Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WEEKEND ON THE MOUNTAIN

My sister, Brenda, and her husband bought a little getaway place up Renegade Mountain about an hour from Knoxville.  I met her and Darla, her friend, there for the weekend.  I really didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised when I got there.  It is really a cozy little place.  Brenda wants to update it, but there is really nothing that has to be done to it.


This is the view from the back deck.  Amazing!!





No trip is complete without a little "retail therapy"!!  We drove into Knoxville on Saturday and did a little shopping and ate dinner.
While we were out shopping on Saturday, we decided to buy some paint to paint the living room/dining room/kitchen.  In my opinion, there is no better and cost-effective way to change a room than to paint it. 

 I love the difference it made in this area!  It seems so much more warm and inviting.

Even the sofa, which Brenda definitely wants to replace one day, looks better against the freshly-painted wall.  She plans to change out the tables and lamps and do some accessorizing as well.

Darla brought some steel cut oats for us to have for breakfast one morning.  I had already done some reading about them and that they are so much better for you than regular oats.  In fact, I had found a recipe that I wanted to make which called for steel cut oats.  Instead, I used regular oats and cooked it on top of the stove instead of in the crockpot.  It was really good!  I found it here: 

You have to cook the the steel cut oats for 15-20 minutes, and the texture is a little different, but I really like them.  And I really like that they are so good for you!

So, of course, when I got home I went to the grocery store and bought me some of them.  You can find them in the organic/specialty food section.
 

I can't wait to try the apple recipe again.  But, even so, it makes the perfect breakfast!!

 We had a great weekend!!  Although we don't get to see each other nearly as often as we would like, when we're together it's like we've never been apart.  I love my sister!!
 

2 comments:

  1. Nancy Forehand AblesApril 3, 2012 at 4:10 PM

    Love the beautiful picture of you and Brenda!! The mountain getaway looks amazing! And, I love your blog!! Thanks for sharing Susan!

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    1. Thanks, Nancy! Brenda and I don't see each other often enough. We really enjoyed the weekend together. Would love to see you! If the reunion comes together, I definitely want to be there.

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