Melted Snowman Cookies

I'm really happy with how these turned out. They are Melted Snowman Cookies. I first saw them posted last year on Stacy's Sweet Shop blog and bookmarked it so I would remember to try making them this year.

I admit, I cheated a bit. I used Sugar Cookie mix instead of making my cookies from scratch.

I made the royal icing just as she suggested:

3 Tbsp. Wilton meringue powder (which can be found at craft stores like Michael's)
1 Lb. sifted confectioner's sugar
6 Tbsp. water

Just mix (a lot) until you get the icing to form peaks when you lift the beaters.

Just before it got to the "peak" stage, I went ahead and iced the cookies, while the icing was still a little thinner. Just put some in the middle of the cookie with a spoon and use the back of the spoon to spread over the cookie - letting some run over the sides a bit.

At this point, the icing can continued to be whipped until the peaks form, separated into smaller bowls and then add icing colors (such as blue, red and green) - make sure you keep the bowls covered with a damp towel to keep the icing from hardening before you can use it.

I didn't use the colored icing however (will explain that later).

Then you make the heads - put 4 or 5 large marshmallows in the microwave for just a few seconds (10) - they will start to puff - you MUST watch them - as soon as they begin to puff, remove them, butter your fingers a bit and put the marshmallow on the edge of the cookie and then smoosh it down.

Now you can use the colored icing to decorate with - if you don't have decorator bags and tips, just put in a sealed ziplock bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner and make the decorations for the eyes, mouth, buttons, etc.

I decided once again to take a shortcut on that and used decorating pens instead. They are markers made with food coloring instead of ink. Just make sure the icing is thoroughly dry and has hardened before using these.


They were the hit of the party and really pretty easy to make (especially with the shortcuts I used). Give them a try - they are fun!!

Happy Birthday Donny Osmond !!

Today Donny Osmond turns 53! I have been a fan of his since he was only 12 !!

He is performing a Christmas show on Broadway tonight - Happy 53rd Birthday Donny!

Glee Moment - Baby It's Cold Outside

I've always loved this song. It is a duet and of course normally sang by a male and female. I know my last post was also a Glee Moment but hey, what can I say, it is cold outside so this seems like a good video to post - their voices just go so well together!

Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee !

I've always been a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow - when she was in Duet's and recorded "Cruisin'" with Huey Lewis, I said then that I wish she would sing more.

She was on Glee and sang several times... I love this !!

Georgia "I Voted" Stickers

I voted today - did you ?

PS: Aren't the Georgia "I voted" stickers, the best ones in the whole country?

Halloween Card

I am very happy with the way this card came out. I can't wait to give it to my sister, who love Charlie Brown as much as I do.

All the card stock is Bazzil (my fave card stock and thanks to finding 100 pk on clearance at Micheal's a few weeks ago - I have lots of it)

I used and "old-fashioned" technique called paper piecing (with the invention of home die cutting machines, hardly anyone does paper piecing anymore).

But...since Cricut doesn't make a Peanut's cartridge (which I have been suggesting for years), I had to paper piece this one. I used a coloring book that I found in the Dollar Spot at Target for the pattern.

The inside says "Happy Halloween - I hope your Halloween is Rock-Free"

Isn't it cute?


Here is the detail of Lucy and Pig Pen


Detail of Schroeder and Charlie Brown

Steve Perry at San Francisco Giants World Series Game

This makes my heart go pitter-patter. I love that Steve Perry is still rooting for his city by the bay !!

Giants fans sing Journey during World Series Game 2 @ Yahoo! Video

And he is still believing !!

Cards

I made a couple of cards recently. I made this one yesterday and took it to my friend Amanda. She just had a double mastectomy and will be starting chemo soon. The inside of the card says "Hang In There" I made it using the Country Life cartridge (which my sister-in-law talked me into to getting 'cause it was on sale at JoAnne's) - glad she did because I really like this cartridge a lot.


The other card is one I made for my sis a few weeks ago - no special reason - just wanted to let her know I was thinking about her and thought it might brighten her week a little. I used the Create-A-Critter cartridge for this on. I didn't realize it until I was done but it kind of looks like the Fruit Stripe Gum Zebra.

Preview of Glee's Time Warp

I love the Rocky Horror Picture Show - I've seen it well over 100 times - I stopped counting after 100. I was thrilled when I heard Glee was going to do a RHPS episode. It will air 10/26

Here is a sneak peek

'Glee' Does The 'Time Warp' @ Yahoo! Video

Happy 70th Birthday John Lennon !!

