Tales of the Traveling Tote #33 and Giveaway

Happy December, y'all! It's time, once again, for a quarterly recap of the Tales of the Traveling Tote. This is #33, wow! My personal tales began here, but it all started even earlier, here. 

I'll quickly take you through some of the fun things I did with family & friends over the past few months. Afterward, you'll find the direct links to all my traveling tote sisters' posts near the end of this update, and you can travel virtually with each one. Enjoy!

It's been a fabulous fall, especially with the weather we've enjoyed. Our Capitol Market in the center of the city holds a lot of special functions, both indoors and out. I attended the FestivALL Fall event with my oldest daughter there. She was formerly the Executive Director of this annual summer and fall city event, which has seen much success in melding all the city's works of art, music and dance under one umbrella. We enjoyed the art fair this day.

The following day, all my girls - my two daughters and granddaughter - enjoyed the Milton Pumpkin Festival in the next county west of us. Food, crafts, music and perfect weather made the day a lot of fun.

West Virginia puts on a colorful fall foliage display, so a couple of day trips were in order. On these trips, I have found that carrying my tote is a bit cumbersome (other than hauling things in the car such as water and snacks), so I carry a super cute and vintage folding wallet I found at an estate sale a couple years ago. It looks like Courtly Check, but is not MacKenzie-Childs. Our first day trip was to Grandview State Park, near Beckley, WV.

Our second day trip was to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve near Fayetteville, WV. Lunch at Pies and Pints, and a hike to one of the famed lookout points was in order. On the way home, we stopped at Hawks Nest State Park for the view.

I've tried to encourage my daughter (Baby J's mama) to keep her healthy routine of running by offering to keep J after mama's work (we're in close proximity). It's usually dinner time, so I try to feed J and then play. With the nice, long fall days, I often took her for walks too. This day pictured below, we had a picnic on the University campus right down the street. The view of the capitol across the river is a neighborhood favorite. Note the shameless plug for hometown girl Jennifer Garner's Once Upon a Farm fruit pouches. 😉

Open houses are numerous once the calendar turns to November. Our MacKenzie-Childs specialty store in town - Rosegate Design and Women's Boutique - holds a grand holiday open house. They rent adjacent space to their permanent location three months in advance to transform it into a holiday bonanza, full of beautiful trees, decor, and floral designs. MacKenzie-Childs products are featured. I managed to curb my enthusiasm, but did make a small purchase.

Next, I attended a Hope Village shopping event hosted by one of our local churches. One of my antique dealer friends is co-chair of this event, which affords fair wages to domestic and international organizations mostly geared toward helping sustain women and their families. I did some holiday shopping there and was happy to support the various causes of the groups represented.

Small business Saturday was November 26th, and I took my Panoply sister M for a day out. She's been focusing on caregiving for my brother-in-law over the past few months, and it did her good to have a a few hours out. We traveled to several different small business happenings west of Charleston.

We eventually headed back to city center and the Capitol Market once again. Inside the former train station are several shops and restaurants. We had lunch inside at Soho's (inset of photo below), a nice restaurant which also has an outdoor section with heaters for cooler months.

The little building below is a favorite floral company that has pop ups all through the growing season in the outdoor section of the market. I bought a small version of the tree you see pictured behind me in the collage photo below.

After the market, we headed to the city center business district, where more than 100 live trees have been decorated for the holiday season by various businesses. Though we went in the daytime, it is beautifully lit at night. I'll likely go back with my girls soon. 

It's such a busy time of year with so many things to attend, so much to do. I hope you're able to get out and enjoy some of the holiday festivities.

NOW, ONTO THE GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Jean Van Buskirk!

The Traveling Totes Tribe is offering another giveaway and Linda at Life and Linda is our giveaway sponsor this time. One lucky reader who leaves a comment on Linda's post today will have their name thrown into the hat for an opportunity to win this MacKenzie-Childs key chain.  

Be sure to check out my other traveling sisters' posts to see what how they spent their autumn months.

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Patti with Miss Kenzie and Miss Taylor @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @ The Painted Apron

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply (you are here!)

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess de Monet @The Bookish Dilettante

Join us again on March 1, 2023 for another edition of Tales of the Traveling Tote.

Thanks so much for your visit. I love reading your comments, and be sure to leave one on Linda's blog for a chance to win our token gift. Stay safe, and Happy December (and soon-to-be Winter in the Northern Hemisphere).

Rita C. at Panoply

Parties I Share With: Pieced Pastimes, Love Your Creativity, BNOTP, All About Home Common Ground, All About Home Follow the Yellow Brick Home, A Stroll Thru Life, My Wee Abode, My Family Thyme, French Ethereal SYS, Eclectic Red Barn TFT, Southern Sunflowers Home Matters, Grace at Home, My Thrift Store Addiction, Our Hopeful Home, Karin's Kottage, County Road 407 Farmhouse Friday