It Will All Be Worth It

Good Sunday afternoon friends!  I am glad you stopped by my blog today but if you were to knock on my front door, I would probably have a heart attack.  Why?  Well, we are remodeling our kitchen and making some changes around the house.  You all know what comes along with that.  A HUGE mess.  Ugh....that part I don't like.
We came back from vacation on Saturday and on Sunday started getting everything ready for a new floor in the kitchen.  That meant everything had to be moved out.  All appliances and everything.  I have my refrigerator in my den. My island in the living room.  It is a mess.  The stove is on the carport because we are getting a new one.  You can hardly walk thru any of the rooms.
Just take a gander....

BUT...I know it will all be worth it in the end.  

The floor was put down on Wednesday.  Just our luck, they were one piece short.  AND the floor is special order so that ONE piece had to be ordered.  It should be here and finished tomorrow.  That has kept up from moving the fridge or anything else back in there.  

We also had the cabinets painted.  So...that meant all of the counters had to be completely cleaned off.

More junk to add to the mess.  

They were already full from moving out the other furniture so all of that was just transported to another spot.  Do you get my drift?  Do you understand how messy my house is right now?  Ha!

This is the kitchen before.  The red walls stayed. 

I love them.  But the cabinets did get painted.  

This was the floor that is now totally different.

I can't wait to share with all of you the finished product.  

The new stove and microwave will be here tomorrow.  I am so excited.

Although everything was moved out and is now in such a mess, I feel like I have a blank canvas to start from.  How exciting!

There is also a huge project going on in our back yard.  You all know Papa "can do anything" in our eyes.  If it's broke, we call Papa before we panic.  If it needs building, we call Papa.  He holds us together.

So, when Ms. Prissy decided she wanted a playhouse who did she tell?  Papa.  It's been in the works for a while, but several weeks ago, Papa called from work and asked if we wanted to get started.  He had a 12' by 8' pallet that would be a perfect floor. 

I was just as excited as Darbee.  YES we said and the planning began.

For a while, it was her "stage" to dance and sing on.  She loved that.

Yesterday, Papa planned a work day.  He wanted to get started.  Thankfully, the rain held off all day and a lot was accomplished.  

Darbee Rae was so excited.  She was eager to help too.

She put on her work apron, got her markers and pencils and put them in the pocket, took a Coke in case she got thirsty and tucked her tape measure in the other pocket and out the door she went.  Ready to work.

She was a big help too.

She hammered

She held the tape measure for Papa

She marked off measurements

And hammered some more.

All of the walls are up except on the front and the roof has to be done.

It won't be long!

She already has it all planned out in her head.

She wants it pink and green and cutesy.  Nothing "prinitive."

It will definitely be all girl.  

I can't wait to decorate it with her.

I think I am just as excited as her.

So...a lot going on here but so much fun.

I hope all of you are having a happy Sunday.

Until next time...

The rest of the trip...

Good afternoon friends.  I am happy we made it home safely, but I have to admit, I would love to still be in the mountains.  We had such a GREAT trip.  We had so much fun just being together.  We shopped till we dropped, saw several shows, visited with a special friend and were just together.  It was perfect.  

On the second day there, Darbee Rae, hubby and I left early to be at the Wonder Works museum shortly after it opened.  As long as Darbee Rae has been able to talk and see the place, she has wanted to go to "the upside down house."  She couldn't wait.

It was a lot of fun and well worth it.  Everything is hands on and really interesting.

Look at this place.  Wouldn't you want to check it out?

We rode an earthquake simulator that was a magnitude 6.0!

Darbee was a little scared, but liked it overall.  It wasn't too scary.

The Titantic exhibit was really neat.
The water was the same temperature as the water the boat was sailing in.  

You had to time yourself and see how long you could stand it. 

Wow!  That water was unreal.  I lasted just over 20 seconds.

Can you imagine how those people felt?  

Darbee Rae tried rock climbing for the first time.

She wasn't scared a bit!

She did pretty good for her first try.

She tried out a space uniform! 

One of our favorite exhibits was the bubble room.  Just look at the giant bubbles you could make!

That evening, we shopped in Gatlinburg.

We didn't find too much, but had fun looking.

Darbee Rae enjoyed shopping with her baby.

While in Gatlinburg, we at at Dick's Last Resort.  Oh my...what an experience.

If you've never been to one, you need to just one time.  

They are know for their sarcasm and rudeness.  You must be able to take it and get rude right back.  It was a lot of fun.

