Home of Nicholas Sparks

This past weekend Hubby Jaggar and I took the kids on a mini vacation to the coast.  I truly love living in the Tarheel State.  There is no lack of history or interesting places to visit at any time of the year.  We made a stop in New Bern.  For those of you who are Nicholas Sparks fans, you know this is where he resides.  It is also the setting in a few of his best sellers. 

This picture was taken a few years ago at a book signing at a local Barnes and Noble

This rich historic town is also the second oldest town in North Carolina, only to Bath.  It is home of Tryon Palace and once was the location of the state capital.  Sadly, I didn't spot Nicholas roaming around town, however I did see some wonderful sights. 
Enjoy~

 

What do you enjoy about your state? Share your comments~

A First: A visit to an apple orchard

On Saturday Mr. Jaggar (aka my hubby- He is Mick's greatest fan.  However he can't move like Jaggar, but he tries.) and I went on a new adventure- apple picking.  It was a first for the both of us, so we were really not sure of what to expect.  It was 87 degrees so it felt more like a summer day than a fall day, but we couldn't resist "a first." 



The pond located between the two orchards.



The barn across the road.  I love old barns.  It brings back childhood memories.

 

The apple presses.  Super yummy apple cider.

I want to swing.  Don't you?



We didn't have time for the hayride today.  Maybe next year.

  Which way to the apples?

 

Oh this way!

 

 

Our starting point~

 

 

 

Mr. Jaggar's first apple.

 

 

Sporting the bushel basket.

 

 

The fruits of our labor.

 

The journey back.

 

 

 

 

The bagging of the apples.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Jaggar searching the shelves for a yummy jar to take home.

 

 

The search continued....

 

 

Until finally he chose this. Can't go wrong with apple butter.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't resist.

 

Thanks for stopping by~

 

Welcome new followers:-)

Thank You Treats and a Fall Sale on TpT

I finally got around to thanking my wonderful team for a "Date Night" for my hubby and myself as a wedding gift.  Yes, it was over two months ago, but hey, better late than never.  And those of you who have been following me for a while know that completing tasks in a timely manner can be somewhat challenging for me.

I could have easily written thank you cards for each of them.  However, I thought "chocolate" works wonders.  So each member of my team received one of these nugget "Thank You" treats:

 

A close-up

 

Another view

 

And another

 

 

Don't forget about the fall sale in my TPT store that begins at midnight tonight.  Click on the link on the left sidebar of my page and shop away.

 

 



I won, I won, I won~ and a S-A-L-E!

I love reading Nicole's blog "Pencil Skirts and Noodle Necklaces." She is a fab mom who shares many stories of raising her two children in Michigan. If you're not a follower, head over to her blog now.  You won't regret it.

She recently had her very first giveaway.  Amanda from Anchor's Away Jewelry offered a pair of earrings from her Etsy shop to the winner.

And guess who the winner was?

Me! Me! Me! Yay~

While you're visiting Amanda at her shop, don't forget to stop by my shop "Just Poppies" and browse around. Check out my link in the upper left hand corner of my blog page. I will be adding some super cute Halloween treat bag toppers next week and a set to giveaway as well, so stay tuned.

I am also joining Casey over at Second Grade Math Maniac for a linky/blog hop TPT sale this weekend.  All items are 20% off. What a great way to welcome the season of Fall.

 

 

So glad you stopped by~

Shades of Meaning

We have been exploring "shades of meaning" aka synonyms for the last week to spruce up our writing.

First we read this book:

 

Then using paint strip samples from Home Depot and Lowe's, we brainstormed "shades" of overused words and created anchor charts.

 

Created by the talented teacher next door:-)

 

Finally these anchor charts were added to our writing wall for reference during Writer's Workshop. (Can you tell we're working on transition words as well?) 

 

 

I'd love to hear from you.  Share an activity you have used for "shades of meaning."