Christmas House Photos

The house looked nice for Christmas. Still a few photos to come - I'm still finding them!

Dear Zippy the Elf,

Welcome back to another slightly frantic December at the Lowe home. Your first season with us was a big hit with the munchkin, although less so with me if you recall.

Since you are already on thin ice, so to speak, I'd like to request some help from you and your cohorts. You see, sometimes, the munchkin wakes to discover you in the same spot as the night before when you are supposed to have moved to a new spot after your nightly trip back to the North Pole to report to Santa. In the next edition of The Elf on the Shelf, I'd be grateful if you'd point out to eager munchkins everywhere that since Santa has so many elves flying in daily, he has to schedule appointments for them throughout the day and night. Apparently, your appointment is approximately 11 am. It has taken some effort to convince the munchkin of this.

See, the problem is that we already have enough trouble with our tricky Tooth Fairy. Many's the morning that we've found the money hidden in odd places in the munchkin's room rather than the usual under-the-pillow spot. You elves and fairies sure do keep us on our toes.

Thanks,

Mama Lowe

Halloween 2010

Click on the pics to enlarge.

She picked out her costume in August - a 1950's diner waitress. We added the leggings 'cause it was just a little too short without something underneath. It took some doing to pin that little pillbox hat on. We had to stuff it with tissue to make it stand up. Doesn't she look cute?

Happy Neighborhood Goblins

Scary Neighborhood Goblins

Photos From Fall

8th birthday party at the ice skating rink!

Roller blades for 8th birthday!

My baby goes to 2nd grade!

More cute pics from Gatlinburg

White Water Rafting in the Smokies

I've fallen way behind in keeping up here! I'm putting up some old photos and post-dating them.

The highlight of our trip to the Smokies had to be our whitewater rafting experience on the Pigeon River. The folks at Nantahala Outdoor Center know how to make it fun.

Our guide, Jon, tossed MB right into the river before we set out. She came up spluttering, but with a huge grin. She managed to claim the seat right in the bow of the raft, and Jon took every opportunity to make sure she got splashed.

This was mostly a float trip, but don't discount it! We enjoyed the scenery and a few small rapids. Of course, NOC posts photographers along the banks to snap photos that they know you'll pay for later. (In case you were wondering how we got all these great shots...)

Gatlinburg 2010- Part II

Click here to read Part I of the travel log from our family vacation to Gatlinburg, TN.

After our trip to Wonderworks on Day Two, we decided to explore more of the area's natural attractions. We took a drive and enjoyed some beautiful Smoky mountain vistas. It was super hot, so strenuous hiking didn't sound like a great idea, but we did take a short nature walk to a small waterfall at the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Mary Beth worked at her rock skipping skills in the little creek that ran along the trail. We had intended to drive to Cade's Cove, but in keeping with our relaxed vacation attitude, failed to check the gas gauge before we left. When we realize that we wouldn't make it there and back, we decided to just enjoy a shorter drive and the views we saw along the way.

Short Hikes Close To Gatlinburg

At the visitor's center, the friendly guide gave us good information about short hikes suitable for out-of-shape adults with a 7-year-old child in tow. Laurel Falls Trail is paved (suitable for strollers) and the round-trip distance to the falls and back is about 2.6 miles. The Alum Cave Bluff Trail is 4.6 miles round-trip, but you don't have to hike the whole trail to see cool sights. It runs along a mountain stream, and there is a natural rock arch at 1.5 miles. If you can make it .3 miles farther, there's a beautiful view. Both of these are accessible off of Little River Road.

Afterwards, we drove back into Gatlinburg where I bought myself a pair of Teva's at the Nantahala Outpost Center store. Cool place. By this time, the heat had sparked a summer storm so we browsed a bit 'til it passed. Then we headed off to look for a grocery store. We grilled at the cabin and ate supper on the porch. If it hadn't been so hot, it would have been the perfect opportunity to enjoy the hot tub. Instead, we enjoyed the ceiling fans!

On Day Three, we went white water rafting! We have pictures coming, but it will take a couple of weeks to get them, so stay tuned!

Gatlinburg 2010 - Part I

We've just returned from a summer adventure to Gatlinburg, TN.

We spent a couple of hours at the Biltmore on the way. I've visited several times, but Kevin and MB had never seen it. Since I was there last, they've cranked the ticket prices way up. They've also added a whole shopping village, a plant shop at the gardens, and more shops at the stables. The house itself is mostly the same, so I guess those increased ticket prices buy you the privilege of spending more money at the shops. At any rate, we enjoyed seeing it - it's still as grand as ever. Mary Beth was wowed.

We arrived at our cabin that evening. More on the cabin in another post. We enjoyed supper at the Alamo Steakhouse. We had very tasty food and a short wait made more bearable by the ducks playing in the stream out front. Online reviews of this place seem to be at one extreme or the other, but our experience was quite good, I'm happy to say!

Day Two started with a trip to WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge. Okay, it really started with sleeping late - we didn't want to hurry anywhere! By late morning, we finally tore ourselves away from our comfy cabin and drove into PF. Mary Beth had a blast at Wonderworks!

The rock wall was a big hit. She climbed it twice! There were lots more fun attractions including a bed of nails and an unusual game where you control the movement of a ball with your brain waves. Mary Beth soundly beat Daddy at that game!

Stay tuned for Part II!

Beach Trip

We were smart this year and went to the beach during the week BEFORE July 4th weekend. There were still crowds of people, but not so many that it looked like St. Simons Island would sink into the ocean. The munchkin got in plenty of good daddy/daughter time.

The ducks are always happy to see us!

Olympic Day

The athletes parade to the field! Go, Yellow Team!

Relay Race

50-Yard Dash

Soccer Relay

2nd Place Winner in Jumping Rope!

Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp

Kevin and I made this last week. I know it's a hit when he takes a bite and says, "Oh, this is awful. I don't know how I'll be able to make myself eat it." We served it with lime-cilantro rice and a salad. There were no leftovers.

Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp

1 pound shrimp, large, peeled, deveined and tails left on	pepper, freshly ground
3 tablespoon olive oil	1 cup orange juice
1 jalapeno pepper, very finely chopped	1/4 cup tequila
2 cloves garlic very finely chopped	1 shallot, finely chopped
zest of 1 lime	1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Coarse salt	1 tablespoon chives, fresh, chopped

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix oil, half the jalapeno, half the garlic and lime zest; season with salt and pepper. Fold in shrimp. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes up to 1 hour.

In a shallow saucepan, comine remaining jalapeno and garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, orange juice, tequila and shallots; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until mixture is thick and syrupy, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in butter; keep warm.

Heat a gas grill on high or stove-top grill pan over high heat. Grill shrimp, turning once, until just opaque, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter; pour tequila sauce over shrimp. Garnish with chives; serve immediately with lime wedges.