Red, White and Blue Outfit and A Lake Retreat

 Styling and Retreating!

Hey there, everyone!  It's Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and the official start of Summer. So, what better time is there to share some red, white and blue style with you along with a beautiful lake retreat I attended recently? 

I wore this outfit to a Memorial Day service held at the local Veteran's Village here in Asheville. It was a meaningful service and The Mr. was invited to play "Taps" on his trumpet. My heart was remembering those who have served and who have given their all in the military. I was also remembering family members who have served in the military over many years dating back to World War I, World War II, Vietnam and more.

 The newest addition to this red, white and blue outfit is the white blouse covered in strawberries that I discovered recently at Hamrick's, a local clothing store. This is one of those pieces of clothing that just "calls" to you when you see it. I saw this blouse and instantly thought of warm, sunny, summer days and the sweetness of summer strawberries! And it pairs so beautifully with blue jeans and a sweater. I know that I will get lots of wear from this blouse. I don't own a lot of clothing that is specifically "themed" for a particular season so it was kind of fun to add this strawberry piece to my wardrobe.

And speaking of "fun" I went on a fun retreat last weekend with several other women to beautiful Lake Junaluska, NC. 

This group of women has been gathering together and going on annual retreats together for 19 years! We offer Christian support, prayer and sisterhood to one another and these women are precious to me. This is the house at Lake Junaluska that we stayed at this past weekend. What a lovely house and such a peaceful setting, as well. 

This covered front porch with the swing, might have been my favorite spot of the weekend! I enjoyed morning tea on the swing while soaking in the views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. I find swinging to be therapeutic and relaxing. Maybe I need to put a bug in The Mr.'s ear about setting up a front porch swing at our house?! 

It was just a short walk to the lake from the house and I enjoyed passing by some beautiful flower gardens like this one along the way. 

And I was really excited to see some old fashioned "Sweet Pea" flowers that I remember from my childhood. My Mom had planted Sweet Peas in our front yard and they grew all around and over a large rock on the hillside. When I was little I loved to pick these flowers and take them to my Mom as a "gift." Not sure I was supposed to pick her flowers but she always seemed happy when I brought them to her, lol! She had this special little clear glass vase, probably four inches tall, that had pretty purple flowers painted on the front that she would place the Sweet Peas in with some water and then would set the vase in the kitchen window. I always thought that the vase filled with the Sweet Peas made the kitchen window look so pretty! Isn't it interesting the memories from childhood that stay with us? And how simply walking by some gardens can bring these memories flooding back? Such sweet memories. My Mom has been in my thoughts frequently recently. If you missed the Mother's Day tribute to her you can catch up by clicking on the link. At any rate, the weekend retreat was a special time of spiritual growth, prayer and deep reflection. I'm so grateful to these women who journey through life with me!

Above you see our SOS group standing on the front porch of our retreat house and standing/sitting at the foot of the cross at Lake Junaluska. Such a precious group!

So tell me....have you been doing any styling or retreating lately? Hope you will share about your life in the comments. Take care and have a good Memorial Day Weekend!

Until Next Time,

Debbie, This and That

Preaching at Pleasant Gap UMC

Lake Junaluska and Bailey Mountain Preserve in Mars Hill

 Enjoying Some Local Sight-Seeing

Hi friends! The Mr. and I have been doing some local sight-seeing recently so I thought I would share some of the beautiful scenery we have enjoyed on these day trips. We had occasion on Tuesday to visit some friends in the Lake Junaluska area and stopped by the lake to walk and enjoy the Fall colors. 

Lake Junaluska is a Methodist Retreat Conference Center with many lovely and unique homes situated around the lake and in the area. It has a beautiful walking trail around the lake that is enjoyed by many. 

I always enjoy coming here whether it is to attend our Annual Conference or simply to visit and walk around the lake. The views with the Fall colors and the mountains in the distance are just stunning!

Later this week, we drove to Mars Hill, NC to scope out a trail at Bailey Mountain Preserve. This is a relatively new hiking/walking trail that is located close to Mars Hill University. 

The preserve is located on the old Smith farm and features several old barns which were either located on the property or were dismantled and then rebuilt on this property. 

The trail begins by meandering through a meadow and then into the woods. The first half of the trail through the woods is a footpath that is covered with soft mulch. It's a steady uphill, but not steep, and offers places to sit along the way. The trail eventually turns a bit more rugged. We didn't hike the whole trail but I enjoyed what we did hike.

This tree was huge and located where the trail leaves the meadow and enters the woods. I loved the swing and we made sure to take advantage of swinging for a few minutes as we hiked!

It was an enjoyable time spent walking at Bailey Mountain Preserve and I look forward to going back and hiking more of the trail. Next time, I will be sure to wear my trail shoes and have my hiking stick with me!

We enjoy sight-seeing locally and these two trips were particularly enjoyable for me. 

