An enjoyable mini-vacation...

I just took a four day weekend to enjoy some family time. What a wonderful four days it was.

Day 1 my sister and her husband came to town. We started off our day by visiting two of the local antique shops and spend a good deal of time browsing the stores looking for bargains we couldn't live without. As you know, I'm looking for vintage Pyrex bowls. I found a couple to add to my collection that I was thrilled to get.

This little bowl was a bargain at just $3.50. This is the perfect size for a casserole or baked beans.

And a price tag of $3.00 on this one lured me in. It is just right to mix up a small skillet of cornbread in.

I was looking for a set of green Pyrex bowls in the spring blossom crazy daisy pattern. When my sister saw what I was looking for, she realized a friend of hers had them for sale in her antique shop in Milton, WV. She called her and checked and the price for all three bowls.....$10.00 total!!! So now, I'll have those coming this way one day this week. I saw some of the exact same bowls in other antique stores for $35.00 for the set. I just love a good bargain.

But my favorite find of the day, was a new cup for my hot chocolate. I was very specific about what I was looking for. It had to hold 2 cups of hot chocolate and be oversize for the coffee house look. It had to look great and be something that shows a little of my personality. When I spotted this one I knew it was destiny. What better cup for me, the queen of chocolate, to drink her morning hot chocolate out of. It was $5.00 and that may be steep for a used coffee cup, but it was so "me" I just couldn't pass it up. 

I fixed my first cup of hot chocolate in it this morning. Once I had it made, I broke off a piece of candy cane and stirred it up in it to give it a peppermint flavoring. Then I topped it with marshmallow cream. I took a small grader and graded the rest of the broken candy cane on top of that and finished it off with a candy cane stuck in for decoration. It is delicious. This is a great idea for a quiet evening in front of the fire on cold winter evenings or for those cozy dinner parties with just a few friends. 

After shopping a couple of hours, we drove down to Parris Island, SC to spend the night. The next morning we attended our nephew's graduation from USMC. What an experience that was. Words could never convey how proud we were of him.

Friday, after graduation, we headed back home. Visit mine and Rachel's blog, Piggy and Wiggy's Place to see more about the graduation.

Saturday morning, I picked up my granddaughter Alexis and met up with my daughter and two more of my grandchildren, Shelby and Caleb, and we headed out to Disney on Ice 100 Years of Magic. But that's a blog for another day.

Then it was a late lunch and a little shopping with the kids. Alexis spent the night with me and we had a great time.

Sunday morning, Alexis and I picked up Caleb and Shelby and I took the three of them with me to Burger King for breakfast. Then we met my daughter and headed to Sunday School and Church.

 Then Alexis and I went out to eat after church at Pizza Hut's buffet bar. We did some window shopping at Belks, TJ Maxx and Walmart. She is quite the clothes guru. I know we spent almost an hour looking at clothes she liked so she could give some Christmas ideas. This was one of my favorites.

I got home from our shopping expedition around 4:15 and had to be back to church for choir practice. We are working on our Christmas program, The Name Jesus. It is going to be fabulous. There are some awesome solos in it.

Then it was home for a quick bite of supper, a bubble bath and then crashing for 9 hours of sleep. I needed every minute of that sleep, but all the activities of the past four days has been absolutely divine and I wouldn't have missed a minute of it for the world.

Swim For the Warriors



On November 11th former Marine, Cancer Survivor and adventure athlete Jay Platt will attempt to become the only person in history to swim across the Mississippi river while handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded.

Jay performs his adventure athletic feats in the hope of showing people who have been wounded and injured in combat, those with a chronic illness, and anyone who has ever thought they couldn't do something, just what is possible.

You can follow his training, donate, and see what it really means to be unstoppable by heading to Swim For The Warriors today.

Jay is a very dear friend of mine who faced an illness that would have driven most of us to our beds and kept us there without hope, without faith and without life. But not Jay. He took control of his situation and developed an unstoppable attitude that has caused him to beat insurmountable odds.

Jay is the author of No Matter What! How to be Unstoppable, Despite the Obstacles, Starting Today. His story is very inspirational and lets us understand that, with the right attitude and a spirit of perseverance, you CAN overcome the obstacles in your life.

The Swim for the Warriors is just one of the many things Jay has done since his cancer caused such change in his life. You need to visit www.JayPlatt.com and learn more about this amazing individual. Please keep him in your prayers on November 11th as he undertakes his newest adventure.

Happy Sadie Hawkins Day

Compliments of www.Wikipedia.com

In Li'l Abner, Sadie Hawkins was the daughter of one of Dogpatch's earliest settlers, Hekzebiah Hawkins. The "homeliest gal in all them hills", she grew frantic waiting for suitors to come a-courtin'. When she reached the age of 35, still a spinster, her father was even more frantic—about Sadie living at home for the rest of his life. In desperation, he called together all the unmarried men of Dogpatch and declared it "Sadie Hawkins Day". Specifically, a foot race was decreed, with Sadie in hot pursuit of the town's eligible bachelors—and matrimony as the consequence.

