Dinner and a movie

For a treat, we decided to take the kids out for dinner and a movie this weekend, Toy Story 3 and Macaroni Grill. Wow, what a great movie. I was a little skeptical that it could successfully follow the first two, but it was as good, if not better than, the first two. We laughed out loud the whole movie, and it was definitely worth the money. Go see it, you won't be disappointed.  

Snaggletooth

Danny is an official Snaggletooth today. His teeth had spaced out so much that when he lost his front tooth today, it left a monstrous whole in front! He had been wiggling it for a week or two, and today he decided to twist it a little. It was hanging on by a thread, so I got a flosser and hooked it around the top of the tooth. One pull was all it took, and now he's whistling dixie, almost literally. Isn't he cute?

A wonderful end to our vacation week

Happy Father's Day to George, our Dads, and all of the fathers we know. Our week ended with Danny's baptism at church today. With George and me, Zachary and Megan, all of his grandparents, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Blair,  and his cousins in attendance, Danny went up before the congregation and was dunked under the water by Pastor Tommy. He was so excited, and it was the best Father's Day present George could have asked for today. We are so proud of him.

After the service, we went to the Father's Day Car Show at the church. Mom and Dad liked the Ford Fairlane, and Dad got nostalgic about riding in one to Alaska when he was a kid. He said he could see himself and his brother sitting in the back seat peeing in a Coke bottle because my grandpa didn't like to stop. Ah memories...

It was fun, but the heat was too much, and we went back home to change clothes and then headed to Mom and Dad Creamer's for Father's Day lunch, corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. Danny opened his baptism presents, and as you can tell, some of his favorites were his new Spiderman sunglasses and his new Hot Wheels car.

He also got a new Bible, a Bible storybook, some 1st readers, a new necklace, puzzles, and a Bible word search book. George, Dad Gilbert and Dad Creamer all got pocket knives for Father's Day.

Debbie made a Red Velvet cake that was obviously tasty to Savannah, and we all had a great time. We hope all of you had a great Father's Day also.

Our Tennessee Vacation - Day 6

Day 6

The return trip to Tallahassee turned into an adventure of its own. We took the scenic route (441) from Pigeon Forge into Cherokee, and we stopped at the museum at the Oconoluftee Village. Along the way, we saw some local art, bears that Cherokee artists have painted and named.

We also passed the Drama Inn, which provoked some hilarious hijinks from George and the kids. We continued down the road through lower North Carolina, and then stopped at the Dillard House for the largest meal we have ever eaten. It was sooooo good.

In all it took about twelve hours to get home, and we only made a few stops. One notable stop was an emergency restroom stop for Danny at the University of Georgia visitors center. Zachary picked up some brochures, killing two birds with one stone you could say. The rest of the trip was a beautiful drive through lower Georgia, including my favorite Georgia town, Madison. Of course, by the time we got home, I was super happy to be in my own bed.

Our Tennessee Vacation - Day 5

Day 5

This was supposed to be our hiking and outdoors day, as the weather was beautiful and no storms were in the forecast. Unfortunately, what we had on the to-do roster, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail and the Clingman's Dome Road, were closed to all use. So, we made our way into the National Forest, with our first stop at Sugarland Visitor's Center. From the visitor's center, we walked to Cataract Falls, a small waterfall with lots of creek stops between the visitor's center and the falls. 

Our next stop was The Chimneys picnic area. George and the kids had a blast in this stream full of boulders and rushing water. I had a great time just taking the shots. It was so crowded that we had a hard time finding parking, but it was worth driving around a few times. I caught some great moments at this location.

All the way through the National Forest are pull-offs to take pictures, and we stopped many times. By the time we got back to the Mellow Mushroom in Pigeon Forge, we were starving, and the kids polished off an entire large pizza! We went back to the condo, and George took the kids for a final swim while I started packing (hey, that's not fair!)  Oh, if only we had one more day...

Our Tennessee Vacation - Day 4

I know I said I'd update every day, but we lost internet access, so I now have to catch up.

Day 4

Ok, it says Tennessee vacation, but we took a jaunt to North Carolina for a quick Father's Day present for George. We drove from Pigeon Forge to Asheville, NC to visit Biltmore and the Biltmore Winery. Our day began at Antler Hill Village with lunch at Cedric's Tavern. Cedric was the Vanderbilts' Saint Bernard who reportedly wore a 33" collar. All of the historic photos of Cedric located in the tavern prove that he was a very large dog. The tavern also sells ales brewed at Biltmore, Cedric's Ale. I am already in love - it is fairly close to Newcastle Brown Ale. 

From there, we drove around to the Estate parking to tour the home. I cannot describe the grandeur and presence of this American castle. As the largest private residence in America, it would take more than one day to see the full house and estate grounds, so we took the general tour of the home, and just barely got to see the gardens before the thunder and lightning got threateningly close. We went back to the village to visit the Winery (the most-visited winery in the country, we soon discovered), and after a serious wine tasting and a trip around the gift shop to taste the various dips and spreads with lots of pretzels to soak up all of the wime in our stomachs, we went to the Bistro next door for a gourmet meal. Of course, at this gourmet bistro, the boys got PB&J and Grilled Cheese. At least Megan got some spaghetti. 

