Retired to Bling

Monday, February 9, 2015

Elder Mountain Tennessee

I was hooked when I saw this house - by the whimsy, the views and the feel of this home. It's located on Elder Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Years ago, I lived for a while in Chattanooga and loved being there. When I had to move back to Wisconsin, I was sad to leave...it had really become "home" to me...in a relatively short time. This home has 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms and over 7,000 square feet of living space. It rests high atop the...
mountain on 6 acres. It was built in 1923. It's located at 960 Cumberland Road in Chattanooga Tennessee.

There are alot of photos in this post...and they are all beautiful. As you're taking in the rooms, look outside, through the windows, at the magnificent views...and especially take in the majestic sunsets in the photos near the end of the post.

I hope you enjoy this home as much as I did. It certainly isn't something one would see every day. It indeed is a Character Home...a one-of-a-kind home.

Notice the beautiful Pink Dogwood Tree beginning to bud.

A secret Entryway in the home.

A Look-out Tower

I love the arched doorway and the beautiful staircase...as well as the massive stone walls.

So warm and cozy!

See the View?

Lots of Cupboards and open storage.

Lots of open storage for all those beautiful dishes!

More beautiful views outside the windows.

Artwork - Natural surroundings, just outside the window!

Thanks for visiting and coming along with me on this Home Tour!

These are maps of the area...and the home.

A once in a lifetime opportunity, for you to own a piece of history. From the timeless architecture to the unparalleled views, this home will not disappoint. A majestic castle prominently placed on six acres at the crown of Elder Mountain, one of Chattanoogas best kept secrets.

A small, closed, and very private community that is held in high regard by locals who say the views of the valley, the Tennessee River Gorge and Chattanooga are without a doubt "the best in town." Conveniently located less than 12 minutes from the downtown district of Chattanooga, the prestigious Elder Mountain gated community offers 24 hour attendant service.

The home sits on the highest point of Elder Mountain with an elevation of 1860 feet. It can be seen from the city of Chattanooga appearing as an ancient rock castle set on the bluff of the high mountain. A truly exclusive feature is the completely restored 60 foot stone observation tower which offers a wide panorama that encompasses views from four states - Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina. All of the building materials for the home were sourced from the mountain. Native rock and boulders form the face of the mountain wall. Timber from local White Oak forests was used for construction. The Elder Estate was strategically built to follow the natural ridge line of the mountain. Privacy is guaranteed by design. The 82 year old property has only three previous owners.

In 1921 the Elders purchased thousands of acres of virgin forest atop Raccoon Mountain and legally renamed it "Elder Mountain". The Elder House, as it was formally known, was completed in 1923. After a residence of 37 years, the property was sold to the MacDonald family.

Being in the construction business, the MacDonalds expanded the main house adding garages and another private residence. The Krishock family purchased the home in 2004 and conducted a ground-up restoration, bringing all rooms back to their original beauty. They allowed the grounds to return to their organic and natural state, preserving a bit of nature with natural boulders and rock gardens inviting an abundance of wildlife. The oldest documented gingko tree in the state of Tennessee serves as an amazing centerpiece for the landscape.

The historic all-stone exterior is crowned with a Spanish Barrel tile roof. The home is surrounded with open air patios to provide optimum outdoor entertaining. There are multiple tiered outdoor seating areas to maximize the views from every angle. A stone path leads to the front door of this private retreat with old world charm. The home immediately gives you a gratifying welcome with exposed stone walls, arches, solid oak vaulted ceilings, slate floors, lovely stained glass windows, wrought iron chandeliers and hardware, and a wide gentle curved staircase.

Call for a complete and extensive list of features and amenities. A home of this grandeur would be truly impossible to replicate today. Buyer to verify square footage. CHATTANOOGA, also called the Scenic City, sits on the banks of the Tennessee River and it is located between the Appalachian Mountains and the Cumberland Plateau. Chattanooga, home of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is 120 miles from Atlanta, GA and from Knoxville, TN. Chattanooga is a centrally located region for commerce. Tennessee has no income tax. Climate is temperate and has four distinct seasons

Broker: Alliance Sotheby's International Realty

$2,550,000

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Richway Amethyst BioMat

It's been over a year that I've been using the BioMat for at-home treatments...and I love it just as much {maybe more} as I did when I first tried it! It has helped with so many things - reducing stress, swelling, relaxation, sleep pattern, lymphatic drainage, and my Bell's Palsy.

