Family Outings
North Georgia Zoo & Farm (Cleveland, GA)
North Georgia Zoo & Farm is a great place to visit with your family, especially if your kids enjoy animals.
That turtle and zebra have familiar faces…. Thankful that the girls still occasionally “humor” me with the cheesy pictures!
Baby goats!
This porcupine has a fantastic breakfast, look at all those fruits & veggies!
The beaver is munching on his veggies too!
Beautiful animal!
Are you sure you don’t have another treat for me!?
Albino Kangaroo napping in the shade!
Singing dog, so wanted to hear it actually sing!!!
Brina loving all the animals!
Jake and Karlie waiting for the Animal Show to start
Soft….of course the girls wanted at least one when they found out that they sale them at this location
Fascinating to watch it run awhile!
A lot softer than we expected.
Oasis Cedar Creek Cabin (Cleveland, GA)
Beautiful with the wood, large windows, and open floor plan!
My husband and I recently had a weekend away in Cleveland, Georgia while the girls were on a school field trip to Charleston, SC. The Oasis Cabin we stayed in was beautiful! It was in a great location with the peacefulness of the woods and mountains while conveniently located near Helen, Georgia if you wanted to go out to dinner or exploring. We ate at the Cowboys & Angels restaurant while in Helen which was very good. It was a much needed weekend away together.
The cabin was perfect and furnished with a lot of fun extras. It had simple yet beautiful decorations, not the typical “bears, fish, and other cabin decor”. The bath robes were very comfortable and we enjoyed playing several rounds of pool together. We played board games, ate out on the deck, and relaxed together. We could occasionally hear the construction workers who were building a couple of the surrounding cabins, but nothing too distracting.
There were some cleaning issues that we had with the cabin, but after emailing Cedar Creek Cabins with the information we originally felt like it was worth visiting Cedar Creek Cabins again to see if the experience is better. Now we are not sure if we will visit any of their cabins in the future.
We are still very thankful for a special weekend together. We went home refreshed and relaxed! Just wish the people taking care of the cabins followed through with their promises and that the cabins were cleaned better.
View from the pool table – looking towards the kitchen and bedroom areasPROS:
- Gorgeous cabin with a spacious floor plan, huge windows and a lot of nice features
- Pool Table & Board Games
- Fairly Private Back Deck
- Charcoal Grill
- Coffee Machine was really nice + they left a few coffee K-Cups to use as well as a re-usable one if you brought your own ground coffee
- Washer & Dryer
- Blender – wasn’t aware of this one prior to arriving, but we love smoothies
- Plenty of Storage for Food & Snacks in the cupboards
- Comfortable King Size Bed
- Super Soft Bath Robes
- Automatic Recliners in the Couch
- Fireplace
- Jacuzzi Bathtub the huge tub that was really comfortable, does take awhile to fill up though!
- Large Walk-in Dual Shower
- Hot Tub on Deck nice, but needed more chlorine had a mildew growing in it by the second night so we did not get into it again after that night
- 2 TV’s – one over the fireplace and the other by the bed & jacuzzi tub
- Nest Thermometer was easy to use
- Landscaping looked freshly done and really nice (new mulch)
- Nice Loveseat Wicker Furniture on the Deck could sit or lay down on it. We played games on the deck, ate snacks, and relaxed
- Small Community Playground – it was small and a little faded, but was a nice touch for any families coming to visit with small kids.
- Nice neighborhood – We felt safe enough to walk through the neighborhood and found several other families doing the same as well.
