Friday Favorites: Sister Trip

Hello and happy Friday. I just got home from a three day sister trip to Gatlinburg Tennessee. Gatlinburg is about 70 miles from us and we have an annual Sister Trip every year. We tried to figure out how many years we have been doing this and the closest we can get to is about 30 years. We first started Sister Trip when my mama was alive. It was me, my mama and my sister Sandy. After a few years my two other sisters Pat and Carolyn joined us. Then my mama passed away. Several years later we lost my sister Carolyn and then last year we lost my sister Pat. We did add my niece Tammy, who is just like a sister to us. So we are back to three of us going. And we always have so much fun!!! We don’t always go to Gatlinburg we sometimes go to other places. Next year we are planning on a cruise.

We skipped Sister Trip last year because it was just too painful not having Pat with us. We bought a rose and took it with us this year and put it in the chair on our deck that she would have sat in. It was so hard not having her with us but we knew she would have wanted us to go.

This is a picture from our deck. The moon was beautiful and the weather was so nice. It was cool in the mornings and then warmer in the afternoon.

We had a lot of great food. We usually get breakfast items to take to the condo and eat one meal while we are out and then usually leftovers for dinner.

We always take a jigsaw puzzle to work. My sister Sandy and I love these. We bought two at T.J. Maxx on our way in and we picked this one to start with. It was a nice autumn scene.

The finished puzzle.

I always take knitting with me. I love these colors. I am making a scarf and some headbands to donate to the cancer office where my sister got chemo this year. They have a little collection table and I put several things out earlier in the year. Everyone loved the headbands. It covers their ears and part of their head and this is really helpful when the weather is chilly but not too cold. I will probably do some toboggans as well for colder weather.

We drove into Cherokee one day and went to the Casino. We didn’t spend a lot of time there but we did stop at Newfound Gap and got some pictures.

We visited Anakeesta it is in the heart of Gatlinburg. I have a ton of pictures of Anikeesta and I will do a separate post on that very soon. It is such a fun place. It is listed on their website as a mountaintop adventure, and it is!!! It is just the cutest place. They have it decorated for fall with lots of leaves and pumpkins. There are several overlooks to sit and enjoy the beautiful views. Check out their website here.

The only way to get to the top of the mountain is by chairlift, these red pods, or by bus going up a scary mountain road. We chose the pods.

Look at all the seating where you can just enjoy the beautiful mountain views.

O.K. now for some more favorites. We always stop at T.J. Maxx on our way into Gatlinburg. I found two jigsaw puzzles. We always work a puzzle on our trip and I had left the house without bringing one of mine. I bought these two and we worked the Autumn In The Neighborhood scene first. I will start on the pumpkins soon.

I have to tell you about this nail polish that I have discovered. I have always loved Sally Hansen nail polish. It is very affordable and it lasts. I came across this Insta-Dri at Walmart and decided to try it. I loved it!!! I did my nails Monday night and the polish still looks great!!! I will be buying more of this.

Turkeys in our yard!!! This is not all of them. I just happened to look out the window on Sunday and this is what I saw. Of course when I went out to get a picture they took off. But I love having them around.

This is the only book I have to report on this week. It was an audio book through my Libby App. It was good. It was a little long but it had a good story and a great ending. I have so many books to read, I mean actual books that you hold in your hands and turn the pages, I must quit downloading and buying books. At least until I read half of what I have on the shelf, shelves. A lady I follow on TikTok listed all of the books she had to read, and put all the titles in a jar, and when she finished one she would just draw out the next one. I love that idea. I may just do that. Sometimes the books I think I might not like turn out to be the best.

On our way home today I stopped at Joanne’s Fabrics and bought these two color wheels of yarn. Two years ago when we were in Sevierville I bought two of these but they were in multiple colors. They didn’t have any of those this time but I did find these on clearance. They will be great for the headbands I am going to make.

So what have you been enjoying this week?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

Have You Ever Spent The Night In A Treehouse?

A couple of weeks ago when I was in Chattanooga our group visited Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is a 145 foot waterfall inside Lookout Mountain. It is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public. You can read more about it on the Ruby Falls Website here. If you missed my post about Chattanooga and the few days I was there check it out here. Chattanooga Visit

Something very unique and innovative that Ruby Falls has added to their wonderful experience is the opportunity to stay in one of their new Treehouses. This is not a totally new concept in our area. It is one of the first times I was able to actually view them and go inside. They’re adorable!!!

Each of the treehouses are modernly furnished. The ones at Ruby Falls were decorated like you wouldn’t believe. Each one had some type of record player, yes I said record player with records and one of them even had a very old phonograph player with very old records.

Look at this hammock on the deck. It looked so peaceful it just made me want to take a nap under the trees.

I can just imagine sitting on this little porch and having coffee while I look out over the city of Chattanooga.
Some of the houses had a bedroom downstairs and the living area with a couch and desk upstairs. And some were just the opposite with the bedroom upstairs.

The treehouses are filled with windows offering you a view in every direction. The trees around are beautiful but can you imagine snow or rain gently falling while you are nestled in the treehouse, reading a good book. I can.

The stairs leading to the second level of the treehouse are a little steep but definitely doable.

Each treehouse had an outdoor sitting area, a fire pit and at least one hammock. The leaves on the trees were gently blowing and it was just like paradise.

This one had an outside tub with a privacy curtain and also an outdoor shower.

