ahhh, fall is here

I love autumn. The colors. The scents. The food. The coziness of it all. I probably look forward to autumn more than any other time of the year. I did get my fall decor up the week before Labor Day. Even Mr. Fye said he enjoys this season's decor additions most. This year I have a thing for peaches! I say "this year", but really I go through cravings where I eat one thing for a while and then I am over it... all year long. Right now, it is peaches! Succulent, flavorful, juicy peaches! You'll notice this dish seems to be missing one..... really, it is missing two!

Yesterday was Rachel's 23rd birthday. It was here before I knew it! We had a steak dinner for her. Don'tcha think the McD's cups add that special touch to the table? I did think about removing them for the picture but decided to go for reality.

I forgot to take a picture of the cupcakes we had. I got them at a bakery that we are considering for her wedding. She said I was multi-tasking. For those who have seen the pictures of Brandon when he shaved his head, it looks like he misses the mohawk look. Hopefully, he wasn't trying out his wedding hairstyle!!

Kenny, Becky, Laura, Steve, and Me

The last several times I posted pictures I had to load them backwards so they would go on right.... sooo, I did that this time and look! They went on the way I loaded them..... urrrgg! Anway, my Mom, sister Becky, and brother Steve came up from Texas for the week of Labor Day. Mom and Steve came last year and so it was great to have Bec join them this year! This picture is the Platts cousins. There were 3 Platts brothers. Uncle Bill, Daddy and Uncle Don. Uncle Bill had a daughter, Cheryl, but I don't recall ever metting her. Kenny and Laura had a brother, Gary, that died last year from melanoma. And we had an older sister, Debbi, who died 10 years ago next month. It was great to see visit with them, hear family stories and catch up with each other.

We used to spend Christmas Eve with Uncle Don and Aunt Pat and they would always give us those huge candy cane sticks. Bec talked to Aunt Pat about getting together she said she wanted us to come for dinner, that she had a surprise for us. My first thought was the candy canes... maybe she had some for us to bring back a great memory. Then I had a second thought and well, let's just say that was it and it was ok that it wasn't the candy canes! She made the traditional Platts Family Christmas Dinner of rump roast, Grandpa Platts's Yorkshire Pudding, mashed potatoes
and gravy, green beans, jello salad, applesauce and pumpkin pie and homemade carrot cake. It was such a wonderful meal and so thoughtful!

Back at Anut Barbara'a we celebrated some of the family's September birthdays... this year was for my cousin Leslie, Mom and cousin Tim. Any excuse for more sweets! We do love our sweets! My sister came to stay a couple of days with me, so we went to get donuts at Dunkin' Donuts, since they don't have them in Texas. Of course, I had to get some from Long's to show her how much better they are and then a couple of days later we patronized Jack's Donuts in New Castle because they are the very best! Jack's has been there as long as I can remember. We just went there for memory's sake..... yeah, right!

In photo: Brenda, Denny, Ted,

Karen, Tim, Steve,

Aunt Barbara, Becky, Leslie, me, Mom (Gloria)

These are the Turpin cousins with Mom and Aunt Barbara. We missed Aunt Harriett and again, my sister Debbi. The cousins are arranged by age. Debbi was the oldest so she would have been top left. It was a fun "photo shoot" and it was fun to catch up with the Turpin side, too! When we go to Aunt Barbara's we expect homemade ham salad and coke cake. She didn't disappoint us!

Cousin Karen hosted a family cookout. She and her husband Nick have a nice big farmhouse east of New Castle that would hold all of us if it had rained. But the weather was absolutely beautiful! Pretty windy, but wind is better than extreme heat! Steve was the Grill Master for the day and Larry and Ryan were there giving their two cents worth I am sure.

The Sherry Three. I lived with Aunt Harriett and Uncle Paul from age 13-18. So these three and combination cousin/siblings for me.

One of the food tables... I have to admit I have a slight twinge of coveting when I see this table. There was one other table/desk like it when they bought it in PA (for $15 no less!!!) and so it isn't like I can go get one like it... thus the "coveting." The other end looks like this end and the center is filled with drawers on both sides! LOVE it!

I had planned on having a photographer friend come and take pictures, but timing got mixed up and it didn't happen. It was a great place for pictures! The barn had this cute little window in it. So we filled it with a cute little girl and a cute big guy!

Then her Poppy had to get in there! Poor Brandon.

Our family... Ryan, me, Larry and Rachel.

Our family plus one... Brandon! Next year he will have to claim us!

I love generation photos.

My Mom and her children. Steve and Becky look like Mom... Me... I am a Daddy's girl!

I love this piture of Mom and Aunt Barbara. Oh, the stories we heard! I now know where a child or two of mine gets their "rules are just suggestions" attitude. ;o)

Isn't family great?!