Merry Christmas 2011

Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas. Remember Jesus is the reason for the season.

Hot Tub in the Mountains or Hot Tub in the Tropics.

Hot Tubs, can't live without them now. I couldn't wait to go the mountains to relax in the hot tub at the cabin.  It is so relaxing sitting in hot water while the jets pulsate your joints. Along with that comes a view of the Smoky Mountains. It becomes so peaceful and tranquil. So then I bought a hot tub in Miami with a built in marine radio and mini waterfall. I relax to jazz music with the palm trees swaying in the background. So tropical.  Could you call this the best of both worlds?

Country Society vs City Society

Do you think there is a difference of how people are treated if they live in a big city or in the country?  Living in Miami everyone expects so much of you and you have to compete with everyone. Living in the Smokies no one cares if you are rich, middle class or poor. Everyone is treated like they want to be treated regardless of their social status. I love the people of the Smokies. They are very down to earth. All you have to say is thank you.

Photos of the South

Check out my new photos on my blog of the South.

Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge

I recommend that you should visit the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, TN.  It's truly an experience and a tragic story.  You are greeted by First Class Maids and Officers who give you a passenger boarding ticket.  You are taken back to the year of 1912.  You can actually walk the Grand staircase and  feel the temperature of the freezing water (28F) when it sank.  The ship is full of artifacts and memorabilia from 1912. The Titantic is especially beautiful to see in the winter. The Museum puts on a snow show every Friday night with the 3 Kings on camels passing through.  Fun for all. Well worth the money and the gift shiop is great. 

Busy with City Clutter

Sorry guys I've been away so long, but had to do major spring cleaning and declutter my home.  That's why I prefer Cabin life. It's just so simple.

Home Buyer Beware

Another question for y'all.  In the country, people build and buy homes without surveys. In Miami, they add rooms without permits.  Where in the world do you think they do things by the book? Buyer beware no matter where you go, make sure you do your homework. Surveys, home inspections and etc's. And get to know a good real estate agent in town.  One who is available to answer and guide you with thousands of questions. 

Palm Trees vs Mountains?

I'm trying to figure out which view I would prefer?  Looking out my City bedroom window, I see coconut and palm trees. Looking out from the cabin bedroom window, I see hills and mountains.  Which one would you prefer? Can't make up my mind......

Where is Pigeon Forge?

Pigeon Forge is in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains located in Tennessee.  It was named after Isaac Love who built an iron forge  in the early 1800's.  The Cherokee Indians used Pigeon Forge as a hunting ground. Pigeon Forge was incorporated in 1961 and has a population of  approximately 5,900.  In the last ten years, Pigeon Forge has become a vacation hub for visitors all over the world. In some ways, Pigeon Forge is compared to Orlando, Florida.  There are so many attractions to see and so many dinner/shows to go to, it would take you a full two months to see everything on a daily basis.  People sure here are friendly and show off their Southern hospitality.  Great place to visit and rent a cabin overlooking Mt. Le Conte and Bluff Mountain.. Pigeon Forge is only five minutes from the Smoky Mountains, fifty minutes to Knoxville, one hour to Cherokee and two hours to Ashveille. Come on down.

RE/MAX Summit Real Estate in Pigeon Forge/Cheryl Hawkins Team

Looking for real estate in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville?  Look no further than Cheryl Hawkins and her team at Re/Max Summit in Pigeon Forge.  The Hawkins team are like personal real estate shoppers. They specialize in your needs and they are great listeners. They find the right deals for you and go above and beyond what is expected of an real estate company. And if you live out of state, they handle everything for you with their personal touch. No need to ever worry, they are very detailed in their work. They handle everything from residential, commercial, vacation homes, investments and much more.

You can find Cheryl and her team at 2732 Florence Drive in Pigeon Forge. Their phone number is (865) 908-6000. You can tell them that Lydia recommended  you.

Mayfield Milk & Ice Cream

The best milk and ice cream I've ever tasted in the United States was in Tennessee made by Mayfield Dairy Farms. The milk is so smooth, and the ice cream is so tasty. You'll just want more over and over again. Their headquarters are in Athens, Tn, and they give tours. I recommend everyone who loves dairy products to come here.

City Backyard Animals vs Country Backyard Animals

I'm trying to find out which creatures I prefer in my backyard, maybe you can help me?  

In My City Backyard- I have possums, squirrels, egrets, cats, garden snakes, lizards,  iguanas,

 birds, rats, frogs and crabs.

In My Country Backyard I have raccoons, squirrels, cats, mountain snakes, rats,
 birds, bears and hedgehogs.

