Sunshine Petals

Home Sweet Home

So much for my plans to blog while on vacation.  It was so nice to get away and visit with family. We left FL and went to Augusta, GA for 2 days. Then a day in Harrisonburg, VA. Next we were off to PA. On our way home we spent a day in Charleston, SC. I just wish I had taken more photos.

We got back home on Tuesday evening and I think I've been doing laundry every since! Seems like just 2 people wore a lot of clothes. But now I am caught up on that and I spent today sewing. Now I need to catch up on the quilt alongs that I'm doing.  

I've started putting the rows together in the 9 Patch A Day and it's looking good. Here's a sneak peek at the rows.

Vacation Time

I'm posting this from Virginia.  We are traveling to Pennsylvania to visit family. The last 2 days were spent in Augusta, GA. It's nice to get away for awhile but I'm missing out on doing the binding on my quilt for the Quilt Along. Wish I could have brought along my machine! Oh, well, I'll catch up when we get back.

Earlier I talked to our son and he put the phone on speaker so I could talk to my furry son, Gregory. He said Gregory was sniffing the phone. I guess he was trying to figure out how his mommy got into the phone! He's such a spoiled baby that I hated to leave him. I'm talking about the cat not the son. lol Gregory is more like a dog than a cat with the way he follows me around the house. My son said the first day we were gone Greg kept walking around the house calling me.

I'm not sure when I'll post again. Hopefully I will get to check email every day or so.

Catching up

I didn't realize it had been almost 2 weeks since I've posted here. Guess I've been busier than I thought. Between doing things around the house, I've also been doing some crafting projects. I'm really enjoying making ATC's and am in a couple of swaps on Swap-bot for them. Will try to add my latest ones to my Flickr later today or tomorrow.

We went out for an early breakfast this morning and it was good. I don't enjoy going to restaurants like I used to being my gastric bypass. Usually when we do go, I end up with enough leftovers for a couple more meals for me. About the only things I really like are pork loin, chili, meatballs and cheese enchiladas without the tortilla. Turkey and chicken are on my list of foods that do not agree with me. Too dry I guess and get stuck in my pouch and hurts. Then I get the foamies. I loved salmon and tuna before but now they just seem so fishy the smell turns my stomach. It's amazing how my tastes have changed.

My weight is now down 81 lbs. since my surgery! I'm getting there and it's been great. I feel so much better and healthier. My 4 month post op photos are on my Flickr if you care to see the difference. Last week I bought nice clothes for a dinner and was so delighted to fit into 14 petite pants!! I was wearing 18 and 20 womens pre op. What a difference!Thank God for Dr. Michel Murr and this surgery!

Last weekend, hubby had a state bowling meeting to go to at the Belleview Biltmore Resort in Clearwater so I went along. I'm always ready to stay at a hotel! lol Oh, that hotel is so beautiful. It was built in 1896. On Saturday, there was a dinner and it included a mystery dinner theatre. It was fun but made for a very long evening. I've still got to edit photos from the weekend. Dinner was the most delicious Pork Loin that I think I have even eaten. I just wish we had had a refrigerator in our room so I could have saved the leftovers. Way too much food for my little pouch to eat!

Well, I've rambled on enough. I want to go get some plants for the yard. Here in Florida we plant again in the fall because the summer annuals have had it from the heat. Won't go so long between posts this time! Hope anyone reading this has a relaxing Sunday!

Road Trip - Part II

I really need to get caught up before I forget what all we did on vacation! lol

Of course, we acted like tourists and visited the battlefield at Gettysburg two days. Took lots of photos of monuments and did lots of walking. Since I do genealogy I was interested in visiting the Pennsylvania monument. Our relatives were from the same county as Gettysburg. I had hoped to see their names on the monument but it was only for those who fought at Gettysburg during those 3 days, not anyone who fought anyway. Seems like my relatives were fighting in Virginia at that time and therefore no names of my relatives are on the monument. Still it was nice to visit it.

We did lots of shopping in Gettysburg. So many shops to go into. We just kept walking until we were shopped out. Had lunch at a good restaurant across from the Jennie Wade house. On Saturday, there was a farmers market in the circle downtown and we went to that. I got some Pennsylvania cinnamon honey, a homemade whoppie pie to bring home to our son and Mom got some fresh greens.

One day we went to the Jennie Wade house. I have always wanted to go there and just never had gotten there. She was the only civilian killed during the 3 days at Gettysburg. Jennie was only 20 years old and was in the house baking bread for the soldiers when a bullet came through two doors to kill her immediately. I'm a believer in ghosts and spirits and really hoped to get something on film while touring the house but didn't. I bought 2 books about Jennie Wade but haven't gotten to read them yet. I just feel some kind of connection to her since it's such a sad story. Hubby even took me to the cemetery so I could visit her grave. If I ever get the photos edited, I will have a photo of the grave on my flickr. Next time we visit PA I hope to get to visit Jennie's birthplace.

