Mountain Musings

Attending The Chief End of Man Conference ~ Ridgecrest, NC

We left Georgia last week reluctantly, knowing that it would be awhile before seeing the grandchildren again.

But we weren't headed home! More adventures ahead!

We traveled to Asheville where the annual family bible conference is held that we attend. This year's theme was The Chief End of Man.

Here's a view of the main meeting room where all the keynotes and singing took place. This photo was taken during one of the breaks between sessions (credit: C F). The attendance this year was almost double that of last year's, and there were lots of first-time attendees: 
One major highlight of the conference was getting to see our daughter, Hannah! She and her husband Christopher traveled to the conference from their home in Michigan. It was wonderful to catch up! So this momma was able to see both daughters in the same week!

Here's Hannah reuniting with two ladies from our church who were at the conference:

In the dining room there are lots of chances to connect with other folks attending--you can take your chances on who you'll sit with or make a date to meet them there.

Here are friends from SC whom we always see at the conference. It was great to eat with them and enjoy their company!

The Michigan contingent below:

We met this newly married couple for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed the conversation! We invited them to come visit us in Virginia this summer...won't that be fun if they can come?!

This Oklahoma couple has been coming a few years, and we usually see them each conference...we enjoyed a brief hello with them between sessions and loved seeing their granddaughters' pictures on their phone (we Grannies always have time for that!):

Another dining room shot...the meal we were able to grab with Hannah and Christopher!

Hymn sing in the amphitheater one evening (photo credit G F):

Our Spring 100 (family/extended family) walking group met for a short walk and a photo while we were all together at the conference (photo credit S S):

Hannah wanted a photo of "just us" while we were there also:

The conference was an excellent time for Hannah to see her friends from church here in Virginia. Here, she's enjoying some time spent with these three sisters:

Next year's conference will be held the end of April, 2024, with a theme of Making Disciples. Will we see you there?

(Credit: G F)

~ Deb

Visiting Georgia Grandchildren and Strawberry Picking!

Last week we took a jaunt down south to visit our newest 6-week-old grandson. What a special blessing to hold him for the first time!

Can you say Grandparent Heaven? It was great!

Grampa gets his turn holding the new addition to the family:

Everyone knows that Uncle Jonathan is always a favorite with all the kids!

He loves it!

The weather in Georgia was perfect for taking the kids to pick strawberries, and the fields were almost empty on a week day.

Sarah had been wanting to go....so this was the perfect opportunity to venture out with family in town! Looking at this crew...and knowing this crew...haha...I think the extra help came in handy.

This is a precious picture to me! Andrew just turned 7 years old, and he is doing great after a rough start in life!

I went down memory lane this morning and was looking at some baby pictures of him. Here's an old post of our visit to see him when he first came home from the hospital.

Andrew's life is a testimony of how the Lord works through prayers of believers...many of you had a part in that. Thank you!

 

The strawberry farm had several activities for the kids. Here's the popular strawberry photo display:

And, of course, strawberry ice cream!

It was a super visit, and we enjoyed our time with the grandchildren. It had been a long time since our Thanksgiving visit! Y'all come to see us here in Virginia, kiddies!

 

Next post:  Leaving Georgia, headed for the Church and Family Life Conference (formerly NCFIC) in Asheville, NC.

 

~Deb

Relaxing Times Ahead!

Last week Tom and I traveled to South Carolina to visit my sister, Betty, and we attended her Retirement Dinner.

She has been at Bob Jones University since she went there as a student in 1974...and then employed there for 44 years! At the end of this school year in May, she will be officially retired!

We met at The Peddler Steak House for a delicious meal, speeches, gifts, and much honoring of Betty by her fellow teachers. It was a great evening!

Sisters Deb and Bet....everyone always asks, and yes, I'm 4 years older.

It was especially good to reconnect with some long time friends who attended...whom our kids, throughout their growing up years, affectionately called Uncle Jess and Aunt Rhonda:

Betty's main gift from her fellow teachers was an art piece done by the calligraphy teacher who taught her how to letter and get started many, many years ago. I know she will treasure this scripture lettering as a remembrance of this special evening and of her years at BJU:

Well, the dinner only filled an evening of our time while we were visiting. We also shopped and helped her pick out a new living room rug and brainstormed on how to completely transform her living room. Switch-a-roo! It was exactly what she had envisioned.

Tom treated us to a well-deserved lunch outing after Bet's rug purchase success. I always enjoy trying new places!

