Christmas musings

December 27 and Christmas decorations are down and the house is back in order, except for the boxes and bins that need to be stowed downstairs. I've got chicken and broth simmering on the stove to make some "Jewish penicillin" in hopes of getting rid of this cold which thankfully waited until after Christmas to manifest itself. We had snow on Christmas Eve which made it beautiful but the sidewalks are fairly clear now and I made it out to walk for a bit this afternoon as it was sunny and beautiful.

We enjoyed Christmas Eve with the kids. Wish Matt and Sherlyn could have been here but they were able to come for Thanksgiving which was awesome. Since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year the other meetings were canceled and we all just had Sacrament  Meeting and so got to start our celebration earlier this year. We did things in a slightly different order so that we could get the important things done before Chad and Anney wanted to leave early with Finley. They're at the point in their little family where they want to start their own Christmas Eve traditions and I fully support that. Finley was excited to make "strawberry cookies" for Santa when they got home. We had our traditional pizza, veggies and fruit and then it was time for the Christmas story from Luke with Finley moving around the Fisher Price nativity set pieces to go along with the narration. Time for presents after that and Finley was higher than a kite!  I had him open his "space" quilt first that I had made for him and it was a success.  He jumped into/out of it and wrapped it around himself and put a big smile on my face. He ended up with a themed year as I found a cute rocket ship toy, some rocket/space/astronaut books and then I made him an astronaut suit to dress up in. He was adorable.

After Chad and Anney left we watched "Muppet Christmas Carol" with Derek and Shelby. Zofia slept in my arms the whole time. Derek kept asking if I wanted to put her down. Heck no! I was loving snuggling with her. There's nothing like a new baby and to have her at Christmas time and ponder on the babe in the manger was especially poignant for me.

As this year winds down and the new year approaches I seem to spend a lot of time pondering on the whys, wheres, hows, etc. I need to make some changes in my life and hope I have the strength to do so. I had an awesome experience several weeks ago.  With kids that question church teachings at times I find myself needing to reassure myself that what I know is true and that questions I have will be answered eventually.  A few weeks ago the closing hymn in Sacrament Meeting was "I Know That My Redeemer Lives."  I was singing along, perhaps not totally paying attention to the words, when suddenly the words sunk deep into my soul. I felt a deep peace and a joy that I DO know that my Redeemer lives. As I wept through the rest of the song I knew that it was enough. I was grateful for that peace and answer that I had been seeking. I may not know everything, and I certainly don't understand everything, but I do know that my Redeemer lives!

Astronaut Finley

Astronaut Finley and his space quilt. It's so much fun to have kids to sew for again, although I think I need to remake his suit in a larger size. My boy is growing up too fast!

Christmas baking

It's so much fun to bake with this little boy. It's funny but sad in a way that I have a lot more patience with him than I did with my own boys when they were young.  I've learned a lot as I've grown and matured (which means that I've gotten really old). I know now that kitchen messes can be cleaned up, that little boys can't seem to avoid puddles and mud, that things that I thought mattered a lot didn't really matter, and that the most important thing is to spend time with the littles while they're little.

Santa

We have such wonderful neighbors who make sure to visit Finley every year at Christmas. Such a lucky little boy to get a personal visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!  He was very shy while they were here but as soon as they left he couldn't stop talking about their visit.

Zofia Rose

Our family gained a beautiful new addition today. Zofia Rose was born to proud parents Derek and Shelby. She's perfect and precious and we already adore her. It's very special to me that she's named after our Polish ancestor Zofia Lokietek who is my third great-grandmother. Zoe, as she will probably be called, will always have a special connection with Poland because of her name and her parent's love for the country.

Happy Birthday Finley!

We had a fun time with our favorite boy today. We took Chad, Anney and Finley out to breakfast at Jeremiah's to celebrate Chad and Finley's birthdays. After that it was my job to entertain Finley for a while while grandpa, mommy and daddy picked up a "big boy bed" for him and got it set up in his room. Anney made an adorable quilt for him (her first) and wanted to get in on the bed and all ready for him.  I took him up to Rainbow Gardens for a bit to kill some time and he loved sitting on the fun butterfly benches there. When I got the "all clear" and took him home his reaction was priceless. He wanted to know what they had done with his bed. Chad asked him if he liked his new bed and he said "no."  We all laughed. Chad informed us that within a few hours he had decided he liked it and happily spent the night in it. He's growing up so fast. Time needs to slow down just a bit.

November

 I'm loving this weather! A week before Thanksgiving and the roses are still blooming. It always fun to play in the leaves too when you're three years old!

