A Second Thanksgiving

Tim and I were fortunate to have a second Thanksgiving. George and Lisa's kids came up to visit the farm for the week end.  Since they could not make it on Thanksgiving Day Lisa decided to cook Thanksgiving dinner for them.  We were included for dinner. Lisa cooked all day long and she did a fabulous job. Dinner was delicious.  Thank you Lisa!  Lisa made the dinner in her brand new kitchen in her brand new house.  We enjoyed a huge Thanksgiving dinner in the new house, the first meal in the new house, and with George and Lisa and their kids Travis and Kaitlyn.  It was good to be able to see and chat with them.  Lisa did request some of my pumpkin pie so I made two more pies for our second Thanksgiving.  Thank you George and Lisa for including us at your Thanksgiving dinner.  We are truly blessed to have you as friends and we are so fortunate to be living at the farm!

Black Friday

So, how did you spend your Black Friday? I spent mine in my Crafty Cottage working on Christmas items. It was great! I was able to get a lot done and it felt good to just spend the day crafting. Tim was helping George finish up with a few things in George and Lisa's new house and last night they spent their first night in the house. Their house turned out great and it is really beautiful inside especially with all the natural elements they used. There are still a few more things to get done and when it is complete, and with their permission, I will post some pictures of the new Francisco home. George and Lisa's kids are coming for the week end so it will be a nice family week end and another Thanksgiving dinner! Have a good Saturday!

Pumpkin Pie

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  Ours was quiet but nice.  We were fortunate to celebrate it with George and Lisa and shared a great dinner if I do say so myself.  Our turkey was a little small, I thought I had picked up a turkey breast, we prefer white meat over dark meat, but in the turkey breast section at Walmart someone had placed a small turkey in with the breasts.  Well Loomis Luck struck again and I picked up the small turkey instead of all the turkey breasts I was looking at.  Oh well, it was still good we just don't have any left over turkey.  At least I have the carcass to make turkey soup.  I made my traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, green beans, honey glazed carrots and rolls.  For dessert, my homemade pumpkin pies.  Pumpkin pies is my one signature dish that no matter where we have Thanksgiving I am requested to make the pumpkin pies.  The recipe I use I got from my boss of 30 years ago.  Jim said he had a great and easy recipe that he rarely shared but he did with me.  I am grateful to Jim every time I make pumpkin pies. For years, when my girls were growing up, after we had our tradional cinnamon rolls for breakfast we would then make the pumpkin pies before putting the turkey in the oven.  All while watching another tradition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Carrie and Jenny did not like pumpkin pie when there were growing up but they did like helping  make the pies.  This year I was on my own making them but even so it brings back all the memories of years past.  Tim loves pumpkin pie, it is one of his favorites, so the pies I made yesterday will not go to waste.  Thank you George and Lisa for joining us for Thanksgiving dinner.  Tim and I are truly blessed to have you as friends.  We are also blessed with a wonderful family, our girls Carrie and Jenny and our beautiful Rory, and all our great friends.  We were blessed to have traveled for these past few years but are even more blessed now to be living here at the farm.  Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful and we are!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, may you all have a good one.  We are very blessed this year with Rory, our granddaughter and that we have a place to stay on when we are not traveling, thanks to George and Lisa. We have so many things to be thankful for so on this day I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Enjoy your famliy and friends, good food and a day to reflect on how blessed you are and I will be doing the same!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Creating Paths

