PANCAKES AND JELLO ANYONE?????

Since we are moving, I packed all my measuring cups. We moved them to VH yesterday. Today, I decided to make pancakes. Measuring cups...no way, I have plastic 9 oz cups leftover from the wedding. So, I would make do.

We are also trying to eat all our food in the cabinets. So, I decided to make Elyse her favorite - JELLO! I was doing both pancakes and jello at the same time. While the pancakes were cooking, I started to pour the boiling hot water into the 9 oz plastic cup. Did it melt? Yes! Then boiling water started pooling on the counter - heading to my NEW cookbook I got for my birthday. Trying to save the cookbook, I put the tea pot down and moved the cookbook (it got a small amount of water damage). Then I started cleaning up the water.

Dad came in the room and started laughing at my mess. I was not in the mood for laughter, so I got mad until...I saw the teapot. Then I lost it!

Follow the pictures and you will see what I mean!

The cup...

The teapot...


The bottom of said teapot...

The gorgeous pancakes...

Now that you are done laughing, you can feel sorry for me. I did, in the process, burn two fingers. Now everyone say "awwwwww."

I'M LEARNING!!!!!

For Lacey & Emily: For two years I have been looking for pyrex storage bowls. They were on sale for $29. I had a $10 coupon plus a $10 rebate. So, I got my coveted pyrex for $9. Did I do good, or what? Maybe I will learn to do as well on my groceries in the near future, just like you two!

LEFTOVER WEDDING!!!!!

When we got home, we were amazed that some of the flowers still looked fresh. The ones we left on the table died (Betsey threw them away). I hope they looked good for the two showings on Sunday. In the fridge were several boutonnieres and petals. Today I decided that I would put them on the table and enjoy them. So, here they are:

I am thinking of taking the other bag of petals to Betsey's apartment tomorrow. They may as well enjoy them too.

Does anyone want chocolate?

RUBY FALLS again!!!!!

I forgot about this video Dad took. They have different colored lights, that is why the falls change colors. The falls started about 50 feet behind the current water fall. It moved as the rocks faded away. At the bottom of the falls, is a small pond about five feet deep. It is fenced off, but we could walk around the pond and behind the falls. We got pretty wet doing it, but it was worth it. As usual, I am sticking my tongue out. It is very dark, so you might not be able to see it.

Now that we are home, we have lots of work to do. My washer and dryer is sold. Now I need to sell the frig and stove (unless the buyers of our house want it).

Have a great day! Blogging will be few and far between now that we are home and packing. I don't think you will like pictures of boxes and boxes.

LAST FULL DAY!!!!!

Yesterday we rode the free shuttle into Chattanooga with the plan on riding the "Chattanooga Ducks" at 2:00 p.m. When we got there, the 2:00 was full. So, we bought tickets for the 4:00 ride and went to find lunch. BTW, I got the senior citizen discount - tee-hee. We ended up at the "Blue Plate." The decor is really cute. You sit in a 3/4 round booth, all blue, of course. Here is Dad in the booth:

We ordered an appetizer called "French Dip." It was homemade potato chips with french onion dip. It was pretty good, except that they left the plate of chips on the counter too long and they were cold. I almost sent them back, but decided to eat them instead. Dad ordered a BLT and I ordered a chicken salad sandwich (which was to die for). Mine came with the chips mentioned above, so I substituted grilled asparagus (which was very good and I let Dad eat half of them). Should I tell you that the above cost $30 - shocking! Our french dip:

This sign was at the exit and I took a picture of it just for Betsey:

Meet the "Chattanooga Ducks." These "boats" go on land and water. You climb a ladder up the back of the "boat", you sit in seats that once were seats on a bus, then enjoy the ride.

Before take-off:

The ladder you climb on to get in the "boat" and yes, water comes in the back when you get to the water.

Some scenery from the boats. How would you like to live on top of this hill?

A blue heron - we didn't see any beavers, but saw lots of dens for them. I guess they were taking their siesta.

The Tennessee Aquarium view from the Tennessee River.

It was a good relaxing day. We didn't walk too far (no worries, Emily, I wore my flip-flops). The man driving the boat let all the children take a turn driving. They had such fun doing that. I wish Z & E were with us - they would have loved driving this huge boat.

Today, we are just chilling. We are blogging, then heading to Cracker Barrel for brunch, then packing what we can and reading the rest of the day. Dad has a good book called "Ike." I have two books and lots of magazines to read. I bought a "Simple and Delicious" magazine that has lots of recipes that I want to try when we move (they will save money). If any of them are really good, I will email them to you girls.

Betsey & Micah are at our house last night. Betsey is going to Jaymi's baby shower and then driving her car home. Micah will sleep in and then drive home in his car. I still remember to pick up the cooler, I hope I still remember tomorrow!

Have a great day! Enjoy our children for another day and a half.

ANOTHER AMAZING DAY!!!!!

