Getting Ready For A Craft Show

I mentioned a couple of days ago about Jenny doing her first Craft Show selling her Salted jewelry line and so I have been busy making some items to sell along with her jewelry.  I created several gift tags so that if someone buys some jewelry and Jenny gift wraps it then they will have an option to buy a gift tag to place on the gift.  I also make a few other things to compliment Jenny's creations. 
It was a perfect day to work in the Crafty Cottage because it was a rainy gloomy day.  The only good thing is that is stayed fairly warm for a late November day.  It was in the low 60s all day long.  I got a lot done so that tomorrow I just have to pick up and pack a few things to bring with me especially if my items sell well.  Getting excited to see my kids and, of course, my little princess Rory.

The Decorations Are Done!

The Christmas decorations are all up, the tree is decorated and even the outdoor lights are done.  This has been the fastest I have ever put up the Christmas decorations.  Now I don't have a lot of choices where I can put things so everything pretty much goes where it was last year.  Even though I had to scale down my decorations when we moved out of our house I still have quite a few things. What took the most time to decorate were the trees and yes I have two.  When we were shopping for a Christmas tree the first Christmas that we were in the RV we were just going to get a small 3 foot tree until we walked into the Navy Exchange at NAS Jacksonville and saw two trees that were pre-lit and suppose be outdoor entry trees.  Well, they were the perfect size and I could have one on each side of the entertainment center.  They were perfect and between both trees I can get all of my ornaments hung.  I think it takes so long to do the trees because every ornament has a memory attached to it and it allows me to take a stroll down memory lane with each ornament before placing it on the tree.  While I finished up the inside for decorating Tim put up the outdoor lights and hung a few decorations.   I even decorated the Crafty Cottage.  Now that the decorations are up I can enjoy the Christmas season.  I love Christmas!

Let The Decorating Begin!

Tim and I ventured out on Black Friday and headed north to Virginia to do some shopping.  We ended up in Bristol, VA and hit every store in the strip mall.  It started with Target and ended with Pet Smart and the best part is that the stores were pretty quiet.  So, my Christmas shopping has begun.  I have a long way to go but at least it is started!
When we got back home we got all of the Christmas decorations out of the basement of the RV and started decorating.  By midnight the trees were decorated, yes I said trees, and almost everything is done except the table and a few odds and ends.  I love Christmas and so I like to get the decorations up so I can enjoy them during the whole Christmas season.  Also because I leave on Tuesday for Florida to spend a week with my kids and friends.  Now we just have to get some outside lights up and we are good to go.  It was a good day.

Now It's Time For The Real Black Friday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Thank you George and Lisa for a wonderful dinner.  Thank you Travis and Kaitlyn for joining us and a special thank you to Larry and Linda for sharing Thanksgiving with us too.  Lisa worked hard with all the cooking and it paid off; everything was delicious.  The crock pot mashed potatoes turned out great and they were delicious.  If you ever need to make a lot of mashed potatoes and not want to do all the work just before serving them then try the crock pot mash potatoes.  I will share the recipe in a later blog but if you need it now just leave a comment below and I will give you the recipe.
It was a beautiful day so we all enjoyed out Thanksgiving dinner on the sun deck.  The sun was shining brightly  but it was a little windy.  Thankfully it did not get too cold until we finished our meal.  I ate too much but it was worth it because everything was so good.  It was a great Thanksgiving and I am thankful for my friends and family!
Now that Thanksgiving is over it is time to participate in the Real Black Friday.  You know the one that actually happens on Friday and not Thanksgiving.  Tim and I are heading out to do a little Christmas shopping today.  We figure instead of going to Knoxville or Asheville we would head north to the Tri cities or maybe even Virginia.  I am anxious to start decorating for Christmas too since it is another tradition in our family to put the Christmas tree up on Black Friday.  Hopefully we can do it all so check back tomorrow and see what we end up doing!  Happy Black Friday; the beginning of Christmas shopping!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all have a wonderful day.  This year we are celebrating here at the farm.   George and Lisa's kids, Travis and Kaitlyn and their pets Nix and Cato, will be joining us along with Larry and Linda Vanderwilt for Thanksgiving dinner.  Lisa has spent a good part of yesterday cooking away already.  I will be making my pumpkin pies that I have made every year for the past 30 years.  I got my recipe from my boss when I worked at the golf course in Glenview.  It is a great recipe and a crowd pleaser.  I am also going to be making the mashed potatoes but this year I am trying something new and making them in the crock pot.  I will let you know how they turned out.
As usual, I will be watching the Macy's Day parade, a long time tradition, and having cinnamon rolls for breakfast; another long time tradition.  I know my girls will be doing the same thing.  Maybe next year we will all be together for Thanksgiving.  I have so many things that I am thankful for and one is for all of you that have been following my blog.  Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Day In Gatlinburg

