It was a constant back and forth of all the things that needed to be done and be done quickly. All the while everyone in our families think we have totally lost our minds and us beginning to agree at times. Thank goodness I wasn’t Moving To California, it would have been much worse. I don’t think I could have mentally handled it at all and then Bric would not only have had a whole new family to deal with but he would have been committing me to an asylum.

See, the thing with California Moving Companies is that only a few of them go cross country. So after searching through all of the California International Movers – we finally find one that will transport everything across the country to GA. So, I leave it all up to Bric to make sure everything in his apartment is packed and ready to go. The movers arrive and get everything loaded up, Bric then goes to the airport and catches a plane to GA. Fast Forward a few weeks. We are all happily living in our cute little house living life to the fullest and then it happens. The moving truck arrives.

Yep, the moving truck arrives. They open the doors and I see it. He brought EVERYTHING. Now, when I say everything…I mean EVERYTHING. Bric is a pack-rat. I had specifically asked him to make sure he went through everything and tossed all the junk, the gazillion boxes of papers, etc. You know what he did? He paid the moving guys to help him just toss everything in even more boxes and throw it on the truck. At the last minute. SO now, we have paid these guys to bring half a truckload of furniture and treasured belongings and half a truckload of landfill material. And it most of it wasn’t even packed. Just tossed into the truck  which had become unstable, throwing all the stuff around in the drive over.

We paid people to take a huge load of garbage from one coast to another just to be thrown away. Seriously. And because of the way it was loaded into the truck it all ended up just being unloaded into the front yard until it could be determined what it was, where it went and all that jazz. Talk about a HUGE mess.

The moral? NEVER, ever leave it to a pack-rat to move by himself. NEVER, ever leave it to an unorganized man to move by himself. If you do, then it will truly look like you are a redneck because you will have stuff littered all over your yard for weeks.

I went out to San Diego all on my own. It was kinda scary, but I knew it was what I needed to do…I knew it was right. But, a little ol’ country girl in a big city…well, the two don’t mix all that well. First off, there were some crazy people, no sweet tea to be found and everything to eat looked like chic food. No disrespect meant toward chic food, it just isn’t the norm around these parts. And the driving. Oh my word. I only thought that Atlanta was bad. When Bric put me behind the wheel and made me drive on the Interstate insanity and panic set in and it was a thousand wonders we didn’t need a San Diego auto repair to come to the rescue.

Thank goodness it was a smaller car and not some Ford F-150 that most guys drive out here in the country because there is no way in heck I could have maneuvered through that traffic in anything different. I have never had a panic attack, but that day I seriously came close. Then as I am cussin Bric like there is no tomorrow for making me drive…the check engine light comes on and I really freak out. How in the heck do these people live with that kind of stress everyday? I seriously could not live there. We go to visit Bric’s family occasionally, but that is more than enough for me. Before we married and he moved out to the mountains of Georgia he tried to convince me to move there…that was the deal breaker for me. It was either you move here or we are over, I wouldn’t survive a year.

After the crazy man on the street tried to accost me and Bric had to step in to save my life because I just knew the crazy man was gonna get me, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that my place was where everyone knows your name and your business. I knew that my place was where I can drive down a 2-lane road to get to the auto shop and the police department and anywhere else I want to go for that matter.

I have never been inside the Old Wright Hotel. I drive by it almost daily and I have never made the time to go inside.  Isn’t it funny how we all live in towns with historical buildings and landmarks and just pass them by? I will just have to rectify that one day soon and make arrangements to stop in since it is by appointment only or only open on special holidays and events.

In planning the building of his hotel in the new town of Chatsworth, Thomas Wright cut heart-pine lumber from his farm and let it dry for a year. While the lumber cured, he rented a brick plant for a year to make the soft rose-colored bricks to build his hotel. This was not to be just another hotel-Wright was creating a structure that would also serve as home for his family of eight.

The three-story hotel had 17 rooms. Walls were wooden lath covered with plaster. Floors were heart-pine tongue-in-groove. Wright built a separate building just northeast of the hotel to house the people who worked at the hotel. The water pump for the hotel was also located in this building.

The new hotel opened in 1910 and, because of its close proximity to the new courthouse, eventually served as home-away-from-home for visiting judges, politicians, attorneys, and witnesses as well as a place to house jurors when needed. The hotel’s dining room was highly rated.

For one year (1915), while Mrs. Wright was very ill, the Wrights leased the hotel to Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Spencer.

After Mr. Wright’s death in 1925, Mrs. Wright continued to operate the hotel until the mid-1940s. After she died in 1948, the hotel was leased to Lester Quarles, then later to the Keeter Family. Under new management the hotel’s name was changed to Chatsworth Hotel.

