Yellow Daist Festival

Stone Mountain Park hosts the Yellow Daisy Festival the second weekend of September each year. It is a HUGE arts and crafts show with hundreds of different artists who bring everything from hot chocolate mixes to woodworking.

Growing up, I went every year with my mom, my sister, and our friend Denise. My mom bought Christmas gifts for her parents and my dad's parents every year - things like an old PO box turned into a bank or hand-carved drop-baskets with the Nativity scene carved into the top. We have also acquired a lot of stuff for ourselves over the years including carved picture frames, dolls, and holiday decorations. My favorite part is seeing the types of things people come up with.

I haven't been in Georgia in September since I graduated high school and my mom and Denise haven't been to the Yellow Daisy Festival since then either, though I'm not sure why. Well, this year we started talking about it back in June so we were really exciting to go yesterday. We saw some really fun ideas like swings made out of old, cut tires. They even had different designs-a classic seat swing, a rocking horse, and a hammock-style swing. My favorite idea, however, was turning old windows into shadow box tables and bulletin boards. I have been redecorating my bedroom and looking for a unique wall hanging (pictures to come of my bedroom once I am done). I also wanted a jewelry box, but haven't found anything I liked. This booth solved both those problems. I now have a unique, artsy wall hanging and instead of a jewelry box, I found something better.

My beautiful wall hanging. That's a real window frame, glass panes and all, with a fabric covered bulletin board hinged to the back. I love it! I think it has a timeless look to it.
My jewelry keeper. The slats hold earrings and their are hooks on the side and bottom (it's hard to see them in the picture) for necklaces and bracelets. I love it because it is different without being strange or tacky.

My mom also found several fun things. Here are my favorite treasures she found.
It has a bear, so we clearly needed it. We need to find pictures to put in the large letters and my dad wants to try to make a frame for it, but we already know exactly where we want to hang it.
We had to buy this for my sister. Anyone who knows her will agree that she simply needs it, there is no other explanation.

Labor Day Weekend

I never fully appreciated three-day-weekends until I started working a full-time job, but now I think they are AMAZING! We spent a great weekend as a family at the cabin. My parents and I left after work so we arrived early in the evening; Lisa, Evan, and the kids left after Evan got off work and it's about a five hour drive for them so they arrived around midnight.

Poor Swiper put up with lots of "love" from my favorite two-year-old. Ensley carried her around, smothered her with hugs and kisses, rocked her to sleep sing lullabies, and chased her through the house the entire weekend. We tried really hard to save her, but Ens kept insisting, "Kitty wuv me! She want to pay wif me!" Ens tried really hard to be gentle, but she's two. We were constantly reminding her not to pull the tail, not to "hug" her too tightly, and if Swiper went into her kennel it was "nap time." Despite all the abuse, Swiper was so good with Ens. She never once snarled or clawed, even when she was being dragged out of her kennel by her tail. I see a life-long friendship being formed.

Receiving a little "love."
"Wock-a-bye, Kitty, in da twee tops. . ."
Best Friends.

Just a few minutes ago Ens called my mom crying. She was so upset she could barely talk but she kept saying, "I miss the kitty!" I think Lisa and Evan may need to get a cat eventually.

While Ens was chasing the cat, my mom, Lisa, and I had a very productive weekend. We have spent the last several months trying to make the cabin our own. While we love the way it was decorated, there were two main things we knew we wanted to change. The TV cabinet was literally falling apart and the kitchen table just didn't fit with the rest of the decor and was a little too big for the cove it sits in. We have a small kitchen my parents have had there entire marriage that has been sitting in our basement for the last several years and our friends the Gregorys gave us their old armoir because they had redone their living room. Both the table and the armoir are really nice pieces of furniture, but the finishes were a little dated so decided to paint them. I wish I had before and afters, but I didn't think about it until after we had started painting, so I will just have to post before and afters of the room. The armoir was originally a white-washed color and the table was a dull brown.