For dessert, we went to the Creamery for fresh ice cream (the chocolate is made from cream from cows on the farm), and shopped a little before hitting the road.

Lucky for us, I-40 was open and we were able to take the straight shot both ways. Evidently, a large rock slide had closed the highway from October to April.  Both ways, the drive was a little bit scary, but absolutely gorgeous. The kids were also really excited that we got to see the Bush's Baked Beans factory on the way there. I was shocked at how large it is. I guess they produce a lot of beans.

In all, it was a wonderfully exhausting day.

Our Tennessee Vacation - Day 3

Day 3

Adventures at Cades Cove and Gatlinburg. We had a wonderful drive on the scenic loop at Cades Cove, and then stopped for soft serve ice cream at the camp store. Mmmmmmm......... Then, we drove the 2 miles to Gatlinburg, and walked off that ice cream, only to end up eating trout and Jack Daniels Creme Brulee. The price of being on vacation. Even though we only went a few places, our pictures are numerous. We had a lot of fun today, and we even had time to go swimming when we got back to the room. I love vacation!!!

Danny, the worm protector. All of Cades Cove could hear his warning..."Don't step on the worm!"

Do you ever want to freeze one moment in time? I don't think this one would be their choice, do you?

We love ice cream!!!

Danny has decided that, since the one-hour "how-to-react-when-you-see-a-bear" training on tv was so informative, he's ready to meet one.  

The traditional family sign photo. I think Zachary has grown an extra set of ears, but I'm not sure. Do you see anything?

Our Tennessee Vacation-Day 2

Day 2

Our vacation continued on day 2 with excursions into Pigeon Forge. We started across the street from our condo at the Old Mill district. We shopped at the Old Mill country store and the Pigeon River Pottery store, and then took a break at the ice cream shop.

We continued in Pigeon Forge with a winery tour of the Mountain Valley and Hilltop Wineries, and then made a stop at one of the best places in Tennessee, The Apple Barn and the Applewood Restaurant.  Oh, my - their apple fritters with apple butter are so insanely good, we got an extra batch for breakfast the next morning. After we had stuffed ourselves on home-cookin' (best chicken and dumplin's I have ever eaten, hands down) we went to their winery for our last stop on the Smoky Mountain Wine Tour. 

We then made our way to the Smoky Mountain Knifeworks store and museum. I think if George could have, he would have spent the entire day there, it was pretty impressive.  By the time we were finished there, we were pooped, and we went back to our room for the night. Good books and relaxation were what we needed, and we sat back and enjoyed some quiet time. It was a good day.

Our Tennessee Vacation-Day 1

Day 1
Our excitement was tangible in the morning as we finished packing and left Tallahassee for the 8-hour drive to Pigeon Forge, TN. I drove through Atlanta on I-75 (no bypass this time, and I can tell you, I am one brave woman), and on into the Knoxville area. I have always wanted to live in the low mountain area of Tennessee, so as I was driving, I was taking in the scenery and just enjoying being in the mountains. We arrived at our accomodations, Whispering Pines Condominiums, and checked in to our beautiful 2-bedroom condo with furniture that Megan said made her feel like we never left home. By then, it was 8pm, and we were ravenous, so we went down the street to Mama's Farmhouse Restaurant, and had one of the best family style meals you can get in a restaurant. The waiter pegged our family as carnivores because all of the meat was gone, and the carbs and veggies were barely touched. So true... We then came back, put the kids to bed, and watched the season opener of True Blood. It's going to be a great season, I can tell already.
George, Zachary and Megan all took pictures of the first day, and I'll share a few. I will document each day as they happened, so more to come tomorrow...

The Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich

A couple of weeks ago, George talked me into buying a new cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. This book is chock full of home-cookin' recipes and amazingly well-shot photos of her life on a ranch in Oklahoma. It is also apparent that Ms. Drummond loves her husband, the Marlboro Man, almost as much as I love mine. One stipulation of buying this is that I have to make the food in the cookbook (and I thought I was buying it to look at the pretty pictures!), so last night I made the Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwiches for the family. Oh my, were they tasty. If you're a fan of farm life and you love great photos, then this is the book for you. It is definitely a keeper for us.

Banana Pudding

I got my absolute favorite Banana Pudding Recipe about 13 years ago. Curtis Akins, one of the original food network chefs, is a vegetarian soul food chef (is that an oxymoron?), and he made this pudding. Once I tried it I was hooked. All natural vanilla custard (that means no cool whip!), bananas and vanilla wafers. Simplicity at its finest. The recipe goes like this:

Banana Pudding

2-3 bananas, sliced

Vanilla Wafers

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 eggs

2 cups whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla (I use homemade vanilla, it's lighter)

In a large bowl (2 qt.), place one layer of sliced bananas, then a layer of wafers until bottom of bowl is filled (I put one banana and wafer on sides), making sure that the top layer is wafer. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, beat eggs. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in flour, vanilla, and milk. Place on medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the wooden spoon. Pour over banana and wafer layers. Chill to allow the custard to set (at least four hours or overnight).