September 2011 {or at least to this point in Sept.}

This was, for the most part, what our thermometer said this summer. We NEVER hit the 90s at our house. Sure, it may get that hot in town...but not at our house! Well, for all the 28+ years we've lived in our house it got up into the 90s more this summer than I can ever remember. Whew! HOT!!

Also this summer we FINALLY had Honey's hair cut. She was miserable with all that hair a collie has. Her, being a cold-weather dog, doesn't do too well in the type of heat we've had. So our good friends, Gary and Pam LiBasci brought their traveling dog grooming trailer to our house and cut her hair. She was such a trooper!! And she has been so much more comfortable. Sleeps better and all. And we realized that it was her long hair... she doesn't have as much 'Junk in the Trunk' as we had thought!!

Kevin and I went to see Hannah a few weeks ago and I took these pics while on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I love riding on the Parkway. Such beautiful scenery. And this was such a clear day.

Especially LOVE this one. It looks like if you kept going you'd just fly right into the CLEAR BLUE YONDER!! Seriously, it is gorgeous!!



We went to eat at Sorrento's in Banner Elk. Nice Italian restaurant. Word on the street says it's owned by the mob. Who knows? Sure does make for a nice story!!

I took full advantage of Hannah + Jonathan's hammock. It's tied between 2 trees right in their front yard. Most of these photos are of my view from where I was laying in the hammock. If you don't have a hammock {which I am sad to say we don't have one at our house.} invest in one. Such a relaxing time. Lying in a hammock. And LOOK UP. Such wonderful scenery. 

This is the Linville Falls, NC Post Office. It's directly across the street from Spear's Barb-B-Que and Grille. Such a cool Post Office. 

Had to share this silly picture with you. We stopped at a local gas station {in the High Country} and a pick-up truck drove up.....WITH A GOAT IN THE BACK!!! I don't think I've ever seen this before. It was crazy!! But there he was. And how could I miss this photo op??

And the sunset on our way home from Linville Falls. Such gorgeous sunsets coming down I-40 east of Asheville. 

We had some late-blooming flowers the end of the summer. . . . .

Gerber Daisy

Morning Glory

Some flower that was from a seed packet that I have no clue what they are other than that they are tempremental and I felt very blessed that I was able to snap a picture of a flower being open. 

A *pile* of Morning Glories that came up as 'volunteers' {as they say around here.} from when the vine goes to seed. After the vines die from the first frost the seeds dry up, fall to the ground and germinate the following spring where it starts all over again.

Rose of Sharon bloom.

Kevin and I picked our concord grapes off our vines a couple weeks ago and along with some other grapes from our friends' we canned 7 qts. of grape juice. I love canning and the way the jars look in our pantry. YUM!! But let me tell you making grape juice is MESSY!!! {and leaves a lot of dirty dishes behind!!}

Went to the Art Room for a make-n-take on Saturday and snapped a couple shots of the crowd there. Love Dianne and all she does for all us paper fanatics!! {Dianne owns this shop. Great place!!}

How sad am I???? This pile of magazines are from 2009-2011 and they are UNREAD!!  ie: I HAVE NOT READ THEM YET!!! How did this happen??? Sad... and SCARY!! Am I a magazine-aholic???? whew...scary.......................

Yesterday Kevin and I made a trip up to Hannah's. {we all needed this day together.} We picked her up and stole her away for the day. On I-40 west of exit 50 there was a tractor truck accident on the westbound side. The story was first on the Asheville news during GMA.  No one was hurt {at least I don't think anyone was.} but it was still being cleaned up after an hour of being announced on t.v.  

Hannah, Kevin + I spent most of the day in Boone. Cool, old-fashioned snack counter  inside of an even older drug store. {Boone Drugs, I think.}

Had lunch {a slice of pizza} at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Boone. Their chandelier was actually a bunch of lava lamps. COOl!!

Had to throw in this pic. I had stubbed my toe the other day moving furniture in our bedroom. It was quite painful but yesterday the nail broke off.  :(

Also had to snap this young man. His hair was the COOLEST!! I wish I had gotten his face for he was quite attractive but it was his hair that was so GREAT!!

Today I pulled out the socks I knitted 2 years ago. My feet were FEREEZING!! this morning. In my oppinion today was the first FALL-like day this season. It felt nice to wear socks again.

And to finish this post off.....  Kevin came home this afternoon after a day of pressure cleaning and crashed.  :)

My life these past few weeks.......

Hello!!
There's been so much going on over the past few weeks. So much I may have to post to my blog over 2 or more posts. It's been crazy!!
First I'll share a few pictures {you know me + taking pictures!!} of some clock projects I've altered.

This clock I made for my boss' office at TCA. This picture does NOT do it any justice. It came out adorable! Perfectly whimsical for the Preschool Director at Trimont Christian Academy!!

And this clock is in the Teacher's Lounge at TCA's preschool dept. I, too, LOVE how this one turned out. Love the paper I used and wanted to use if for litterally YEARS!!!

These two pictures are of the sky looking west from the Kmart parking lot. {If you live in Franklin, NC you'll know where I'm talking about!!} It had just rained...actually pored...and this is what the sunset was starting to look like shortly after. Gorgeous!!

Some may think I'm CRAZY!! {but really, I'm not!!} BUT SERIOUSLY*****HOW COOL ARE THESE PICTURES?!?!?!? Love the rainbow effect of this row of ribbons. Saw this photo-op in the Michaels store in Boone, NC a few weeks ago. I'm planning on using one...possibly both...as backgrounds to cards. Love it!!