And, of course, we visited with Oliver...her miniature schnauzer:

Home again! It was a great trip! We enjoyed it a lot and look forward to going back and visiting again...now that my sister is retired with all the free time in the world! :)

~Deb

Thanksgiving 2022 ~ Friends and Family Together Again!

We sure hope you had an enjoyable and blessed Thanksgiving with your family and friends as you gathered around your harvest table! We wanted to update you and share some photos from our holidays.

We absolutely enjoyed our time in Georgia with Sarah and her family and with her in-laws, who invited us into their home to share their Thanksgiving meal.

Hannah and Christopher drove down from Michigan to join us--our first time seeing them since their wedding! It was wonderful to all be together again!

On our way to Georgia, we split the travel up and stopped to overnight with friends in Tennessee.
They are well-known for their sweet hospitality and welcoming signs, and this sign delighted us as we approached their home:

Our friends treated us to a delicious pre-Thanksgiving feast around their beautifully decorated table!

We toured their home and property and were better able to visualize their swim academy after seeing their pool and hearing success stories of the children who take lessons at their home.

Here I am with my friend Lynn around a warm cozy fire:

I always enjoy seeing how friends' homes are decorated, and these quail on the chalkboard and the saying definitely caught my eye above another fireplace near the kitchen:  "Lord, prepare me for what You are preparing for me."

After we left our friends in Tennessee, we arrived in Georgia with great anticipation for the days ahead!

Then the newlyweds arrived, all the way from snowy Michigan! So good to see them!

First thing on Thanksgiving morning, we started preparing the dishes that we were to contribute to the meal. Here I am making the cranberry relish:

And Christopher and Hannah peeled apples together for the apple pie Hannah was making:

Rolling out her homemade crust:

Quietly reading her Thanksgiving book, dressed in her pretty Thanksgiving outfit:

Grampa found something to do with the boys. He repaired Sarah's cutting board and re-oiled it for her. The boys enjoyed watching and helping:

Arrival at Sarah's in-laws and getting some conversations in before the meal. There were 20 in attendance!

This is the young adult and married couples' table below:

Holiday scenes throughout the evening

Sarah, admiring sister-in-law Abby's newborn daughter:

Brother and sister, Jonathan and Sarah, sneaking in a hug:

The grandchildren loved watching the Georgia Grampa's trains:

And, of course, the evening ended with music!

Christopher played piano:

There were violins and flutes and whistles:

And, of course, an accordion!

And they sang Christmas carols while the grandparents listened, with a kiddie xylophone chiming in:

The day after Thanksgiving was a decorating day...lights, trees, action!

The finished product...looking good!

One evening we had game night..a new one to us called Code Names. Very fun!

After such good food and being inside over the holidays, these three decided to get outside for a much-needed walk in the fresh Georgia air:

This was the very first time Christopher had been in Georgia and his farthest travel down South. But he sure made a good impression on these four kiddies. "Uncle Christopher! Uncle Christopher!"

Uncle Jonnie is a definite fave too!

Well, the weekend flew by! It was time for us to head back to Virginia, and the Michiganders to head north. Here's a quick pic of the kiddies just before church on Thanksgiving Sunday morning:

Christopher and Hannah decided to take advantage of their travels and stopped by the Creation Museum in Kentucky on their way home:

To sum up this Thanksgiving post:

~Deb

AND LIFE GOES ON....CATCHING UP

Where did September, October, and November go?  I'm really wondering! And what has been happening since the busy summer of wedding planning and Hannah and Christopher's wedding?

Well, it almost doesn't seem possible that Hannah has been married for almost three months! Yes, we do miss her a lot but bottom line...she is totally loving married life, setting up her home, preparing meals for her husband, harvesting vegetables, hosting gatherings at their home, making new friends, and becoming adjusted to life in Michigan!

And, yes, our garden girl found a garden away from home, ready and ripe for the harvesting. Here are Hannah and Christopher spending a Saturday gathering potatoes:

And harvesting butternut squash with Christopher's brothers:

Every time I get a photo from her, she is smiling (a lot!) and says she is enjoying it all!

In the meantime, Tom and I were left with a garden that needed harvesting with the last of the veggies and cleaning up before the winter hits. We've been doing it bit by bit, as old folks have to pace themselves! This is no joke!