We took a chance and went to Gatlinburg to visit the Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Festival at the Convention Center.  Lisa and George had attended the festival years ago and had always raved about it.  I guess in the past few years the festival has changed.  It was a much smaller festival than we thought it would be. We were in and out of there in 30 minutes.  There were a lot of nice things but all were very expensive.   So what do you do when you thought you would be spending a good part of your day at a festival and you don't?  You go to lunch and then visit Old Smokey Distillery.  We went to Five Guys for lunch and then headed over to Old Smokey.  We were surprised and happy that Gatlinburg was not as busy as we thought.  However, that will change today.  I am happy that we do not have any traveling to do in the next couple of days.  It was a nice day with cool temperatures but lots of sun.  Thanks George and Lisa for going to Gatlinburg with us; it was fun.

We Can See Snow!

We woke up to some snowy peaks in the North Carolina mountains.  It's a view that we can see really well during the late fall, all winter and early spring.  Basically once the leaves are gone our view of these mountains is really good.  Yesterday, with sun shining bright, we got a great view of the snow on the peaks.  I still am not sure exactly what the mountains we look at east of us are called but they sure did look pretty with the snow on top.  I am also very happy the snow is there and not here.  Yesterday was a little warmer and with the sun out all day it sure made it feel warmer too.  I know this is just the beginning of "almost winter" for us and I know it is time to just accept the fact that winter is coming.  At least the next few days are suppose to get in the 60's again.  We may even be able to eat Thanksgiving dinner on the sun deck.  I guess we will have to wait and see if the weather predictions are correct.  Today we are headed to Gatlinburg for a Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Festival so check back tomorrow and see what we did.

The First Chilly Day of Fall

Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest and that is exactly what it became due to the weather.  It was our first really cold day this fall and along with it being cold it was cloudy and at times rained and in some areas snow flurries.  The temperature in Parrottsville never got out of the 30's and I know in some parts of the country that is a warm day but here in Eastern Tennessee it is a little cool for this time of year.  The sad part is there was not a lot of sun until late afternoon.  We love the sun out this time of year because it is part of our heating strategy in heating the RV.  Since it was so cold I decided Chili would be great for dinner and it was, yum!  I was warm and cozy in the Crafty Cottage where I had my electric heater on and was working away on Christmas gift tags.  Today the sun is out and it is still going to be a chilly day but at least it is bright outside!

The ATV Is Running!

George purchased a used ATV from a friend knowing that it needed some work done to the engine to get it going.  Tim and George have worked on the engine on and off for the past few weeks and they just finished it yesterday.  The ATV is a 1999 Honda 300X or a TRX 300. It was in really good condition body wise and now that the work is done on the engine it is time to play.  We all took turns riding it around the farm.  It was fun riding around the trails and down in the orchard.  It was the first time being in the orchard since I left in September and it seemed weird to see the beds so flat.  I was tested down in the orchard on the ATV because of the uneven ground and some mud.  I made it through and I had a really great time riding it.  There is one drawback about the ATV; it made the golf cart seem very very slow. I know we will have fun on this ATV and look forward to riding it again soon.

A.M. Mess To P.M. Creations

After spending all morning on a ladder going up and down, up and down, I was able to move around and organize the Crafty Cottage.  Receiving all those boxes on Thursday gave me to opportunity, wait opportunity?  Anyway, I organized the loft in the Crafty Cottage aka storage area and found all my boxes of Christmas craft materials and brought them down.  Now the whole point of reorganizing is to create more space but because it is Christmas time I now have less space due to my Christmas items.  In the afternoon, I was able to start creating and I got a few things done.  Check out the picture.  The boxes that make up a tree is actually the Advent calendar that I created for my sister Pam.  That will be in another blog later on as I can't reveal what else is involved yet.  This means today I should be able to get a lot done.  Why am I so busy?  I am preparing to sell some of my paper creations at a craft fair in Florida next month.  We will see how it goes!  Check back later!

