Hallowine & Beans

Before leaving on our scrapbooking extravaganza weekend, my friend, Sharon, said she would a bottle of wine which is actually made in Utica called Hallowine. It's a apple spiced wine and the salesman at the liquor store said it was really good warmed up. Mmmmm. That sounds good to me. On Saturday, my friend Janet stopped by our scrapbooking lodge and I told her about the wine. I was hoping to go into town later and buy a bottle to take home for Jeff & I.

Unfortunately, it was also the weekend of the Burgoo Festival and the small town of Utica was very difficult to navigate due to a car show also being held on Saturday. As I finished my run on Saturday, I ran into Janet and she asked if I wanted her to pick up a bottle of wine for me. I thought, "Well, heck, if I don't have to go into town and fight traffic, can get some more scrapbooking done AND get a bottle of wine??? Bonus! Heck, yes!" A while later, Janet stopped by later with the wine in the bright orange bottle.


Little did I know that my cropping friends were a little dismayed. They looked at me with eyes the size of saucers. Heck, what did they think? I was going to share! I didn't want to drink all of Sharon's wine. A while later it was all explained.....


Later on Saturday night we decided it was finally time to play Mary's "Getting to know you game", something which was new and a total surprise to all of us. Apparently, Mary had some raffle prizes and thought this was a great way to have some female bonding. I suggested we have some wine and play the game. I ran upstairs quickly and when I returned I found a package sitting at my table. Hmmm, what could this be?

I opened the card and it was a gift from all of my weekend cropping friends.....guess what it was ........



A BOTTLE OF HALLOWINE!

I cracked up. No wonder they were all wondering what I was doing asking Janet to get me a bottle of wine! Oh well. That only meant we had 2 bottles of wine to drink this weekend and I could still take one home to Jeff!


With the bottle of wine open, we started to play our game. What happens at the Villa stays at the Villa....however...there is one story which absolutely has to be shared. After completing the original "Getting to know you quiz", Sharon & I were tied. Mary decided we needed to do a tie-breaker. So the category was "What was your first PAYCHECK job? No babysitting." Everyone except Mary (who was running the tie breaker), Sharon & I filled out slips on their first jobs.

Mary reading questions



Lifeguard? Merry. Worked in High School Principal's office. Brenda....so on and so on. Mary reads the next question, "Walking Beans......I guess that's somebody's animal".

(insert cricket chirping here)


OH MY GOSH!!!!! DID SHE REALLY SAY THAT????

It took everyone about 5 seconds to realize what she said and ponder Beans as a dog before we all broke out laughing....hysterical-stitch-in-my-side-head-over-heels laughter.



Kim thinking about Beans


Now, I need to defend Mary here. She's lived in the Chicago area most of her life. 1 year in Peoria did not teach her enough about Central Illinois and life as a farmer. Walking beans, detassling corn...what exactly is that? Well, a city girl wouldn't know.


Finally, after the original 20 minute round of laughter came to an end, we resumed our game....interrupted several times by bouts of giggles as the mental image of a dog named Beans being walked on a leash.