Highway clean up and installing a ceiling fan

Another week has gone by for the Pelhams! It was a busy week for us. We did a highway clean-up project with our Rotary club, we had a good time. Zack and I took a section by ourselves…it’s amazing what you find in a ditch. Thursday we found out my favorite uncle from Michigan was in town. Doug was in MN for a class reunion and decided to drive to ND to see his mom (and of course, us!!). It just so happened that Zack and I planned to install our ceiling fan this weekend. Lucky for us, Doug is very handy around the house…SO on Saturday we put dad and Doug to work. The fan looks great, I am so glad Zack and I didn’t have to figure that one out. Even Lucy was there to help.

Dad made us these great tools for picking up trash. We only had to bend over to pick up glass, it was great!

Meet my uncle Doug!

Zack disposed of the fan and entertained Gramma!!

How many Norwegians does it take to install a fan?!?!?!?

Looks pretty good!!

Smell of fall...

The smell of fall is in the air! I just love it... Zack mowed the yard today and that makes the smell of fall even better. Yesterday we went to the street fair and I indulged in one of my favorite treats– kettle corn! Who ever thought of that mixture was brilliant. Well my interior decorator and handyman have finally returned from Europe, so I asked them to come over and help me with a few things today! We have a small space under the stair for storage and until this day it has been in need of serious organizing. Dad helped me put together shelving and lay out a plan of how to most efficiently store stuff! I believe we were successful with maybe a few tweaks down the road. As for my decorator, what can I say, some people were blessed with the gift of decorating (mom) and others were not (me). She has a wonderful ability to make things look beautiful. As you will see in the pictures my gourds have come in handy!!

Singing and Pie...

What a week!! Thursday night we had a McCain speech party. We had a great time! It’s always nice to get together with friends. I am so excited about Sarah Palin, she is awesome and has added excitement to the GOP!!

We also participated in activities at the assisted living facility where my Grandma (dad’s mom) and Grandpa (mom’s dad) live. Saturday night we went to the weekly sing-along! I even requested a few songs! We were invited to come back next week... Today we participated in the grandparents pie social. My uncle and aunt even joined us. Grandparents are amazing people, they are so full of wisdom. I treasure these times and memories I have with them.

LABOR day!

Happy Labor Day…and what a day of labor it was! Since it’s hard to work on big projects during the week, Zack and I tackled some fall cleaning today. We ended up with 3 garbage bags of trash, lots of boxes and a large pile of clothes for a future garage sale. Problem is, not many people wear 15 size shoes, 36x36 size pants or large tall shirts. Oh well! We cleaned the two guest rooms (we were using them for storage!), guest bathroom, hall closet, and office. We now have more storage for more stuff :)
My favorite time of the year is on the way!! I was running errands today and couldn’t help but walk though the “fall” aisle of the store, I wanted to buy everything but settled for a bag of mixed Hersey’s candy in fall colors! Last year I wanted to decorate with real pumpkins and gords but realized they were rather expensive so I decided when I planted my garden this year, I would plant some fall decorations!!! They are doing great, I can’t wait to use them. I think Zack and dad were thinking pumpkin seeds!!

On the road...again!

Hi! I am sitting in a hotel room in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – I would highly recommend the SpringHill Suites. I drove down with Zack yesterday so he could attend a work meeting this morning. It was a long drive from home. I am happy to report they have a good shopping here! They even have an Ann Taylor Loft, one of my favorite stores. I am waiting for the mall to open so I can walk over and do some shopping. I decided last week that I am going to start reading biographies, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Maine

We’re back!!! We had a great time in Maine. I will try to sum it up with a few pictures…Only one day it rained all morning, we had good weather for the most part. It was amazing how quickly the fog can come in! Zack’s parents and his sister and her husband were also with us in Maine. The only unwelcomed guest was the BAT!!!

As I was unpacking, I looked out the window and saw Zack and his parents relaxing by the water. The first night we were there, we went on a short walk and here is one photo from the walk.

The first morning we were in Maine we went blueberry picking!!
Six people can gather a LOT of blueberries. We ate blueberry pie, blueberry buckle, blueberries on oatmeal, blueberry pancakes, blueberries and cream, blueberries on ice cream, blueberries on cereal...

We visited Schoodic Point and climbed on the rocks. The Pelham clan.

Zack climbing on the rocks!

We took a hike on the Bold Coast in Cutler, Karen and I needed a break.

The scenery was beautiful everywhere you were.

Emily, Matt, Zack and I took a road trip to the Eastern most point in America. We first took a tour of Raye's mustard factory!

We also visited Quoddy Head in Lubec. This is such a beautiful lighthouse.

Couldn't go to Maine without eating lobster!!

We went to the Blueberry Festival in Machias. Emily even entered a pie eating contest. She was against some pretty heavy hitters. Here is the clan eating fish chowder.

They even catered to the non-fish chowder eater!!!!

Weekend with Lucy!

It’s August!! I can’t believe it. Tomorrow will be our 7th wedding anniversary! WOW, hard to imagine it has been seven years. It does not seem like that at all. We have done a lot over our seven years together as a couple!

This weekend we were on Lucy duty. My parents went out of town so we dog-sat! She had a good weekend. This weekend we took her to an outside event at the capitol, took her to pet-smart, visited Grandpa, went on a walk around the neighborhood twice, she helped mow the lawn and pick beans and cucumbers!!

In 6 days Zack and I leave for vacation. We are going to Maine for a week! We are staying in a cabin in a little place called Petit Manan. Each day we are there, we will take a day trip somewhere. I love sitting on the Maine rocks and listening to the ocean.



She is so cute!

Lucy and her buddy!

Lucy is a spoiled little dog! Everything she has is pink!!

And yes, can't forget about the garden! As I mentioned earlier, Lucy and I picked green beans and cucumbers! Well by then dad was home so he did the cucumbers. There were so many I didn't know where to start! Besides these in the picture, dad took two full bags home!