Apple Dipping Time

I had a little hen party at my house last week. In addition to a caramel cake, I wanted to use up the last of my Mountain Apples from Ellijay, Georgia. I did not have a dipping sauce in mind so I consulted my good friend Mrs T and she shared this recipe with me.

Apple Dipping Sauce
1 8 oz cream cheese( room temperature)
3/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
This whipped up easily with a wooden spoon and it is very tasty!  The recipe suggested soaking the apple slices in orange juice then drain just before serving. These apple slices lasted three days in the fridge without turning brown!

Be sure and visit Mrs. T's blog in the link and then go visit her Christmas Kitchen blog which has a link on her Across My Kitchen Table page.  She always has good ideas and great recipes to share!

Fall at Nanaland

I gave in and started fluffing my house for fall. I was having a little party for some of my church friends so I thought it would be a nice way to decorate for the occasion.

I brought out one of my favorite Fall Prairie Schooler samplers. It shares the breakfast bar with a Lizzie Kate Halloween piece.

I like to add this little basket of fall leaves to the bed in the guest room.

My tiered tray is in the guest room as well.

And finally...

My Good Stitch Witch sits on the bed ready to greet any overnight guests this fall.

On to the dining room....

I purchased two fall garlands at Target this week. I thought I would use them on my mantle but they just did not work so I came up with this idea.

I wound them around my buffet lamps and I really liked the look.

These garlands were in the dollar spot at Target...each garland was 3$.

My tea cart...

In the living room...all my darlins.

My new to me, coffee table got some fall accents. I love the turquoise and the orange together.

And even the guest bathroom got a few tweaks...

A good reminder...

Jolly Jack attends the towels...

It is fun to decorate for the seasons and my grandchildren have come to expect some fall things at Nana's house!

So that is my fall tour of Nanaland. I look forward to seeing your Fall Houses!

Georgia Tech Football

Marvin and I attended our first Tech Game of the Season at the Bobby Dodd stadium in downtown Atlanta. It brings back so many memories for me. Date Saturdays when we were students back in the 70s, taking our three Grimmlins to see the games as we could afford it when they were growing up and now it is back to the two of us.   You may know that the song, Ramblin Reck from GA Tech is one of the most recognizable fight songs in the country.  The words to the song are printed in all the programs for game day. When Charles was just learning to read, he was reading the words out loud to us while we waited for the game to start on Saturday afternoon long ago. He stopped reading and looked up at Marvin and said, "Dad what is this word? Helloova? He was referring to Ramblin, Gamblin, Helluva Engineer! We still talk about those Helloova Engineers. Of course we were just waiting for someone to ask Charles what kind of engineer his day was and to get this reply!  To be honest, Marvin is a physicist but he does a lot of engineer type work. Sheldon, a physicist on the Big Bang Theory, refers to engineers as the oompa loompas of Science.:) Don't tell a GA Tech engineer that!

It was Gold Out Day at the stadium. We got there a little early to enjoy the pregame show and all of Buzz's antics.

Here comes the team led by the Ramblin Reck.

This brings the Tech fans to their feet.

Another selfie of Nana and Grandpa.  We had a great time and we are looking forward to more fun times in Hotlanta.

Saturday Stitching

This week was a Finishing Week for me! I completed Pumpkin Patch as well as another Christmas ornament for Grimmwood.

Little House Needleworks, Salt Box Village.  I have been using some of Priscilla Blain's ideas in finishing. Here I tore up the homespun gingham and used it for trim.  I added the wooden button that I found at Hobby Lobby for a rustic touch.

Another Priscilla like finish. I love being able to change out my cross stitch pieces seasonally and using magnets I can do just that. This piece sits on the dresser in my guest room. The bow is torn homespun with the addition of a wooden pumpkin I had in my stash. I simply added some tape to the back of the bow and stuck it on the glass. It will come off easily and I can save it in my craft room storage.

This week I also received my Colour and Cotton flosses.

I am a member of this hand dyed floss club. For the same amount I was spending for IPSY, I get five big flosses!

