"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.

A Picture-Taking Adventure

We had this great adventure a few weekends ago, and I thought I'd tell you about it.  It started out with a plan for lunch.  The restaurant was a bit of a drive, and after lunch, we decided to head further away from home rather than just home.  We didn't go far, mind you -- just off in a different direction than usual.

Here's the thing: other than lunch -- we spent no money.  Zero.  ZERO was also the amount of expectations we had for the day, and truly, that made the day so much more enjoyable.  We didn't know where we were headed, or what we'd see, or what we'd opt to do.  The rule wasn't necessarily "no spending," it just worked out that way.

I thought I'd share because, it's easy to feel trapped when you're on a budget -- but sometimes, that's the best part of the adventure.  This day ended up being a picture-taking adventure.  No destination.  No rules.  Just appreciating everything that came our way.

Our day looked something like this:

We started with lunch here...

Wake & Bacon - yum!

Playhouse Square District ~ Cleveland

Cleveland Firefighters Memorial

A 9/11 tribute.

A view from the Great Lakes Science Center lobby.

Outside the Science Center's back door.

The Steamship William G. Mather
Maritime Museum and lakefront attraction

The lobby of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

A wedding party hamming it up outside the R&R HOF.

What a beautiful day we enjoyed!

Date Night Theme: FREE

Recently, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave us some play tickets that they won and were not able to use... to Shrek the musical -- along with... a voucher for one FREE overnight at a hotel not far from the theatre -- all about 30 minutes or so from home.

My sweet hubby and I made a plan for the evening, which included him leaving work early, and us going out to eat before the play.  I planned ahead (you know, in case my hubby asked me where we should go for dinner) and asked my Facebook friends what restaurants they recommended in the area near the theatre -- but the answers I got were a little pricey.  Everyone even admitted this in their comments.  Pricey isn't exactly what we were going for.  After all, the theme of our evening had already been determined:  "FREE."  *wink

We decided on a favorite restaurant of ours that was on the way and therefore convenient:  Red Robin.  I gave the waitress my RR card, and she came back to our table with the news that we had earned a FREE dinner! See?  I told you!  A theme!

Dinner was delicious, and we were off to check into the hotel before the play.  Upon arriving at the hotel, we realized that the certificate that my brother-in-law gave my hubby had expired.  We decided that we would go in and ask the person manning the desk if they could honor our certificate.  If not, we decided we'd head home. Since this was a spur of the moment trip, and not in our budget, we decided we'd rather save the money for our upcoming vacation than spend it for a hotel 30 minutes from home!  But... guess what?  They honored the certificate!

After checking in, we drove around the city.  Although this city is only 30 minutes from home, it's not one we're familiar with.  We drove around the arts district near the theatre, where there was some form of artwork on almost every corner -- or a WALL nearby!  It was a beautiful evening, and my hubby and I like to explore new places, so we were glad to just circle around the city, enjoying the sights!

Finally it was off to the play.  It was held at a local Players Guild Theatre.  Our seats were in row "L."  Let me do the math for you.  That's the 12th row.  There were only two more rows behind us.  Small theatre!

Shrek (the movie) is a childhood FAV around here, but... I wasn't sure if I could imagine it in the form of a MUSICAL!  There was a lot of great local talent, though, and it was obvious that the cast had lots of fun with this musical!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You could say that my hubby and I are "cheap" -- and you wouldn't be wrong.  I have to say that we were kind of tickled not to be spending tons of money for a nice evening out and an overnight.  For years we have tried to teach our kids the value of a dollar and that:

• in one respect, everything costs something -- even if it's just your time, or gas money getting to a free event!
• but from another perspective, there are always things to do that don't cost anything.  You just have to learn to look for them.

Have you found any inexpensive (or FREE) things to do with your family (or your honey) that have become "favorites?"

Here's one of my favorite tips:  search the internet for summer festivals in your area.  It's likely that somebody has compiled a list somewhere documenting the details.  Take advantage of that information, and look especially for events that have no entrance fee.

We kicked off the "unofficial start of summer" with a free date night, and we look forward to many free events and adventures to come this summer!  How about you?

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Gravity Racing Challenge 2014

Last weekend was a pretty busy one for us as our entire Saturday was spent at Derby Downs for the Gravity Racing Challenge.   I showed you pictures of the much smaller event in Cleveland HERE.  Our team was there only to experience a "test run" and to get a feel for how the car was driving before the race in Akron.

Saturday was the actual event in Akron, and we had to be there bright and early so that our daughter could check in with her team, and be prepared for the parade at 8AM.  There are all of the participants (above) marching down the hill led by a local marching band.  I'm not going to lie... it felt like kind of a big deal to this former homeschooling mom.

If you've never been to an event like this, let me just tell you... it can be slow-moving if all of the cars aren't in position at the correct times.  Also, they run on a wet track, so although the rain halted them temporarily, they were back at it again after the puddles [and the HAIL] had been swept from the track.  Yep.  It was an interesting day.  For me, it was one of those days that I just could NOT get warm.  I had on a t-shirt, hoodie, fleece jacket, and quilted windbreaker -- and there were stretches when my sweet hubby donated his Carhartt to the cause!

While it rained, they had the chance to get all the cars lined up so that when it stopped raining... they were ready for a really long and consistent stretch of racing.  That was the best part of the day.

My mom -- and my family.

It was fun having my parents there too -- and they were good sports about sitting out in the rain!

Dad and I.

