Fun-filled Friday

Twenty-nine years ago around this same time, my husband and I visited the Great Smoky Mountains with his parents. That was my first trip there. I was enthralled. The majestic grandeur that surrounded me just took my breath away. The leaves in their fall beauty was a site to behold. We drove to Cherokee, went out to Cades Cove, walked around the streets of the quaint little town nestled at the foothills of the Smokies. We went to Oconaluftee as well as Mingus Mill. We took the scenic drive through Roaring Fork Motor Trail. I saw my first bear and walked through the clouds on top Ski Mountain.

In the evenings, my in-laws would retire to their room at The Alpine shortly after supper, leaving us free to roam the streets of Gatlinburg on our own. We would take the trolley from the hotel into town and walk up and down the streets, visiting the many shops. I remember having to have Karmel Korn and buying Stick Candy and Orange Creams from McCutcheon's Candy store.

I fell in love with the area. It was so hard to leave and go back home. For the next 7 years, we would visit here for little short weekend jaunts about 2-3 times a year. In 1988, we made the decision to move here and have never regretted it.

Living in The Mountains is like having your own little piece of heaven. We have been here 22 years now and the one drawback is the fact that we don't get the pleasure of "going on vacation" to the mountains. So we occasionally take day trips in the area to do the things that brought us such pleasure.

Today will be one of those days. We are playing hookie from work. (Can you play hookie if you own the business?) We are going over into the mountains and enjoy our day together. I'm so excited. It is always a wonderful day when you get to play hookie and have an all day date with your husband.

I hope you all have a fun-filled Friday and a blessed weekend.

Just wait till He stands up....

We are learning a new song in choir. It's full of excitement and joy. The words really touched a place in my heart that makes me want to shout and sing. Just wait till He stands up. What a thought. Imagine what it will be like when God tells Jesus it's time to gather His people home.

When we get ready to take a trip here, we scurry around and pack our bags. We make lists to make sure we don't forget anything. We lay out our clothes to decide what we want to pack and what will best serve our purpose. Then we have to pack jewelry to match. And all our toiletries. By the time we are packed for our little trip, we are too worn out to take the trip. We can't sleep the night before because we are so excited to be leaving.

But I don't think it will be like that for Jesus. When God says, it's time to go. I think He will be heading out heaven's door with no notice. He'll have a band of heavenly angels on His heels shouting and praising and singing. "Road trip!" will be announced to one and all when the King comes to collect His people.

I for one want to be ready. I want my heavenly bags packed and ready to leave at a moments notice. I don't want to linger. I won't double check the lights or make sure the oven is off. I'll be standing at the door waiting to jump in His open arms and say "Let's go!"

Oh, what a trip that will be. Clean up the baggage in your life and don't have anything lingering that will hold you back. When He arrives, be prepared. If you think you have had excitement or joy in your life before, well, Just wait till HE stands up!!

Happy birthday, Sis

My blog is dedicated today to my older sister, Rachel Elizabeth Ashworth. Happy birthday, Sis. Being so close in age, we have shared so many secrets over the years and so many good times. We have laughed together and cried together. We rejoiced together at the births of our children and our nieces and nephews. And we have mourned the death of our dad, our grandmothers and our aunts and uncles.

Growing up, we shared a room. She was the neat one and I was the messy one. She was the "a place for everything and everything in it's place" type and I was the "Why put it up, I'll use it again in a day or two." I'm sure I drove her crazy a lot. As a matter of fact, I know I did because she tells me so all the time.

I had zillion stuffed animals and couldn't sleep unless each one of them was snuggled against me. Which meant when we had a full size bed, she had to sleep with stuffed animals lined up down the middle of the bed all the way to my feet.

I was so impressed with her that I let her talk me into things. I'll never forget when we had a little bit of money to spend and she would talk me into not buying what I wanted, but to pool our money and get a new rug for our room or a Supreme's album.

Of course having an older sister had a lot of benefits. She got a job while I was still in high school and spent her money on nice clothes...which she let me borrow (usually as a way to pay for my silence about something).

I was her maid of honor and she was my matron of honor.

As we have grown, we have grown even closer if it is possible. She is the one I turn to when I need to vent or brag. She is always there for me and I hope she knows that I'm always there for her. When we are together, there is so much laughter and joy that it is like losing an arm or a leg when she leaves to go back home.

I love you, Rachel. Have a wonderful birthday.

The queen of the tote bag...

What is up with me and tote bags. I can't seem to get enough. I have small ones, medium ones and large ones. I have them with grandchildren's names on them. I have them in plaid and solid and with little whimsical birds and trees. I have the shopping totes from Pampered Chef, Walmart, Food Lion, Food City and Joanne's. I have them from Longaberger, 31 Gifts and Donna Sharp. I've bought them at Dollar Tree and on E-bay. I just love my totes.

