Category: family and friends

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Contest was a huge success

Well the Gingerbread house contest was a huge success I must say.  Celeste got a ribbon for best newcomer.  How about that?  I’m so proud of her.  The competition was about the toughest I have seen it.  There was even a merry-go-round with reindeer on it.  In fact, it won because the detail was absolutely amazing.  Everything was edible on it and it was just absolutely wonderful.

The crowd that passed through here was surprising.  I got several reservations for New Years and in fact, we’re booked up for New Years.  What really surprised me was how many people we have for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We don’t usually have any ‘guests’ then but we actually have 3 couples.  They’re each getting married on the 22nd and 23rd of December.

Sure surprised me but it’ll be nice to have all that new love in here for Christmas.  Well as long as one of them doesn’t turn out the way one of my honeymoon couples did.  It was last June and they got into a fist fight right in the dining room.  I must admit it was her that threw the first 5 punches.  He sat there patiently and tried not to hit her but he finally slapped her silly.  I had to call the police.  She came back about 5 hours later and got her stuff.  Thank goodness they were paid in full.  I have often wondered if they split then or made it work.

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Hey, wanna see my place?

I realized that all I do is talk about my Bed and Breakfast and haven’t shown you what it looks like.  Well I had to do a lot of work to get it turned into what I wanted but I loved every single minute.  I have already told you about the different rooms that I rent so there’s no need to repeat myself.

This picture was taken when we got an early snow before I got the Christmas decorations put up but I still think it’s a pretty picture of my place.  My new barn and animals are off to the right.  My garden is off to the left.  You can see the gazebo on the back of the wrap around porch.  Now you can see why there are deer, and other animals that come around the house.  Anyway, here it is.

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Decorating for Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I always get the Christmas spirit before I even get up from the Thanksgiving dinner table.  We put an artificial tree in every room of the house except for the bathrooms and the kitchen of course.  We do decorate a live tree in the gazebo part of the front porch.  It’s where the wind and blowing snow don’t usually get to it because of the other out buildings around it.

We keep plenty of firewood since there’s a fireplace in every bedroom and if there’s not a fireplace, I have installed a wood burning stove so everyone can have a fire to cuddle up beside to watch the snow fall outside.  The trees in the bedrooms are decorated to match the room.

There’s an antique room with only old type ornaments from the period of the furniture.  Then there’s the woodsman room that has a deer head over the mantle and the furnishing is a rustic type.  That tree is decorated with ornaments that reflect the outdoors or animals.  Then there’s the romantic ‘honeymoon’ type room.  All the ornaments are pastel colors to match the room with lots of lace and flowers.  It’s so very beautiful.  The other rooms trees are decorated like those too, to match the room.

The tree that is in the main sitting room is decorated with hand made decorations from either locals and from the many children that have gone through here at Christmas time.  It’s my favorite tree.  This year that tree is especially special to me since my sweet Little Joe has made some ornaments with me to put on the tree.  It’s going to be a wonderful Christmas season.  Now it’s time to go shopping for the gifts!!!!

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Here’s wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving

This is going to be one of the best Thanksgivings we have ever celebrated here.  With Celeste and Little Joe now new members of our family, we have a great deal to be thankful for.  They have brought so much joy into our lives the we are truly blessed.

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes.  I find a new blessing every single day and more than one in most.  We are open for business and have a full house but we also adopt a few local families for Thanksgiving Dinner too.  We’re having turkey of course, deer roast, and all the extras that everyone has.  Desert is of course pumpkin pie, coconut cake, carrot cake, and banana pudding.

I hope and pray that each of you has a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving too.

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Here comes the snow!!

It’s already starting to get cold enough for the ski slopes to make snow and we have gotten natural snow for three days in a row now.  The natural snow hasn’t added up to many inches but the temperature is low enough that what fell has stayed.

Thanks to the snow, we are booked solid this weekend.  People love it when it snows and the mountains is where they want to be.  Once the ski slopes are all up and running, I tend to be one more busy lady.  Oh I’m not complaining at all because this summer has been a bit skimpy to say the least.  Now that gas prices are coming down, people are venturing out a little more but still not like before.

If we have a winter that is just close to usual, then the year won’t end in the red.  If not, somethings gotta give before long.  Luckily I have several hunters that donate deer to us during hunting season so that really helps with the food costs.  People look forward to my deer roast and deer stew every winter.  I just hope it’s enough to pull them back in this winter.

One good thing, I do have a couple reservations for the week of Christmas already.  I was afraid my usual Christmas patrons wouldn’t show this year but they’ll be here as they have for the past 4 years.  They’re more like family now than just people that come here to stay.   That’s what I have tried to build here, a family atmosphere and I must not have done too bad of a job.

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Michael Vick and Pit Bulls

Now there’s a name that invokes a gamut of emotions.  When he was the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, he was both admired and idolized by people everywhere.  When he was found guilty of dog fighting, he was despised by more.  What a shame that a young man with such promise would succumb to such a savage thing as dog fighting.