These next few pictures are the most recent pics of our home. Kevin took them to show a customer some different color combos that are available out there. {Their house has been the same beige colors for many, many years.} Anyway...just wanted to share.

  

And this Whiskey barrel is at the bottom of our driveway. Kevin is quite proud of *his flowers* as he calls them!! LOL!! And I don't blame him...they are doing beautifully!!

We just LOVE this picture! This was taken over Memorial Day weekend when we were up visiting Hannah. We took some time alone and drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we pulled over at one of the overlooks. I, of course, set the camera on the hood of the car, set the timer and VOILA!!  :)

Okay...now for what's been happening the past 2 weeks.....

I ended up sick...again!  :-/    This time the worse I've ever been. Stayed home from work last Wed. (6/8) figuring I would do my routine doctoring {saline spray, Albuterol inhaler, Advil, Tesselon cough perles.....etc.} and lay low + be fine to go to work the next day. Well when I woke up on Thursday (6/9) I had a fever of over 102!! Could hardly breathe. Was couging like crazy. And was feeling just downright HORRIBLE!!! Kevin tried making an appt. with my doctor but they couldn't get me in until Friday (6/10). We were then going to go to the walk-in clinic but decided in the end to make a trip to the ER. My temp was up to 103 by then + I was totally miserable. My oxygen levels were down to 90 so the nurse stuck an oxygen tube in my nose. Boy did that help a great deal!! Come to find out I had PNEUMONIA!!! I have NEVER had PNEUMONIA!! And with all my bronchial issues I've had most of my life that is saying alot!! So...long story short....I've been on antibiotics since last Thursday (6/9) and have been getting better as each day goes on. It has been SOOOO SLOW GOING!! I will say that. I've been out of work since that *dreaded* Thursday. (6/9) I see my doc this coming Tuesday (6/21) at 10:30 a.m. And then the following Wednesday (6/29) I've got an appt. with a Pulomonologist in Sylva to finally get to the bottom of all this *crap.* {sorry about my French!!!} I have had some sort of bronchial issues since I was a kid. It accelerated after Hannah was born. And has even accelerated even more working at TCA. I'm sorry to say, but kids + germs go hand in hand and due to my *weak point* {which are my lungs + the ailments they seem to collect} I've been sick a lot more this past year working there than my whole adult life.  :(   Anyway...on the brighter side of this particular *episode*..... I am on the mend. Like I said before...it is slow going! I still have to watch everything I do because when I do too much I pay for it later in the day. :(  Like yesterday (6/17) Kevin was working and so I was home alone. {I know...could mean trouble!} I ended up straightening the Kitchen. Well come 2:00 in the afternoon I was zonked out on the couch!! And stayed there until supper then back at it {sleeping on the couch} until around 9 p.m. Crazy sleep schedule, I know!

I think today I've learned my lesson. I've hardly done anything...strenuous that is. Oh!! I have made the bed!! LOL!! Laying low. Which is smart!

So, there we have it. My last few weeks of MY LIFE.

Thanks for reading.

LOVE YA!!!

Good Morning!!

It hasn't been too long since my last post... ;)

Today I want to share with you the amazing things that have been happening in our lives lately. With words and with pictures.....

Kevin and I surprised Hannah a couple of weeks ago by showing up at Spear's Barb-B-Que and Grill in Linville Falls (her *family* owns it) on a Sunday for lunch. She literally had NO CLUE we were even coming!! You should have seen the look on  her face!! (I would show you a pic if I had taken one!!)

Her in-laws were working on the grounds planting flowers in the flower beds, hanging baskets and anywhere else they will fit. I cannot tell you how gorgeous their gardens look. But I can *show* you!! Here are a few random shots that I took while there that afternoon....

Foxglove...

Snowball bush...

Not a flower or bush. But HOW COOL is this?? A birdbath with some cool ground cover in it. 

Wild Azalea....

On Saturday, May 7 a few of us from Trimont got together and had a scrapbook day. After all it was NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY!! {always the 1st Saturday in May!!} When I get together with other ladies at a crop I *never* get anything done!! Well I surprised myself and made this mini-album!! I have had this bird, chipboard album for a few months waiting to use it for these particular pictures. I LOVE how it turned out!! 

The pictures were some b&w's of Hannah in her wedding dress before she got married. Gorgeous!!

We {at the school} had our annual Walk-a-thon to raise money for the school. It is the biggest fundraiser of the year. It was warm that day. {May 13th} Can you tell that the 2 yr. old teachers were pretty much done by this time??  ;)  I would post some pictures of the kids but, even though this is not a social site, I don't want to post them without permission. All in all we had a BLAST!!!

This is Hannah at work...

Yes, she works in a bar. Well, actually a restaurant that has a bar. She is good at her job!!



This is Hannah and Whitney. It was the Sunday afternoon we surprised Hannah by just showing up in Linville Falls. Whitney is a Sweetie. She works at Spear's.

I always take pictures while driving in hopes that no one will see me. {I think Kevin thinks it's just like texting while driving.}

Here are a  few  taken on my way home from work over the past few weeks. Hope y'all enjoy them!!



That's about it for now. Enjoy the pics! Will hopefully add to this blog again and again.........

Love y'all!!  Nite nite!!