Almost Christmas!

Last night I worked on large covered boxes to hold a craft I am putting together for my granddaughters and niece.  This will be given to them on Christmas Day - when I finish this project, I plan to show it on this blog - so stay tuned!

Also, I had planned to use the following picture for my Christmas card this year.  Unfortunately, it is not going to happen (not this year anyway!)

Love this picture!  Last year, Mike's birthday was on Thanksgiving Day and he turned 60.  So, we left after lunch on Thanksgiving Day and I surprised him with a trip to Grove Park Inn.
Once Santa left his sleigh, I talked Mike into letting me take this picture.

Of course, Grove Park Inn was having its annual Gingerbread House competition.  Here is a picture of the winning entry.

The detail was unbelievable on this - The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe!  I could even see the little bunk beds inside the door on the second floor!  This was showcased within a glass window on a turn wheel - amazing!  Everywhere we went at Grove Park Inn I saw little Gingerbread displays.  There were probably as many guests staying at the Inn as some little towns in eastern, North Carolina.  Hopefully, we will get to return another year.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like. . .

Thanksgiving is over and so are our birthdays. . .  Mike, Garrett and I all have birthdays the week of Thanksgiving:

Here's a close-up picture of my flowers from my surprise birthday party!!

Bri playing in the leaves that did not get picked up BEFORE Thanksgiving!

 So, now it's on to Christmas!  Here are a few pictures to show my early decorating "attempts!"  Garrett thinks my tree looks funny, but Madison and Bri loved it.  They came over to help me decorate Sunday night.  I went back to some of my older ornaments and do not have the right topper for my tree yet.    

 Winter Wonderland Quilt I made a couple of years ago.  Below is a close up of the snowmen.

   

 Sweet little church!  I bought this ornament many years ago.

Madison did not like the nativity under the tree so she helped me rearrange the living room to put in on this chest.

 Cute snowman for our 1/2 bath!

 We might not actually get to see a snowman this year if we have a warm winter as predicted!

The view of my living room coming down my stairs.

Some Things I Am Thankful For

Now that I am up and running again - here are some recent pictures I took.  Also, many of these pictures show a few of the things I am thankful for:

 Nancy Hale came from Texas to do research with me on her Roberson family from Martin County.  My husband, Mike, is her third cousin.  Uncle J. T. is her second cousin once removed.  I corresponded with her through Ancestry.Com.  When she was in the area, she came to visit us!  How cool - meeting new relatives!!!

 I am thankful for my granddaughters, Madison and Bri.  Here they are dressed up for Halloween as 80's Girls!  So, I told them "You dressed up like your Mom!" who was a real life 80s girl!

 I love to craft and am very thankful to have met Sharon Stewart, Debbie Powell and others who have helped me learn all sorts of new skills!  I am thankful for all the crafts I have made for my home.  This Santa was finished by me last night!

 Accidental Artist is a fun place to visit!  I painted this pitcher there!  Also, I am thankful for the friends that I have met there and all the nice staff that help me paint : )

 A penny mat that I made at Sharon's home

 Another Sharon design - I had to learn to quilt (Debbie Powell was my teacher for quilting) in order to put these Calendar Girls together in a quilt!!

 One of my first pieces.  A pattern from Sharon.

 After meeting with Nancy Hale - we discovered Smithwick Creek Primitive Baptist in Martin County.  So, a couple of Saturdays ago Mike and I went searching for it!  It was built in 1803.  Uncle J. T. said that his dad, Henry Hodges, use to attend church there.  I am thankful that we have freedom of religion in the US!

 The Baptismal that was moved to the church site to avoid flooding.

 A picture of part of our farm in Washington.  I am thankful for being able to grow a garden and spend time outside because of our farm.  I, also, love the area and being among so many of Mike's relatives!

Mike planted this pine tree the year after we were married.  I am thankful for my wonderful husband of 40 years!

Hope all of you have many things to be thankful for, also!

Hooray!

I was playing around with my site set-up a month ago, and I could not figure out of to sign back in to update my blog!  Hooray!  Today I figured how to sign-in - so, to honor this here are some recent pictures I took!

 Some crafting friends at Sharon Stewart's home.  We were covering boxes with material and making pin cushions - simple things make us happy : )

 Some more ladies being happy and we even had chocolate!

 One of my scrapbooking "sisters" from church, Anne Heritage.

My "Christmas in July" group at St. James UMC.  People ask me "when do you sleep?!" since I am lucky to be involved with so many groups!

Hopefully, like me, your problems today are small and you are able to figure out how to correct them!

OBX

Mike and I went to the Outer Banks a few days ago.  It is fun to visit the OBX once the kids go back to school and fewer folks are taking vacations.

We stayed at a lovely old B&B in Wanchese called the Island House of Wanchese.  Mike and I spent a lot of time in Manteo.  It was great spending time just talking to folks we had never met.  We found several people that were on "beach time" and had some great conversations!  I did not agree with all they had to say, but that didn't matter.  I like hearing other people's opinions and figuring out how they came to have them! 

This is the beach at Ocean Waves Campground.  We use to camp there a lot when Heather and Greg were younger.  We were surprised at how much the sandy beach area has increased!  The sea oats aren't doing bad, either!

After a new inlet appeared after a storm last year, the Army Corp of Engineers built this new makeshift bridge on Hwy 12!

They were having a surfing competition at the pier.  I don't think the waves were as large as the surfers needed!

Cold Mountain, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Blood Done Wrote My Name, etc.

So, what do all these books have in common?  A couple of things actually!

1.  They were books that became films.
2.  The authors have (or did) live in North Carolina.
3.  The authors of these books were all at the Literary Homecoming at East Carolina University this past
     weekend (and the list of books above does not include all the authors that attended!)

I was at the event Friday night and Saturday.  What fun it was to listen to the authors of these books plus many more!  Some of the writers were subdued, one especially outspoken, one a little eccentric. . .

At lunch, the author of The Big Fish, read letters he would leave under his mother's bedroom door when he was 17.  If she woke up, she would know he had made it home.  The letters became little stories about the relationship between Brenda and her boyfriend, Lee.  As he read us the pages his mom had kept about Brenda and Lee, the audience couldn't stop laughing!!

I took a couple of writing workshops that were taught by James Dodson and Lois Duncan.  They both shared some great tips about writing.

Except for lunch, the event(s) were free.  It was an enjoyable night and day listening to their tales, hearing their insights about films and writing, and learning about their personalities.

Can't wait until next year!

This picture is of Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.  It has nothing to do with the event this past weekend, except that Charles Frazier said that he would meet with people at this inn when they discussed filming Cold Mountain!!

Happy Birthday, Greg!

My middle child, Greg, turned 30 today.  So, he is no longer a child.  However, I enjoy looking at his childhood pictures.  He always had a smile and  usually you could see his dimples!  In most pictures, he is goofing off or looking very mischievous! 

When he was a baby at daycare, a television crew came by to take pictures to advertise their channel.  Greg was the only one that would give them a big smile, therefore, he was the only child at the daycare to be in their commercial.  Mike's grandmother loved this commercial and would always tell us when she spotted Greg on tv.

Today, he seems much more serious but still has a great smile!  Happy Birthday, Greg!

                                                  Greg with his nieces, Madison and Brianna