Simple stamped flower

Stamp is from PB, it was colored with distressed markers and stamped on white cardstock.

It has gotten hot here in Eastern, NC. We have been very fortunate that the weather has been very nice, but that is over and it is officially SUMMER! The kids and I are settling into our new routine with not too much trouble. The boys are both early risers so they get up and play together, there are occasional scuffles but for the most part they are pretty good. Pixie sleeps in until 8:30-9:00 so I use this time to drink my coffee catch up on computers stuff and make notes for my day. We are tweaking Pixie’s new nap schedule trying to find the right time for her to nap. Now that I don’t have to pick open up from school we can let her nap in the afternoon.

Tomorrow the kids get to meet Chris’s Aunt, Uncle and Cousin, and I am so excited. They are coming to vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC and stopping by Chris’s parents house for dinner. Owen met her years ago, but they have never seen the two littles.  I am so looking forward to catching up with them. I hope DH will be able to come by. Quite a few things have created a huge workload for him and he has yet to dig out of it. I feel so bad that in after taking a little time off, he has had to work 15+ hour days including Sat. and Sunday.  But 10 house closing in 12 days will put anyone in a bind, and we just have to work through it.

Yesterday DH reminded me that today is our 19 year anniversary (of dating).  It was so sweet when I said Wow, who would have thought and he responded “me”. I am so incredible blessed to have this wonderful man as my Husband, father of my children and best friend.  Well enough rambling, enjoy your day, hope you have time to create!

Last day blues

We are sad to be leaving Boone today, we have had a wonderful time. I was afraid a week would be too long for everyone, but it went by so quick. We will miss the cabin, it was the nicest place I have ever been in! We will also miss the orange kitty that visited us everyday. It was particularly fond of Wyatt, and even came first thing this morning to say goodbye to him.

Yesterday we went to lunch in Blowing Rock, and the took the kids to Price Lake. They enjoyed playing in the water, and looking for fish. Then while Pixie took a nap we drove up to Grandfather Mountain, just to give her some time to sleep. We can't wait to come back and visit again. Wyatt is already planning where we will go next time.  Hope you have a great weekend. I am going to try to get back into my real life. Although it has been wonderful to take a break!

Grandfather Mountain

Just for my girl!

Our Cabin kitty, we will miss him!

She was trying to help Daddy

Looking for gems...

We have been having the best time, minus the frustrations with work for my DH. I feel so bad the aggravation he endures do to no fault of him. I know how it goes, and the only good or bad thing has been we don't have service at the cabin. We can tell someones called but hearing messages or talking to someone is not an option. The first day we were here, one of our machine operators quit or was fired. We don't really know the real story yet, but that has created a void on one of our jobs. Running a business is so stressful, and it's not something that you can ever leave at work. It is our lively hood, and consumes most of our lives, ultimately it's not the most important thing. However it does feed, cloth and shelter us, so we have to keep it going. I wish I could take the stress away from DH.

We tried a new place Gem mining, and it was great. We went to Foggy Mnt. Gem Mine, and they were wonderful. We found some beautiful rocks, some we are going to have cut and some we are saving for later. I plan on getting a rock tumbler when we get home, to smooth some of the non-valuable ones we found. I spent my time chasing after Pixie, who loved running up and down the rubber mat they had. She has enjoyed all the hills here, and loves going downhill. 

Later that day when it cleared up we took the kids to the park we found last year by accident. The kids enjoyed playing on the playground and in the river. This year I planned ahead and made sure I brought everyone a chance of clothes.

Our own modern day "Huck Finn"

It rained most of the morning we mined, but later it cleared up enough to take the kids back to Bass Lake. They caught quite a few fish, we watched the swans dive for food, and got some exercise around the loop.

I thought this was hysterical!

Pixie looks like she knows what she is doing!

Later that day we took the kids to Mast General Store, and the park behind the store. It has a beautiful playground, and a fun spot to play in the river. The kids had a great time getting wet and this time I planned ahead and brought a chance of clothes for everyone. Tomorrow will be my last post with some of last vacation pictures, next week I will have a crafty post for you.

Exploring

The last few days we have been exploring. Saturday we went to the local farmers Market. It was a very popular spot, DH almost canned the idea when we saw how many people were there. Luckily we found someone leaving and got a decent spot. They had all kinds of local foods, meats, breads, honey and jam. We got the best peach pound cake I have ever had, and a few mixes to take home to make sourdough bread. The kids got to see some bee hives up close (under glass) and taste the local wildflower honey. After exploring the market we went to Horn on the west, which is set up like a village some +250 years ago. They had actors portraying different characters and we learned how to cook a chicken like they did back then.

Later that day we went to Bass Lake, it was gorgeous. People were riding their horses on the trails, and other were relaxing or fishing by the lake.

Fishing paradise!

I love how sweet these two are to each other

We also went to Blowing Rock, and I have to say that was a huge disappointment. I guess I don't like when they make something into a tourist attraction and you leave feeling ripped off. The view was pretty, but not any nicer than the ones you can see for free from the Parkway. Last year we went to Grandfather Mountain, and while it was expensive there was tons to do there. If you wanted to hike you could spend all day doing that. At least we can say we have visited it, but we won't be going back.

Boone Vacation- Part 1

 

I am taking a break from craft posting for a few weeks, more on that on a later post.  We are on our family vacation in Boone, NC and I have high speed Internet! So exciting! So I am going to post our trip here for the next few days. I look forward to getting crafty soon, but for now here's what were up to...

Last year we stayed in a cabin that was nice, but had a few issues, one being the first night there was a mouse living in the shower. When I went to pull the curtain back he flew up to the wall and scarred me from ever wanting to take a shower in there. We never did see him again, so I am sure it was just as frightening for him! LOL! The place was located on a beautiful ridge, with a very steep drop, and no yard. With Pixie being so mobile, I feared for her falling straight down. I searched for weeks until I found this:

I want to live here forever!

The creek is right on the property, the boys are in heaven.

The Watuga river is right across our road.

 Wyatt has been beyond excited to go see Thomas, he has been asking how many sleeps for weeks. When we got to Tweetsie on Friday Wyatt had a breakdown, he was trembling and telling us he was scared. At tweetsie they work a cowboy and Indians skit into the ride. The Indians run onto the train and by the end even though they try to make it funny, a good bit of the little ones are crying. The first time Owen went before we had Wyatt he hid under the seats. Wyatt didn't seem fazed him at all before, but he must have been thinking about it for awhile. It broke my heart, because he was so excited, we came him lots of encouragement and reassured him he was safe, and he did great. After the ride he told me " it wasn't too scary".



9 year olds are not good photo subjects

Pixie and her daddy on the train ride

Pixie loves flowers.

Wyatt was a blast on all the rides!

We had a fantastic day, all three were so good. We took turns keeping Pixie entertained. Mostly she played with her angry bird, she is totally into them. She spent a good 15 minutes entertaining a group of people as she tried to sit on the bird. It was hysterical, Owen wore the big kid rides out, and Wyatt was a blast taking on the rides, he loved the ferris wheel and the spinning rides. It took me a few hours to not feel ill though! Wyatt is already planning next years trip: )