Mom, Where Can I get a Caramel Apple?

BubbaLou got a hankering for a caramel apple tonight. She came to me asking where she could get one. "At the Savannah Candy store!" I replied!

Yup, I thought I was funny. She was serious. She wanted a caramel apple, so she turned around and high-tailed it to Popsaroo to ask him. Next thing I know, they had conspired together and headed for our neighborhood Publix after Popsaroo ask me where the caramel is in the store.

I directed him to the produce department where they have those easy caramel wraps. He comes back with individually wrapped caramels. The bag even had a recipe on the back! He thought he was so smart.

"What about the sticks?" I ask. He pointed out that there were 5 free sticks in the bag. Once again, he thought he was so smart.

He brought 4 shiny apples home and 2 bags of caramels. We only used 1 bag.

I started unwrapping those little caramels. BubbaLou joined in to help me. Do you know there are like 50 caramels in those bags? This ended up being the hardest thing about the whole thing.

BubbaLou stuck the free sticks in the apples.

We used the microwave to melt those gooey caramels. It worked so well, and in only 3 minutes.

BubbaLou was 3 minutes closer to her caramel apple! She set to covering that apple with who knows how much caramel!

One bag only made 3 apples(large delicious)! The first two were perfect, the last one was a bit spooky! Popsaroo ate that one, said it had, "Character."

BubbaLou took a big bite, and maybe 9 more and she was full. We put hers in the fridge for tomorrow. Popsaroo and I ate ours, except for the cores and Thomas the dog got those!

Mom, I'm ready for my midnight snack! ~BubbaLou

Flags, Flags, Flags

Have you ever had moments when you walk around the corner and just catch yourself catching your breath as you swell up with a patriotic love and pride for your country? Well, I kept having those when I was on vacation in Savannah and at Fort Sumter! It was so cool. We didn't get to make it there for the 4th of July like we had originally planned, but we didn't have to! We didn't get to see fireworks in these historic places, but we got to hear the flags beating in the wind on the hill of Fort Sumter. A very cool moment, indeed!

We saw the flags that actually flew over the fort during the battles. This was the Union flag, it got knocked down and you can see the nail holes in it where they nailed it back up.This was the first Confederate flag. Looks a little different from the final flag. But this flew during battle when they ruled the fort. These flags are looking a little threadbare, huh?

We saw flags in Savannah. I came around a corner and saw this row of homes all dressed up in American glory and I got goose bumps! Love it! Can you see all the flags? Can you see the steeple in the background?

This flag hangs on City Hall, which is over 100 years old. I craned my neck as I snapped this picture. It was so big!

This flag flew at the Wilke's House where we had that yummy Southern meal. It was neat to stand there, chatting with other Americans in that beautiful neighborhood of homes, under a flag that stands for our freedom!

Even the yard fowl were in the mood for some American pride!


"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea, Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free, Let us all be grateful for a land so fair, As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. " God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home.

Odd, but neat things I saw in Savannah

Random wrought iron on buildings.

Good luck dolphins on down spouts.

All seeing eyes on the side of the post office.

An Irish feathered silly creature.

A stained glass beauty

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was open for any one that wanted to enter and see that the inside was just as beautiful as the outside.



We definitely wanted to see the inside, so in we went, camera in hand. We were struck with a feeling of awe and reverence as we came into this church. You could not look anywhere and not see art of some sort or another created to glorify our Lord.

It was truly worth stopping for.

There was stain glass everywhere. I was having trouble getting get pictures of it, but I finally used a longer exposure and got several pics.


The detail and colors were fantastic, you could just sit and stare at it for very long periods of time. Of course it left you in a very contemplative and prayerful mood.




I have very fond memories of the stain glass in my own church growing up. I got married in front of that stain glass in our chapel, and am sorry that the building has been removed. I wonder what they did with the stain glass.

I also remember the stain glass of Jesus over the baptistery in the newer building. I would stare at that stain glass through who knows how many sermons. I think it easier to pray sometimes that way.

I think that if I lived in Savannah, I would have to come visit this church every so often. I want to hear the organ that go with these pipes.

This was a good chance to tell BubbaLou about other churches. She was a bit overwhelmed.

We won't mention the holy water incident. She is Baptist, not Catholic, she didn't know. When Baptist see water, they think immersion.....It was only her hands. I should have been watching, but Popsaroo saw this one and he well, freaked out. He told me and I pulled her to the side and whispered in her ear, and all was well. Jesus loves the little children.

