Thursday

We had a slower day today, we only went to one shop and it was the closest to Lyons. Prairie Flower Crafts is in Alden which is just a few miles from Lyons. We came back home for lunch and a little stitching on the patio before we went to play cards with Betty. We played a game called 65. I think it is a cross between Gin Rummy and Chicken foot dominoes. It's a lot of fun but you have to pay attention because each hand you have a different number of cards and a different wild card. I can tell you it is real easy to throw away a wild card that you really need. We played two rounds and then got Sonic for dinner which is one of Betty's favorite places to eat. They are killing my diet. Aunt Grace lives across the street and keeps bringing over baked items. I will have to work triple hard the week after we are back to try to even get back to where I was when I left on this trip.  Tomorrow night we plan to meet Gina's sister and her husband for dinner but I don't think we have much else planned for the day except maybe start packing the car. We brought a sewing machine, books, magazines, fabric and notions out to Tammy, Barbara's niece who lost everything in a fire last year, so we assumed we would have plenty of space for our purchases going back. I'm not sure there is going to be a big difference in the needed space. There are 3 more shops we plan to hit on Saturday but a lot will depend on how quick we get away and how late the shops are open. We will probably stay in Springfield again on the way back and then get up and drive the rest of the way Sunday morning. I hope traffic won't be too bad since it is the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. It has been a fun trip, I can't believe it is coming to a close but I'll confess it's not too soon for my wallet. No clue on who will win the book guessing the amount spent but I think a few know their guess was too low. I may still be too high but I don't think I will miss it by much. I have to keep reminding everyone to keep up with their receipts. We each have an envelope to put them in for safe keeping. And just for the record the total will NEVER be reported here or anywhere only the best guesser will be announced.

No pictures today but this was something we saw in Springfield. Fluffy Puppy Mobile Grooming.