Here is a message from John Lennon's beloved wife, Yoko Ono - in honor of October 9, 2010 - which would have been John's 70th birthday. We miss you John - we miss your music and your message.

Oatmeal Scotchies - Ready to Bake !!

I have been saying for YEARS - why don't they make Oatmeal Scotchies cookie dough (I mean they have just about everything else, right?).

Finally someone heard my plea - now I have to find them - they are limited edition. This is one of my favorite cookies.

If you spot them in the ATL - let me know !

September 11, 2001 - Never Forget !

This was the most terrifying and saddest day of my whole life. There were direct victims:

New York City - World Trade Center. . . .2,606
American Flight 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
United Flight 175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Arlington - Pentagon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
American Flight 77. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Shanksville - United Flight 93. . . . . . . . . . . 40
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,977

There were indirect victims:

America - Population . . . . . . . . . . . 300 million

We were all victims in one way or another.

Dancing in the Movies

For your viewing pleasure:

Cuttlebug - Sweet Cuttlebug

Dear Cuttlebug,

Why did I resist you for so long? I kept thinking to myself, what is the point of getting a cuttlebug when I had a Cricut? It is just something to take up more space, right? I knew the Cuttlebug cut and embossed but I had the best die cutter already. I don't plan on using it as a cutter at all. I kept seeing all the embossing though on other people's projects and thought how much it added to the finished look.

So...about 2 weeks ago I ordered one from HSN. I chose this one for 2 reasons. (1) I loved the color and cute butterfly design. (2) It came with a lot of embossing folders - all the ones that I wanted (and them some)!

So of course, the day it came, I tested it out and tried a few embossing on some scrap paper. Cool, I thought and then set it aside because I didn't have time to fully spend to make a project using it.

Well....I've been thinking of my friend Amanda quite a bit lately and haven't really talked to her in a while. Scott's sermon this week was about friendship and one of his challenges was to reconnect with a friend by calling, meeting or SENDING A CARD. Of course my mind then started to wander a bit thinking - hmmm, what could I make to send to Amanda? I wanted to use my new and cool Cuttlebug and also use my new i-Rock. This is what I came up with.


I thought it came out pretty darned cute if I do say so myself. Plus, a little bonus - I also got to use my Martha Stewart Scoreboard (which I haven't had time to use in a project before now) - I used it to make the envelope.

I cut a piece of 12 x 12 white cardstock in half (so I had a 6 x 12) - I folded that in half and used my handy-dandy Marta Stewart bone folder to sharpen the crease. Then I cut 3 x 3 squares from 3 different colors of scrap paper (I always save my scraps and use them a lot for cards). I punched the corners with a corner rounder punch (just some generic named punch I bought years ago at MJ Designs (gosh I miss that place). I cut out the purple "hi" using the Nursery Rhymes cartridge.

I ran all the 3 x 3 squares through the Cuttlebug (using different embossing folders) and adhered them to the card using my Glue Glider (see previous post). Then I used a zig glue pen to add the "hi" to the card and I used the i-Rock to add the gem that dots the "i". I just wrote a little personal note on the inside. I then made my envelope following the guide on the MS Scoreboard. All papers are DCWV textured cardstock.

I was pretty pleased with the end results - so much so that I think I will make a similar one to send to another friend of mine.

Dawn Wells - Brilliant !!

I was looking on you-tube for a specific music video and for some reason, this little gem was one of the results from the search. The video has almost 11 millions views - 11 million !! So I had to see what was so interesting.

All I can say is that Dawn Wells is brilliant and I can't wait to try this technique !

Pink Adhesive Products

I don't really know why, but scrap bookers (me included) seem to love our products to be pink. Many of them (but not me included this time) will even buy the same product they already have if it is available in pink. For example, I remember reading when the pink expression came out, some scrap bookers had to get one (even though they already had a plain regular expression). Honestly I do not get that mentality. If you have one that already works just fine, why get another one just because of the color (or the exclusive cartridge the pink one comes with). But then again, I am still using the same little original "baby bug" that I got 5 years ago. I haven't even upgraded to the Create or Expression. Also, I don't have the Gypsy, Design Studio (DS), Sure-Cuts-A-Lot(SCAL) or Makes-The-Cut (MTC) either.

While I would not trade in my original cricut for the expression while my original machine is still working, I can at least understand why someone would buy an Expression when they already have the smaller bug. The Expression has quit a few more features and cuts larger images. While my machine fits my needs just fine, I can see the appeal of the Expression and why someone would upgrade.

