Gabriella Grace

I forgot to mention that The Man finally chose a name for the baby, Gabriella Grace. Although he is arguing with me on the middle name, I don't for see it changing!! I'm glad we finally have one, The Family has been waiting very patiently. Now I can get to embroidering some things!! It feels good to have her named, now she can really have an identity. Now all I have to do is be patient till she gets here!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely. I wasn't able to post last night because we didn't get back to the cabin til late. But I'm here now so without further ado....

First we stopped at a welcome center in the park. It was a really nice facility. They had a book/gift shop, a museum full of helpful info on the different species in the park, and they had several guides that would answer all kinds of questions and help plan hiking/camping routes. They had several nature trails there that we took.

I told The Man that, in a way, this was our first family vacation...although the baby hasn't been born yet, she technically was with us!







Then we headed further into the park. For those of you who've never been to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and do. There are all kinds of hiking trails and walks to take. There are also a TON of small pull-offs along the roads so you can pull over and take in the scenery. We basically just drove around the park and saw only a small portion of it. The portion we did see was beautiful.







After so much driving and site seeing, we headed back to the cabin for a small rest before we hit the town. The cabin was so cute and cozy, I loved it. It had everything we needed. The only issue was that it wasn't pregnant lady friendly...meaning that the bedroom was up stairs in the loft and the bathroom was down stairs. For someone who goes pee approximately 3 times a night...this was an issue. Other than that everything was great.



After a couple hours of rest, we headed out into Pigeon Forge and surrounding area for dinner. The Man wanted to go out to eat for our anniversary, which was the point of the whole trip. I didn't mind the eating out as much as I minded the god-awful traffic!!! It was ridiculous!!! But what can you do, right. While stuck in traffic I was able to get some shots of some of the local attractions.


These guys were outside Dolly's Dixie Stampede. They are life size and made out of straw!!


This building was built to look upside down. It was really weird seeing it..definitely made you stop and look. I think its a dinner theater.


I LOVE pumpkins and this HUGE one put an instant smile on my face!!! Its as big as the building behind it!!!


This is a replica of the Titanic. I guess its a museum. Just really funny driving through Pigeon Forge, TN and seeing half the Titanic on the side of the road complete with iceburg!!

All in all we had a great trip. We will definitely be doing that again!! Its good to be home though. We missed the girls or should I say The Man missed the girls. Makes me wonder if he's ever going to be able to leave the baby!!! I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. After a trip like that I almost need an extra day to catch up on sleep before heading back to work.

I should really unpack and head to bed. Besides, I don't have any more pictures to show off. I hope Ya'll have a great week!!

Day One

Well we arrived in Gatlinburg safe and sound. Our cabin is so cute. Just enough. The Man now wants to find a small lot up here and build a vacation cabin....wishful thinking. It would be nice though. There's so much to do up here.

We started our first day by sleeping in a bit. We woke up and drove through Gatlinburg's famous Arts and Crafts Community. Talk about some beautiful work. If only I had an extra couple grand laying around. After that we headed to the main strip and walked it. Too many people for my taste but The Man loves looking at all the little shops. Didn't really buy anything but that's ok. We did find a bakery called The Donut Friar. Oh my...the smell was heavenly. They only accepted cash though so we are gonna have to head back. I'll let u know how it goes. It was a very beautiful day...nice and cool but the sun was shinning with a slight breeze. Perfect in my book.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Smokey Mountain National Park. Needless to say I'll be posting a lot of pictures.

We are really having a good time. It was fun just walking around together and being in a different place. I'm really looking forward to seeing the park tomorrow. Hopefully we will come out with some really good pictures.

I'll be back tomorrow with a bunch of pictures and a recap of the day. Yall be good til then.

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Tuesday's Thoughts

I'm so ready for this weekend. Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow. It's gonna feel great not to have to go to work for two days!!! I'm so ready for a break.
I got a huge list together yesterday with all the things we'll be needing. The cabin has a full kitchen in it which I'm taking full advantage of. I have a very small list of things to get from the store before we head out. I'll start getting all that together tonight along with a small load of laundry. The Man is on fall break so he took care of the majority of laundry yesterday....God love him. That saves me a lot of time.

The Man has narrowed the baby name list down to 5 names: Evangeline, Daphne, Gabriella, Felicity, and Avery. I'm not sure about Daphne but the others I like. I'm hoping we will know definitely by the end of the weekend then I can really start making/shopping. My sewing machine has an embroidery attachment and I'll be putting her name and initials on EVERYTHING!!!

I thank God for giving, caring people. Today Mother was helping a family friend with some well needed purging. In return she gave us a TON of baby stuff, most of it is new or gently used. We got a highchair, stay and play playpen, Little Tykes outside swing and wagon, and a bunch of clothes. If people keep up like this we won't have to buy ANYTHING which would be a great blessing.

