Spring Break: Part 4

Our first stop in Alabama was at Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro.  When the airplanes lose luggage forever...it comes here.  It was interesting to see what people had packed and lost.  We saw wedding dresses,books, clothes, games, electronics, etc.  My mom was happy to walk away with 10 1/2 yards of Moda quilting fabric in coordinating colors/prints for less than $16.

Next stop Dreamland Bar-B-Que in Birmingham.  We indulged in some ribs and chicken.  The atmosphere was great and we loved watching the guys cooking the racks of ribs on the grill.

After the Bar-B-Que we headed over to Books-A- Million to get a ticket for the book signing the following night.  After we had been in line for almost a half an hour we realized that Alabama is on Central time not Eastern time...so we waited almost another half hour before being given numbers 20 and 21 for the book signing.

The next morning our first stop was the Vulcan statue on Red Mountain.  This is the largest cast iron statue in the world.  It symbolizes the roots of Birmingham in the iron and steel industries.  The statue depicts the Roman God Vulcan that was the god of fire and forge.  It was created for the 1904 World's fair in St. Louis.

We were able to see quite a bit of the city from Red Mountain.

Our next stop was the 16th Street Baptist Church.  This church was built in 1911.  It was bombed on September 15, 1963 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.  Four young girls, ages 11 to 4 were killed in the bombing..  The church was targeted because it was a center for the Civil Rights Movement.  After walking through the church we visited the Civil Rights Institute across the street.  We learned about the violence against Freedom Riders in Anniston, Alabama and about other important moments in the civil rights movement.

Our next stop was the Galleria mall.  After a long search we were able to find a dress for me to wear to Seth's graduation.  Let me just say...it is nearly impossible to find a dress with sleeves that hits below the knees in the South.  We killed a couple more hours before the book signing.

We showed up about 45 minutes early to get in line at the book signing.  It was literally body to body and got a little hot.  The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond came out and gave a little slide show story of how she became the Pioneer Woman.  Not only is she a great cook, but she also has a great sense of humor.

Then it was time for the signing.  We didn't really have much time to talk.  I did tell her how much I love her story about Fritters...I feel the same way.  I have often told Seth that instead of getting me flowers on special occasions...he could get me a box of fritters.

After the signing we drove back to South Carolina.  The next day we tried a few of the new recipes.  White Chicken Enchiladas that had just the right amount of spice.  We also had some Mexican Rice on the side.  For dessert we had delicious brownies.  Just as a warning these brownies are so good you may be tempted to eat the entire pan yourself.

Thanks to my Mom for following me along on my wild goose chase.  I had a wonderful time and hope you did too!

Spring Break: Part 3

Tuesday morning we woke up early and drove through the Smokey Mountains to Lookout Mountain just outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The Smokey Mountains definitely lived up to their name, the fog settled along the base of the mountains as we made our way to Lookout Mountain.  

I had read about Ruby Falls a 145-foot underground waterfall and decided we had to visit.  There was quite a line when we arrived.  After purchasing tickets we waited for the elevator.  The elevator took us down several hundred feet.   We were put in a group of about 3 elevator loads and started our journey with a guide.  It was about a half mile walk to the falls and we were able to see some cool formations along the way.

Here is the chamber that we entered when coming off the elevator.

There was water running throughout the cave.  I liked the reflection found in this little spot.

The formation above is of a fish.  If you look just under the red sign you can see him.  I took pictures of a lot of other formations but it was just a little dark and many turned out blurry.  We saw one that looked just like a piece of bacon.  We also saw a draping formation that looked like angel wings.

After four stops as a group we finally made it to the falls.  By the time we made it we were 1,120 feet beneath the mountain's surface.  Ruby Falls were named after the wife of Leo Lambert, the man who discovered the cave.  The chamber the falls were in was quite large.  Through the majority of the cave we had to watch our heads.

One of my favorite formations was the chandelier on the ceiling above.

After exiting the cave we took a moment to enjoy the view of Chattanooga.

We continued our drive onto Alabama but before leaving Tennessee we came across a Cast Iron skillet factory store.  My mom was sweet enough to buy me a skillet, after all the Pioneer Woman says a skillet is an absolute necessity.

