2026 wk-01 Thursday Three

1. Enjoyed good extended family time!
2. RESTED and ate leftovers.
3. Played with ai too much and prepped for new year travels.

 

Thursday Three

 

1. We've had family here since Tuesday and we're loving time together...

2. We've watched old Christmas movies pretty much non stop, with breaks for food [so much food!] and presents... and the occasional daily puzzle completion.

3. And apparently, I'm jumping on the AI photo edit full force - lol -

[More on our Christmas week soon!]

December

 Merry Christmas!

Take a moment to enjoy this Christmas  Season!

We are so thankful for this baby we celebrate as our Lord and King!

Thursday Three:

 

1. We've enjoyed some Christmas cheer with friends this week with the 25th anniversary of The Grinch on the big screen and the beautiful Winterlude service at our church.

2. I started the great gift wrap caper and even though EVERY YEAR we say we're doing less, it never seems to happen... and

3. It is an absolute privilege to gather together with others and lift up a friend in need, even if [especially when] it's on a group text.*

* " I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:19-20 [NLT]

Aishling the Airstream Update No. 056

 

A few weeks back we went to 

South Alabama for a rally at

   

Hidden Hollow RV Park

Dothan, AL 

 

 We had no responsibilities

other than Craig helping Randy cook up enough bacon 

to feed about 100 people one morning...lol 

We were celebrating the two newest clubs in The Airstream Club International - Emerald Coast [Florida] and Georgia -  

 

And it was fun to gather up with some people we know [about half the attendees] and meet those we didn't know before the weekend -  

WE took our new-to-us mid-sized solo stove... and surprisingly, I think we're a fan... 

It was Peanut Festival Weekend

- like a giant [state] fair that's lots of people attended... 

But we chose to explore Dothan a bit ...

Another surprise - we found only ONE place that served fresh fried shrimp [WHAA??? We were about an hour from The Gulf!!] 

but we love a good [previous] gas station restaurant so we gave it a try -- DEElish. 

We had breakfast one morning at this cute place called the Toasted Yolk. 

[Side Note: Dothan has creative peanuts all over town... 

and OMGOODNESS - 

THE MURALS - EVERYWHERE... 

no photos - you'll have to google those.] 

 And possibly the best breakfast EVAH - 

It's a chain... sadly the closest one to us in Birmingham... 

 

It was chilly [not unbearably cold] and we were there to relax - so we enjoyed being warm inside our #AishlingtheAirstream -

 

Love a bit of fall decor inside... 

Enjoyed being with friends too!

 

There were about 40 rigs, so quite a few people...

It's fun [to me] to see all the different personalities 

come together with a common interest. 

 

There was a Rock-Paper-Scissor 'Tournament'

Quick and easy fun - and Craig won! 

[Photo nest to our neighbor's camper...] 

Hidden Hollow RV is tucked behind a 'gaming center' and is neat as a pin.

Paved level sites that were all pull-through -

WONDERFUL bath houses...

Excellent internet and cell service.

If we're ever that way and need a spot to stay - this will be the place. It's right off 231, just south of Dothan... not far from Panama City Beach. 

PS - I've never seen COMPLETELY black ducks before... 

Thursday Three:

  

1. We had another full week with fun things outside the house everyday... SO THANKFUL I can walk [almost] without thinking about every step!

2. Right now we're loving a little time to catch up on things at home, our new woodsy tree [that may stay out all winter,] football and good books, snuggling with our cats, and sharing the lunch portion of Rosie's fajitas.

 

3. Also this sleeveless dress I picked up on sale at Target

that I can dress up or down - so fun.

#HardwickAdventures

Commonplace Book ♥️ November ♥️

 I've realized I've not shared this little practice on the socials much...  

Truth is, when I started this [re-purposed] book back in January  

I wasn't sure if I'd still be doing it this month [SO MANY unfinished projects, ha].  

 

But here I am... just finishing up the first week in December - 

and I am enjoying it so much!!

 

 

 There's nothing special about it - obviously - just bits and pieces of [my] everyday life all in one place. And I love it.  

   

[Even the seemingly unfinished pages... because: life.] 

#commonplacebook

#FaithBasedPages --> bc I added a little bit of what God's been teaching me each week [we're never too old to learn from Him.]

Happy St. Nicholas Day!

 

[an edited repeat from past years...]

Pere' Noel, Christkindle, Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Sinterklas,

St. Nicholas

I was first introduced to St. Nicholas as a freshman in college when my dear friend Grace [whose grandparents on both sides of her family came to the US from the Netherlands] put a wooden shoe, filled with candy, outside my door on December 6th. [Still have that shoe, btw.]

I’ve loved the idea of St. Nicholas ever since!

There’s a lot of fact and folklore about him today, but most believe he was a real person and that the idea of Santa Claus came from the acts of goodwill that he did.

[Random Acts of Christmas Kindness, if you will - ]

Here’s a link that tells his story briefly.

I’ve always wanted to have “Santa Claus” visit our boys on December 6th and keep Christmas sacred [or, practically --at least spread out the gift-receiving a little for them], but differed to C’s wishes. So instead, for the last 27 years, our boys have always received a chocolate Santa on December 6th. [Granted there were some years when I was out at 5 a.m. to get these Santas because of our crazy schedule! – But it was done!]

This year? Sadly - this may be the first time over 35 years that I've sent out the chocolate santas - but, Happy St. Nicholas Day to you anyway!!!

At our house Santa has always been pretend.

Our boys were never taught he was real, but more just a character of the secular celebration of Christmas [kind of like Mickey Mouse = celebration of magical place] who left gifts for them on Christmas morning. They’ve always known that Mom and Day were “Santa.” We’ve had a few Santa photos through the years [we have those Mickey ones too!] and we’ve had fun with it, but have always, always tried to help our boys see that

Jesus truly is the reason we have anything at all to celebrate in this life.

We hope that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season you can take the time to see a tiny baby lying in a manger who died so we might live eternally.

And, oh - the peace [that passes understanding] that only He can give us

as we live in this crazy world broken by sin...

What a hope we have because of Him!

Thursday Three:

1. Finished up Thanksgiving with sweet family time...

2. I've had a week full of appointments, sometimes more than one a day - oh. my. 

 Some doctors' visits, a hair appointment, a fun luncheon, and a little scrapbook time...

HOW DID I EVER WORK? ha
3. On a different note - I saw a piebald deer beside the I-65 on our way home from Nashville Tuesday ... SO COOL! 

Only 2% of the deer population is piebald...
#HardwickAdventures

Aishling the Airstream Update No. 055

Honeycomb Campground 

 You can see more about our time at Honeycomb here.

A favorite place of ours!

Especially in the fall 

when most of the lake activities have slowed down. 

 

And we so enjoy this group of friends who come together each year! This is a pretty laid back camping event / rally - with a loose agenda of gathering together.

We just enjoy the view at all times of the day....

And the quietness with only a few fishermen here and there...

Early mornings are always nice, 

with a little fog on the water. 

[Pro Tip {ha} that's my finger blocking out the boat pier on the bottom. 

I forgot to edit it out - ]

It's so nice to gather for coffee, pancakes, or a potluck and linger to visit... 

Craig and I really do love seeing everyone visit together!

And dinner at Top of the River 

is always GOOD for those who want to join in!

But mostly we enjoy some good fire pit time!

Plus this is where our little [vintage] camping group -

DEEP SOUTH CARAVANS came to be - lol 

But that's a story for another time...