These are few of my favorite things...

...that I was able to enjoy with Jim when he came for a visit. (It was soooo nice to be able to show off Asheville to someone from back home). And I always say it's the little things in life. Well, here are a few little things that all added up for one super fun week:

Early afternoon Guinness and slice of heavenly chocolate mocha cheesecake, eaten in a high top bistro set, overlooking downtown Asheville.

This, my friends, is what a person who just ate what they claim to be "the best bacon tehy ever had" looks like. (At Tupalo Honey Restaurant in the center of the city)

And *this* is the famous bacon:

Jim taught me how to play Vegas style solitaire and I am hooked. I brought a deck of cards everywhere we went...even to Shake it Like a Caveman (blog entry about that to follow in the very near future)

We did a whole lot of antiquing and yard saling. With the green grass and sunny weather around here, Saturdays make for some great lawn bargains. This was one of my favorite finds--a vintage chandelier, that I am currently refinishing a retro cool blue color, with handing beads for my little shoppe on Squam.

This is what two people look like after full body massages (who also happen to be wearing pretty much the same hat). The Asheville School of Massage and Yoga has a program for the community where the soon-to-graduate students offer grrrreeeeeatttt massages at a super low cost. They fill up quick, so when I found out they had a couple of openings, I jumped at that opportunity. Ahhh... Oh. And I finally had an excuse to go to the Hot Dog King. There is no good reason for me to venture in there myself. Isn't this old sign just great?

But really, I think Asheville is pretty great. And next, Horseshoe is coming to visit, followed by Tina and Tanya! Fun!

My Thanksgiving Tale...

It was a classic Lucas/Bowman feast this year. It was a house full of animals and kids, topped off with canned beers and impromptu caroling. We made wreaths, we decorated cookies, the turkey and fixins' were all scrumptious. There were new faces at our table this year--an extension of the Bowmans, who were all fun to share the day with, (and fit right in with our non-conventional style of celebration). I give it four stars. (But truth be told, I took a lengthy "nap" on the couch, amidst the excitement of cookie decorating--turkey always makes me sooooo sleepy!)
My mums presented my bro, sis and I with our first silverware we had as babies--yeah, we all used them to eat our meals. :)


There's another kid or two under this here pig pile...

My mom's cat Zenn literally sat by the stove the entire time we were cooking the meal, eating scraps that fell. This cat thinks it's a dog. Seriously. It fetches.


Nari was being such a good girl and keeping her doggy paws out of the kitchen (barely). But she was actually drooling from the smell of turkey, so Lyss had to put a napkin on her!

There was a new kitty in the house. We named him Zeus.

Nom-nom-nom...

Remember as a child when the kids' table was nothing but awkward cousins, 4 mismatched chairs around a wobbly card table? Not at our Thanksgiving! Kids rule! :) (And Megan is totally holding her broccoli in the air like a torch-ha!)

Lyss and I. :)

Mmmm...desserts.

My mom made this from scratch: pumpkin cheesecake with chocolate crumb crust, drizzled with dark chocolate, caramel topping and crushed hazelnuts. It was awful. Just awful.

Lyss and Nari on our walk to visit the neighbors...

When my dad yelled "dessert!" (the code word), we busted out some Jingle Bells for the neighbors. I think they really liked it. All seventeen of us barging into their house? I'm sure they appreciated that too.

Darrick's rad sweater had a pocket in it. Sweet. Maypo commented that he looked like Krusty the clown. :)

A standard staple in our Thanksgiving festivities: cookie decorating. Taste the rainbow.

This was all too much excitement for Zenn. He was out cold on the couch. Zzzzzzzzzzz...