Beer Tasting - 2021

 

According to the official paddle (below) we've been doing Beer Tasting since 2009.  Subtract out 2020 - the year COVID won, that means we've been doing this 11 years now!  I wish we'd kept a log of the winning beers.  

While we don't have that, I can say that the way we purchase beer has certainly changed over the years.  I remember when we first started out Jamie and I were pouring bottles - we wrapped them in paper bags to disguise the contents.  Then there were quite a few years where the entries were very growler focused.   One year nearly every entry came in a growler.  Now, fast forward, we're much more can heavy.  This year we had 1 growler entry, 1 bottle, and the rest were cans.  It'll be interesting to see where the trend turns next!

Justin won this year, with a 21st Amendment beer - which, quite randomly is brewed in San Francisco and on the very night we were doing beer tasting at Apple Canyon, Ryan was in San Fran and made dinner plans at the very brewery that won the beer tasting.  100% random - he even had the winning beer on tap that night.  Not quite the same as being with us in person, but at least he got to be a part of it in some way!

The campground didn't do trick or treating the same weekend as beer tasting this year, the kids were bummed to not have the opportunity to wear their costumes an extra time, but Mom picked up these super cute Halloween outfits for the kids and gosh darn it, I hope this girl gang lasts forever!  Look at their happy faces!

We have SO many traditions in our family and I'm thankful for everyone that is willing to play along and keep them going year over year!  We sure are lucky to have so many amazing friends and family around us.

Anniversary Camping

 

A few weekends ago we sold, and bought a camper!  In a very Ryan McGrath move, we bought a new camper on a Sunday morning and then sold our old one a few hours later that afternoon.  It was a wild ride - typical McGrath.  So, we decided we wanted to plan one final, last minute camping trip so we could try out our new toy.

Believe it or not, Columbus Day weekend, just as the fall leave are turning, one of the last nice weekends of the year is a VERY busy time to camp...(Trust me, I already knew this) but we were able to score some sites at a small private campground near Starved Rock state park, just about 1.5 hours from our house.  If I had it to do over again, we'd have planned well in advance, and we'd have gone somewhere different, and stayed at a different site, but, sometimes being spontaneous comes at the cost of having everything fully planned out in the most perfect way.  And, you know what?  At the end of the day we still had a great time with our friends, and that's what matters.  

I took exactly zero pictures for the weekend, so these are all courtesy of Jamie and Chris who did a lovely job - especially since Jamie edited these all.  They look great.

Also - why does Abby look so big here?!  I think between this picture, and one further down where she's sitting in a bag chair, I can see a peek into what she's going to look like as a teenager.  Lord help us all!

These pictures make it look much sunnier and warmer than it was when we started out for the hike in the morning.  It was cool and drizzly - maybe even really raining.  I think we all considered just skipping the hike, but I'm glad we stuck it out.  The afternoon turned out beautiful!

OMG!  This girl squad is going to be something to contend with! I can't wait to watch them all grow up together.

See??  Teenage Abby right here!

Summer Knitting Projects

 

So many of the crafts I work on are SLOW going that I've decided these seasonal round ups are a fun way to document my progress in one spot without needing to create individual posts whenever I eventually finish something - plus!  It let's me share more realistic timelines.  Sometimes it appears like I whip these things out, when in reality there are weeks, even months behind the process.

First up are these adorable kitten siblings that I made for Abby.  Back around Easter I snagged a kit and pattern of bunnies that I knew Hazel would love.  A little while later the same maker (Barret Wool Co) released a kit for these two kittens, I knew I needed to snatch it up for Abby.

I have to agree with Erin, the faces on these two are so different.  I suppose thats part of what makes them unique and handmade and special.  To me, the girl kitten looks so snoody and maybe a little angry (or like she smelled something bad?!)  The boy looks peacful and happy (and sleepy) like the pattern intended.  LOL!

