The Circus is Coming!

Last week at my P.E.O. meeting, one of the members mentioned to us that maybe the neatest thing she's ever done was going to Humboldt to watch the circus "come to life".  She said that this would be happening Thurs. morning and anyone is welcome to show up and watch starting pretty early.  I almost forgot about it but then was excited that I had remembered and could do it.  Peggy got up early to go with me.

We watched the stakes go in the ground, the big supports lifted up and then the tent raised from a truck in the middle, the sides lowered and secured.  Then we walked over to where the animals were and saw lions, tigers and bears!  Not really - we saw 3 elephants eating and one was swaying back and forth, a hippo in a tank of water, 2 camels, some mini goats, horses and a few others.  It was interesting.  They were going to do two shows that same day and then tear down and move on to the next town.  That day it was pretty windy and there were storms predicted.  I didn't think I wanted to sit in a tent with that wind and possible bad weather, but  I plan to take my great nieces next time the circus is in the area though!     

There's a guy climbing up the side

Lots of lines to hold it down.

the elephants

My Very Talented Friend's Creations

If you've been reading my blog very long, you know that I have a very talented friend when it comes to food presentation.  Terri loves to have teas and dreams of having a nice tea room.  Our P.E.O. meeting last week was at her home and just look what we were treated to.  Better than any tea room I've been to!  Thanks Terri - we all loved it! 

Happy 2nd Birthday!

My Great Niece's 2nd birthday is today and what a sweet little girl she is!  We babysat them Fri. night and Sat. and all got a full night of sleep this time!  Every time she's here, she has learned more words and other things.  Just since two weeks ago, she is now wearing pullups most of the time, and when I picked them up from daycare for the first time she said "Hi Cindy" with a big smile.  Before that she called me "House" or "Honey House".   I've been trying to get her to say Cindy for a long time so this was big!  

Fri. night we got 2.3" of blowing rain.  The ground just sucked it up, but we did have some standing water until this morning.

This card was made using Stampin' Up! red and silver glimmer paper, a retired flower punch for the package bows, the new Adorning Accents Edgelits and a Big Shot numbers die for the 2.  These "gifts" would be perfect on a birthday scrapbook page too!  To see all Stampin' Up! products, go to my web site above and then click on Shop Now.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

My Aunt Jan and Uncle Neal who live in Carmel, Indiana are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary today!   Happy Anniversary!  The amazing thing is that they still seem very happy after all those years!  :)  (Neal is my mom's brother)  They enjoy traveling, especially on cruises, and doing things with their kids and grandchildren.  Aunt Jan worked in the high school bookstore and does some volunteering and likes to read and knit.  Uncle Neal was a pharmacist and still works in that line part time.  They were band sponsors when their kids were in school.  They also played LOTS of cards with my parents, and Uncle Neal kept very detailed records on his computer of who won, the weather, place where they played, etc.  Interesting to read through the years.   They built a new house next to mine in Carmel so we were next door neighbors for a few years before I moved to Iowa.

Their wedding day:  I was the flower girl but was one of those too shy/scared to drop my flower petals on the way down the aisle.  I remember them blowing around in the car after the wedding!   (no air conditioning/windows down)  My dad is the 4th from the right.  Uncle Dale is the best man.

Mom and Neal's brother, Dale's, first baby girl was born on the day of the wedding but he somehow was still able to be in the wedding.  Happy 50th birthday cousin Dina! 

For their card, I used all Stampin' Up! products including two of our new In Colors, the Hearts Collection Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Bitty Banners stamp set, Top Note die, new Fancy Fan Embossing Folder and Perfect Polka Dots Folder.  Inside I have a big 50 made with a Big Shot numbers die.  You can see I sponged a heart shape on the envelope and then wrote their address over that (leaving off their address here for privacy).  If you'd like to buy any of these items, visit my Stampin' Up! web site top right and click Shop Now to see everything we carry!  You can order online any time at your convenience. 

Busy

I'm making and freezing Jackpot Drops cookies this morning (chocolate chip/oatmeal) for serving after church on Sun.  We now have 220-250 at church on Sundays so they've started having 3 couples serve instead of 2.


I'm also working on my trip to Indiana next week.  I have 3 stamping events to do this time:  a downline meeting on Sat. the 23rd there, a customer stamp class on Sunday and a workshop in a customer's home on Mon. night in a little over a week. 

We were supposed to barely have a chance of rain this morning up here in our NW corner of the state and it did turn pretty blue to the west but is lightening up again without us getting a drop.  It is cool (63) - feels like Fall.  The forecast is for around 90 the next 4 or so days.


I'm adding a picture of a deer and her baby that I saw as I drove north into our town one recent afternoon.  This is the little field that was below Glenn & Amy's yellow house they first lived in here in Iowa.  When I first went by, the little fawn was nursing.  I had to turn around to go back to get the picture and they started running away. 

Doe with fawn

On Wed. last week, I took the Enclave in for some warranty work for gas gauge problems.  I had quite a bit of time to kill and Kemna Motors will give you a loaner vehicle.  I spent a bunch of time at U.S. Cellular upgrading to a smartphone.  Then for lunch, nothing sounded good so I went to the Train Wreck Winery since I knew from Facebook that they usually have a wrap and a salad on the menu and a place to eat outside.  I had the Cobb Salad which came with their apple & grape salad with yogurt dressing. 

On the way home from Algona, I checked out Call State Park which was very nice.  All of the trees, winding road and 16 site camping area reminded me, on a small scale, of some of the wooded parks in Indiana. 

Entrance sign

Log Cabin

Cuter than most outhouses!  It even has landscaping!  I didn't check inside!