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i wanted to share some snippets of our recent trip the the south. over the course of the 10 days we were gone, we were in tennessee, alabama, georgia, south carolina, north carolina, and then back to tennessee! there was a lot of driving, but it was balanced with visits with family, and plenty of relaxing.
here goes!

we spent our first night in nashville at the gaylord opryland hotel. i had read a lot of negative reviews on trip advisor, and i almost didn't want to stay, but it was fine. we went more for the experience of staying here, and not for some fancy weekend or anything.

first things---it is HUGE. for real. we spent a lot of time just trying to find the right entrance lobby!

here is a map of the place, just in case you think I'm fibbing:


the place is completely decked out for the holidays! there are a lot of shows to see and restaurants and shops IN the hotel--you could stay the entire weekend here and never leave.



 the next day, we visited the full scale replica of the parthenon.


inside, was an open area, with a high statue of athena...some of the first percy jackson movie was filmed here!

honestly, inside it was kinda boring. not sure i would pay the $6 fee to get in again. it took us like 15 minutes to walk through the entire thing.
but there was some eye candy, like these MASSIVE bronze doors....

the detail on them is incredible.

there is another set of doors that leads to the front entrance that are even bigger!

seriously, they were so amazing....apparently they are some of the largest and heaviest doors in existence in the world.


there were also some beautiful railings:


and now, onto alabama, where a stop at my husbands favorite BBQ place is always a must.

we also went to see the US space and rocket center in huntsville. totally worth a visit! we really enjoyed it. there was tons of stuff to do for kids of all ages.


there was also an exhibit on da vinci, which we all loved. my favorite was a section dedicated to the mona lisa.

there have been all kinds of studies on how the painting looks to us now, versus the way it was ACTUALLY painted. time has taken a toll on the painting over the years, and so it was really neat to see the studies behind how it would have looked right after it was painted.

now:
(what we are used to seeing)


then:
what it would have looked like when da vinci painted it.
do you see how blue the mountains are?
and how gold her velvet sleeves are?
i found it fascinating.

 after thanksgiving with family in alabama, we headed for the coast.
we spent the next several days in seabrook island, south carolina with lots of views like this:
 and this:
 and this:

we visited the angel oak--one of the largest live oak trees in the world---free to see and definitely worth a peek!


we also spent some time visiting fort moultrie--and old fort that has been around since the late 1700's.
it has terrific view of fort sumpter and downtown charleston. it was super cheap to tour---something like $3 per person. totally worth it if you like history.

my little man, grady, who wore this sweatshirt almost every day of our trip!


we LOVE charleston!
i was actually pregnant with charlotte when allen and i came here on an anniversary trip.
we had already decided to name our baby charlotte and loved seeing this street sign.
12 years later, here is my little angel!


every time we go, we always walk around the straw market. i remember coming here as a kid---it was a lot less commercial then, but there are still some neat things to discover.

(i brought back one of these butterfly displays!)



i have been to charleston many times but this is the first time i have been in the fall. i was NOT expecting it to be so warm and LUSH.

i mean, how gorgeous is this??

 
i love shutters. especially when they are done "right".



i really, really want to live somewhere that looks like THIS in december.
i mean, come on!

 a fabulous light fixture.

metal fence detail.


isn't this gorgeous?

*sigh.
it wasn't nearly enough time, but i enjoyed every minute of it.
 thanks for tagging along!

(and a quick update--my internet is working again--YAY!)

 
the large star was a clearance purchase last year at pier 1. i love the hugeness of it!


another look at the nativity backdrop.





 i made this crystal + nut garland a few years ago, and i LOVE pulling it out every year and figuring where to put it. you can see how i made it here.










i put some garland and glass balls on the chandelier to free it up a bit.

 my entry table, with my antlers, a fresh wreath and some leftover crystal garland.
this vignette makes me happy. :)




 i "took back" the tree this year!
for the last 10 years, our tree has been a collection of family ornaments, and mismatched decorations.  while i have loved it, i was ready for a more grown up tree this year.
AND, we broke down and bought a fake tree this year. at first, i wasn't sure i was going to like it, but after having it up for a week, and having zero needles on the floor, i am IN LOVE.


 
i actually made these little striped ornaments from some 47 cent paper mache ones that i found at michaels.




 (these are some more paper mache ornaments that i painted.) i like the touch of black that they add to the tree!

materials for this project:
*1 2 x 6 board, cut to fit your nativity. mine is 16" long
*nativity set. i bought mine at walmart
*long holiday picks. i used 11 for my board
*ivory/white spray paint
*stain for board
*pencil
*drill/drill bit
*measuring tape
*sandpaper
*wire cutters
(optional star--mine was bought last year on clearance from pier 1)


the first thing i did was figure out where to place the holes for my picks.

 

i penciled in an X or O where i needed to drill.
after i drilled the holes, i lightly sanded them to remove any sharp edges.


the figures were all sprayed with white paint. i used fusion paint (good for plastic) since my figures are made of resin.





i bought some spray "stain/polyurethane in one", but it was a bust. the color was much lighter than promised, and it went on streaky. i had some stain leftover from when we tested colors for our hardwood floors, and so i used "dark walnut" from minwax.


the picks were cut down in order to fit into the drilled holes. sorry i didn't get a picture of me ACTUALLY cutting them. i kinda like my fingers and want them to stay attached to my body!
here's the aftermath:


and, the finished product!






you can see a little peek of my holiday decor in these pictures! i will be posting a holiday tour of my house later this week!