a trip to the market and through the woods...

I've been wanting to visit the WNC farmer's market in Asheville for a while now. On Friday, Jesse and I headed up there to check it out. They had lots of great fresh produce, canned goodies, and homemade crafts. I can imagine that it is an incredible place to go when all of the yummy fruits are in season! After being at the market for a while, we headed into downtown to try out a new place for lunch and walk around a bit. We ate at a place called The Lab. I had a burger that was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, caramelized onions and au poivre sauce. I ordered the brussel sprouts as my side. Every bit of it was spectacular! I highly recommend it!

(I didn't take this pic, but this is The Lab)

Our market finds...I was so excited about the green tomato pickles and pickled beets...Jesse not so much. Guess I'll just have to enjoy them all by myself ;-)

These nifty little things are flowers made from pumpkin and mustard seeds. They also had brooches made out of the same flowers...they were too cute!

Yesterday, Eli and I spent some time out by the R. Y. McAden River. We enjoyed a Chick-fil-a picnic on some logs, found lots of cool trees and plants, and soaked up some beautiful sunshine. It was a perfect day! It was a great reminder that in the new year, I really want to spend more time appreciating God's creation! Here are some pics of our fun on the trail...

Waterfront dining :-)

At times, E very much resembled Mowbli from the Jungle Book :-)

Mission accomplished

sander tause came!

The Christmas season was super busy for our family this year. With programs and events at church, Christmas parties, and the hustle and bustle that goes along with the McAdenville lights, it has been full to say the least. The last week has been such a nice change of pace. Jesse and I have both been off of work and free to enjoy family, friends, and time to do absolutely nothing.

We spent the first half of the day today taking down Christmas decorations. It was bittersweet. While we won't have a little boy trying to sneak and grab ornaments and lights anymore, it means a wonderful Christmas has come to an end. Now that Eli somewhat understands that Christmas is Jesus' birthday and a bit about "Sander Tause" and our Elf on the Shelf, Oran G., it makes for a lot of fun in our house!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

hats for sale!

When I entered the title of this post I immediately thought of the book that I've read to Eli a thousand times entitled "Caps for Sale". It goes something like "caps for sale!...caps for sale!...fifty cents a cap!" He loves it when we shout the words together :-) I definitely feel like shouting "hats for sale!" with great excitement right now because I've been wanting to get these ready for a while and I'm pretty happy with the finished product. The only problem is that I wanted to keep every one I made! Hopefully, you'll like them too!

Size~ Adult S/M

Size~ Adult S/M

Size~ Adult S/M

Size~ Adult M/L

Size~ Adult S/M (this hat is light gray in color)

Size~ Adult S/M

Size~ Adult M/L

Size~ Adult M/L

Size~ Adult S/M

If you're interested and/or have questions, please message me at summerbachman@gmail.com :-)

big socks...

For a couple of years now, we have been stockingless in the Bachman house at Christmas...yes, I said stockingless! No fun, right? I have been refusing to buy any because I wanted to make them. This past weekend, I finally set my mind to the task and made it happen. It was such a quick project that I can't believe I waited this long. I wanted something non-traditional...and I'd say that's what I got. Oh, and Eli calls them our "big socks" :-)

recap...

Looking back, I think it's safe to say that we've packed as much as we could into the last month. Here are some pics of our October fun!

new project...

Lately, I've been spending some time getting re-acquainted with crocheting. I haven't worked on anything since last winter, so it's taken a bit of time to get in the groove again. My first goal for this year was to learn to crochet a hat of some sort. Eventually, I'd like to learn how to crochet many different hats, but I've tried to stick to a realistic goal for now. I've got lots of colors and patterns in mind for more of these and can hardly wait to get started on them. I've just got to find some time, tweek a few things that I learned the hard way with this one, and get a LOT faster.

wheels & hills

This past weekend, we loaded up our bikes and headed to Staunton, Virginia for the Shenandoah Valley Fall Foliage Festival. Although it was a bit of a drive, it was good timing with the leaves being SO pretty. My Dad was able to go along with us, so it was really nice to spend some quality time with the three very special men (including little man) in my life. We spent the first half of the day on Sat. and Sun. riding bikes. The scenery was break-taking and once I got past the shock, the chilly air was really nice. E tagged along in his bike-trailer, eating goldfish, checking out the cows, and taking a nap every once in a while. We also spent a bit of time in some cool parks and rode the trolley around town, which E liked a lot. And, last but not least, we ate some really yummy food and drank lots of yummy coffee while we were there. I'm hoping this trip may quickly become a Fall tradition of ours :)

prepping for the first ride...

we're ready...

really cool old house on our Sunday route...

after the Sunday route...