Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all. ~Stanley Horowitz

On a morning hike, I found this little spot with some beautiful outdoor furniture. 

The beautiful Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC is a massive edifice built in 1913 by just 400 men.  It was completed in just one year. 

Some little pumpkins with tape faces greeted me on this morning adventure...clever.

This little structure sits at the entrance and shows the intricate stone detail, as well as, the clay shingles. 

These lovely windows are often open to let in the wonderful mountain fresh air.  I can barely process the stacking of these stones to build the Inn.  The stones are so massive.

These fern fronds caught my eye.  Aren't they odd, but lovely?

(source)

After a little hike, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the spa.  We tried to soak in every minute of this special treat! 

A large cart sits at the front entrance waiting to provide fire wood to the massive fireplace.

These lonely rockers will be full as the sun sets and folks gather around the fireplace for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

A beautiful view of the mountains and of Asheville can be seen from the veranda.

The hotel is wonderfully built and furnished in the American Arts and Crafts style.  This book shelf is a fine example.

I came across this little cottage in the woods.  Doesn't it look like 'Hansel and Gretel' will walk out any minute?

I found this trail and followed it...the thought crossed my mind to leave a trail of crackers!

I came upon some meandering creeks...

...and some turkeys!  It was a good thing they knew that I was shootin' with a camera!  They weren't afraid at all; hungry, I guess.  I think they wish that I had left a trail of crackers!

Another path brought me...

...to this spot with some incredible outdoor art.  This dahlia had a price tag of $25,000.  WOW.  You can see how imposing it is compared to the house in the background.

The grounds of the Biltmore House are magnificent.  This is a lovely rural pasture.  We didn't allow for enough time to play in this 8,000 acre backyard!  We were late for dinner.

Out of the rural pastures and rolling hills appears the grand Inn at Biltmore Estate.  As impressive as it is, it is nothing compared to its neighbor, the Biltmore House.  The Biltmore Estate, completed in 1895 is the largest privately owned residence in the United States.  The home, the grounds and the lovely gardens are something to marvel!

(source)

The Biltmore House, George Vanderbilt's vacation home was modeled after three chateaux built in 16th-century France.  His grandchildren still live in the area. 

The next day, I put on my hiking shoes again, but this time to scour the antique malls!  The Tobacco Barn is one of my favorites!  From talking to the locals, I found other great flea markets and even a few great yard sales!

I took a break and sat outside at Chelsea's Tea House.  This is my favorite little place in the world...well, one of them!  I ate here both days and had the same meal...tarragon chicken salad, dill pasta salad, fruit salad and butternut squash quiche.  It is another 'must see' if you visit Asheville and you love tea!  I purchased their apricot tea leaves to bring home (I don't drink coffee!)

 My husband, Rob has a meeting in Asheville once a year. What a timely escape!  We took the children to their grandparents and slipped away for a moutain retreat.  Poor Rob had to sit in meetings most of the trip, so I enjoyed the quiet walks and strolls through town all by myself!  These moments are far and few between, so I relished every minute! 

Note:  All photos are mine, except for the two marked with 'source.'  I wasn't allowed to take the camera into the spa and it started to rain when we toured the Biltmore Estate! 

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A Little Smile from God

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."  Genesis 9:13-16 (NIV)

~

If you look very closely, you will see a double rainbow.  The second rainbow appeared just above the first with the colors in the reverse order!  On this particular day, I had been dealing with a tragedy.  This sweet little 'smile' from God above reminded me of His covenant.  Sometimes the difficulties of life can feel like a flood, coming all at once.  Sometimes we think we will never get through a season of trials.  My husband thought this was a promise from the Lord that He will take care of us and that this 'season' of pain will pass.  I found great peace in seeing this rainbow.  The covenant is a reminder that never again will a flood do such destruction, that the seasons will always come as expected and that a rainbow will be a sign that God keeps His promises.

Life can surely be difficult at times.  It is during these times that we must look for the rainbows.   

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A Vacation at Home

On this Labor Day weekend, we are having a quiet vacation at home to welcome fall.

My oldest daughter and I cleaned the dock and prepared it for a cozy evening...

...while the 'men' work on the tree house.

I gave this sign to my husband for Father's Day one year.  It welcomes the fishermen and boaters as they go by.