 

And we did get out and about this fall to enjoy the Skyline Drive and have a picnic. The leaves this year were not very vibrant, but the day was beautiful:

Picnicking on the Skyline Drive with friends:

Other things Tom has been up to include building a brand new lectern for our church. It is definitely an heirloom...a beautiful piece of furniture! Here he is installing it so it would be ready and in place for Sunday's services:

Tom has also become a guitar teacher for our grandson who wanted to learn guitar. They enjoy a long-distance zoom guitar lesson together every Monday afternoon:

Speaking of grandkids...I can't leave the others out! Here's a picture of four cuties ready for church on a Sunday morning:

And these two sweetie grandsons live faraway too! I love getting their pictures on text!

Time to Travel.........

In October Tom and I were able to travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary from back in August...and scenes like this one below were common sights.

   photo credit: The Traveler World Guide.com

Our destination was the Sight and Sound Theater to see a presentation of "David."  Excellent production!

Lancaster is well known for Amish wood-working and quilt shops--perfect for both of us! I visited several of the shops and enjoyed looking around at the quality furniture, fabric, crafts, and quilts:

While we were that far up north, we continued on to Connecticut to visit Tom's siblings. It had been many years since we were up that direction. Here are all four siblings together in sister Ellen's backyard:

We also had a photo session one day with Tom's two sisters who were recipients of a quilt I made each of them:

Here are Ellen and her husband Ed holding the Scrappy Sunflowers quilt I made her for a retirement gift:

And here are Tom and sister Sue holding the Wonky Stars Scrappy quilt I made for her birthday:

One of our activities while there was walking Long Island Sound...a beautiful area and beautiful afternoon:

Our New England visit soon came to a close, and we made it home in time to celebrate Jonathan's birthday with his annual Turtle Cake!

His birthday also consisted of a trip to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. which he absolutely loved since his passion is planes! 

I told him I could understand how he would love all the planes in the museum....if that yellow plane in the picture below happened to be a yellow quilt on display, I'd love it, too!

And last but not least....Mail Call!!  Look what I received as a late birthday gift...I'll take a late birthday gift like this any day--a beautiful sunflower table runner from my quilty friend, Chris!  Thank you, sweet friend!

Just two old people wandering the streets of Staunton:

Hope you've enjoyed this catch-up post. Everyone have a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

~Deb

Knowing God Conference ~ May 19 - 21, Ridgecrest, N.C.

Last month we attended the Church & Family Life's annual conference, Knowing God, held at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Asheville, NC. Asheville is about a 5+ hour drive for us here in Virginia, barely a skip and a jump compared to others who traveled many, many hours from across the country.

Here we are just having arrived and already meeting up with friends on the bridge-way between buildings:

It is always a highlight to see friends whom we've gotten to know over the years. These friends are regular attendees:

As are these friends who traveled from Canada to attend:

The speakers were very enjoyable and presented encouraging messages to listen to each day. Here's Kevin Swanson onstage at his keynote session:

Lots of spontaneous hymn singing around the piano with violins and flute accompanying during the evenings' free times:

The more the music traveled down the hallway, more folks showed up, and louder the singing became!

There was also a planned night of singing in the amphitheater. Isn't this a neat nighttime photo?

We caught up with more dear friends in the cafeteria from South Carolina. Sooo glad I could attend the conference this year and reconnect with folks!

And these friends, our daughter Sarah's in-laws, attended this year from GA. It was great to see them:

Speaking of cafeteria, there were lots of chances to meet up and have a meal together. Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana are represented here:

Here we are taking time to talk over Hannah and Christopher's wedding plans with future in-laws:

While together in person, it was a good time to compare fabrics and bridesmaids' dresses online:

The weekend came to a close so quickly (hey, we just got here!), and everyone parted ways to head back home to their own state.

Unfortunately, all four of us returned home sick, with one of us testing positive for Covid...that would be me! So I'm remembering this conference for more reasons than one!

 

...until next time!

~Deb

Celebrating Aunt Bet's Birthday

From the previous post about my meet-up with a blogger friend, you know that I was in South Carolina last weekend. The occasion was my sister's birthday, and Hannah and I traveled down to help Aunt Bet celebrate! It had been well over two years since I'd been able to travel to visit her, so this was definitely a special trip!

One of the places she took us was to this little joint...nondescript on the outside for sure...but lots of buzz happening inside and definitely interesting!

Our mission was to purchase Morning Buns or A.M. buns, as the Bakeroom called them, for the next day's breakfast. We had never had this delicacy, but we found out that it was definitely worth the trip!

Located right next door to the Bakeroom was Methodical Coffee, but it was too close to lunch for Hannah to sample their famous brew, even though we had heard so much about this place.

