Sticks & Stones

I slightly flabbergasted as I look to my previous post and realize that it has been two weeks since I last posted. Goodness! It has been quite a two weeks though, and I'll do my best to catch up.

As most of you know, Josh & I live in the Copperhill area. We drive Hwy 64 everyday to and from work, and if you've kept a close eye on the news, we've had a disruption to our regular route.

http://www.wdef.com/bonus_video_rock_slide_in_polk_county_caught_on_tape

Since the rock slide, we have been detouring & displaced. A lot of our time has been spent living in Cleveland. But, on the few nights (such as last night) that we do go home, we end up with an hour and forty-five minute drive versus our usual 45 minutes. We usually go around to Tellico, and we tried a different route through Ellijay last night. Overall, the rock slide is a big pain, but we are very grateful that no one was hurt, and also that we have family to stay with to help ease the driving. Me, Josh & our cats (who have been fawning all over us since we've been home) will be especially happy when the road *hopefully* reopens mid-January.

Admittedly, boulders, stones, & trees blocking a passageway are a pain. But, they shallow in comparison to what Josh has been experiencing this past week. Josh has his first kidney stone. He's been in agony since Tuesday, and thankfully the doctor has given him some STRONG medicine to help him deal with it. He had an ultrasound on Thursday that showed it almost to the bladder, so we're praying that it will pass soon! Please pray for him. Not only does he want it out so he can be pain-free without medicine, but we also leave for Disney on Thanksgiving night, which means he'll need to have it out before then.

So, I haven't blogged much between extra travel, packing, & caring for Josh. On top of that, I've had some extracurricular things going on.

Adore Creations is officially up & running, and I've been making earrings. I posted a few of them below, but overall I have about 40-50 pair already for sale. If you're interested in buying anything you see, or you need me to make a custom pair, contact me through adorecreations@gmail.com Cost currently varies from $4 - $10. I'll be doing a giveaway on here sometime in the next month too, so please leave me feedback on colors & styles that you might like to see in a giveaway! I realize not everyone wears earrings, so eventually I might aim for selling bracelets or necklaces. Don't look for those anytime soon though. lol.

On top of the busyness of everything else we do, we are hosting both our families at the house for Thanksgiving. I'm excited about this, but I realized that with our crazy schedule over the next months (including a week at Disney right after Thanksgiving), and our lack of being home in general, that we had to get the house decorated for Christmas & cleaned up STAT!

So....

Mistletoe.
Our tree.

A Christmas village.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (movie) figurines

Decorations new & old

Snowmen sitting above the fireplace which holds the Christmas village.

A friendly Christmas mouse peering from the doorknow of the pantry.

An advent calendar from childhood.

Our carolers, Ne'Qwa ornaments, & WillowTree figurines (aka "the faceless beasts", according to Josh).

A closeup of Ne'Qwa, safely tucked away high on a shelf since they are not only precious gifts from family, but also expensive due to the way they are handpainted.

The reason for the season! Our nativity, proudly displayed. Also, a quilt given to us by Pattie B. for a wedding gift.

Part of our tradition, watching Christmas movies. I'm sure you know who this is!

Lastly, a few ornaments, to commemorate our honemoon last year. This Sunday, the 22nd, marks our 1st anniversary. I'm looking forward to being back at Disney World soon!

And in case you didn't know...Happy Birthday to me!

I'm 26 years old today, and I have enjoyed being home for my birthday. I told Josh that my best gift to receive this year would be for him to pass that stone that is plaguing him!

Make sure to check back on my blog later tonight, when I'll be posting night pictures of the Christmas lights outside, the tree, & the village! Josh did a great job of decorating the outside of the house whil I worked on the inside this year. He is also my hero who puts the tree together & fluffs it every year before I decorate it with ornaments.

Now, it's off to do some Disney packing & homework!