Christmas Blessings!

Paul & I went to Atlanta on Christmas Eve and spent several days there with the kids. Hey, you guys were great hosts and hostesses and thank you very much for that! These pictures are of our Atlanta Christmas blessings. We have more blessings floating around (like in Orlando, for example) but these are the ones we have pictures of to share from this Christmas! Enjoy!

The first picture is of Mr. Paul with his camouflage hat (decorated with Christmas bows!) and his waders (for metal detecting in the rivers, of course!) He seemed quite pleased with these things ... as his expression eludes to (I think?).

Next - the three amigos (left to right are Cade, Christian and Austin) eating their Christmas lunchables! (what else!?!) Next picture is a very blurry (sorry you guys) picture of Jenn and her husband Vic ... and Jenn is as "healthy as a horse" this Christmas ~ which has been THE absolute number one Christmas blessing and we are most grateful! Next pic is Jon and his Melissa ... followed by Cade, Austin and Christian the Builder (with his assistant Paul-Paul) and finally my very favorite picture of the three amigos ... they are so very precious and definitely BIG blessings! So ... more details later, just sharing pictures today! Paul & I are back home, safe and sound, and a little bit tired! Happy New Year to all!!!!! Paul & Cheri

Multi-Tasking!

As I'm sure the rest of the Christmas celebrating folks can relate to, 'tis the season to multi-task. Along with our painting projects, our insulating the basement, our day-to-day lives in Elk Park, NC, there has come this gargantuan task of preparing for the celebration of the Christmas holiday! I, for one, am a BIG celebrator of the joy and happiness of the holiday spirit, so I definitely prepare and celebrate!

As you can see, Christian and I fully decorated while he was here, so we are certain the spirit of Christmas will live in this house while we go to Atlanta to celebrate the days of Christmas with the boys! Whatever decorations we could not find in the "box room" are certainly not going to be missed!

Our packages are wrapped (I finished the last of it today~ YEAH!!!!!) and the mailings are finished. So, we can now return to the dizzying tasks we were ignoring. (you know, washing clothes, dishes, etc!) However, I still have quite a bit of holiday baking to do and we are entertaining for our first time since the move on Saturday night. Our first Christmas dinner in this house! Just hoping Paul will feel better and be able to enjoy his coveted triffle! He, of course, now has the crud that has so generously shared itself amongst us all.

Paul insulated the kitchen floor over the weekend (thank goodness it's so much warmer!) and was fully dust coated upon completion! We were lucky to have found a carpet business that was getting rid of "off cuts" and remnants. So, being the thrifty homeowners we have now become, we jumped upon that opportunity! It is proving to make wonderful insulation for our humble, albeit drafty abode! Only 2,000 sq. ft. to go!!!!

I finished doing the faux wash in the kitchen. It warmed up the room nicely (feels like a kitchen now!) and sort of looks like the background to an old world map! The above picture casts a pinkish tint that it doesn't actually have ~ I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Nice when a plan actually comes together!

We attended a Holiday Celebration at Dirk's house (Paul's boss) and met yet another slew of people. Eventually, we'll have a collection of people we can talk about ... for now it's mostly y'all! HA! Just kidding! We are still mostly tickled with our daily run ins with the locals and share all the little nuances of mountain life. It's actually been in the upper 60s here for several days! We have been very fortunate to have been warm for several days running! I know the cooler air is headed our way, but I'm so thankful to Mother Nature for having the heart to break us in slowly. I think our adjustment period might be coming to a screeching halt, but at least the Christmas shopping is done and I won't freeze going to and fro. :-) I'm hoping for safe traveling weather. We're going to Atlanta on Christmas Eve so we can have Christmas with the grandboys. Hopefully, the roads will remain clear going AND coming home! One never knows around here!