Baby girl quilt

Anxiously awaiting the birth of our granddaughter later this month. At least I got her quilt finished before she got here!

Halloween fun

A grandpa and a clown, the best of friends.  When his mom and dad asked Finley what he wanted to be for Halloween he said "Grandpa Myler!"  So...Anney made him a cardigan since Doug always wears a sweater around the house, and a grandpa was born. Too cute!

We're always looking for an excuse to bake with this boy!

A boy and a chair

My Uncle Jerry made this metal rocking chair for me when I was about Finley's age (yes, it qualifies as an antique). He also made me a doll bed that I plan to refinish soon. I love having these things from my childhood and seeing my grandchild(ren) enjoy them years later.

Day 9

Headed back to Charlotte since we fly home tomorrow. We didn't really have any plans for the day so got online to see what kinds of things there were to do in the area. We found a fabric shop and visited it but I didn't buy anything since I have enough fabric to last well beyond this life but it was fun to see different prints and patterns that related to the area. We discovered that the birthplace of James K. Polk was in the area and there was a free museum so off we went. Doug is a history and museum buff so it seemed like a good idea. It was a beautiful setting in Pineville, North Carolina. We were on the actual land where he had been born but none of the original buildings had survived so the ones we toured were cabins from the same time period that had been moved to this location. The young volunteer was glad to have someone to take around and it was fun to learn a little bit more about life in the past. There was an old graveyard that we visited as well with some fascinating carved headstones.

We were both interested when we saw a creation with corncobs hooked to a board with a handle. I was trying to figure out if it was a broom but the brooms were made from straw. The volunteer said it was a mop and that the dry corncobs absorbed the water very well. Ingenious!

On the way back to the hotel we passed a farm stand/store and decided to stop. Wow, I'm glad we did. They had boiled peanuts so we bought a bag and sat in the car and ate them. So yummy! I'd love to try and make them at home but I don't think I can find green, unripe peanuts anywhere in Utah. We also found some peach ice cream. We learned on this trip that South Carolina is the second largest producer of peaches in the country, behind California.

Tomorrow it's up early to head to the airport and back home to ruts and reality. It's been a wonderful trip and I always love spending time with my best friend, seeing new things and just enjoying being together!

Day 8

I had blueberry pancakes this morning while Doug had the "light" breakfast again.  It was hard saying goodbye to that peaceful place with the amazing food. We headed out for South Carolina after breakfast. It was a rather boring drive on an interstate the whole way. It gets tiring being on winding mountain roads but it's easier to stay awake and be alert in that situation.  Doug drove halfway and I drove halfway and we made it in one piece. We stopped in Simpsonville for lunch at a Coach House restaurant. I had salty but good chicken and dumplings. We had to kill time so stopped in at a quilt shop. I almost bought some things but reality reared its head and reminded me that I have plenty of fabric and also have upcoming dental bills. We drove over to the Day's Inn where we had reservations only to find out that they had reserved a smoking room for us and didn't have any nonsmoking ones left. So, we cancelled, got on the Hotels.com and found a room at a Best Western in Piedmont, just outside of Greenville. Checked in, tried to nap, and then headed to downtown Greenville to the Reedy Falls Park, a beautiful park with gardens, sculptures and walkways along the river. There's a suspension bridge with a view of the falls.  Of course, I prefer the mountain waterfalls but it was still pretty. We wandered along the paths for a while, walked up and down Main Street reading menus and trying to decide where to eat, and finally ended up at Smoke on the Water, a BBQ restaurant. The ribs were amazing but there was way too much food and I ended up leaving more than half my meal. I hate to do that but oh well.  Back to the hotel to veg for a bit before bedtime.  Tomorrow we head back to Charlotte since we fly out the next day.

Day 7

I had blackberry cream stuffed waffles this morning and Doug had eggs benedict. Boy, I'm going to miss this place! One more breakfast here and then the next day is going to be a stale pastry from Days Inn. That's going to be harsh! Of course, I'm sure I've gained back several of the pounds I lost so once we ge home it's back to the gym for me and back to living on yogurt, fruits and veggies.

After breakfast we drove to Sevierville for church....along a winding mountain road. I thought it might be a very small ward but it was a big building and the chapel and overflow were packed.  Of course, there was a missionary farewell and the ward got a new bishopric, all on one day. It was a great meeting and I'm glad we were there. It's always comforting to attend a meeting away from home and feel at home and comfortable there.

