A Day in the Kitchen

The rearranged kitchen.

Corner cabinet with blue/white chicken stuff
Cook book stand

Breakfast Bar

Glasses next to the refrigerator 

Coffee/tea cups over the coffee pots/tea pot

Baking area on one side of the sink
Snack bar on the other side of the sink.

Bowls over baking area

Measuring cups over canisters

I think after five years of living in the house, I have FINALLY gotten things where they are suppose to be for connivance in the kitchen.  It seems like every time I have moved something in the kitchen, I think this is the best place for it and then I always come up with a better idea.  I spent almost the whole day in the kitchen yesterday, moving things.  I mean..." moving" everything in four of the cabinets, after I moved the things on the counter tops, .  I have the one long counter top as our " breakfast bar".  It's all there...coffee pots, tea kettle, toaster, bagels, English muffins and all the cups, mugs and plates to use. I love getting up early in the morning and all I have to do is decide what flavor coffee I want, drop it in and push the button.  Then, put the English muffin in the toaster and have the butter/honey right there on the counter.  Instant breakfast!
     On the other side of the kitchen, I made my " baking area" with all the things I need for that in the cabinets above that counter.  It sure makes things easier for cooking for sure.  Not that I like to cook.  It is always more fun to organize things than it is to cook.  ....or sew....or even clean the house.  Can you believe I just wrote that?....Yes, I would rather clean than cook.  Some day if I happen to become rich....I'm hiring a cook!  I'm still dreaming BIG!

Cousin's Luncheon

Elegant table set for 14

Table center piece in a silver punch bowl

Roses on the mantel

Roses on the tea table

Roses on the corner table

Purple and lavender glads in the hall way

Roses on the side table

Buffet table in the kitchen

Gene, Mimmie ( Gene's mama) and
Mimmie's great grand daughter

I have been so lucky to have been invited to the " cousin's luncheon" for the past two months.  August's luncheon was at Gene and George's house.  Chuck had taken me down to Carmichael Hall on Sunday afternoon and Melanie and I headed down to Cecil to spend a few days for a lot of fun.  That included a pedicure from the Pink Palace ( Melanie's made up manicure/pedicure salon) for Mimmie, a " tea tasting" and a " salt tasting".  The day before the luncheon, Melanie grabbed some rags and furniture polish and set out polishing every chair, china cabinet and table in the elegant dining room.  As she polished each chair, she thought of who might have sat in each chair at one time and all of the conversations that went on around the long dining room table that belonged to her and Gene's grand parents.  As Gene and I looked at it as a lot of work but Melanie assured us that it was enjoyable to her.  It was like she had a day with her relatives and it brought tears to her eyes.  After polishing all the furniture, Melanie arranged the flowers......beautiful flowers were every where you looked.  The dining room could have been in Downton Abbey with all the flowers, silver and pretty crystal.  It was an honor to attend this beautiful luncheon with all the wonderful food that each cousin brought to share.  Everyone should be so lucky to have so many cousins that get together once a month.  I'm so lucky to be called " cousin" in this family now.

Tourist Trap....

Upside down building...

King Kong...etc

Titanic along side of the road

Everything Christmas!
The whole hotel is decorated with nothing but Christmas, all year long.

As I was looking over my pictures from this summer, I came across these that I had taken while we were in Pigeon Forge.  These places all made us laugh as we drove down the road.  This place is worse than Florida with being a tourist trap.  I'm glad Chuck and I have the memory of Pigeon Forge being nothing there but a little general store, 45 years ago.

The Most Hummers Ever

Only four out of the ten that come to the feeder

George being entertained

This Spring when the hummingbirds showed up, there were only four.  Three females and one male.  Over the summer, the number has grown to ten as well as we can count them.  It's really hard to count them as they land on the feeder and then there are a number of them flying to and from the feeder.   This is the most we have ever had come to our feeder since we moved here.  Some of them are tiny so we are guessing maybe the three Spring females might have had babies.  Plus we could have picked up a few more once they spread the word that there was always plenty of food available.  They are so entertaining.  It's fun to sit in the chair by the window and just watch them come and go.  Even George kitty thinks so.  When he's outside, he never tries to catch them.  I guess he just knows they are too fast for him.

In the Good Ole Summer Time

Flowers from the yard

One evening I was out in the back yard and got a bug in my head to move the furniture around on the deck.  I decided to try putting the table and chairs under the wisteria and it ended up that I really like it better.  It's nice not having to have the umbrella coming out of the middle of the table.  I can use the umbrella to shade the three metal vintage chairs and can move it to where it is needed.  Now it's like I have a new deck.  This is the first time I've had the furniture different since we moved into the house five years ago.  My plants have done well this summer being in the semi shade of the wisteria.   Next summer there should even be more shade with the wisteria growing as fast as it is.

Summer Tomatoes

When Chuck got back from Florida, we set out one day to Eva to pick tomatoes, up on the mountain.  It was a very hot day but it didn't take us long to pick 3/4 bushel of tomatoes and we were on our way home.  Now what to do with all these tomatoes.  Since I had used almost all of the ones I had canned last summer in soups last winter, it was time to put some more up in the pantry.  Six quarts should do it.  I might be wishing that I had canned more but I know these sure will be good in soup when it's freezing outside as we wish for it to snow.  As time flies by so fast, it won't be long before it's soup making time.

