Cardinals now - Christmas Later

 I promise to post about Christmas later….right now, I’m being pestered by 3 cardinals.. I was always told that when a Cardinal came to your yard or close to you, that it was a loved one visiting from heaven.  If that is indeed the case, then I know exactly who these yahoos are.  Keep in mind that this has been going on since Christmas Eve.  I thought what a great sign that family is with us….now I’m “knock it off!!!”.  In my wild imagination I know who these 3 are and it ain’t the 3 wise men…lol.   Two are always knocking on the glass doors and fly away when I open the curtain.  The one is always sitting on a tree limb watching them.   The two pests have got be Larry and Garry.  It’s typical that they would be pests and doing this just for irritation….the lone bird on the branch has to be Janice…and you know she is telling them to behave and act their age.  Quit being so “childish”.   Obviously, they are not listening. Guess I’ll just enjoy the visit while it lasts, but dang they are rough.😂😂.  

Been just a little busy

 Wow what a week for Thanksgiving.  Jim took the week off (very unusual)  and we make our journey to Florida.  We had a great time with family.  We had maybe half of what we usually have but we had fun.  Made a trip to Orlando to see Pop before he left ( he spent Thanksgiving with David) ,  met Rachel's new boyfriend...not commenting but wasn't totally disappointed.  We had the community center for 2 days, so we had a lot of time to visit with the family, play games and relax. Jim and I left early Saturday morning for our trip back to SC and made it back in time to unpack car, grab some lunch and Jim to watch the Iron Bowl (Bama vs Auburn).   When we were packing up in Florida, Jake offered to put some stuff in his car so we wouldn't be so crowded in our little car and he would be by Tues to bring it to me.  I got a call Monday telling me that he had "the crud".  I checked on him daily (he had to call out of work) to make sure he was ok ...He's like his mama when he gets sick...an old cur dog that will growl and snap at you.  We just want to be left alone...lol. Two weeks later,  he finally got over his sickness and just as I was getting house clean from taking down fall decorations and putting up Christmas....here he comes with a car full of pots, pans and fall decorations that we took with us 😒   

Jim left the Monday after Thanksgiving and was gone most of the week...made it home for the weekend and the SEC Championship (Bama won).  Between Jim twitching trying to help them play from his recliner and telling me to "watch this replay",  and my brother keeping the texting going thru the game, I just decided to sit down.  Although I had already done the laundry and ironed Jim's shirts for him to leave Sunday for another week away.  I'm hoping he is through traveling for the rest of the year. However, I will be going with him on his first trip in January to Tenn to celebrate our 35th anniversary in Pigeon Forge (our new favorite place).  

I have been busy while he has been gone. The house is somewhat uncluttered, we still haven't finished unpacking or completely emptied our other house yet, but I have decorated for Christmas and have things ready for Jenny, Jerry and Logan to come visit us next week.  I can't wait!!!

That's all for now, but am posting pics of our Christmas overload house....lol  I have more but will have to post them later...forgot to upload to computer 😕

 With the 24h news, Facebook, twitter. Tictok and any and all other paths,it’s apparent that there is SO much information, but SO little wisdom.  Don’t believe me, just look around 😢

Still unpacking

 Well, another night alone...another afternoon/night of massive cleaning and unpacking.  Have things starting to get under control, then I remember that we still have stuff at the other house 😢.  I have a feeling that at least 1/2  of the remaining will not make it across the state line.  I just have to do it when my packrat husband is not watching.  Him being out of town a lot lately has been great for Goodwill..lol.  I get blamed quite often for "having too much stuff", but let me tell you, the man of this house is a hoarder.  I try to get rid of things and I hear "Do you know how much I paid for that?'....yes dear, but it was 30 years ago. Neither of us can fathom that almost 35 years have gone by in our marriage and housekeeping....where did the time go?  and I guess that's how we accumulated all this junk😄  Hopefully it won't be long before we can have a shed built and I can at least get the holiday boxes out of the house...lol.