Did I tell you that we met a nun as we were entering the sanctuary, we did. She asked us if there were any public bathrooms. Hmmm. I would have thought she would have had a free pass to find a bathroom anywhere in that building.

I wish I could have gotten pics of all the glass. But it was all around! I took a little video, but my skills are not so good, and you may get dizzy, but I will post it anyway. BubbaLou also had questions about the candles. At least she asked me this time, I had to put the camera up to answer her questions. She has a habit of sticking her finger in the wax. This was top priority so that interdenominational relations would not be placed into turmoil!

Luke 18:16

but Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

How about a little church?

One of the first things I saw as we drove into the city of Savannah, were church steeples towering over the city. There is just something about seeing church steeples that makes me very happy. The fact that they point toward heaven and the one true God who is love and happiness probably has something to do with it. A connection of peace and Christian love and community is apparent in this town and it has been here for so many years. Most of these churches have endured much hardship over the years, and yet they are still here, with congregations that still send up prayers from the same churches that our forefathers did.

This is the steeple of the Independent Presbyterian Church. Woodrow Wilson married here in 1885 and the Forrest Gump feather scene was filmed in front of this church.



This is the First Baptist Church in Savannah. Pretty, huh? It was the only church that didn't burn down during the fires. According to our tour guide, people wondered what it was the Baptists were doing since theirs was the only church that didn't burn down. It seemed they had been the only church to build their church out of stone and not wood.

This is one of the rare churches that held services throughout the Civil War. That is pretty cool in itself. I can only imagine the gut wrenching prayers that were said for soldiers and families torn apart, and for the country itself.


One of the most ornate and beautiful set of steeples belong to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. This church actually burned in the late 1800's and was rebuilt about 1900. The congregation was organized in 1799 and is the oldest Roman Catholic group in Georgia, and that says a lot since Oglethorpe banned Catholics when he first started the colony-felt their loyalty was questionable to the crown. This was the only church that we were allowed to walk into and I got some great pics of their stain glass windows. Absolutely beautiful!

This is the St. John's Episcopal church. We passed it on the way to the Wilke's House to eat lunch. I took this pic from the view of Madison square. It was really pretty the way it was framed by the trees.

This church was interesting. It is the First African Baptist Church formed in 1788 and is the oldest congregation of African-Americans in the whole United States. I love the double red doors.

There were several churches that I didn't get to visit. I was sorely disappointed, I really wanted to see them. I really wanted to see the Wesley Monumental Church built in 1868, it was built as a memorial to the Wesleys. I also didn't get a chance to see the statue of John Wesley.

I must have seen the Lutheran Church but I didn't get a picture, nor do I remember it. I think I must have been on overload because I know I walked over in that area. It had burned in the late 1700's and was rebuilt in the mid 1800's. It was close to the Trinity United Methodist Church which is the oldest Methodist Church.

I also missed the Christ Church. The original building was built before 1940, and the present building was built within its own walls just before 1900.

I know there is probably more, but I will have to make do with what I saw until I have a chance to go back again and explore Savannah. So much to see, so little time. But God sure made sure he brought some church to Savannah!

Matthew 16:18

And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.

Stairs, stairs, stairs

We had the chance to climb all sorts of stairs in Savannah. The stairs include all sorts of nooks and crannies, sort of like Thomas' English Muffins. The history that has occurred and those people who have stood on them and near them just sends shivers up my spine!

The stairs were everywhere. Some curved on both sides of a recessed landing like the one below. Arms of southern hospitality. I was on a horse buggy when I took this picture, so I didn't get both arms, but they are there. The age and the patina of the stairs throughout the city just amazed me.

I love wrought iron and red brick, and it was in Savannah like I have only dreamed about. I particularly loved this staircase below, it is covered in all the pretty greens plants that are lovingly cared for by this home's owner.

On River street, you had to take stairs to get into the second floor shops. They were often festively decorated. Charming.

We climbed up these old stone stairs from River street to a park above. These are built really close to what they believe was an Indian burial mound. They were really steep. But beautiful.

We climbed these stairs and descended them several times. They were off Bay street and led down to River St. I thought I had lost BubbaLou once when she stumbled. Scared me half to death!

