Vacation 3/2023

Scott and I went away for a few days to Bryson City, NC.  We rented a VRBO log cabin.  It was a great vacation and we loved the cabin, it was so cozy!  Here are some photos of the cabin.

This is the cabin from the front.  We love log homes and we really loved this cabin.

This fireplace was amazing!  It had gas logs in the fireplace, so no work was required even though we love the smell of real logs burning.

There was a loft upstairs (which I forgot to take a photo of).  There was a full bed, dresser and nightstands up there.

The living area had a full size bed, the fireplace, 2 handmade rocking chairs and a TV.

Scott and I went to the village/town of Bryson City.  We walked around and looked at all the Cherokee Indian jewelry, handmade items, paintings, baskets, etc.  Then we made our way to the Nantahala River.  It was just beautiful!  Trout fishing had started the Saturday we were there, so there were fisherman everywhere.  The night before I took these photos it rained so hard and so long.  The River was really high.  We saw 2 rafts filled with rafters and people in kayaks going down the river.  

There is alot of natural reed (bamboo) growing along the river in spots.

A fisherman doing his thing.

Little purple violets were blooming.  I love them!

You can see some of the rapids in the river here.  It was a really swift current.

Scott bought me a necklace and earrings made by the Cherokee.  It is made from clam shell, the indians carved.  The purple is much more vivid in real life-just gorgeous!

This is the last picture of the river I took.  It was just gorgeous with all the stone.  The trees are just starting to get their leaves up there.

We had a wonderful trip!  We stopped at Cherokee Resorts and Casino on the way home.  Scott had a free night to stay in a suite there.  I didn't have any luck at the slots but Scott did, he won $4,700!  He is always lucky at the slots there.  It is good to be home, but it was wonderful to be with Scott for 5 days!

Until next time!

Sherri

 

Spring is Almost Here in NC

 Well things are finally turning more to Spring than Winter here in NC.  While it has been cold (even frost/freeze warning the last week) it has been moving forward to Spring.  The leaves are actually coming out.  I went to my house in SC 2 weeks ago and the one rose I'm digging up and bringing here to NC had buds on it.  Never have I seen roses blooming this early!  The birds are chirping and building nests too.  I moved to my apartment on March 27th in Salisbury, NC.  I still have not sold the house in Lake City, SC but I did just lower the price.  I hope it sells soon!  Keep that on your prayer list please!!  I will continue to go down to SC and do somethings around the house but I do have to say I love being back for the majority of the time in NC.  I have also been enjoying being with Scott more!  The 3 hour commute was getting on both of our nerves.  Now I am about 10 minutes from him, so much better.  I have been enjoying his kids also.  They really are good kids!  Here are some photos showing Spring is really here!

Saucer Magnolia blooming at Pikes Nursery, Mint Hill, NC.

One of the orchids in my apartment.  It survived the move and is really thriving here.  It has been blooming for about 2.5 months now.

This is a sunrise a few days ago from my apartment living room window.  It was so pretty!

I made this Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick's Day dinner.  I also made corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes.  It was so good!

My lavender at the SC house started blooming about 2.5 weeks ago.

I planted this azalea at my SC last Spring.  I love this color!

When I was at Pikes Nursery the other day, I picked up 2 Heliotropes.  They smell so good!

Another of my orchids blooming here in the apartment.

Non-stop Double Begonia from Pike's Nursery.

This is my newer orchid that just started blooming last Thursday.  Very unusual color, but so pretty!

Miniature fuschia from Pikes Nursery.

This is another beautiful saucer magnolia.  Stunning!

I keep all my orchids in my bedroom on this nightstand.  They love it here!

Well I hope all the Spring things give you some hope, that yes Spring is coming or has arrived no matter where you live!  Have a great day!

Sherri

Some of Our Adventures over the last few weeks

 Hi Everyone!  I am behind on posting some of the adventures Scott and I have gone on over the last few weeks.  A few weeks ago we went back down to Swan Lake in Sumter, SC.  It is about 40 minutes from my house.  We had a wonderful time and the swans were building nests and one black swan was sitting on a nest!  

Black Swan sitting on nest.

This is a black necked swan.  I had never seen one like this.  So pretty!

Two weeks ago and then last week we went up to Scott's property.  He has 89 acres up near the NC/VA border.  We both love it up there, it is just so pretty.  The area is so beautiful and you can see Pilot Mountain on the way up-it is so impressive.  Next time I will have to see if I can take a picture while Scott is driving.  

A brook runs through the property.  It sounds wonderful!

These daffodils are blooming near an old cabin foundation on the property.

We took a walk down to another brook on the property.  There was a spring fed little pond.  We didn't realize it was heart shaped until we looked at the photos later!

The locals said this is an Indian mound.  We aren't sure of this.  There are 4 of them on the property.

Old cabin foundation.

