appalachian trail | day 3

The firetower on top of Rich Mountain.

The beautiful view from the firetower (taken last night)

Heading down off of Rich Mountain back to Hot Springs.

A parting shot of the French Broad River as we headed home.

appalachian trail | day 2

Seth doing what Seth does best...reading a map!

Joan and Tilly bein' silly.  :)

Our campsite on top of Rich Mountain (complete with picnic table!).

Tilly got bored and decided to snack on our firewood.

Gromit got jealous and they decided to play tug-of-war.

They finally tired each other out.

appalachian trail | day 1

At the start of the AT in Hot Springs...

Gromit passed out after the first mile!

Tilly jumped right into the dirty pond (which turned out to be the only water source we would pass for quite a while)!

Tilly was not allowed anywhere close to the tent (see above picture if you need a reason why!). 

Seth is hanging out in the hammock after a hard day of huffin' it. 

the itsy bitsy spider

This not-so-itsy-bitsy spider has been hanging out at the library.

Be careful, little butterfly/moth!

special wishes

Gromit has a special message for his Grammy & Big E...

"You've been married 34 years without driving each other nuts?  

Now that's cause for celebration!"

...and for his grandpoppies...

"It's your birthday--go nuts!"

can we send it back?

Gromit's new backpack came in the mail today.  He's ready to go hiking!

it's going to bee okay

Gromit sends a special note to his grandmommies...

"Everything's gonna beeee okay!"

counting my blessings

I am praising God that my mother and Moon Pie walked away from this wreck today.  Mom's bruised, sore, and a bit shaken.  Moon Pie is out chasing rabbits, so we think he's okay.  I am so thankful for the sweet angels that stopped to make sure they were okay.

backsmash

A few more kitchen pictures...  The one of the left features our new access hatch, which gives us access to the piping under our stairs as well as a good place to store those things we don't use very often.  The one on the right features my new backsplash (less than $25 total).  I tried to use etching cream to stencil the pattern directly onto the piece of glass, but it was a flaming disaster.  I eventually decided to paint the pattern directly on the wall and I finally have a backsplash I can be proud of!

cheeseburger in paradise

Seth and I made cheeseburger mini pizzas for dinner.  Just bake a flour tortilla for about 8 min. on 350, then add a mustard base, beef crumbles, diced onion, and shredded cheddar.  Bake for another 8-10 min. on 350.  They're so thin and crispy!  I had a plain ol' cheese mini pizza, for those of you who are wondering when I started eating beef again.  :)

gromit's new address

Now that the giant cabinet is gone from the dining room, Gromit's bed has a new location.  I spent the entire day cleaning the floors, dusting, and putting food into the new/old pantry.  It's so nice to take pride in my house again!

demolition derby

We are putting in a new front porch--we're doing the demo ourselves to save a little cash.  Seth removed the boards while I pulled up nails.