Kayaking (Take 2)

There are several posts I have lined-up to share from a few of our summer adventures, but I've been lacking in time management to organize and get them up.

Today, I am sharing a kayaking trip Beau and I went on with a couple of kiddos from church. During Beau's birthday week, we took the hour-long drive to French Creek State Park to go kayaking. Beau and I had such a great time the first time, we wanted to try it again. We brought the kiddies along because they have become like family to us. We often bring them to Sunday school with us and Beau usually counsels them in the way of the Lord, as that is where his heart is at the moment. I often think that if I were to have children (2 boys specifically), they would be just like these two: a little reserved, but fun to be around. In any case, we also thought it would be a good experience for them as they didn't even know what kayaking was. They were nervous at first, but loved it in the end. We had a great time also. Of course, Beau did most of the paddling in our tandem boat because, weak arms. The day was beautifully overcast (my favorite since the sun seems to literally set my skin ablaze... no, seriously), and I wore a golf visor which apparently reminded my husband of little Asian women. We enjoyed our day trip and the guys did as well. Kayaking has easily become my favorite outdoor activity. I would love to try it in the ocean, though I'm not so keen on sharks.

The Weekend: Museum Day Live

This past Saturday (September 28) was National Museum Day. Hundreds of museums across the country offered free admission that day! My first choice would have been the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but they did not participate in this event, so we opted for a museum outside of the city: The Brandywine River Museum.

The Brandywine River Museum is about a 40 minute drive from where we live (really, really close to our wedding  reception location). The exterior is similar to that of an old barnyard. The interior has a rustic look with thick wooden beams, heavy wooden doors, and floor to ceiling windows. 

The museum featured paintings from the Wyeth family and painters from the 19th century to present day  - many of which were landscape and still life. Beau and I really enjoyed our time here. I especially loved reading the story behind some of the paintings and seeing various depictions of Philadelphia and surrounding towns... We recognized Manayunk in one of the paintings almost immediately. 

The exterior of the museum was also beautiful. The building overlooks the Brandywine river where we saw many painters drawing inspiration from the scenery. There was also a river trail behind the parking lot the lot that yielded a peaceful view of the river. This was a nice outing for the both of us. I really enjoy getting out on the weekends -- not only to get out of the house, but to spend good, quality time with Beau. 

Did any of you participate in Museum Day? 

Our First Fourth (of July)

Despite my efforts to avoid doing anything outside of the coolness of our home on the 4th of July, Beau and I  ventured out to the Valley Forge National Park for their Community Picnic. It was stupid hot, but we got along well. I took a cheeky photo with Ben Franklin, walked the park a little bit, watched an artillery demonstration,  and just enjoyed a laid back afternoon... away from the festivities in downtown Philly. Beau and I also decided to forego the Welcome America concert by the Ben Franklin Parkway and attended a fireworks showing the next town over (literally up the street) and then watched the end of the concert from home. The Welcome  America concert did have a pretty good line-up this year, but I'm not a big fan of concerts. And when you add the words "Largest free outdoor concert on July 4th" into the mix, it is even more undesirable to me.  I did do it once, though.

All in all, a good day .

The Greenhouse || (aka The Hunt for a Pretty Table Centerpiece)

One day last week, I got fed up with looking at the emptiness that is our dining room table and set out to find a pretty plant to put on it.

Actually, as I draft this post, I realize that that is NOT the way the story goes. Here's how it really went down:

I went out to purchase some produce for the week. The Produce Junction has their place neatly set-up. fruits on one side. Veggies on the other. Some cut flowers, baskets and planter pots set up by the entranceway and household and gardening plants in a neighboring room and outside. As I finished purchasing my produce and walked towards my car. I literally saw a multitude of people looking at the plants outside. (People flock to this location for plants just about every day. Traffic is crazy during peak hours and there's never any parking. I never knew people took gardening and produce so seriously.) Anyhoo, as I looked at all the pretty plants people clutched tightly in their arms, I thought about finding a plant that we could set in the middle of our dining room table to add a bit of color and spice. Specifically, I wanted a good-sized succulent. I found none. They had none.

I have read in various blog posts that IKEA sells succulents at a good price, but I refused to drive to the closest IKEA in South Philly. I did a search on my phone to find a place that would sell succulents nearby and found a greenhouse in the Philadelphia Suburbs.

It was a nice, short scenic drive to Taddeo's Greenhouses. The workers were nice. The plants were gorgeous and clearly well taken-care of. Of course, I found out within the first minute of me being there that they did not have succulent plants, but I browsed around anyway to see what they did have and what would be a great first plant for our home. I settled on a pink New Guinea Impatiens. One worker suggested taking home a Gerber since they are easy to take care of, but when I saw the New Guinea plant, it was like love at first site. The dark green leaves with prickly edges were so intriguing, and it also helped that the one I took home was the only one that had a flower (one. single. pink. flower) blooming at the time. I grabbed it and continued exploring the place. It was a nice treat. Hot as all ever, but nice.

  

The plant is pretty small, but it does exactly what I wanted it to do -- add some color to the dining room until we start decorating our home. I have never had to take care of a plant before, so learning to care for this one has been a good challenge. It looked like it died a couple days after purchasing it, but a bit of water allowed the leaves and flower (surprisingly) to perk back up. I'm still trying to find a balance between sun and water, but I think I'm doing well so far as a first time plant mama. I think I'm totally set for motherhood (jk).

P.S. I found out that Lowe's and Home Depot sells succulents as well. I stopped by a Lowe's on my way home that day and found a beautiful selection of succulents. I can't wait to get some!