Anyway...we are starting to get settled here...our privacy fence should be installed Thursday...yea!!!I have a new yard man who hauled off all the pine straw they installed for bedding...now to get border blocks and mulch...I'm a Southern girl and know what loves pine straw in the winter time....no "satan handpuppets" for me please 🐍 

Found a new boarding place for Tabby.  She is already a registered guest for Thanksgiving week. I think she will be much happier there that her previous place.  They have 8 cats that reside there full time and are the welcoming committee for the new guests.  They "take care" of the visiting cats and help them adapt.  When I went for the tour before I signed Tabby up, I was very impressed with their set-up.  

Starting to make my menu and grocery list for Thanksgiving.  Can't wait to have everyone (or most) together.  I have 2 kids that jobs have gotten in the way of traveling and they will truly be missed.  

Well, I just got bit so that means that Tabby is ready for bed...lol.  

Too much for one blog...lol

 Almost finished moving into new house.  Still a few odds and ends and things to sell at other house. I have the downstairs finished and decorated for fall...I have to have a clean place to go when I get overwhelmed with the clutter. We actually downsized as far as square footage, so I'm having a little difficulty placing everything and trying to decide what to keep and what goes. The upstairs looks like a war zone 😱  But this morning.....I receive a link to this beautiful thought process of "letting go".  Another God wink and blessing just when I need it  Click the link...it's a good read   How To Declutter When You Want To Keep Everything - Club31Women

I know things will come together, but anyone that knows me, also knows that unorganized clutter makes me nutty!!!  

Jim has been home for maybe 3 days in the last two weeks....I called and told him that I was going to need a "safe space" if he didn't get home soon.  I have had to pump my own gas, take out the trash 2 weeks in a row, load things in my car and back it up in the driveway myself....this is almost unacceptable.  I know how the college kids feel now when they have to get to class/work on time and actually work.  Poor babies...  I hope you know this is tongue-in-cheek and I am fully capable of taking care of myself,  I just like being pampered now and then 😀  

Just remember ----this too shall pass and any day above ground is a good day !!!!!

Moving Day

 Today is the day.   Pray for me.  I have never done this by myself 😱

Duck Count 🦆

🦆  

Downstairs duck hunt is complete!!!  50 ducks.....

Upstairs duck hunt is still continuing ...42 have been found - only 8 to go 🦆 

I am hereby making a declaration concerning moving.  I am aware that this is probably NOT our last move, but --- next time will be different.  I have no problem packing our belongings, but instead of trying to move all the little stuff ourselves, we will be hiring the next crew to move EVERYTHING!!!!  I'm too old for this crap...just saying.

Movers come next Wednesday.  I hope this will be over soon.  

Random Stuff

 First let me say that I hate the process of moving.  I started trying to be organized with the packing, but as time is going on, I have finally gotten to the point of "just throw the crap in a box and I'll deal with it later"😆  I'm hoping to be moved right before we go to Ozark on the 22nd or right after we get back.  Having things in two places is not fun.

Speaking of the new house...anyone that knows me, knows that I don't have second thoughts or really sweat decisions until they have already been made....then I question said decision to death knowing that it's too late to do anything about it....as I have done with this house purchase.  But a God wink has set my mind at ease and it's the craziest thought process to date for me (I think)...lol.   The house number was eating away at me because it seemed so familiar - 2056-  It took me a couple of weeks to FINALLY  realize why it was so familiar...don't laugh now...It was a phone number from my childhood and still stands to this day.....774-2056 .... is the number for the Dairy King in Ozark which I know I have dialed hundreds of times for call in orders ... God wink set my mind at ease and yes I'm sure God has a sense of humor.