My brother raises Pit Bull Dogs.  He is one of the top breeders around.  He once told someone that was offering to pay him $1,500 for a puppy that let something about ‘fighting’ slip out that he would rather take that puppy out back and put a bullet in his head than sell him to someone that was going to fight him.  The man left angrily with $1,500 cash in his hand spouting some rather unpleasant words as he left.  About 2 hours later, someone else came with cash for the same puppy.  My brother sold him to that person and was afraid that all the gentleman did was give the money to someone else to buy the puppy for him.  Because of things like that, he’s getting out of breeding.

These are not vicious dogs unless made to the that way.  Bubba, his pet and best buddy, will more likely lick you to death than ever hurt anyone.  China, she will bite if you provoke her but a child can take food out of her mouth and she’ll let them.  China even nursed Shih-Tzu puppies while the Shih-Tzu mother was sick.  That’s a real mean dog huh?  Now my mothers Pit, Sheba, she will tear you apart if you get too close to my Mother and she doesn’t now you.  That’s what her job is, to protect my 70 year old mother and she does a great job of it.

Just don’t blame the breed for things like what Michael Vick did.  Not all Pit Bulls are mean.  Some are more like lick dogs and lap dogs.  It’s all in the breeding and the way they are raised.  They deserve respect as a breed, not fear necessarily.  Even Michael Vick’s dogs are now gentle from what I understand.

Oh, this is Bubba.  He’s a blue Pit that weighs in at about 75 pounds.  Ain’t he cute!!!!

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Celeste is free from her father

Since Celeste is 17 years old, she does not have to return to her parents as long as someone, me in other words, is appointed her legal guardian until she turned 18.  Well I gladly accepted that responsibility.  Since I have taken a restraining order out against her father, he can no longer come within 50 feet of my home and establishment.  Celeste also took one out and now he can’t come within 50 feet of her anywhere she goes.

It’s a shame that such a beautiful and bright young woman should have to make such hard decisions about her own father but Celeste knows that she in turn must protect herself and her son.  The law is on her side in all of this mess.  Her hopes and dreams to be her own person, go to college and support herself and her son are what keep her going.

Life is hard at times and tough decisions are all a part of growing up.  A 17 year old shouldn’t have to make such hard decisions but she has and has done it without malice or hatred in her heart.  She will go far in life with her gentle and loving heart.  I only can hope and pray she doesn’t develop a hard heart because of all of this.  I honestly don’t think she will because we will surround her with love and respect here.  I am so very proud of her.

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Throwing a Halloween bash

We’re having a Halloween bash!!  The place is all decorated in spooky stuff, have a hay ride through a spook trail, bobbing for apples, and a best costume contest to boot.  It all starts at dark and the whole community is invited.  Well most of it anyway.

I’m Scarlet O’Hara of course, Grace is a clown, Celeste is Snow White and Little Joe is one of the seven dwarfs, Happy!!  He’s always smiling so Happy fits him perfect.  All the adults have to bring a big bag of candy to help with the candy we give out to the kids that come by Trick-or-Treating and other than that, the party is free.

Hey, if you’re in the mountains of North Carolina, stop by and see us.  I promise you’ll have a blast.  Don’t forget to come in a costume!!!

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Now I understand

It all became too clear this weekend why Celeste took Little Joe and left home.  Her father found out where she was, got drunk and came beating on my door last night.  I could smell the liquor on his breath as soon as I opened the door.  He demanded to see his daughter and I told him that he was not welcome here and to leave.  That didn’t go over very well.

This crazy man shoved me out of the way and started up the stairs yelling for Celeste to come down right that minute.  Celeste locked herself in her room with Little Joe and Grace, my faithful friend and help around the house called 911 as soon as she heard what was going on.  By the time the deputy sheriff got there, he was trying to break down Celeste’s door and I had my shot gun on him asking him to stop or I would shoot.

They got him cuffed and as they were taking him out of the house, he yelled to Celeste that she was not taking HIS grandson from him.  He then called her every kind of low person you can imagine for having a baby as young as she was and not married.  She was not only abused physically by her father but he was also abusing her emotionally.  My heart stopped when it hit me.  I went to the sheriff’s department and took a restraining order against him so he can’t come back.

Now to help Celeste and Little Joe never have to go back to that crazy man again.  After a lot of tears and some talking, I told Celeste that I would take her to a lawyer and get custody of both her and Little Joe if that’s what she wanted so she would not have to go back there again.  So we have an appointment with my lawyer today to see what we have to do to protect them.

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It’s been 10 days

Well it’s been 10 days since Celeste and Little Joe showed up on my porch and knocked on my door.  I can honestly say that they have been nothing but pure pleasure around here.  Celeste works her rear off when she’s scheduled to work.  She goes to school every day and studies hard when she gets home.  She is a great mother to Little Joe.  She’s just an all around good kid.

I have to admit that Little Joe has stolen my heart.  That child has brought so much joy into this house that I didn’t realize was missing until the two of them moved in.  I never got the chance to be a mother and now I have found myself mothering Celeste and Little Joe.  He calls me “NaNa April.”  My heart just melts when he says it because he says April so cute.  I never knew what I was missing until now.