Vacation Time

My husband and I had a wonderful vacation this month. We went to St. Louis, MO, which I will be the first to admit is not a top ten vacation destination for everyone.  But, we were attending a family wedding and both of us have aunts, uncles and cousins in the area that we wanted to visit, so it was the perfect for us. 

Our trip north was divided up with an overnight stop in Paducah, KY. And since I have been a good girl this year, it just so happened that Hancock's of Paducah was at the exact same exit off the interstate that our hotel was! Imagine that! 

I'm not sure what I had expected on my first trip to this fabric mecca, but it was different than I had thought it would be. I guess I was expecting more of a quilt shop atmosphere with lots of samples up to tempt you. 

But, Hancock's is all about the fabric! It was one HUGE room with bolt, after shelf, after aisle of fabric! I was speechless.

The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in was this huge table piled with "end of bolts" for $5.99/yard. I grabbed a cart and started digging. Some time later my husband roused from his nap in the car and came in to check on me and see what all the fascination was about. I was still standing in the same spot I had been since I walked in the door! Oh, the treasures I was finding! 

As it turns out, that was all the time I had! I never even walked up and down the aisles to look at all the beautiful bolts of brand new fabrics. I took my fabric to a table to be measured and then to the register to pay. I bought 38 different fabrics! And I had a purpose for each and every one of them-no "stash building" for me. I found 12 different fabrics from Moda's 3 Sister's Wintergreen line. I am going to be able to make a gorgeous Christmas quilt with them. I found a Snoopy fabric to use in a quilt I am going to make for my granddaughter, Madison. I bought some fabric for gifts for friends. I bought two identical 2 1/2 yard pieces that will be a wonderful backing on a quilt. I found two that I knew my daughter, Melissa would like. I was very pleased with my purchases. :)

We needed to finish our trip, because we had a wedding to attend that night. It was a gorgeous lake side ceremony at a winery. The weather was perfect and we danced the night away. 

We did some sight seeing while in town too. We toured the Anheuser-Busch brewery. I got to see my first Clydesdale horses up close and personal. They are huge and beautiful creatures!

The tour was fascinating. 

 The brewery is so ornate.

A true St. Louis landmark.

It was fun to learn how they make the beer.

And at the end you get to sample their wares! Cheers!

No trip to St. Louis is complete without a trip to the top of the arch. And so we did....

What a spectacular view!

We spent an afternoon strolling the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

We also visited the towns of St. Charles, MO and Lebanon, IL. Both have lots of little shops that are great for finding gifts to take home with you. 

Even with all of the fun sightseeing we did, our favorite part of this trip was the time we got to spend with family. Every minute we shared with loved ones were treasured times. It is so wonderful to be able to just sit and relax and visit one on one with each and every one. It's a vacation that we will never forget.