As the sun sets, the children go for a canoe ride...

...and I yell from here, "That is too far!  Come in closer!"

Rowing all in sync...

...and not so much in sync!

I grabbed the basket of food from the kitchen, that my daughter and I prepared earlier...

...while they float close enough for Rob to see.

The menu was roast beef subs, pasta salad, shrimp salad, fruit salad and tea for us and lemonade for the kids.

We had a shrimp boil the night before, so with the leftover shrimp, I made a salad.  I am not much of a cook, but this turned out pretty good!  I cut the shrimp into small pieces, added some red onion, boiled egg, celery, shredded carrots, salt and pepper, mayo and topped it with some cayenne pepper, dill and green onion.  Yum! 

Evening time on the lake is so beautiful...the sun sets in colors of yellow and orange, the boats meander by and all is quiet.

This old fishing basket holds my 'several days old' flowers from the Farmer's Market. 

A corner on the dock is ready for our meal.

The grain sack was purchased from a vendor in Charleston, SC.  I put two standard pillows inside to make the cushion and the bench is now comfortable.  The table runner was on clearance at the end of the season from Pottery Barn.  The large basket was made by a man in our town who crafts many different sizes of this basket.  It is very sturdy and finds many uses in our home!  The large burlap pillows were from Target a few years ago.  The quilt on the hammock was a gift from my mother-in-law.

A little fish hangs above the hammock.

We are now full, it is late and everyone is tired from the day of work and fun.  My daughter and I clean up.  These little containers for the salads are from World Market.  They have a fun, vintage look.

My husband sits for some much needed R&R...

...as my two youngest children snuggle under the warm blanket. 

~

This was such a nice day...no commitments!  We tinkered around the house and enjoyed the quiet evening, just the five of us.  I love the days that are unplanned and simple.  A vacation at home...hmmmm...turn off the TV, don't answer the phone and go outside...I think I might like more vacations like this! 

Welcome fall!

I am joining the CSI Fall Project Challenge!

...and celebrating with these great sites!

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The Narrow Gate

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ~ Matthew 7:13

On Friday, I took my four year old daughter to get four shots.  It was so sad to watch her sweet, little face distort with pain and tears.  I expressed to our pediatrician that I miss seeing him as much.  Now, that the children have grown, we just don't make such frequent visits.  His response was a reality check. 

He said that in the last several years, he has seen older children, ages 10, 11, and 12 coming more frequently because of anxiety, stress, eating disorders, attention disorders, and overall decreased self-esteem.  In my hope to avoid whatever is causing this, I questioned him.  In his opinion, children are not allowed to be children.  There is too much sensory overload with TV, computer, texting, cell phones, Facebook, Youtube, and the list goes on.  In addition, we, as a society feel the need to commit our children to every activity available.  

 Every bit of my job as a 'mom' should be to carefully consider what is best for my children.   Walking through the wide gate may look tempting and it may sound great, but is it best for my child and best for our family?  The narrow gate is a difficult choice and often inconvenient, but my children, all of our children, are so, so worth it.

Have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend with your families!

Christie 

 

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A Pumpkin Treat

This is a nice treat to whip up, when a few folks are coming over!  I thought the label of this organic pumpkin was so pretty, so I used it to display some pretty hydrangeas.  Serve this pumpkin dip with some thin ginger cookies or cinnamon graham cracker sticks.  Enjoy a little cup of fall!

Blend and chill the following:

8 oz. cream cheese

1 can (14 oz.) pumpkin

2 c. confectioners' sugar

1tbsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice

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Harvest Moon

Welcome September!  The Harvest Moon is September 23, 2010.

wikipedia.org

All full moons rise around the time of sunset. Usually, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it moves in orbit around Earth.  The Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are special, because around the time of these full moons, the time difference between moonrise is shorter than usual which means that the moon rises approximately 30 minutes later, from one night to the next.  Thus, there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise.  Autumn moons were said to help farmers working to bring in their crops (or, in the case of the Hunter's Moon, hunters tracking their prey). They could continue being productive by moonlight even after the sun had set. Hence the name Harvest Moon. The reason for the shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the time of the Harvest and Hunter's Moon is that the ecliptic makes a narrow angle with respect to the horizon in the evening in autumn.

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