Look at the crazy hats you wear.  They make them and put sarcastic sayings on them.  It was hilarious.

Even Darbee's baby doll had a hat.
It said, "I hide crack in my diaper."  Ha!

It was quite an experience.

On Friday, our day started early.  We headed to the town of Clinton.  You have read on Betty's blog,

about this neat town and the Speckled Hen.

On the way, mama called Ms. Betty to see if we could stop by and say hello.  Although she already had out of town company, she welcomed us into her home.  I am proud to say, I have officially been thru her back door.  Her home was beautiful and we had such a good visit.  I could have sat and talked for hours. She is such a special person.

Darbee Rae loves her and loves seeing things on her blog. 

They had to have a picture together. 

And here is us girls.

Such a great memory.

Friday night, we went to the Lumberjack Feud dinner show.

What fun it was.

It was amazing to see the strength of these men and women.

The show was so good.

As we were going in to sit down, one of the lumber jills stopped Darbee and asked her if she would like to help her during the show.  Darbee was thrilled to know she was going to get to go on stage.

She was so cute.

Here she is getting her instructions on what to do.

She had to "chop down" the ribbon tree.

She did so good and won a wooden "cookie."

She was able to take the cookie down on stage after the show and have it signed by all the lumber jacks and jills.

What a fun evening.

Saturday morning, we woke up to snow flurries!  Darbee was so excited. 

It snowed off and on for most of the day.  Nothing was sticking though.

The mountains were white on top and it was beautiful.

We spent most of the day doing last minute shopping before heading home.

It was the best trip and I am so thankful my mom and dad were able to share it with us.

Until next time...

Whole Lotta Love Day 14....My family and traveling

Good morning friends.  Happy Valentine's Day!  Yes, I have missed several more days of the posts, but well....life happens.  I have been busy preparing for our trip and now that we are here, I couldn't be happier.  I am with the ones I love and doing something I love doing...traveling.  Couldn't get any better.
We started out early yesterday morning with a very excited little girl.  She was beside herself.  She had been counting down the days until we left for over a week.  She said to me, "I didn't think we would ever get to go."  Ha!
We enjoyed shopping at a few antique/prim stores on the way up and then we made it.  Whew!  We rented a cabin this time which is something we have never done.  My mom and dad came too, so I knew we would enjoy a cabin.  I was a little nervous reserving sight unseen, but I am so glad I did.  I am so pleased.
The drive to the cabin is beautiful.  It is a narrow curvy road. The cabin is nestled on the side of a mountain overlooking a lake.  When you walk in the front door, this is what you see.

The living room/kitchen/dining room.

Dining room.

There is a large loft area in the living room.  Can you guess where

Darbee Rae's favorite spot is in the cabin?

Oh yea.  She has had a ball playing up there.

She took her baby dolls, blankets and toys up there and made a "playhouse."

Looking down the hall into the master bedroom.

Master bedroom.  How cozy!

Look at this jacuzzi tub in the master bath.  Oh my.

Second bedroom.  This is ours.  Can you guess why?  

Yes, Darbee Rae had her very own bunk bed.  She was thrilled.

She was so excited to sleep "up high" on the top bunk.  I never thought she would do 

it but I guess when she sets her mind to something, it is set.  She is still snoozing back there on the top bunk. :)

Second bath.

This is the view from the deck.  

There is a hot tub on the deck too.

Yes...this place is GREAT!  We will definitely be back.

We had a fun evening last night. 

We enjoyed good country cooking.

Then we went to The Comedy Barn Theater. 

I have been coming to the mountains since I was a small kid and can't believe we have never been to this place.

It was hilarious and so much fun.

I have never laughed so much in my life.  I literally had tears running down my face pretty much the entire show.

Even Darbee Rae had a blast.

Check out her new teeth!  

I am so happy to be with my family and having a good time.

I hope all of you have a special day as well!

Until next time...

Whole Lotta Love Day 11

Good evening friends. It's a dreary rainy day. I am tired of the rain!
I have fallen behind on my posts. No excuse. I am not going to try and catch up, I am just going to pick back up.
Today, I am sharing my love of my blog books. Ever since I have been blogging, I have been ordering blog books. At the end of November each year, I order a blog book that includes all of my posts from the entire year. I then order another one just of Christmas. I have a growing collection.



I use a site called Blog 2 Print. I have never had any trouble ordering and have been well pleased.
Today, my newest one came. I couldn't wait to get it out of the box.



Darbee and I snuggled up together and had to look thru it. This one is 340 pages. Such special memories that Darbee will treasure one day.
That's my love. My treasured books.