We tried to find a covered bridge but had no luck. Came back to the Inn and asked one of the employees and found out it was only a few miles from here. So...we went in a pouring rain to take pictures. We sat around all yesterday afternoon on a nice day and could've gone then had we known where it was. Doug is a good sport though and knows I love covered bridges so sloshed through the mud and puddles with me. Came back to the Inn and ate peanut butter sandwiches and assorted things we had packed. We didn't have enough for two meals but at least that way we only had to purchase one meal on Sunday.  We Face Timed with Chad, Anney and Finley for 10-15 minutes. Finley was being silly and making faces but it was still good to talk to him. We've missed him! Nap time next then to a yummy Italian restaurant for dinner. I think we'll be emanating garlic for days though. The Inn had DVDs so we grabbed "An American in Paris" and watched that tonight. Catching up in our journals and off to bed. We're headed to South Carolina tomorrow. I'm not sure what we're going to find to do in the rain but oh well!

Day 6

We both had yummy bananas foster french toast this morning. We didn't really have any definite plans for the day.  We definitely planned a longer vacation than we needed for what we wanted to see. We could've easily flown home today and still felt like we had a great vacation but our flight doesn't go out until Wednesday and it costs too much to change at this point. So we spent the morning wandering around some shops. Visited an Appalachian dulcimer shop and talked to the fascinating craftsman and musician there. I bought three of his CDs. It's such a relaxing sound and will be great to listen to while sewing.  I told him that's what I'd do and he said that he always has really good sales at quilt shows for that reason. The dulcimers he makes are beautiful. I didn't dare ask the price....

As we were driving through town I saw a salt and pepper shaker museum, rolled my eyes, and laughingly pointed it out to Doug. Well...he wanted to go visit it. Why? Because his mom collected salt and pepper shakers. So, off we went. It was interesting and slightly kitschy. However, now I can tell everyone that I've been to the only salt and pepper shaker museum in the world!  Doug saw several sets that his mom had owned and bought a set each for Joleen and Beth.

Napped this afternoon, went to a grocery store to get food for tomorrow, and now just waiting until dinner. We decided to just eat here tonight. They serve a meal each night and the breakfasts have been so good that I'm sure the dinner will be great.  We'll be driving into Sevierville in the morning for church. It will probably take about 45 minutes to get there. While there's a church on every corner, and several in between (I've never seen so many churches before; we're definitely in the Bible Belt) we've only seen one LDS chapel on our trip and that was back in North Carolina. I think church members are few and far between here. I take for granted the few steps I have to walk to church on Sunday morning.

Day 5

Yummy pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. They have three options every morning. Doug chose the "lighter fare" and had a huge fruit and yogurt parfait and an even bigger bowl of oatmeal. Mine was the best! They have the recipe on their website so I'm definitely going to make them at home. They take buttermilk but since I have a never ending supply of whey I'll try it that way and see how they are.

When I checked on the 123 stitching board and asked locals what to do in this area they all said Cade's Cove. So that was today's destination. Surprisingly the road there was a winding, twisting mountain road. The cove road itself was an 11 mile loop. We read in the guides that the loop could take 2-4 hours. Yup, it could, especially when you get behind people driving less than 5 MPH. It was interesting though and we enjoyed it. We got out of the car and walked to one of the original cabins in the area, built around 1820. Stopped at two Baptist and one Methodist church with graveyards. I immediately started singing "Come to the church in the wildwood" to myself. There was a male quarter singing gospel songs in one of the Baptist churches. I could've listened to them for a long time. We picnicked on the grounds by the visitor's center and then saw an old,  but still functioning gristmill. I found it fascinating. I've never seen one in operation. They were actually grinding corn into meal and selling it.

We saw a sign for a waterfall on the way to the cove and so decided to check it out on the way back. It was a 2.6 round trip, 300 foot elevation rise hike up to it. It was hot and I was tired and when we finally reached the top after forty minutes it was all I could do not to say loudly, "Is this it? You've got to be kidding me!"  Needless to say it was a bit disappointing after the gorgeous falls we'd seen in North Carolina. However, the scenic overlook was definitely spectacular and so that part was well worth the climb.

Stopped at a little cafe and got ribs for dinner. Vegetated in the room for the rest of the evening.

Day 4

More grits (yum) along with a cheddar choice scone and an asparagus frittata. Packed up and headed to Saluda to check out Pearson's Falls after a recommendation from the innkeeper. What a beautiful spot! I think this is the waterfall pictured on most of North Carolina's brochures.