"When ah fires [my gun], all o' yo' kin start a-runnin! When ah fires agin—after givin' yo' a fair start—Sadie starts a runnin'. Th' one she ketches'll be her husbin." The town spinsters decided that this was such a good idea, they made Sadie Hawkins Day a mandatory yearly event, much to the chagrin of Dogpatch bachelors. In the satirical spirit that drove the strip, many sequences revolved around the dreaded Sadie Hawkins Day race. If a woman caught a bachelor and dragged him, kicking and screaming, across the finish line before sundown—by law he had to marry her!

Today is Sadie Hawkins day. I have been a fan of the movie Lil' Abner since I was in my teens. I even own it on VHS even though my family prohibits me watching it in their presence. I just love the movie like I loved the comic strip. It takes you back to a simpler time and simpler ways.

Congratulations to our nephew Jacob "Jake" Garretson

Today, at 9:00 a.m., my nephew Jacob Garretson proudly joins the ranks of the United States Marine Corp. He will graduate after having completed his basic training and we are all so very proud of him.

Congratulations, Jake!



Some favorite Thanksgiving decor

I love holiday decor. It breaks the monotony of looking at your home in the same old, same old way everyday of the the year. I'm looking for some new Thanksgiving decor so I did what I do best.....I hit the Etsy shops for ideas. Here are some things I really like....



National Historic Bridge Day

Today is National Historic Bridge Day

I have long held a fascination with bridges. Covered bridges, long bridges, beautiful bridges, rickety bridges. In honor of National Historic Bridge Day, I wanted to share some of my favorite bridges. These are not all listed on any historic bridge site, but they are bridges that I like or have memories of.

1. Covered bridge; Milton, WV. Probably one of the first covered bridges I ever crossed in my life. When I was younger, my Uncle Charlie lived in Milton and we crossed this bridge when we would go to visit him.

2. The Harrisburg Covered Bridge in Sevier County, TN. This is on one of the county backroads and in a very beautiful section of the Sevier County. The Harrisburg Covered Bridge was once the center of several commercial activities. The bridge is one of only twelve remaining covered bridges in East and Middle Tennessee. It is 83 feet long and sits on a limestone foundation.  

    

3.  The Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, WV. There is a sad story to this bridge. On December 15, 1967 at 5:00 p.m. the Silver Bridge collapsed taking 46 lives and injuring 9 others. I was only 11 and we were laying in the floor playing when the announcement came on TV.

     

4. The East End bridge in Huntington, WV that crosses over to Proctorville, Ohio. This is one of the first bridges of this type I ever saw. It is absolutely beautiful.

5. The New River Gorge Bridge; Fayetteville, WV.  At the time of its completion in 1977, it was the highest and longest arch bridge in the world with a height of 876 feet and a main span of 1,700 feet. It is so loved by bungee jumpers, that they have a National Bridge Day where they close it so people can come and bungee off the bridge. We took the scenic road that goes down under the bridge one time and it was totally awesome.

6.  Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, Charleston, SC. This is another unique structure. On some of our trips from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, we were able to watch part of the construction of this bridge. On our last two trips there, we have been able to cross it. It is a truly fascinating experience.

7.  The Old Martha Bridge in Barboursville, WV - This is the second scariest bridge I ever had to cross. My parents didn't drive so any time we went to the doctor who's office was on the other side of this bridge, we would walk. It was awful. The flooring was metal and you could see right through it to the waters of the Mud River. I have a fear of heights anyway, and to look down and see that swift muddy water was a nightmare I never want to relive. But yet, it still brings bittersweet memories because it was one of the bridges of my youth. I can still remember when they finally closed it to build a new one.

8.  No. 7 was my second scariest bridge to cross, but the #1 scariest was when Daddy would take us to see Uncle Kenneth when we were visiting my grandmother. We would take the shortcut across the old train trestle that crossed the Coal River. It was high, it was scary. The trestle had gaps between the railroad ties so you had to watch every step to make sure your foot didn't trip or slip between the ties. There were no sides on the trestle. It was scary, but I never told anybody I was scared because everybody else walked across it like it was not big deal. I still get butterflies thinking about it. This is not the exact trestle, but it is a picture of one just like it.

9. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Virginia. This is another scary, but unique bridge. You are on a bridge then you go under the water in Chesapeake Bay and come out on the other side on a bridge again. Talk about freaky. It wasn't scary, it was just sort of an "uh-oh" feeling. It is an experience that's for sure.

10.  Bridge at the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, TN. It's not the bridge that is the attraction on this. It is very short and simply provides a passage over the Pigeon River to get to the Old Mill. It's the view from this bridge that makes it so spectacular.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

I love holidays. So this time of year is one of my favorite seasons. Halloween is behind us and now we can start looking forward to Thanksgiving. A time for family and loved ones to gather around the table. A time for turkey and ham and all the trimmings. A time to put aside our grievances and petty differences and just be thankful for what we DO have instead of worrying about what we don't have.

I did get some good news this past weekend regarding the holiday. As you know, Hubby is the cook in the family. He has worked in the food industry for over 18 years. He just started a new job last Thursday and we were worried about Thanksgiving dinner this year. I make dessert and deviled eggs and he handles the rest. He loves to do it. What would I do if he had to work on Thanksgiving? Who would prepare the meal? I could feel a panic attack building. In the food industry in a tourist town, you always have to worry about working a holiday because it is so rare for a food place to be closed.

Well, it turns out the new company he works for closes on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was so excited to learn about this. I won't have to starve on the holidays.