Another place we've been to many times when we've visited is a little garden and antique shop located somewhat close by in Saluda, NC, The Gardener's Cottage:

For anyone who loves plants, there are so many things here for a gardener to delight in, as you can tell from this photo:

The owner had displayed several eye-catching arrangements by the door as you enter, and one of these little teacups came home with me:

And the building next door, The Brass Latch, is worth a browse also. Saluda is a unique little town, and I always enjoy driving through there:

I wanted to treat my sister to a special birthday meal while we were in town, so we decided on Lieu's Asian Bistro:

The food was delicious and plenteous enough that we each had lunch all set for the next day:

 

Hannah also wanted to treat Aunt Bet to a special meal...this time home-cooked. So she set to work in the kitchen and prepared a menu of Roasted Honey Garlic Butter Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, asparagus, salad, and Focaccia Bread:

Hannah enjoys cooking and thought it was extra fun to prepare Aunt Bet's birthday meal:

Landrum, SC, is another little town with various shops housed in vintage brick buildings. It was fun to visit an Amish furniture store, and we loved browsing several antique stores. This unique sign was in the furniture store...I loved it!

This antique wrought-iron piece caught my eye which could be used as garden decor with possibly a climbing clematis wrapping its tendrils around it..however, the price tag of $65 means it isn't down in my garden today:

Last, but not least, another adventure was a trek to Abbott's Frozen Custard in downtown Greer, SC:

Sisters enjoying custard:

Well, did we fill every minute we were there with something special, or what?!  Yes, I definitely like to do things on vacation...but sometimes even I need to rest. I brought some hand sewing with me to work on just in case we were home long enough..LOL!

I'll leave you with a final photo....taken in my sister's house of her beautiful calligraphy:

It was a very good trip, but I have been recuperating all this week! :)

~Deb

Meet-Up in Real Life...Fun!

This is Spring Break Week for my sister...so Hannah and I decided to make a trip down to South Carolina to spend a few days with her and help celebrate her birthday this weekend.

She always has fun things planned for us to do while we're visiting....and this time I thought up a fun adventure...for me and with someone I'd never met!

An online friend of mine, Susan, moved to the Greenville area from Canada about a year ago. We've known each other for at least 15 years and met by reading and commenting on each other's blogs.

When Hannah and I planned our trip, I remembered Susan had moved to this area, and I contacted her about having lunch together and the possibility of meeting in person for the very first time.

She agreed, and we both started getting excited! The Bleu Porch and Kitchen was our lunch selection of choice, located in Greer, South Carolina. It was our first time there, and we would definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone local in the area.

I love old houses made into small quaint little lunch spots!

As we arrived, we enjoyed all the interesting decor on the front porch.

And as we waited the 50 minutes for a table (it was a popular place!), we enjoyed getting acquainted and looking around. The Bleu Porch provided a very enjoyable atmosphere for their customers:

This cabinet full of antiques was right beside our table, so it was interesting to check out all the items they had on display:
This is my lunch selection: Chicken Salad on a Croissant and Broccoli Salad. Susan's Monte Cristo sandwich likewise looked delicious!

This was such an enjoyable day, and I loved finding out more about Susan and her family!  I'm sooo glad I took the chance to meet an old friend. Thank you, Susan!

~Deb

 

Looking Over Our Shoulders ~ Happy 40th Anniversary To Us!

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."  ~ Psalm 34:3

 

Tom and I just returned from our 2nd honeymoon...our wedding anniversary trip back to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, celebrating where we spent our honeymoon 40 years ago! How in the world can it have been that many years?

We started our anniversary weekend off with a Zoom call with the four kids, spouses, and the grandchildren for a long-distance 40th anniversary celebration party...that was a total surprise and so delightful!

What a special time of visiting together, opening unexpected gifts and cards, and viewing the "Look Over Your Shoulder" video Hannah put together with photos from our wedding day, the kids growing up, marrying, babies arriving, all through the years...what a tear-jerker, looking back over the last 40 years!

Looking back....

August 23, 1980 (Who's reading this who was at our wedding??)
Four kids came along pretty quickly...busy years, fun years...

And they grew up, and we started homeschooling them....dad teaching math and science and mom teaching the rest of the subjects: We went on dozens of field trips and enjoyed those 17 years of homeschooling immensely...and then all four graduated and ended that season of our lives... And two of them married and started us on the journey of being grandparents...

So that's where the years went! Looking over our shoulders this past week has shown us the Lord's wonderful blessings to us through the years!

Summer, 2020 (Recognize us?? Are we really those same young kids in the first photo?)

