The happy travelers have collected their mini cowboys and returned to the home front. We had a great time in the Smokies, and from all reports, the boys had just as great a time at Granna's.
THE CABIN
The cabin was something right out of a fairytale storybook. It was just oozing with charm, and the pictures simply do not do it justice.
The front porch would have been so very inviting had it not been 29 degrees...
We found the fireplace to be much more inviting...actually it was a necessity is what it was. We would have literally died without it.
The mirror is on hinges that swing open to reveal the TV cleverly hidden in the wall.
I loved the way it was decorated in blue and soft yellow.
The bedroom was complete with fireplace, jacuzzi, and more charming decor...
The kitchen was just as cute as the rest of the cottage.
We were so pleased with our cottage, had privacy, a great view, had an old fashioned Victorian flair and yet was loaded with modern luxuries, too. THE FOOD
What's a good vacation without good food? That's my favorite part of a vacation. We nearly ate ourselves silly. This is at the Applewood Farmhouse. It was kinda neat to sit in porch swings while we ate our home cooked meal.
And the apple fritters were to die for!
The Italian Chocolate Toffee Cake from none other than Johnny Carino's. MMmmmm....
Then there were ribs from Calhouns, steak from Texas Roadhouse, doughnuts from Krispy Kreme......THE BILTMORE
This is a handsome pack mule I picked up to carry my bags.
The Biltmore was breathtaking. Or maybe that was the frigid below freezing air. It was all decorated for Christmas with fantastic trees and mantle dressings. But if I had tried to take pics inside, I'm afraid Barney Fife would have wasted no time giving me a citation...
THE SHOPPING
The smokies are chock full of wonderful places to shop. If only we'd had more time...and money...
The vacation was a much needed time of relaxation.....except for all of the arguments. Oh, no. The arguments weren't between me and Dave. All of the arguments went on between Dave and the TomTom.
Before we could go anywhere, he had to ask ole Tom what was the best way to get there, and then sit in the parking lot and argue with it until it agreed with the way he wanted to go in the first place. Sometimes I wonder about modern technology...
Before we could go anywhere, he had to ask ole Tom what was the best way to get there, and then sit in the parking lot and argue with it until it agreed with the way he wanted to go in the first place. Sometimes I wonder about modern technology...Now we're back to reality. The day after we got home Carson brought me back into the whole Mommy thing with a bang. He picked styrofoam berries off my centerpiece and promptly stuffed them up his microscopic nostrils. It was kinda wild for a little while but let's just say it's all OK now and the nostrils seem to be clear and functioning properly.
Guess the dreamy vacation's OVER...
2006
I love it because it is SO not real. It's just a mere dream of mine. The boys look so blissfully content to be snuggled up together. So calm...so peaceful...so cozy...So far from the truth. And the blue eyes. Man, I love those eyes! But why live in some fantasy world? This is just so NOT their personalities. (sniff, sniff...excuse me while I grab a 
It won by a landslide. I must admit that B is much more in line with their true character. These guys live life out loud. Personality just oozes out of them...well, especially the little one. So you all have helped me to settle an inner battle. I'll use "B" for the Christmas cards because it really does capture the "real" boys... and I'll hang a large matted "A" on the wall just to look at when they're having their wild and hilarious "B" moments. And really, "B" was my next choice anyway. 
The bribery did it's little trick, and they cooperated like little angels. But I'm finding out I wasn't as smart as I thought I was. I'm still cleaning up little tiny slivers of paper. These guys literally made confetti out of a pack of printer paper. 