Tim and George spent some time creating new paths from the RV to the new house.  We now have a path/driveway from our storage shed down to the main path at the farm.  A few loads of gravel were brought in to create our new path and George and Lisa's new driveway.  George used his new Big toy, the front loader aka bulldozer to me, and Tim used George's Steiner tractor.  Together they have created walkways/driveways so that we are able to stay on the paths/driveway where it will be easier to walk and drive and maybe stay out of the mud.  This will be great after rain or snow as it is pretty tough to deal with the mud/clay when the ground is wet.  In some cases it gets so mucky you could lose a shoe in the stuff.  Our path/driveway will be nice for me once the golf cart is working so at night I can use that to get to and from the RV and Crafty Cottage and not walk around in the dark and believe me,  it is dark!
Today we will be busy getting the house ready so George and Lisa can move into this week end.  The house is looking really good and with each passing day more is getting finished up and ready to be lived in.  Lisa and I will be busy cleaning up all the construction dust and getting the bedroom and bathroom ready to paint.  George and Tim have errands to run and then more work getting the house ready. By Friday,  George and Lisa expect to move in!  This is so exciting and we are so happy for them.  Their  home is beautiful inside and out!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and we are lucky to be able to have two Thanksgivings this year.  I am cooking our traditional dinner on Thanksgiving and Lisa will be cooking her traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday while their kids are visiting.  We have a lot to be thankful for!

Wow, There Was A Lot Going On At The Farm

So while I was gone for almost three weeks from the farm a lot happened in my absence.  George got a new toy, a bulldozer.  George and Lisa's house is really coming along and they may be moving into it by Thanksgiving.  The tile is all done in the bathroom, the appliances came and are all installed and ready for use.  The stone work around the fireplace was completed today and the ceilings in the bedroom/bathroom area will be completed tomorrow.  There is still more to do but a big chunk has been completed.  Our shed is completely done.  It is insulated with the washer and dryer all hooked up and are working great.  Tim worked hard on the shed; thanks Tim! He also got the farm truck working so we are ready to tackle any job that comes along.  I did peek into my crafty cottage but I did not do anything in there.  I have tons of dead ladybugs in the cottage that I have to get cleaned up.  So, what's next?  Cooking Thanksgiving dinner, working on the golf cart, decorating for Christmas and Christmas Shopping.  So, it will be busy and that is okay!

I Am Back Home In Tennessee

I spent most of yesterday flying home to Tennessee.  I left Carlsbad around 8:30 am Pacific time and got home 12:30 am Eastern time.  Long day of flying but the flights were good and even the three hour layover in Minneapolis was not bad.  Yes, I flew from San Diego to Minneapolis to Knoxville to get home.  I think I flew over the Grand Canyon on the way to Minneapolis but since I was over the wing it was hard to tell.  I will post a picture and you can tell me what you think.  Tim was there at the airport where he picked me up in our brand new car and let me just say it is nice.  I want to take this opportunity to thank Pam and Brian for all they did.  They treated me to a wonderful three week vacation in California where I got to spend a lot of time with them, my mom, brother  and sister in law.  I also got to see and spend time with so many of my California friends.  To top that off Pam got great seats for "Wicked".  THANK YOU SO MUCH Pam and Brian!  I had a great time.
Today I have lots to do beside unpacking I have to go grocery shopping, check out all the things that happened on the farm since I left, clean up the RV and check out my Crafty Cottage and storage shed.  Check back tomorrow to see all I discovered.

We Saw Wicked!

Pam and I went to see the Musical "Wicked".  We both have seen it before but it was in town while I was in San Diego so Pam got great tickets, 12th row center.  It was amazing and once again I was so totally wowed.  The actresses who played Glinda and Alphaba were fantastic and the rest of the cast was too.  Kim Zimmer, formally of Guilding Light and Tim Kazinski from Sat. night Live played Madame and the Wizard.  It was a fantastic show!  After the show we went to dinner at Buca de Beppo as a farewell dinner with Pam and Brian and the Humberstones.  It was a nice way to spend my last evening in California.  Thank you All!
I fly home today back to Knoxville then drive to Parrottsville.  I can't believe how fast these past three weeks went and I sure had a great time.  It was good to spend time with my sister Pam and Brian.  I got to see a lot of my mom, my brother Craig and Karyn and all my California friends.  Thanks to all for making my time here fun and thank you Pam and Brian for everything!