Yesterday we went to Point Park. It is where alot of the Civil War battle took place. It is a rather small display (the kids were there with me twice the last two years). They have a few cannons, some statues and lots of things to read (it reminds me of the Creation Museum - alot of reading). While Dad read all the signs, I walked around.

And, YES, I had on the proper shoes, see:

Near the bottom of a short hike was the Och Museum (it has never been open in the four years we have been here - always a sign that says: "Closed for remodeling.") This is part of the museum that we can get to:

The hike from Point Park to Craven's house was supposed to be 1.5 miles. When we had walked 20 minutes (straight down the stairs) the signed said we had 1.4 miles to go. YIKES! It was a long walk (hike), but I felt good going down. I knew coming back would be an issue because the first leg of the journey was stairs (oh, how I LOVE stairs).

This is looking down when we first started:

This is looking up, when we were on our way back:

When we got to Craven's house, there were more things to read, more cannons and more statues, plus Craven's house (which is only open a few times a week - not the time while we were there). I have seen his house about five times and never saw the inside.

There are no railings or things to block you looking over the edge. So, I walked right up to the edge:

Then I saw the sign (if you enlarge it, you can read it too). It says: DANGER! Keep back! No duh! It was a LONG way down!

This is especially for Tobin. The statue (or monument) is honoring OHIO's part in the war. Here are two pictures of it. The statue is quite tall, so we took it in two pictures. The bottom:

The top:

Remember this rock, Zachary? Last year, it seemed so large, but this year it shrunk. I think it is because YOU have grown so much. You wouldn't have to jump so far this year.

This is Craven's house. The Confederate army used this house for their office, until the Union soldiers took it over.

That evening, we headed to Chattanooga. We parked in the parking garage and took the free shuttle downtown (it is an electric bus - remember that, kids). Then we walked over the bridge that goes over Tennessee River. Here is the bridge - only bikes and people walking are allowed on this bridge - no cars).

Here is one view from the walking bridge. This is where the kids and I spent alot of time. They have a carousel that costs 50 cents a person (it was closed when we got there). They have a small water park that Z & E loved. There is a small shopping area as well. That is where we had Clumpies Ice Cream (it is owned and run by a Covenant College graduate). We didn't get any ice cream this year because we were still full from dinner.

A close-up of the water park:

Zachary, we thought you would like this next picture. It is new since last year. It is mainly for handicapped people, but we thought you would love running down it and back up again. After a LONG hike this morning, and still walking around Chattanooga, my feet couldn't take even looking at it. But, I included it for your entertainment. I think it would make me sea-sick.

Anyone that can name this tree will get a HUGE award from me. They are gorgeous. I would love to have one or six in our yard whenever we get another house.

I have sinned, Emily. I forgot to tell you that after our morning hike, I wore my sandals to Chattanooga. I thought we were going to eat dinner and only walk a little ways, so sandals I wore. Well, we walked farther than I thought and I had to take off my shoes because my feet were killing me. I mentioned to Dad that Emily would be sad at me for not wearing proper shoes. So, he insisted he take a picture just to prove how silly I was. I spent most of the evening carrying my sandals - they were killing me.

The evening ended at Cracker Barrel for dessert. I had their strawberry shortcake (to die for) and Dad had a peach cobbler. Both were amazing! It was good to get back to the cabin, take our shoes off for the night and go to sleep. It was a good day!

MORE JOURNEYS!!!!!

On Wednesday we went to Whitwell, Tennessee, for a dinner theater (actually it was lunch, but that is only details). They serve you a "civil war era" dinner (chicken, carrots, green beans, cornbread stuffing and biscuits). They also served sweet tea (but that wasn't what they drank in the civil war era). The owners of the place put on a dialogue/drama about the civil war and facts that we NEVER read about in our history books because they don't want us to know the truth. Dad & I talked about the "new" facts in the car and Dad feels like this guy was telling the truth. Amazing! To think I am getting an education while on vacation.

Here is the scene for the drama. It is the stage in a old church. We ate and watched the show from the tables and chairs that were set up were the old sanctuary used to be. It was quite the building. All the decorations were from the civil war era. It was grand to see.

During the dialog, the man went through each of these flags, what they were called, what they meant and why they weren't used anymore.

This is an old pump organ. We weren't allowed to touch it, but I took the picture because my Mom used to have one in our living room. I don't know what happened to it - I'll ask her another day.

Quite the chandelier, ain't?

Here is the man doing the dialog. His wife was his counterpart. He was fighting on the Union side, his wife was on the confederate side. They were both from Eastern Tennessee - if that helps you understand why they were on different sides.

The hall had quite the decorations. Dad & I took a picture of ourselves in front of a picture of Robert E. Lee.

This is the couple putting on the dialog (I don't know what else to call it). It is a box that covers the modern light switches.

Outside the church is a perfect place for pictures. So, we took advantage of it. There wasn't anyone around to take both our pictures, so we settled for one of me. It's your lucky day!

