Pricey for a young couple with no spare change.  One thing about my hubby.  When he wants something, he finds a way.  And so, he found our table in the classified section of the newspaper one day.

Together, we went to see it in the cramped and disheveled apartment of a smoker.  I was going to say in the apartment of a smoking man, but then you might have thought he was smoking hot, when really, he was just ummmm... smoking.  We looked at the table, negotiated on the price, and then said [cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze] "We'll take it!" -- and loaded it into our truck.

We took it home, where it landed in our gravel driveway, and got a good washing down before it was allowed into the house.  [AaaaaaCHOO!]  Pretty sure I washed it down TWICE.  Yeah.  We don't really get along well with smoky stuff around here.

As I recall, it had a few pretty worn spots on top, and my hubby put a couple coats of polyurethane on it.

Fast forward to family life.

[My intention was to include lots of other pictures of our table, set up for various occasions.  Alas, I never got around to looking for said pictures, so... imagine if you will...]

The table has become our HUB.  Since it is the only place for seated eating in our home, it sees breakfasts, lunches, AND dinners.

And sometimes this:

You can get to my Instagram account by clicking on the photo above.

Forgive the poor iPod photo... but really, this may be one of my favorite uses of the table.  My son asks if he can have his buddies over to play a game, and tries to plan a place that is out of the way so they don't disturb us... (there aren't many places to go in our house). When I offer the kitchen table, he accepts my suggestion, and I smile.  This table... it is really the heart of our home!

Here ends my "trains of thought" ragbag.  Hope you're having a Fabulous Friday.  TGIF!

My Gallery Wall (I did it MY way) ~ and a discount link!

I really fly by the seat of my pants on so many levels in life, and this project was no exception.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a long time, I've been thinking about doing a gallery wall, and finally I felt that I had procrastinated long enough.  For about a month or longer [okay, longer], I have had a pile of goodies collected for a gallery wall in our kitchen.  Recently, our daughter has been big into painting canvases, and between that and a few other goodies that I've collected, I knew that a gallery wall was the way to go.  We have a long wall behind our kitchen table that was screaming for some attention, but...

Here's the thing: the reason I've been procrastinating is because of all of those wonderful and helpful "how-to" posts about creating a gallery wall.  You know?  The ones with rulers and protractors and snapped chalk lines? -- well, okay -- maybe not protractors and chalk lines.  But who was I kidding, people?  I didn't even bring a ruler to this party!  I am just not that girl.  I finally came to the conclusion that I just had to GO FOR IT, and do it MY way.

So the other day at 3:37PM in the middle of nothing in particular and everything in general [and when I should've been thinking about what I would serve for dinner], I felt inspired enough to lay all of the items down on the living-room floor, and come up with a lay-out plan.  I took a picture, knowing that I would never get it right otherwise.  And then, I took my camera to the kitchen table, and using it as a guide, I pushed pins and hung pictures.  I was finished by about 4:03PM.

And guess what?  It wasn't perfect.

And another thing?  There are lots of holes behind these pictures that you cannot see.  [Get it?  You CANNOT see them.]

So, here's my technique: push those pins until the picture hangs right.  [Go ahead.  Take a minute to "pin" that lengthy tutorial (as in: on Pinterest)- LOL.]  Say what you want -- but I couldn't help but think that MYQUILLYN would be proud of my gallery wall.  I know SASHA liked it -- because she told me so (and that's her SWEET PUMPKIN PRINT by the way!)

The SPATTER-ART and the city-scape are courtesy of my daughter, as is THE POEM.

Recognize the blue daisies?  You may have seen them HERE.

The other items were here-and-there purchases.

Anyway... bottom line?  I did it MY way (please sing while you read that, as it was meant to be SUNG, and not said with nasty emphasis.) *wink

Here's the lesson I learned.  Don't procrastinate about doing something that you really want to do because you can't imagine getting it done with the instructions/suggestions you received from others.  Just go for it.  Get it done.  Do it YOUR way.

Because, guess what?  I don't have a pile of pictures sitting on my living-room floor any more.  And... my kitchen wall is no longer empty!  Also?  I love what is now filling that wall.

I'd call that SUCCESS!!

Now... I just have to get that standing-on-the-bed picture-hanging project done in our bedroom.  Stay tuned!

By the way, if you'd like to get a canvas of your favorite photograph [like I did with my blue daisy], CLICK HERE to get $25 off your purchase!!!

"Canvas People turns your favorite photos into canvas keepsakes.

Enjoy a variety of sizes, effects, and framing options."

"MUMS" the Word!

One of our favorite fall adventures is the annual Mum Fest at Lake Anna in Barberton, Ohio.  It falls on or around the weekend near our anniversary each year -- so depending on the activities of the weekend, we try to attend.  We used to take the kids when they were younger, as there are a lot of kid-friendly activities there.  This year, though, my hubby and I went alone -- and strolled around the lake enjoying an unseasonably warm and sunny day.  It was perfection.

There is a gazebo for bands and vocal groups, inflatable activities and face-painting for kids, food vendors, a sand sculptor, an ice carver, a water-ski show, many craft booths, and a hillside devoted to more colors than you can imagine of mums.

A beautiful arch of mums is created each year as a spot for a photo opportunity.

In addition to all of the mums on display, there is a gated area that you can enter in order to purchase mums.  There is a ticketed holding area for your purchased mums if you still are wanting to walk around without carrying them.

The 10-acre lake sits in the middle of a 21-acre park, and all of the original Barberton streets radiate out from the lake/park.  It's really a beautiful and peaceful setting, and is a special adventure for us each and every time.