Our team didn't "place" this year.  We won three heats, and then we were beat out by our own district's intermediate school car.  Kind of a BOO!/Oh yay! situation if you know what I mean.

All in all, it was a good day of fun made complete by:

1. our daughter's immense enjoyment of the entire experience
2. a quick mid-afternoon run to Dunkin' Donuts for hot coffee and doughnuts {Seriously, this was KEY to finishing the day strong.  There were no hot drinks for sale at the track, and it was COLD.}
3. the race for HOT SHOWERS upon returning home  {LOL, yes, we are wimps!}

(Crazy kid!)

Gravity and Harmony

The stunning thing about last week was it's speed.  One day it was Easter Sunday, and the next [it seemed], was Soap Box Derby and Barbershop Music!  Oh, and the stuff in between?  Mind bending.

Suffice it to say that yesterday morning, I went to get clothes for church, and realized that the towels that had gone [somehow] into the washer and dryer on Tuesday were still there on Sunday morning.  Outrageous, right? I know.  I'm not proud.  Luckily, they were actually DRY.  Also, this gives you a good indication of what other laundry got done during the week.  Ummmmm, NADA.

One day of no school, three mornings and one evening of rocking babies, two knee therapy sessions for my girl, and one town-hall style meeting with our new Senior Pastor candidate will do that to a girl's week.  Oy.  That brought us to Saturday.

Saturday, is our usual adventure day -- and this time, our girl planned the adventure for us.  She is part of a small group of students at school who have prepared a Super Stock car for the Gravity Racing Challenge at Derby Downs in May.  {Their car won 1st Place last year!  See HERE.}  This year, they have a new driver who needed a practice run, and so they chose to participate in the Gravity Racing Challenge at the Cleveland track.  You guessed it!  Our adventure on Saturday took us to the Cleveland track.  The wind was really whipping up there beside Lake Erie, but it was a beautiful sunny day!

The teacher from our high school does this as a fun event for students, but there are some people/teams who are pretty intense about it!  They are usually the ones racing around like a crazy person with a time sheet in their hands, making it look like WORK.  Oh well.  To each his own.

After a meal out [hurray, says me!] and a short nap [yeehaw! says me], we were on our way again to a Barbershop Concert put on by the Derbytown Chorus that my dad is a part of.  What a fabulous night of entertainment.  Trust me when I say that it would be totally worth it to find out if you have a Barbershop Harmony Society Chapter near you -- and to make it an annual tradition to go to a local show.  You won't be disappointed!

My dad (2nd from right) with his quartet.

[photo source]

It was fun to see Dad's name in the program, as he won the "Barbershopper of the Year" award.  Dad [and Mom] have been singing ever since I can remember, and Jill and I have been lucky enough to be able to perform with them over the years in family musical shows, and at church -- both as a family, and in various choirs.  I'm very proud of my musical heritage.  <<Picture a dad, a mom, and two little girls, dressed in black from head to toe singing "Me and My Shadow" -- with a little black cane routine.  We were showstoppers.  Well, that might be an exaggeration, but we sure made good memories!!>>

But I digress.  Back to Dad and the nice words written about him: "to the chapter member who best exemplifies the qualities set forth in our code of ethics - those of good character, fellowship, congeniality, a love of music and harmony, and an altruistic attitude of service through the medium of barbershop harmony." -- and that's not the HALF of it, I could say to the writer of those words.  My dad is quite simply THE BEST.  Love you Dad!  Congratulations.


I hope you all had a great weekend too!!
Here's to a slower week, and getting caught up on the laundry.
What d'ya say?

Oh, and don't forget... a few more days on the giveaway!  (Click photo.)

Highs, Lows, and Everything In Between

What a weekend we had around here.  If you visit here often, you know our television was not tuned into the super bowl.  We consulted no groundhogs.  It was our birthday blow-out weekend.  First, we celebrated our niece's birthday.  She is 10, and was born on our daughter's 6th birthday.  In addition to her birthday party on Saturday, the cousins enjoyed an artsy "splatter painting party" at a nearby craft studio. Thus, the colorful pictures I'm sharing here today.

Sunday was our daughter's birthday celebration, and we enjoyed having both sides of our family over in the afternoon for appetizers, cake, & ice cream.  We were blessed to have so many of our family members with us. My sweet sister-in-laws family of six was here from Pennsylvania to share in the celebrating, and my parents made it safely home from their January retreat.  We are so thankful for that, considering the weather that parts of the south were experiencing last week.

Earlier last week, we were alerted to another thing that would fill our weekend.  Our high school pastor stepped down, and his last Sunday was... yesterday.

Needless to say, in the midst of all of our celebrating, there was an entire Sunday morning at church in tears. Oh how we will miss him and his wife.  They have sacrificially given their time, greatly impacting the lives of our children and countless others.  In the midst of the sadness, they selflessly led a time of extraordinary worship and sharing that truly made an impact on everyone who attended.  It was the first step on a path of healing from the loss.

Do you love the way my pictures laugh in the face of sadness?  Yeah.  I kinda planned it that way.

Moving right along.  If you were wondering what our cousin-crew of TEN did at the art studio, here are some pictures documenting the process.  And lest you think this was a random splatter project, it was not.  It was done in the style of Jackson Pollock, and the kids were led by an amazing studio employee who had their undivided attention.  Take a look!

We don't have the finished project at home yet.  Of course it needed time to fully dry, and also -- the studio people will seal it for us.  Needless to say, the kids were all pretty excited with the results -- and it was great "cousin-time!"

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