Up next is a blanket pattern that I am LOVING, but it is SLOW going.  The yarn is so thin and it's knit on size 3 needles (my second lap size blanket on size 3 needles in under a year - Erin's Christmas present last year was also on size 3's).  This will be a perfect, light weight summer throw when it's done.  

I started this project when we got back from your Yellowstone trip - so call it mid July.  I've been knitting on it most nights and the last picture in this post was taken on September 17th - so roughly two months of continuous work.  If you ever wonder why handmade things are so expensive, it's because this stuff takes time!  But there's so much love woven into these fibers.  Sure, you could buy something similar at the store for maybe $50-$100...but I believe this is better.  

Also - I sit in the same spot on the couch, in sweat pants an awful lot! Ryan calls it my "nightly plop" and I'm not even embarrassed about it in the least!   

A few weeks ago I started in on the first quilt I've made in nearly a year.  I'll share some progress pics of that in my Fall Craft Roundup.  

McGrath Family Photos

McGrath family photos are here and I love love love them so much!  These posts are always picture heavy because I can never pick just a few favorites.  But, I can share two stories about picture day prep that'll make you laugh - but about sweet Hazel Fran.

A day or two before pictures I told the kids that I wanted to get a few pictures of them with their favorite lovies.  I don't know that Abby will keep her dear Owies much longer and these animals have been a part of our lives for 9 years, I couldn't resist getting a few pictures to document how important they are two us.  So, for Abby, it was clear that she'd bring her two favorite Owies.  She actually has 4 total, all the exact same, but two were the originals and those are the most loved and cherished.

Hazel though, in true Hazel fashion wanted to bring her entire toy box of stuffed animals.  She's my little magpie.  My little collector...she hoards things that appear, at first glance, to be garbage, but to her, they are her special things (it makes me crazy, but I love her for it).  When I told them we'd do pictures with their stuffed animals Hazel immediately went into listing "I'm going to bring Dolly and Stripes and Zoe and....".  I explained that she could pick 2, only two of her most favorite and we went on with our day.

Well, the evening before pictures, Erin was over and Hazel asked for Auntie to put her to bed.  When Erin came down she told me everything she and Fran had talked about up there, and that Hazel was distraught about which two animals she was going to bring because she loved them all and how could she pick?!  

It was clear to me that I was going to have to give on this point, and, as you can see, she had her four (not two) favorite dolls along for the pictures.  But, the original Dolly, missing an ear and with her tail bit off from the dog, had to be featured solo.  Because, she is in fact, the most Real of all the animals.  If you've read the Velveteen Rabbit, you know....

The second story I'd like to share is about Hazel's dress for the day.  Of course I'd planned these outfits weeks in advance and when it was time to get dressed for the day, Hazel lost her mind.  At some point, she'd decided that she wanted to wear a long dress Grandma had given her for Easter.  It's adorable, and she loves it (and so do I), but it didn't fit the look we were going for, and 6 year olds don't understand that.  So, as soon as she saw the dress I'd picked out for her (the one in the pictures...I won), she told me it was too small for her.  There was NO WAY she could fit into it...too short, it showed her knees and that, Mom, was just NOT acceptable.  

She cried, she threw a tantrum, we distracted...we pivoted...we recovered, until it was time to go and she lost her mind a second time.  I relented and picked two other options that were similar to this rainbow dress, thinking it was less about the actual dress and more about having control.  So, I showed her three dress options, none of them were reasonable in her mind.  It was quite the drama!  Luckily, Ryan took the kids in his car (we had to drive separately because he flew out that evening), and I have no idea what he promised them or how he did it, but, when we arrived at pictures, Hazel's grump mood was (mostly) gone and my preferred dress made it into the pictures.

The moral of the story?  It's that while these pictures look perfect and beautiful, there's a hot mess express behind them.  And well, that's just life!  And someday, these memories won't be so fresh in my mind and I know I'll be thankful I've got them in writing to look back on.