This is a path that has been cut on the property (one of many).  It was such a gorgeous day!

Lots of rocks, lichen and moss.

Scott found this turtle shell by the brook.  So cool!

This part of the woods up there has alot of ground pine.  It looks like a green blanket.

On another note, the weather here had been warm (in the high 70's).  It got alot of the flowers waking up around here.

Inside of the saucer magnolia in my yard.

Pansy in the container on my front porch.

Beautiful camellia at Swan Lake, Sumter, SC.

Saucer Magnolia in my backyard.

Well that is probably enough for today.  I have to get back to packing.  Next Sunday, the 26th is my move date into the apartment.  Everyone have a lovely weekend!

Sherri

Valentine's Day

 Hi Everyone!  Today I will be making a chocolate pudding pie and Linzer cookies (heart-shaped of course) to take up to Scott's tomorrow.  I will be at Scott's until Thursday morning.  I haven't seen him in almost 2 weeks and it feels like 2 months!  He was away this weekend with his best friend, Troy, Scott's son, Ben and Troy's niece's husband.  They went up to Harrisburg, PA to an Outdoor Show.  He set up a fishing trip in July with his Dad.  I kept busy for sure!  I power washed the deck, 3 birdbaths, 1 fountain, the front porch and the front walk.  I don't mind doing that but it is sure a messy job.  My sneakers are in the washer as I type LOL!!  Everything looks so much better though.  I move to the apartment on the 26th, so when I get back on Thursday, I really need to shift into high gear with the packing.  I think the U-Haul dates are wrong according to the Confirmation, so I need to call them today and get that straightened out.  Never a dull moment!

Here is a picture of the Linzer cookies I'm going to make (hope they turn out!):

(Photo courtesy of Pinterest)

I've only made these cookies once and that was a long time ago.  

Well I'm off to start the bake-a-thon LOL!!  I hope everyone has a lovely day!

Sherri

Thank you to my Followers!

I just want to say thank you to my followers that took the time to comment on my last post.  You all made me feel so wonderful!  💓  It has been hard on me not having my daughters happy for Scott and I.  I have gotten used to the idea that they may never come around.  I had to search long and hard and I have come up with that I am finally going to do something for me-I am going to be happy!  I know the girls loved their Dad and so did I.  Unfortunately, he passed away and I cannot bring him back.  Scott's wife, Becky died one month before my husband.  We both have had alot of grief, sadness and finding our way in the world as a widowed person.  We have been able to stand on our one two feet, get through the days of grief, sadness and heartache.  We will never forget our spouses, but they no longer are alive.  Again, I just want to say thank you to all you followers who comment on my blog, or lurk in the shadows.  I am forever grateful for all of you!

Sherri

Lots of News!

 I have to start by saying I am so sorry for just dropping out of sight on my blog.  I had every intention of keeping this blog going and I'm going to start doing a better job at posting almost on a daily basis.  I have so much to tell you!!

You know I went to NJ in October for my Mom's 85th birthday.  Well I brought her home with me for 2 weeks.  We had a great time and then it was time to take her back home.  When we were driving down to SC from NJ, my Mom was chatting away.  We had just crossed into NC and she asked if I had heard from a former co-worker of mine.  I told her no and said that he probably remarried.  I had worked with Scott when I was at Myers & Chapman when I lived in NC.  It was actually my second job when I moved to NC.  He was a Project Manager and I was the Project Assistant for all the PM's.  We worked well together and found out he grew up in PA, which would have only been about 1.5 hrs. from where I lived in NJ.  We worked together for 10 years.  I left to pursue another job and he stayed there for awhile but then he left also.  We always would touch base every few months just to say hi.  Well when I called him in 2019 to tell him John, my husband had died he told me the month before his wife had died of lung cancer.  We saw each other for lunch about a few months later.  We called each other every once in a while but I hadn't heard from him in about a year.  Well the day my Mom and I arrived in SC, we were sitting on the couch chatting and my phone rang.  I looked at the phone and said to my Mom I couldn't believe it but it said Scott Lee.  I chatted with him for about an hour.  I hadn't heard from him for that year because he had multiple surgeries and was only now feeling better.  When we hung up we said maybe we could meet in Charlotte, NC and have lunch.  I told him I was taking my Mom back home on November 1st.  He said to call him on the way home to break up the boring drive.  I told him I would.  I did call him and he said you are coming right through Statesville so if you can do you want to have lunch.  I said sure.  We had a lovely lunch-caught up on everything and then it was time to go since I stayed longer than I planned on.  When we were leaving the restaurant he said don't be a stranger.  I told him I would definitely call.  Now mind you Salisbury, NC is where he is living and I'm in Lake City, SC which is over 3 hours away.  Calling is good though with maybe lunch every once in a while in Charlotte.  Charlotte is 2 hours away from me.  It would take him about 1 hr. for him.  He called me after I left the restaurant later that day to see if I was doing ok with the drive and he talked to me until I reached home!  We both hated to hang up with each other.  He called the next day and we talked about him coming down here to see my home.  Well I think you can guess where this is going!  We have been dating and now I am moving to an apartment on 2/24 in Salisbury, NC to be closer to him.  In April I will be selling my house in SC.  I can't sell it now because I would have to pay capital gains on it because I haven't owned it for 2 years yet.  We both thought we would never find love again after losing our spouses, but we have.  We will never forget our spouses, but we realise they are never coming back and life is too short not to be happy.  He has 3 kids.  He got married later because he was a Marine in Desert Storm.  He didn't marry right after he got back for a few years.  His children are alot younger than mine.  He has 2 twin boys (Mason and Ben) who are 18 and then he has Katelyn, who is 16.  They are great kids.  Unfortunately my 2 girls are mad at me for dating, so they are not speaking to me.  They will just have to become more mature and realize I am old enough to know what I want to do.  They say they are happy for me dating, but in truth they are not.  Megan said I should have had a meeting with them before I told Scott I would date him.  She was also not happy that Scott took me away for the weekend of 11/27.  John passed away on that date 3 years ago.  I asked her if she was coming up to spend the day with me.  She said no, she was decorating for Christmas.  I asked her if Jenny and the boys were coming over and she said no they were busy.  Scott wanted to take me away with him because he didn't want me to be sad.  He wanted me to be happy.  It is unfortunate that they just don't get it.  Hopefully some day they will.  Scott and I have been seeing each other almost every weekend and I'm telling you, I can't wait to move closer to him.  This commuting back and forth is a pain!  We are both so very happy!