Almost every house had stairs of some sort of other. Mums asked me if it was wheel-chair accessible. You know, I wasn't able to say that it was. I really didn't pay attention, but it seemed like for the most part, down on River St., that would be awful hard to imagine. It was full of cobblestones and uneven pavement. We certainly had to watch our footing!

Good Eats!

Where, oh, where did we eat you ask???

You may be surprised. We took time to rate each place we ate along the way. We came up with 1-6 star ratings! Bet you can't wait to hear!!!! We tried to avoid anything that we could get in Florida!

We started our food fest at Spanky's Pizza Galley on River St. It was our first afternoon, we arrived in Savannah hungry as bears, and maybe as grumpy as one too! Spanky's, we came to find out, is home to the "Original Chicken Finger." What I want to know is, how do they really know that they are home to the original chicken finger? They also had beer battered spuds. In order to try it all, I got an individual pizza-which they make from scratch, and Popsaroo and BubbaLou got the chicken fingers, plus Popsaroo tried the beer battered spuds.

Popsaroo- 1 star BubbaLou- 5 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

Next, we stopped by the Savannah Candy Shoppe on River St. Let's just say, this put us in a pretty fantastic mood. It was a fun atmosphere, they were pulling taffy and had all kinds of colorful sugar treats and candy machinery. We hit the taffy bin and filled a bag, BubbaLou scored a very sticky caramel apple, and I found the most divine pecan pralines-regular and chocolate, and a gopher(I think it is a glorified turtle)! We actually stopped by this place again, and got some taffy for the trip back and Mums and Mummy Iris a pecan praline.

Popsaroo-6 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

The next morning, we took advantage of the deluxe continental breakfast at our hotel, The Promenade. It was convenient and included in the price of the room. It was all sorts of pastries, muffins, bagels, and English muffins. Plenty of milk and cereal to choose from, with some yogurt and apples available as well. This allowed Popsaroo to sleep in! BubbaLou thought the muffins were "spectacular!"


Popsaroo-1/2 a star BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-3 stars


Our second day, lunch was a real treat and a choice! We skipped Lady and Son's(Paula Dean's restaurant, for the gem of Savannah, The Wilke's House.

Isn't it pretty? It is on Jones St., one of the most scenic neighborhoods. These are the stairs and the alley way next the entrance of the restaurant on the ground level.

People stand in line, a long line, outside the door. We waited to be the next group of eight people taken in and seated. We shared a table with some folks from the Washington D.C. area. We shared a few pleasantries between mouth fulls. I tell you, there wasn't much talkin' except for, "Can you pass the potatoes, have you had the greens, pass me a biscuit please..."

One word, YUM describes this place. We ate family style and loved every minute of it. The literal word on the street from the people exiting, (burp) deep breath, tap, tap, tap on their stomach, and loudly sharing comments like this, "That was a heck of a lot better than Lady and Son's!"

So, see! We chose well. Why flock to a place just because they have a fun cookin' show(sorry Paula, but I had to choose!) We followed the word we had heard from a friend, a tip in the paper, and we followed the word we heard on the street and came away on top! And talk about friendly, one couple we were in line with, found out at the last moment that the Wilke's House does not take credit cards-they had nothing on them. Oh, No! They thought they had stood in line for nothing. But the Wilke's House encouraged them to stand in line and eat, they could go get their money after they got full! How is that for Southern Hospitality. They even called Popsaroo, "sweetie" when he took our plates to the kitchen.

Did I mention that eating at the Wilke's House in the book "A Thousand Things to Do Before You Die"?

Popsaroo-6 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

Snacks are always important, don't ya think? We thought so. A friend also clued me into the Cupcake Emporium on Bull and State St. All sorts of yummy cupcakes to choose from. I was taking a walk by myself when I stopped by. I picked 6 cupcakes to take back to the room. 2 red velvet, 1 pistachio, 1 chocolate with butter cream, 1 nutter butter, and 1 strawberry. My favorite was the pistachio, Popsaroo's favorite was the red velvet, BubbaLou's favorite was the chocolate.

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

Vinnie Van Ghous was the next pizza place we tried. It is in City Market, on a corner with tables outside on the sidewalk. After a long day, we sat down at one of those tables and ordered a large 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 cheese pizza. Best priced meal we had the entire time.

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-1 star Momsaroo-3 stars

The last night in town, we tried the Wild Wings that was also in City Market and short distance from our hotel. Pretty good, I got the buffalo salad with hot spiced chicken meat, it was SPICY!