So peaceful!!

Once you get to the parking area for the treehouses you can look down on the tower at Ruby Falls and Chattanooga. Isn’t this a beautiful view?

This is the pathway leading to the cabins. It is lit so if you are out at night you would have no problem finding the path.

You can actually drive to an upper parking area and load your things in one of these little wagons to take to the treehouse.

The treehouse experience is not a cheap one. It is different. It is definitely an experience that you will never forget. A boutique treehouse retreat is what will be waiting for you. Check out the Ruby Falls website and then click Treehouses for lots of photos and availability.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Happy Friday!! I am so glad to see the weekend. I have a few favorites to share with you.

First of all I have to tell you about last weekend. This was definitely a favorite. I made a wedding cake for a sweet couple I work with. The wedding was on Saturday. I didn’t get home from the Chattanooga trip until late Wednesday evening. I knew I wanted to make a couple of the layers on Thursday so that is what I did. As soon as we had dinner finished on Thursday I started working on the largest layer of cake. I already had all of the cake pans out and ready. I got the cake ready to put in the oven. The couple had requested the bottom layer to be a yellow and chocolate marble swirl.

Sorry I didn’t get a picture after I swirled it.

It took about an hour and a half for this layer to bake. As soon as it was done I put the middle layer in. They had requested that the middle layer be chocolate inside. It didn’t take quite as long to bake this layer. After that I cleaned the kitchen and went to bed. On Friday I left work a little early and went home to start making the massive amount of frosting that I had to make. While I was working on that I made the top layer of the cake which was vanilla. This small layer would be the layer they would keep in their freezer and eat a year later on their one year anniversary. I also did a crumb coat for the two larger layers. I let them sit in the fridge overnight. It is so much easier to spread the frosting on a cold cake.

This base layer was huge and heavy. I was whispering a prayer as I flipped it onto the cake board.

The next morning, Saturday, the day of the wedding. I got up at 4:00 AM and started to put the frosting on the layers. I was so nervous but it went great!!! The wedding was at 1:00 and I had promised to be there by noon to set up the cake. The bride provided the flowers that she wanted to use. They matched her bouquet and the bouquets her bridesmaids’ carried.

I was using my tried and true cake stand that I have had for years. I loaded the layers into separate boxes so they could travel the distance to the wedding venue. once I was there her dad and another man offered to help me carry the boxes. I told them I appreciated the offer but I hadn’t even let my husband touch it. HA!!

They used their Boyds Bears cake topper.
I think you can probably see the relief on my face that it all turned out ok. I am always a nervous wreck. Especially when I make a wedding cake.
The newlyweds. They were both happy with the cake that’s all that matters to me.

I would like to say it was a beautiful day for a wedding but it wasn’t. It was outdoors. And just as the ceremony started it started raining. Before the ceremony ended it was a steady downpour. Luckily the food and tables and chairs were under tents. But hey if it rains on your wedding day it’s supposed be good luck. It rained on mine and me and my husband have been married for 33 years.

The rain didn’t stop the fun. Everyone pulled their shoes off and danced in the wet grass. We ate and ate and had a great time. I was so happy to be a part of their special day.

Hanging with some friends at the wedding. Waiting on the ceremony to start, and the rain.

A few other favorites I wanted to share with you.

My little mother in law. She will be 90 years young in November. She has been through so much in the last few years. She’s tough and feisty and can get with you if she doesn’t like something. But she almost always has a sweet smile. She was enjoying a bowl of ice cream when I went to see her a few days ago.

I had to show you my yarn I bought when I was in Sweden. I am not sure what I will make with it yet maybe a scarf or two. I always write the name of the place where I buy it so that I can remember later.

I also got this planter when I was on my European trip. I got this lovely in Copenhagen. It was one of our first stops on the trip. I had to take her out of her box because it took up a lot of room. I was afraid I wouldn’t get her home in one piece but I packed her really well in my suitcase and she made it. I currently have one of my orchids in it.

Dunkin’ has finally opened in our small town. We have been waiting all summer. It actually opened when I was in Chattanooga but I heard it was so crowded you couldn’t get in. Just the newness of it all. One of my coworkers stopped in the other day and got us some much needed afternoon coffee.

I’m very basic and my drink of choice is an iced Caramel Macchiato.

If you have bridgework, implants or braces and you have used dental floss with those little blue hook looking thingies. Stop the clock!!! These things are wonderful. It’s sort of an all in one threader and floss. You may already know about these and I am just late to the game. But I love them!!! I got these at Walmart.

I have come to terms with the fact that when it comes to my upper body I am muscularly challenged. On our last trip I carried my backpack as a carry on for the plane. But it was so heavy I think my arms actually grew a few inches from carrying it. My nephew Tyler took pity on me a couple of times and carried it through the different airports for me. I decided I needed something with wheels. I have a trip to California in a couple of weeks and I will be traveling alone so no hubby or Tyler to help me. I decided to buy this bag on wheels. It is small enough to fit under your airplane seat. I got it today and I love it. I ordered it from Amazon. And look it has kitties on it!!!!!

I have only finished one book in the last week or so and man it was a long one. The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner. I love her books and have read many of them. This one had a way of detailing every single person in the book. Maybe a little more than you wanted to know about them. But it was good just a little long in places. The overall story was a good one.

So how has your week been? I hope you did some fun things.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!