Another Thanksgiving Memory

We just returned from another simply wonderful trip to a little piece of heaven on earth, Gatlinburg, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. Our little family has been going there ever since our precious Megan was a toddler to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as our wedding anniversary. We are never disappointed and, although the streets are crowded with people, everyone is always in a holiday mood and having a glorious time. Christmas lights are everywhere and all the decorations are simply stunning.

We ate at all our favorite places, especially the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. Our Thanksgiving dinner there was served "family style" and was absolutely delicious. Breakfast at the Apple Barn Restaurant is also a real treat! An added bonus is all the cute shops on the premises... a bakery, ice cream shop, Christmas shop and winery. The winery is fabulous and we always bring home several bottles of our favorites. The apple orchards are on the surrounding hillsides. It is such a picturesque setting.


Now it is time to complete my holiday decorating and get ready for Christmas. I do hope that each and everyone of you had a lovely holiday with those you love. We are still talking about what a wonderful Thanksgiving we had and already making plans for next year!

A Happy Thanksgiving to All of My Dear Friends!!!

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Sincere and loving best wishes to all of you for a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving. My family and I are off to the Smoky Mountains for our annual Thanksgiving holiday trip. I promise to share pics with you when we return.

HERE I AM!!!!!

Oh, my friend Diane had it right when she said I must be up to my elbows in painting... I have indeed been a busy girl in my studio and simply loving every minute I spend there. The sawdust has been flying and brushes working their magic as the holidays approach. As many of you know, I simply love finding unusual things to paint on so I decided to share a few with you.

One of my most recent pieces is this beautiful doll trunk that I "altered" with a page from an antique hymnal, one of my little wooden angels and some of my saltbox houses painted on the bottom. I think it would be a great place to store all your Christmas cards and stamps, don't you?

Another great find was this antique saw. I have only painted another saw and it was one my dear father-in-law had used over 60 years ago. I decided it would be a fabulous gift for my dearest and so painted the family farm on the blade. The saw pictured here was the perfect piece for me to try out my new snowman pattern. I am most happy with it and thrilled that my sweet friend, Natalie, is going to use it in her beautiful prim home. You might remember that I featured her in one of my older posts...

I have saved the most unusual piece for last! These bellows are just huge and so lovely. They, according to the antique seller, were used on a farm years and years ago. I painted my new design for a Father Frost on this amazing piece of Americana and couldn't be happier with the outcome.

So, dear blogging friends, I am off to paint a bit more. The clock is ticking and I have to get busy. My warmest regards go out to all of you!