Girls Night Out With My Cali BFFs

Last night was so much fun!  I have several wonderful friends here in California that I have known now for several years and every time I come to visit we get together and just have a great time.  We have been calling eachother BFFs for a long time and I know some of you may think that is a little juvenile but it describes us perfectly.  I am very honored to have these ladies as my friends.  Last night Evie hosted our get together at her house and it was fun to be together again with Evie, Kendra, Gail, Susan and Pam.  There was good food, drink and lots of talking.  We also decided to work on a craft; we made candy cane wreaths.  I had made one for Pam's SAS last week end and since they all liked them we decided to make some together.  It was candy cane mayhem!  Kendra had purchase several boxes of candy canes and so we heated up the glue guns and got started.  It was interesting that a bunch of candy canes could have such a different outcome with each wreath.  Some wreaths turned out perfectly and some had to be manipulated due to the candy cane's shape.  You would be surprised how one candy cane being just a slightly different size, we are talking millimeters, could throw off the entire wreath. It made each wreath unique in it's own way but all were beautiful.  Now what also makes our get togethers even more fun is the array of food being served and the highlight for me was the lumpia, yummy!  Our choice of drink last night was A & W Rootbeer, do we know how to party or what?  So thank you Pam, Evie, Kendra, Gail and Susan for our evening of fun!  You are all so wonderful!  My California BFFs are the best!

Making A Bow Maker

I spent part of yesterday making bow makers.  What is a bow maker?  It is a tool used to make different size bows using ribbon..  I use this tool all the time to make bows for my cards or paper crafts.  The bow maker is a very simple tool but is very helpful especially if you are like me and cannot make a decent bow (tying a ribbon bow).  My sister had this tool for years and I saw hers and decided to go home and make my own.  For a couple of dollars I did.  Over the week end some of the ladies at the SAS wanted to know how we made so many bows for the projects.  My sister showed them the bow maker and how easy it was to use.  Then she said I knew how to make them.  A bunch of ladies wanted them so that is why I spent some time yesterday making bow makers.  I have posted some pictures of the process.
After I was done with the bow makers my sister and I went to the Carter's outlet.   I have had  terrible results finding Rory's Christmas pajamas until yesterday at Carters.  I found Rory's pajamas added a couple of things and now she will have her Christmas Eve package to open up.
Last night Pam and I went to dinner with our friend Lorraine.  We went to Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant and decided to take advantage of Happy Hour and just ordered a bunch of appetizers for dinner.  We had beef flauntas, pollo asada nachos, Miguel's chicken wings, pollo asada quesadillas and a fish taco (for Pam).  It was all good but took forever for service.  The chips and salsa came right away and the waiter did come for our drink order but then disappeared and we waited over 20 minutes for our drinks and to order food.  Another staff member came and asked how everything was and found out we were still waiting to order and get our drinks.  She took our food order and 5 minutes later our drinks showed up.  Our apps finally came and we enjoyed the evening with friends making good conversation and enjoying our food and drinks.  Thanks Pam and Lorraine for a great night out!  Today will be a busy day so check back tomorrow and see why!

Doctor, No Doctor

I got up to my mom's home around 8:00 am to take her to a couple of Dr appointments.  It was just suppose to be that easy.  9:00 was the first and 11:00 was the second.  I got to the first appointment and could not find the Dr's office and when I called the number to find out where it was located I was informed there was not a Dr by that name in that office.  Confused I called my brother who then verified that it was the correct address but also no Dr.  45 minutes later we still had no idea where to go and to my knowlegde still don't.  The second appointment was also cancelled because when my brother called to confirm he was told the Dr had a call so there would be no appointments.  When I told my mom she was so happy as she does not enjoy going to the Doctor.  So, with that said we decided to have a fun day together and headed to the Mall near by.  Just a note, it seems that I do not have the best of luck taking my mom's to appointments as this was not the first time appointments did not work out for us.  Anyway, we went to the mall and had a good time looking through stores, checking out the Christmas decorations and having a great lunch and ice cream sundae at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor.  My mom finally ate well and was so full that she said she did not want ice cream but when the sundae I ordered for the two of us came she managed to eat most of it.  My Mom loves ice cream!  So what turned out to be a day my mom was not planning on enjoying turned into a day that she had a very good time.  I left my mom exhausted but in a good way.  It was fun shopping with my mom; something we use to do a lot when I was growing up.  Thanks Mom for a fun day!