Super soft bathrobes!CONS:
- Check the Dishes prior to using! We found a lot of dirty dishes that had been put away, possibly from the previous renters, but most of them should have been noticed by the cleaning staff. For example – Several of the knives in the knife rack on the counter were very dirty with chunks of food on them. Multiple items (plates and cups) in the cupboards had food chunks on them and the bowls had liquid in them. If you opened the silverware drawer it was obvious by just looking that the silverware was not cleaned prior to being put back into the drawer. After pulling out several dirty items we ended up washing everything before using it. Thankfully we brought extra dishwasher soap and a bunch of disposable items because we ended up running all the silverware and a bunch of dishes through the dishwasher prior to leaving. If you are going to require guests to wash the dishes prior to checking out then the housekeeping staff really should do a quality inspection of the dishes when cleaning the cabin to make sure that they are actually clean prior to the next guests arrival. Honestly, it was gross and would have been an easy thing to correct while housekeeping was already in the cabin cleaning. We realize that it was most likely the previous guests that put dirty utensils, pots & pans, and serving items back in the cupboard, however, it was pretty obvious just by glancing that the dishes were put away dirty especially when opening the silverware drawer or pulling a plate out of the cupboard or a bowl with standing water in it. No one wants to wash dirty dishes from the previous guests in a cabin while on their vacation.
- Top rack of the dishwasher was missing the right end cap causing the rack to come off the roller or get stuck in place. Wasn’t a big deal other than it made using the top rack of the dishwasher more difficult to use.
- Bring extra toilet paper! We had 2 partial rolls of toilet paper that was supposed to last for 4 days for 2 people (the one on the roller was almost gone and the one on the back of the toilet was already half used). We ended up getting more toilet paper to get us through the weekend.
- Fireplace thongs would be very helpful when maintaining the fire. Not a huge problem just would make it more convenient for the guests staying in the cabin.
- Basic Cooking Supplies especially if you plan to cook. Maybe we cook more than the average guests or have stayed in cabins with a lot of “extras”. There was no cooking spray, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or pyrex dish or pie plate to cook in. One jelly roll pan and a set of pots & pans was it for baking.
- Ability to be a Gated Community, however, the gate was never locked (even though we were given a gate code) and we were in and out multiple times every day
- Rough Road with a lot of large pot holes the last half mile or so to the entry of the entrance. This is probably more of a county maintenance issue, but visitors need to be aware of the road condition as it is one you’ll want to the cabins so take it slow to avoid potholes.
- Some construction noise. This cabin community was obviously still being built. Several cabins next to us were still being built, overall the noise from construction was minimal (mostly hammers, saws, and normal construction noises). We could hear one of the workers radios playing if we were outside, there were several port-a-potties near our cabin, and they did work on both Saturday and Sunday so there was construction activity even on the weekend.
- No Cabin Signage. Had to call them to figure out which cabin it was because there were no signs and we drove around the entire complex twice. They told us where it was located and said that the construction workers had knocked over the sign and one was on order.
- Need updated directions. Followed the directions exactly, but it appears that they have added more cabins and roads since writing the instructions because they did not lead to the correct cabin.
- High Speed Internet – while they did have internet it did drop a few times or was really slow. It may have been from all the construction around us because we noticed it most on Friday of our stay.
- Landline Phone – while it was nice having the phone in the cabin we got multiple phones call from people trying to solicit money and/or services. After a day we ended up unplugging the phone because the only time it rang was when someone was trying to advertise their services and we had our cell phones that worked decently while at the cabin.
Overall we had a refreshing and relaxing time together. The cabin itself was gorgeous and other than the kitchen the rest of the cabin was fairly clean. The housekeeping not checking the dishes and the property managers failure to follow through with their promises were our biggest disappointments, really all else was minor and expected with a new community.
We contacted the property managers and they were apologetic regarding the dirty items in the cabin. They also offered to give us a discount on our next stay in any of their cabins. We let them know that we were staying at another one of their cabins again in April with our kids. Gave them the dates, the cabin we were staying in and everything, but never heard back from them again regarding the discount.
We held off posting the review because we wanted to give them a second chance prior to posting it. We feel like they dropped the ball in a few ways and not convinced that it would be a company we would use again which is sad because they are within a reasonable driving distance from home making it a convenient weekend place to visit. Plus the cabins could really be a wonderful relaxing and enjoyable place to stay especially if you don’t have to clean up the previous guests messes!
PLEASE for the sake of your future guests make sure that the cabins are cleaned better no one wants to pull out dishes with the last guests food on them AND don’t offer to fix issues or offer a discount on future stays if you do not intend to honor that promise.
View from the kitchen & dining area bedroom, jacuzzi tub, and shower
Relaxing on the deck lounge. Comfortable and relaxing!