I don't understand though why someone would buy a pink Expression, when they already have a regular Expression though.

Another case in point is that recently, Adhesive Tape Guns (ATG) now has a pink version (which interestingly enough has a new name - Adhesive Tape Glider.

I have read that several already have a yellow ATG and/or a red ATG but are searching high and low now to get the pink one. Apparently there is a difference between the yellow and red (the width and length of the tape) but the red and pink both use the same size tape and are identical in every way except the color.Now...I also love pink products (as I admitted earlier), which is what led me a few years ago to purchase the Glue Glider Pro (GGP). I bought it before I ever heard of the ATG. Now after reading lots of reviews, I can understand why the ATG is desired of the GGP. However, I LOVE my GGP - love it!! If it ever breaks, I would replace it with another GGP.

One thing that I am finding kind of humorous is that it seems everyone wants the pink ATG and are looking everywhere for them. But the GGP has always been pink (probably one reason I was initially drawn to it besides being drawn to the red ATG that was available at the time I purchased my GGP)
Here are some comparisons:

Glue Glider Pro (GGP)

• Color: Pink (has always been as far as I know)
• Approx Cost: $13 (Amazon)
• Approx. Refill Cost: $8 (0.12/ft)
• Size of Tape: 1/4" x 65'
• Weight: 5 ounces
• Dimensions: 6 3/4" x 5 5/8" x 1 1/8
• Other: No trigger; easy load (just pop in the cartridge and go), easy storage (flip cartridge around to protect tape from being exposed)

Adhesive Tape Glider (aka: Adhesive Tape Gun 714) (ATG)

• Color: Red (and now also Pink)
• Cost:$55 (Amazon (although did see the pink one at Michael's for $35)
• Refill Cost:$8 (.07/ft)
• Size of Tape: 1/4" x 108'
• Weight: 13 1/2 ounces
• Dimensions: 9 1/2" x 9" x 1 3/4"
• Other: Trigger must be pressed to activate; learning curve to load tape; tape is exposed

As you can see the ATG refills are longer and cheaper than the GGP but the GGP is half the weight and smaller. It is super easy to change the tape out with the GGP, just pop out a cartridge, pop in a new one (not as environmentally friendly as ATG though). Plus if you want re-positional tape on one project, perm. tape on another, again just switch out the cartridges (with one ATG, you would have to unload then reload, not quit as easy if you only have one)

Another reason I was initially drawn to the GGP was I could get it at Hobby Lobby and use coupons for the GGP (which I did) and for the refills (which I do) and until just recently when the pink ATG was introduced, you could not get them at a local craft store and could not use coupons (but now they are available at Michael's - if you can find them in stock) so at least you can use the coupons.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages, for me (and Ellen Hutson), the GGP is best. For others they swear by the ATG. I think it is great there are so many wonderful (and pink) products that suit all of our needs.

Happy Birthday Thatcher

I know you are celebrating your birthday in Heaven today - I miss you very much. Happy Birthday sweetie. I love you.

Donny & Marie - The Umbrella Song

I always loved this song - love, love, love it. My wonderful mother - God Bless her! I played this album over and over and over - I'm a sure she got sick to death of it and I would play this song, pick up the needle, replay it no telling how many times and she just let me do it and didn't say a word. She know how much I loved (and still love) the Osmonds.

Look how BEAUTIFUL Marie is in this clip from the Donny & Marie show - really beautiful! Poor Donny, forced to wear that bow tie almost as big as his head. I think my Donny doll has that same outfit.

I always loved when he walked out of that big "D" - It was just a reminder that his first name and mine started with the same initial. That way so when we got married, our initials would be the same - D.O. Well, the marriage didn't happen but I still love him anyway and still love this song.

Dolphin Bubbles !

Last week, I went to the Georgia Aquarium - one of my favorite places on earth! My favorite spot there is watching the Beluga Whales. Last week, one of them was just playing and playing. He had a piece of green fabric and he would swim under it, push it up - go back, push it up with his nose, swish it on his tail - it was so cute and I loved the fact that he was playing - he was happy - even sea creatures sometimes play like children to entertain themselves. (I wish I had thought to switch to video mode that day and record some of it) - you can watch them on the live web cam HERE

Anyway - just to show that sea creatures love to play too - check out this SeaWorld video of dolphins creating and playing with bubbles and circles - so cute.

Interplanet Janet - She's a Galaxy Girl !

