bon voayge...I hope!

Tomorrow, we head south to Port Canaveral

 to board this ship on Sunday.

Hopefully, things will go as planned...

no airplanes involved this time! :-)

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Look forward to telling you about it!

today's gifts

Here are a few of the things I am grateful for today:

231. the "nip" in the air
232. a new trip to look forward to!
233. the testimony of the faithful in the midst of suffering
234. birthdays...mine and others!
235. a hubby who finds bargains
236. a loving, serving Sunday School class
237. music that speaks to me where I am
238. sugar-free Hershey chocolate bites....happy, happy, happy!
239. being debt-free
240. knowing God loves me...all the time!

"No power in the sky above or in the earth below-

indeed, nothing in all creation

will ever be able to separate us from

the love of God that is revealed to us

in Christ Jesus."

Rom 8:39

NIV

he can "can"!

Hubby is a pepper man.

He loves black pepper, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers

and cayenne peppers.

He planted cayenne peppers in his garden this year 

and they have been very productive!

He has enjoyed them with his meals and wanted

to preserve some.

So, he went on line and found a recipe for picking peppers.

When I asked him why he picked this particular recipe,

he pointed to the first word in the tittle of the recipe...

EASY!! :-)

And it was...3 ingredients plus peppers.

In no time at all, he had 8 pints of peppers!

Voila!!

He waited a few weeks, opened a jar and tasted one.

He said they are better than the fresh ones!

So, he is a"happy canner"!

When he retired, he pretty much took over the dish washing chore.

Now, he is canning...wonder what he will try next! :-)

a little bit like home

Ronald is always there to greet us when we take our turn

cooking dinner for the families staying at his house.

We are so blessed to have this ministry here in Middle Georgia.

They care for hurting families by offering them

the comforts of home. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity, along with my friends,

to serve those families four times a year.

Tonight, we met a four year old named Lexi and her mom.

Her little sister, who is one month old, has been in 

 hospitals since she was born.

She has multiple problems, but her mom said,

"She is fighting!"

We saw pictures...she is a doll!

Praying for her, her family and her doctors

and hoping she gets to go home soon!

the big 6-0!

Yes, I celebrated a significant birthday this week. 

I had the opportunity to take the day off from work

so that made it easier to really enjoy the day.

Hubby took me "browsing" again!

This is a huge warehouse full of interesting things

located in a" town within a city"....

Payne City inside the city limits of Macon.

I don't quite understand that...but I like this place!

Then we went to lunch.

Our daughter recommended this place...

a small local Italian restaurant where they

make their pasta fresh in house.

She and her family met us there.

 

Little E wasn't too interested in eating..

which is unusual for her.

 

But she was happy to be there...

love that grin!

 

It was a neat little place.

The food was good and the company was sweet!

When we got home, we booked a cruise to

St Thomas and St Martien! (woohoo!)

Later, Hubby picked up our dinner...

wings from Sonny's BBQ (my favorite!)

and turtle cheesecake...yum!

A surprise visit by a dear friend, phone calls from my 

sons, DIL, and grandson, a picture text from my Tenn girls,

many other calls, texts, and facebook messages all

contributed to making my day very special.

Hubby knows I love daisies..."they're such a happy flower!"

And I loved this birthday....it was happy, too!

plan b

Well, we heard from the insurance company and they denied our claim. It seems they only cover
sickness or death! So, the Alaska trip will have to wait until next year. Hubby starts his seasonal job in Oct, so we only have a couple of weeks to make a plan and go somewhere else....or not! If we are going, I would like to go where we have never been... and there are lots of places we have never been! Hubby doesn't want to go as much as I do...willing to go but not excited about it. Really had his heart set on Alaska and is uninspired to plan something else. So, I'm going to do some research and see what I can find. Any suggestions?

them thar hills...

...are calling me again! But, this time it's

the hills of Tenn calling me to watch our 

grandgirlies play soccer!

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Hubby and I leave tomorrow.

Can't wait to see those girls...

and their mom and dad, too! :-)

puttering around

On Sunday, in Franklin, NC, we passed this little place.
One U-turn later, we were in their parking lot!

Inside we found this replica of an old airplane...

and this classic...the truck I mean! :-)

A caboose...appropriate decor for a "whistle stop"!

It was a big place with lots to see. I bought a framed print

for our bedroom.The frame needs a coat of paint

and then it will be perfect.

Saturday, after visiting Moccasin Creek, we did a drive-thru

in Helen, Georgia's Alpine Village.

We have been there many times, but it has been a while. 

I didn't really want to shop there, but  

thought it would be interesting to see how it had changed.

 Sadly, it is much more commercialized and, boy, was it crowded!

So, I snapped a picture and we kept going!

In Clayton, we spotted an indoor flea market

 and decided to check it out.

There was furniture, collectibles, thousands of albums,

jewelry, leather goods and this...

This was definitely a "one stop shopping" flea market!!

We ventured downtown to find most of the stores closed 

because it was Sunday. 

But we spotted an ice cream parlor and made a bee-line

for it. On the way, Hubby saw a shop across the street

with his name on it!

Had to get a picture of that!!

There were other shops and another flea market.
It was fun poking around and finding some treasures.
Sometimes, you just don't know what you need until you see it! :-)
What we did need was a little get away...
we got that...and it was fun!! :-)

the mountains were calling my name

We made our way north to Dillard in the beautiful

Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia

and had four days of rest, recreation

 and relaxation.

Funny thing, it looked more like we were in the Smokies.

I was disappointed that the fog and mist hid much 

of the beauty of the area. It's hard to appreciate

the grand vista in these shots.

Below we are at Black Rock Mountain State Park...

the highest state park in Georgia.

We've never camped here and

probably never will... it's a long, steep drive

to the top!

Moccasin Creek State Park is a popular park. 

So popular, in fact, that we were never able to get a reservation

when we were camping with our kids.

We usually stayed in another campground about 3 miles 

down the road. We always spent some time at the park, though.

This creek, that runs along side the park, (and onto Lake Burton)

 is fed rainbow trout from a state fish hatchery next door.

Only children 11 and under and adults over 65

 can fish in the creek. Our boys caught their first fish there.

Now that Hubby is old enough to put his line in,

 we may try at least one more time to get that elusive reservation!

Sunday, we made the short drive to Franklin, NC

(about 16 mi) turned right and headed to Highlands

in search of waterfalls.

Cullasaja Falls came first...

you can't get close, but there was a place to park

 so you could view it from the road.

Pretty!

 Second was Dry Falls...interesting name for a water fall!

We walked down some steps...a bunch of steps...

and were able to walk behind the falls.

Cool...and Damp!

This welcomed us into Highlands...

a beautiful view!

 Amazing!

 Below, is Tallulah Gorge. I couldn't get a good picture,

so this is from Google.  It is 2 miles long and about 

1000 ft deep. The Tallulah River runs through it and

there are several waterfalls to see...if you are brave enough

to venture down one of the trails to the floor of the gorge.
We camped at the campground here a few times.
We stopped in to visit and they have "refreshed" the sites.
We may be paying them a visit in the future, too!

In 1970, Karl Wallenda, "The Great Wallenda",

walked across the gorge on a high wire.

That would have been a sight to see...

and the tickets were only $6!!

We had lovely weather... a little rain, but very little

and the temps were comfortable.

We saw some other interesting things and ate some tasty food, too.

More on that next time!

postcard from the mountains

Having a great time...seeing some beautiful scenery!

Home tomorrow!