An Empty Nest.....

"The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine, bracing and delicious. Any why shouldn't it be? It is the same the angels breathe."

~Mark Twain, "Roughing It"~

Today I woke up wondering if I might possibly be THE worst mother in the world. There are a lot of conflicting emotions when ones nest is suddenly empty. Over the years I have read all sorts of things about empty nest syndrome from falling into deep pits of depression to failed marriages. One never knows how one will react until it actually happens.I once read an article by Emilie Barnes where she told of her last child, a daughter, leaving home. She said she stood at the end of her driveway waving until her daughters car was a tiny speck then she turned, let out whoop, jumped into the air, and clicked her heels together. Now would be her time.If you know anything about Emilie and her ministry or her writing you will know that she is an amazing woman who was a totally devoted wife and mother who took her duties very seriously. I am shocked that my initial reaction of "OH NO!" has so quickly turned to "OH BOY!" Now is my time.
I keep asking my two best friends, who have traveled this path before me, if this is a normal reaction. Should I not be missing her desperately? Should I not be worrying more and not less? Shouldn't I be depressed and wanting to stay in bed instead of bounding out each morning with a new found sense of freedom? Is it wrong to love that I now get a hot shower in the mornings instead of a tepid one? Is it selfish that I love not being relegated to her work schedule for meal times? Is it wrong that now that the weight of the daily task of parenting has been lifted off my shoulders that I feel lighter, more free, and ready to embrace this new season of life? OR do these things make me THE worst mother in the world?I am finding empty nest syndrome to be very confusing. I am not depressed and my marriage is not stressed. I thought it would be devastating. I thought I would be roughing it, but it feels like a very natural order of things. By releasing my daughter to spread her wings for her solo flight in life, I am suddenly finding the joy in a little solo flying of my own. We are in a sense sharing this new experience together yet in separate ways. It is a bonding without previous boundaries. The fresh air we are now flying in is indeed very fine, very pure, bracing and delicious. And why shouldn't it be? I feel God's blessing. Now is our time.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Road Trip: Day 2 - Stay in the Pink Chalet, NO WAY!

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."
~Lao Tzu~

<strong><em><span>Day 2: Stay in the Pink Chalet, NO WAY!</span></em></strong><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN15_PWVCjAyjqhhFnsI_pGdNIx_J_vUqj37T9zXqORzSMkn-4-8qTJL8RzdiyzX_5HRxf4DA1kTtTJsWX0yOqM9wFmZ7Gjo4U8qerzo3O33BHJBxuq2jtq4GXyq2tuDhM5dC_qFn6nJi/s1600-h/chalet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhN15_PWVCjAyjqhhFnsI_pGdNIx_J_vUqj37T9zXqORzSMkn-4-8qTJL8RzdiyzX_5HRxf4DA1kTtTJsWX0yOqM9wFmZ7Gjo4U8qerzo3O33BHJBxuq2jtq4GXyq2tuDhM5dC_qFn6nJi/s400/chalet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392804813963718930" border="0" /></a> <strong><em><span>We meandered at a leisurely pace from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Murfreesboro</span>, Tennessee where we lodged for the night, towards the Great Smokey Mountains. </span></em></strong> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>We made a little detour to stroll along a 1.5 mile trail along a beautiful mountain stream that cascaded into a small waterfall. The bridge was out so we took the foot path strewn with sweet spotty leaves where we spied unusual vegetation, and mountain springs. </span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>The trail told a lovers tale as names, dates, hearts, and sweet sentiments lettered the trees, carved by sweethearts past and present. As we climbed higher we passed a small cascade of falls. As the top of the trail we stood on an overlook watching a curtain of crystal spilling over the gorge edge creating tiny rainbows as it plunged into the pool below. </span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>We arrived in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gatlinburg</span>, Tennessee late in the afternoon and started the winding climb up the mountain to our chalet. Just as we rounded a hairpin turn we came face to face with a black bear standing in the road. Handy Hubby grabbed the camera, which happened to be around my neck, nearly choking me to death as he snapped a couple of pictures. The bear quickly scampered up the hillside. I was beyond excited to see the bear. One of my fondest wishes was to see a black bear in its natural habitat.</span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>Our chalet was at the very top of the mountain at the end of the road. Going up the narrow mountain lane is a little hair raising. On one side you literally hug the mountain and on the other you hug air with sheer drops into deep gorges. Cute little chipmunks play dodge as they run across the road with their little tails straight up in the air. I have yet to get a photo of one.</span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>Our anticipation and anxiety mounted as we unlocked the door of our cute pink cottage. Remember when I said cute counts? Well, even more than cute, so does clean!!!!! Stay in that pink chalet, NO WAY! I won't go into detail but needless to say we immediately locked the door headed back down the mountain where we could get a cell signal to call the owner and to check into a hotel. Oh, but I saw a real live black bear!</span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>Our journey back down the twisted turning back on itself mountain roads got even more hair raising when we got turned around and got lost with darkness fast approaching. We hear a dreaded ding from the dash and realize with horror that the sheer climb up had used far more fuel that we realized it would. What was a half a tank of fuel was now near vapors. Holding our breaths and praying like crazy we coasted right off the mountain into a service station. Whew, that was close! </span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span></span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><em><span>Long story short, another chalet was available, it was satisfactory so we switched units and are happy mountain dwellers. The views are magnificent. At night we can see the distant lights of the city below. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">All's</span> well that end's well. Did I mention that I saw a real honest to goodness live bear? More to come, stay tuned..... </span></em></strong></div> <div><strong><e

