{Post 1,699} Vacation, Part Three

If you missed parts 1 and 2, go back and read those first so you get the whole experience chronologically.

This is our last day at our rented cabin. When my husband gets up, we are going to have breakfast, pack up, and head towards home. We have a couple stops we want to make. We are going on a sky taxi up the mountain in Gatlinburg. Then we are going to drive through Cade’s Cove. We have never done that.

A couple other highlights from last night. I did something that, to my knowledge, I’ve never done. I actually did it twice. Any guesses as to what it was? I’ll post it at the end so you have time to think about it.

We played pool in the cabin last night. I won the first two games, and my husband won the last one. I actually am a poor player, He scratched (sunk the cue ball) on the first two games. So I only won because he lost, but I’ll take it. I think my pitiful game did improve as we played. It’s all math. That’s what I get for marrying a math ed major.

At the ornament store, I was tempted (but did not succumb) to get an ornament depicting my new favorite fruit (I just ate my first one last week). It is a pomegranate. We eat the arils on yogurt. I add a little granola to mine. The color of the seeds (arils) is glorious. I learned how to remove the seeds in less than a minute per pomegranate. Exciting stuff.

Yesterday also included the Ripley’s Aquarium. I enjoy aquariums a lot. Haven’t been to many, but they fascinate me...especially the jellyfish. They look ethereal to me. I did not take a pic. Again. We took a glass-bottom boat ride over the large aquarium. It was daunting to step onto the glasss portion of the boat right as a shark swam under. Played with my mind a little.

So, what was my new adventure? I bought a purse. Actually, two of them. Did you guess? I only started carrying a purse when I started carrying a cell phone (and that’s only because it kept falling out of my pocket). I used a Longaberger-type basket as a purse for years (I just made a liner). Then I sewed my own purses until yesterday. I guess I’m growing up. 

{Post 1,698} Vacation, Part Two

I think I last mentioned going to the Dixie Stampede. It was the Christmas show. I always get teary when the show starts. The audio and the overwhelming impact of the visual just overwhelm me. I have always loved horses. They are so powerful and majestic. Here is a pic from the live nativity scene. The wise men arrived a little earlier than the actual two-year mark.

We came back to the cabin and did something very mundane, but necessary. We cut out the preschool paperwork for a couple hours. There are so. Many. Papers. Crafts, stickers, and take home papers. We watched a couple movies from the kitchen table and snipped away. Well, it had to be done!

Yesterday we did a little shopping (we are looking for a particular ornament that we did not find in spite of looking in 3 Christmas stores). We bought one ornament for ourselves to commemorate our trip and one for my MIL. She is having her first personal Christmas tree at a log cabin she just moved into recently. A nine-foot tree and a smackerel of ornaments. I am going to help her with that. I am making her lots of my paint stick ornaments seen here https://shelbystitcher.blogspot.com/2019/11/post-1696-catching-up-again.html. Black background—no glitter. I also brought paper (and used it all up) to make 9 of these folded German stars.  They are almost 3” across. I made some to sell with extra-fine glitter on them. My MIL is not a glitter person.

Another movie last night during my origami session. Now that I’ve memorized the steps to make them, I’m making a bunch. I got the metallic gold paper at Hobby Lobby. It looks best if the paper is the same on both sides as both sides are seen once the star is made.

Now for my new favorite attraction in Pigeon Forge. I did not take any pictures. I guess I was overwhelmed with the most scrumptious meal I have ever had along with an eye-popping show that had gymnasts, divers, trampoliners (is that even a word), a juggler, seals, and more. It was called the Pirate Voyage. The Christmas version. Included a live nativity (after Mary rode in on a donkey). Just amazing. The meal was phenomenal. Best I’ve ever had out. Started with a biscuit and creamy veggie soup. A lightly breaded fried chicken breast (very KFC-ish in taste—yum), mac and cheese (best I’ve ever had), a ham slice, and then the piece d’resistance...sweet potato casserole. It was finished up with a peach turnover. My lands. As I kept reading in the Paula Deen store, “Put some South in your mouth!” Ha ha.

{Post 1,697} Vacation

This whole trip happened rather spontaneously. My husband and I have been in Pigeon Forge, TN since Thursday afternoon. We rented a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains. It has been lovely. The first evening was just packing out into the cabin and getting our belongings settled there. We went into town to eat at Paula Deen’s restaurant. It. Was. Fabulous. We looked through the gift shop a little after an amazing meal. The meal was served family style. We got 3 meats and 4 veggies. Small portions of each. If you desired more, you just asked your waiter. Then we each got a small dessert. My husband got the Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Cake, and I got the apple cobbler. Both good choices.

My hubby was showing me this sign he liked. I said, “But we don’t have cows!” He implied, “Well, then it will take them a while to get home.”

Of course I brought crafts to work on during the drive here and for those empty moments during the time we were in the cabin. I crocheted this coaster out of one-inch fabric strips then edged it in jute on the way up. I made several colors.

Yesterday we went to the Dixie Stampede. I thought that was my favorite thing to do here, but I have a new favorite that I will get to later.