Free weekends…take some getting used to

Now that I’ve finished my yoga teacher training, I have plenty of free time on the weekends for leisure. It’s been pretty great, though by late Sunday I felt a little lazy for some reason. Guess it will take me a while to get back into weekend mode!

Saturday, I met my great friend Dena’s niece Carmela! She was the cutest little thing. Carmie (or Mela) was the first baby I’ve held in years. My discomfort with little squirmy people may be evident in this pic!

After visiting with the next generation, I went to watch my friend Steve brew some beer. I also got to taste some two-year-old mead. It was pretty tasty, but you have to be careful with the stuff–it’s pretty boozey.

In between processes, Steve and I checked out Twice Told Tales in downtown Crystal Lake. I was in search of a book for my boyfriend (can’t tell which in case he’s reading this…it’s a surprise). I was left disappointed because there was only one shelf of “classics.” However, there is no shortage of romance novels, if that is your genre. Half of the store is filled with romance titles.

The volume of these books amazed me. And, their titles made me laugh with astonishment. Here are some examples:
“Jessie’s Child”
“Back in the Bachelor’s Arms”
“At the Millionaire’s Request”
“The Baby Trail”
“Princess in Disguise”
“The Reluctant Cinderella”
“Having Her Boss’s Baby”
“The Secrets Between Them”
“Baby Blues and Wedding Bells”

This title topped them all and summarizes the overriding theme of these books:
I’ve never read one of these romance novels, and I’m not totally trashing them, but I think it is pretty interesting to read the titles, themes and see the huge amount of them in this store.

Sunday night (Oscar night!), my parents and I went to dinner at Chez Pierre Creperie in Crystal Lake for their George Washington’s Birthday dinner. The food was delish! I started with escargot and mushrooms in a garlic-herb sauce, then the house salad, the tilapia with yummy asparagus and finally a fruit tart. The small restaurant is cozy, charming and friendly. I would recommend stopping in for the wonderful crepes!

The Oscars were amazing, as usual! Of course, I fell asleep through the middle (but who really cares about the technical stuff, not me). I’m so happy for Kate and Sean. Both their performances were great. Slumdog was also very deserving of the top prize, and I hope to see more of that excellent cast!

Cutie Break!

I also went to the St. Louis Zoo and saw the new additions-five tigers and a sweet leopard named Sophia!

Cutie Break

To wrap up my trip to the country, I visited Royal Oak Farm Orchard. Here are some of the residents of the petting zoo.

Tom and Babe

Since they are such a big part of my life, I would like to introduce my cats, Tom and Babe.

Tom is 13. We got Tom when he was a kitten living in my grandparent’s neighbor’s barn. Tom was a little orange fur ball that we thought was a girl and named Thomasina after the Disney film The Three Lives of Thomasina. When we took our new kitty to the vet we found our precious pet was in fact a male. Ironically, the characters in the Disney film had the opposite situation. So, Thomasina was now Tom Cat. Our Tom has grown to an astounding 20 pounds, and we love every inch of him. He enjoys ice water, watermelon, watching the birds outside our kitchen window and being pet. He’s one of the sweetest cats you’ll meet and has the motor boat purr to prove it. He’s an adventurer, and although he has no claws, he loves the outdoors.

Babe is 5. She was a present to my grandmother, Diane. When my grandmother passed away, Babe came to live with us. She’s a tiny thing, especially next to Tom. Babe doesn’t like to be held and seldom likes to be touched. My mom thinks she may be autistic. With some charming, Babe will come to me to be pet, and I can even get her to let out her low, deep purr. She’s a cute little black cat that loves fish fillets and cat nip.

You’ll no doubt be seeing more of these two. They’re my favorites!