Favorites

Lunch at Moe's

Finding treasures at the Thrift Store

Hobby Lobby is always fun!

The last few days that Genavive was in Alabama, we spent our time going to her favorite places for the last time before she went home.  I think she would have eaten lunch at Moe's every day if she could have.  This child loves Mexican food!!!  The Thrift store was one of her favorites because we found so many treasures  like sun dresses and jewelry.  Of course everyone has fun at Hobby Lobby.  It's a sewer/crafter's dream come true store.  Just some places that Genavive doesn't get to go to in Florida.  That's one of the things that makes Alabama so special.  ....that and Oona and Papa live here.  ( and Aunt Shell is just 2 1/2 hours up the road).

Good Bye Brambly Pines

Papa and Genavive...travels to Fla. 

On their way to Birmingham....to the airport

Our "seven bears summer" came to an end.  It was fantastic having Genavive here with us for a month and four days.  A summer none of us will ever forget.  When I became sad from  Genavive leaving, I just remembered one of the fun times we had. Chuck flew home with Genavive so he could visit with his Dad for a week.  He drove his truck to Carmichael Hall and left the truck.  Melanie took them to the airport and picked Chuck up a week later so he could drive the truck home.  A heart felt thank you to Lady Melanie for making our summer so special also.  

Finishing " Florida Breezes" Quilt

Hand stitching the binding on 

IT'S DONE!!!!

The back

The label

The last few days of Genavive's visit we were busy finishing up her quilt so she could take it home with her.  Teaching her how to hand stitch the binding down was one of my favorite parts.  I just like doing " hand work" and besides that....when you are done....IT'S DONE!  I'm so proud of Genavive for finishing a quilt in such a short time and I'm so happy that she is now interested in " quilting" as it has been in my family for generations now.

Firsts!

Genavive's first time driving a four wheeler

Pretty Peach on the tree

Fun picking peaches

Beautiful freshly picked peaches



Genavive had a lot of " firsts" this summer with us.  We took her out to our friend's farm  where he has a peach orchard.  Like me until I moved up here. Genavive had never seen peaches growing on trees.  When we started out to the orchard to pick, Larry asked Genavive if she had ever driven a four wheeler.  Of course the answer was " no".  Well, no doing but Larry to move over and had Genavive get behind the wheel.  After a little instructions, we were on the way to the peaches.  I think peaches are my favorite thing to pick.  They are just so pretty stuck to the branches.  

Grand daughters luncheon

Melanie, Jeanne and I had our grand daughters with us
for a special grand daughter luncheon.

Yummy salmon lunch

Mushroom burgers with fries

One of our Birmingham days, we were invited to have lunch with one of Melanie's cousin's...Jeanne, who is married to Melanie's cousin Pete.  Each of us were lucky to have one of our grand daughters to attend lunch with us.  I think the place was called Gallery and Garden but not sure right now.  Everyone makes up names for things in the South and we were calling it Guns and Garden just to be silly.  Any ways...it was an elegant place with valet parking.  We had our own little dinning room and the waiter even put your napkin in your lap for you.  I know!  The food was just as wonderful.  Everyone got the special mushroom burger.  All but Genavive and I.  We got the salmon.  It was so good, we wanted to pick our plate up and lick it clean.  Of course we didn't.  Not in this fancy place.  The dessert was to die for!  We all shared a plate of different chocolate items.  In the corner of the plate was a dab of " rose jelly".  Yes, it was made of rose petals and we all died and went to heaven when we each tasted it.  It tasted like roses smell!  A big "thank you" to Jeanne for treating us to this wonderful memory of a lunch in Birmingham.

Curly Locks

You know the saying....everyone hates their hair and wants what they don't have.  I'm one of them.  I was born with curly, curly hair and have hated it my whole life.  I've done everything there is to do to curly hair to make it straight.  Putting all kinds of chemicals on it to laying my head on the ironing board and letting my best friend iron my hair.  Then there were the six pack of beer cans with the ends cut out that I rolled my hair on and attempted to sleep on.  Well, lucky Genavive was born with straight, straight hair.  She doesn't know how lucky she is ( yet).  Of course she wants her hair curly.  It's so straight that it won't hold the curly no matter what you do to it.  Well, that is until you let Lady Melanie get a hold of it.!  One of the nights we were staying at Carmichael Hall, we were watching the movie Beatrix Potter and it showed her hair rolled in rags when she was a little girl.  Melanie grabbed some fabric and ripped it in strips, got a glass of water and a comb.  Next thing we know, Genavive had her hair rolled up in " rags".  She slept on it and the next morning...TA DA!  her hair was curly!!!!  and it actually stayed curly all day.  By night fall it was getting pretty straight though.  A day of having your hair the way you want it, is a " wonderful day" no matter what happens.  Of course every day spent at Carmichael Hall with Melanie is always wonderful! Straight or curly hair.