So glad to be home! I missed my bed.  It was a wonderful vacation, and I very much enjoyed seeing Dana and Mike. We also got to hang out with cousins Hilary and Patrick, so that was an added bonus!

Thank you to Trista, Sarah and Mom for guest posting last week! You guys really saved me a lot of work! Thanks a bunch!

So I don't know what to post about first! I got Dana's outfit and a new wreath done. Also got some toe kickin' chili made for football yesterday. Not that I really care as my poor Hoo's got beat by USC, but what do you expect? Its USC! Oh well....Hoo's I still love ya!

I guess I'll share some pictures from the 2nd half of our vacation. We kind of, sort of altered our return home plans last minute. Instead of driving all the home we instead took a few days in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Steve and I started dating while visiting theses cities, we honeymooned there after Isabel flattened our hotel in OBX {so much fun was had re-planning our honeymoon days before the wedding}, so this part of Tennessee holds a lot of fond memories for us. It was great to share it with the boys, altho H won't remember. :)

I sometimes wonder how many tea connoisseurs are out there beyond myself. I know, one, maybe two, people who like (simply adore) it as much as me. This is not my usual type of post. There's not really any particular recipe here, but there are a number of thoughts on some really great things that can be done with history's most beloved beverage and an invitation to stretch your boundaries if you've never really gotten into tea.

WOW!! I can not believe that I get to guest post on Straight Stitches!!  This is huge, I have only been blogging for about 3 months over at Homemaking 101, and I have met some very amazing, creative people in the blog world.  I originally was using my blog to stay in touch with family without having to flaunt and showoff  my daughter all over facebook.  It sort of turned into a way to document my journey as a first time mom and a first time homemaker.  I was suddenly overcome with a desire to be a crafty, DIY, cooking, cleaning, teaching Mommy. Homemaking 101 is my place to share all that and more.

For my 1st guest post ever, I have decided to share with you my take on the chalkboard menu boards that I have been seeing everywhere.