I also enjoyed a time of retreat last weekend at Hinton Rural Life Center near Hayesville, NC. This retreat center is located next to Lake Chatuge which straddles the NC/Georgia border and is a beautiful spot to rest and spiritually rejuvenate. Since some of the ladies on the retreat requested that their faces not appear on Facebook, which I use to share my blog, I won't show pictures of them. But here are a few pics not showing faces.

 

That's all for now. Life has been busy lately! 

And November is almost here!

Blessings and Peace until next time!

Debbie (this and that)

🍂

Long Time, No See!!

 Let's Catch Up!

artellliii72/pixabay.com

Oh my goodness, friends, the summer is moving right along! And I have been very remiss in checking in here on the blog with new posts. So, let me rectify that right now and let's do some catching up, okay?

I've been kind of busy lately doing some traveling. I drove myself all the way to West Virginia to see my family there and to attend my great niece's baby "sprinkle." I think a sprinkle is a baby shower for the second baby in today's lingo. You can see me standing here next to my very pregnant great niece, Emily, who is expecting her second little boy in late July! I was so happy to be able to attend her Sprinkle. The theme for the Sprinkle was, "Here Comes The Son." Get it?! It took me a minute to get it. I'm a slow learner, Lol! Emily, her husband, and their four year old all wore clothing printed with "Here Comes The Son" on them.

I also got to spend some fun pool time with Emily's four year old, my great-great nephew, Lincoln. My great-nephew, Grant, was there, also, and entertained Lincoln by diving for the plastic rings that Lincoln would throw into the pool.

I enjoyed a very delicious breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my sister, Sharon, her husband, Larry, and my niece, Janna. It was so good to spend time with them. I saw as many family members as possible during my travels. Understandably, it was impossible to see everyone due to work and school schedules. I also spent time with my sister, Barbara. (not pictured)

I left West Virginia and drove on up to Pittsburgh, PA to see my family there. This is my sister, Joyce, with her grand-dog, Dixie. 

Dixie is such a little cutie! She loves playing with her blue ball that is kept at "grandma's house" just for her.

Joyce and I enjoyed visiting and lunching out together.

We stopped by my nephew Tim's house and visited with his wife, Jennifer, and my great-nephew, Derek. Also, they have three adorable dogs that greeted us at the door. 

I think Derek looks so much like his late grandfather in this picture!

Look at this cute doggie!  Again, I couldn't see all of my Pittsburgh area family due to work and travel schedules but it was wonderful to see those I could. 

We also visited the golf club where my nephew, Matt, manages the kitchen. 

It was fun to look out the restaurant window at the 18th hole and enjoy some good food!

And, of course, while I was in WV I had to eat at Mary B's, a local restaurant that serves delicious homestyle cooking and rolls that, as my husband always says, have their own atmosphere! Yes, the rolls are that big!

I was so glad to see my family and very proud of myself for doing all the driving on my own. The Pittsburgh traffic was a bit daunting but I managed my way through it all! It's always good to come home, though. The Mr. held down the fort here at home with all of our fur family while I traveled. Now, I'm home and have done loads of laundry and tried to rest up from my travels. 

I'm sorry to have been away from the blog for so long. I have a few ideas for posts that I will be sharing with all of you in the coming weeks. I hope each of you dear readers are having a good summer. Be sure to share what's been going on in your life in the comments. You know I enjoy hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie

Visit in West Virginia

 Take Me Home Country Roads

Hello everyone! I've been away for a short trip to West Virginia and thought I would share a bit about my trip. The main reason for my trip was to attend a memorial service for my sister who passed away one year ago. The memorial service was given by the Hospice group who cared for her during her final illness and it was a lovely service for all of the Hospice patients who had passed this last year. Above, you see the flowers that were placed next to her picture and candle and then presented to the family. I'm so glad I went as it was a very healing service for me. 

The Mr. and I were able to connect with some of our family and friends while in West Virginia. Above, you can see a beautiful rose that was blooming, among many roses, at a park in Huntington, WV where we visited with our niece, Aubrey, and her family. Aubrey gave us a tour of Huntington and showed us her beautiful home while we were there. 

We also stopped by to visit longtime friends, Rex and Natalie, and I asked their permission to photograph some of their lovely Fall decor both inside and outside their home. Their front porch was so welcoming when we arrived!

Natalie described to me how she had watched the glass pumpkins being handblown. Such wonderful keepsakes!

More beautiful glass pumpkins here and notice the pretty cut glass dishes, as well. Great tablescape accents!

I like the sign above the antique piano which, if I am recalling correctly, is well over 120 years old!

Fall and pumpkins certainly do bring happiness! 

So many things to be thankful for! 

This trip to WV felt especially good to me and I am glad I was able to make the trip. The drive up was especially beautiful with the spectacular Fall colors on the trees! I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying a wonderful Fall as well. Let me know in the comments what you have done to enjoy the Autumn season, okay? I so enjoy hearing from you!

Until Next Time,

Debbie