Hey, we also saw the new James Bond movie this weekend. A MUCH better flick than I had anticipated ... and so much better than the ones previously. I don't even like James Bond movies, but I somehow enjoyed this one. Could have been the blued eyed man that took over the 007 role. He was quite enjoyable. And for you men folk, there are some absolutely luscious ladies to watch. I know Charlotte's Web is probably the real movie to see, but I haven't seen it yet, so can't recommend it! ;-)

As of mid January I am going to be the ballet teacher at Carolina Cheer and Dance Company in Newland, NC. (The town with 2 stop lights) The gal who owns it is not from here either, and no one on staff is local. Should be interesting watching us break "them" all in! They haven't had a ballet program to date, so it'll be a new and exciting endeavor. I'm very excited about it, and excited to go back to work. I've had enough of being a renovator full time! Do y'all remember Ralph on Green Acres? Well, that's who I feel like most of the time! I'll be glad to get back to tights and leotards and plies and tendus. And for those of you who think I just began speaking another language, I did! It's french ... no worries. :-)

Well, will sign off and go check on the now sick Mr. Paul. He's probably ready to play x-box ... and if he's not, well, we'll know he's not feeling well at all. Y'all take good care and be careful out there running around with holiday spirit! Remember this, you mustn't try to be in the same place at the same time as another. There will most assuredly be impact! Cheers to all! Paul and Cheri

Lately!

Well, as you can clearly see, it's been snowing and frozen and cleared up yet again! I know it's frustrating to the snow boarders in town ... but I for one really appreciate mother nature just breaking us in a little at a time! I stay frozen, even when it's 50 degrees! The first picture is our beautiful wood pile and neighbors shed ... then there is a picture of where Paul works (Blue Mountain Metalworks) with a small blizzard in the back of his truck, then the frozen road in front of his workshop (which is right beside the police station in Banner Elk!) and finally, the full moon rising in my back yard (right out of my kitchen window!). Can you believe how blue the sky gets after the snow storm clears out all the gunk? It is absolutely breathtaking after the snow falls and the sky goes to blue. The air is crisp and the world is so silent and still! It's amazing! Especially coming from Orlando, I guess! I really enjoyed watching the moon rise up over the mountain! It was spectacular and took all of about 15 seconds!

We had a beautifully mild weekend. Paul worked on cleaning out the never ending mess in the basement (there is debris in there from the early 1900s, I'm sure of it!) along with trying to insulate a bit of it so we can feel our feet in the kitchen when it's really cold! The best part of the day was when Paul got to go to the local hardware store to acquire the burn permit. Isn't that where ya'll get your burn permits???? Lucky for us, that was the day we were going to the local Nutcracker, so he got to explain to Mike and all the hardware boys exactly what that meant! I would loved to have been a fly on the wall!!! But I was home faux washing the kitchen walls. Wow! Are they looking nice! I'll post pics IF I ever get finished! Christmas shopping has gotten in the schedule now ... so a lot of projects are on hold, yet again. When I went to the hardware store to get more staples, the boys did tell me they knew all about the Nutcracker now, and that they just don't think Paul's figured them out yet! Now, I ask you, who has who figured out around here!??! I'm still fighting this crazy cough and fever thing that I've had since Christian left. It makes me less than the girl I want to be! I have an appointment to meet with the lady who owns the local dance studio tomorrow about the possibility of teaching for her! Y'all keep your fingers crossed for me! It's time for me to get back to work (mandated first by the bank account, of course!) I know it's going to be an interesting change, no matter where I go to work. The Nutcracker that we saw was quite good, and a big different show than what we've been seeing for years! The director/choreographer/producer was phenomenally brave as she used 50 or so little uns (under 5!) and all kinds of things were extremely well done. The Cavalier was elegant and quite nice to watch. We left very impressed, and of course, I left shivering. By the time we walked the 3/4 mile to the car in 18 degrees, got in the not heated car, drove 40 minutes home, I was in uncontrollable shivers! I know I'm going to get used to this, and I'm all for that happening! It's just for now, I shiver a lot! I'm sure all of you are busy with the same things we're trying to get busy doing, decking the halls, wrapping the gifts and such! Hopefully it doesn't take you an hour to drive to Target, which I did experience today! But when I got there, it was so worth it! Made me smile to be in a Target again! AND I found a Starbucks as a bonus prize for doing all the Christmas shopping! Our lives have changed a lot and we are always aware of that. But we are blessed and we know it! Hope you are all feeling much the same! All the best to everyone. Paul & Cheri

So much fun!!!

