Wow, can you believe this weekend is over?  I think we crammed as much as possible into it.  What about you?  Just a quick recap of what we did.  Saturday:  We went to Farmers Pike on the east side of Indy and I think we hit about 70% of the garage sales on the way there.  We did find some treasures - another square candle holder in the amber tiara sandwich glass pattern I'm collecting, an American flag (the people told us they couldn't even give it away - isn't that sad!), a wooden American flag, a hooked rug (I only paid 25 cents for it)  and Carl found a brad nailer gun (I'm not sure that's the correct name, but it it good for woodworking). 

The most exciting part of our trip was when Ryan decided he was going to be a sling shot.  Basically it was a bungee jump but in the opposite direction.  Before the kids were shot up in the air, they all got to jump on the trampoline and try to do flips.  It must have been harder than what it looked like because so many kids tried and tried and couldn't do it.  Carl did manage to get this awesome picture of Ryan though. 

On the way home we stopped at the Warm Glow Candle Outlet...ahhhh, the smell, the decorations...it was wonderfully inspiring...I'm ready to decorate for fall after that visit :)  However, I only bought one small candle and 3 placemats that I'm using on my entertainment center.   If you must know, I'm waiting for the Covered Bridge Festival to shop for more fall decorations and treasurers.  Carl and I like to go without the boys - it's a win-win all the way around :) 

Okay, please ignore the crack in the crock, but this should give you the basic idea.  Now I need to find some greenery to fill that crock and make it look pretty again.

 On Sunday Carl and Kyle went riding - Ryan's bike broke so he had to stay home with me and clean the house - poor guy missed out on the fun.  I did make a loaf of sausage bread and 2 loaves of cinnamon bread for the boys. 

Monday was a better day - Carl and I went to a small festival by our house and I found more amber glass (yippee for me!!) - I now have one (yes one) candle stick and a last supper plate.  I was so excited about that because I just saw some on shopgoodwill and ebay for much more than I paid.  I love it when I get a deal!

After lunch we went to Shades State Park with both of the dogs, walked some trails, went fishing and let the dogs swim.  Ryan caught two fish...the only fish of the day.

As the fishing was winding down, I told Carl that I was going to let the dogs go for a swim.  Snickers loves the water and can swim well - like a fish, and although we haven't been to the lake with Harley one would think he would be able to swim too. He is a retriever afterall.  Can you tell where I'm going with this story?  I also should have thought about the way they fight over sticks and balls when we play at home.  I threw a stick out and both dogs went in the water for it, fought over it, and were a pretty good distance from the shore.  Snickers won that round and started her way back, but Harley was (barely) treading water.  By this time Kyle came back by me and Carl was on his way back, and we are watching Harley tread water and then he went under.  It was pure panic!  Kyle went in after Harley and was the hero of the day.  From that point on each dog went in by themselves and we decided not to throw the sticks too far out for Harley.  We just can't figure out how he is swimming - I wish I had a video of him - it's kind of funny - it really does look like a dog paddle move.  Now our Indian name for Harley is Swims Like a Rock. I know both of the dogs are tired after today because they have been quiet all night - no barking at anything tonight.

To end our weekend, we made elephant ears.  After paying $5 for them at a couple of fairs this summer, we decided that we would make our own and save some money.  I found this recipe on Cooks.com

ELEPHANT EARS

2 c. flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tbsp. shortening

1/2 c. water

Oil (for frying)

TOPPING:

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Blend everything, but water, as you would for pie crust. Add water and shape into a ball. Add a few more drops of water if dough doesn't handle well. If too sticky, add flour. Divide into 10 even balls. Roll out to 9 to 10 inch circles.

Dip in hot oil until brown. Flip, remove and put on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with topping. If thicker, elephant ear will be soft. If thinner, elephant ear will be crispy.

It was a wonderful weekend for us.  I love spending time with my family and this was perfect.  I hope your weekend was wonderful, happy, and full of memories.  I want to leave you with a post my sister had on her facebook page:  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.  Wisdom is knowing not to put it in your fruit salad.