When we moved my parents into a nursing home and started going thru their belongings, I found SO many things that Mother had meticulously packed away and saved for a special occasion.  She had dressy purses and shoes, pearls, dishes, clothes and anything else she deemed too good to use everyday.  Long story short....she hardly used or enjoyed any of the things she had.  Such a wasted...I am trying to break that practice.  This practice was so ingrained in me from all of the women in my family that I also have things that are put away for a special occasion...As I'm packing this house, I carefully packed my grandmother's china - which I don't believe has ever been used and 2 matching sets of gold flatware that I bought because they caught Jim's eye and he fell in love with it.  I plan on using all of this for at least 1 meal every week.  Several years ago, Jim bought me a beautiful pearl necklace.  I have been saving it for a "special occasion"  I had a special occasion last week...God granted me another day on this earth...I wore the pearls...I'm not "saving" anything else...it's time to enjoy all the wonderful things this life and God has afforded me.  I hope to pass this attitude toward possessions to my children...sometimes the "special occasion" comes too late.  ENJOY YOUR LIFE!!!  Everyday is a special occasion.

Long Update

 SO SO much has been happening that it has been difficult to stop and write about it.  But here is a little of what has been happening in our life lately.  First, after SEVERAL years, Jim needed a new CPAP machine.  The CPAP machine in our house is non-negotiable.  I’m more than certain that the severity of his Apnea would have taken his life without it.  Anyway….protocol has changed now and in addition to sleep study (which he failed miserably), Drs now want you to have stress test, EKG and Echocardiogram.  Of course this sent Jim into a nervous tizzy.  He got through all the testing and I went with him to Dr for results because we all know that he would “forget” or not tell me everything…We are prepared for anything, but when Dr. comes in and looks over chart - he goes over all the results and tells us that Jim is “golden”.  All tests came back perfect except of course the sleep study.  Prayers answered.  Now let’s take a guess at who thinks they are indestructible? 😜

Next - we are homeowners again.  We closed on our new house !!!  Not exactly what anyone would picture we would buy, but we think it will take us nicely into retirement and possibly become income property if we decide to move post retirement.  We left the NC Charlotte area and moved across the SC line.  It only adds maybe 20 minutes to Jim’s commute when he is in the Charlotte office (which is not a lot), but it is a nice small town and (whispering) the people talk like me - with a Southern accent.  The downtown area is old original buildings with small businesses and could easily be used to film a Hallmark movie…lol.  The house is smaller that what we have had before, but there are only two of us, however there is room for more should anyone need it.  We always make sure we have room for more(we got 4 bedrooms…lol).  Totally open downstairs so everyone can be in the same room whether it’s the kitchen, dining or living room.  I think I’m going to like that.  Still a lot of tweaking to do but it will be fun.

After 3 hours in the DMV yesterday, we are now South Carolinians.. but as the song goes, my home’s in Alabama, no matter where I lay my head.

The packing and moving has started - garage is almost empty and lots of boxes are full but we will be hiring movers for the furniture  Our bodies remind us that we are not in our 20’s anymore…lol

I’m writing this blog today from Tenn looking out my hotel window at the Mountain View while Jim is working then tonight we are off for our favorite outing here….Supper at Paula Deen’s and bluegrass music outside of the Moonshine store.  This is a 180 from our Tues night date which was a Guns N Roses concert in Charlotte  It was SO awesome.  I’m so glad we live in an area where we can go from one extreme to another like this!!!

Duck Count:  I think I’m close to 70 ducks now….the problem is, I have found most of the obvious ones.  They are being found in the most unusual places now that we are packing up.  Never let it be said that my children lack imagination!!!

More to come later….BYE!!

100 Ducks

 Logan has been with us the entire month of July.   Jake, Jennifer and Emily were here for a long weekend.  Lots of laughs, food and games.  Everyone is gone and the house is extremely quiet.  I miss them already.  You always think that the each stage of your child's life is the hardest, but so far, them being grown, out of your safety net and not living close is the worst. You are proud of them for being independent, responsible adults but dang it's lonely.  But enough about that.....

Let's talk about the ducks....Sunday, Jim and I had to take Emily to her truck (parked at Jim's office) so she could go home.  While we are gone, Jennifer and Logan hide 100 mini-ducks all over my house 😲  So far, only 16 have been found .  This could take a while...they assured me that some may not be found until I start packing the house for our move....ducks, ducks everywhere !!!!

