A Child is Born

Our hearts are full dear readers. We have a grandson!! In spite of what I wrote in my last post, just two days later, Fallon's water broke and it was game on! Nearly 14 hours later, Christian Alexander Peck was born, with a full head of hair I might add. He is just beautiful and yesterday's visit to the pediatrician confirmed all was well. The new parents took him home on Friday night and are completely smitten and can you blame them?

I think it is fair to say that this is just the first of hundreds of photographs that we will receive from Bill and Fallon! 

Ordinarily, on Monday afternoon I take a walk while Bruce is in the gym. Layering on more clothes to ward off the 40 degree weather, despite the brilliant blue sunshine, I decided it was just too cold to be enjoyable, especially because I can be writing instead! Dropping me off at the post office where I went to buy stamps for Christmas cards, I walked the three blocks home. Surprisingly, it was not bad at all, especially when you consider that we went to the courts this morning when the thermometer on the front porch, not to be confused with the back porch which generally runs about five degrees colder, read 32 degrees. 

There was no skipping today as it was the annual collection of goodies to be donated to Toys for Tots. The picklers were generous as always. 

We stopped by the Scout's office, that is the Cherokee Scout for those who are new to this space, to learn how to submit it to the paper. Easy-peasy! You gotta love the simple life of a small town.

My beautiful tree. You know the one don't you? Of course you do because I have featured it for weeks! 

That blue sky is really something isn't it? Who knew? Of course not every day has a blue sky but a bunch of them do. On this day, we noticed that the leaves were dropping, more as each day passed.

And now there are even more on the ground because we have had three freezing nights in a row and, well everything looks very different! For some reason, knowing that a freeze was coming, it did not seem to register with me and I left all my porch plants in place that now look dreadful. First thing one frosty morning I noticed that I had two beautiful hydrangea blooms on the plant so I cut them, bringing them in from the cold. They were a brilliant blue, almost purple, the color was so rich. Well duh, why was I so surprised when this happened when they thawed?

Seriously it was so brilliant and frozen, I might add. A few hours later it turned this sickly color! Not so pretty now.

It must have been last Tuesday that we put up the Christmas tree and I am here to tell you, putting up an artificial tree goes pretty darn fast. I won't ask, "where have you been all of our lives?" because we loved having live trees, but the simplicity of this definitely has a lot to offer. After we figured out how to arrange the furniture in order for the tree to fit, Bruce did the rest. He is just so darn good at it. Well that is a silly statement if ever there were one. What isn't he good at? 

The living room is a little cramped but nothing we cannot live with when the trade-off is having a lovely, sparkly, colorful tree in our midst. We went over to Indigo Mountain (downtown shop) and found some stocking holders we could put on the mantle. I did tell you that I found the two stockings in my fabric baskets didn't I? Still wondering how they got there, but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so enough said!

The beautiful little nativity, made in Bethlehem, is from our favorite antique store in town. 

Before we get into where we spent Thanksgiving, this photo I took last week says a bunch. Like a dummy I also left the fern out in the cold and while it is not yet dead, I'm afraid it will not be many days before it is. Of course the tree...oh our beautiful tree how we will miss your red presence!

I must tell you that it has been very fun decorating our new home. Just saying...

Downtown is looking very festive with all of the shops decorating their front sidewalks and windows. Jenn goes all out as is her custom!

That table has a train track and she uses a remote control to make it run when she sees children through the window. Additionally, she attached a snow machine to the awning that spits out cold snow on cue. 

The town lights are up,

and the Christmas tree lighting is Friday night, followed by the parade on Saturday night. If it is all sounding like a Hallmark movie, well they did not make that stuff up. It is alive and well all over this region. 

Thanksgiving day was a bit gloomy, made oh so much brighter when you spend that kind of day with friends, especially ones who have made you a Thanksgiving feast! There were probably ten cars we passed on the twenty five mile drive to Nantahala Lake to spend the afternoon with our friends Dave and DAnna. Mary Beth and Mark were there as well as Sarah June. All folks without nearby families. 

They are from Georgia so a Southern Thanksgiving it was. Deviled eggs and strawberry pretzel salad, both delicious. 

It was the relish tray that brought a stab of nostalgia for me as my family had that every Thanksgiving when I was growing up. My Mom always used cut glass too.

Sausage dressing is a staple in our home and an absolute must for Mr. Bruce so that was my contribution, pictured here next to Mary Beth's delicious potatoes.

The dining room corner still has Thanksgiving decorations but as to the rest of the house, it was all Christmas including two trees, the pictured one below on the back deck.

That is a good way to brighten the bare landscape beyond the house. 

Of course you can't have a Southern Thanksgiving without pecan pie and we did as Sarah June brought here homemade pie. Whipped cream was optional but really, does anyone aside from vegans turn down whipped cream when it is offered? 

Saturday we went to Cleveland, TN for some retail therapy! The drive was lovely.

As it goes through the Ocoee g,orge it is mighty winding but my brave man is becoming more accustomed to them as each month passes.

For the most part we have adapted to the shopping opportunities we have here, but every now and again, it is pretty fun to go into a HomeGoods! 

I have to admit that the crowds took a few minutes of getting used to. 

I know that you are laughing right about now, aren't you?

A few random things to share including my fine frame and nice painting; frame by Bruce.

Perhaps you remember Mark and Mary Beth getting the chickens when they were featured in this very space some months ago? Well, they do what chickens do and we were the lucky ones to receive some of their bounty.

Holding their monthly dinner Sunday night in spite of the fact that their beautiful new puppy died during the night, she claimed it helped to keep her distracted. Izzy their beautiful cat wanted to join in the dinner.

Well my dear ones, just as I was drawing this to a close last evening, I looked at my watch and thought, oh shoot, a surprise birthday party at 5:30 for our friend Ken! Bruce was at the gym but left in a hurry. I walked over and he drove which was a blessing as it was mighty cold.  A nice time was had by all and the truth is, Ken was deathly ill only a little more than a year ago, so each new birthday is very much celebrated. 

By golly, I am glad I had not hit publish because, much to my surprise and excitement, opening the door this morning to check the porch thermometer, what to my wondering eyes should appear but snow on the ground!! 

Here is something fun. While at Hobby Lobby we purchased these little Santa stakes for the yard and I photographed them. Duh, but of course I did! In part because they are so cute and in part because I was showing the multitude of fallen leaves.

Here is what it looked like probably twelve hours later!

I believe it was yesterday that Bruce was saying it was probably going to be a cold winter and my reply was, let me look in my blog post from this time last year. Here it is for the curious amongst you. What I learned is that it was cold then, like 18 degrees one night with a little frost, but no snow yet. Actually we had very little last year as it turned out. Anyway, whether it will be snowy or cold, one thing for certain is there will be Robins!

Celebrating each new day, I remain,

your friend,

Gail