Elder's Mill Covered Bridge

Joel and I are both enjoying this new season of summer.  I finished up my spring quarter class on Thursday.  So, I am officially off for one week, then I start a summer class for a month.  Joel started classes on the 5th, but his schedule is MUCH less hectic than during the semester.  Yesterday we took advantage of our new schedules and took some time to galavant around Oconee county - specifically Watkinsville.

The main thing we went to find was Elder's Mill Covered Bridge.  It is one of the few covered bridges still standing in Georgia.  It is also unique because it still carries traffic...yes I said people still drive over it!!  I must say that Joel and I were not comfortable with that idea...so we parked a little before we got to the bridge and walked down to see it!  We were much happier with that decision.  :)

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy:

 Proof that people still drive over it!  (Just not us :))

The view underneath the bridge.

Wooden pegs holding it together

Vote! Free Credit Report Contest

Hey Y'all,

Please go vote for this group that is trying out to be the Free Credit Report.com band.  These guys are from Starkville, and are a great group of guys that are very musically talented.  You can vote once a day from now until June 21st!  Click on the video to watch and vote, or click on the Go Vote below to go to the page where you can cast your vote!

Go Vote!

Pleated Purse

This afternoon I set out to work on a project.  In the middle of working on a cute pleated purse, I made supper and stopped to make Joel some spice tea.  Unfortunately, Joel is not feeling well...he is coughing his head off and very congested.  Hopefully he will get better soon!

Anyway, back to the project.  Tonight I finished up the purse.  It is a really cute pattern that is free here.  It was a great easy pattern.  It took me a couple of hours to complete - including the distractions mentioned earlier.  I had never done pleats on anything...so easy and I think they make something ordinary a little unique!  Also, I had never put on a magnetic snap.  Overall, the magnetic snap was easy to work with.  The instructions on the back of the box called for you to add a small piece of cardboard to help reinforce the snap.  At first I was unsure of what to use, but then I went to the pantry and looked around.  I ended up using a flap from a nutri grain bar box...but any cereal box material would work nicely I think.

The fabric that I used for the outer part of the purse is an Amy Butler piece that I got for free at the local quilt shop on the shop birthday.  I really like the pattern and think it looks nice as a purse.

So...enough talk.  Here are a few pictures:

Brayden's Quilt

So, I should have posted these pictures a LONG time ago...but better late than never.  In March, Joel and I got to visit with my friend Brooke and meet little Brayden.  He is so adorable, and I was so excited to get to hold him.

I wanted to make him something special, so I made him a small baby quilt.  This was the second quilt I have made doing machine quilting.  I used a walking foot (first time using one of those), which worked out really well.

Close up of Brayden's Quilt

I used these - Micron Pigma pens that allowed me to write directly on the fabric for the quilt label.

Here is a picture of the front of the quilt.  The back is a polka dot blue flannel...I hoped it would be nice and soft for little Brayden.

Family Weekend

Joel and I traveled to MS this weekend to spend some time with family. My sister and her family moved into a new house about a month ago, and we had not gotten to see it yet.

Also, we needed to meet two new babies. My friend Brooke had her baby boy a month ago Saturday, and Aunt Abbi couldn't wait to meet little Brayden! And, of course, we needed to meet little Harris, our new nephew. Overall, it was a great weekend and nice to spend some time with the family.

New living room

Mom & Dad enjoying the day on the porch.

We played cards all morning while enjoying the porch and the nice weather.

JM, Maddi, and I played on the trampoline for a while too.

Precious Brayden

Brayden and his little protector, Belle!

Beautiful little Harris

Rebekah, the big sister

Sanders, the older brother

Wynn, the older brother

Uncle Joel and Harris

Rebekah got a big girl haircut. It looks very cute!

Introducing...

Harris Wise Oakley

Born: 11:59 am this morning
Weight: 8 pounds 13 ounces, 22 inches long

Joel and I are very excited to have a new nephew. We can't wait to meet him in person, but for now this picture will have to do!

Everyone is doing well. Thanks for all the prayers!

South Carolina

Joel and got to enjoy a weekend in South Carolina. We went to visit Jeremy and Amber (who we knew at MSU) in Clemson, S.C., which happens to only be an hour and a half from us. It is hard for us to get used to being so close to things.

On Saturday we spent the day exploring some local landmarks and enjoying the beautiful weather. We could not have asked for better weather...mid to high 70's with a nice breeze. I pulled out the shorts for the first time this season.

