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!