Foothills Parkway & Gatlinburg Shenanigans

Happy Weekend Y'all!!! 

This past week has been completely full of snow, mountains, and magic. 

There is something magical about snow, especially high up in the mountains. Whenever it snows, Nathan and I like to cruise into the mountains because the beauty never disappoints.
Last week, the hubs and I were super excited about our first "snow." Knoxville only got a few flurries, but we knew the mountains would have more!
Up we went, into the Foothills Parkway!

We were hoping to see much more snow, but it was still a gorgeous day and enough snow to tie us over until the next "real" snowfall!

On a separate occasion, hubby and I went up into Gatlinburg! It has probably been a few years since we have been up there.

As soon as we drove into Gatlinburg, we were ready for some breakfast/lunch.

Pancake Pantry ended up being our decision, and wow, that was a HUGE mistake.

Nathan and I were both incredibly disappointed with Pancake Pantry. It wasn't very busy, but we waited a while for a hostess to sit us at a table. Then we waited forever for one of the many waitresses to come by just get our drinks and give us silverware. We were both starving so we each ordered omelettes. Nathan had the ham and cheese, and I ordered a western omelette. When our plates arrived, I think I actually laughed out loud. The "omelette" I ordered, was literally cooked flat eggs with vegetables (barely cooked), and a non-melted cheese slice on top. The three tiny pancakes on the side were nothing special. For $15 EACH a plate, it was ridiculous. Even the maple syrup was watered down. Phew, at least now we know we won't be going back there. Luckily, Gatlinburg has TONS of other pancake/breakfast restaurants around the area. 

After our sad breakfast, we walked around "The Village" area in Gatlinburg to cheer us up.

I adore the old European feel you get in The Village section.

The Spice & Tea Exchange

Pop Culture

I was thrilled when I saw there was a "Zi Olive" store! We had a Zi Olive right down the road from us not too long ago, but they left! Their gourmet olive oil's and balsamic vinegars are delicious and make cooking easier!

I had to try the smoked pecan olive oil, and it was alright. However, the employee had me try it mixed WITH the Kentucky Bourbon balsamic vinegar and WOW that was SO GOOD! 

I'm looking forward to trying these for some new recipes soon!

Wednesday was National Hot Cocoa Day! I've been celebrating with hot cocoa quite a bit this season. 😏

As far as Christmas music goes...there is no better Christmas song than "O'Holy Night," and my favorite version is O Holy Night - Glee Cast

 It's a gorgeous song, and this version does this song completely beautifully. 

However, if you do enjoy something more modern (I do, as well), try out (on iTunes) Kaskade Christmas! I've enjoyed this album a LOT this Holiday Season! It's modern and unique!!

QUESTIONS:

* How do you enjoy your Hot Cocoa?

* What is your favorite Christmas Song?

* What is your favorite Christmas movie?

First Snow Recap!

Wednesday was the first snow day of 2016 in Knoxville! It feels like it has been forever since we have had snow here, so it was a pleasant surprise! Watching the snow fall with a hot cup of coffee (usually with a cat on my lap) is one of my favorite relaxing things to do. It snowed quite a bit, but unfortunately did not take long to melt away on Thursday.

First snowfall on Wednesday:

After playing around in the snow for a little bit this week, I came inside to work on another chalk paint project. My jewelry armoire!

Before:

I used the Americana Decor brand again. I chose the color "Yesteryear," which is a beautiful light grey with some blue tint in it. 

I wanted to show you how you want the first coat to look - very streaky. A little paint goes a long way!

After:

The jewelry armoire turned out perfect, but blends in a little too much with my blue walls. I'll have to place it in front of my accent wall (dark grey) so it pops out better!

Thursday, the hubby and I both had the day off, so we grabbed some Starbucks and ventured up toward Tellico Plains and Cherohala Skyway.  We're always ready for an adventure!

Our first Starbucks of 2016!! 

Bald River Falls is one of my favorite places to go in that area, so we stopped to take some pictures.

Isn't it gorgeous?!

The sun came out for a second!

Cherohala Skyway is such a fun scenic drive, no matter what season it is!

Today we woke up to a little bit of snow on the ground - maybe half an inch or so. Looks like the "blizzard" missed Knoxville this time. 

Even though it wasn't a ton of snow, I went outside to play around and to build a tiny snowman. 

I had on about 4 layers to keep myself warm! I would be lost without my Columbia jacket!! It's the best!

Our patio heater puts out some good heat! It was nice having it on so I could sit and not freeze to death!

I grabbed my Canon 60d to take some pictures of the birds in our backyard. I love sitting out there (even in the cold) watching the birds. The bluejays are my favorite!

Finally, I decided to hang out with Riley for a while inside, WITH my heated blanket on & coffee in hand! Tonight will probably be dedicated to marathoning shows on our Amazon Prime TV. Nathan and I have become addicted to watching the show "Orphan Black." We have binge watched the first two seasons already! Orphan Black seriously is amazing, and the acting is phenomenal! I HIGHLY recommend checking it out!

Riley sure enjoys the little heater! He just lays in front of it, soaking in all the warmth! We're pretty spoiled!    :)

I hope ya'll are staying warm and safe in this weather!

Is it snowing where you are? 

Do you have cabin fever?

Do you like to go outside in the snow?