In 1969 one of the Wright’s daughters, Kate Raine, returned to Chatsworth and made her own changes to the hotel. She also added numerous Indian items that she had acquired while serving for many years as a nurse in the southwestern United States. She continued to rent rooms.

After obtaining a promise from the Whitfield-Murray County Historical Society to preserve and maintain the Wright Hotel as close as possible to its original condition, Mrs. Raine willed the property to the Society. She died in 1986.

Visiting the Wright Hotel today is like taking a step backward in time. Many of the original furnishings remain. Hotel registers from the earlier days are displayed, along with Mrs. Raine’s accumulation of Indian baskets, pottery, and other artifacts.

This is the Oldest Public-Use Building in Murray County.

The Old Spring Place Methodist Church began as an Indian Mission in the early 1830’s. It later evolved into a Methodist church when the Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from Murray County in 1838. The Cherokee Indians were Free People in this area and were a very prominent part of our society and many of our historical sites are attributed to them.

The original building was  a brick structure on Elm Street in Spring Place. After this building burned, the congregates built a wood replacement on the same foundation-around 1875. This building served the Methodist congregation for 100 years. In 1976 they built a new church on Cleveland Highway north of the Vann House.

Today the Old Spring Place Methodist Church has preserved the old sanctuary and the building houses much Murray County memorabilia, including numerous items of specific historical interest related to Spring Place. Although the building doesn’t have scheduled operating hours you can arrange a visit by contacting the Whitfield-Murray County Historical Society.

The Water Tower

What town doesn’t have one of these?

I remember one night when I was in High School a bunch of us got together to party hang out and ended up at the top of ours. The local police department was none to happy with us. They long ago took measures to make sure no more of the local yahoos could even attempt to get to the top. I was telling Steph the story and from the backseat comes many, many questions. I wish I would remember that when I drag  Tate along on our adventures I must be more reserved in the telling of some of the stories of my youth. I must remember that little tidbit. I really, really must remember!

I was rather proud of this picture..it almost looks like one of those photo cards you would pick up in a souvenir shop. Ok, except for the power lines at the bottom. I am getting better though. Those of you that have been around awhile can attest to that. Remember how horrible my first pictures used to be? Yeah, ok…we really don’t want to go there.

After we got done gallivanting about the town we headed South to visit with my sister and her girls with a few stops to make before we all met up. I took Steph to one of our favorite places…

…because she hadn’t had the opportunity to go yet. And this is one stop that is required! She was amazed at all the different types of popcorn that they have. What did she walk away with? Loaded Baked Potato Popcorn. Mmm, Mmmm Good! Owned by twin brothers, you will want to stop in and visit for the atmosphere and experience as much as for the fabulous popcorn itself. You can visit the Popcorn Haven website and browse through some of the gourmet flavors that you can find when traveling through Georgia on I-75. It is a stop that you won’t regret making. I suggest that you try the White Chocolate Pretzel Popcorn. Or the Snickers. Or the Twix. Or the Bubblegum. Ok…maybe I like them all. Just plan to stay awhile, it is so hard to choose.

After we made all of our stops along the way we met up with The Clan McLeod at a local Mexican restaurant and had supper where we all just hung out and had a great time…and I got my nose unstopped from the hot sauce. Talk about relief! Then we went to my sisters house for an evening of family and fun. We played our regular go-to card game of Shanghai Rummy and then my brother-in-law taught us all to play Texas Hold-Em. I have been a hold out on learning to play but I gave in and succumbed to the worldly ways of poker. Please don’t tell, but I think I could really learn to like it.

I have to leave you with this picture…

…because it is the weirdness that is us.

I hope that your weekend has been filled with beautiful weather, good food, friends and family.

Today, I will be spending the day at home. Cooking a long over-due typical Southern-Style Sunday dinner.

What will you be doing?

I do have some news for you…remember my poor Dollar General store that was on fire? Well, it was found to be arson! Set by the manager!! Ohh, he is on my list. Because of him I have to drive to town for a bag of sugar. Although he has been taken into custody and charged with arson the details have not been released. My guess is that he set fire to the store to cover up all of his stealing. He has been seen at the store at like 4 in the morning with his truck and trailer backed up…and that just speaks of theivery. He was a weird fellow too…in a creepy kinda way. I hope that the Dollar General had a good home insurance quote. Ok, so it wouldn’t be home insurance, but you know what I mean. I still haven’t heard if they will be opening the store back up…but I certainly hope so. Maybe they will ask me my opinion. HA! Like they even know who I am.