Which would you prefer?

Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg

I was fascinated with the Stars Cars Museum in Gatlinburg. The museum has a large collection of cars that were used in films and owned by famous celebrities. You can see Michael Jackson's Mercedes, Dolly Parton's Cadillac, cars from the Fast & Furious movie and the yellow Bubblebee  from Transformers. I sat in Mike Tyson, former Boxing champions Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster. Cool car. My son got to sit Herbies Love Bug and my daughter in the Flinstones vehicle.  There's even wax statues of actors throughout the two story museum. Worth the money. I had a great time. It's located in the center of Gatlinburg. 10 minute drive from Pigeon Forge. 

Aquarium of the Smokies (Ripley's)

A visit to Gatlinburg is not complete without a visit to Ripley's 45 million dollar Aquarium of the Smokies.  The Aquarium has a 1.3 million gallon artifical sea water to showcase sea life from every ocean. Visitors stand on a moving sidewalk while the fish swim above in a acrylic tunnel.  Lots of sharks await the aquariums visitors. There are so many things to do here including a discovery center for kids, coral reefs, rainforest and a stingray bay.  You can spend a minimum of 3 to 6 hours at the aquarium and they are handicap accessible.  Great place to spend the afternoon. There is a parking garage next door or you can take a trolley that will take you straight to the aquarium.

Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a great stopping place while driving through the mountains.  One of the highest points measuring 5,046 feet. There is plenty of parking found here. In the parking lot you can put one foot on the North Carolina border and the other on the Tennessee border. As you take a walk around the parking lot you can enjoy beautiful scenic views of the Mountains. There are also a few trails which you may choose to walk around. Climb on top of the Rockerfeller Memorial.  This is the place where President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the park on Spetember 2, 1940. 

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Gatlinburg was once called the land of paradise in the early 1800's.  Later changed to White Oaks Flats. Then in 1856, White Oaks Flats was named Gatlinburg after Radford Gatlin who opened the town's second general store with a post office in it. He was a controversial figure that eventually was run out of town after folks found out he was a Democrat in a Republican area.  Gatlinburg has over 12 million visitors a year, mostly Europeans because its similarity to European mountain towns.  There is so much to do here.  You just never have enough time to see it all.  There are so many family attractions including musuems of every kind. Ripley's has a moving theater, Believe It of Not Museum, a mirror maze, and the biggest Aquarium of the Smokies. A must for all. There is also a Sky Tower, a Ski Lift and Aerial Tramway that takes you to Oder Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park. Gatlinburg also leads the way to the entrance of the Smoky Mountains.  Gatlinburg sidewalks are very crowded with tourists.  If you're staying in Pigeon Forge, take a taxi into Gatlinburg.  Parking spaces are hard to find. And you'll enjoy the ride through the Smoky Mountains looking around for wildlife near the Little Pigeon River.

Irish Coffee for Cold nights

One of my favorite Coffee drinks is an Irish Coffee. It's great for St. Patrick's Day also. It's very easy to make and keeps you warm on cold nights. Might even keep you awake all night, so start early.
Ingredients:
Dark Coffee(flavored is always better)
Brown Sugar
Can of Whipped Cream
Jamiesons Whiskey/Irish Whiskey
Creme de mente(green)
Green cherries
While you are preparing your coffee. Take a glass or coffee mug. Pour in a shot of Irish Whiskey. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar. Mix. Then fill up your glass/mug with coffee 3/4 of the way. Mix again. Finish filling up the glass with whipped cream. Pour a drop of creme de menthe on top of the whipped cream. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Slowly add a green cherry so that it does not sink down to the bottom. Place a straw in the glass and you ready to get warmed up immediately.  

Grandma's favorite nighttime snack

While grandma was sitting on the cabin deck gazing at the stars, she came up with a great night time snack.Bananas and strawberry preserves.  It's so simple, that your children will be able to do it on their own at anytime of the day. All you do is peel the banana and slice eight round pieces.  Place them on a plate. Take a mini spoon and drop a small amount of strawberry preserve in the center of the banana slice and their snack is ready. The kids will love it and they'll get their potassium too. How simple is that?  Calories=200

Sherwood Forest in Pigeon Forge

We rented a 2 story luxury cabin in a gated community called Sherwood Forest in Pigeon Forge. All I could say was "WOW" when we entered the cabin. It was beautiful and immaculate inside. The cabin was named  Audacious.  I wondered why I had never thought about renting a cabin before on my travels.  We had a view of Mt. LeConte from our deck.  We had a bedside Jacuzzi tub, hot tub on the deck, 2 fireplaces, fully equiped kitchen, pool table, wide screen tvs, kids games and a dartboard.  We loved it so much, we extended our stay for 2 extra days.  Sherwood Forest was so peaceful and serene. The sunset was breathtaking. We even had a little visitor each night. A mountain raccoon. You know you should not feed the raccoons, because they will came back for more and they could carry diseases. The animal was hungry, so we put leftover vegetables on the deck for her and closed the doors shut. We enjoyed watching the raccoon eating the vegetables from the inside of our cabin every night.  Wildlife is beautiful. We'll definately come back to this place.