Stay in this Pink Chalet, NO WAY!We meandered at a leisurely pace, having no fixed plans for arrival, from Murfreesboro, Tennessee where we lodged for the night, towards the Great Smokey Mountains. We made a little detour to stroll along a 1.5 mile trail beside a beautiful mountain stream that cascaded into a small waterfall. The bridge was out, so we took the foot path, strewn with sweet spotty leaves, where we spied unusual vegetation, teeny tiny pine cones,

and dripping mountain springs.The trees on the trail told a lovers tale as names, dates, hearts, and sweet sentiments lettered the them, carved by sweethearts past and present.

As we climbed higher, we passed a small cascade of falls.At the top of the trail we stood on an overlook watching a curtain of crystal spilling over the gorge edge creating tiny rainbows as it plunged into the pool below.

After our short reprieve we drove on with the Great Smoky Mountains rising up in the distance.

We arrived in Gatlinburg, Tennessee late in the afternoon and started the winding climb up the mountain to our chalet. Just as we rounded a hairpin turn we came face~to~face with a black bear standing in the road directly in front of our car. Handy Hubby grabbed the camera, which happened to be around my neck, nearly choking me to death as he snapped a few pictures, the first two face~to~face of which were blurry due to me trying to get the strap off my head. The bear quickly scampered up the hillside. I was beyond excited to see the bear. One of my fondest wishes was to see a black bear in its natural habitat.

Our chalet was at the very top of the mountain at the end of the road. Going up the narrow mountain lane was a little hair raising. On one side you literally hug the mountain and on the other you hug air with sheer drops into deep gorges. Cute little chipmunks play dodge as they run across the road with their little tails straight up in the air.

Our anticipation and anxiety mounted as we unlocked the door of our cute pink cottage. Remember when I said cute counts? Well, even more than cute, so does clean!!!!! Stay in that pink chalet, NO WAY! I won't go into detail but needless to say we immediately locked the door and headed back down the mountain where we could get a cell signal to call the owner and to check into a hotel. Oh, but I saw a real live black bear!

Our journey back down the twisted turning back on itself mountain roads got even more hair raising when we got turned around and got lost with darkness fast approaching. We hear the dreaded ding from the dash and realize with horror that the sheer climb up had used far more fuel that we realized it would. What was a half a tank of fuel was now near vapors. Holding our breaths and praying like crazy we coasted right off the mountain into a service station. Whew, that was close!

Long story short, another chalet was available, it was satisfactory so we switched units the next day and were happy mountain dwellers in a cute little yellow and blue chalet. The views were magnificent. At night we could see the distant lights of two neighboring cities below. As they say, all's well that end's well.

Did I mention that I saw a real honest to goodness live in his natural habitat black bear?More adventures to come, stay tuned.....

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

Artistic Autumn Beauty.....

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is webbed to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

~George Eilot~

We have returned to our humble abode and have been meeting ourselves coming and going since we walked in the door. We got Darling Daughter mostly moved amid loads of laundry and trying to complete my project for the Artist Class . I am so excited to show you a sneak peek of my project, an autumnal banner:Having just spent a week in the Great Smoky Mountains, there was inspiration abounding in all that natural beauty. I wanted to capture the essence of autumn in a paper arts project. It felt so good to spend the day in the studio creating something. The down side of that is that tomorrow I have to spend time cleaning up after the tornado of a mess I made in there today.Registration for the class is now open. You can visit HERE for registration information. The class fee is $59.00 BUT if you use my promotional code: quillcottage, you will receive a $10.00 discount bringing the price to $49.00. The class is a four week online class featuring 12 step-by-step projects in a variety of media. Each project is specifically designed and taught by various artists such as Dawn Edmonson of The Feathered Nest, Karla Nathan of Karla's Cottage, Beth Leintz of Gathering Dust, to name just a few. I feel extremely honored to be in the midst of these ladies plus others that I so admire. For more class content information, you can visit this post.We had a wonderful anniversary week full of fun and adventure. I'll be sharing some of the highlights in the next few posts and hope you too will enjoy the autumn beauty as I savor the sweet memories. I am beyond thrilled to be back in civilization where cell signals and Internet service abound. I never thought I would say that! I'll be around to visit and to catch up on comments and emails in the next couple of days. I really missed you all!!!I hope you all are enjoying the artistic autumnal beauty being painted outside your windows!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

A Post-ponement and an Online Artist Class Announcement.....

