Vacation Fun & Tote Baskets

Can you guess where we are in this photo? If you guessed Niagara Falls NY you are correct. We spent last week with my Mom in Upstate NY. On our way home we stopped at Niagara Falls. I can't believe that we've never been there - I grew up in Upstate NY, came to Ohio to college and drove on the NY State Thruway past the falls dozens of times. In the 20 years we've been married we've driven past dozens more times.



I am glad that we waited until our youngest was 8 so we could enjoy it more. We took the Cave of the Winds tour. An elevator takes you to the base of the falls and then you walk on the boardwalk and can just about stand under the falls. How fun is that when you are a kid! We had a good laugh as we left the "Hurricane Deck" - our youngest DS complained about the hood of his raincoat pulling on his neck and being tight. Up on the deck his hood had fallen back and filled with water, he had at least a gallon in there! We told him he could have a couple of gold fish swimming around in there!





The next view is from the top of the hill behind our family home. My mom & dad moved 13 years ago, just out of the picture on the left, but my brother and family live on the family farm now. Being a flat-lander now in NW Ohio I forgot how beautiful the country is there. My kids are funny - commenting on the "mountains", I keep telling them they are just "hills".

Of course we had to have a picture of Mamie with her Ohio grand kids. Why couldn't I get a good picture? In every picture, one of the kids was acting up and I couldn't get them all to just smile nicely!

I have to share the following baskets I made yesterday - It's Rug Hooking week at Sauder Village where I work. We had almost 1,000 guests today.

Rug Hookers like project baskets! Last year I sold everyone I could make of this first basket, the handles are Shaker tape.

First time for this pattern. Love it - the dark brown reed is smoked reed alternating with Navy dyed weavers. I dye all my own reed and always add a little black to Navy to darken it up just a little. Handles on this one are leather.

Both baskets will be posted on my selling blog as well.

Hope you are all having a good week. ~Ann