Getting Ready for Christmas

The blogs for our Gatlinburg trip are finished.  Now it is time to get caught up on the rest of the happenings around here.  I have an early Christmas present.  My computer crashed so I went out and bought myself a new one.    It’s been an interesting project getting caught up, but I am making progress.

Jana and I have been busy getting ready for Christmas.  The trees are up and decorated.  The outdoor decorations are ready.  The presents are bought and wrapped.  Jana has her Christmas cards ready to bemailed.  Mine are still in the box they came in. 

Penny has been busy getting into trouble by trying to eat Jana’s tree.  This year she has decided she doesn’t like the water bottle, so we have been able to make her behave by using it.  She hasn’t bothered my tree because all the presents are around it and she can’t get to it.  I am waiting for her to climb on the back of the couch or chair and jump into the tree.  Years ago, Jim and I had a cat named Rodney and she climbed our tree and pulled it over.  Scared her and she never climbed the tree again.  Yes, Rodney was a girl 😊.

I believe I mentioned in an earlier blog that we brought Jana’s camper down here and it is parked next to my house.  This is working very well.  She has decorated her camper for Christmas except for her tree.  She decided to put it up here in my house because she spends almost all of her waking hours here with me.  We have been having a really good time.  Mattie has made herself at home.  In fact, most mornings she won’t eat her breakfast in the camper because she is in such a big hurry to get over here.  So, Jana brings her food over and she then eats breakfast.

We spent Thanksgiving with Kevin, Renea and Ryan.  Renea’s dad was there, of course.  And, Renea brought her mom home from the nursing home for dinner.  Renea’s brother, Mark, and his son, Zack, came down so they could spend time with Mark and Renea’s mom and dad.  It was good to see them.  The food was great, and we had a really good time. 

Two weeks ago I had an appointment with my GYN and when we arrived he had just left to deliver a baby.  So, I rescheduled for this past Tuesday.  When we arrived we were told that as he was on his way to the office (after delivering a baby) he was called to the ER.  Therefore, we had to reschedule again.  I now have an appointment for next Tuesday.  Maybe the third time will be a charm.

That’s it for now.  More later.  

Thursday in Gatlinburg

Good Morning.  Today is Thursday in Gatlinburg.  This is our last day here so we decided to go to Cracker Barrel for breakfast instead of eating at the motel.  Of course, breakfast was very good.

Before I go any further I need to make a correction.  The prints I bought were by Randall Ogle.

Our first stop was at the Gatlinburg Visitor Center.  Then it was on to shopping in Gatlinburg.  We stopped at several shops and, of course, we bought a few items.  I found a cat Christmas mug at the Life Is Good store.  Found a “bear with flowers” (which is adorable) at Ranger Bob’s.  Jana bought candy at Kilwins Candy Store.  We have one of those in Columbus and really like their candy.

We then headed for The Glades Artist Community.  Stopped at two Christmas stores along with several other.  It was then time to head back to Pigeon Forge.  Took the back roads, and it was a beautiful ride.  Had a late lunch at Paula Deen’s new restaurant.  The food was good, but they gave us entirely too much.  Each meal was set up for two people, so a lot of food was wasted.  You are not allowed to take any leftovers with you. 

We stopped at the Pottery Barn to look for a small Christmas tree for Jana.  Of all the Christmas stores we shopped in she could not find a tree.  Did not find one at the Pottery Barn either.  So, we came back to the motel and called it a day.

It was not a good evening.  I was not feeling well, and just want to rest.  We were watching television, and realized there was a large diesel bus running outside our door.  Now we didn’t mind the noise, but the back of the bus was a car length from our door and the diesel smell/fumes were coming in our room.  We were both getting sick from the smell.  It had been running for at least thirty minutes.  I called the front desk and they acted surprised and said they would check on it.  When we didn’t hear back from them I called the desk again.  I was told the supervisor was checking.  He finally called and said they were unloading the bus and we would have to be patient.  Besides the bus was in the middle of the parking lot and had a right to be there.  I did not care that he was parked out there, I just wanted the bus turned off.  Anyway, it was at least another thirty minutes before it was shut down.  By this time Jana and I were both sick from the fumes.  Did not get a good night’s sleep.  When we arrived home, I received a survey about our stay in my email.  Needless to say, I filled it out, and told them what had happened.  They are giving us a free night and said they would take care of it (whatever that means).

We were up bright and early Friday morning and headed for home.

Wednesday In Gatlinburg!