Oh Baby, It's Cold Outside

I heard from Tim and he said it is cold outside and after checking the weather it is.  17 degrees right now in Parrottsville.  Now I am still in San Diego with a low of 51 which does not sound cold for the rest of the country but it is for Southern California. Carrie called me last night and said Jacksonville is in the 30's which is cold for Florida and I won't even bring up the temperatures in Chicago.  All I have to say is Brrr it IS cold outside. I have to say I am glad I am missing the real cold weather right now in the rest of the country but do also realize that I only have a few more days to enjoy the Southern California weather.  Today is an early day for me as I have to take my mom to a couple of Dr Appointments with her first at 9:00 am.  Being that I am in San Diego and she is in Laguna I have a bit of a drive to get up to her so I can get her to her appointments.  After her second one we will go and have some fun if she is feeling up to it.
Meanwhile, besides the cold weather, Tim has been busy at the farm working on an old Ford truck.  He has discovered that a truck is needed on the farm and George has an old Ford he bought last year but needed some work on it to get it going. So Tim got it running again and yesterday, using George's new toy,  put a heavy duty bed on the truck.  Now they have an operational truck that will allow them to do some of the things like fill a couple of 100 Pound propane tanks that will be used for heating and more.  George's new toy is a bulldozer that allows him to do even more things on the farm too!  All these changes in my absence; I will post pictures of both.  Stay warm if you are in the cold!

Some More Successes

Tim has been busy at the farm apnd has completed hooking up the Washer and Dryer.  He did the first wash in the washer and everything worked great.  Lisa then did her laundry too!  With this, it means no more laundromat in Parrottsville,  which as nice as it was, but the only thing I will miss is doing a few loads of laundry in an hour.  Thank you Tim for working so hard to get our "laundry room" completed!
Another Huge success is that my brother in law, Brian, was able to pull everything off my hard drive from my laptop that quit on me.  Tim took the hard drive out of my laptop and I brought it with me when I came to California.  Brian was not only able to get everything off of my hard drive but then he converted my drive into an external hard drive that now gives me a huge drive to store everything and back up anything and everything that I may put on my new laptop when I get it.  Thank you Brian for retrieving my data from my old drive and giving me more storage space.  Now all Tim and I have to do is find the right laptop for me in our price range!

A Day With Mom At Home

My Mom is home and feeling so much better.  She has been in the hospital for the last month getting over a terrible kidney infection.  The Urologist said it was the worse abscess on a kidney he had ever seen.  The infection is gone and she is really feeling well.  She is weak from not moving around while in the hospital.  She will begin physical therapy today  and they will work on making her stronger.  She still has several DR appointments but at least she is back in her own place.  My sister and I took her shopping and out to lunch yesterday and I think we wore her out because when we got back to her place she was ready to sit in her recliner and relax.  It sure is good to have her home and looking like her old self again.  Way to go Mom!

The SAS Was A Success And More Good News Too!

Pam's Holiday SAS was a success and I think everyone who attended had a good time.  The cards were well liked and the Doorprizes were a hit.  There were some extra Doorprizes that were won and the ladies all seemed to like those too!  I even gave my first Christmas present to a friend and received one too!  Thanks Pat, you are way too kind.  I saw a lot of friends and made some new ones too!  Of course all of the ladies were very sweet asking about my little Rory and even wanted to see some of Rory's pictures which allowed me to be a bragging Grandma; it was fun!
I want to congratulate Pam, she did a great job and I am so proud of her.  Her SAS's are very successful and she deserves all the praises I can share about her.  Way to go Pam!!!  After the SAS we got everything cleaned up in about an hour thanks to Carrie and Peyton helping us get it all done and now it looks like Pam never even hosted such a big event. We all went to Islands for dinner, they have great burgers, where we relaxed and enjoyed good food and friends.
We had even more good news yesterday, my Mom was sent home.  Her kidney infection is gone and she was released from the skilled nursing facility yesterday.  Pam and I are going to go spend the day with her at her home today.  I know my mom is happy to be finally out of both hospitals and I am sure she slept well back in her own bed.  My mom still has several more Doctor Appointments because of her kidney infection but at least for now she is home!