I love Schoolhouse Rocks! Heck, the only reason I can totally recite the entire preamble of the constitution is because of Schoolhouse Rocks. Interplanet Janet is probably my favorite one though - just love the song!

Homemade Hamburger Helper

One of the nice "peas" over at Two Peas In A Bucket (yes we are known as "peas"), informed us about this great website...Chickens in the Road.com

She said she found some great Homemade Hamburger Helper recipes there. I've made my own versions of Hamburger Helper too (my Tex-Mex Shells & Cheese was similar) but these look so much "authentic" or closer to real Hamburger Helper. I might have to give a few of the a try. Especially the Chili Mac.

100 Happy Blog Posts

100 Blog Posts to Make You Happier - CLICK HERE

Wild Horses - Indigo Girls & Michelle Malone

I have seen the Indigo Girls, Michelle Malone and various other local artists (Dede Vogt and Kevin Lawson to name a few) perform Wild Horses together a few times and it gives me chills every time. Love it - - so thought I would share this performance I found on You Tube

Happy Independence Day

Watch the fireworks and enjoy Tinkerbell's Night Time Flight - she has been doing this for 25 years !!

Chili Dog Casserole

I was thinking about what I was going to make for dinner tonight and decided to look at AllRecipes.com to see what the daily recipes were for today. Lo and behold I recognized one of my photos - it was for the Crab and Shrimp Delight - which I have blogged about before.

That made me go and explore my recipe box stored there, where I was reminded of the Chili Dog Casserole.

Now granted, not the healthiest thing you can eat - in fact I think I just gained 3 lbs reading the name of it. But I've made it a few times when I had guest and they all loved it (or at least said they did). I personally prefer to make it with Hormel Hot and Spicy Chili with Beans but have made it using more mild and w/o beans (because that is how I thought my guest would prefer it).

I haven't made it in a little while but it is good - will have to make again soon.

Chili Dog Casserole

2 (15 oz) cans chili with beans (I like Hormel Hot & Spicy)
1 (16 oz) package beef frankfurters (I prefer Ball Park)
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas (the fajita sized ones)
1 (8 oz) package Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Spread 1 can of chili and beans in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Roll up franks inside tortillas and place in baking dish, seam side down, on top of chili and beans. Top with remaining can of chili and beans, and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cute Christian Kids

We are starting a new sermon series at church this week on Psalm 23 so I went looking for this first video, which I first saw about 3 years ago at Women of Faith. While looking for it, I accidentally stumbled upon the 2nd video - they are both so adorable - very precious in HIS sight!

Japanese Visitors

Well, I call them Japanese visitors, they've lived in Japan for over 5 years. I am so happy that my beautiful niece and her wonderful hubby came over to the states for a visit. Neither of which are Japanese natives - she is from the USA (raised in Minnesota), he is from Matamata, New Zealand ( also home to Hobbiton - Yes, I can officially call my nephew a Hobbit)

I only had 1 full day with them and loved every minute of it. We took them on a tour of downtown and stopped at Centennial Olympic Park.We walked around there a bit, then decided to go to The World of Coke. I hadn't been to the new one since it moved next to the Georgia Aquarium in 2007 (gosh, has it been there that long?!). So I was glad to be able to go to it too. I am glad we got there early because when we left there was a HUGE line to get in, we didn't wait at all (aren't they cute?!)
They really seemed to have a good time
It was almost 2 pm by the time we finished there so we decided to take them to the local brewery - Gordon Biersch (which is also one of our fave places). They enjoyed the beer sampler
and I loved the fact that she takes after me in the fact that she takes pictures of their food.

We then road around town a bit more and ran into a Caribbean Music Festival and then headed to Little Five Points - we first went to Junkman's Daughter - Candace loved this place when she was younger so thought she might want to go there - well some things never change. She still loved it and ended up buying 2 new pairs of AWESOME shoes and a cute dress!

My sister-in-law made dinner reservations for us a The Commons, so after shopping, we headed back to Stone Mountain. We had a fabulous dinner and found out what Airline Chicken was (never heard of it before). After dinner, we headed to the Laser Show. I knew it would be packed since it was the opening summer weekend PLUS since it was Memorial Day weekend. But we found a great spot up near the top of the hill, sat back and enjoyed it. I loved that they had a Georgia Music Hall of Fame segment now (since Georgia Music is very near and dear to my heart and I used to do the accounting for the GMHoF)What a full day. We had breakfast this morning before they headed down to Florida to see mom and dad. I wish we had a couple of more days but I'm so grateful for getting to spend time with them. I miss them both and wish they would move to the US - seeing them every 2 years or so is just not enough.

