On The Road To Arizona II
On The Road To Arizona
Getting Ready To Roll
Seems like it was just last week that we pulled in to Payne Lake Campground to volunteer for six months. Time goes by way too fast when the place is as beautiful as this. The Forest Service folks had a “Volunteer Appreciation Day” last week to thank us for our work here.
There was a cookout at the day use pavillion, and a lot of the guys and gals came out to say good bye to us and to Rob and Belinda, the camp hosts on the other side of the lake.
They cooked some hot dogs and hamburgers, there was some pasta salad and some baked beans, and I took some Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding. Everyone had a great time.
Joe gave us all a T-shirt, and each couple received a nice throw with the Forest Service emblem on it. They also gave us a “coffee table” photo book of Alabama. They all said they were sad to see us go. And we are just as sad to leave. It is very hard to leave such a beautiful place:
But we’ll be leaving in the morning, headed west to Arizona for another season at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And that is another beautiful place, one we can’t wait to get back to.
I Made It!
I wanted to show this again, for the I Made It! Blog Party over at Everything Etsy. I have been making these tote bags lately, some for gifts and some for sale. While I was on vacation I went to visit my mother in law, and took her one for her birthday. Since she is using a walker these days, I took measurements while I was there and brought the bag home with me so I could make some modifications.
By adding these three straps that fasten with velcro, it will attach to the front of her walker. She’ll be able to take all the things she needs with her wherever she goes, with a lovely bag to hold it all.
I wanted to see how it worked, so I hung it on a broom handle. Perfect! I know my mother in law will love this!
To see what everyone else has made this week, click over to Everything Etsy.
Still Looking For A Mother Of The Bride Dress
And I think I may have found one. Or two. I was looking online tonight for Mother of the Bride Dresses at RomanticGowns.com! and found this one:
And this one:
The wedding will be in February in the north Georgia mountains, so it will be cold or cool. I don’t like wearing a dress that has no sleeves, so both of these would be good choices. I really like the periwinkle color. But do you think it would make me look washed out with my gray hair? What do you think?
I Love A Vacation IV
We left Douglasville on Friday morning, headed up to north Georgia to visit FabGrandpa’s Mom and Dad. On the way, we saw this:
In case you can’t see what it, it says, “Caution! Live Venomous Cargo”. No way could you ever get me in that van. I would be so creeped out, wondering if the “venomous cargo” was going to escape whatever cage it was in.
So, we made it up to the mountains with no bites. We had a nice visit with Nana and Poppa. We had planned to take them out to eat, but they had planned to take us. So we all went out to the chinese place in town. It was good, as usual.
I took Nana one of the tote bags I had made for her birthday. We took some measurements of her walker so I could modify the bag so it will attach to the front of it. She was very pleased with this.
I added three straps that fasten with 3″ velcro to one side of the bag:
I only mailed it to her yesterday, so I will have to wait until she gets it to see if it works like we wanted it to.
Nana makes wire wrapped jewelry, but because she no longer is able to go to the craft shows, she has no outlet to sell what she makes. She gave me a bag full of things she made to bring home with me. I am going to be making a page for her in my shop here at FabGrandma in the next few days. Look for her shop page soon!
Poppa does some silversmithing, too. He has one set of a pendant and earrings that are sterling silver with amethyst stones. He’d like to get $300 for the set, if anyone wants it, let me know. I’ll be putting it for sale on Nana’s page, too.
My favorite thing that Poppa makes are these so cute birthstone ring charms. They are made with synthetic birthstones, and are intended to wear on a necklace. I have one for each of my children and grandchildren’s birth months. Every time I wear my necklace with them on it, everyone who sees them wants to know where I got them. Well, my father-in-law made them for me. Now, as soon as I get that page made, you can get yours:
We only got to spend one night with the folks. We enjoyed their company, and made plans to go back for 2 or 3 days when we come back next winter. We drove back down to Douglasville, where we spent one last night at the Holiday Inn. Becky came over after she got off work, and we all went to the movies and saw ‘Alice In Wonderland’. I loved the movie, but I love anything with Johnny Depp.
After the movie, I met another old friend, Sue. She picked me up outside the movies, and while FabGrandpa and Becky went back to the motel for a visit, Sue and I went out for a drink:
Two is my limit, especially when it is tequila shots! Yes, I have to have mine with salt and a slice of lime. Our visit was way too short–I haven’t seen Sue in more than 18 years, but again, it was like we had just seen each other last week. I hope next time we go to town I can have a longer visit. She was a girl scout leader when I was the service unit director for girl scouts in my county. We talked about having a girl scout reunion, and inviting all the girls who were in our troops back then. Wouldn’t that be fun??
So, now we are back home, getting ready to head west next week. We’ll be taking I-40 from Memphis to Flagstaff, and spending 4 or 5 days in Flagstaff before heading up the plateau to go to work. I am really looking forward to the trip. It’s already getting hot here in Alabama.
Gluten Free and Loving It!
Rustie is the owner of Celiac Roads Consulting Services serving Portsmouth, NH, coastal New Hampshire and 
southern Maine. She provides a variety of customized services including gluten free cooking classes, grocery shopping assistance, and educational classes and retreats.
Your name: Rustie MacDonald
1.How long have you been eating gluten free? Almost 5 years
2. How did you discover that you were gluten intolerant? I became very ill after the birth of my youngest.
3. What were your most prominent symptoms? I was unable to hold food down.
4. Do you have an official diagnosis of Celiac Disease? The Blood Test was negative, the biopsy was positive.
5. How long did it take for your major symptoms to disappear when you started on a gluten free diet? 8 weeks for major pain about a year for my vitamin levels to become normal.
6. Do you have allergies or intolerances to other foods? No
7. Are other members of your family gluten intolerant? No
8. What do you miss the most since starting to eat gluten free? Convenience.
9. What is the hardest part for you about eating gluten free? In the beginning it was overwhelming. Just trying to understand what Gluten Free means and realizing how much gluten is found in every product!
10. What is your favorite restaurant? I really don’t have a favorite but do prefer ones that have a GF menu.
11. Do you have a favorite gluten free recipe to share? Tons
12. What are your hobbies? I own two companies, a mother of 2 daughters, a ‘wanna be’ gardener, an artist, a creator.
13. Where did you go on your last gluten free vacation? I haven’t had a vacation in years.
14. How has eating gluten free changed your life for the better? I am stronger, healthier, happier and overall feel great.