Lots Of Goodies In The Mail

While I was in California I did a bit of shopping with the intentions of creating several things while I was there.  Well, the intention was real but I was unable to because I did not have as much time as I thought I would.  I got all the things that had to be done for the SAS, etc. completed but that was about it.  I did one special project that I will share in a latter blog since it is a gift.  So while I was packing it became very apparent that I had stuff I could not pack.  Pam was nice enough to send it to me (thank you Pam)  and so today I am sure my mail lady was not a happy camper as she had to deliver 6 boxes to me.  Some were light but a couple were heavy.  My sister used the flat rate boxes to send all my stuff.  It wasn't just craft stuff; there were Christmas presents too.  As I was opening the boxes and sorting through everything I realized that I have a lot to do between now and Dec. 24.  Since I will be gone for a week in early December and then leave a few days before Christmas to go to Jacksonville I better get busy now.  Tis the Season!

Linner and A Movie

Wednesday was a day of fun.  We first went to Linner aka Lunch/Dinner and then went to see the movie "Spectre"  the new James Bond movie.  We have a movie theater in Newport that only charges $5.00 for first run movies.  The theater isn't fancy just the movie theater seats and a big screen but for the price who cares.  It is always clean and the staff is friendly.  It is no Cinepolis but we save about $20 a piece.  Add popcorn and a coke and because their prices are good we would still have about $10 left after that.  So, we decided to go to the early movie, 5:00 pm and went to eat a late lunch/early dinner which is Linner.  We went to Ruby Tuesday's and got in right away.  I guess 3:30 pm is not a time to eat.  We then headed over to the movie theater and got great seats especially since we were the first ones.  "Spectre" is a typical James Bond movie; it was good but nothing special.  It was no "Skyfall".  If you like James Bond movies then definitely go see it.  It does have some twists.  It was a nice way to spend the afternoon!

Ladybugs

When I was growing up we use to think ladybugs were cute and harmless.  I believed that until I moved to Tennessee.  Last year I had my first experience with ladybugs.  At at first they did not bother mean then it began to get cooler and the ladybugs decided it was time to come inside.  Everyday, actually 5 to 10 times a day, we would get out our vacuum cleaner and suck up the ladybugs and some stink bugs but that is another story.  Literally hundreds of ladybugs would come in and even when you think you have a handle on them they would grow in numbers.  The Crafty Cottage would get so many that the floor looked like it was moving.  Well, I am unhappy to report the ladybugs are back and not welcomed; at least by me.  I spent most of my afternoon in the crafty cottage cleaning up ladybugs.  They were everywhere and in everything!  So here's to indoor ladybug season! Right now I hate those "cute" little bugs!

Traffic In Newport?

When I was driving in California and sitting in bumper to bumper traffic in eight lanes I swore I would never complain about any traffic I would come across here at home.  Well that didn't work out because here I go.  Yesterday afternoon I spent 15 minutes to go about a mile.  Yes I live in a small town and yes the roads are only two lanes but still sitting in bumper to bumper traffic at 3:30 pm where there is usually not traffic was getting a little old.  There was no reason for it; no accidents or roadwork so I guess it was just dumb luck.  The sad thing is the traffic jam was only for three blocks long but it felt like an eternity.  I know the traffic here has nothing on California traffic but today it came close.