Popsaroo-2 stars BubbaLou-3 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

For breakfast on our very last day, we went to the Cobblestone Cafe. It was in a really neat building and very quaint inside. The neat thing about this little place, is that they had journals on each table for people to write a little note in. BubbaLou wrote the most embarrassing note! I think she is trying to get me back for some of my posts. If you want to read it, I guess you better go to the Cobblestone Cafe! I am not telling you what table we were sitting at either!

Popsaroo-3 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-3 stars

We spent a very short time in Charleston, SC. Just long enough to catch the ferry boat out to Fort Sumter. The guy at the ticket counter told us of a place just a couple of blocks away that turned out to be very good advice. East Bay Deli. I think I had one of the best deli sandwiches I have ever had! I had a Tessa or something like that. It was a turkey with cheese, cream cheese, avocado, bacon, and grilled onions. Wow. I got a salad too, I was in dire need of some veggies. Very good. Popsaroo got a Yankee and BubbaLou got a grilled cheese. Best grilled cheese next to Popsaroo's! We got on the ferry and we still had our drinks. One guy saw our cups and said that he and his wife looked for East Bay Deli, but couldn't find it. I advised him to go back and look again and gave him a little better direction.

Popsaroo-4 stars BubbaLou-6 stars Momsaroo-6 stars

I was slacking when we stopped on the side of the road for boiled peanuts and cider in South Carolina. I can't remember the name of the place. But we found peach Nehis there. We haven't seen them in a long time. I also got a cherry cider, a peanut roll, and boiled peanuts. BubbaLou picked out some sort of wierd candy that she didn't like and a moon pie. Popsaroo had already eaten a iced honey bun from a drugstore that we stopped at earlier-so he just ate a few boiled peanuts.

Momsaroo-3 stars

A BIG Thank You to Mums!

Thanks to Mums, our wee family was able to take a southern vacation. We travelled all the way to Savannah, Georgia and the Charleston Harbor, SC! I have so much to share. But first, and foremost, thank you Mums for watching Patrick Poopers and our two fish. We get to pick Thomas the dog up from his "fun dog park" tomorrow. We missed him so much. Oh, and Mums, we missed you too! I was thinking of you when I came across these characters while I was walking down Bull St. in Savannah.

Thanks to the Good Lord above for keeping us safe!

Vacation Hiccups!

How often we just like to fly by the seat of our pants! We are impulsive and last minute planners. When we travel, it is usually day trips within the state and don't require great planning skills, like planning to board your dog while you are gone.

We have learned very quickly, that if you make hotel reservations for yourselves, you need to make them for the dog at the same time. Dog kennels get booked fast, or so we learned when we couldn't find a spot for ole Tomas the dog! We had to post-pone, but it is coming! We had pre-planning to do that we didn't know about anyway.

We had to take Thomas the dog to the vet today to get his kennel cough vaccine. You thought my kid was dramatic, just wait til' you meet my dog! Talk about a drama dog....

He barked the entire time. Well, at least 99.9 % of the hour that we were there. His form of saying hello is barking as loud and viciously as possible! This is Thomas the dog, "HEY, HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME IS THOMAS, WHAT IS YOURS? WHY ARE YOU SO SMALL, YOU AREN'T A CAT ARE YOU. HAVE YOU SEEN ANY CATS AROUND HERE? HEY, ARE YOU A FRIEND OR A FOE? IS THERE ANY FOOD AROUND HERE OTHER THAN THOSE DRY DOG-AWFUL BONES? HEY, WHERE ARE YOU GOING, ARE YOU NOT GOING TO BE MY FRIEND?MOM, THEY ARE LEAVING, MAKE THEM STOP. COME BACK, ARE YOU A GIRL OR A BOY, CAN I SNIFF YOU????

And so it went for an hour. Even the vet staff felt that they had to place a muzzle on his nose and mouth and give him his vaccine and clip his claws. Do you know how much my dog hates to have his nails clipped? Can you get your dog de-clawed? I don't think he would mind as long as he never had to have them clipped again!

As we were leaving the parking lot and Thomas the dog is going from window to window in the back seat barking, BubbaLou made the comment, "This is so embarassing! It's like he isn't trained or anything!

He is trained, sorta. He is isolated in our big field, with no other dogs to talk to. He has no concrete to walk on to wear his nails down and chat with other k-9's in the process.

Poor wittle puppy dawg! But won't the kennel staff have fun with Thomas the dog?