Shenandoah Valley...

We only made Edinburg, VA a short pitstop on our journey, but we soon realized that there is so much this area has to offer.  We are already thinking about coming back here and staying a week to explore it all. There are so many caverns to explore(we only went to one), over a 100 miles of Skyline drive to see, national parks, history museums(and a quilt one), flea markets and antique stores, zip lines, and beautiful scenery. This really is a gorgeous place to visit(and I wouldn't mind living here).

Yesterday  we explored Shenandoah Caverns, they were spectacular.  Mason was terrified at first and kept asking if we could go back up(to the surface).  But he soon started to enjoy it and then really loved it.

 There were some really neat formations... these were the "bacon" ones...

 Pictures really don't do it justice.

 Can you see the ram's head here?

 I wish this picture wasn't so blurry because it captures the wonder on Mason's face.

 This was a 34' reflecting pool, beautiful.

 The wishing well...

 They also had several other little attractions there. We didn't go to two of the other ones because we ran out of time.

 We have also spent a lot of time doing this at our campsite...feeding all the ducks!

 Our site is right on the creek and the kids just love the friendly(and hungry) ducks. My favorite is the big tan one.

 Today, after sleeping in, we went for a jog through town(cute little town), stopped at the post office to mail some postcards, and then to the local bakery to buy breakfast.  After that we headed out to some Mennonite stores and then to Skyline drive in the Shenandoah National Forest.  It was a beautiful drive and I would love to drive the whole thing one day.

 And I can't even tell you how many farmhouses there are around here. Each one is neater than the last one. I wish I would have thought to take pictures of all of them.  But here are two on our drive home.   This one isn't pretty, but it caught my eye because of how it was sitting all alone and because it was abandoned. How I would love to save it.

 And this one... Love the brick and big porch on it, sitting pretty on a hill.

Seriously, there are so many scenes while you are driving that are just so picture perfect and from another era.  If you have a chance, do come visit this area, you will really love it.

We are off to Pigeon Forge tomorrow. I hope to visit my blog friend Paris and her family on our way there.

Sweet travels everyone,

Tiff

Maiden Voyage...

I'm posting from Edinburg, VA right now as we wait for some assistance(see last photo).  I apologize for the poor quality of these pictures, I took them quickly yesterday before we left and my camera battery was dying(making my camera act funny).  

Ok, so this is the maiden voyage of the new camper. She is about 10ft longer than the old one and has a full bunkhouse for the kids.  She isn't my dream camper but she is so much better and roomier than the old one, and we got a super deal on her.

Of course I had to decorate her... I wanted some color without having to do a total makeover. So I went with bright apple green.  I'm so happy the manufacturer chose not to put the ugly wall paper border around the middle of the walls, makes adding decor so much easier.

Here is walking into the camper...

 To the right is the master bedroom. I changed out the curtains for thicker ones that I already had and added some wall decals to the headboard(they don't show up very well, but it says "always kiss me goodnight". The blanket on the foot of the bed is actually a nice green color, just looks off in the pic.

 Hung a goodwill find on the wall after I spray painted its frame.

 Looking into the left of the camper...I used the green spray paint to paint all the baskets and accessories that I found.

 Kitchen...

 Family room...I will eventually recover the cornice boards and sofa.

 Dining area and it's big enough for all of us to sit.

 I had to make some art...

 Took a lamp from the boy's room that they weren't using, matched perfectly.

 Took down the brown curtains and replaced them  with green ones.

 Added a mirror(which needs to go green too).

 The bathroom... I did in light butter yellow.

 Looking into the bunkhouse...

 Made a dishtowel into a wallhanging.

 Kids bunks... Made them all special camper pillow cases...

 I'll add some more camper pics as I take them.

Oh, and here is what we were waiting on.... I locked the keys in the van!   The guy just came and opened it up, so we are off to seem some caverns.

Have a great day,

Tiff

We are So Crazy...

Last night hubby and I had a long talk about our trip out west... the end result.... we aren't going.  Don't worry, we are still going on a much needed vacation though.  After much discussion, we decided we didn't want to spend 75% of our vacation driving in the car, we want to have time to relax and have fun. Also, the fuel alone to California and back would have cost us $3500, not leaving much fun money for us. While we still want to head out west one day, we are going to wait until Mason is a bit older.

So, where are we going you ask?  We are heading south...

First stop will be a day in Virginia(Shenandoah Valley area).  After that we are heading to Pigeon Forge, TN and Dollywood!!  After that, Ruby Falls, TN.

 A one night stay in Georgia and then we are headed to Florida!!
We aren't doing the touristy Disney thing.... we are doing the summer in the sun thing. Beaches, pools, and nature parks. Plus I get to see family and friends.  We are staying at a brand new rv resort and I can't wait to just relax and lounge by the pool.(oh, and have to catch some lizards for the kids, they have never seen any)

 On our way home we are going to stay in Charleston, SC for a day...do some history things.

Then we are headed to Schuyler, VA!!! Earl Hamner's home and the Walton museum(The Walton's is my favorite tv show).

 And our last stop will be at Mount Vernon. I have always wanted to go here.

So there you have it.  Ya, we are crazy like that and totally change a 3 week summer vacation 2 days before we leave on it :o

Anyone have any suggestions on neat things to do and see in these places?

Off to pack some more,

Tiff

Do We Cross Paths?...

We will be heading out on a cross country trip very soon and I was wondering if any of my blog friends want to meet up?  That is a very rough map of our journey, bing or mapquest wouldn't let me save the picture of our exact route, so I kind of fudged this one with a free map I found online.  Do you think you live anywhere near my lines and want to get together? Email me!!  It would just be for a quick stop and say "Hi" unless you happen to live by where we will camp(or have something fun to do in your area for the kids).  I've already emailed Sarah(Makin Projiks) and we will be visiting with her, so I would love to add you to the list.  Think of the fun blog posts we could make!

We are busy readying the camper, making last minute sewing projects, cleaning the house( for the couple we have house sitting, someone has to water the plants and take care of the kitties), and figuring out how we are going to do this long journey. We are excited, but I have to admit I'm a bit nervous...that is a lot of time in the car.

I hope to hear from you!

Tiff

Family Pictures

Since all my babies are home, I decided we needed family pictures.  We headed to the park at the top of our street and had my oldest daughter's boyfriend take some photos for us.

 I'm loving the "tintype" option on befunky.com  :)

 It's incredibly hard to get everyone to look and smile at the camera at the same time.

 
All the kiddos...

All my men....

Us girls...

Me and my love...

Later this afternoon hubby and I went on a date. We stopped at a local state park on the Saco River.  We decided to see what the water was like. It was perfect and hubby was wishing we had our swimsuits on.  I kept telling him to be careful because the rocks were slippery and he kept "almost falling".   Guess what?! About 5 minutes after this picture was taken, I FELL in  the water up to my waist!  Scraped my foot and hurt two fingers too.  Not a fun ride home soaking wet on the back of a motorcycle.  But all is fine. We went home, I changed, and then we headed out again for dinner. A memory to add to our list :)

Have a beautiful day,

Tiff