I can't go to Gettysburg without visiting the Boyd's Bear Country! I love that place. 4 floors of Boyd's stuff in a huge barn. Mom and Dad had never been there before and it's always so amazing the first time you see it. I came away with 3 bears and a Santa for Christmas. Santa even lights up and I didn't know it until I got it home. So cute! I like to buy bears there so I can get the ones that are exclusive to that store.

Whenever I go out of town I always like to visit craft or fabric shops. This time I only was able to get to A.C.Moore, a craft store that we don't have close to me. The closest one is in Orlando. Oh, my, I had a blast shopping there! Wish we had one closer! I was so surprised when I went into Walmart and saw that they still had their fabric department! The two stores near me have done away with the fabrics which is so disappointing. They had some great deals and I bought many a yard of homespun there for dressing my primitive dolls.

One day we drove down to Maryland so I could visit the grave of my grandparents. After 5 years, it still feels funny to not have them around. Their house was always my first stop when I got off the plane. I miss them so.

Another afternoon my nephew came up and we went to visit another cemetery where a lot of my ancestors are buried. It's a small cemetery surrounded by trees and so very peaceful.

The visit went by so quick but we did get to do quite a bit and the time spent just being with family was the best part!

Travel Memories - Part 1

Our week in Pennsylvania went by much too fast! It was good to see and spend time with family. I only wish we lived closer.

The first evening we went on a Ghost Trolley tour in Gettysburg. It was fun but I reallllly wanted to capture some ghosts on film. But they must have been hiding that evening. Still it was fun.

On Sunday, we went to Hickory Bridge Farm restaurant. The food was delicious and the atmosphere beautiful! When I get all the pictures in my Flickr I will post. The restaurant is in an old barn and is decorated with antiques. I loved it! The food is all served family style. That day the entrees were oven fried chicken, crab imperial and roast beef.

Since having my gastric bypass surgery I cannot eat more than a 1/2 cup of food at a meal and depending on what it is, sometimes not even that much. My pouch (stomach) is the size of an egg now. Because of this I had previously emailed the restaurant since their website says "Special provisions can be made for those guests with restricted diets". I explained how much I could eat. The person who emailed me back was very nice and said they would charge me half the meal price which was $22.75. She even told me to let her know if they needed to adjust the sauces or seasonings on the vegetables which I did not ask them to do.

When we sat down to the table and the waitress took our drink order I explained my situation since I can't drink anything with my meals. I also told her I had emailed and was told I'd get 1/2 price on my dinner. Well, she came back and said they only offer 10% off. I said I should have brought the email with me because I was told half price. So next time she came back she said the manager said I could have 1/2 off but they don't do that anymore. The email I had received was 7/16 and this was 8/12! I saw kids at the next table eating more than I did!

As we were leaving, we talked to the manager. I really didn't want her thinking that I made up the email to get a discounted dinner. Was she friendly? Not really. Was she understanding? Not really. She went on about how they can't accommodate everyone. There are people will peanut allergies, wheat allergies etc. I said that I realized that and I didn't request any special foods prepared even though the email stated that I could! Maybe they need to rethink the wording on their website about "Special provisions can be made for those guests with restricted diets". Or maybe I should say that they need to remove it.

So would I make reservations to eat there next time we go back to PA? Not really!

Road Trip to Pennsylvania

Hubby and I left on 8/10/07 to go to Pennsylvania to visit family. This is the first day's post that I typed up. I was actually without the internet except for the last night on the way home. Talk about withdrawal!! lol

We began our vacation at 5:30 this morning. Whenever we came to a different state, I took a photo of the sign in front of the welcome stations. When I get to post them, you'll see that some states really need to update and refresh the look of the signs. We picked up maps of each state.

It's been a long day of driving although I did get out at least once per state so I could walk. Don't need any DVT's in my legs. The weather has been nice. No rain like we drove through last week going up to Tallahassee. Dinner was very good at Cracker Barrel. It was the first chicken I had eaten since my gastric bypass in June. I ordered the grilled chicken on the kids menu and really enjoyed it. It was nice and moist and went down well. Also had a couple of baby carrots which were so sweet I was concerned that they had sugar in them.

We drove all the way through to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Our room is very nice. Would have liked to get in the pool but we are both too tired from the long day. I tried to log onto the interenet but for some reason it doesn't work. :( I was upset over that! I use wireless on the laptop at home so don't know why it wouldn't work.So I will journal and post them when I can. Going to try Panera Bread this week and see if I can get a connection there.