More color

I got the yellow up Friday and the first of the red up Monday. Now everything has a second coat and it's time to cut in.... woohoo!
I can't wait to get it all finished and refurnished :)

Philadelphia: Day 2

After Wednesday night's Phillies game, we got up Thursday and drove back into Philadelphia to check out some historic sites. We immediately obtained tickets to Independence Hall and then explored while waiting for our tour time.

We visited the Free Quaker Meeting House:
And then the Arch Street Friends Meeting House:
Just down the street is the home of Betsy Ross:
Finally, tour time:
Before leaving Philly, we stopped by Reading Terminal Market, similar to Seattle's Pike Place Market but very large. We wondered, browsed and bought treats for lunch and dessert:
Next stop: NYC!
:)

Friday fun

Prearranged commitments won't allow us to attend Garden Party this weekend. But not wanting to slack, Eryn, Mom and I spent this morning out at the farm doing our garden chores, weeding and tying up tomatoes. And we took home some greens and eggs.

Community Garden Week 7:
Click HERE to see Week 6 - lots of progress!

I decided a long time ago that I should paint my home office - something way more exciting than the white it came with. Brad even got me a Home Depot gift card for Christmas so I could buy supplies. Not knowing what to do, I went to the store yesterday to look through decorating books. I ran into Aunt Kari and cousin Kayla and told them of my trouble. Kari, being a graphic artist and definitely the artist one in the entire family, quickly paired two paint chips and told me just to do it. OK!

So I bought the paint today, masked it off and put up the first coat of the butter creamish color on two opposing walls. Next up, a deep red on the other two walls. I can't wait to see how it turns out!!!
:)

Philadelphia

After a restful morning at the hotel, we drove into Philadelphia for a Phillies game. We were trying to locate a cheesesteak restaurant recommended by friends but never found it. We gave up and headed toward the stadium, driving through some very interesting neighborhoods along the way. Brad snapped some shots as we cruised across town.
We easily found Geno's Steaks:
And Pat's King of Steaks across the street:
Mom, Dad and Brad tried Pat's. Brad wasn't impressed. It was all canned veggies. He makes better hot sandwiches at home, he announced.
I walked down the street and found great looking veggie pizza. It was not good. Ugh.
On to Citizens Bank Park:
Great view of the city from the park:
Crazy red setting sun:
Surprisingly, they sold veggie burgers at the park. And the vendors were the nicest people! Brad and I split one:
:)

Next stop: Chocolate World!

Day 5, one of the hottest yet, took us to Hershey's Chocolate World to learn about Milton Hershey and his chocolate.
We first boarded a little "boat" to learn how chocolate is made:
Some singing cows taught us about milk chocolate:
And we saw how many candies were being produced:
Of course, the "ride" dumps you straight into the gift shop, full of souvenirs and CANDY!!!
We found extra long Twizzlers and GIGANTIC Reese's cups. (I love Mom's face in this picture... enough candy for her!!!)
Then we took a trolley ride to see the town and learn more about Mr. Hershey:
Our tour guides told great stories and kept it interesting:
The Hershey Mansion:
Hersheypark, originally started as a place for factory workers to relax with their families:
Milton and his wife could not have their own children so they started a home/school for orphaned boys. The school still operates today for needy children:
After the tour, it was time to make our own Hershey's bars! It's a brand-new exhibit, and they are still working out the kinks. We waited a very long time...
Ready to go!!
Finally... time to pull the lever and bring out my bar:
Down the conveyor belt:
I chose chocolate cookie pieces:
Zoom, zoom...
Time for a chocolate bath...
All the excess chocolate is piped overhead to a big vat:
Sprinkles:
And into the cooling tube:
While we wait, it's time to design our packages:
OH! Here it comes:
Into my box:
And there they are!!!
After loading up on sweets, we went next door to the outlet mall for lunch and a quick peek inside a couple stores (including Disney!). Then it was back in the minivan for the drive to Philadelphia (just over the border into New Jersey, actually).

Still seeking the local fare, we asked the hotel clerk for a dinner recommendation. She suggested Ponzios, a famous diner.
Mom and I split this beautiful salad and seafood scampi:
Brad was looking for something light and ordered this chicken sandwich, which turned out to be deep fried and covered with fried onions. Oh well... at least it was yummy!
We returned to the hotel more than ready for a good night's sleep. I pulled back the covers on our king-size bed and found this:
What the heck!?!?! I was so tired that I laughed and laughed as I shook my head in disbelief. Seriously... the housekeeper just left it like that?!?!? Turns out that it was the fitted sheet for the full-size hide-a-bed in the suite's living room. But why in the world would he/she leave it on the king bed?!?!? WOW.

:)