Hannah did a super job on our anniversary video using, with permission, "Look Over Your Shoulder," words and music by Heather Schopf © Forever Be Sure Music.

If you'd like to hear Mrs. Schopf and the Forever Be Sure team sing the song Hannah used, you can watch their official Youtube music video posted here. The words to the song are so appropriate...very poignant. (This is the music team's public video, not the private family video.)

We started our anniversary off with a car selfie on the road to Chincoteague! I'm so very thankful that Hannah could stay with Granny so I could take a few days away. Thank you, Hannah!

I would say this trip brought back lots of memories...but to be honest, after 40 years I didn't remember anything about the area, except the name of the hotel we stayed in both times...The Refuge Inn.

We crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and started seeing some beautiful scenery: Lots of water and beautiful inlets everywhere! Below we are crossing Mosquito Creek...I kid you not! There was a sign! I wasn't very excited about that...mosquitoes love me way too much! We arrived at The Refuge Inn, donned our masks made by Hannah, climbed lots of steps with all our luggage, and started settling in for a few days: Our room was nice, complete with a Smallwood Home wall sign which told us to Make Yourself At Home. I loved that!

Our number #1 planned activity was a boat ride the first morning to see dolphins and hopefully see the famous Chincoteague ponies, which we found out was not guaranteed...it all depended on where the horses were when the boats came around.

Tom's all ready for the excursion and looking forward to this adventure, as we had not seen the ponies 40 years ago when we were honeymooning. Yes, we did see dolphins, but they never jumped up...but it was exciting to see several swimming around the boat!

There were only four other people on our Daisey Island Cruise, plus the tour guide, and we were all socially distanced. The day was quite breezy at 10 - 15 miles per hour. Very fun two-hour tour!

We motored on to where the ponies could be found on the island...and success! They were there! The annual end-of-July pony penning and swimming across the island (which started in the 1800's) was cancelled this year. The event usually draws a crowd of 4,000 people to this small island. Instead, they ended up having an online auction which netted the local fire department $390,000, the highest amount ever raised any other year! And just when it was time for us to boat to a different part of the island, the ponies started their wandering trek back into the forest. We were there at just the right time! Our guide told us he's had tours that never saw the ponies. So very thankful! There they go... We hung around the ponies for quite a long time, and, Hunter, our born-on-the-island tour guide with a degree in marine biology, regaled us with much knowledge and many stories. He knew all the pony's names...Pappy's Pony, Starry Night, Cinnamon Blaze, Summer, Susy Sweetheart, Unforgettable, Bay Girl...and most famous was Riptide. We finished up our tour with boating by the Assateague Lighthouse:

It was an excellent tour and perfect day for being out on the water! Hunter is docking the boat in this next photo...neat island scene: That evening we borrowed the 1961 Misty of Chincoteague video from our hotel and watched the story of the horses on the island, which I had never seen or read about before this trip! Watch a 1-minute clip here. Have you seen the movie? Read the books? I enjoyed our movie evening! The next day we planned a bike ride (aka adult trike ride for an old lady! LOL!) over to Assateague Island and the beach there.

Okaaayyy....am I ready for this?? Citronella arm bracelets and anklets? Check. Tons of spray? Check. I love that trikes come with baskets! Tom's all set for his biking jaunt over to the beach:

We made it to the beach where we sat and watched the waves and lots of surfers for awhile...pretty beach, pretty day! I wish now that we'd planned a real stay-all-day beach day...but this was biking day and catching a quick glimpse of the beach before lunch type of day: Tom wrote on the beach like he did on our honeymoon....Tom (heart) Deb...40 Years! Awww...

Here's our selfie before we head back (smiling, even though dealing with literally dozens of mosquito bites from biking on the bike path through the woods instead of staying on the main busier road). Tip: Mosquitoes don't know what citronella bracelets mean....and...always take the main road. I'm sure there are lots of other photos from mini-golfing, Chincoteague Museum, Mariners' Point, visiting Island Creamery and Famous Pizza I could share...

But I'll close with a photo of one of the gifts from all the kids...a canvas from Smallwood Home with the wedding song Tom wrote and sang on wedding day. You can see the photo of him singing to me imprinted behind the words. I absolutely love this!!! So perfect! Thank you to all the kids for such a special gift!

Today precious friend, God makes us one

My dear love for you will never be done.

Let's seek Jesus' face and know Him anew

So that His love may be our love, too.

 

Oh, magnify the Lord with me

And let us exalt His name together

May our union bring more glory to Him.

 

My dearest lover to you do I cleave.