Spring Break: Part 2

We managed to fit a road trip into my mom's visit.  She wanted to visit the Biltmore in North Carolina and I wanted to meet my favorite blogger, The Pioneer Woman at a book signing in Alabama.  Seth was a little bogged down with school so we headed out on a Mother and Daughter Road Trip.  Monday morning we drove up to Asheville, North Carolina.  My mom's dear friend Rebecca drove down from Tennessee to meet us so we could visit the Biltmore together.  I had a much different perspective this time around, especially after watching Downton Abbey.  I couldn't help but imagine the people that lived in this grand house and the servants that waited on them.

We decided to visit the gardens first before the humidity really set in.  The gardens were absolutely spectacular.  I loved the little terraces covered in wisteria.  

The tulips came a couple weeks early and just in time for our visit.

The greenhouse had a large variety of ferns and flowers.

The azalea garden had several varieties.  We were happy to have Rebecca with us because she could tell us the names of many of the varieties.

Here is a little assortment of the flowers we enjoyed.

Our next stop was the house.  My mom and Rebecca both commented on how they could set their sewing machines up on this porch and be content for days.  We were unable to take pictures inside the house so you will just have to use your imagination.  One thing I noticed this time around was a name placard on all of the guest rooms.  Can you imagine having that many guests?

Another interesting tidbit we learned is that the menu for each day was recorded.  When a guest was returning for a visit the chef would look back at what they had served that guest before so that there would be no menu repeats.

Thank you to Rebecca for driving down to meet us.  We had a wonderful visit.

Spring Break: Part 1

My mom came to visit for Spring Break.  When I finished work on Friday we headed out to our favorite spot the Smoking Pig.  My dad really was hoping we would get a picture in front of the big pig when he was here, but it was dark.  So dad this picture is for you!  The food was delicious as always.  We got ribs for the first time...and it won't be the last, they were so scrumptious and fell right off the bone.

Our next stop was Hancock Fabrics.  We picked up some supplies to tie a new quilt for Seth.  Now we just have to get our hands on a quilting frame.

Saturday morning we headed to the Jockey Lot a Southern Flea Market.  It was quite the experience.  I loved the sign in the picture below.  This flea market was the most random place I have ever been.   There was fresh produce, car parts, old VHS tapes, old clothes, puppies, ducklings, chicks and lots of junk.  All we bought was a small bag of roasted peanuts.

We headed over to the Standpipe in Belton next.  I think it looks a little like Rapunzel's tower but it is actually a water tower.

The rest of the weekend we sat around enjoying conference and socializing with friends.

The Derby

Seth has been working hard on a Pine Wood Derby car. He threw out the idea of making a car for a date night back in February.  After failed trips to Lowe's and ACE Hardware we were able to get all the supplies he needed at Hobby Lobby.  When we got home he started working on his design.  He clamped another piece of wood on top of the car and to the table so that he could make the cuts he needed.

Then he sanded his car down, cut out an area for weights and made some other adjustments.  After all the sanding he painted his car.

Then he sanded down the wheels so they would move a little more quickly.

We got mixed up with the date of the Pinewood derby...so his car was ready a month before.   After doing a little research Seth found out that sanded down wheels didn't fit Boy Scouts of America regulations...so we bought another set and switched them out.  The night of the derby finally arrived at the end of March.  Seth got his car weighed in and learned it was a little below the desired weight.  After taping some pennies to the bottom and adding a little graphite to the wheels he was good to go.

Our ward had several different entry categories.  Seth raced in the 18 and up category.

The initial round of races were held on the smaller track.

The final race was run on the larger track.

 Seth came in 1st place in his division.  He was like a kid on Christmas morning.

The final race of the night was the open class.  It was basically a no rules division.  Some of the cars weighed more than 5 pounds.  Seth didn't add more weight but he did change out his wheels to the faster pair.  He was excited to race his friend Miles.  A young woman from our ward came in 1st place, Miles came in 2nd place and Seth was able to clench 3rd place.

I have a feeling I have lots of Pine Wood Derby races in my future.