Decorations were simple and elegant. Not the typical “cabin” decor which was really nice!
Loved hanging out with my man for the weekend!
Relaxing on the couch in front of the toasty fire!Three Ways Your Family can Welcome in a New Year!
With a new year comes a lot of excitement! The feeling of a fresh start in many areas of our lives, planning for future events and adventures, new goals, and more! Everyday is a blessing! While we welcome in the New Year don’t forget to reflect on the many blessings that you have enjoyed over the past year(s). I encourage you to initiate a conversation with your family (it can be during a family dinner, game night, or any good time when everyone is present). During this family time focus on these three things as a family to start off your New Year right. This time together will make a positive impact on the hearts and lives of each individual family member and is worth it:
- Reflect back the fun memories and blessings of 2016! Often the hardest part with this stage is getting the ball rolling. Before the family time create a list of several good family memories to get it started. Mention one and let others input their memories tied into that event as well as start adding their own memories. Give everyone a chance who wants to talk the opportunity. If there is a pause bring up a different memory to keep them going. Before long you’ll be laughing and the kids will be bringing up memories connected to the event or new ones that you forgot about. This is a wonderful way to end a year and begin a new one.
- Take a moment to think about the tough times over the past year! While the harder times are not easy to deal with or will bring back sadness or emotions they still have an impact on our lives. Sometimes during these times of discussion you realize that a family member is still struggling with something. Whether it is grief over a lost pet or loved one, anger, frustration, or something else. This is a good time to gauge how everyone is doing and give you an opportunity to encourage each other or help those family members heal. The love and support you receive from those around you can make an incredible impact on your life as you continue to move forward. Knowing you are not alone, you are loved, and you have a team of people who want to help you can help the family member heal more quickly. (Do not use this time to point out problems with each other, but to talk about harder times and to encourage. Some topics made need to be tabled for a later and more lengthy conversation) It will give you a good insight into your children and some ideas of what to help encourage them with over the next few weeks as they continue to grow and heal.
- Look ahead! As one year wraps up and a new one begins it is a great time to set some goals both personally and as a family. Use this time to set family goals together. There may be some activities that the kids have been wanting to do, but you have been letting it slip not even realizing that it was very important to them. The goals discussed during this family time should be family related, although they most definitely have a personal impact on each family member. Write these goals down and review them weekly or monthly or regularly throughout the year to remind the family members of what is important to the family as a whole. This also provides a lead in for each of the members to think about their personal goals. It allows a great opportunity to have a group of people focused on similar goals and encouraging each other along the way. Some family goal ideas (eat healthier, regular family game night, monthly date night with spouse and each child, daily family devotions, learn a new skill together, plan a family vacation, weekly family night, quarterly family service project, etc…). Make a point to write the ideas down and either make a decision that day or within a few days on the family goals. Type up a list, print it or email it to each family member so that they can be reminded of the ways your family is working together to create stronger bonds, happy memories, and improving lives.
Setting aside a time when everyone is together can be difficult, however it is important. It can be during a family dinner, game night, or another time when the family is together. Make sure it is a convenient time with as little distractions as possible. A time when everyone is more relaxed (not hungry, ready for bed, or trying to multi-task while having this conversation). The reflecting on memories helps create a happy bond, the tough times allow family members to see that they are not alone and have the support of people who love them, and looking ahead gives you the opportunity to improve and grow into a better individuals and family unit. If you do write down the family goals please do your best to follow through as much as possible because these goals are important to the members.
Life has a way of staying busy. Taking the time to spending reflecting on good memories as a way has a way of bringing everyone together. It may cause some laughter, tears, and healing. It is good to be reminded of the many blessings in our life and to realize that we are journeying through this life together. Yes, we make mistakes along the way, but we can can make the best of it and have a lot of fun too. Many blessings to you and your family this 2017 New Year!!!
Travel & Vacation: Family Vacation…..Way Up NORTH!!!
Picture of the last Alaska Airline plane we got on!