I wanted to let you know that I will postponing my travel posts until I get home. I will still post them by days of the trip just not in real time as I had hoped to do. Cell and Internet service are spotty at best here on the mountain. In order to connect to the Internet I have to tether to a cell phone and the connection is slower even than dial up.

I can only use the service if I huddle in the corner next to the door that leads out onto the upper deck, which is really not so bad as the view is quite stunning but a little uncomfortable. Loading photos is another matter altogether, Blogger stalls out because of the slow connection. So, in the meantime, I am writing the posts each evening and will add the photos and schedule the posts to run when I return home. I will also answer your emails and respond to comments at that time.

As for the announcement, I have been asked by Mary Green of Green Paper to participate in an online art class as one of the project instructors. I consider this an honor and have accepted. This artist class is an online project classroom with a variety of projects by a variety of artists. It will take place over a 4 week period , on a members only blog. Daily posts will include instructions for one dozen individual projects plus a variety of bonus downloads, tips, and techniques.

Students will receive quantity and quality: Beautiful projects and great information designed to get the creative juices going as well as introduction to new skills.

Class categories include:

*Paper Arts
*Fabric & Fiber Arts
*Jewelry Making
*Digital Art
*10 Minute Projects
*Holiday Themes
*Gift Ideas
*Student Ideas
*Free Images
*Supplies
*Techniques

The Artist Class will take place on a members~only blog from October 25 thru November 21st. The blog itself will have continued access thru January.

Registration begins on October 15th. The price of the Artist Class is $59.00. If you sign up for the class through me, you will receive a $10.00 discount off of the class fee, making the cost $49.00. I will be posting the discount code as well as the registration information on October 15th. If you have any specific questions may I direct you to Mary who is hosting this workshop.

I am very excited about this class and have been designing a special project with illustrated step-by-step instructions plus tips, techniques, and free images to enhance the project.

Blessings,
Miss Sandy

Road Trip, Day 1.....

"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

~Greg Anderson~

The first leg of our journey was pretty uneventful and the route very familiar. After we passed Somerville the scenery began to change from flat to the gentle rise and fall of undulating hills, a precursor to the mountains to come. The weather could not have been more perfect in the low 70's with clear blue cloudless skies.

We sailed past fields of dried corn stalks browned and rustling in the breeze. The last boles of cotton rested like little white powder puffs gently held in the tiny golden fingers of the stems. Farm land and fields peppered the roadsides. Cattle and horses grazed in pastures where fat rolls of hay lay waiting to serve as their winter food supply.

Barns began to rise up on the landscape, some skeletal with age, time having worn away their paint and stripped them of their usefulness. The scenery beyond was visible through their ribs. They were my favorite.

The air was pungent with the distinct smell of the area. I noted that it no longer smelled like home. It felt unfamiliar yet tantalizing.

We stopped at a park to walk a bit and stretch our legs. Wild turkeys and deer were everywhere. We witnessed a wedding by a bubbling stream at sunset. I hope that union, kissed by the setting rays of the sun, will be long and blessed with a life filled with happiness in spite of what hardships might come. It brought back sweet memories.

Today I took my friends advice, I lived. I experienced the journey through my senses and stored the sights in my mind, even catching a few with my camera. Mostly, I just sat, listened, thought, occasionally talked, and enjoyed the activity outside my window.

Blessings,

Miss Sandy

Takin' A Road Trip.....

My suitcase is zipped...(photo source)

It's time for a road trip!

Handy Hubby and I are off to celebrate our anniversary, which is tomorrow, with a little road trip. We will be leaving today. We will be spending a week in the mountains in an adorable little pink chalet...I really hope it is as nice as it looks online, one never knows about these things when making reservations in this manner. But it looks pretty cute and cute counts right?

This trip is an incredible blessing. Handy Hubby was rewarded for all his hard work by his employer with an extra week of vacation and a cash bonus which is making this trip possible. I am hoping to share this trip with you by keeping a bit of daily online journal, that is IF we have Internet connection. The amenities did not list Internet connection so we may be unplugged for the week. I'll post if I can, if not, then I'll be in touch week after next.

I hope you all have an incredibly wonderful week ahead of you too!

Blessings,
Miss Sandy