SAS Day One Is A Success

Day one of my sister Pam's SAS is complete and a success!  She had two sessions yesterday and both were very successful.  There were 23 stampers yesterday and there will be about the same today.  There is only one session today but with the amount of people attending it will be a busy day.  I get to play instructor today with one of the cards.  There are a lot of steps to one of the cards  so I will be at that table to make sure everyone knows how to do the cards.  I made and will be making my Chicken Tortilla soup for lunch.   It was a success yesterday and I hope it will be today.  I have posted pictures of yesterday's event so check back tomorrow for an update and pictures of today's event.

SAS Prep Day

My sister Pam and I spent yesterday doing all the prep work for her SAS.  Her Holiday SAS (Stamp N Stack) is her largest event and today we have two groups coming at different times.  Usually she only has one on Friday and one on Saturday but for her holiday one she hosts a third session too.  So I  have been busy helping Pam get ready.  Today I am in charge of the food for the event.  For the past holiday events I have made chili but this time I am making my Chicken Tortilla Soup.  Let's hope the ladies like it!  I have also created some fun Doorprizes and decorations for the event.  One new decoration is a wreath made from candy canes.  I saw it on Pinterest and have wanted to try making it.  It turned out great.  Check back tomorrow and see how Day 1 went for Pam's Holiday SAS!

Just Another Day Hanging With Mom

I spent yesterday with my mom at her skilled nursing facility.  She is getting better with each passing day and we are hoping she will be able to go home soon.  Thank you to all for your get well wishes and prayers.  Please keep them coming. On my drive home I noticed from San Clemente to Oceanside the view of the Pacific Ocean was really beautiful.  It was really blue yesterday so when I got to the vista lookout area I stopped for a quick view.  It really was a beautiful view.  It was a good day with my mom and I we enjoyed talking about past Thanksgivings and recipes.  I have been trying to get my mom to remember her stuffing recipe so I can make it for Thanksgiving but she just can't remember.  I will keep trying.  The next couple of days will be busy for Pam and I because this Friday and Saturday is Pam's Holiday SAS.  She has over 60 participants so it will be houseful.  We are almost ready.  Check back for the progress and outcome.

The November Project

The November Project Part One is now the November Project.  Tim has been working very hard since I have been gone getting the washer, dryer and freezer all hooked up with electricity, water and gas.  He also installed a hot water heater for the washing machine.  Everything had to be run into the shed to make the washer, dryer and freezer work.  He is now working on insulating the inside of the shed.  Yesterday he sent me some pictures of what he has already finished.  The shed is looking really good and Tim is doing a great job.  Thank you Tim!
November was suppose to have two projects in it.  Originally Tim was also going to work on getting the golf cart going along with the shed but the cart has been postponed until December.  So the inside of the shed is the November project exclusively.  Since we have moved to the farm we have been pretty busy working on some big projects.  The September project was the Crafty Cottage.  That was a huge project that started with a shell of a building and when it was complete it became a fully functional craftroom/guesthouse.  I was going to put guest room but guesthouse sounds so much better.  The October project was the storage shed,  we built and then filled it which allowed us to move all of our items from a storage unit in Jacksonville, FL to the farm.  The October project started with a kit and we built a 10ft by 14ft storage shed.  Now Tim is finishing up on the insulating of the shed.  We do have several more projects Planned but they can wait for the new year.  All of these projects are stepping  stones for creating our home on the farm.