The old dining room table in the middle of the kitchen with the island in the alcove.
We switched the island and the table, then we painted the legs and chairs to match the curtains.
The old TV cabinet that could barely support the weight of the TV.
The newly refinished armoir. We are going to sand the edges a little to give it a distressed look, but we wanted to wait a while to make sure it is completely dry. Also, the door handles really are even, but one door is open slightly.

I am so pleased with the results; I think they really enhance the look of the room.

We didn't spend the entire weekend painting; we went to church on Sunday, we were able to see some friends of ours who have a cabin about two miles from ours, and we had a bonfire. Ens is a huge fan of s'mores (she gets that from me), but I'm not sure how much of her s'more actually made it into her mouth.


My little man is getting so big. He is a generally happy baby and he loves to talk and flirt with anyone who will talk to him.

I love it in Blairsville. If it weren't for that pesky job I have, I would spend every day up there.

Swiper

My mom has been wanting a cat for a while, so yesterday we got one and she is TROUBLE. She is so cute but she is into EVERYTHING. She has already gotten herself stuck in several small places and taught the dogs who is boss. We named her Swiper (from Dora the Explorer because he is my neice's favorite character).

John and Sara Preston

I want to congratulate my cousin Sara and her husband John who were married on Thursday. Wish I could have been there, I love you guys!

Bearadise

This is my new favorite place on earth. In June, my parents bought a cabin in Blairsville in the North Georgia Mountains. I looked for a picture of the cabin from the outside but I guess we don't have one. I LOVE this place. The cabin came fully furnished and it is completely decorated in bears. If I could, I would spend all my time there. It has an amazing screened-in porch which looks down over the yard.

The porch is great during sunrise and sunset. Ensley loves to swing on that swing in the back. We've rocked her to sleep a few ways out there (Will is happy anywhere in the cabin as long as he is being cuddled).
The fire pit is another on of my favorite parts. We build a fire almost every night when we are up there and I don't even want to think about how many s'mores I have eaten in the past two months. Ensley likes "cooking" marshmallows and eating the chocolate, but the concept of s'more's hasn't quite set in yet. The pit is also nice to just sit around and talk. My brother and his friends built the best fire a few weeks ago, we melted 3 glass bottles in about 15 minutes. I took a group of friends up this weekend and we all sat around the fire talking until 2:30 in the morning. I don't know what it is, but fire pits bring people together.

I'll post more pictures of the cabin soon, I just need to get them off other people's cameras. If anyone wants to come out and visit, we'll go up there. There is tons of hiking, river rafting, and other outdoor stuff to do there. Like I said, it is my new favorite place..

Life Update

I have been informed by my friend Ashley that it has been too long since I posted. I agree, it has just been such a crazy summer that I keep forgetting to post. I have so much to blog about that I will have to do a few different posts. I would like to add pictures, but most of my pictures, but most of the pictures are on my dad's camera (which m mom has in Utah) or on my sister's camera (and between two kids she hasn't had time to upload them to our photo site yet). I will add pictures as I get them.

My Loves

I had a great three day weekend! My parents, brother, and I drove up to Raleigh to meet our newest family member. Will is definitely the cutest baby boy I have ever seen. He's a pretty good baby too, he only cries when he's hungry or when his diaper is changed. Most of the time he is content just to cuddle or look around.
I also loved spending time with my Ens, she grows so much each time I see her. She's adjusting pretty well and always talks about how much she loves "Baby Wiw." Each morning she woke us all up She is quite the talker and some of the things she says crack me up. Every time we put her in a dress she looks in the mirror and says "I look like a PWINCESS!" My mom, sister, and I were watching Australia one day while Ens was napping. She woke up about 15 minutes from the end so we tried to distract her with he blocks while we watched the end, but it didn't work too well. When Hugh Jackman walked out of a burning building, looking incredible, Ens's eyes got huge and she turned around to look at us and just giggled, it was like she knew he is sexiest man alive (I didn't give him the title, but I'm not gonna disagree), it was so cute! She is also in a very independent stage. She no longer wants help putting on shoes or buckling her seat belt. Whenever I tried to help she would get an indignant look and say "I'ma do it!" I sure love those two!