North to ALASKA!!! We took a family vacation to Alaska this summer! We had a blast! We packed a lot in our time in Alaska. We flew Alaska Airlines. The girls did amazing on all the flights. We flew through the night both on the way to Alaska and on the way home too. They went through the airports fine, helped with the luggage, entertained themselves on the plane (and even rested). Thankful for kids who love to travel and explore new places.
Jake and the girls getting on the plane….notice they are entering the back half the plane. First time on this type of plane!
Sleeping Beauty on the plane!
Another one bites the dust….
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends. We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time). The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives. Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for an opportunity to spend a day with my cousin Renelle and her family. We even were able to go to Estates Park, a hike, and visit to Bear Lake. It was great spending time with family and in the Rocky Mountains!
Tuesday – Thankful for a chance to explore the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. The girls especially loved the Robotic Revolution exhibit! We spent a few hours there prior to going to the airport.
Wednesday – Thankful for safety as we flew back on South Carolina. Our flight was delayed, but we made it home with about 2 hours to spare before heading into work. Grateful for our friends who took really great care of our house and pets while we were away!
Thursday – Thankful for the girls help in getting the suitcases unpacked from our trip and for a full nights sleep back in our own beds!
Friday – Thankful that the kids had a chance to hang out with their friends from church at a pool party.
Saturday – Thankful for an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and his family, Luke and Kristen! Always great catching up and the kids played well together!
Sunday – Thankful for a chance to celebrate Father’s Day with Jake. We spent actual Father’s Day with extended family and waited until we were back home to celebrate with Jake. It was fun hanging out together and having fun. Thankful for Jake and everything he does for our family!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a wonderful week packed with adventures and memories with family and friends. We were able to spend time with people we hadn’t seen in quite awhile and meet some sweet little ones (new nieces and nephews that we are meeting for the first time). The girls have had a blast meeting the sweet babies, playing with family and friends, spending time with cute animals, and making memories with a lot of people in our lives. Thankful for an opportunity to travel and catch up with family from a variety of different areas.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for the an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s cousin and family. See a little bit of Boston with its great history. As well as a chance to catch up with our great friends Mike and Ashley with their little ones in Maine.
Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are like family that we can spend time with and have a blast whenever we get together. It was wonderful catching up with Mike & Ashley. The girls were thrilled to meet Savannah, sweet girl with lots of personality, and Bradley. Grateful for the ability to fly as we head out to see my family in the Midwest, even though going through airports can be an adventure it does save time if were are wanting to see people that are spread out over many miles and more on a specifically on a limited time frame.
Wednesday – Thankful for a chance to spend some time on the farm in Kansas with my parents and family. The girls always love time spending with the family and animals.
Thursday – Thankful for time in the Midwest with extended family. Grateful that we can see a number of people in this area.
Friday – Thankful for another day with extended family. The girls have grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and more people to enjoy time with during our stay.
Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Colorado to see my cousin Renelle and her family.
Sunday – Thankful for some time to hang out with extended family in the Denver, Fort Collins, Johnston areas.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week fun filled week with a lot of work, travel, time with extended family, and neat activities. Thankful for an opportunity to travel for a few days to spend catching up with family. I added the weekend since this week as well. Grateful for safety as we traveled to see people and for the wonderful memories that were made along the way.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week.
Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful for the girls help in getting some tasks done around the house. It was a busy day of prepping and packing. The girls packed their entire suitcases by themselves so that saved me time from rounding up all their items and getting them in the suitcase.
Tuesday – Thankful for friends that are willing to watch our house and pets while we were away visiting family in New England. It is good knowing that the everything is being cared for while we are away.
Wednesday – Thankful for a job that I can work part time so I can travel with my family as well. Jake dropped me off at work this morning and picked me up early afternoon to drive to the airport so we could fly out to see family in New England. Also, grateful for airplanes and the ability to travel places relatively quickly. Thankful safety in our travels.
Thursday – Thankful for time to spend with Jake’s Mom and grandparents in Vermont. It was cooler in Vermont but the girls had a grand time with Grandma Kay, Nana, PopPop, and their chickens, puppy, and exploring the woods.
Friday – Thankful for another fun filled day in Vermont to spend time with family.