Lord help me 😂😂  100 of these little things !!!!

Our Last Day Alone

 Today was my last day alone with Logan.  Jim will be home tomorrow night and Jenny and Emily will be here tomorrow afternoon.  Logan is excited to see his Mama, but is making it clear that he's only interested in a visit and does not want to go home....lol.  

We had breakfast this morning and decided we needed to get out of the house.  We went to TJMaxx, Marshall's, Five Below and Best Buy for Logan to look until his heart was satisfied (which was almost 2 hours).  Logan had mentioned wanting Asian food for several days, so I decided we would check out a new restaurant in the area.  Konnichiwa.  The food was wonderful!!!  Logan got sushi and cleaned his plate, then began to eat what was left of my steak bowl....lol 

It has been wonderful being able to spend the month with Logan.  I will be lost and lonely for a while after he goes home!!!

God's Hand at Work

 For the past year or so, Jim and I have been looking for our own house.  We have looked in the neighborhood we live in now, we have looked in the community, we have looked in the next town over and every time there has been a stumbling block in our way.....everything from being multiple offers to overpriced housing.  We have given up , re-started, gone through two realtors and decided to start again. Prayers, prayers and more prayers.....for God's will and God's timing.  

Our realtor emailed us several houses every day but none ever felt right.  We looked at a few and we were even putting an offer in on one only to be told it was already taken by the person who looked at it before us.  As I was looking thru Trulia and Realtor.com one day, some new builds came up as "something you might be interested in".  I looked and thought ... nah... I think that is too far out... This listing just kept coming up over and over again...   I told Jim about it and we decided to go look.  We drove thru this new unfinished neighborhood, had nothing else to do, so we decided to stop at the model house/sales office where we proceeded to look at several floor plans and we agreed on one we both liked.  The next week I had our realtor go out with me to check things out and talk to the salesperson on our behalf.  She was very impressed and it would be a good deal since the area is the next to build up with over 1,000 building permits outstanding for future housing.  We would be getting in on the "ground floor" before the pricing went higher.  Still, something wasn't settled with me.  I was convinced it was too far out for my spoiled self to make quick grocery runs and casual shopping, so here we go out there again to map out the area.  We were absolutely shocked to find out we were less than 2 miles from the main township and new shopping area containing grocery stores, Walmart, restaurants, etc.  This lifted a load off my mind but something still wasn't right.  The floor plan that we had agreed on was not working in my mind.  We discussed this and decided to return to the sales office and look at a smaller house with a better layout.  The one we looked at was perfect for us.  Backing up to a wooded lot between the house and the highway, no one would ever build behind us.  The outside color of the house was perfect, the lot was level and our cars would fit in the driveway ( these are big concerns in the Carolinas).  We called our realtor and told her we were ready to put in an offer on this new build (the salesman said they would entertain offers because the house was finished).  After a few back and forths we came to an agreement and along with their incentives we came out below our budget for a house!!!  Barring any hiccups getting all the paper work and inspections, (all financing has been approved), we should close sometime next month!!!    I would have never looked in this area if this house had not just "magically" appeared in my internet search.   We are moving to a "small town" but still less than 45 minutes from all Charlotte has to offer.  God's will and God's timing.

Just Hanging in There

Life is just chugging along.  We still have Logan and will for another few weeks.  This is his time and he looks forward to it every year.  We try to make it a fun time for him and make memories that will a lifetime.  Friday we took him to a Charlotte Knights baseball game (minor league) and of course Grandpa got tickets for the Diamond Direct Luxury Lounge which includes air-conditioning, full buffet and separate outside seating for the game.  A little excitement when a foul ball bounced off the railing right in front of Logan and grandpa.  Thank goodness it hit the railing or it would have been a different story.  That was enough for Logan, so we spent the rest of the game inside watching on the wall-to-wall televisions and hitting the buffet until it was time for fireworks.