And finally, a sneak peak at my fall decorating....

Stacy Nash's The Good Witch, is sitting on the bed in my guest room. She loves greeting visitors to Nanaland.

I am so glad to see that many of my friends who evacuated due to Hurricane Irma are beginning to return home.  My sister in law who lives on Big Pine Key is returning to the Miami area today. She is a nurse and she was being "paged" to return. She will be working at one of the state shelters in the Miami area while she waits to see if her home made it through Irma. Big Pine Key was one of the worst hit areas. They have seen some pictures but none of their neighborhood. Their home is on stilts and is hurricane reinforced so they are hoping for the best.  We had dinner with Amy and her friend, Leigh, at Phil Sandoval's in Huntsville to say goodbye.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

On The Way Home

As we were driving down Highway 411 on the way home, we decided to stop at an Amish community and see what vegetables etc they might have at their produce stand. The girls were familiar with the place as they often drive up to purchase goods there.

The sun had finally decided to shine and it was a pretty day on the farm.

We saw some traffic...

Of course parking was provided at the market.

I enjoyed this sign..

We bought some bread and squash.

Mother and Leta paying for their groceries.

After we finished there we drove around the farm. The people who live there do not mind as long as you stay to the main road.

The men were making sorghum syrup the old fashioned way.

I loved seeing the daddy holding his little one as he worked.

It is such a serene valley in the foothills.

As a needleworker, I got a kick out of the road's name...Needle Eye.

Maybe this is why it got that name as you squeeze through this passage to get to the farm.

If you are ever in the Delano Tennessee area, stop by and visit these nice folks.

Girls Trip

My mother turned 87 in August and she had a request that she kept bringing up. She would like to go to Pigeon Forge.  My sister, Kristi, got the ball rolling, choosing a date that worked for all of us while Leta reserved hotel rooms.

We set off on a rainy Tuesday but that did not keep us from having fun, shopping and eating out.

Here is the view from our balcony at the hotel.

The creek made the most lovely sound and we found ourselves sitting outside whenever we had a chance.

We also had a visitor...

A chubby ground hog! I do not remember ever seeing one live and in person.  It was obvious he was used to people as he ran all over the creekside.

I did see two bears.

and

Pardon the frizzy locks...rain does not make for a good hair day when your hair is curly/wavy.

The crew indulged me as I browsed Dixie Darlin, a cross stitch shop.

It was a nice store but I must say that my Local Needlework Store, The Cross Stitch Peddler is still my favorite place to shop.

I enjoyed seeing all the needlework on display. My sister, Kristi, picked up a Mill Hill kit. She said all my cross stitching was making her want to stitch again. Hurray..a convert!!

Here is a picture of the four of us together.

A kind man, snapped this for us. We had a really good time and we made some memories that will last a lifetime.  I am so fortunate to have my mother and my sisters, it is truly a blessing from the Lord.

Rocky Top versus Ramblin Reck

Monday was the Big Day for Barry and Marvin. While Sharon and I did some retail therapy at Hamricks Department Store in Fort Oglethorpe, GA, the guys headed to the Big Game.

Barry did the driving duties while Marvin navigated to Atlanta. After parking at the Tech campus, the guys took the Stinger bus to the Mercedes Benz Center.

You know they were good friends to be able to attend this game together. Marvin said that there was a lot of entertainment for the fans as they waited to go to the Dome. Chic Fil A gave out free nuggets, Georgia Tourism gave out bags of peanuts. The Big Orange Band belted out Rocky Top while the Jackets Band shared Ramblin Reck.  Marvin said when the teams entered the stadium, one GA TECH fan shouted out that Tennessee did not even have a car. The Jackets are always led onto the Field by the Ramblin Reck.

I have to say it was a heart breaker of a game. Tech lost by ONE POINT.  Barry said the adrenaline of the Big Orange win helped him to drive home without falling asleep. The boys rolled into Grimmwood at 2:30 AM.  They had a great time and are already talking about a re match!!