It is now Wednesday in Gatlinburg.  Again we were up bright and early.  Ate breakfast at the motel  before heading out.  First thing we did when we got on the road was go back up in the mountains to get a picture that we wanted to get yesterday but couldn’t because of traffic.  Of course, it looked a lot better than the picture, but I thought it was pretty.

We then went to the Cades Cove Visitor Center.  We watched the movie and bought a few items.  Then it was on to Cades Cove.  The drive there was beautiful.  One of my favorite pictures was of the waterfall and creek.

We stopped at a second store near the beginning of the ride through Cades Cove.  We saw four deer along the trip.  I only got a picture of one because Jana was going too fast to get the first one and she didn’t want to stop and hold up traffic.  I told it would be okay because everyone else was doing it, but you know Jana.  Two of them were in an open field running and playing.  They were too far away to get a picture.  However, the next one was right along the road.  It was a buck, and he was eating but I took several pictures.  This one is probably the best.

We stopped at the halfway point of Cades Cove.  Of course, we went into the store and did some shopping.  We also had a quick snack in the car.  After driving through Cades Cove we went to Townsend for lunch.  I am not sure of the name of the place, but they had great hamburgers.  They also had other food, but we had hamburgers and definitely enjoyed them. 

 

After lunch it was back to Pigeon Forge.  We went to the Ray Ogle Art Shop.  Jana and David had bought quite a few pictures there.  The wife of Ray Ogle was working that day and she remembered Jana.  They had a very nice visit.  Jana didn’t buy anything, but I bought three pictures.  One is of a mother cat and her two kittens.  Another is a red barn winter scene and the other is a covered bridge in a winter scene. 

 

Next we stopped back at the “bookstore.”  I bought some items to make a quilt.  I have never made one and I want to try.  I know I will need help.  You can buy the squares and precut pieces.  It may be a disaster, but I won’t know if I don’t try.  We stopped at the Christmas Place again.  I bought an ornament that I really wanted and tried to find another one, but they didn’t have it. 

Back to the room.  Time to rest for tomorrow!

TUESDAY

Good Morning.  Today is Tuesday in Gatlinburg.  It’s a beautiful day.  After a good night’s sleep we are up bright and early.  We ate breakfast this morning at the motel.  They have a very good breakfast.  Jana and I both had biscuits and gravy.  They also have scrambled eggs, donuts, and a lot of other good breakfast food. 

 

After breakfast we (Jana) drove over the mountain to Cherokee.  On the way we saw our first wildlife – two wild turkeys.  I have them in my yard 😊. Didn't get a picture because we were not in a safe place to stop.

Once we arrived in Cherokee we went directly to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.  It was great.  We watched all the short movies and read everything.  Needless to say, we were there quite a while.  Next stop was the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  It was okay.  They also had a village which was open but the demonstrators were not there so we didn’t go through it.  We had packed snacks and soft drinks so we had that for our “lunch” while we sat in the car.  They did not have a picnic area.  We then drove over the mountain back to Pigeon Forge.  We stopped at several pull-offs, both coming and going, and took some pictures.  Saw a couple of areas that had burned due to the fire.  It was sad.  I took some pictures.  Not sure how much you can see.

Jana and I both want to buy Easy Spirit shoes, so we were watching all the outlets for a store, but could not find one.  The internet said there were several but we did not have any luck.  Will probably order them over the internet when we get back home.  
 

We stopped at the Pigeon Forge Visitor Center to get any information that we could on one of the roads that we drove coming in to Pigeon Forge.  It looked like they were getting ready to do some work.  The lady there had no clue what we were talking about.  I don’t think she even knew where Wears Valley Road was located.  So, we left with no information.

 

We ate supper at the Old Mill Restaurant.  It was delicious, and like the Applewood they gave us way too much food!  After supper we drove to a “book store” that Jana and David used to go to.  They had expanded and had a lot more items than books.  It was great.  We bought several Dot-to-Dot books.  I have so many I will never finish them.  They are fun though.  Next we went to the Christmas Outlet.  It was nice.  We bought several ornaments. 

 

Now it is time to go back to the motel, put on our jammies and get ready for tomorrow.  We will need another good night’s sleep.

TO AND FROM

Good Morning!  We have returned from our trip to Gatlinburg.  We had a wonderful time.  This blog is going to be about our arrival day and departure day.  I did not have my computer with me so I did not write anything while we were there.  I realize this isn’t the normal way to do things, but when I have ever done anything normal?