Should I stay, or Should I go?

I decided to take a vacation and drive to Kentucky for a week to see how the southerners live.  I fell in love with Kentucky almost immediately.  Lots of green pastures, horses and great Southern food. A real put together state. Enjoyed Churchill Downs,  the KentuckyPark & Museum and Caves.  A little different from city life.  On the way back home, I was making good time on the road and decided to take a side trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  I had always heard about Gatlinburg and wanted to visit one day.  On the way to Gatlinburg, I drove through a little country town called Pigeon Forge. I said to myself, "wow," what an exciting town. Looks like they have a lot to offer. Lots of amusements parks, dinner shows, stampedes, etc. But I kept driving to Gatlinburg to see the Aquarium of the Smokies. Gatlinburg was what I imagined. A cute little mountain town that reminded me of a small village in Germany. But when I came home, I couldn't stop thinking about Pigeon Forge. I really wanted to go there again. It wasn't until two years later that I decided to rent a cabin for the first time.  Something different than a hotel.  A place to relax and regroup after the passing of my father. 

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

What a beautiful day it is. I woke up surrounded by sweet smelling roses outside my cabin.  Dreams of chocolate hearts and bears swirled around in my head all day. Remember this Valentine's Day to love yourself. If you love yourself, you will love others. And they will receive the greatest gift of all. Your heart. A heart bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things. Happy Valentine's Day.

Stuffed Avocado with Tuna

Today's lunch is a stuffed avocado with tuna for two.  A simple, delicious and rich dish for lunch.  You'll need the following ingredients:
Large Avocado
Can of Tuna
2 Tablespoons of Mayonaise
1/2 lemon
Black olives or a radish
Salt

Look for Florida avocados. They are much larger than the California avocado and richer in taste. Are you ready to prepare this with me?  Open a can of spring tuna. Drain the water from the can. Put the tuna in a small bowl and add two tablespoons of mayonaise. Mix until tuna is creamy. Next cut the avocado in half. Clean out any brown spots to make the center clean. Then add the tuna mix inside the avocado, making sure the center is full.  Clean up any tuna that might have slipped from the center and pile on top. Then take half of a lemon and squeeze the juice on top of the tuna. If you like you can sprinkle a dash of salt around the tuna. You can top of the tuna with a slice of radish or several black olives. Serve on a peach shaped bowl or a round dish plate with a teaspoon. 
*Save the seed and plant it in your backyard. You'll have an avocado tree sprouting in a few months and a large tree in a few years. Approximately 300 calories for half of an avocado.

Little Pigeon River

The Little Pigeon River is a beautiful river inside the Smoky Mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee. Many log cabins are built around the river.  The river provides fishing, swimming and kayaking.

Log Cabins

The earliest American housing that we can trace back to were log cabins in 1840.  As a matter of fact, the 1840 Presidential election campagin established log cabins as a symbol of pride. But before that in 1638, the Swedes and Finns brought log buildilng traits with them. And the Scots, Irish and Germans started their own version of log cabins in the eraly 1700's.  Now more than ever, people are purchasing log cabins as a secondary home in the countryside.  A getaway place to call their own.  A place with privacy, surrounded with mountains and wildlife. A secondary home where they can leave behind the clutter and live the simple life for the weekend.  Staying in a log cabin is very different from a city home. Truly a big change. A different world. A retreat. Some say they are closer to God. Others enjoy the wildlife and nature. Have you ever stayed in a log cabin?  I am sure you've had the same thoughts.  Although the upkeep on cabins are a little expensive, it's still worth the money for enjoying what they have to offer. Definately a place to relax and write a blog.

Moving to the Country

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in the foothills of the mountains?  Follow me daily and I'll guide you to a great time in the country.  You'll meet exciting people with southern hospitality.  I will teach you to cook country and educate you with country etiquette. I'll soar you through the Smoky Mountains and decorate your cabin.  Are you ready to move?