Pawpaw Holler Home

Will we see some of this?

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 1pm this afternoon through Saturday evening for the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee.

Heavy snowfall is expected with possible accumulations of 5-10 inches by tomorrow night.

Winter Storm Warning For The Great Smoky Mountains

Smoky Mountains Forecast

Travel is expected to become hazardous this evening and road closures are possible. For updated road and weather information in the Smokies, call (865) 436-1200.

Let it snow!

Blessings and safe traveling,

Denese

Tags: Great Smoky Mountains, snow, travel info, weather

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.                                                                   Psalms 18:28

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.                                                                         Psalms 86:5

Tags: fog, nature-photos, scripture

The Biography Maker -Free online tool for helping children learn how to write good biographies. Elementary grades.

Blessings,

Denese

Don’t forget your daily and weekly homeschooling freebies from Homeschool Freebie of the Day, CurrClick and SchoolExpress. 

For even more free educational resources, please check my educational freebies tag archive and my Free Homeschooling Page.

Tags: biographies, education freebies, writing

Some ice formations we found in the holler last week…

“Ice ribbons”

These form from plant stems and dead wood.

“Needle Ice”

Needle ice emerges from dirt.

“Frost flowers” form when the water in the ground –or plant stem or dead wood- is above freezing and the air temperature is below freezing. The best time to see them is after a heavy, soaking rain followed by a freeze.

If you live in a dry climate, you may not ever see these –but maybe you can create your own…during freezing temperatures, place outside: a pot of wet soil or a piece of dead wood that has been soaked in water.

To learn more about frost flowers:

Ice Ribbons, Ice Flowers, Frost Flowers or whatever they might be called –Web page by Dr. James R. Carter, Professor Emeritus, Geography-Geology Department, Illinois State University

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: frost-flowers, ice, nature, nature-photos, science, weather

How To Make Homemade Enchiladas –Learn how to make authentic enchiladas with this 30 page, illustrated ebook from Penny Raine.  This newest ebook in Penny’s Creatively Simple series is normally $5.95, but you can get it for free through this Wednesday.

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: Cooking, free e-books

High winds averaging 70 miles an hour tore through our area yesterday…

Area Hit Hard By Rain, Winds

100 mph winds, trees down in Great Smoky Mountains

As a result, Laurel Creek Road and Cades Cove Loop Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are still closed today.

2 roads remain closed in Smokies; fallen trees being cleared

The roads are expected to re-open by this afternoon.

For updated road and weather information call (865) 436-1200.

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: Great Smoky Mountains, road closures/delays, travel info, weather

Do you have a sweet potato that has sprouted?

Pinch the sprouts off and stick them in a water-filled vase or jar –the vines will continue to grow and make a beautiful trailing houseplant.

We used some old Sprite bottles as vases (don’t throw those glass jars and bottles away!) and the green glass really brightens up the winter view.

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: frugal-decorating, houseplants, recycling, sweet-potatos

Have you ever heard of The Happy Scientist?

Science educator Robert Krampf  is well known for making science fun with his exciting shows and hands-on experiments. Visit his website, TheHappyScientist.com, and you can sign up for the free “Krampf Experiment of the Week” newsletter, watch a neat science video and take a guess at the “Science Photo of the Day”.

If the free resources aren’t enough, become a subscriber at the Happy Scientist and get:

• All of the videos –137 so far
• 2 extra “subscriber-only” videos per month
• Hundreds of experiments from the “Experiment of the Week” newsletter archives, sorted by subject –346 and counting

A subscription to the Happy Scientist is only $20 a year and if you subscribe by December 31, it’s only $15 -a fantastic price for a year full of science fun!

(If you’re a school superintendent or teacher, check out the special “school district” subscription price –$100 per school gives complete access for all your teachers and students.)

You can also:

• Follow The Happy Scientist on Twitter 
• Find The Happy Scientist on Facebook

Now let’s go find out about the power of beans.

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: education freebies, experiments, Facebook, free videos, hands-on activities, science, Twitter

More recipes…

Head over to Smithfield Foods and get your free Holiday Hosting Guide from Paula Dean plus find something delicious to make in Paula’s Recipe Collection –over 200 recipes in all!

Blessings and happy cooking,

Denese

Tags: Cooking, free e-books, holidays, recipes

Not to be outdone by Betty Crocker, Pillsbury has some free goodies too!

Free calendar:

• Free Pillsbury 2010 Calendar –Register as a member and sign up for one or both of the newsletters: “Pillsbury” and/or “Cooking 4 Two”

Free digital magazine:

• Free Pillsbury Pies Digital Magazine –Pies, tarts and more. Read it online or download to your computer.

More recipes:

• Pillsbury Recipes –All kinds of recipes from appetizers to pies, even more when you become a member.
• Pillsbury RSS Feeds –Get “Today’s Recipe” in your feed reader or subscribe to one of the forum feeds.
• Pillsbury Bake-Off –All about the Bake-Off, monthly challenges, how-to videos and award winning recipes from past Bake-offs.
• Pillsbury Baking –Recipes, baking basics, tips and more.

Free coupons:

• Pillsbury Coupons –As a member, get free printable coupons for General Mills products –possible savings of $14 this month.

Doughboy fun:

• Fun With The Pillsbury Doughboy –Send a dancin’ Doughboy email, watch Doughboy TV ads and bloopers, get the Desktop Doughboy.

These last two weren’t on Pillsbury.com, so I’m not sure if these are “official” or not:

• Pillsbury Doughboy on Facebook 
• Pillsbury Doughboy on Twitter

Blessings,

Denese

Tags: baking, coupons, Facebook, freebies, recipes, Twitter