Through a series of internet searches and coincidences, we may have found a house this last weekend.  It would move us out of NC to SC which is no big heartbreak.  Things have changed so much in just the 3 years we have been here and the housing costs are almost astronomical.  Anyway - I found some new builds in York, SC so we decided Saturday to do a drive by to see what this new subdivision was like.  All new houses, and still under construction...we decided to stop and talk to the sales dept.  They showed us a few houses and we agreed on one, which if you know us, you should know that doesn't happen often. Our only problem is the distance to Jim's office, but as he reminded me, when we lived in FL he was driving 30+ minutes to work everyday he was in the office.  Then he reminded me that he isn't in the office that much these days, that he is back to traveling.  We are so spoiled living here with all our shopping no more than 3-4 miles away, that I was questioning whether I wanted to move or not.  We decided to go back Sunday and look around the town and found almost all the conveniences that we have here were only 2-3 miles away from where our house would be located.  So....I'm meeting our realtor at the neighborhood Wed for her to grill the sales department and ask the questions we never thought to ask....guess that's why she gets paid !!!  We are not pushing anything but are leaving it in God's hands as to whether this is the right move or not. If it is God's will, things will work out...if not, then we take another route. 

As for my sister-in -law,  the Dr's finally found the source of her infection - small intestinal leak - did emergency surgery and now they are trying to clear up the infections and get her on the mend.  She is off the ventilator and from what I have heard is getting quite testy...lol  It's been a long journey and more to go but we are praying she makes a complete recovery.

What a week !!!!

 Let's do a simple recap of my last week shall we?  Jim left last Sunday for a week of business trips that would take him through Thursday...Tues I get a call from my brother...his wife is in hospital on ventilator and they are not expecting her to pull through.  My brother (the only Free family that I have left) is in full distress mode and I tell him that I will make the trip to Ozark tomorrow (Tues).  I get everything fixed and I fill Jim in on the situation, load my car and take off for Alabama.  I have my route set and when I get to Augusta, GA, Matilda (my GPS) decides that my route is not good enough and will take too long with too much traffic.  I am re-routed to travel SouthWest thru the state of GA.  At one point I called Jim just to let him know where I was because if something had happened, I wouldn't be found for days 😨 It wasn't really that bad but definitely not interstate.  To show how "hidden" some of the roads were, I traveled for a couple of hours on the "Jefferson Davis Memorial Highway" - that should let you know that it is not traveled much or some "woke" person would be having a conniption to have the name changed.  Let's hope they never find it.   Long story short, I made it to Ozark and straight to the hospital...thank goodness she was on the upswing. Still on sedative and ventilator, I stayed until Friday morning to make sure things were looking up before I left  for Gainesville.  As of this blog, her condition has not changed, but we are still praying for full recovery.  

Now on to Gainesville where I go to Jennifer's - spend the night - up the next morning, Saturday,  with Logan in tow to Charlotte.  What usually takes 6.5 hours took almost another 2 hours because of the holiday weekend traffic and we were the lucky ones...the south bound lanes to GA and FL were almost a parking lot.  

We make it home Saturday evening and give a sigh of relief just to be back in my own bed.  Jim had a long weekend so we got to spend some time together after being apart and Logan was thrilled that Grandpa didn't have to go to work right away.  That changes tomorrow though.  Back to work.  Guess Logan and I will just have to spend our time shopping and making cookies, or that's what he tells me we are doing.  I won't argue.  We will be making memories 💓

What happened to the lights????

 Last night around 9:20- we lost electricity.  The entire area and down in to SC.  Of course Jim is out of town, so I finally find what is supposed to be a flash light and find my way downstairs (it gets hot upstairs quickly when the a/c if off).  But then....I remember....several years ago my wonderful mother-in-love gave me a rooster with glitter and lights!!! So I put it on the table and Tabby and I sit my the "rooster light" and just wait for the lights to come on..which happened a couple of hours later. 

Jake's car

 I get a call last Thurs ( I think), Mom - somebody tried to steal my car last night.  Of course a mama's heart doesn't like to hear things like that.  After reporting to police and getting his police report for the insurance, he was informed that his Kia Soul is on the list for high thefts.  He was heartbroken because just the day before he had sent off his last payment.  