We headed out bright and early Monday morning – or at least as bright and early as we could.  We had to take Penny and Mattie to Companion where they would be staying while we were in Gatlinburg.  After leaving them there we headed for Gatlinburg.  We decided to take Hwy 27 north out of LaGrange instead of going through Atlanta.  It’s a little longer but less stressful.  I started out driving.  Found out I don’t like driving long distances.  Never used to bother me.  Anyway after a couple of hours I pulled into a Wendy’s, gave Jana the keys and said I’m done!  She drove the rest of the way and everyday while we were there.  She also drove home until we got to Kroger in Opelika.

We arrived late afternoon, and after checking into the motel we headed out for supper.  We decided to go to the Applewood.  I had never been there, but Jana and David ate their often.  It was very crowded since we arrived at suppertime.  We waited for about a half hour.  We had to wait outside, but they had rocking chairs and ceiling heaters so we did just fine.  Our meal was delicious!  Plenty of food.  After eating we went to the Christmas Place and shopped.  We both bought quite a few items, ornaments and gifts.  By this time we were tired and went back to the motel for a good night’s sleep.  Of course, we watched DWTS first.  We were lucky we could stay awake to watch.

Friday morning we were up bright and early.  We decided to have breakfast at the motel.  We had eaten there several times and it was very good.  They had eggs, biscuits and gravy and lots of other good food.  It was so crowded that we left.  A bus had pulled in Thursday evening with a group, and they all must have decided to eat at the same time.  So, we went to McDonald’s.  That was fine.  It was another pretty day and we made very good time.  We came back over Hwy 27.  We picked up I-85 at LaGrange and headed toward home. We stopped at the first rest area in Alabama where we had our first mishap.  Jana fell.  Her foot slipped on the curb while she was reaching for the door handle on the car and down she went.  Of course, she fell on the hip that she had replacement surgery.  She is fine.  She bruised her foot, and was sore for a couple of days.  Once I found out she was okay I laughed at her just like she laughed at me when I fell when we were younger. 

Next stop was Kroger in Tigertown since we both needed a few items.  At this point Jana gave me back the car keys and informed me she was done driving.  It was my turn again.  Then we went home.  Unloading the car took a while.  It was an early night.

Saturday morning we picked up Penny and Mattie from Companion.  We were so glad to see them, and they were glad to see us.  Time to get back to normal. Whatever that is 😊.  Spent the day putting things away.  Went to church.  Supper at DQ. Quick stop at Walmart.  Things are getting back to normal.

Getting Ready for Gatlinburg

The first thing I want to do is address Ginger’s comment about sending Jana to her camper when she doesn’t behave.  I just want to say that it would probably easier for me to go to her camper because I am sure she wouldn’t leave!

Jana and I managed to get all of our errands run.  Would you believe we even went back to B&N a second time?  They were supposed to have some books that Jana wanted, but they weren’t on the truck. When we arrived at the doctor’s officer we were told that he just left to go to the hospital to deliver a baby.  I rescheduled.  After running our errands and having lunch at Cracker Barrell we headed home.  The “girls” were glad to see us.  They are not used to us being gone so long.

The next day Jana wrapped the Christmas presents she bought for all the dogs and Penny.  They are all going to have a nice Christmas!  Other than that we didn’t do too much because we were tired.  Yesterday she did her laundry.  I just did some odds and ends type of chores one of which was fixing the top shelf in my bookcase in my dining room.  Seems odd calling this my dining room because it is also my craft room and office.  I guess I should call it my multi-purpose room.  I also sorted all the books, and even put a few of them in the box for Half Price Books.  They are all some type of history book.

This morning I wrapped all the presents I bought for the dogs and Penny.  Like I said they are going to have a great Christmas.  I also did my laundry.  Today was Jana’s turn to do odds and ends chores. 

I have just about finished packing for our trip to Gatlinburg.  We are leaving first thing Monday morning.  We will be taking the girls to Companion for their visit.  They will be more spoiled when we pick them up on Saturday morning.  

Later today we plan to go to Kevin and Renea’s for supper.  Then it will be early to bed and early to rise.

We are looking forward to our trip.  Neither of us have been there for several years.  We have a lot planned.  I assume we will come home from there just as tired as when we went to Holmes County.

Jana Has Arrived!

Jana and Mattie arrived the evening of Wednesday, October 25^th.  Brian drove them down, and he spent Thursday and Friday fishing with Kevin.  On Friday they had a big fish fry that included fish they had caught on their September deep sea fishing trip.  The fish was great.  Kevin grilled some and fried some.  When Brian left for home he took a cooler full of fish with him.  The fish they caught on Thursday and Friday was all catch and release.

