Sunday, September 18, 2011

Go Jump in the Lake!

And our other new addition ... "The Nest"!


If you're an original blog follower (anyone? crickets.....), you may remember that about three years ago we had a cabin in Blue Ridge, GA. Well, we enjoyed it for three years, then started getting too busy to visit, so we decided to sell it. And luckily, it sold before the market went "Ker-plunk"! Well, as we've visited Lake Burton over the last couple of years, we've fallen in love with the area and with the market still "ker-plunking", we just so happened to find an incredible deal and jumped on it!

Here are some pics:


(No, that is not our excavator. Unfortunately, it broke down while they were working at our place and it's still sitting there.)

The beautiful lake view!

Remember in April, when Tuscaloosa was hit by that horrible tornado? Well, that same storm spawned a tornado that hit the Lake Burton area and did some damage to our "Nest". The damage was by no means as severe as Tuscaloosa, but locals say that they were very fortunate that the storm came through on a Thursday, because most of the homes that were demolished were weekend homes and luckily, no one was there. Unfortunately, one person lost his life.

Here are a couple of pictures from our lot. (These were taken the day we looked at the property. What can I say...we have the talent to see potential!)



The before:


After a little "TLC": (Next step--stainless steel appliances.)


A good view of the floors and cabinets after we spruced them up!


The master bedroom:

The kids room:


The "crows nest". This is 3 stories up and has an unbelievable view!


The guest room. (Would you like to spend a weekend with us?!?)

The 2nd bath:


We are so blessed to be able to have something like this to enjoy! With God's blessings, John's hard work and our penny pinching ways, good things have come! We still have more work to do -- some paint, some yard work, more decorating-- but I can foresee many happy family memories being made! It's already begun!

On lake time~
Laurie

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

And our family keeps growing!

Ha, I typed that title and laughed after I read it! Noooo, we do not have a baby on the way (thank goodness!) -- we just have added a furry friend to our little family of four. And I want to take this post to introduce you!

May I present "Zac"!





It's been a little over three months without our old love, Bear; and for me, it's been a daily barrage of questions like "Mom, when can we get a new dog?" and "Can we go to PetSmart and look at dogs?" and "Will we ever get another dog?". So, some research, some online hunting (yes, you can virtually dog shop!) and a day at some local adoptions and we now have a new pup!

Zac was rescued from a S.C. pound and lived in a foster home for 6 weeks. He's a boxer/pointer mix and is fitting in quite well. House trained, crate trained and good with kids -- not much more we could ask for!

Arf~
Laurie

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Mr. Rogers says it best!



As we reflect on the horrible events of this day 10 years ago, look to these words from Mr. Rogers' mom...

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."
— Fred Rogers

God bless all of the helpers~
Laurie