First Day Home

My first day at home was filled with reorganizing and unpacking. I intentionally did not unpack my suitcase Saturday night because I knew I had to move the summer clothes to make room for the winter clothes because I had left Parrottsville on the second week of September when it was still warm and did not return until the third week of November when it is now cool and chilly.  The unpacking of the suitcase did not happen until mid afternoon because I had to move the clothes around.  Since space is limited and we now have a summer and winter wardrobe we have created space in the RV where we can exchange the clothes for easier access.  Tim had already shifted his clothes from summer to winter so it was my turn.  I took the opportunity to clean out drawers and the closet before I made the switch.  That took more time then I thought but it also gave me a little more storage for the summer and winter clothes.  The actual unpacking of  the suitcase very easy since everything in the suitcase was clean and had a spot to go and so it took me 10 minutes to unpack.  That was after 5 hours of reorganizing. Hmm, I guess in a way that means it took me 5 hours and 10 minutes to unpack; nah!
Lisa made a great welcoming home dinner for me, her famous meatloaf, which gave us an opportunity to get together and get all caught up.  George and Lisa graciously let me talk about my Mom and then we took turns sharing all the things that happened with me and them during my absence.  Thank you Lisa for the delicious dinner and the super yummy triple chocolate cupcakes for dessert and to Lisa and George for a nice evening.
I still have more things to do in the house now that I am home and when I am done with the house I will then be spending time reorganizing the Crafty Cottage especially since Pam is shipping me several boxes of stamping products and craft items that I had received or purchased during my time in California.  Thanks Pam for shipping me my new "toys" and other items to get creative with.
I also want to thank Tim for making the house so nice when I got home.  Oh yeah and to my boy Shadow who was so excited to see me and has pretty much not left my side since I have been home.  He is such a good dog.  It is good to be home!

I Am Home!

I am back home in Parrottsville, TN and it is good to be home.  I enjoyed my time in California, well after the first two weeks, and I was spoiled by Pam and Brian.  It was kind of nice but it did make me feel guilty too.  They could not do enough for me and my thank you's just don't feel to be enough but I will say it one last time; thank you very much.
The flights home were good and uneventful, a great way to fly except for one small incident on the plane except just before boarding my flight in Dallas we had a slight delay because on the flight to Dallas in the plane we were about to board someone got sick and so maintenance had to go in and clean it.  It was announced to us like this.  All American Airlines passengers waiting to board Flight xxxx to Knoxville there is a slight delay due to a maintenance issue.  The passengers all groan in together.  The attendant then announces that someone got sick and the plane needed to be cleaned which was in progress.  The passengers groan and giggle.  The next announcement was, would the passengers in seat 17B and 17C please come up to the check in desk and all the passengers laughed.
It was only about a 10 minute delay and we still got to Knoxville early.
Tim was there waiting for me and it was good to see him again.  I think two months has been the longest that we have been apart from each other since we have been married.  We went to Puello's Grill for dinner on our way back home to Parrottsville.  When I got home Shadow was so happy to see me and he has not left my side since I have been home.  I did come home to some cold weather, low of 25 last night, but it is still good to be home.

Last Day In Cali (California)

Yesterday was my last day in California and Pam took the day off so we could be together.  We went to Cinepolis to see the new movie "Love The Coopers" it was really cute and I am glad we got a chance to see it together.  While I was here I was fortunate to see four movies at Cinepolis; I may be spoiled.  After the movie we went to lunch then headed back to the house so I could pack.  Pam threw me a little "Good bye" party with some neighbors and it was fun.  We had dinner and chatted the night away.  I do want to thank Pam and Brian for EVERYTHING!!!  You both have been wonderful hosts and very generous.  Thank you and I love you!

Girls Night Out

Last night Pam and I met up with our Cali BFFs, Evie and Kendra, for dinner.  We have been friends for several years and we always get together when I am in town.  Last night we had dinner at Sammy's Woodfire Grill.  The food was good but the company I was with was great.  When we get together we do a lot of laughing and we always have fun.  We are not a serious group!  Thanks Pam, Evie and Kendra for a great time last night!  I can't wait to do it again.
Today is my last full day in Carlsbad.  I will be flying home Saturday morning and I think I am ready.  After two months of being here it is time for me to go home!  I came here early because of my mom so this has been a bittersweet trip with some high points and some very very low points.  Soon, I will be back on the farm and sharing our daily life again.

