guncles

We had such a nice time with the Guncles!  Randy and I even got a full day in the studio together to make angels with the pin cushion dolls he brought to use.

We had a couple of dog walks, enjoying the mellow weather that came with the beginning of September.

Terry and Dale swang by on the way home from their long Florida to Canada drive.  It was almost becoming an accidental family reunion.  At least a mini one, Rich has a huge family. 

We hadn’t planned it out this way, it just luckily happened that Terry and Dale were driving through while Guncles were visiting.  

Little Dorothy got plenty of snuggles.  She loves it when these guys come to town.

The visit wasnt all just about strolling around, chatting, and cutting up old lace, though.  Stuff got done!  Rich and Kevin cleaned the chicken coop, then picked apples and green beans from the garden. We peeled until late into the night, cooking and freezing apples for pie.

Rich brought in the honey comb from the hives and we got it bottled up.  There wasn’t a big harvest this year, but that doesn’t change the amount of cleanup afterwards.  Whether you get one gallon or five, you are still left with a kitchen full of sticky equipment.  But also delicious honey to share, so all is good.  I made up a charcuterie board that included a bowl of gooey honey comb that was worth all of the wiping down with warm soapy water that the kitchen required.

Speaking of honeycomb, check out this sky we were treated to after finishing the bee job!  A sky filled with glowing honeycomb.

We might not be in Florida with fresh seafood, but the Guncles still worked their butts off feeding us great meals.  One night was Kevin’s famous grilled turkey burgers, next was Randy’s signature lemon chicken, and then on my night to cook, Kevin took over and made fresh marinara sauce with chicken parm.   All I did while they were here was a little bit of bread.

On our final night, Sugarwings hosted a Hocus Pocus cocoa party.

Complete with eyeballs on the cobbler made with the apples from our tree.  I might not enjoy the time it takes to cut up all of that fruit, but it was made easier by so many hands, and I loved having loved ones here to share “the fruits of our labor” with.  

These two couples who came to see us might technically be Rich’s family, but they each own huge chunks of real estate in my heart and I consider them my sibs too.  Thanks for the visit, everyone!

We had a Guncle-riffic visit last week.  They spent half the time with us, the other half with close friends in KC.  Their last night in Lawrence included a birthday party for that couple, who are family to the guys.

Now, down on Sweet Cherry Lane in Jax, the tablescapes and delicious food are legendary.  Randy keeps his dining table set on a regular basis and then goes even more all out when guests arrive.

 And the food, oh my.

So while they were visiting, I had Randy help me set my table.  

Our big craft project had been to restyle some violins.

So we incorporated those along with some violin sheet music.

We had a small group at a large table, and only needed to decorate half of it.  Kevin makes the best German chocolate cake, so that got center stage on the other half.

Dinner was a luscious lemon chicken.  And the company?  The best!

I’ll have some close ups of the violins in my next post.