Why do I feel this need to buy totes to haul my "stuff" around. I have totes for books and junk food when I go on trips, totes for when I teach children's church, totes for my craft when I go on vacation, totes to carry in my trunk to put packages in to keep them from sliding around in trunk. Here are a few of my favorites:

My Donna Sharp Quilted Craft Bag

This is my 31 Gifts tote for my books and snacks to ride up front with me on long trips.

My new Cindy Tote from 31 Gifts. I won this when I had my party. It is so soft and padded and perfect for my laptop when I travel.

My Mamaw bag. I tote this when I have the grandkids so we can stuff whatever we need to take with us when we run around.

As if I don't already have enough, I still looking for one more in a particular size that I'm going to order in the next couple of weeks. If I don't stop soon, I'm going to be looking for a tote to store all my totes in.

Miscellany Monday

First

Had a busy weekend with two of the grandchildren. They came over while their parents went on a haul to Alabama. The litle one rolled off her toddler mattress and somehow ended up under my bed. The bigger one played "office" at my desk most of the weekend.

Second

Been lovin' the weather. Beautiful days and cool evenings. It's playing havoc with my A/C though. Can't decide if I need heat or air. So we just compromise and do a mixture of both. I did find that with the new arrangement of my office, my hallogen desk lamp now sets in such a way that it not only lights up the dark area of the desk, but puts off just enough heat to know the chill off the early morning.

Third

Had a wonderful Sunday School lesson yesterday followed by an awesome sermon. Went back to church last night and really enjoyed the sermon again. Our new pastor is very inspiring.

Fourth

Spent Saturday evening baking 3 dozen chocolate cinnamon cookie cakes with chocolate icing. I modify a recipe from a magazine for red velvet cookies to make this one. They were a hit. I have 101 new cookie recipes so I'll be experimenting for a while. Lots of friends will be receiving cookies this year for Christmas.

Armchair traveler

There are so many places I long to see. But my fear of flying will prevent me from ever actually going to some of them in person. The best I can do is visit them in books and watch for them on National Geographic. But there are some in the U.S. that are very doable. Here is my wish list for trips in the order I would take them if I could go anywhere I wanted to go.

The Jordan River

Cattleranch in Texas

The Grand Tetons in Wyoming

The Assateague Island to see the wild horses on the beach in Virginia/Maryland

A whale watching cruise at Virginia Beach (The himpback whale migrates there in the winter. January & February is the best time to go here.)

The City of Lights, Paris France

The Ancient Ruins of Corinth

The Highlands and Moors of Scotland



Ireland





The Wine Country in France

Bon Voyage!

When a good idea goes bad......

It was a good idea at the time. In fact, I was impressed with my own brilliance. But, apparently, I didn't think it through.

I have a pack and play I bought with my first grandchild to have as a spare bed when they visit. My two year old granddaughter, Shelby, is getting to that age where it is hard to lay her down inside it when she is asleep. But I'm afraid to put her in the spare bedroom with her brother because it is a sleeper sofa and I'm afraid if she fall out of bed, she would hurt herself on the metal frame that holds the mattress. Plus she still wakes up at night and is a little disoriented and I like her being close by for me to comfort her.

So, I had this wonderful brainstorm. I would borrow her mattress from her toddler bed and put it in the floor beside my bed. I fixed it up with her favorite blankies and a nice soft pillow. I tucked my spare pillows around the mattress so if she rolled off, she would just roll onto a pillow. Pretty good idea....or so I thought.

Around 4:00, as usual, I hear a little sobbing and wimpering as she wakes up and is in need of some Mamaw comfort. I don't want to turn a light on and wake her completely up, so I step off the bed and kneel on the spare pillow to lift her up off the mattress. She's not there. So I feel further down in the bed. No Shelby. I start patting the pillow around the bed and tell my husband, I can't find her. "Shelby where are you?" And I hear this precious little voice wimper the words "I stuck under you bed".

I freaked. Papaw jumped up and turned the light on and there she was half way under my bed with her binkie and blankie laying on her belly. I said "Shelby, what are you doing." And she looks around at me and says "I try to get out."

How not to chuckle at the situation. I tell her to back up and she does so I get her feet and gently slide her out the rest of the way. She grabs me and hugs me and says "Mamaw B, I stuck."

What is the first thing that goes through a grandmother's mind at a time like this. Well, for me it was, "Oh my gosh, how am I going to tell her mom she got stuck under my bed in the middle of the night."

So the next morning, I text her Mom and Dad about it. They are on the way to Alabama. They didn't respond immediately. My text message beeps and with trepidation in my heart, I prepare myself for the lecture I know is coming. When they finally respond, my daughter has written:

"Oh my gosh!! We are both laughing so hard we have tears in our eyes." So much for my worry that she will be worried.

Are we a warped family or what??

I think the next time I have a good idea, I won't be so fast to act on it.