The Beach Was Busy

I visited the beach at Camp Pendleton yesterday to check out the waves.  They were pretty big and there were a lot of surfers out surfing.  Being it was Veteran's Day most of the base did not have to work and so I guess some took advantage of the waves and no work to go surfing.  I watch a few of the surfers ride some waves but the majority of the surfers were out in the water waiting for the right wave.  There also a few people checking out the waves from the beach.  I think they were waiting for it to warm up a bit.  At 8:00 am the base played "Anchors Away" and "The Halls of Montezuma" something they don't usually do.  It was nice to hear especially while walking on the beach.  After the beach I took advantage of all the Veteran's Day sales and got some Christmas shopping done.  I also discovered some new Christmas projects to work on.  We ended Veteran's Day at Claim Jumpers for dinner.  It was a nice day!

Happy Veteran's Day

I want to take the opportunity to thank all of the Veterans.  You served to support the USA and I appreciate all that was sacrificed to do so.  On this Veterans Day several restaurants are offering free meals or apps to ant veteran.  I think it is a well deserve honor and I hope all the veterans take advantage of it.  S special "Thank You" goes to Tim who served 20 years in the Navy; Thank You Tim.  I also want to Thank Nate, my son in law, Jim C., Jim B, and my Dad Edward Winship for your service.  Thank you to all the men and women who have served!

Creating A Space For Memories

I spent a few hours yesterday rearranging a cabinet unit in one of Pam's guest bedrooms.  I did so because I was creating a space to keep my Mom's memories safe.  When Pam, Craig and I were going through my Mom's things on Sunday we came across all of her photo albums with 89 years of memories.  At first we were going to take the pictures out but in these photo albums there were more than just pictures.  There were letters and cards from my Grandma Ruth and my Dad along with other little momentos.  So we decided to keep the albums in tact and Pam volunteered to keep them.  Since she volunteered, thanks Pam, I wanted to help by creating a space for them.  Now we have all of my mom's photo albums, yearbooks, jewelry and other special items safely stored in one of Pam's guest room.  Those albums are now even more important to us because they hold my Mom's memories in them. 

A Day Of Family

After the SAS on Saturday my brother and sister in law, Craig and Karyn, came to spend the rest of the weekend along with my nephew Pat.  We had a great time Saturday night talking and having fun.  It was a nice but a little cool outside but we sat around the outdoor fireplace and enjoyed the evening.  We did stay up a little late but we had not been all together for a couple of years.  We all slept in on Sunday morning and then we had to say goodbye to Pat who had to get home.  We spent the next several hours going through my Mon's things and selecting things for the grandkids and great grandkids so they will have something that belonged to their grandma.  My Mom wanted this so we went with her wishes.  While sorting through Mom's items we shared lots of stories and memories.  It was really a nice day.  I made dinner and made some of our favorite foods that Mom use to make which seemed an appropriate way to end our afternoon.  Since we were pretty much done we watched Subday Night Football then Jurastic World.  Craig and Karyndecided to stay an extra night so we had more fun together.  Thanks Pat, Craig and Karyn for coming to help through Mom's things and thanks Pam and Brian for hosting it all!

The Christmas SAS Was A Success

The Christmas SAS that Pam has every November was a big success.  She had over 50 participants and everyone enjoyed making all the cards and winning some great door prizes too.  I made Chili for the lunches on Friday and Saturday and the dinner on Friday night.  The ladies seemed to like it but if they didn't they wouldn't of told me anyway.  All I can say is that over the last couple of days I made five 7quart crock pots of chili and all we have left is a small Tupperware full.  I will take that as a sign that they liked the chili.  Pam had three sessions at her SAS; Friday morning, Friday night and Saturday morning.  The average session lasts about 4-6 hours so we both have been pretty busy the past couple of days.  Pam, you did  a great job, as always, and I know everyone who came to the November SAS loved it!  Way to go Pam!

Pam's Christmas SAS -Day 1

.Pam's Christmas SAS is one of the most popular SASs the she holds.  Attendees get to make 10 Christmas cards, win a door prize and there is always some little extras given out too.  This is my 4th Christmas SAS with Pam and I have to say she does a great job.  This year I made all the cards she is Using and I am glad I could help her.  There were 20 ladies today that came in two shifts; one a 10:00 and one at 3:00.  It was very successful.  I made my homemade chili for lunch and dinner.  Great job Pam!