As of yesterday, he got word that insurance would cover the damage (broken window, steering column, etc)  but would be delayed because of parts.  He was happy that his car was worth more than the damage done and they didn't total it.😂   Meanwhile, he has the old standby, big red, because there are no rental cars available for the price range the insurance company gave him. 

Although we have difficulties - God provides in many ways 

Random Point

 NEVER mistake my tolerance for acceptance. 

John 15:5

 "I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who remains in Me ,and I in him, bears much fruit.  For without 

Me you can do nothing."       Food for thought today.

Back from Gainesville

 Got back from my Gainesville visit last week.  Have been busy looking for houses and getting caught up on laundry.  Enjoyed seeing all the children and grandchildren.  Made our rounds while Jim was with me...then he flew back to Charlotte and left me to visit at my leisure.  Spent Jennifer's birthday with her and Logan.  We spent the day shopping at the mall and Hobby Lobby.  Then to her favorite restaurant  Las Margaritas with Jerry and Rachel, then home for her ice cream cake.  I think she enjoyed herself.  

Spent a couple of days helping Rachel unpack in her new apartment.  Loaded bookshelves, hung some pictures and worked on the boys bathroom.  

Jenny and I had lunch with JR and Logan.  The boys requested Sonny's ... JR wanted a turkey sandwich and Logan said ...bring me the redneck egg rolls and a slab of ribs.😱  After Sonnys, we went to Browns Farm stand and bought some fresh vegetables for lunch Sunday.

Saturday, Ms Violet had her end-of-year dance recital.   She did great and I loved all the little costumes, but the showcase was the "Father/Daughter" dance.  Didn't know Jon could actually move in sync to music...lol.

Sunday revolved around food....I had bought some fresh corn, so I sat on porch and shucked it, then inside to cut off cob for fresh cream corn...also bought some white acre peas, and had boiled potatoes...fried bacon and fried cornbread.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves..lol.  Rachel came out with the boys and all the neighborhood boys, Logan and Camden played outside.  

Tuesday was a long ride home.  Seems that road gets longer every time I travel it.  BUT I was definitely glad to get home and into my own bed.  Jenny and Jerry are great hosts and Logan always gives up his bed, but it's nothing like being in your own.  Best part of this was Jim didn't know I was coming home.  I haven't seen him grin that big in a while.  He definitely doesn't like taking care of himself. 

Now to bring everything up to date...I woke up this morning around 3am and knew something was "off".  My vision was blurred and my eye didn't feel right, so I go in the bathroom and frightened myself.  My left eye is matted and gunky....PINK EYE!!!  OH NO!!!  DrOnDemand is a wonderful thing.  They called in for my eye drops and Jim brought them home.  Now it's drops for 6 days and hopefully this won't pass to Jim.  

Catching up

 May has been busy.  Most of it has been spent trying to figure out what I want in a house and trying to find it in this area, and not be "house poor"😕  

Had a quiet Mother's Day.  I got calls from the children which was wonderful 💓  T-shirt with all the children represented by their birth flower, amazon gift card and a bag of Three Musketeers (yummy). Got a unique and wonderful gift from Jim.  It is a portable hand warmer and massager.  I sure does work good on these arthritic hands.  It sits on my desk so I use it quite often.

Went to SC to spend a few days with Emily and Zack.  Things are good there.  Played with the grandcats.  Finally made a bed for Luci (short for Lucifer) so maybe now he will let Binx have his bed back.  

Have a few new ideas and some projects going, but am going to Gainesville for a visit first.  Need some cuddles from the little grandsons before they get too big for Granny to hug and kiss on like the others have ( I still sneak a few when I can catch them off guard).  