I have other news that isn't as happy as the news above.  Because of moving into an apartment and my 2 dogs barking so much, I have had to re-home them.  I miss them but they have gone to really great homes and are doing so very well.  Ginger was re-homed to my dog groomer and pet sitter.  Emma went to my dog groomer/petsitter's daughter, Olivia.  They are both being loved by the petsitter's grandson and Olivia's husband is over the moon with Emma!  Olivia loves her too.  She works for a vet 3 days a week, so I know the dogs will be very well cared for.  Scott has 6 dogs at his house, so if I get missing my dogs I just go pet his dogs.  One of the dogs is a puppy (Katelyn got a mini dauschund for Christmas), so there is plenty of loving going on there.  

So the moral of this whole wonderful story is:  Love happens when you least expect it and maybe from someone you don't expect.  Just enjoy your life with that person and be happy!  

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Sherri

Welcoming 2023

 I'm a little late getting here this year!  I have been extremely busy (I'll explain in the next post).  I wanted to list the books I read for 2022.  I think I hit a record in how many books I read!

1. Tell All the Bees I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon.

2.  Caught by Harlan Coben.

3.  Coral Cottage by Jan Moran.

4.  Good Wife by Seraphina Nova Glass.

5.  The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly.

6.  The Summer House by Jenny Hale

7.  The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

8.  Maiden of Ireland by Susan Wiggs

9.  I Have Something to Tell You by Susan Lewis

10.  Nantucket Affairs by Pamela Kelley

11.  Nantucket Weddings by Pamela Kelley

12.  Nantucket Threads by Pamela Kelley

13.  Nantucket News by Pamela Kelley

14.  The Secret in the Keys by Hope Holloway

15.  Picture Pefect by Jodi Picoult

16.  Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson.

17.  Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton.

18.  A Week at the Shore by Barbara Delinsky.

19.  Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver-I read 7/8ths of this book and couldn't finish it.  Boring.

20.  The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

21.  The Sculptress by VS Alexander

22.  The Nantucket Hotel by Elin Hilderbrand

23.  Who's Lying Now by Susan Lewis

24.  Through My Eyes by Barbara Delinsky

25.  It’s always the Husband by Michele Campbell

26.  Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher

27.  Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle

28.  The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

29.  The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews

30.  Tea Shop Cozy Mysteries Book 1-6 by Katherine Hayton.

31.  The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson.

32.  Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell.

33.  Haven Point by Virginia Hume

34.  The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

35.  The Kingdoms of Savannah by George Dawes Green.

36.  Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton.

37.  The Widow by KL Slater.

38.  The Woman in the Green Dress by Tea Cooper.

39.  Beach Lane by Sherryl Woods

40.  The Getaway by Ross Armstrong

41.  A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

42.  Murder in Galway by Carlene O'Connor

43.  The Outsider by Barbara Delinsky

44.  Southern Lights by Danielle Steele

45.   The Couple at Causeway Cottage by Diane Jeffrey

46.  The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul

47.  Those Who Lie by Diane Jeffrey

48.  The Rose Garden by Tracy Rees

49.  We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz

50.  The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

51.  The Rose Garden by Tracy Rees