NASCAR Hall Of Fame

 Andy's parents were in town a couple of weekends ago and they took us to the NASCAR Hall Of Fame in Charlotte one day.

Since I've learned everything I know about racing from the movie Cars, this was a very educational experience for me!

It's a very nicely done museum with lots of history, memorabilia, a short IMAX presentation and lots of interactive activities including a race car simulator. Which was scary. But fun. For me. Evidently I screamed a lot. And had a lot of wrecks and was out of the race before I could complete even one lap! But my father-in-law and husband came in 2nd and 3rd of 9!

We really enjoyed ourselves. And now I want to go to a race!

Fall Beauty

 A pretty tree.

We have this yellow rose bush vine in our yard winding its way up behind some bushes. One day late last week, I noticed a bud and then Sunday saw this huge yellow rose! I picked it right away to enjoy since they don't last long. It seemed fitting to display it beside a wedding picture in the vase we bought on our honeymoon since our anniversary is in October and we had yellow roses at our wedding. The yellow rose, I've found out since, stands for bitterness. Supposedly they also stand for joy and friendship so we'll go with those instead! Whatever. I think they are so pretty and it doesn't matter what it means!

It's such a pretty season, isn't it?

Weekend In The Mountains: Fields Of The Wood

Yet another post on our weekend getaway! "Will she ever stop?"you wonder. :-)

Fields Of The Wood was mentioned as a place of interest on the cottage's website. The idea of God's Word written and displayed on the mountainside and all through the park seemed really neat to me and I wanted to check it out!

 The Ten Commandments. 

Click to enlarge so you can read it. 

 Pretty scenery. 

 I will admit that Fields Of The Wood wasn't quite as charming as I thought it would be. I was expecting something more like this, I guess! But it was an interesting stop, nonetheless, and the drive to the park  is gorgeous. Besides, God's Word being displayed for all to see is a good thing too!

 Spotted these barns on the way to the park and loved it! Andy was kind enough to stop on the way out so I could get a picture.

Toddler Activity: Bean Bags

Playing with beanbags is a favorite activity at my house and one that can be adapted so that it's enjoyable for all ages.

What you need:

*bucket or basket
*beanbags-- I made some of ours and others were given to me. 

Beanbags are super simple to make:

• Cut a rectangle of fabric.
• Sew the sides to create a bag.
• Fill with beans or rice.
• Sew the top edge closed.
• That's it!

Younger toddlers enjoy dropping the beanbags in the bucket and then dumping them out to start all over again.  Older toddlers and preschoolers will enjoy actually throwing the beanbags to the bucket and may like a little more challenge. Older children often require a few more boundaries and guidelines as they can easily become more carried away! There are so many ways you can add variation to this game.

I keep the beanbags in the bucket and pull this out for a fun activity every so often. It's always a hit!

Weekend In The Mountains: Folk School Festival

We were so excited to discover that the John C. Campbell Folk School Festival was the same weekend that we were in the mountains. This was our 2nd time attending and it was as enjoyable as we remembered!

Many many vendors were set up showing and selling their handmade wares as well as quite a few demonstrations of traditional  arts and crafts.

The Folk School is in a beautiful mountain location so some of these pictures were taken on the way to and from. I just couldn't resist!

We sampled and bought some delicious homemade fudge and also purchased BBQ plates for lunch. Sadly, we hadn't budgeted for purchasing anything extra from vendors although I saw many handmade items that I loved! One of the jewelry vendors had amazing pieces that I loved and I saw many lovely scarves as well! But it was just as fun to look!

Weekend In The Mountains: Fernwood Cottage

Continuing on my recap of our anniversary weekend--

We've been to Fernwood Cottage several times now and we love it! It's a beautiful location, quiet and affordable, especially if you stay several nights. In addition, there is lots to see and do within a reasonable driving distance. We also appreciate the fact that there is a kitchen in the suite because we like to do a lot of our own cooking while there.

 

 Outside.

 Inside.

I love the coziness of the cabin. We estimate the suite to be about 400-500 square feet. During this visit, I wondered if we could actually live in such a small space. I think I might like it; it always feels like playing house! But I'm pretty sure we still have way too much stuff to pull it off!

 

 The landscaping and gardens are lovely!

 

 It's nice to sit down by the lake too! Although we haven't fished here, they say there are a lot of fish.

Fernwood Cottage is such a great place to relax!

**Hope you don't get tired of pictures from our weekend away... camera-happy me took quite a few pictures! So several more posts!

Friday Funnies: Vacation Edition

Whenever we go to the mountains, we love to eat one meal at Rib Country. Yum!

On this trip, I was slightly amused to see this sign hanging out front:

Makes you wonder, doesn't it!?!

Have a great weekend!

Weekend In The Mountains: Mast General Store

On our way to the mountains for an anniversary getaway, we stopped at Mast General Store in Hendersonville. I love this place in all it's charming old-fashionedness!

Menu Plan Monday: Our Frugal Low-Grain Menu

Happy Fall! It seems like it's finally getting a bit cooler here in the South. We came home from a  wonderful anniversary weekend away to a very chilly house! Well, we aren't turning the heat on just yet, so instead we'll warm up with some cozy soups and crockpot meals!

Something else we brought home with us was bags and bags of apples fresh from the mountains. Most are reserved for applesauce and apple butter but we have some set aside for eating. They are so good so we'll be eating a lot of apples for snacks this week!

Our menu for the week:

Breakfasts
*Hard boiled eggs, sauteed peppers and onions-2x
*Breakfast in a hurry-3x
*Scrambled eggs-2x

Lunches
*Restaurant meal
*Snacky lunch-cheese, veggies, olives, smoked turkey slices, hard-boiled eggs, apples
*Spinach salad with tuna
*veggie stir fry and rice
*Leftovers-3x

Snacks
*Dates/peanut butter
*Apples/peanut butter-2x
*Crockpot applesauce (I like a more tart applesauce so I either greatly reduce the sugar or eliminate altogether!)
*Hard-boiled eggs
*Cheese, apples

Suppers-
*Snacky supper- meatballs, cheese, rice chips, veggies and dip
*Lentil soup(from freezer), rice
*Sausage and cabbage casserole(from freezer)
*Taco Soup made with chicken instead of beef this time, half the amount of beans and omitting the corn (crockpot), served with cheese and sour cream, veggies or a salad
*Roast beef (crockpot), spaghetti squash, green beans

**Only need 5 suppers this week!

What's on your menu this week?

**This post is a part of Menu Plan Monday!

Seven Years Ago

Seven years ago, we said, "I do" and meant it. Today we still do! Happy anniversary, Sweetie!