There is just nothing better than being a grandparent! I NEVER thought I'd be saying that! We had so much fun with Christian while he was here. And we miss him immensely now that he's gone back to his new house! I always seem to post the pictures in reverse order ... but you can still get the idea of our last weekend! Our neighbor (Mike - the hardware store contact) took us to his family tree farm and let us pick out the most magnificent live Christmas tree I've ever seen! We walked up a little hill (yeah, right - there are NO little hills around here!) and there it was, the first one Paul and I laid eyes on! As always, I am in awe of Mother Nature's gifts to us. As we went around the hill, we noticed the absolutely breath taking scenery. It's so beatufiul, there are not words to describe it. As Paul says, "look where we live!". Most assuredly I am speechless and overwhelmed at the generosity of Mike and his family. He says "Santy Claus done come and y'all just enjoy that". Trust me on that, we certainly will! Christian did ask "why does he talk like that?". Hmmm ... anyway .... then we went to see Santa Claus in Valle Crucis ... and boy did he have a big fat country accent! Christian had never befriended Santa Claus in the physical sense before, and he was quite brave! He walked right up, got up on his knee and proceeded to tell him he'd really like to have a new Cars movie and a new car. So, his theme for Santa Claus is cars ... however, he keeps telling us it's Thomas the Tank! The pics of Christian beside our 9 foot tall GORGEOUS tree captured his 4 x 4's in his hands, so there is a definite transportation thing going on in his little heart! And I'm sure Santa will figure it all out! After the Santa Claus visit we watched the Banner Elk Christmas parade. Oh my! What a great "small town" story! It was lead by the firetruck and rescue squad, as well as the sheriff and several snow plows! Then the General Lee (you know, Dukes of Hazard, orange "well I wish I was in the land of cotton" horn, confederate flag on the roof car) came down the street ... just like you'd expect. There were 2 high school marching bands and some other vehicles representing the mayor and some rich people who build cabins and condos! They all threw candy for Christian because he was so bright eyed and cute!!! So now we have 10 pounds (more or less) of parade candy sitting here for all to enjoy! After the parade we came home, introduced Christian to the tradition of hot chocolate and decorated our new tree ... or at the least the bottom third! We ran out of lights, so Paul Paul and Christian had to go get some more for us to finish! But the tree was decorated in time for Christian's mom and dad when they came Sunday night to pick him up! He was such a happy little fella to see his parents. Grandparents are a lot of fun, but moms and dads are first, and a perfect example of that was when the front door opened and mommy was standing there! So sweet!!!!

Now that Christian has gone home, it's very quiet here. Even the cats are quiet! We're expecting snow tomorrow, so we're just trying to enjoy the sunshine today! It's in the 50s now ... but supposed to be around 15 tonight! So all you Floridians think warm thoughts for us snowbunnies up here! I'm sure the snowboarders are going to be happy ~ they've waited a very long time for the white stuff to show up!!! We're looking forward to a weekend filled with household accomplishments and Saturday night we're going to see the local Nutcracker, presented by the dance studio where Paul's boss's (Dirk) daughter (Zoe) takes dance. They will be performing at the auditorium at ASU in Boone. And Zoe will be one of the angels, so we're very excited about the show! AND, we'll get to see the city again too! And it's supposed to be back up into the 20s by then! So, things are looking up! :-) Best to all! Paul & Cheri

Elk River Falls!

FINALLY found someone who would go rock climbing and hiking with me and NOT get frustrated because I am too slow! He's a perfect hiking buddy, in my opinion! We stopped at the top of the water fall and threw in dozens of rocks ... all varying techniques. Some of the rocks sort of floated down the water fall, some of them were thrown farther than the eye could see, and some sort of just got lobbed over the edge. It was definitely one of the highlights of the last several days in one little boy's opinion! We've had a wonderfully beautiful bout of weather for Christian's visit, so it has given us the opportunity to do lots of outdoor playing. We have a great back yard for kicking a soccer ball and throwing baseballs and such. And there is always the great tickling matches that reduce Christian to the most glorious fits of laughter I've ever heard! When I asked him what his favorite part of school is, he told me it was going home! We're so enjoying his precious, innocent energy. Paul Paul and I have big giggles with the hide and seek games we play with him. He loves to announce where he's hiding when the counter person says "ready or not, here I come" ... I just want to say thank you to his parents for so unselfishly letting him be a part of our lives. He really is a joy! And it is so nice to have a hiking partner that doesn't fuss at me for having short legs! Until later ... Nana and Paul Paul!