A Cool Day At The Beach

I was up  and out early yesterday and since I had some time to kill I decided to stop by the beach at Camp Pendleton and check out the waves.  It was a cool morning, about 60 degrees, with some wind.  The sun was shining bright so it did not seem as cool as it was.  The campground at the beach was full and there was a yoga class going on near the beach.  The waves were about 3 to 5 feet high and they were kind of pretty with the white water and blue ocean.  There were not any surfers at the beach but there were a couple of fishermen and some people running on the beach.  It was a nice way to start my day.

Visitors At The Farm

The farm had some visitors that no one knew about until the Game cameras were checked.  There are two game cameras placed out on the farm.  One is down by the pond and the other is out in the orchard.  Both cameras caught the visitors.  The Pond camera recorded two does out grazing during the day. That is something we would never be able to see because the does would of been long gone if we were in the area.  The camera captured some nice shots of both does.  The Orchard camera picked up a lone coyote at night.  Now we know it was not a lone one because you can hear the pack at all hours of the night.  Some nights they sound like they are right outside our door.  Now we have proof they are around.  I will be checking outside before I let Shadow go out at night.  Coyotes be warned.  Does, you are always welcome!

Fixing The ATV

Last summer George got an ATV kind of on the barter system.  The ATV was not running but it was in good shape and so he agreed and brought the ATV to the farm.  Tim and George looked at it and determined that it was going to be a project to get the engine fixed and running.  They worked on it a little bit at time when there was nothing else to do on the farm or the weather was too bad to work outside.  Yesterday, after working two full days on the ATV engine they got the ATV running.  There is still more work to be completed but for now a big part of getting the ATV working has been completed.  Great job Tim and George!

The Last Harvest On The Farm

While George began tilling up the vegetable beds he came across a few more veggies to harvest.  He got a few more sweet potatoes and a lot of carrots; about three pounds worth.  The sweet potatoes have been harvested the last few weeks but the carrots were a complete surprise as we thought we had picked all there was to be picked.  I guess the carrots wanted to be a surprise.  I am sure George and Lisa will continue to enjoy the sweet potatoes and I know Tim will help George and Lisa eat up the carrots too!  We were truly blessed to have so many fruits and veggies from the garden these past few months and I know that next year will be even better.  Thank you Mother Nature!

A Sunset Stroll

It is hard to believe that we are in the month of November.  A year ago, at the farm, we had our first snow.  It did not last long but it was a surprise because it was not predicted either.  Yesterday, in Carlsbad, it was a warm 79 degrees.  Since it was so warm and we missed the sunset last Friday when we took the dogs for a walk along the beach we decided that we would take the dogs for another walk along the beach so we could watch the sunset.  Carlsbad beach is a nice beach and a perfect place to view the sunset.  We got to the beach around 4:00 and walked along the sidewalk along the beach; dogs are not allowed on the beach.  Gunnar and Maddie attract a lot of attention, especially Gunnar, aw we walk so we have to stop and let people pet the dogs.  When the sun started to set, around 4:58 pm, we stopped and enjoyed the view.  There was not a cloud in the sky which made for a beautiful sunset.  The waves were pretty good so there were still a lot of surfers in the water catching the last waves before it got to dark.  After the sunset we walked a little longer then headed over to Café Panini for dinner.  Pam and Brian have been trying to take me there since last April.  It has always been too crowded but last night we hit it just right.  It is a local sandwich restaurant with a large outside patio that also had live music.  I had a turkey and provolone panini and it was one of the best I have had.  It was a nice way to end a beautiful day.  Thanks Pam and Brian for another great day!

A Fun Halloween

It was a fun Halloween.  We started out early to run some errands for the Halloween party we were having.  We had to get liquid smoke for the fog machine and some Vampire Wine.  When we got back we got busy working on the food for the party.  I made Halloween cupcakes half orange and half purple.  We made dips and a few other items too.  The trick or treaters started coming around 6:00 and it never quit until 8:30.  There was a ton of kids and all had great costumes.  We saw some great ones!  Pam bought three huge bags of candy from Costcond gave out but 1/2 bag.  After the trick or treaters friends came by for the adult version of trick or treat.  We had lots of apps for the party followed by baked ziti and dessert.  Everyone had a great time and everyone came with some kind of costume too.  It was a great night and we ended the evening watching "Rocky Horror Picture Show" during the party then watched "Young Frankenstein" to end the night.  What a great day!