Veterans Day

Today I am thankful for all the veterans that served this great country so we could continue to live free and safe.  I have several veterans in my life starting with my husband Tim who has served in the Navy for 20 years.  Thank you Tim for your service. Thank you to my son in law, Nathan, for currently serving in the Air Force.  Thank you to my family that has served: Edward Winship, Jim Chafe, Jim Bell, and Daniel Gibbons.  Thank you to all of my friends who are serving or had served our country!  Last but not least, Thank you to all who have served or are serving now.  We are blessed because of your service.  So today, thank a veteran, they put there lives at stack for this country and for us.  There are several restaurants and stores offering free food or a percentage off of merchandise for veterans today and I think that is wonderful.  Thank you veterans and Happy Veterans Day to all.

It All Started With A Fortune Cookie Fortune

I had posted in yesterday's post that I went to PF Changs for dinner on a "Girls Night Out".  When the fortune cookies came I opened my fortune.  Now usually my fortunes mean nothing but the one I got Saturday said "something new on four wheels will be in your future".  I jokingly sent it to Tim because we have been discussing about getting a 4 wheel drive vehicle now that we live in Tennessee.
I guess Tim took that as a sign, along with several TV commercials because  yesterday  I got a big surprise when Tim called me while driving our new car.  By the way, it is legal to talk on your cell phone while driving in Tennessee.
Tim and I are now the proud owners of a Jeep Compass.  It has Four wheel drive which was a necessity and will now make it easier for us to get around on the mountain roads and in the winter. Tim sent me several pictures of our new car that I will post.  Now I can feel more comfortable driving the roads on my own and, since I have not driven in snow for over 20 years, I will feel a lot more comfortable driving in snow.  So, the next time you read a fortune from your fortune cookie don't take it too lightly; it could come true!

Capistrano Beach And PF Changs

We, my sister and I, spent the day at Capistrano Beach, CA at the Capisrano Beach Care Center where my mom is now.  It looks like my mom will only be there for the week end.  My mom needs more care than this skilled nursing home can handle so we are hoping she will be moved to a Kindred Care Hospital.  Kindred care is a long term hospital that has more staff and doctors needed for patients like my mom.  My mom was in great spirits and we were able to get her up and even had her walking around a bit.  So Monday we are hoping she will move on to kindred care.
On our way back to Pam's house we hit traffic on Interstate I-5.  Yes, traffic in Southern California!  So, we got off I-5 at the Camp Pendleton exit and drove the rest of the way down South Pacific highway.  It was a beautiful day and so the drive was a very pretty one.
Last night we had a "Girl's Night Out" and had dinner with two of our friends Carrie and Lorraine.  We had a great time at dinner getting all caught up with eachother and enjoying some really good food.  It was a long day but a nice day  spending it with my mom, sister and friends!

A Doorprize Day

While my sister was at work I spent the day in her craftroom working on Doorprizes for her upcoming SAS event next week end.  Not only does she serve food but everyone attending will receive a Doorprize.  Her Holiday SAS is a great deal: the participants will make 10 Christmas Cards and   a make and take, have lunch and dessert, win a Doorprize  and a chance to win extra prizes.  Not bad for $30 and a day of fun if you are a stamper.  This year there will be over 60 participants during this two day event.  It will be two long days for Pam as she will also be teaching some new techniques at the SAS and , as always, featuring new products from Stampin Up.  Pam does such a great job hosting her SAS's and I am so proud of her.  I feel very fortunate to be here and help her.  I help with the prep work and during the event and I am also the cook.  Pam does so much for me that I am always willing to help her however I can.
Today we will both be spending the day with our mom.  Mom is feeling so much better and although she still has a way to go before she is well she is getting better day by day.  My mom was just moved to a skilled nursing facility so we will be checking out her new place today. Tonight we have dinner with friends, a girl's night out, so we have a long day ahead of us.  Happy Saturday!

The Shed Toys Are Almost Ready!