Our First House Guest!

Our first ever house guest arrived on Friday! He's raring and ready to be involved in whatever project we have to get involved in! During his mom and dad's move to their new house, Christian is staying here with Nana and Paul Paul to help us with getting settled in!! Today will be filled with more adventures here, and hopefully a little christmas decorating. Saturday we went to the Valle Crucis park and threw rocks into the river for hours! We also got to climb roped rock walls and swing and slide and all that comes along with the park! It was a beautiful FALL day here in winterland ~ so we REALLY took advantage of it (as you can see by Christian's sun glasses!). Yesterday was AGAIN a most beautiful day ... so we visited the local Elk Park Town Center park and played outside in the glorious blue sky and sunshine! I don't know why the weather has turned around, but we're certainly going to enjoy it while it's here. It's supposed to e nice and clear and warmish until Friday! Yippee!!!! I'm afraid the skiers who were here in droves for the Thanksgiving holiday went home sorely dissappointed in the weather and the skiing, but most of them turned to antique shopping, so maybe it worked out ok in the end! Paul Paul and Christian found some antiques out in the yard while they were metal detecting. The most exciting thing was an old metal toy race car ... seems to have come from long ago. I'm sure Paul has the details, but I forgot to ask about them! Paul got to play soccer yesterday for the first time in years. He came home with a big grin, a few burns and bruises and some sore muscles, but so very happy! That's always a good thing! And we have advil for the pain! So for now, I must go. Something about spilled cereal! Happy week after Thanksgiving to all! Paul & Cheri

It's here!!!

Winter is here! And it has arrived with greatness! It's simply beautiful! I love walking outside and listening ... the crisp clean quiet ... it is breathtaking. Well, of course it is, it's freezing! Walking in the winter wonderland, as the song goes! The first snow picture is our neighbor to the right as you're looking at our house (Bruce) ... the second is our house and the third is what I did on Saturday to invite this!!! Friday I took the pictures of the wood pile and the cropped trees. I just wanted to mention after so much grief, that the tree trimming saga is now history! They are all three trimmed beautifully and hopefully will be much healthier for it! So, now we're preparing to live in the snow. Paul keeps saying, "look where we live"! If nothing else, it's definitely different from the Orlando weather! We've been trying to accumulate warm work clothes for Paul (insulated work overalls and such!) and trying to insulate the house to make life warmer for us. We had a fantastic "root around" upstairs yesterday ... discovered all kinds of things in the attic, which is under the eves of this house. It was fun to figure out where the hidden walkways actually go. I would love to have been a kid growing up in this house! All the adventure~I'm sure there have been many before us! There are parts of the attic which have been insulated and boarded up ... and unfortunately parts which are truly open and letting cold air in! We actually found a HUGE (non living) wasp nest ... quite interesting to see how they're made ... but so far we've found no bags of money. However, we certainly haven't given up on that! We went to the local high school production of "the Diary of Anne Frank" yesterday and it was fun to support the local drama dept. The kids did a great job ... but I'm afraid I'm still just over the top about the Ailey performance!

I know y'all are wondering about the Queen B at the top of the page. Well, it's Paul's mum's birthday ... and so, Happy Birthday, Mum! Her name is Beryl, "B" for short ... so it's in her honor. It was one of the most fun mosaics I've done to date ... the whimsical stuff is a lot of fun and it's a nice compliment to all the painting I'm getting to do! Speaking of which, should go for now and get some of that done. I was rearranging the office and ran over Paul's x-box power cord and broke it. Now I'm trying to figure a way out of being hung at sunset! We certainly hope all of you are safe, warm and loved this Thanksgiving. I know we all have plenty to say grace over and I think Paul & I are especially blessed. We certainly wish for everyone else the same blessings and good fortune. Take good care and Happy Thanksgiving, Paul & Cheri

