A Weekend Trip to Tennessee

Posted by Gabrielle

Back in September, (yes, I have quite a bit of catching up to do!), we took a weekend off and went on a lovely little weekend trip to Tennessee. We spent a delightful two days and an evening fellowshiping with friends and enjoying the wonderful rural Tennessee sights. Here are a few pictures from our weekend!

Day 1:

Yours truly, caught in the act of taking pictures at one of our rest stops

My beautiful sister Christianna

Benaiah, 'calling' Timothy at home

Jedidiah

Jedidiah and Tobias, 'hanging out' at another rest stop, earlier in the morning. It really was a little chilly!

I love my brother Elliot - he never ceases to keep us amused!

The Hellwig van, and one of its merry occupants!

Christianna reading stories with Anna C. that evening

Thank you Courters for the wonderful dinner and evening of fellowship!

Day 2:

Christianna baking brownies with Anna

2-month-old Nathan - such a sweetie!

After lunch, our friends took us to visit one of their neighbors who are part of the plain clothes people. They are not Amish, but they lived a lot like the Amish, complete with solar power and an outhouse! I wouldn't want to live that way, but it was interesting learning about it. With all the little boys  young men together, they naturally took to feats of daring do on the swing.

And the little boys enjoyed the river and mud bank while the adults talked

 Yep, a good farmer always has his hat and his gun with him!

Day 3:

Tobias (left), Anna C., and Benaiah, with some other young friends at church, investigating a salamander in a hole.

Thank you Courter family for your hospitality and a wonderful weekend!

The Hellwigs Have Gone Green!

Posted by Gabrielle

And no, we haven't found any more particularly economical ways to do things, but we have gone green with...paint! Last November, we painted the dining room, and the kitchen has needed it badly too, so, a couple weeks ago, while Timothy was on our church's Civil War history tour, we painted the kitchen in three days.

This is the kitchen before,

 and the breakfast nook before. Pretty plain, isn't it?

Painting Day 1

Yours truly, taping the ceiling. Actually, being up on the ladder was my favorite part beside the actual painting. 

Tobias, a happy helper

The kitchen and breakfast nook after the first coat of paint

After the second coat of paint and removal of the tape. The shade of green varies with the lighting at any given time.

Christianna's Creative Creations - a tape ball with the tape removed from the walls and ceiling

 

And...

This may be how the Hellwigs decorate for parties, but it's also a clue to our next big event...more coming soon!

Someone Turned 4!

Posted by Gabrielle

On July 20th, Benaiah turned 4! Per his request, we had a big birthday dinner, complete with his chosen menu of croissants, meatballs, fruit salad, pie, and lots more!

Someone is ready for dinner!

Being silly with Timothy

Earlier, he had stated that "this time, he would not cry." That didn't last long!

We tried again, and this time, we got a handsome smile!

And his favorite present was...

His tri-cornered hat! He wears it everywhere (even out to farmer's market this morning!)

Happy Birthday Benaiah!!!

It's here...

Posted by Gabrielle

"It's really here!...the wind is so strong - it's whipping branches around!" 

"Mommy, can I go outside and watch the hurricane come?"

"It's fun outside, Mommy!"

These are the words I heard excitedly exclaimed by Jedidiah,Tobias, and Benaiah before heading outside to get thoroughly soaked in the rain.

Right now, we are in the midst of Hurricane Irene which is sweeping up the east coast, and we're seeing God's majestic power even over the storm.

I, for my part, am staying in the warm indoors, sewing doll dresses for the shop, working on some new crochet designs, and doing some tidying and organization. Others are reading or baking. On stormy days, these are a few of our favorite things...

Blue Ridge Mountains Trip - Day 3

Posted by Gabrielle

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3 of our trip was mostly driving, but, before heading home, we stopped off to spend some time at the Moses Cone Manor which we had visited on our previous trip as well.

Sadly, they didn't have the rocking chairs on the front porch anymore, but we did enjoy watching a potter for a little while before exploring the small shops inside.

The little boys enjoyed watching and asking questions

The views from the front porch are stunning! You can see for miles and miles over the treetops!

 And yes, we did get a family picture on the front porch! This was the best one, and at least everyone looks happy.

We ate our picnic lunch on the lawn before 'hitting the road' for the four-hour drive home

This is how we all felt by the end of the trip. It was a wonderful time, nonetheless!

Blue Ridge Mountains Trip - Day 2

Posted by Gabrielle

Day 1

Day 2 of our mountains camping trip back in June had two main highlights - lots of driving and lots of hiking! I don't know about you, but I just can't get enough of the breathtaking mountain scenery.

This one reminds me a little of the part in the beginning of the Sound of Music where Maria is up on the mountains singing.

The Viaduct

Looking out at an overlook - a very, very elevated overlook!

Our first stop of the day was at Linn Falls. This was a waterfall we had wanted to hike to last time, but couldn't because of rain. We were blessed with a beautiful day for a lovely hike this time!

On the way, we passed a hollow stump and the boys could not resist!

The Falls

Timothy

And yes, we even got a family picture at the Falls!

After this, most of the family was ready to rest, but a few of us did some more hiking on nearby trails. As the photographer, I couldn't resist accompanying them. We hiked up to an overlook, and this picture is of the same Falls, viewed from many hundreds of feet above.

Enjoying the view

After hiking up to view the falls from above, we hiked back down to the actual base of the Falls where we could wade among the rocks.

My beautiful sister Christianna

Jedidiah and Benaiah having fun at the park again that evening

As we were leaving the park, we captured the way the rays of the setting sun lit up the clouds. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Day 3 coming soon!

Doctor, Doctor...

Posted by Gabrielle

The other day, while I was folding laundry in the living room, the boys were playing nearby. Elliot and Tobias were doctors and Benaiah was the patient. The following are some alarming snippets of conversation I overheard:

"...Alright, I put in a new eye and put on a bandage."
"Here is the bullet wound. Take out the bullet and clean it out with dishwashing soap."
"Oops, I broke his leg lifting him onto the table!"

I certainly wouldn't want these doctors to attend to me, would you? :)