 It was a beautiful drive there, through more gorgeous forests on twisty roads. We've definitely hit our share of winding roads on this trip! It was that way most of the way today into Gatlinburg too but instead of 25-30 MPH single lane roads this was a fast paced highway with lots and lots of semis! I was quite glad to pull off that and back onto hairpin curves and a single lane with no traffic. We already had apples and some cheese and crackers but stopped at a bakery/general store and picked up some dill goat cheese and assorted baked goods.  We ate those while driving and it helped to make the trip go faster. We pulled into the Buckhorn Inn around 3PM. It's a beautiful Inn tucked away in the mountains and away from the noise and bustle of the tourist city. The view of the Smoky Mountains from the back porch was gorgeous.

Rested for a bit and then headed to Pigeon Forge for the Dixie Stampede dinner show. That was a fun night with good food to boot! There was a little boy sitting next to us who was fascinated with the horses, buffalo, pigs, etc. It made us miss Finley and wish he were there watching with us. Fun night! Tomorrow we head to Cade's Cove in the Smokies. We're having the Inn pack us a lunch to take.

Day 3

More grits this morning but made by a different cook so totally different. These ones were rich with cream but more savory with I think onion and garlic. They were really good too. We were also served a frittata and a blueberry scone. Yum! After breakfast we headed to DuPont State Park, a beautiful forest where "Last of the Mohicans" and "Hunger Games" were filmed. I've never seen either of them though... We visited two waterfalls there, Hooker and Triple Falls. We climbed down (and then back up) over 350 stairs today. My calves are burning! We did quite a bit of hiking on an incline too so my FitBit gave me credit for 52 flights of stairs. It's no wonder I'm tired tonight!

We drove to Brevard and had lunch at a BBQ place but while they were smoking ribs and they smelled divine, they don't serve them until dinner. I was sad. We decided to try boiled peanuts as an appetizer, not having any idea if we'd like them or not, and we loved them! After lunch we visited two more waterfalls, Looking Glass in the Pisgah National Forest and Graveyard Falls off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views off the parkway were awesome, but would be spectacular in 3-4 weeks when the colors change.  Back to Hendersonville and another meal of apples, cheese and donuts. Tomorrow we head to the Gatlinbug, Tennessee area.

Day 2

Breakfast at a B&B is usually a treat. I'll admit I was a bit disappointed when the lady told us she was making bacon and eggs. She offered a choice of grits or hash browns too. Well....the grits were divine and there was no disappointment there. I think there was at least a fourth cup of butter per serving.  She said they also had heavy cream, cream cheese and chicken stock. Yum. Finally got out the door and headed to the Biltmore. We need to get moving a little faster tomorrow but then again it's nice to not really have a schedule to keep.

Biltmore was beautiful and fascinating. Lots of history, lots of art, lots of stairs! I'm disappointed that my pictures didn't turn out better. Some day I need to learn how to use this camera....  The gardens were lovely but would've been breathtaking a few months ago. We're kind of between things here; the flowers are on their way out but the leaves haven't started to turn yet.

Stopped at an apple orchard on the way back and bought apple cider, apple cake, apple donuts, apples, and cheese. Guess what's for dinner tonight? After that huge breakfast and a fairly big lunch at the Stable cafe at Biltmore (the restaurant is actually in the former stables and they're nicer than many people's homes...) we're not hungry for a big dinner.

Day 1 of our adventure

The alarm was set to go off at 4AM, however, I woke up at 2:30, this after not getting to sleep until about midnight. It's been a long day.... We drove to Murray to park at Derek and Shelby's place and then Derek took us to the airport. On the way he told us the tragic news of a mass shooting in Las Vegas last night. At last count there are 58 dead and over 500 wounded. My heart is broken. I just don't understand. When we got to the airport every TV was showing news coverage. I just don't understand.

We flew to Denver, had a long enough layover to grab some yogurt and pastries to take on the plane for the next leg into Charlotte. Doug spent most of that flight talking to the guy next to him while I alternately read and zoned. Rented a vehicle and drove 97 miles to Hendersonville. We're staying at an 1880s mansion with some great architectural details and fun antiques. I think we have the place to ourself tonight. Evidently the town closes down on Monday so there weren't many places to eat. We found a great Japanese place though where Doug had sushi and I had noodles with veggies and chicken.  Now we're in lala land. The lack of sleep is catching up to me since the last few nights have been really bad. Hopefully we can sleep tonight. Unfortunately the cute house is on a busy and noisy road.... and...it's cold in here.

Tomorrow we visit the Biltmore.