“The Alleged Arsonist”

In other news we had a Home Invasion. IN HICKTOWN! Yeah…that has been the talk of the town for a week now. A Home Invasion. Everyone has been in shock over it because as we all like to say: Things like that just don’t happen around here. Well, guess we can’t say that now because happen it did!

AND, Congressman Nathan Deal said that he is resigning from Congress so that he can concentrate on the Georgia governor’s race. This thrills me! I like Nathan Deal. When we went to Washington DC we got to tour the Capital Building thanks to him and his wonderful staff. And he is one of those home town guys that listens. It is going to be interesting to see how this turns out but I am rooting for him.

Ok, I think that gets you all caught up for the moment. Will let you know if the pigeons come in with any more breaking news.

We had to cancel our plans to go to the circus, then the karate banquet was canceled.

However, our plans to celebrate Erin’s birthday are still in tact.

I missed Erin’s birthday due to being out of town so we decided to celebrate this weekend instead. I was afraid hat we might have to postpone again due to the snow but as the day went on the snow quickly melted away. It was pretty while it lasted though.

The weather forecast says that we are in for another snow storm on Monday. If it keeps this up we are not going to be needing an eye wrinkle treatment due to the cold tightening our skin in un-natural ways. This has been the craziest of winters for us. Very cold temperatures wreaking havoc on our heating bill in an otherwise mild climate. And the uncanny dampness that we have been having has destroyed our driveway along with almost everyone else’s I know.

What is your weather like? I would be more than happy to send you ours.

Well, I am missing the circus tonight. THANKS alot snow. It is pretty…but it is cutting into my personal events. Not only did I get jipped out of going to the circus but they have canceled the karate banquet. For the second time! AND, they are calling for snow again on Sunday. I am telling you, this is some crazy Georgia weather we are having this winter.

The dogs are certainly enjoying the snow. Romping around wrestling, running, and jumping. They have been really funny to watch.

It is however enough to make me want to dig out the Rimowa luggage and fly to the tropics…only I can’t get to the airport I don’t think. Then if I could it would be the issue of flights taking off or being stranded. So, here I sit in my snuggy freezing watching the white stuff continue to fall.

I do have some winner to tell you about…

The Pedia-Lax Fiber Gummies winner is:

#11- Amanda Starr

The Chocolate Cheerios winner is:

#27 – GaHome2Mom

Congratulations to you both!!

Please check your e-mail for verification.

And, until next time…I am going to cozy up and hibernate. Please wake me up when spring hits.

Welcome to Feature You Friday! I just have to tell ya’ll, it is so much fun getting to know people. I love meeting new people and learning about who they are. I hope that ya’ll are enjoying meeting some of my fellow Georgians as much as I am introducing them to you. And this week, we have a doosie!

Meet Foxy G. She runs Foxy G Knits. Her shawls and scarfs are as unique and fun as she is. And when I say she is fun…let me just show you an example:

See, told you she was fun. I want to go where ever she goes because she just exudes this exuberance that is catching. You are guaranteed to have fun.

Foxy G, tell us a little about yourself!

How Did you get Started Doing What you Do?
Knitting is my passion that has its roots in childhood. I learned from my mom, way back when we were carving our needles out of dinosaur bones. And then, sadly, I fell off the wagon and embraced needlepoint and counted cross stitch for countless years (pardon the pun). However, being a woman of true grit and strong character, I saw the light and found my way back. (told ya’ll she was a hoot)

For a long time, knitting was an avocation and not a vocation for me. While others expressed their creativity through cooking or gardening or painting, I was clicking away on my needles. In sheer and utter desperation, friends and family finally convinced me to open a store on etsy. I just know that they were getting so tired of receiving scarves, shawls, baby blankets and hats for birthdays and every other special occasion! I recently took the plunge and opened Foxy G. Knits where everything is knit by hand – from my heart to yours.

How Did you Pick Your Shop Name?
I have a little granddaughter who is going on two years old. When we were selecting our grandparent names, I joked that I would be “Grandma Lo” by day and “Foxy G.” by night. When I was trying to come up with a name for my shop, Foxy G. Knits was a natural!

What makes your items special/unique?
Foxy G. Knits features hand-knit, one-of-a-kind shawls, wraps and scarves that are versatile and designed for today’s woman. My items encompass comfort and style, and you don’t have to give up one for the other.

Is there anything else we should know?
My favorite part of the creative process is coordinating and blending various yarn colors and textures within the same garment. In addition to designing and knitting all the items that appear in the store, I also knit shawls for a local hospice.