The Man and I have decided to really focus on eating healthy and exercising. At this point in time I can't really work out hard but I can go to the gym and walk, which I what I plan on doing starting next week. Our gym is a minute from work so I'm going to go on my lunch break, that way I don't cut into my personal time. The Man is going to head there after work which will be good for him. Then we will both get home about the same time.

I think I've rambled on enough for one day. Ya'll have a good one!

A Good Weekend!

I'm so sad to see the weekend come to a close but all things must come to an end. I had a really great weekend and I didn't do anything!!! I was in the studio all day Saturday and finished a couple projects including my diaper bag. Isn't it great?! Its nice and roomy and I love the fabric. There is a divider inside along with some pockets. I got the pattern from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I love this woman, she is my idol! And I love this book. It would be a great gift for any mom to be.





I also tried out another recipe I found on Food Gawker, Apple Strudel. I was simple, easy, quick, and oh so good. The only thing I'll do different next time is to sprinkle some sugar on top of the pastry before baking. It would give a bit of extra sweetness. Other than that it was fabulous!!




I feel like I accomplished something this weekend besides cleaning. It probably would have been better if I'd have cleaned but I just wasn't in the mood. This coming weekend is our wedding anniversary and we are heading to Gatlinburg, TN for the weekend. The Man is really looking forward to this. It won't be as extravagant as originally planned but it will be great. We've been wanting to get away before the baby comes and now is really the only time we'll be able to. I know I'll be taking plenty of pictures and making several posts. We head out Thursday morning and come back Sunday evening. We have alot to pack up so I'll be busy. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Until then, Ya'll make it a good one!!!

I'm so thankful that it's Saturday. I was up early this morning and now I'm sitting here with my cup and my wonderful pumpkin scone getting the day started.



I was surfing through Food Gawker when I came across these Pumpkin Scones. I skimmed through the ingredients and preparation and decided it was easy enough for me to try. Let me tell you they are wonderful!!! Not to sweet and not to dry either!! I will definitely be making them again. I think next time I'm going to try a cream cheese icing along with the spice icing...The Man requested it. He loves the pumpkin/cream cheese combination.


Not much planned today. I think The Man is going to go fishing which will leave me to my own devices. I'm debating on whether or not to sew all day long or actually use my time wisely and get some well needed cleaning/organizing done. I'm completely torn so I'll have to get back to you on that one. I really wish I had a week off BEFORE the baby comes to get all the cleaning, reorganizing, and redecorating done. For me its things like a messy pantry and dusty baseboards that drive me CRAZY!!! Usually this time of year I'm going through all the closets getting rid of stuff we don't use. I've already gone through some of the closets but I know there is a TON of stuff in this house that doesn't get used and could get donated/sold.

Well The Man is finally awake and making his way to the coffee pot. I guess I'll stop here and refill my cup as well. I hope you all have a GREAT day. Until next time...Ya'll be good!!!

Getting a Kick Out of My Daughter

The last ultrasound left us with a disc of pictures and a couple, short video clips. One of the pictures captured her leg beautifully. It is one of the most clear pictures we got.



Today I felt those little legs full force. She as been so active the past 24 hours its not funny. Now I know that this is only the beginning but I can't imagine what it is going to feel like in a month or so. I mean really, I could tell when she was sleeping because I wouldn't feel anything for 20-30 minutes. Then, almost like clock work, she would start up again. It was truly amazing!

Mabel called me twice today and both times she went NUTS!!!! As soon as I started talking about her to Mabel she was kicking like crazy! I say kicking but I'm not sure exactly what body part I'm feeling. Most likely its a leg...hopefully. If not then she doesn't get that right hook from me! Even though I've felt it all day, it's still so weird and involuntary. I can't wait til The Man is able to feel her. I think he'll get a kick out of that...pardon the pun.

On a more serious note, I woke up this morning and something was seriously wrong. My father wasn't here. Now, I know that everything happens for a reason and that change is for the better but I can't help but feel sad. I got so used to having him and Step-Mommie around. It even got to the point that it felt weird when they weren't here. Now all of that is gone. I know they'll be down to visit but it won't be the same. Hell, even the driveway looks empty without the Airstream parked in it.

I know I'll get over it but part of me doesn't want to. After years of not being around my Poppa, I truly loved having him around all the time. I'm very thankful for the time that we did get. I know that I'll think of him and Step-Mommie every morning while making the coffee, especially on the weekends! I know that they will do well in Ohio and that we will be visiting!! I wish them both the best and a reminder that they always have a home down here at The Farm.

Side note: We still haven't picked out a name for the baby. We've been compiling a list and will hopefully have one narrowed down in the next week or so....at least I'm praying that we do!!! We are going to Gatlinburg next weekend for our anniversary and I'm hoping we chose a name then, if we haven't before that. Say a prayer that it's not too painful!!! I'll let you know what we come up with. Until then Ya'll have a good one!