Okay by toys I mean the Washer and dryer!  But not having my own washer and dryer for the past few years it is almost like a toy right now.  I know, give it a month and the "shed toys" will become just another task.  For now, it is exciting.  Since I have be gone from the farm There has been a lot of activities going on.  Tim has been working hard in the shed adding all of the items needed to get the washer and dryer going including installing a hot water heater.  He sent me a couple of pictures of his work.  Thanks Tim, it is looking great!  While Tim has been busy working in the shed George and Lisa's house has also had some major activities going on.  They have started getting all the different contractors out to measure, order and install all the tile, wall rock and gas lines for their house.  The goal, to be in the house by Thanksgiving.  I think it is a reachable goal and I am anxious to see all the changes when I get back.
Yesterday I spent the day with my mom.  I have not said much about what is going on with my mom but she has been fighting a kidney infection and has been in the hospital for a few weeks now.  After spending the day with her at the hospital she has been transferred to a skilled nursing home for rehab!  Hopefully she will get better soon so she can go home.  She is ready to go home!  Please say a little pray for my mom!  Thank you Craig and Pam for all you have done for Mom during this time.  I know how tough it is as I have experienced all it takes to do so too.  Love you Mom!

Jet Lag Is A Bummer

I never thought jet lag effected me before but it sure did yesterday.  I did sleep well so I should not have been tired but I just could not get going yesterday morning.  I was working on some projects for my sister and I felt like all the energy was sucked out of me.  After lunch I felt more energized and then after dinner, all of a sudden I woke up.  I was able to finish up a project for  Pam.  Now she can relax a little.
Today I am going to drive up to Mission Viejo, CA to visit my mom who is still in the hospital. She knows I am coming but then she may have forgotten so it could turn into a surprise. I guess I will find out a little later.  It has been a little over three months since I have seen my mom so I am looking forward to seeing and spending time with my mom.  Check back and see how it went!

Hello San Diego!

I am in San Diego!  I had an early morning start yesterday, I was up at 4:00 am to get ready and leave for the airport by 5:30.  We had to drive to Knoxville to catch my first flight to Atlanta.  The Knoxville airport is small but nice and very friendly,  even the TSAs were friendly and helpful.  I was lucky enough to get precheck for security which makes it so much easier to go through security.  My flight took off on time but with it being a 30 minute flight we got into Atlanta 30 minutes early.  The flight was short but beautiful.  We flew over the Smokey Mountains and it was quite a view.  What a difference airports make, Knoxville was quiet and relaxed and Atlanta was busy and hectic.  I had a couple of hours to kill in Atlanta so I had some breakfast and charged my iPad and iPhone before boarding the flight to San Diego.  The San Diego flight was packed.  I flew Delta this time and at least they do serve beverages twice and you get peanuts, pretzels or a cookie.   Flying West I did seem some cool things but being over the wing made it hard to see and a challenge to photograph but I got a couple of pics. It was cool to see Balboa park from the air when we were landing in San Diego. My sister was there waiting for me at the airport, it is so good to be with my sister and brother in law and they have both been great hosts making me feel right at home. Thanks Pam and Brian.  I will be here for a couple of weeks so check back and see what I do!

I Am Ready

I am packed and ready to go!  I fly to San Diego, CA today to spend the next couple of weeks with my sister and brother in law, Pam and Brian.  They are very gracious hosts and I always have a great time when I am with them.  I will also get to spend time with my Mom and my brother and sister in law, Craig and Karyn.  This is an early Birthday present for me and I am looking forward to it.  My sister and I are very close and we always have a great time together.  I am also going to help her with her Holiday SAS which is her biggest event of the year.
I left yesterday's post with a question on whether I would go with a smaller suitcase or check a bag.  Well, I am going with a smaller suitcase which means I am limited with clothing, a HUGE move for me.  What is even more of a surprise is I was packed before dinner last night.  Even my back pack is ready to go.  So, we are heading out to drive to Knoxville to catch my flight.
Tim is staying home with Shadow and will be working on two major projects, 1) running the water, electrical and gas lines for the washer, dryer and freezer And getting them all hooked up and ready for use and 2) working on the golf cart so we will be able to use it.  So he will be busy.  I will be blogging on his projects while I am in California just to make sure that I stay up to date on just another day at the farm.

