Atlanta Shopping

Downtown Atlanta!!!

Esclator for carts!!

"Sweet Home Alabama" 

I still laugh when I think about being able to just jump in the Explorer and drive to a different state in just the matter of an hour or so.  It's like being in Europe and driving to a different country for the day.  It's really fun living where we can do this.
    We were only about 15 minutes from IKEA when we dropped Genavive off.  It was lunch time!  Of course Chuck and Michelle got " Swedish meatballs" but since I stopped eating red meat a few months back, I got the chicken fingers.  ( just a warning...don't get them at IKEA....two words..." Fake Chicken".  After lunch, it was time to shop!!...and shop we did!!  I kept thinking about Auntie Barbara's famous words..." If you like it, you better buy it because it won't be there when you go back to get it".  Well, not so much that it won't be there but who in the heck would know when we would be going to Atlanta again.  I loaded up the cart.  Well, when you buy a rug, a black/white poke a dot rug for my new studio and four feather pillows, the cart fills up fast.  I got lots of pretty lacy trays and buckets for my bathroom, four little salad bowls that match the big salad bowl that I got there, the last time we drove to Atlanta, just to go to IKEA.  I also got two more of the plastic holders for my extra wrapping papers. Oh! the bargain of the day was fabric!  I didn't even know they had fabric.  Great fabric at great prices.  They had oil cloth that is $19 a yard at Hobby Lobby and every place else.  At IKEA, it's $7.99 a yard.  They even had black/white poke a dots!!! Yep, I got two yards.  It was time to check out and head for home.  We even had fun taking the carts down the cart escalator.  We had one more short stop before heading home.  Trader Joe's!  Michelle wanted some of their wine and I wanted some of their "21 salute" spice.  We were in and out within just minutes and headed to "Sweet Home Alabama".  Not a week that I had planned but some times those are the best in life.

Goodbye Genavive

Genavive took "Col. Sanders" home with her.  

The week flew by just like I knew it would.  It was time to meet up with Genavive's Step Grandparents over in Atlanta.  We both left at the same time.  They were coming from Pigeon Forge and we were to meet them at the Honda dealer north of Atlanta.  We timed it perfect!  We pulled into the dealers about 4 minutes before they did.  It was nice getting to see them and Jordyn ( Genavive's 1/2 sister) .   They were driving down to Valdosta and spending the night before driving the rest of the way home on Saturday.  We were headed to IKEA.  You can't come to Atlanta and not go to IKEA!  Yes, there were tears as always with our "goodbyes" but we're getting better about it.  We just keep saying " Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".  I was smiling from ear to ear.  I really like our " Peterson Surprises"!!!!

Happy July 4th!!!

July 4th chalk board by Michelle

Three Generations

July 4th cook out

July 4th kitty!!

We had a great July 4th, even though it poured down rain the whole day.  It's a good thing we have a "grill house" for Chuck to get in out of the weather and that we have two porches to keep us dry.  We had the all American July 4th fest of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, black bean salad, deviled eggs, apple pie and homemade ice cream.  Afterwards, we watched a movie and then the fire works in NYC on the TV.  Before going to bed, we all went out and lit Genavive's sparklers that she brought with her.  All in all, it was a GREAT July 4th!!!!  Way more than I had planned.

Rain, Rain, Rain!!!

Playing in the rain...just playing in the rain!

down by the garden

Brick Creek water falls

Rushing Brick Creek

Bridge over rushing Brick Creek

It has rained, rained and rained all day....Happy July 4th!!!  By dark, we had gotten at least 6  inches of rain.  So much for playing croquet in the front yard and eating on the deck but that's OK.  I dug out the games and a puzzle and when we got tired of being inside, Michelle, Papa and Genavive put on their rain gear and went for a walk down to the garden, past the rushing waters of Brick Creek.  Oh how I wish Brick creek flowed like that all the time without it raining.

Locally Grown

Giant tomatoes!!!!

Yummy peaches!!

Lots of wonderful local produce.

On the way home from picking blueberries, we stopped at another produce stand.  We bought one of the giant tomatoes, some peaches and a cantaloupe. We already had watermelon at home.  All of it is locally grown.  How lucky we are to have so many local farmers around here with orchards and fields of produce.  Each county has it's own farmer's market with every thing  locally grown also.  I just love summer up here!!!!

Picking Blueberries!

Bird nest with eggs in one of the blueberry bushes

Apple trees!!!

The apples will be ready to pick in August

We always try and find something that Genavive hasn't done before, when she comes up here to visit.  This time, we went and picked blueberries.  Lots of them!!  A whole gallon!!!  It didn't take us long because the bushes were loaded with blue ones.  Papa came across a birds nest with eggs in it.  I'm surprised the Mama bird wasn't fussing at us.  Next to the blueberry bushes were a few apple trees.  They were loaded also but they won't be ready to pick until August. They have a whole apple orchard in another field.   That means another trip to our favorite produce stand in another month.  It will be time to make apple butter before I know it.

SURPRISE!!!!!

Can't believe she is here!!!!!

Learning to iron

Papa's blueberry pan cake breakfast.

Fun at Walmart and Publix

I was laying on the couch watching TV Monday night and I look up and there stood Genavive!!!!  ( with Aunt Shell behind her)  Boy was I SURPRISED!!!  Genavive's step grandparents were going to Tennessee for vacation and they brought Genavive with them.  Michelle, met them in Chattanooga on Monday evening and brought her here.  She spent the night Monday night and got up really early to get to work on time from here.  We get to have fun with Genavive for almost a week.  We are meeting up with her step grandparents over at Atlanta ( which means we get a trip to IKEA in...yaaaaa!!!!) so they can take her back home.
    On our trip to town for groceries and other things, we went to Walmart.  ..not only to shop but to have fun with putting " googly eyes" on different things that have faces on them.  After doing three or four of them, we decided we had better stop before we got caught and got into trouble...ha.  We were giggling all over the store.