I've also been busy all afternoon putting finishing touches on the Valentine's for Darbee's class. I love how they turned out.



They are small shovels with M&M's in the bag. The tag says "I dig you." Darbee Rae signed her name on the back. Thanks Pinterest.

For her teachers, she is giving them this.







I love these.

We are getting excited about our trip to the mountains later this week. I still have lots to do to get ready.

I hope all of you have had a great day!

Until next time.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Whole lotta love day 7&8- My cousins

As many of you know, our family is small. With my grandmother, mom and myself being only children, that doesn't leave a large family! But that's okay. My dad's side is a bit larger but unfortunately other than Maudie whom my mom did a post on earlier, we are not as close and don't see each other except usually at Christmas.

You all read my mom's blog about her "sister" Kathy. Kathy has two sons, Jeremy and Tyler.
Meet Jeremy.



Jeremy is 11 months older than me. We grew up pretty much like my mom and Kathy did. We were always together. We played and played. We had our childish arguments but overall, we got along well.



Look at this picture. Can't you see the love? Ha!

I have always teased him in October when I have my birthday that we are the same age. To this day, on my birthday, I always call him first to remind him that for a month, we will be the same age. Ha!
Jeremy is a hard worker and can be so much fun to be around. He can grill the best steaks. He can make me laugh till I cry. He is married to a sweet girl and has an 11 year old son.

Then there is Tyler.



Tyler is Jeremy's brother. There is a 9 year age difference in Tyler and I but we are still close. Tyler is a miracle. He was born weighing only 1 lb. and wasn't given much hope. After many months in the hospital, he came home and is a perfectly healthy 21 year old now. He works every day and is a good boy. He is a home body and a HUGE Florida Gator Fan. He would do anything for you.

I am so glad to have these two in my life. They are my loves for day 7&8.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Whole Lotta Love Day 6-My Dream

Good evening friends. We have all been asked the question, "if you could do one thing and be assured you would not fail, what would you do?" I have sat and pondered the answer to this question many times. I would love to own a primitive store. I guess I could sit and think of a million things. But there is one thing that I really would love to do. I have a passion for photography. It would be my dream to have my own photography business. How fun to get to know a lot of people and share in special times in their lives. I have more than 5 cameras and three video cameras. You will never catch me without a camera whether it be my cell phone or the small one I keep in my purse. I want to always be ready to capture that special thing Darbee does or a special time I want to remember. Right before Darbee was born, we invested in a nice camera and I love it. I have since purchased several different lenses for it and lots of accessories.


I take all of Darbee's pictures. We hardly ever go to a portrait studio. I am by no means a professional, but absolutely love taking pictures. You wouldn't believe the pictures I have!

So that's my love for today.

Until next time....

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Whole Lotta Love-Day 5 A Girl's Necessities

Hi Friends.  As I sat down to think about what to share today, my mind came to several things.  Several memories came to mind and I knew what I had to share.

Years ago when I was in middle school, there was a group of "preppy" girls who after gym class would lather themselves in the best smelling perfumes.  I can still smell the fresh scent from the locker room.  I was shy and always too chicken to ask them what it was.  One day after class, I overheard their conversation and it included the mention of the raspberry body spray they had purchased in a nearby mall.  The next time I went there with my mom, we searched every store for "that smell."  I found something similar but not quite it.  Not too long after that, I heard them mention Bath and Body Works.  That was my answer and where my obsession began.  Luckily, there was one opening in that same mall very soon and I too soon had that good smelling Sun Ripened Raspberry body spray.  

Since then, I have always loved perfume.  It is part of my morning routine along with putting on my makeup.  I must have on my perfume.  I love it.

You can see from my collection, I love it.  I have a few bottles of "expensive" stuff but I like the body sprays mostly.  

The next part of my "getting ready routine" is my jewelry.  I love my jewelry.  No, I am not loaded with lots of fancy diamonds or gold, but rather my cheap costume jewelry.  I must have a necklace and bracelet to go with each outfit.  There is a new store that just opened in town not too long ago that has an entire wall of jewelry like this including bracelets, necklaces and earrings all for $1!  Needless to say, I love that store too!

Here is my bracelet collection.

My mom bought me this box to store them all in several years ago and it is now bulging.  The lid will not fit down on it.  I am now on the hunt for a larger prim box.

And the necklaces....

I'm ashamed to say that's not all of them. (SMILE)

So that you have it is my loves for today.  My girly necessities.

Until next time....