Village Venture Arts & Crafts Faire

Talk about a unique shopping experience!  Village Venture is the biggest arts and crafts faire any of us have ever seen.  Over 450 vendors set up shop along the streets in Claremont Village, which is completely shut off from traffic.  Amazing!  We didn't know where to start . . . but being the seasoned shoppers that we are, we soon figured it out!  And scored some unique items in the process.

So many little booths . . .

We had trouble deciding which way to go first.

Lots of beautiful things to look at

Shelly found a gorgeous new Red Hat!

Where to start and what to pick? . . . .

 

There was even entertainment along the way

And Mr. Turkey posed with us before making his escape - didn't want to be around too close to Thanksgiving!

Of course, we found the candy store

We did our best to resist temptation

Lunch Stop!

The food was delish!  And the servings were huge!

Queen Annie led us to the Ice Cream Shop for dessert - Pumpkin ice cream - Soooo Good!

We're some tired shoppers at the end of the day, but we sure had a nice time!

Thanks, Queen Annie, for always coming up with such fun places to go!

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

For the 3rd year in a row, as one of our Outreach Projects we participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, but this time instead of going to Orange County, we decided to stay in our own area and drove down to Temecula for the Inland Empire event.  And we really enjoyed ourselves. . .  the course is flatter which was good for our slightly maturing bodies, and there were less people, which made it much easier to park and to enjoy the Expo before and after the race/walk.  Here we are in action . . . .

Still in the parking lot before the event

We each were walking in honor or in memory of someone who is near and dear to our hearts.

Our entire team just outside the Expo area

Walking through the Expo and checking out all the people was really fun

Here's we are just before the "Start" line - Shelly's hubby Bob has already left - he RAN the whole way!

And we're off . . .

Go Team!!!

Love the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd - it really gets you fired up.

Time out for a short rest stop and photo opp.

There were lots of spirited cheer leaders and well-wishers along the way to keep you pumped up

Approaching the turn-around point - what a gorgeous day!

At the 4K mark - Almost finished and we're having a blast!

We did it!  Good job ladies!  Woo Hoo!!!!

After the race/walk, we spent some more time at the Expo and then headed over to Wilson Creek Winery for an amazingly delicious picnic lunch prepared by Co-Queen Shelly and graciously delivered and set up for us by Shelly's son and his girlfriend  . . .

Wilson Creek Winery, Temecula, CA

The winery grounds are beautiful, what a perfect place for a picnic.

We even had a custom-made welcome sign on our picnic table.

Queen Shelly puts the final touches on her salad

Chinese Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, fruit, bread and water - everything was scrumptious!

Queen Shelly gave us each a beautiful fan to help keep us cool on such a warm day.

The guys accommodated us by posing for a picture too - and what good sports they were to wear purple shirts.

We HAD to check out the gift shop!

One last group shot before heading back home.

What a nice day we had, and we raised some money for breast cancer research in the process.  Susan G. Komen, you can count on us again next year.

Sleep-Over and Event Planning

Once again we gathered at Queen Carol's house, this time to play some more games, to eat (of course), to spend some great time together, and to plan our events for the first part of next year.   And we brought along our PJ's and pillows for a slumber party later.

We played several different card games

Until Annie's yummy lasagna was ready

We wasted no time before digging in!

Check out the adorable dessert Annie brought

Now that our tummy's are full, it's time for some serious planning.

We came up with some really fun ideas for next year - starting with our 7th birthday party in January, followed by a "backwards dinner" in February, "A Chorus Line" in March, the Carlsbad Flower Fields in April and a Festival for World Hunger and Relief in May.  We'll plan the rest of the year in January, but this gives us a really good start at fun things to look forward to.  Thanks, ladies, for some great suggestions!

Time to slip into something "more comfortable"

After changing into our PJ's, we broke out our own special version of Red Hat Bingo and continued on with the frivolity . . .

Red Hat Bingo is really fun!

All good things must come to an end, and finally we climbed into bed and turned out the lights for the night . . .   Then, next morning . . .

Check out the yummy breakfast that Shelly made

Blueberry French Toast, Turkey Bacon and Fresh Fruit - Yum-O!

We weren't shy and quickly devoured it!  So good!

Our Group Photo - Front-Debbie, Carol, Tina/Back-Shelly, Sylvia, Annie, Joy

Thanks, Queen Carol, for another wonderful Red-Hat experience!

Game Day

Sometimes the simplest days are the most fun.   We gathered at Carol's beautiful home on a hot August afternoon to spend some relaxing time together, just talking, laughing and playing Yahtzee.  So much fun!  And we got to wear our new shirts for the first time - aren't they cute?

Here we are - Carol, Joy, Annie, Shelly, Sylvia and our visitor Marla

Guests first, so Marla got us started

Hmmmm, what can I make out of this?

Woohoo, the first . . . .

Yahtzee!!!!  Score!!!

Lunch break - Subway sandwiches, Yum!

After lunch, we celebrated Annie's Birthday

Make a Wish . . .

And Blow . . .  Good job!

We played a few more rounds of Yahtzee until some of the ladies had to leave.  The rest of us die-hard Red-Hatters decided to extend the day, so off we went to the movies . . .

 

Edwards Theatre in Eastvale

A cute chic flic starring Anne Hathaway & Jeff Sturgess

In line for tickets . . .

 Thanks Queen Carol for a really fun day!