Saturday – Thankful for a safe trip to Connecticut and an opportunity to spend time with Jake’s Dad. The girls had a blast!
Sunday – Thankful for a safe trip to Massachusetts to visit with Jake’s cousin Matt and his family.
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
Brina & Karlie’s 5th Grade Graduation Party & Celebration!
Brina and Karlie with Mrs. Johnson at their Graduation Celebration Party! Mrs. Johnson was Karlie’s homeroom teacher in 2nd Grade, taught Karlie in Gift & Talented Program from 3rd grade up, and was both girls STEM Club Coach for 2 years. Excellent teacher!!!
Such a sweet Daddy spent a lot of time helping get ready for this big day including helping cut starfish, decorate, blow up balloons, and so much more. Thankful to have a partner that pitches in and takes the time to celebrate with the kids!
Luau theme at the Grad Party! The kids had a blast!
Karlie with her homeroom teacher Mr. Moore and her friend David! Mr. Moore was an awesome teacher!
Brina hanging out with her friend at the party!
Sweet Sisters! Thankful for these two girls!Counting My Blessings: Week In Review
It was a week packed full of a lot of emotions. With the girls wrapping up at a school they have been attending the past 7 years it has been quite a stepping stone for us. We are grateful to all the teachers and administration at Crosswell Elementary for the amount of time, energy, and attention they have invested in our girls education. They have made a positive and lasting impression on our kids. Wish we could take some of the amazing teachers with us to Middle school. We are excited to see what Middle School will bring and know that the kids will probably adjust quicker and better than at least their Mom because with them moving up a school their growing up seems more real. Love my girls and very proud of what they have accomplished over the past year! There was so much to be thankful for last week.
I want to be accountable to you so the following are snip-its of some of the things I am thankful for this past week. Counting My Blessings – Week In Review:
Monday –Thankful to have the laundry room renovation started and that we were still able to get the laundry done so none of us have to run around wearing dirty clothes!
Tuesday – Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with the girls after school that didn’t include doing a bunch of homework. We even had a few extra minutes to do a rapid quick clean up around the house and read some more of our books together. LOVE catching both of the girls reading independently on their own during free time (for those who know our family you know that for one of our kids this is a really big deal)!
Wednesday – Thankful for time after work to spend with other Mom’s at school prepping for the kids 5th grade Graduation Celebration Party. We were able to get a lot accomplished and organized during our time together.
Thursday – Thankful for Brina’s hard work on her “Cupcakes on the Rise” Science Fair Project because we were able to see her accept a 1st Place Trophy, Medals, Certificate, and Cash Prize (we had no idea there was a cash prize as well) for the Regional Science Fair! Very proud of our Brina Bee!
Friday – Thankful for an opportunity to watch the girls Graduation and Awards Ceremony! They did fantastic and both kids received numerous awards, medals, pins, certificates, trophies and other cool awards for all that they had accomplished throughout this year. Also, Karlie received a trophy for getting all A’s her entire Elementary School years. Super proud of these kids and the effort they put into their learning. Praying they continue to have the love of learning as they get older!
What are you thankful for today? I encourage you to take the time to write down a few blessings that you have in your life today. It will help cheer you up and turn your focus on the amazing blessings you encounter each day!
School Activities, “Snow White & The Prince,” and Roller Skating!
Our girls at Falls ParkThese last few weeks have been a whirlwind of fun with Jake & I going on our anniversary cruise, the girls school activities, fun adventures, work, and more!
Here’s a little snip-it of some of the school and fun activities Brina & Karlie have been up to lately -“Snow White & The Prince” Play at the Peace Center, a School Roller Skating Fundraiser, Beta Club Induction Ceremony just to name a couple. Very proud of both girls for their hard work at school. They were both accepted into Chorus, STEM Club, National Beta Club (for maintaining an A or A-B grades for their past year in school), Library Assistants, Safety Patrol as well as a number of other school related extra-curricular activities. I had no idea how busy 5th grade could be! Thankful for their hard work, positive attitudes, and their love of learning!
Hanging out with the family!
Skating with Daddy!
Beta Club inductions!
Snow White & The Prince at the Peace Center