This marriage will last because God we've believed.

With service and truth our lives we now gird

To spread His good news in deed and in word.

 

Oh, magnify the Lord with me

And let us exalt His name together

May our union bring more glory to Him.

~~Tom Girotti, 1980

 

Then Samuel took a stone...and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the Lord has helped us."  ~ I Samuel 7:12

Happy 40th Anniversary to us!

~Deb

Girls' Day Out in Lynchburg!

Girls' Day Out...what activities come to your mind for a mother/daughter outing?

Well...Hannah and I planned our special girls' day out trip to Lynchburg...mostly based on an Instagram account I follow! 

Our day included browsing the Meanwhile Back on the Farm pocketbook factory, stopping by a friend's new apartment to say hello, having lunch in downtown Lynchburg, visiting more friends for a special gift presentation, enjoying tea and scones with friends at an additional stop, and concluding our day by...yes, visiting more friends while we were still in the Lynchburg area! As we walked in the door, sewing machines were immediately in front of us, and we watched employees sewing, cutting pocketbook lining, and selecting the leather for the purses. It was all very busy and interesting: We browsed these display shelves with the finished leather and canvas purses and various straps. There were handbags classified as hobos, shoulder bags, magazines, and backpacks: These were the two colors that stood out as very striking to me...yellow and poppy--these were buckled to be used for backpacks, so not my choice of style, but I liked everything else.

I was not only deciding if I even wanted a purse for myself but also back and forth with my sister via text two states away sending her pictures of all the different choices!  The lady who was the factory assistant for customers was so informative and helpful. She held up her own purse to show another style that was sold out in their inventory: I made a decision and didn't leave with a new purse...but...the factory is currently in the process of making one exactly like I wanted: color, style, and lining! It should be mailed to me within a week. Thanks, Granny, for a very nice Christmas gift!

It was so interesting to visit Meanwhile Back on the Farm! I'm sure you would enjoy your time there if you checked them out: Lunch was delicious at R. A. Bistro, a restaurant we'd never heard of but was recommended to us for our special outing. We would definitely go again!: Next stop after lunch...after much crafting and anticipation of this gift, I presented their grandmother's refurbished antique sewing machine drawers to three sisters, Anna, Abigail, and Elizabeth. I think they were surprised! Here's the story....

Their dad, many years ago, gave his mother's (or ?) grandmother's antique Singer sewing machine to me because he knew I loved quilting and would appreciate it; and rather than throw away an old machine, I was the recipient!

I've kept the machine in the he-shed until I could get it refinished and usable as a table. So I've had this idea for the drawers in mind for awhile...surely these girls should have a part of their grandmother's old machine to treasure rather than me!

Tom volunteered to sand the dilapidated drawers and stain them for me between working on his other projects. He used a variety of stains for the four drawers, including brown mahogany, antique oak, fruitwood, and early American. Each girl received a different stained drawer: I was in charge of obtaining old Scrabble tiles and super-gluing them to the front of the drawers. I used 1953 antique rounded-edge Scrabble tiles found on e-bay: I, too, own an antique sewing machine drawer given to me by a friend. I decorated my drawer with the word QUILT in Scrabble letters, and I use it for lots of sewing notions.

Here's my drawer...I love the front of it with the unique carving for the knob, although my drawer hasn't been newly sanded and re-stained like the others: Hannah was a big help as we brainstormed appropriate Scrabble words to make each of the girl's drawers unique to them. Here's what we came up with CREATE, NOTES, and GATHER: The fourth drawer on the machine was given to Hannah, and she picked GATHER for her word. She also picked the brown mahogany, a darker stain for her drawer: So here are the girls after the presentation and after I told them the whole story behind the project. Happy smiles!

Next stop was tea and scones with a mother/daughter/granddaughter for part of the afternoon. What a wonderfully, delightful time! The table looked so inviting with beautiful tea cups, all kinds of tea flavors, and apple caramel scones--along with a mixed fruit dish and Lindor chocolates! We enjoyed a relaxing conversation and delicious food...a good slower pace to catch our breath and fellowship with friends.

One final stop was to see more friends on the way home before calling it a long day! Hannah and I made it safely back over Afton Mountain on a cold, dark, pouring rain night.

But what a wonderful day it was! It was a great time out with Hannah and a very good time visiting friends. Thanks everyone for hosting us...even the quickie visits just to say hello!

And since this is my last post this month....we want to wish everyone a very safe and grateful Thanksgiving with family and friends.

"All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."  ~ 2 Corinthians 4:15-16

~Deb