When I am not knitting, I am collecting weird, old ashtrays. Currently, I have more than 3,000. (They live in my master bedroom, and I inhabit the west wing!) I also have cigarette cases and boxes, lighters, old magazine ads, sheet music and many promotional pieces that were put out by the various cigarette companies. My goal is to one day curate an exhibit of the 20th century as seen through these items.  (ok, so I forgot to mention she was a little eccentric as well, but I told ya she was a hoot!)

FOXY G says for ya’ll to drop in to her etsy store and have a look around. And if you do, come back here to The Post-It Place and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite item is and you will be entered in a drawing for a $20 gift certificate good torwards any item. All entries must have a valid US mailing address. Deadline for entries is April 10th at 5 PM EST.

Want extra entries? Blog it, with a link back to here (leave link where it can be found). Subscribe. Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at). Stumble it (leave your ID in comment).Twitter it (leave ID in a comment, mine is jillybean01 if you would like to follow). Technorati it (leave your ID in comment). That is 6 extra entries that you can earn for a total of 7. All extra entries must be left in a separate comment.

Thank you for your interest!

Welcome to another edition of “Feature You Friday” where you are introduced to someone from my neck of the woods. Georgia has much to offer anyone who lives or visits here, even if it is only through me. Here let me show you:

Meet Erica Worthy. She is the crafter behind Worthy Soy Candles. Let’s hear what she has to say about herself:

I live in the lovely North Georgia town of Cumming & I have 3 beautiful children. I love how crafting from  home has allowed me to be the stay-at-home mom I have always wanted to be for them. And as if my crafts & children didn’t keep me busy enough, I am also the founder & leader of the North Georgia Street Team on Etsy. I have tons of fun being part of a team of such wonderfully talented artisans & I support them in every way I can. Be sure to search “Team NorGA” on Etsy for all of our Teams items.

How did you get started crafting?   I began crocheting about 8 years ago. I learned from a fellow co-worker at the time. She would teach me during lunch breaks throughout the week. Crocheting was so much fun to me that I decided I wanted to try more crafts, that’s what lead me into my Soy Candle making. Once I found out all the benefits of Soy Candles opposed to paraffin & incense, it seemed like a no brainer to make the switch & make them myself.

(Can’t you just smell them now)

How did you pick your shop name?    My shop name is pretty plain & simple. Though I would like to say I called it Worthy Soy Candles because I make the most worthy candles you will find… I really called it Worthy Soy Candles because my last name is Worthy & I make Soy Candles… & Crochet.

What makes your items special/ unique?    What makes my items special? Well, I do my best to offer the best products & friendliest customer service that I can. The wax I use for my candles is an all natural Soy wax that is formulated to have the best scent throw on the market today. This, coupled with the fact that I triple strength candles with high end fragrance oils guarantees that my customer’s will have a strong smelling, long lasting, all natural Soy candle. I also have an extensive fragrance list with complete fragrance descriptions listed. I think this is an important factor because it helps my customer’s get a better idea of what the fragrance will smell like before they buy it. As for my crochet, I always make sure that the items I make are of the best quality. I have a very high standard for all the products I make & I am a bit of a perfectionist. ( Can ya’ll imagine how great this Woman’s house smells all the time?)

(I LOVE this 8-ball purse. I am thinking I may have to seriously

change the direction I was going for my niece’s birthday)

What else would you like us to know?    Though I greatly enjoy making my Soy Candles & helping others learn about the benefits of burning Soy Candles in their homes, it is with my crochet that I really am able to express my creative side. I have several items in my store that are unique to Etsy & you won’t find items like them anywhere else. Such as my Parappa the Rapper Hat & my Wear Your Breakfast 3 piece ensemble. (I also love the Jester hat. Everytime I see it I can’t help but smile. I wonder what the Rednecks would think if I wore it through Hick Town)

Erica is giving you the opportunity to win an 8 oz. Soy Candle in your choice of fragrance.

TO ENTER: Visit Worthy Soy Candles,  then come back here to The Post-It Place a leave me a comment telling what item of hers you liked the best. You can also find a complete list of fragrances to choose from in her profile. The deadline to enter is March 27th, 2009 at 5 PM EST.

All entries must have a valid US mailing address.

Want extra entries? Blog it, with a link back to here (leave link where it can be found). Subscribe. Place my button on your blog (leave link it can be found at). Stumble it (leave your ID in comment).Twitter it (leave ID in a comment). Technorati it (leave your ID in comment). That is 6 extra entries that you can earn for a total of 7. All extra entries must be left in a separate comment.