Officially House Hunting

 It’s official…we are house hunting.  I have a realtor looking for the imposssible.  You know, the 3-4 bedroom, 2-3 bath, gourmet kitchen, fireplace, office, screened porch, outdoor kitchen, outdoor fireplace, workshop, etc all in a package that is no more that 10 mins from shopping, no HOA, plenty of parking and lots of extras….and try to keep it under $500,000 in the Charlotte area…I think she had to have medical help for the hysterical laughing  😂😂

Hubby and I went to the Charlotte farmer’s market Saturday.  It has become one of our favorite weekend outings.  Fresh eggs on the top of the list!!!   Hubby is addicted to corn on cob and first crops are coming in, so we loaded up and he ate all day Sunday…he was a happy boy 😀

Busy month of May.  We have something scheduled every week this month.  At least someone will be home with Tabitha most of the time and she won’t have to be boarded.  

It’s MahJong time.  Goodnight. 

Foxworthy/Morgan was cancelled 😢

 Several weeks ago, my husband bought us tickets to see Jeff Foxworthy and Leanne Morgan in Charleston.  Ours plans were to go to “concert”, stay in hotel, then go spend a few days with our daughter and son-in-law (Emily and Zack).  Well, since “concert” was cancelled and hotel room is non-refundable, we are still going on our trip!!  It’s not until May, but we will be ready to have some fun.

Went to my exercise class this morning then chair yoga and stretching with hubby tonight.  Trying my best to stay ahead of the arthritis and keep the joints moving.  Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to win this fight, but I won’t go down easy.

On a lighter note..I didn’t have my phone near to record, but hubby and I got tickled doing our stretching tonight.  We have our chairs set up and watch a video on the big screen tv.  Miss Tabby decides to sit on the table beside the tv and watch the lady giving us directions.  We noticed that she would cock her head to the side while watching, then lift her paw when we lifted our arms…we never know what Miss Tabby has on her mind 😺

All is quiet here. Hubby and Tabby asleep and I’m the last one up as usual.  Time to play Majong until I can’t see…lol. 

Granny's new blog

 Restless leg was strong with this Granny last night so what do I do?  Think. For some reason this old blog came to mind.  I read over some of the entries and decided that calling it "The Holcombs" no longer applied since we are now empty nesters and live in NC away from most of the children and grandchildren.  So think, think, think.....since I need to write and get things out of my head😉 I decided to rename this blog and use it for all things me.  Family, marriage, travels and my own opinions about things...I know that most people don't give two hoots about what I think and that's ok, but it sure makes me feel better to get some musings out of my head.  SO....this should be an interesting journey for me and you if you decide to read and if not...I wish you a happy life..   

This past week was a wonderful time....Monday and Tuesday were for exercise class and getting prepared for our trip.  Jim is now over an office in Knoxville and I decided to travel with him this time.  But before we could start our travel Wednesday, we both had appts...Jim teeth cleaning and I had cardiologist to review tests I had taken.  Jim's teeth are good (this is for my MIL who I know will read😂)  and my cardio visit was excellent.  All tests came back great and after years of every 6 months visits, I have now been told that every looks so good that I can change it to yearly!!!  Answered prayers!!!!

Anyway.. we left for Knoxville Wednesday afternoon...such a beautiful drive.  Jim worked Thursday and I stayed in hotel, worked on my diamond painting and watched Designing Woman (Lauren Bacall) and Singing in the Rain...this was my kind of day...  We drove down to Pigeon Forge for dinner at Mel's Diner.  Very cute and FULL...  Jim only worked until 2 Friday so we went to the Island at Pigeon Forge and spent the afternoon.  We looked in almost every shop they had but our favorite was sitting in the rocking chairs outside the Moonshine store and listening to live bluegrass music.  Weather was perfect and we enjoyed the music and people watching...Saturday we started our journey home but first we went to the Bush Bean factory and visitor center.  We had a blast.  "Roll that beautiful bean footage"..lol  Of course Jim didn't leave without a bag full of a variety of beans.  We drove thru part of the parkway...missed our turn and Matilda (our GPS) rerouted us.  OMG what a route she took us on...let's just say we were glad we had plenty of gas and we didn't hear any banjos😱  We made it Home Sweet Home 😊

Now to start my week with laundry, cleaning and trying to stay out of trouble!!!