Before and After

Thought I'd show some befores and afters ... the horizon as we see it, before and after the frost hit yesterday (it is officially cold now and really quite beautiful!); before the x-box and after (the office is now gold w/ white trim ... but couldn't find that photo); the living room has gone from pink to whatever the hue is, but it's called some kind of dust (which is desert related, I'm thinking?); and the library went from half peeled off wallpaper and grunge to "paprika". On the photo of the paprika library you can see how pink the living room once was. So now you have an idea of what our color palette is doing ... as much of an idea as we have, anyway! The blue dining room will be going to an olive/steel green ~ the hallway and dining room are next, as well as the bedroom (which will be wallpaper, too many problems to hide with paint!). It's been great fun watching the transformation occur ... but the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step ... we're about 5 steps into it now!

Paul and I went to see Alvin Ailey II last night in Boone at Appalachian State University. It was by far the best dance show I've seen in ages ... we were both so very impressed and inspired when we left. There was a male dancer in the company, Jermaine Terry, who had been raised and trained by Judy James in Orlando ... he was excellent and it was so nice to see him "on the big stage" after watching him locally. Always give dance teachers the chills when a kid "makes it" ... bravo! I hope Judy is proud, he's excellent! The last one-third of the program was Alvin Ailey's authentic personal archived choreography to black gospel music and it was spectacular! It was the Revelations, Pilgrim of Sorrow, Take Me to the Water, and Move, Members, Move and it was MAGNIFICENT. The opening pose had me in tears ... it was so good. It was such a lovely program, and I'd like to openly thank Paul's boss, Dirk, for the gift of the tickets. What a wonderful welcome to NC indeed! IF any of you kids are reading this, ASU is a great school and has a wonderful dance program if you're interested at all. Paul and I'd be glad to host your visit if you want to come! Pass the word. :-)

I'm hoping today will take us back to Johnson City for a few supplies as it's supposed to begin snowing Monday ... for the season, I'm hearing. Apparently they started making snow on Sugar Mountain last night. The stars were so bright last night you could see constellations that you never knew existed before! It was brilliant! But it was really too cold to stand outside and name them all ... we had to do that in intervals! The last temperature reading before coming out of Banner Elk was 28 degrees. Brrrrrrr!! Apparently the beginning of ski season is Thanksgiving weekend ... so I guess things will be all "a-buzz" by next weekend! Maybe in a few weeks I'll get up enough nerve to try to ski ~ hmmmmm!

There are lots of birthdays and celebrations in our circle this month ... Paul's mum is Monday (20th), our friends: Sabrina is Wed.(22nd), Pennisu was the 5th and Valerie was the 8th and Dwayne was the 11th! Happy Birthday to ALL y'all!!!! :-)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and a very happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! Paul & Cheri

Might as well dance!

As my friend Valerie reminded me today,

"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."
— Japanese proverb

Saturday was a glorious t-shirt, yard working kind of day! We got out in the yard and began stacking, toting and chucking wood! We took a load to an elderly neighbor ... stacked a bunch on our fenceless land (yeah, the fence is gone!) and just left some for later! As you can plainly see, Paul was having his usual serious moments :-) making the task at hand a real pleasure instead of a chore. He's working on the "might as well dance" theme! We sure did enjoy the beautiful day ... but evening turned into a stormy night and Sunday morning brought snow! You don't have to wait long up here for the weather to turn! And the locals say it gets "hung up" here in the mountains. I think they've got the phrase just perfect! We actually made the long journey to Johnson City on Sunday afternoon and found a Barnes and Noble and had a GLORIOUS afternoon of lattes, teas, and books! It was delightful and quite the treat for us to get out away from the work and just enjoy life in the book store! So today brought work ... for us all. The tree trimmers came back after much ado about nothing over the weekend (they really just don't want to finish this job for some reason) and I'm hoping by tomorrow's end of business the trees will be finished and our business will conclude! Then it'll be more wood toting, chucking, stacking and delivering! But tis' nice to share ... I primered most of the what was left in that arena today ... the 30 foot hallway walls and cieling, the library wall that had to be "redone" after stripping the yuk off ... and the woodwork in the office. The library and the office are almost completely painted (halleluiah!) and the next step is the bedroom (which I think we've decided to wallpaper due to wall issues). The living room and dining room will be easy as they are straight paint jobs. Then we'll sand the floors downstairs and all will be well!!! Paul did a couple of installations at work and all went well for him, so today's been a good day! However, the best news of the month so far is that Christian is coming to visit the day after Thanksgiving for a week! I can't wait to get him up here. I sure hope he gets to see some snow and have some fun with it ... PaulPaul can't wait to share this big ole' yard with someone! It'll be a grandparent feast, I'm sure! So, until next time, be well and be happy. Paul & Cheri

