Smoky Mountain Christmas

There’s nothing quite like a Smoky Mountain Christmas and this one was wonderful.  As soon as Thanksgiving was over I started decorating.

In between shopping, cooking, and cleaning I worked in a little trip to Dollywood.

The music and the lights certainly got me in the Christmas mood!

The kids were able to join us several days before Christmas so we had plenty of time for fun and games.

And then it snowed!

We enjoyed lots of hot tasty beverages.

I enjoyed cooking in the new kitchen (and I think they enjoyed eating there, too)!

On Christmas Eve we went to the movies to see Aqua Man. 

Then we headed back up the mountain to wait for Santa. 

On Christmas morning we donned our crazy hats and cooked our traditional omelet breakfast.

Then we gathered around the tree to open all the goodies. 

Then we checked out the stockings which were hung UNDER the mantle since the mantle just arrived and hasn’t been stained yet. 

All in all we had a beautifully blessed Christmas and look forward to many more special times on the mountain.

It’s Good To Be Home!

Well, after 16 long months of building, we are finally back at the Mountain House! 

It’s only fitting that we got the final inspection certificate on the Monday after Thanksgiving. That’s the day the fire came 2 years ago. We fudged a little.  We “squatted” with an air mattress for a few days until the furniture came on November 12. (I was determined to have Thanksgiving on the mountain!) The kids were a great help with opening boxes and helping me get everything situated. 

I had pretty much everything you need to set up housekeeping since I had over 16 months to buy stuff! I learned all about apps like Ebates and Shopular that kept me informed about sales at all my favorite stores. I had been gathering goodies for so long that finally opening the boxes was like going on a Treasure Hunt!

One of the biggest tasks is setting up the kitchen, but as you can see, I had good help and we got everything washed and stored. The architect and I put a lot of thought into planning the kitchen and I love, love, love the results!  It’s a pleasure to cook in this kitchen. (Did I really just say that??) It’s huge! There’s plenty of room for everything. In fact I have cabinets and drawers that are still empty. 

Dishes are located right beside the dish washer. 

Trays, bakeware, and cutting boards are all neatly stacked over the oven.

On top of that, I have a huge pantry for food storage.

There’s much more in the kitchen, but it’s time to move on. There’s more to see. 

This is a MOUNTAIN house so Black Forest Decor quickly became one of my favorite websites. That’s where I got my bedding.

The Master Suite

We really like our great big walk-in showers. During the build, when I wanted to find a quiet spot, I would go sit on the bench in the shower. I called it “my office”. 

Upstairs Bedroom Suites

I must say those king sized beds sleep a lot better than the air mattress!

Of course, our favorite spot is in the Great Room where we gather as a family to watch a movie, work a puzzle,  check out the latest football/basketball/soccer/hockey game on the tv or just sit by the fire.

That covers the top two floors. There’s a basement, but we’ll finish that later. (Someday) It will have a game room, a 4th bedroom suite/office, a wet bar, a fitness room, and a media center. 

And then there’s the deck space........

(Keith’s favorite spot)

Needless to say, we are enjoying our new home. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving here and look forward to our first Christmas at the new and improved Smoky Pointe.