Crazy to realize that it’s this time again! Happy New Year, blog friends! We’ll be taking Monday off to celebrate the holiday with family and friends. But we’ll be back on Wednesday, Jan. 4 with a whole new year of blog posts. Don’t miss it! For today, I thought I’d look back at my favorite [...]
We’re heading to the Smokies tomorrow. I can hardly wait! The forecast? Sunny and almost 60 degrees. I’m sure not complaining about that, as I sit in cold, white Indiana. But this time of year, you never know. Snow comes quickly in the mountains. If you’re heading to the Smokies this winter, make sure you’re [...]
I can’t believe it’s already Christmas! The years fly by now… We sure have enjoyed this past year on our blog and e-commerce site. Sure hope you have, too! We’ll be taking part of the next few weeks to be with family and celebrate the season. I hope you’ll be doing the same. Check back [...]
A few weeks ago, Pigeon Forge was named one of the top Christmassy Towns in the USA by Time Magazine, largely due to The Incredible Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge. So what is The Christmas Place? Well, it’s just one of my favorite spots in the Smokies. It consists of several shops, a gorgeous inn, [...]
So, late last night, some unknown villain hacked into our blog. And really destroyed it. It took my genius husband much of the evening to regain possession of blog. And now, we are madly rebuilding. So be patient with us! Things may look differently, since we are building from scratch. But things will be back [...]
I used to think people were nuts. They would always talk about how much they dreaded spending time with family over the holidays. Not me. I’ve always LOVED family Christmases. My family. Jason’s family. Extended family with relatives I barely know. I love it all. And Jason and I are lucky that we get along [...]
One thing I LOVE about heading to the Smokies and holing up in a cabin in the winter. It’s not the fact that the roads may be impassible. It’s not that some cabins are drafty and cold. But it IS soaking in a hot tub in a world of white. Yes, I LOVE to soak [...]
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series written by my sister-in-law Stephanie. Hope you enjoy learning from her experiences. She’ll be back occasionally to make you smile as you make it through the drudgery of the week. Notes from a Dummy Queen I’m a dummy. Yeah, that’s me. I admit it. Which is [...]
It’s crazy, isn’t it, how you grow up? One day, you’re 22, but still clinging to those family roots and traditions. And then you get married, eventually have kids, and are tasked with starting traditions for your very own little family. And if you’re anything like me, you pressure yourself into making Christmas extra-special and [...]
“What an enormous magnifier is tradition! How a thing grows in the human memory and in the human imagination, when love, worship, and all that lies in the human heart, is there to encourage it.” That was said by Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish historian and essayist from the Victorian era. I love it. “What an [...]