One week today!

It's been one week today since we've seen hide or hair of our tree boys ... my friend Mike at the hardware store says I am a VERY impatient lady! Can you imagine that!? When I came home from my local grocery store visit yesterday, there was a VERY LARGE dump truck in my driveway. I'm hoping that means the tree boys will be here today ... and not that someone has stolen a truck and parked in in our yard! As of Sunday night, we no longer have any missing drywall in the kitchen ceiling! Yippee! Paul was quite impressive walking this large pieceof drywall up a ladder to our ceiling, (using his head as a mid balance point!) which is taller than 10 feet we've discovered. Guess we can have a pretty tall Christmas tree this year! Also, on Sunday, Paul installed our new beautiful pedestal sink ... so we are making progress around here! I rode up to Newland yesterday (about 8 miles from us, the town with 2 stop lights) and talked to a young lady who's opened a cheer and dance studio. She doesn't teach dance ... so I might just have a work opportunity very close to home. That would be lovely. I don't want to work until January, and she doesn't need me until then ... so perhaps it's a fit. We'll see! I'm practicing my patience! HA! I'm going to try to find Johnson City, TN today ... that's my big outing for the day! Johnson City has a Target and Old Navy ... Best Buy and things I haven't seen since I left the city. I think I'm hearing the buzzing of chain saws in my front yard! Apparently mountain time is different from the rest of the world ... a new dimension! Halleluiah! There are 6 men outside cutting, chopping, loading a dump truck, etc., etc.! Welcome to the country ... Happy weekend all! Paul & Cheri