Glee - Bad Romance

Have I said before that I love Glee? I'm sure I have.
I was looking for their version of Bad Romance on You Tube (which of course isn't out there - it is so hard to find videos from Glee - Fox is highly protective of them.

Anyway, I found this instead - it was made a few month's ago before the Lady Gaga episode appeared - maybe the creator of this video will change the music to the Glee Cast.

Graduation Card

One of my oldest friends, who've I've known for 25 years and who I tremendously respect, has a daughter graduating this week. I can't believe it! It doesn't seem like that long ago that his son was born and then 15 months later along came this beautiful girl. His children really are beautiful kids, inside and out - but they have great parents so it only makes sense that their kids turned out so well.

Anyway, I wanted to make her a card for graduation and decided to make one with Hello Kitty, but it just didn't feel right - so I pulled out my Cricut handbooks and started browsing. I really wanted to use my newest cartridge - Create a Critter, which is probably the best one they've come out yet for making cards - I could use this cartridge for days!

I found the cutest little owl and branch in there and thought it looked kind of scholarly so I made this card with it. All paper is Die Cuts with a View (DCWV) card stock.

I thought it needed some pattern paper in the background but it just looked too busy so I left it just plain - I'm happy with it and I am sure she will be too.

National Scrapbook Day

Today is National Scrapbook Day. Unless you are a scrapper, you probably are not aware of this wonderful day. I actually spent the day scrappin' ! Most the time I am out of town on this weekend so was glad to be here and actually have the time to participate in NSD.

Although I don't want to have extra competitors, I must share the love with my fellow scrappers and let you know about a FANASTIC give-away at Everyday Cricut - they are giving away a Cricut Expression. Wow !!!

Good luck to all who enter (including me!)

Savannah Retreat - Final Day

We were very sad to be heading back to the real world, we had a great time. Teresa managed to get us an invite to Sapelo Island due to her mother's connections through the UGA Marine Institute (note: it is VERY special to get onto this private island - not many people are allowed to do this and you must have special permission to do so).

We woke before the crack of dawn because we had to be at the ferry dock at 8:30 sharp and we wanted to be there by 8:00 since we had no idea where we were going. It was about an hour and 15 minutes further south from Savannah. We made the boat with plenty of time to spare.

Now of course once you get to the other side of the island, the Marine Institute said they would provide us with a car to ride around in. Now, we were not expecting anything spectacular but...we were not expecting a very rusted, very moldy, very scary car. It ran okay though and that is what mattered. We dubbed him "Jimmy" - well he already had that name technically so we just let it stick with him.

Thank goodness Teresa drove - I don't think I could have handled those roads - she did a great job - I was quite impressed by her driving skills actually. Only a tiny bit of the island is paved, the rest of it looks like this:

We first went to the Chocolate Plantation (which is derived from a French name - they didn't grow cocoa beans or make chocolate there or anything).

We also saw the Hogs Hammock community (which I kept calling Hogsmeade ala Harry Potter). It is a community owned by the Gullah people. We then saw the Reynolds Plantation (I think it made Teresa a bit sad to see that it had not be well maintained since she was last there as a child and also that we could not get into it)

We were running short on time - I wanted to make the noon ferry and it was already 11:30. Luckily our gracious UGA Marine Institute Program Director, Gracie, drove us to the lighthouse and to the ferry dock in record time. As we stepped onto the boat, they closed the chain right behind us...whew!

I would have like to have stayed on the island a couple of hours longer at least but if we didn't make the noon ferry then we couldn't leave until 4:30 and I didn't want to leave going home that late, we'd have to still eat lunch/dinner (there is no where to eat on the island) and we wouldn't get home until after midnight if we stayed that long. Hopefully one day, we can go again and spend a little more time there. We had 3 hours but wanted a little more.

All and all.... a great weekend retreat - we had a wonderful time and shared a lot of laughs. I wonder what we will do next year on Confederate Memorial Day?

Savannah Retreat - Day 3

We were very disappointed when we woke up to a steady rain. We thought about taking a trolley tour but thought better of it. Instead we decided to ride out to Tybee Island.

We went by K-Mart so I could get an umbrella (since I didn't bring any) and I bought a scratch-off lottery ticket and won $150 !! Whoo hoo !! Yeah me !!