After that, we took a drive to Dayton, Tennessee, to check out Bryan College. Dad likes their website and thought we should take a look at it. What a gorgeous campus. Hills and Mountains all around. Great landscapes. Well kept up buildings. Not planning, just dreaming!

The overlook on the way to Bryan College was amazing! The scenery was breathtaking.

One good looking man in front of the valley.

As we left the cabin this morning, here is what we found on our door. Yuck! They sure make bugs big down here - the picture doesn't do it justice.

On the way home, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dessert (actually, we were craving onion rings). We were going to go to Sonic, but decided against it this time. I ordered only onion rings, Dad ordered Ham & Biscuits. I still had room for more, so I ordered their Strawberry Shortcake. It is to die for! It was HUGE! Dad said he would help me eat it, but was thinking that he should take a bite FIRST, because I would probably eat the whole thing. The nerve! Well, I did eat the whole thing. He didn't even get a taste. But after eating four biscuits and ham - he didn't have room for dessert. You would not believe what we saw in the restaurant - four people from the dinner theater. I wonder what they did while we were driving to Bryan College? Funny we should end up in the same place.

Today we are going to Point Park to read about the wars that happened around here. I will blog about them tomorrow. I will also be calling several places getting our electricity, gas and water changed into our name for our new house. Busy, busy - all the time.

Have a great day! Enjoy out children, Emily & Dan. You are doing a great job with them. Z & E, I understand you are doing a great job at being helpers. Thanks!

BTW, gas prices down here are $2.27 a gallon - should I bring buckets of it home?

CONTINUING TO HAVE FUN!!!!!

Last night we tried to go to Randy's for dinner. They are closed on Mondays. So, we are planning on going tonight. We are at the library now because they have free internet.

This morning, we decided to go to Cloudland Canyon for a hike. Z & E, do you remember going there with the Howard family? Dad & I took the fork to the right instead of the left we took last year. We walked FOREVER!!!!! The sign said 3/10 of a mile, but I think they measured straight down because we walked down stairs and hills forever - I bet we walked 6 miles around and around. When we got back to the fork in the road, we went the other way. The HUGE waterfall was only 1/10 away from the fork (the place we played in the water with the Howard family). It is off limits now. The Georgian's made a law that you can't climb on the rocks, or get in the water. Bummer! I am so glad that we let you kids play in the water last year, now you can't do it.

Guess what? They rent cabins here for $120 a night. They have three bedrooms. Anyone want to take a road trip in the near future?

Here are some of the stairs we climbed. Going down was bad enough, but we had to climb them back up (torture, for sure). There are over 1,000 stairs to climb (not counting the hills and level parts).


Proof that Dad made it to the bottom. This is where we let the kids play in the water last year and climb behind the falls. There is a sign now that prohibits climbing on the rocks, etc. How stupid!

Remember this huge rock, kids? Going down we enjoyed looking at it. The trail goes right under this rock.

Here is some of the gorgeous view. The camera doesn't do it justice, but we thought you would like to see it anyway. You all need to come down here and check it out for yourselves.

A good resting place on the way back up. It is shady and the breeze comes by every so often. I think I stayed here over 10 minutes trying to catch my breath. I guess the scenery took it away.

More views of our cabin. This is the porch that overlooks the valley (it is a long way down - remember losing tennis balls down the hill, Zachary?).

Mrs. Spider was busy on our front porch last night - ewww!
Having a great time. We can never thank you kids enough for this trip, but we will keep on trying. THANKS!!!!!

30 YEARS AND COUNTING!!!!!

A big huge THANK YOU to all my children for this amazing trip. Part way to Georgia, we stopped at:


There was a swing outside:


So, we took a picture of us swinging on it.


The next day, we traveled the rest of the way to the cabin. Here is the outside of our cabin:

Isn't it cute? The inside includes a "living room" (which is a futon, flat screen t.v. with two channels), a bed area (queen bed and clothes hanging space), a bathroom (with a full tub - usually they have a standing shower only). Here is the living room/kitchen:


The "bedroom,"


On Monday, we went to Ruby Falls. Zachary, Elyse and I never went here, so this was new to both Tim & I. A nice man (with his finger in the way) took our picture.


Here we are at the top of the mountain - that is Chattanooga, Tennessee behind us. Aren't we good looking?


The library closes in five minutes. We will have to remember to come here each day and update you on our happenings. we are having a relaxing time. We had decided that we were going to eat two meals a day. Brunch around 10:00 and Linner around 4:00. So far, we haven't made it. Dad is always hungry. I can wait, but a drink would hold me over (tea, I mean). We will probably head to Randy's tonight (Zachary & Elyse you will remember that place - that is where the Howard's family own it). I don't know if we will see any Howards, I can't remember where they live.

Zachary & Elyse - miss you! Hope you are obeying and having a GREAT time. Loveyou!

Thanks again kids - GREAT idea!!!!!