Introducing Sofie May!

We had a new addition to our family
 in October.

This is Sofie!

We weren't planning on getting another dog.

It had been a year since I lost Lucy and it was

still not an option (click here for last post).

But then a friend's daughter shared a 

Facebook post with me.

It was too soon, yet it seemed like fate 

had different plans.

I'm all about rescue dogs and this  

Yorkie baby was in need of our love.
By then I was sure someone else would
find her before we were able to make
contact with the rescue people. When I
finally heard back we set up a day for a
meet-and-greet. Responsible rescue
 groups always check  out the new people
 before placing their rescues in homes. 

That went great. Poor little girl was frightened
 and took a while to warm up in a scary
situation. She's just about 2 years old.
We would be able to pick up our new girl
 later that week after her visit to
the vet for her spay surgery. 

Here she is on her ride home. 

Her first week in her furever home with 

us was calm as she need TLC during her

recovery and adjustment to her new home.

Since then she's become a joy! She just such
a happy little dog, very affectionate,
playful, and smart.

One morning she brought me a tennis ball
that she found by herself. I roll it to her
and she brings it back to me. I've never
 had a Yorkie do that. It's now part of
 our morning routine. She'll find a ball.

After a while she discovered introduced us
to the fun of retrieving balls in the yard.
Sofie just loves to run and play.

She even brought me a tennis ball while I
was taking a bubble bath. How cute!

She has been a happy little traveler too. 

We've taken several road trips to

 North Carolina and Georgia and she's been
enjoying the sights and hikes.

 Found a good spot in the bear bedroom at
our condo in North Carolina.

 She loves to hike with us.

Here she is "backpacking" with Daddy.

She loves to visit the small towns.

All snuggled on her bear pillow in NC.

 In Florida we sit outside each evening
to watch the sunset and maybe play a
little tennis ball toss.

 She fits into Lucy's hand-me-downs,

 so she has quite the wardrobe for all
the holidays.

 She's a late sleeper, cause she likes
to snuggle as long as possible.

She's all packed with her brush, sweaters
and toys for our second road trip to see
the family in Atlanta for Thanksgiving.
She made sure we didn't forget her
favorite tennis balls.

 Georgia. We are meant to be!

 Everybody crashed after our delicious
Thanksgiving Dinner.

 Then it's on the road again back to NC
before continuing on North.

 Catching a small town Christmas parade
in Bryson City, NC.

 Dreaming of many more happy days
with her new Mom and Dad.

 On to New Jersey to see more family,
then Vermont, then back to Atlanta for
Christmas and home again to Florida.
It's been quite a trip!

Love from Sofie and

Links: Between Naps On The Porch, Facebook,

Summer Screen Door

I'm sharing another post from our Smoky Mt.

Cabbage (condo), part cabin, part cottage.

What's a summer cabbage without a screen

 door? A screen door is a summer

  must-have. It lets in more light and 

the summer breeze. Ah! and that summer 

sound of a screen door slamming shut!

This closed door does NOT say summer!

We found a wood screen door for under $20 

at Home Depot. Larry stained it with leftover 

trim stain he got from the maintenance crew. 

He added the hardware and  installed it in 

no time. I love it!

Even the doggies love looking out now.

It looks very nice at the front deck.

And it looks very nice from the inside too.

Let there be light!

Cheers!

To see  more North Carolina Cabbage
 pictures HERE, or click on the category
 North Carolina on the list at right side. 

Links: Dwellings, Coastal Charm,
Between Naps On The Porch,
A Stroll Thru Life, Stone Gable, 

North Carolina Deck Dining

When we are at our place in North Carolina

we have all of our meals on the back deck.  

It's our favorite place to be.

 View below deck to the golf course.

We watch the hummingbirds while we

have coffee and breakfast in the morning

Its a large deck off the back of the "cabbage".

(part cabin, part cottage)

At night we light the hurricane lamps 

and turn on the little white lights.

Larry hung them under the railing.

Set for dinner.

Can't wait to go back!

Cheers!

Links: Between Naps On The Porch,
My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage,

How I Found My Tobacco Basket

I've been keeping my eye out for a tobacco

 basket for years. I was hoping to find one

 on my travels for a good deal.

It needed to be authentic.

I was very lucky to find this one leaning
against the side of a dilapidated garage in
 a big overgrown yard in North Carolina.

We were storing our trailer there until
we drove up again to pick it up. 

The owner of the property didn't own the
basket.  He would try to contact the lady
that did. I was not leaving without a good
effort. We went to lunch in town and
I checked back with him later. 

Still no contact with the lady.

He promised to try again. 

We ran some errands...translation: I was
stalling to hit the road until all efforts
 have been exhausted.

Stenciled edges

On my next call he said that she was not
interested in selling. She knew what she had.
Now a normal person would give up at this
point. That's why they don't have elusive
treasures. I asked if she would be
interested in a trade. 

He'll get back to me.

Morristown, NC

We drove back to the lot and met with the
 lady. We chatted a bit and I offered her
the pick of any item that was in my trailer.

It was basically stuff I had accumulated
from garage sales and bulk trash days.
 Things I didn't want.
She liked a tile top table.

 DEAL! 

The table had a rustic North Carolina style
that wasn't going to work in Florida anyway
...PLUS I had picked it up for FREE on one
of my bulk trash day rounds.
So the tobacco basket cost me nothing.

Everybody was happy, as all deals should go.

Here's the best part. She had 2 baskets! 

TWO!

I basically got 2 huge antique tobacco
baskets for FREE.
But wait there's MORE!

 I sold one when we got home for $165.

Next, finding just the right spot for 

this 4' x 4' beauty. 

I first cleaned it up and oiled it up to

 protect the wood and bring out it's color.

  We first tried it in the family room 

on top of the wall unit. It looked
terrible there!

We strung little lights around and through.

After testing the lights first, they didn't

work in spots after we strung them...

as all Christmas lights do!

We finally found the perfect spot in 

the dining room above the large

antique cupboard. It was meant to

be there! The lighted pinecone basket

was already there. We took down the

antique beveled glass widow and

will use that in a better spot with

natural light. 

I just love, love it!

Cheers!

Links: Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram,
Between Naps On The Porch