The first stop on our galavant was Stumphouse Tunnel. Click on the link to learn more about it...it was quite cold in the tunnel! There is a draft that flows through it year round...would definitely be a nice place in July!

Stumphouse Tunnel

Right in the same area as Stumphouse is a nice waterfall, Issaqueena Falls. We took some pictures from the top of the fall, and then we hiked down close to the falls to get some better pictures.

Abbi & Joel at Issaqueena Falls

Issaqueena Falls

Jeremy & Amber at Issaqueena Falls

After we spent some time at Issaqueena Falls, we headed to Caesar's Head. We drove all the way up the mountain to get a great view.

View from Bald Rock...on the way up to Caesar's Head

Lake view from Caesar's Head

And finally, to end the day we drove to Greenville to check out the downtown. It was one of the prettiest downtown I have seen.

River in Falls Park - downtown Greenville, S. C.

Falls Park

Waterfall at Falls Park

Suspension bridge at Falls Park

Pretty tree at Falls Park

I hope y'all were able to enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. Looking forward to more nice weather!

It's Really March!

It is hard to believe how fast this year is already going. March is a big month for us in the birthday department. We will celebrate Joel's birthday next week, hopefully with some chocolate covered strawberries (he really likes those) and maybe cupcakes (I like cupcakes, haha :)). We also have a nephew who will celebrate his birthday this month. He is getting so big...crazy!

Also, we will be adding to our nephew count at the very end of this month on the Oakley side. We can't wait to meet the new little guy in less than a month! Hopefully, we will get to see him not too long after he is born and celebrate with the family.

My friend Brooke will be having her little boy sooner than expected. She was not due until the end of March, but she and Justin are excited about Brayden's arrival on Wednesday (if all goes as planned). I can't wait to meet him and get some pictures of him!

Joel is enjoying his week of Spring Break that officially started today. In Mississippi, he always got his birthday off during SB, but here, he will have to celebrate a week early. :) Today he has been enjoying some time playing Super Mario Bros. for Wii. He stays extremely busy during the semester, so I am glad that he can take a little time for himself. (He still has to do some homework this week, but at least nothing is due!)

I am off for part of the week. Two of the classes I teach are at a school that is on the quarter system. Unfortunately the end of the quarter ends one week after Spring Break, which I do get at the other school. So, this week, I have classes on Monday and Wednesday, but I get the rest of the week off. I am certainly not complaining. I am glad to be getting SB! :) I checked the book "A Time Traveler's Wife" out from the library this weekend. It has been nice to have a book to read while recovering from the flu, and hopefully, I will get to read a good bit this week while I am off.

I hope you have had a taste of this beautiful weather that we were given today. Here's to hoping it stays for a bit!

Quilt border & Snow!

Just wanted to write a quick update and show you the border I put on the crazy quilt. I really like the small pattern in the fabric I found for the border.


Last night the prediction for the weather was that we would get snow...I really wasn't convinced. However, as of about 2:30 this afternoon the snow started falling. It is really pretty to watch it coming down.

I know for some of you this amount of snow is nothing...but for a Mississippi girl this scene is really exciting and fun!



Joel and I are staying warm...hope you are doing the same. Have a great weekend!

Latest Project

The last day or so that we were in Starkville at Christmas, Stanthia and I started a project. We set out to make Krazy Quilts. Before I left, I had enough blocks for a twin size quilt, and Stanthia was on her way to having enough for a queen or king size quilt.

I finally took the time to put the blocks together today. Here is what it looks like so far (still needs a border).

Our Christmas Break...

Joel and I had a great time visiting our family over the break. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment...

This is JM...can you believe how old he is looking? He is 13 now...you'll be able to see just how tall he's gotten in another picture.

Here is Maddi. She is 10 now...they are just getting too grown!

Can you believe how tall he has gotten? Maddi will soon be taller than me too!

Here is a picture of Kelli and Avi. Avi is getting so big too...she is doing really well with her potty training!

Glad Sheri and I remembered to take a picture together too!

We also got to spend some time with Joel's side of the family. We are very excited that a new little one will be adding to this family this spring.

We also got to see Joel's brother Daniel and his wife Meghan. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of them! We were glad to get to spend some time with them.

Here is my lion. Tang had a good time getting brushed by everyone while we were home.

Lastly, I will leave you with this picture. This was the first thing I attempted to quilt with my free motion foot after the quilting class I took. I gave this to Sheri as part of her Christmas present. Hopefully it will serve her as a good bookmark.