Thursday Jana spent a good part of the day getting organized in her camper.  She and Mattie will be staying in the camper just to sleep and have breakfast.  The rest of the day we will be together. She also plans to put her Christmas tree and decorations in her camper.  In the morning Penny goes to my front door and waits until I open it so she can see out the storm door.  She watches Jana walk Mattie.  She follows the flashlight that Jana carries.  Penny and Mattie still get along just fine.

The Friday after she arrived Jana, Renea and I went to the Christmas Made In The South Show in Columbus.  We had a great time.  We bought quite a few things.  We were worn out by the time we got home.  We met Jennifer there and Renea walked around with her.  We were much slower than they were.  Sort of.  They took a lot longer at the booths than we did.  We just walked slower 😊.  In fact, we wore out before they did so Jennifer brought Renea home so she didn’t have to leave as early as us.

This is a picture of both sides of the Christmas placemats that I made Jana.  Renea liked Jana’s so much that she asked me to make two of them for her.  She will not be using them as placemats, but as mats on her end tables.

This is a picture of both sides of the Christmas placemats that I made for me.

I have yet to figure out why my placemats look crooked when they aren't.  I am assuming it is the way I take the picture.

Jana and I have been busy with shopping and visiting.  Of course, we have been watching NASCAR and Dancing With The Stars.  We both enjoy reading and doing Dot-to-Dot books.  We do this when we take a break either in the afternoon or evening.  We have also been making our plans for our trip to the Smoky Mountains.  We are excited about going there.  Haven’t been for several years. 

 

Our weather has been weird, as usual.  It’s either hot or cold.  Can’t decide if it still wants to be summer or winter.  Also, we either have a lot of rain or no rain.  All three azaleas are blooming.  Even the one I thought had died.  Isn’t it pretty?

I’m really concerned about the rhododendron bush.  It has one bloom and a lot of buds.  Sure hope we don’t get a freeze just yet.  I’m not sure how much harm it would do to the bush. 

This morning I got my hair cut.  I am happy with the cut.  Sometimes when I go to Great Clips I never know how it will turn out.  This time it is good.  Jana is doctoring herself.  She has a cold and is doing her best to get better before next week.  Also, tomorrow I have a doctor appointment, and afterwards we are going to Barnes & Nobel, Petsmart, Target, Walmart, Walgreens, then Cracker Barrel for lunch.  Such a busy day!

P.S.  I also want to answer Ginger’s comment.  Regarding my wrapping presents – I mostly use gift bags and tissue paper.  I am not very good at “wrapping” 😊

Yea, I know

Yea, I know.  I haven’t posted anything for about a month.  Well, I have been busy.  I could go into detail about all of the things I have done – or not.  I chose not to do so.  I will give a short overview and then continue on.

Kevin and I did quite a bit of shopping to get all of the items needed to get Jana’s camper set up on the spot.  Everything has been done and it is ready for her to move in.  She will be staying for approximately three months.  Of course, Mattie will be with her.

I probably mentioned that all of the weeding in front of my house has been finished.  The area looks really good.  The azalea bush that I thought was dead has actually survived.  It is looking good and blooming.  In fact, all three are blooming.  The rest of the bushes and plants that were hidden because of the grass and weeds are looking good.  I planted the three Franklin trees in containers and they are looking good.  I will probably leave them in the containers through next year.  The rose-of-sharon bush in front of the deck looks good.  The other four look like they have survived but don’t look as healthy.  The forsythia bushes look fair. 

I have also finished weeding the area around the birdbath.  Still have to spray the area with roundup, but it looks better than it did.  You can even see the St. Francis statue now.  Kevin cleaned up the Bradford Pear tree that I lost due to the winds of Nate.  The front yard sure looks different without that tree.  The family gave me money for my birthday so I can buy replacement trees since I lost not only the Bradford Pear but the three Tulip Poplar trees.  I lost them due to the drought last year.

The new birdfeeders have been hung.  The birds like the two new ones that Jana gave me for my birthday.  But they sure don’t like the two finch feeders that I bought so I brought out the old ones and they are now eating the finch seed.

I ordered a few Christmas presents, and they have been received.  All presents are now wrapped and stored in a corner of the living room. 

I finished several Christmas presents.  I cannot post pictures because the recipients might read the blog.

That’s it for this blog.  Now, hopefully, I will post more often and keep this up-to-date.