Our Summer Project 2014

This spring we have begun the process of getting our backyard up to snuff. Our first step before we began anything was to have our fence put around the back yard. We are in a fairly new subdivision which is still expanding. After living here for a year with "the woods" behind us, the lots were cleared. With all this open space and the fact that we have seen a few folks walking through our back yard, we decided the time was here.

After many requests from friends and MOSTLY FAMILY here are some photos to document the event. 

 Here is how we started off: three piles of wood and cement on a nice sunshiny clear day.

 Of course, it rained the night before the work was to begin. So those poor workers had to march around in our damp, yucky, orange clay.

garage side gate

looking into the gate

scanning the mucky yard from the gate

The other side:

You will note that we had to bump our fence toward the house four feet because we did not want our neighbor to bump the fence as he parks his truck about a foot from our property line. We are going to put some bushes up by the "bump in" to also protect our fence a little more.

looking in the gate
neighbors fence is red/orange

scanning the yard from the gate

 Then i went and stood in the middle of the back yard at the base of the hill to photograph both sides gates from inside the fence.

Completed:

In about 30 days we will get the extreme pleasure of painting this fence...

Until next time...

Our Weekend Getaway (Part 3)

In today's posting I will continue the layouts of our trip down the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Highway. I am creating the layouts as I have time away from work this week. I am hoping to have the whole trip scrapped by the end of today, tomorrow at the latest. I see about 4 or 5 layouts planned for the rest of the trip. Let's see how many I can get done.

The first site we stumbled upon on day one of our travels was Cowpens National Battlefield. The battle at Cowpens was an important victory by the Continental Army under General Daniel Morgan during the Southern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War against the British Army led by Banastre Tarleton. After a little research on my part before this posting I discovered that the battle scenes from The Patriot, starring Mel Gibson, were based on the campaign at Cowpens. And while the site was not used for filming, it was filmed in York County (our current home). Knowing Health Ledger was hanging out in our parts kind of makes me wish we had been living here at the time of the filming!!! I might have tried out as an EXTRA!!

The battleground was a lovely location. There is a visitor center which houses many replicas of the weapons and uniforms of the soldiers and volunteers who were involved in the battle. There are a couple of videos to watch: we watched one as they were running at the same time in the hour that we arrived. There is also a driving path with markers to point out specifics to the battle field. For local residents there is a walking trail that takes you right through the heart of the property as well as a paved bike trail around the site.

Along The Road - February 2014
Double Page Challenge - Scrap 'N Chat

I love hiding maps from our visits somewhere in the layouts.
Do you see it?

The Girl Scout in me is still loving collecting badges from our travels.
They always make colorful additions to my layouts.

We kept reading and hearing that for a good time and a great meal we should try out a local landmark in Pickens. It was only a mile or two up the road from our  lodgings. We were there on a Friday night which is apparently their "big night", a big fish fry and live music. I don't think either of us suspected what we got. 

Aunt Sue's
January 2014 Sketch Challenge - Scrap 'N Chat

Aunt Sue's Country Corner was a group of log cabins featuring an ice cream parlor, restaurant and three or four little specialty shops, none of which were open when we were there. It was dinner time and we were told that there had been a death in the owners family so perhaps that was the reason things were closed up tight. The fish fry was ok but I am pretty spoiled having Captain Steve's near our homestead. 

There was a blue grass band playing with guitars, mandolin, banjos and a fiddle.  I must admit it's not the style of music I typically listen to but the crowd was clapping at the end of every number. I did recognize a few songs I have learned in church but they sounded quite different on those types of instruments. And in case you are wondering, they WERE playing "Dueling Banjos" as we entered the restaurant. And while they were not quite as funny as Steve Martin and Kermit the Frog here, they did have frog legs on the seafood buffet. (Sorry Kermit)

On Saturday morning we drove into Pickens to find breakfast. We were getting out a little late because we had made a stop near our lodgings at the Table Rock Visitor Center. After a quickie early lunch at Mickey D's, it was after 10:30 a.m.,  and a pit stop to get gas for the car, we started heading back toward the scenic byway. We happened across Hagood Mill Historic Site which houses one of the oldest surviving gristmills still producing grain products. It also has the largest waterwheel in the state and the only one still made of wood. 

Luckily for us, it was also a heritage day. There are a number of buildings on the property that have been relocated here. As such, there were actors completing daily tasks for the era based on the buildings they were assigned to work at. There were bluegrass groups playing music in the cabins. The gristmill was grinding away. The blacksmith was making horse shoes. Even the still was pumping Moonshine. It was a fun place to lurk around.

Daily Grind - January 2014
Double Page Challenge - Scrap 'N Chat

 

Well, I have been scrapping all day and I completed 5 pages just as I suspected. But I still have 4 more sets of photos to scrap from this weekend getaway. So I guess I have four more layouts to complete starting tomorrow. For tonight I believe I am finished. So tune in next time for the last installment in our Weekend Getaway series. 

Until next time...

Our Weekend Getaway (Part 2)

After our scenic drive through the foothills we came upon our place of rest for the evening. I had found an inn in Pickens, SC that was advertising that they were "convenient to Table Rock State Park (just across the street)." Table Rock was high on my list of destinations I had planned for the weekend. They were absolutely right about their location. They were literally across the street from the mountain. It was a beautiful site that we could see from our window.

We enjoyed our stay at the Laurel Mountain Inn. Since we plan on returning to see more of the area, I am sure this will be our planned stop in our next adventures there. Our room was lovely, nice calming shades of blue with sea shell decor. (I will never understand why some folks decorate with seashells when the sea is the farthest thing from the mountain range.) It had a king sized bed and a kitchenette of sorts with a microwave, refrigerator and small sink.  The proprietor, Sherrie, was very nice. She upgraded our room when she found out we were celebrating our anniversary. She even provided champagne and chocolates for us that evening. It was a nice relaxing evening which we took advantage of. We knew we would be traipsing through the forests, up hill and down, in the morning looking for waterfalls.