Another Day Of Organizing

Tim and I spent most of the day unpacking and organizing more of our "stuff" that was in storage. I worked in the RV finding places for our pictures, books and photo albums and Tim worked on getting the storage shed and RV basement more organized. After lunch I moved down to the Crafty Cottage to get things organized. I had a few more crates to go thorugh from the "stuff" that was in storage. I then began to work on some more items for my sister's SAS. I leave tomorrow for California to visit my sister and brother in law, Pam and Brian, my mom and my brother and sister in law, Craig and Karyn. Of course I will also be able to see several of the friends I have met during my previous visits to California. Pam is flying me in as my Birthday present, early, and so I can help her with her Holiday SAS, which is her biggest event of the year for her. This year, I got to design some of the cards that will be made and I usually do the cooking for the event. Of course while I am also there, I will be spending a lot of time with my Mom, who has been in the hospital for the past couple of weeks with kidney problems and an infection. We are hoping she will be released soon as she is getting better and stronger with each passing day. So today I will be getting packed and I am trying something new with my suitcase. I am an over packer and I always pack too much, so on this trip I am going to try and use a small suitcase so I will not have to check my bag. This is a big move for me and I am not sure whether I can do it. The reason I am able to do this is that my sister has all of the toiletries and I did leave some clothes at her house. So, wish me luck with the packing and check back tomorrow to see if I was able to do it or if I changed my mind and will check a bag!

It Snowed!

Yesterday, Nov. 1st, we woke up to snow. The first snow fall of the season and an early snow fall at that. The mountains around this area usually don't get snow until December. The higher peaks, espcially the ones in Smokey Mountains National Park got up to 14 inches of snow. Interstate I-40 was even shut down for a while due to the amount of snow that fell. It was beautiful to wake up to and eventhough it was cold I really did not mind it because it was beautiful. Shadow had a lot of fun running around in the snow. Shadow has been in snow before but never when it was actually snowing and he was so cute jumping up trying to catch snowflakes. I posted a video on Facebook. After spending about an hour admiring the snow and eventually getting cold enough we went in and had a nice breakfast. Greeneville was having a Holiday Bazaar so we all loaded into the car, after breakfast, and while Lisa and I were at the Bazaar Tim and George ran to Lowes and Staples. Th Holiday Bazaar was great, I even got some more Christmas presents. There were a lot of great booths and I also picked up some ideas that I will be working on for Christmas gifts. The snow is gone now but the cold is still here. It is a cool 30 degrees with a high of 47 today. I am hoping the sun comes out sometime today. On our way back from Greeeneville we cross over the Nolichucky River and it is one of the prettiest views for an overpass. Yesterday we stopped and took pictures, something I have wanted to do for a while, and they turned out pretty good. So, we have now experienced our first snow fall at the farm just a little earlier than expected. I will post some snow and river pictures. Happy Sunday!

The Storage Shed Is A Little Fuller

We unloaded the truck and we put everything in the storage shed and we were really glad to see it did not even come close to filling up the storage shed.  After putting everything in the shed we then went to Newport to pick up George and Lisa's new Freezer and had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's; I love their salad bar.  When we got back I got to work and unpacked all of our good dishes and stemware that has been in storage for four years.  I washed everything them put it all away in one of the cabinets in the RV.  I still have all the pictures and photo albums to unpack but I have plenty of room for those too.  It will be good to have all our things reachable again.  Now I can start using my dishes for special occasions.
After getting the dishes put away, we moved all of my craft boxes down to the Crafty Cottage to be put away today or tomorrow.  I have a lot more to go through and organize. Some of my craft supplies are for Christmas gifts I am planning make and I will have to make a spot to put them in temporarily. It was a productive day and it feels good to have all of our "stuff" again.
We woke up to snow this morning.  It is still dark outside so pictures will be posted tomorrow.  I know the snow won't last long but it is pretty to see it.  The Smokey Mountains were predicted to get 8 - 12 inches so the mountains we look at should be snow capped.  Check back for the snow pictures. Happy Saturday!