The end of the matter...

Tuckaleechee Caverns

Amanda — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:25:23 +0000

Finally got around to taking the kids to see some caverns. There are so many choices around here, but we ended up going to Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend. Here is the history on the cavern. It is still family owned and operated today. We had a lot of fun and it was a great experience for the kids!

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Fritz

Amanda — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:54:44 +0000

Some of you know, others do not, but I feel like I need to write this blog before I can go on with any others. We started our summer out by going home to Alabama to visit my mom, brothers and some friends. Little did we know that two days after we arrived, the fun would turn to tragedy. My younger brother, Fritz, was killed in a car accident. He was 22 years old. You never think it will happen to you, but this has put that line of thinking into a real reality check for me. Live every moment as though it’s your last, you never know when it will be. Fritz was one person I know that lived this way. He never took life for granted. He loved life and lived it to the fullest! Fritz grew into a great young man, awesome uncle and brother. Fritz was very easy going and would do anything for you. He was in JSU’s nursing program and was due to graduate next spring. That boy was so smart, you could ask him about all kinds of stuff and he would more than likely have an answer for you. I am so glad I was there to spend the last days with him. We had a wonderful time out the day before, shopping, chinese and the gardens. I am so thankful for that time. It still doesn’t seem quite real to me, not sure when or if it ever will. I miss him and that loving smile he always greeted me with. I love you Fritz, your memory will live on forever in my heart! I have posted some of my favorite pictures along with a few from the last day we had him.

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Fall Creek Falls / Cane Creek Falls

Amanda — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 17:39:46 +0000

After 6 long weeks, Jason finally was able to come home! We had a great time while he was home. We finally headed over to Fall Creek Falls! We hiked down to the base of Fall Creek Falls and then headed over to the cable trail to see Cane Creek Falls. The cable trail was pretty steep but overall it was not that bad going up and down. The view was so worth it! It is absolutly beautiful down in there. After we climbed back up, we headed back over to the cascades and walked down to where Cane Creek Falls drops off. So beautiful! Such a great trip!

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Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center

Amanda — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:30:29 +0000

Today we went to the Great Smoky Mtns Heritage Center on a field trip. We hadn’t been here before and I really don’t think I had heard of it. Just one of those places we pass coming and going to the park all the time. It was a really nice place with lots of history and info about the Smokies and the area there. They have a few cabins on the grounds from around the area to tour. They are the real deal, not replicas. We started in the gallery, learning about a lot of the different artifacts they have there. As you can see in the pictures, a lot of it was from the Cherokee. Then after that we went on to the cabin where one lady demonstrated how they cooked with an open hearth. While she made the cornbread, the kids helped make the butter. Then we all had cornbread and butter samplers. In one of the pictures you will see what looks like newspaper stuck to the walls. Well, I didn’t know this but back then they would use the newspaper or any kind of wrapping and paste it on the walls and ceiling to help insulate and keep the breeze out. I thought it was neat that there is still some on the walls. So after the cabin tour , the kids went and learned about the different kinds of games the kids played back in those days. One was a corn cob spinner. Basically , it is a dried corn cob with 3 feathers sticking out of one end making it spin as you toss it. That was a big hit with all the kids. We are going to try to make some of these this week. It was a great field trip, we all learned a lot and I am thankful my friend Erin organized it. Thanks Erin, we had a great time!

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Spring is in the air!

Amanda — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:57:54 +0000

Today was beautiful! So we got out and went to the park to enjoy the day.

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Knoxville Fire Station

Amanda — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:04:43 +0000

Today we took a fieldtrip to the Knoxville Fire Station. This was our first trip to a fire station. I can’t believe we haven’t been before now, but I am glad if was at a big station. They had all the trucks and a boat that they use on the river. They learned all about fire safety and 911. We were able to tour the whole station, getting to see what the firemen do while they are not fighting fires. They even had an old steam powered fire engine that was made in 1879. Very cool! They said they hook it up to horses and use it during the parades downtown. We will have to go and check it out!

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Duck Pond

Amanda — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 21:39:37 +0000

So it has been cold here for like ever it feels like. Finally had a nice day today. The kids and I took advantage of it and went to the duck pond. We fed the ducks and played around on the playground. We also found the ugly duckling…poor fella.

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Aquarium of the Smokies

Amanda — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 00:35:12 +0000

Jason’s parents took the kids and I to the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies today. Wish Jason could have been there too, I really didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was going to be pretty small , but it really wasn’t. It was bigger than I expected and it was a great aquarium overall. Thankfully we are able to get a homeschool discount. So we got in for more than half off the normal price. That was great in itself! As usual we had a great time watching fish big and small. Thanks for taking us Glenn and Debbie, we had a blast.

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Olympic Party

Amanda — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:35:56 +0000

My friend Christy had her monthly get together, this month’s theme was “The Olympic’s”. We each brought a main dish and a dessert from one of the represented countries. I chose Germany and Italy with German Chocolate Cake and Spaghetti. I was going to attempt Lasagna, but seeing that last time I tried it tasted like pizza, I decided to go safe. Sarah made Fried Rice from China and Creme Puffs from France. Christy made Blueberry Cobbler from Canada and English Muffin (homemade) Cucumber sandwiches from England. Another lady named Sarah made a Mexican rice dish from Mexico and African Sweet Pudding from Africa. Everything tasted great ladies! We should have gotten a pic of the food. Oh well. After lunch, we made our crafts that each of us had prepared. I chose the Olympic flag. Did you know the reason for the five circles? Well I just found out, the five circles represent the five continents (they count the Americas as one continent) that are in the Olympics and the colors are all the colors that are represented by each of the countries. Neat little tidbit for you! Anyway, the other ladies’ crafts were making a torch and playing a game of Go USA bingo. Then we did some activities which included relay races with egg balancing , carrying torches, hugging a balloon and winding and unwinding yarn on a pencil. We had 14 kids and it worked out to divide the kids into two teams, boys against girls. You know they loved that! The boys won 2 events and the girls won 2 events. So it worked out good. We finished the relays with everyone getting silver medals. We were going to do gold but the printer was out of color. But the kids and I had a great time as always. Thanks Christy again for hosting these get togethers. We are ready for the next one…lol. Here are some of the pics, we had a hard time get clear shots because of all the movement. Of course I forgot my camera, so I had my friends email these to me. Thank you both for the pics!

The end of the matter...

Tuckaleechee Caverns

Fritz

Fall Creek Falls / Cane Creek Falls

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center

Spring is in the air!

Knoxville Fire Station

Duck Pond

Aquarium of the Smokies

Olympic Party

Snow Day!