April Sketch Challenge
Scrap 'N Chat

Until next time...

Our Weekend Getaway (Part 1)

Hubby and I went away for a few days on a "scenic drive" over the Easter weekend. Just one night away, but just the shot I needed to get myself scrapping again. It was our 5th anniversary as well that weekend, so we decided an overnight stay might be nice.

We decided to head over to Hwy 11 in SC known as the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. After a little research I discovered that there are 35 published waterfalls across a 3 county spread that can be hiked to and enjoyed. I had been feeling like a lump lately from either being cooped up at home or working my tail end off, so we hit the road.

There were many cool and exciting things to see other than just waterfalls. Historic battlefields, festivals, vintage homes, farmer's markets and antique shops are plentiful along the way. There are multiple state parks as well with camping, hiking, and fishing. And at least one vineyard that we discovered.

So today I sat down to start scrapping. I have been having a serious lack of mojo lately. I think it has been about 3 months since I actually scrapped anything. I have had lots of stuff planned, but no gumption to get it done. Well the ball is rolling again.

This is a place along the highway known as Strawberry Hill USA. It is a large farmer's stand with beautiful farm land surrounding it. Across the street is a tractor graveyard of sorts for those who enjoy looking at old farm equipment and a restaurant and ice cream shop. There are even play areas for the kiddos to enjoy.

The day was very overcast so our photos are not fabulous, but the farm stand was impressive. The strawberries were probably the largest and most red strawberries I have ever seen in my life. The rocking chairs were comfy in case you needed to sit a spell after all that driving you were doing to get there. And the people were very nice. I was impressed because the whole time we were there, the cars never stopped coming in. And we were in the middle of a strawberry field!!

Until next time...

A Little Krafty

Working on a layout for Scrap 'N Chat. Kraft, stencils and a black and white photo. I added a little purple paint, some texture medium and black inks. Maddie was the perfect subject.

Until next time...

A Little Wine, A Little Paella

Today is my hippy happy birthday!! YAY ME!! Hubby and I decided to have a real "date night" which actually started at 12 noon when he picked me up at my doorstep. He swished me away to Miro's Spanish Grille where I enjoyed Seafood Paella, Beef Empanadas, and "full brandy" Sangria.  I am not really sure what makes "full brandy" sangria different from others I have had, but I have to say I LOVED it. We ended the meal with traditional flan and the threat that no one better find out it was my birthday at the restaurant. (lol)

Afterward we headed to the theater on the other side of the parking lot to see a movie. Jack Ryan, Shadow Recruit, based on Tom Clancy novels, was playing and I have really been in the mood for an action adventure flick. We were not disappointed at all. I really enjoyed Chris Pine in the title role. I think he will make a good recurring actor for this character should more be made, following in the footsteps of Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck. Even though I must admit I did think of him as James T.  Kirk at least once during the movie.

During the previews of the movie I found myself eyeballing the other patrons entering the movie theater. It was rather cold today and everyone was dressed in heavy coats, gloves, hats, etc. I found myself trying to remember what they looked like and keeping up with who was sitting with whom and where they were sitting. What a sorry predicament. Has it really come to the fact that we have to watch our backs so that we do not get injured by others when we want to relax and have a good time at the theater? I am sure I was just over reacting but I did make sure I left my cell phone in the car, just in case someone called me.

Until next time...

Some New Layouts

Busy Background Paper Challenge
Love those Santas!!

January Recipe Challenge
at Scrap N Chat

Until next time...

Scrapping Christmas and More

I have finally had some time to start scrapping our Christmas festivities. 

I cut up my photo Christmas cards of all the kiddos to create this layout.

A little closer look:
Joseph, Ethan, Sami, Caleb, Connor, and Hannah.

Kaitlyn, Jeremiah, Jordan, Olivia with Gin, Lauren and Alex.

Loving this paper!

Botanical Gardens 2013

I also made another book stack. Love the colors of this one.

I hope it does not get handled to much at work so I can use it afterward.

After another food allergy incident recently, I have been cooking more at home. This was pretty yummy. I made my standard Stuffed Pepper recipe, but I replaced the rice in the filling with fresh chopped mushrooms. Hubby and I are working on a no/low carb plan. I have been trying to adapt my old standby recipes to accommodate. I have to admit I loved this change. The old recipe will now be the new one. 

Well, I need to start thinking about tonight's dinner. 

Until next time...

New Year...New Post...New Background?

I was quite shocked today after a long absence from my blog. My cute shabby background images on my blog have disappeared and all that remains is a plain white background. No header. No more mustardy yellow background. No cute embellies in the corners of the pages. Boo!! Apparently I need to research a new company with freebies for blogger backgrounds. For now I will settle for what I found here  on blogger. No frills. No fancy. But at least no plain stark white nothingness.

On to better and more exciting things. The 2014 new year has come. Resolutions are not one of my things. So once again, just choosing a number of books to read this year (8), a promise to papercraft for myself more often, and to update my blog more.

So I am off to a good start so far. I have been a crafting fool this week. I completed:

two book stacks with hidden drawers,
(only one is photographed so far)

10 things I love gift sample,

5 Valentine Mini Cards

and 10

yes 10 scrapbook layouts.

I realize only 6 are pictured here, but the rest are coming soon. I am learning how to use a new camera and a new version of Photoshop. It's a work in progress. I have also finished an additional card, but I know the person who will be receiving it peeks in here every once and a while. So no peeks for now. 

So for tonight I will be happy with what I have posted here. Off to search the internet for a new background for the blog.

Until next time...