Along the way to Tybee, I asked if she had read "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" and she had and asked if she had ever been to Bonaventure Cemetary (often mentioned in the book) and she never had - so since it was on the way, we decided to stop by.

Now, I love cemetaries, love walking around them and the older they are, the better. So of course I love Bonaventure. I'm glad she wanted to stop too. I have 2 must stop places. The first is usually to see Gracie.

Gracie was an adorable and much loved little girl, who contracted pnemonia and died suddenly in 1890. A sculptor made this statue of her from a photo and apparently it is an exact image of little Gracie.

I always leave Gracie a penny when I visit her. When I went to leave it, I could see that I was apparently not the only one who leaves them for her.

The other one I must visit is the one below. I don't know why I love her so. I think it is just her simple elegance - she looks so serene and peaceful yet strong and protective.

We spent quite a bit of time at Bonaventure - there is just so much to see

After getting stopping by to give Johnny Mercer a bit of a hello and getting soaking wet, we found our way out and headed to Ft. Pulaski, which was our next stop along the way to Tybee Island.

By the time we got to Ft. Pulaski, the rain had stopped (thank goodness). It was extremly windy. I had never been to Ft. Pulaski before - it was so peaceful and calm out there. We stayed several hours. Also, it was pretty cool that it was National Park Week (all National Parks were free so we didn't even have to pay to get in)

It makes me sad to think that for many years, this place was overgrown by weeds. Thank goodness it was rescued from that and people can now see it. It was not a very active fort except right near the beginning of the civil war when the Confederacy tried to secure it before the North could inhibit it. After a 2 day long battle, the Confderates surrendered. There was just too much damage to the fort - you can still see cannonball holes in it and they say you can see a cannonball lodged in one place (but I never found it). I had an odd feeling I had been there before - perhaps I had, as a child and just forgot. Something just seemed so familiar about it even though I don't recall ever going there before.

Just before leaving, we found the Cockspur Island lighthouse.

After spending several hours at Ft. Pulaski, we headed to Tybee, we didn't have a lot of time there because we were going to meet my friend's dad for dinner soon. We did have time to see the lighthouse and swing by my former bosses home (she has since moved though) and just drive around a bit.

We then went to Uncle Bubba's Oyster House for a very, very late lunch/early dinner - it was about 5 pm and we hadn't eaten since breakfast around 8 am so we were getting kind of hungry by now. We sat outside and were surprised most folks wanted to sit inside. Until the wind about blew us away and then we realized why they sat inside. We still enjoyed sitting out by the water though. I had a nice crab cake dinner with "Savannah" red rice (which I think they made up for the tourist because I've never heard of such a thing) and some cheese grits. We also shared this awesome crab/shrimp dip appetizer.

Teresa's dad then met up with us there and we left our car park there while he gave us the tour of Wilmington Island (where he lives) - there are some HUGE houses there. He showed us where Michael and Paula were living when they met (apparently they still live in Michael's house) and he showed us the new house that Paula and Michael are building/have built - it was unreal - beautiful and I'm happy for her - for someone to come from humble beginnings and now be able to have this kind of money. He showed us his favorite hangouts and then we stopped to visit with his cousin and his wife and their mirage of pets - they had a yorkie that sat in my lap the whole time we were there - I loved it!

It was getting late and we knew her dad had a long work day and we wanted to get back and look up some info on Sapelo Island before we left so we headed back - after researching, we decided to go ahead with our plans to see Sapelo Island (although it was 1 1/2 hours away - the wrong way from where we needed to be headed back home) - I said as long as we could make the noon ferry back, then I'd go. She agreed and we soon drifted off in to sandman land after a very busy but enjoyable day.

Savannah Retreat - Day 2

We had a free breakfast at the Country Inn and Suites and headed out in the rainy morning to Forsyth Park, where the Sidewalk Chalk Arts Festival was happening. I was afraid it wouldn't be going on since it was raining but it was mostly a hard drizzle and it eventually stopped. Here are a few photos.

(You see a lot of SCAD students' backsides)

We then went to City Market and shopped around and had late lunch/early dinner at Vinnie Van-Go-Gos

When we finished at City Market, we headed down to River Street to have a look around. We took the free ferry across the river and back (just because it was free and we wanted to take a boat ride). There were lots of arts/craft booths set up and we spent some time strolling (and shopping) through them. There was a live band playing and they were EXCELLENT !!

Much to our surprise and delight, they had a fireworks display on the other side of the river to end the evening's festivities. We loved it and thought it was a great way to end the day.