Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Memory Jar


The busy season is winding down here in the beautiful Blue Ridge High Country of North Carolina. With a full behind me it’s time to shape up, catch up, savor and get ready for the next year.
My crafty/nostalgic side gets to come out during winter. I finally had time to implement an awesome idea that I found on recently…the memory jar.
You make a jar of memories and milestones for each year (this one is small since it’s almost 2012) and then sit down and read them as a family on new years.
What a wonderful way to remember and start fresh! When you grow up you realize that traditions don’t make themselves, you have to shape what you remember and carry on.


highcountryweddings@gmail.com

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

Building a High Country Clubhouse out of Pallets

As if in the NC Mountains wasn’t enough, My husband decided to use some extras and make a little club house for our 2 year old (and himself).
Took about 10 dollars some donated pallets from the nice folks at Village Hardware in Blowing Rock and 2 hours of labor to complete but the hours of entertainment and extra porch space are priceless!
We don’t have much of a yard so making un-usable space useable is a great idea (of which I can take no credit for…or the execution for that matter)



Trillium - Found a patch of these down by the club house too for an added bonus!!!
highcountryweddings@gmail.com

Monday, February 21, 2011

How to get rid of skunk smell in your home and on your pets…

Living in the Boone/Blowing Rock area of the North Carolina Mountains you’repepe-le-pew exposed to an abundance of wildlife but…it was a first for us when Floyd the dog ran into the house excitedly proceeding to rub his burnt rubber, onion, garlic stir fry smelling snout all over our carpet. It was 10 at night so our reaction time was on the slow side but even though the dog was only inside a mere 20 seconds…lets just say things got real.
As I sit here right now 3 days later and probably 70% stench free. Counting my blessings that it’s warm enough to air out the house a little, I’m hopeful for a full recovery within the week.
There is a lot of great advice for this very problem if you google it so I won’t bore you with lame details but here’s a crash course on what worked for us.
-Windows open, candles, any smelly good stuff in general, coffee grinds sitting out, dryer sheets in every drawer, cabinets etc. pepe_le_pew
-Take anything you can that you think might possibly smell outside on the porch for a few days.
-Baking soda and oxy clean sprinkled on the carpet (left for 30 minutes) and then vacuuming.
Steam Cleaning too but we haven’t done that yet.
-Wipe down all surfaces in and out. Dish soap is a good solvent since the skunk scent is oil based.
-Shower a lot so people don’t run from you.
-Run on the treadmill next to a really big guy so that everyone that walks by thinks it’s him that smells (it gets into your pores).
The Dog
No scent (you find it in the hunting section of Walmart) works wonders and they make detergent, soap, shampoo, conditioner and spray. Coat your life in it.
-I’ve heard tomato juice for a bath but we saw a Myth Buster’s episode where they debunked that so what we started with was a baking soda, peroxide, dish soap bath. Don’t get that on his face though, you’ll have to find something more mild that won’t hurt his eyes.
-Wipe his face area with a dryer sheet a few times a day too.
-Thinking about giving him a hair cut.
-Also someone mentioned a Coca-Cola bath so I have that to try tomorrow.
Hope this helps if you ever find yourself in the situation!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Rough Ridge Trail - A good one for the kiddies...











Rough Ridge Trail is has a really great hike to view ratio. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the big vista and it's a big one folks. It goes way up from where these pictures were taken and connects to the Tanawha trail as well. The round trip is 2 miles but you don't have to do all of it to get a big pay off!
You can access the trail right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's before the Linn Cove Viaduct if you're traveling from Blowing Rock to Linville. Great family hike... if my 2 year old can hike it, anyone can!!!





Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Making the best of a rough winter in Blowing Rock…


This winter in the NC High Country was not as bad as last the year before but 2010/2011 came in a close second.
Items Needed for Survival:
A sense of humor!!!
Chains for tires and the ability to put them on
Non-Electric Heat
Snow pants and waterproof gloves
Yak Trax
Booze
Internet at the house so that you don’t feel so isolated
Gym Membership
Camera
Ray’s Weather
Sled
A Hobby
4WD
020_mom007_800f

Snowed In! 005_800fCIMG0443_500

Igloos and Snowmen 011Igloos and Snowmen 016

Winterfest 2011 026_500fWinterfest 2011 002
highcountryweddings@gmail.com