Elk Park, NC ... things that make you go hmmmmmmmm

Now I ask you, if you had a perfectly beautiful brick chimney in your kitchen, would you dry wall over it and apply various different linoleums to it, finally settling on a brick pattern that looks like the brick underneath it????????? Well, they did that here! So ... yesterday I decided to begin the arduous task of removing the drywall and layers of linoleum and display the real thing! Things that make you go, "hmmmmm". The sink installation process has begun ... and oh, what a series of comedic moments we have had! As with any home project, it came with it's challenges, but when you add the age factor in of this home ... you just get some fun variables that you'd NEVER expect. We're learning! I chose the picture with the sink so you could see all the different wall coverings that have been installed through the years here ... the tile underneath the sink cabinet is actually linoleum! The backsplash above the dishwasher has the tile linoleum, then the brick linoleum, then some fruity contact paper over the whole thing. That, of course, will be coming off ... just trying to get the sink fitted first. So when the granite is cut to snuggle up to the sink, the fruity paper is removed and replaced with something a little more "us" ... (not that fruity doesn't describe us, I know!) and the fireplace is exposed, clean, and happy, this kitchen is going to be beautiful. This, of course, is our phase 1 remodel for the kitchen. Eventually we want to turn the whole thing around to face the mountain ... later! So, the plumbing parts are old and stripped and we went to our favorite hardware store right here in town center, Brinkley's. I'm sure we've paid their heat bill for the winter by now. Mike, who is also our neighbor, was so delighted to see us ~ especially because Paul was with me and it's a boy's club around here. So, they got to talking about things, and Mike realized we might need another piece of plumbing pipe later after store closing. He told us we could always just come on down to the house and get him ... and Paul said, "you mean, in case of emergency you will help people after hours?" and Mike said, "no, it don't have to be no emergency ... they're always just coming down there and getting me for stuff" ... so, you know we live in a small town! He only insists on whoever is in need be the one to drive him up to the store ... which is less than a mile from his house (he lives right behind us) !! The next conversation with Mike was about the guys next door shooting off their big guns ... and he was almost jumping up and down when he thought Paul was interested in buying a rifle. I thought he was gonna faint for a minute when he thought we didn't have a gun at all in our house. Poor man ... so far Mike's in a quandry as Paul (being a bonafide man) does not hunt, does not watch football, does not chew (tobacco) and does not have a cabinet full of guns. As Paul says, "we're not in Kansas any more"! Now, I have a few new friends too, of course. Jane Smith owns the antique store where I'm buying my new found old sink and stove ... and who knows what else. She's restoring an old theater here in town center, which I hope to get involved up to my elbows in. And she's all for that! Donna owns the Blessings coffee shop, which is attached to the antique section owned by Sherry, who I bought a gorgeous oriental cashmere 8 x 10 rug from for $30. I am not sure if it's going to match anything we have, but it was such a deal I had to buy it! Is that girlee, or what!?!? A local young lady has opened a cheer and dance company place in Newland, which is about 7 miles up the hill (where we have to go to do any real business - driver's license, etc.) and Paul ran into her at the DMV. She doesn't teach dance, only cheer, so I might be able to get a job at her place. There are opportunites every where I look ... the community center is in real need of after school stuff for the kids, elementary and middle school ... but what I really see around here is a desperate need to clothe and keep warm. There are so many folks here who live in little campers and trailers that are not heated, and some that aren't even plumbed. It reminds me of how lucky and fortunate we are and it keeps me remembering to say grace and be humble. We have tried to make sure no matter what else we do, we try to offer a smile to EVERYONE we see. I think some people haven't been smiled at for a very long time. And I know some of these folks in the remote areas around here don't get to eat on a consistent basis. The news is always reminding everyone to give coats that have been outgrown or no longer needed ... and I think that'll be my project for the first part of this coming week ... if I can find the box I put them all in!!! The picture of the half trimmed maple tree will give you an idea of the difference in 75 feet and say, 50 feet. Tree trimmers are apparently also a boy's club thing ... and my tree trimmers are not very good at scheduling. So, I'm going to set Paul in charge of their next "payment" and see if they might just finish the job. More things that make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. If they wink at you and call you honey, don't hire/trust them! Especially during hunting season! :-X We went to Elizabethton for dinner last night. It was fabulous to get away. We also go to go to Lowes for more plumbing parts (we decided to let Mike rest!) and we even went inside the Walmart for some paint for one of my mosaics. The drive home was incredible with the full moon over the mountains and the stars twinkling ... it is beautiful here. Today is once again a gorgeous day filled with blue sky and the sun is out, although it's still only 50ish. I'm learning to wear 3 shirts, it helps! Our chore for today is to get the plumbing working so we have a sink ... the bathroom sink also collapsed from the wall and busted last night ... so our plumbing is first on the list! Then I hope we get to take our Sunday drive and forget about everything but what the universe has provided for us to enjoy. Happy Sunday to all and have a wonderful week! Paul & Cheri

Halloween Boys

Here are our boys from Halloween! Christian, the train conductor, Cade, aka Captain Hook II, and Austin, aka Captain Hook Sr. I woke this morning to a memory of driving home from work one fine Georgia afternoon to see a lot of firetrucks parked on my street, in front of my house .... and the slow realization that my son, Jon, had tried to burn down the neighborhood. Well, he did have some help from the neighborhood hooligans, but he was the one left standing to "take the heat" quite literally! So, I thought I'd post these boys this morning in honor of boys everywhere and all the energy they seem to muster up for life and it's adventures. Today is the day Paul has deemed sink installation day! So we're off for breakfast to insure there is fuel in the tank for the day's big events! I will be hanging wall paper backing and trying to face painting yet another day ... as well as continuing to pull those darn carpet staples out of the floor and carpet strips from around the perimeter of each room. The day here today is simply and absolutely G O R G E O U S ... big blue skies and not a drop of moisture in sight! AND, it's over 40 degrees this morning - a heat wave! Happy Saturday to all! Paul & Cheri