Memories Made

It's good to get away and good to be home again.  We recently traveled to the Great Smoky Mountains in TN.  It was a fantastic week that went all too quickly.

Be warned, this is a picture heavy vacation post!

We stayed in a cabin that was new to us and it did not disappoint.  Just check out these views and the sunsets.

The boys loved this cabin, as they each had their own bedroom and bathroom.  There was a center pole that was not only structural, but decorative.  A local woodcarver used only three tools, a chainsaw, a Dremel tool, and a torch to create these beauties.

And many evenings were spent enjoying the views from the hot tub.

We spent some time at Dollywood, taking in some shows and riding the rides.  Oh my, I can't do roller coasters like I used to, but I did some for the sake of my children.

SSShhhh.....don't tell, but we even discovered that Elvis is indeed alive!!

We hit some of our favorite spots for food.

One must only go when the "Hot Donuts Now" sign is on!

I love diners!!  And the next few are from our favorite Pigeon Forge Diner.

Diner lights.

Check out that ceiling!

And wow, a new spot for some special drink...

The first legal moonshine!!

I have to confess that when my husband and I lived in TN years ago, we had the chance to try the "old fashioned" moonshine...

They have the original corn whisky, and a bunch of different (less potent than the original) flavors, but this is what came home with me.

Let me tell you, these little cherries pack quite the punch! 

There was our traditional round or two of mini-golf (I finally beat all of the boys in the first game), a trip to the Ripley's Aquarium, walking through Gatlinburg, etc.

I don't mind frogs that aren't associated with my stitching!

In the shark tunnel...

So colorful...

I could watch the jellyfish for hours...

These crabs were a little too big for me...

This guy was just chilling...

My boys got a big kick out of these in the one store...be sure to read the bottom of the label for the scent...

And of course, you can't go home without your raccoon hat!

We had to laugh at the older and youngest....they didn't even realize they were doing the same thing with their arms!

Here is where I dominated the first round of mini-golf!

A new museum was being built that last time we visited TN and it did not disappoint.  We spent quite a few hours taking it all in and highly recommend seeing this.

There are no cameras allowed inside, due to copyright law.  But trust me, there are artifacts from the Titanic, a replica of the grand staircase (the flooring of which is the most expensive of the time - hold on to your hats, ladies, it is not granite or marble....any guesses?  It was linoleum!), and I could go on and on.  At the beginning, you are given a passenger card.  Throughout the museum, you can find out about your passenger and at the end you learn their fate.  Sadly, three fifths of my family perished on that fateful night...

We did some hiking in the mountains...

These trees were intertwined...loved it!

We came across a very old cemetery.  Each of those stones you see are markers.  Some so worn, that you can no longer read the markings.

Can you see how this tree grew around the rock? 

The rain and storms started moving in, so we ended the hiking and took a drive. 

Such beauty in these mountains.

As you can see, we kept ourselves very busy.  And as great as the trip was, we bid our goodbyes, took the obligatory last pictures on the cabin deck,

 

and hit the road back home.

Where were we all anxious to pick up this guy.

Who, by the way, at 21 weeks, weighed in at 69.6 lbs!!  Yikes!!!!

If you made it all the way through this post, you deserve a gold medal!!  I will try and be back soon with some stitching.  Until then...

“But, of course, it isn't really Good-bye, because the Forest will always be there... and anybody who is Friendly with Bears can find it.”
― A.A. Milne, The House at Pooh Corner

At long last...some stitches...

A little relief has come our way.  We've had a break in the temperatures between heat waves and we've even had a touch of rain.  It was nice, but we could still use a good day or two of soaking rains.

And, with a little relief in the baseball schedule, I have been able to stitch a bit more.  I started a new project, "For the Birds" by ByGone Stitches.  I am known for changing colors but with this palette, why would I do that?

The border is so pretty.

And the motifs so sweet.

I was saddened to learn that this designer has passed away back in May.  Her designs are timeless and are sure to be stitched by many for years to come.

I finished the stitching on my friend's birthday gift.

Here you can see the fabric that I plan on using for the finishing-finish.

I have a couple ideas of how I would like to finish this, but haven't quite decided yet.

 The Tusal jar for July.

A few more threads added!

Panzer is growing so fast!  He's four and 1/2 months this week.  At his last checkup, he had gained 20.2lbs. in 4 weeks!

I caught him here in mid~yawn.

Now he's looking for his boys.

He can hear them next door and is ready to play!

Isn't is amazing how quickly they become part of the family!?!

It's been fun and a challenge at the same time.  Teaching not only him, but the boys as well.  Getting them to see things through his eyes and how to read his language.

And with that, I will leave you with this.

“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Officially Done

I am officially done with summer.  This heatwave has been horrible and we are in need of some nice soaking rains.  If we could trade our weather, I think I would have some takers in the UK where they seem to have found all the rain.

The little league baseball season is officially done for my boys.  The middle guy's team finished after three tournament games.  Here he is catching.  I love the dust coming off his glove as the ball goes in!

The oldest guy's team lost in the District Championship game, the first time in three years.  Disappointing, especially since they played so hard, at 12:00, with a temp of 102 and a heat index of about 110.

And for the little guy, there's always the cotton candy while cheering for his brothers.

I'm so proud of all of my boy's accomplishments this season.

  But never fear ~ there is still baseball ~ on to training and more tournaments with travel teams!!!

Officially done is my June ornament.  I will confess, it was finished on July 1st, but it's done.  I'm still on track ~ although, I will still have to find time to have a finishing day... 

This is a freebie from Carol at iStitch.  If you click the link, you'll go to her blog.  From there, click on the charts icon in the sidebar.  At the bottom of the list of charts, you'll see the link for her freebies.

This was a quick one to stitch and reminded me of a vintage postcard.

I also did some more on this Heartstring Samplery piece, which will be a gift for a non~stitchy friend.

I finished up the border this evening ~ and phew, it lined up!  That is always a good feeling.  Now I just have to stitch the second house and find a frame. 

So, in hoping for a break in the heat and some much needed rain, I will leave you with these words that I would love to hear!

“Tut, Tut, looks like rain”
― A.A. Milne