There have been so many times that in the middle of doing something, I feel the urge to lay down and rest and rather than laying down on my bed or on the sofa, I gather my 3 pups and we all lay down on my BioMat...
for a treatment. Sometimes we're on the BioMat for only 20 minutes and other times as much as an hour. The pups are content to just lay there and enjoy the benefits, just as I do. I am fortunate in that I have a massage table, with the BioMat set up in the middle of my office...so it's really convenient. I have a quilt covering the table that matches my valances on the 2 windows in the office...so it really is a pretty setting. Sometimes, one of the Pups needs a treatment and then they just jump up on the BioMat to alert me and I turn it on for them. It has heat AND the far infrared waves and negative ions. {Angel is the most frequent individual user of the Pups.}

***I haven't received anything from BioMat or my Massage Therapist, Heidi for doing this post - I truly have felt the benefits of using the BioMat and highly recommend it to everyone. You can read my original BioMat post here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Richway Amethyst BioMat combines the triple synergy of Far Infrared rays and negative ion therapy and the super conducting properties of amethyst crystals into a powerful tool to facilitate healing. So, what does all that mean??

Let's break it down . . .

Far Infrared waves, discovered by NASA, are known to be the safest, most beneficial natural light wave. Infrared rays are healthy rays at the far end of the spectrum that provide warmth and relaxation. Far Infrared Rays penetrate 6 inches into the body. Therefore, these rays not only benefit the muscles on the surface of the body, but all cells including blood vessels, lymph glands, and nerves in the deepest parts of our body.

Using the BioMat Can...
~ Reduce swelling and inflammation by improving lymph flow
~ Increase blood flow of the micro-circulatory system
~ Destroy cancer and viral cells without harming surrounding healthy cells **
~Stimulate healthy molecular vibration with long-lasting, life-sustaining enzyme activity Negative Ions

Think about how you feel while standing beside a waterfall - bathed in a refreshing sense of clean energy! Scientifically, negative ions are a state of having more electrons than protons in molecules or particles in the air. In 1991 Dr. Erwin Neher and Dr. Bert Sakmann in Germany received the Nobel Prize for Medicine as they found that negative ions play a very important role in metabolism.

In the human body there are more than 60 trillion cells connected - sending and receiving information, nutrients, and excreting wastes. Such distribution is possible because there are cell channels connecting the cells. However, if there are no negative ions in cells, then the cell channels do not open. Thus, nutrients are not passed, cell activity is reduced, creating a feeling of pain. Wastes that are not excreted accumulate in the body causing adverse health.

When you feel pain, it is your brain detecting electrical signals of positive ions. Negative ions generated by the BioMat help facilitate cellular metabolism, enhance your vitality, reduce pain; distribute various nutrients and energy throughout your body. Negative ions also cleanse blood, have a tranquilizing effect and are also good for recovering from fatigue.

Benefits of the BioMat

Increases Blood Circulation and Strengthens the Cardiovascular System
Improves Skin
Burns Calories & Controls Weight
Improves the Immune System
Reduces Stress & Fatigue
Removes Toxins
Relieves Pain & Joint Stiffness
Reduces Inflammation
Improves Sleep
**Harvard Medical School found out that cancer cells are vulnerable to heat, and will be destroyed at temperatures over 42*C. The rise in body temperature will weaken activities of cancer cells.

Amethyst

Amethyst crystals are most famous for their power to detoxify the body from alcohol and other harmful elements. Beautiful Amethyst crystals are seen in a row of the BioMat!
~Amethyst also produces Far Infrared rays.
~The crystals have scientifically been found to offer the most consistent and powerful delivery of healthy far infrared light waves.
~They are a powerful detoxifier for lungs, respiratory, skin, digestive diseases and cellular disorders.
~They strengthen the immune and endocrine systems, boost production of hormones.
~Help regulate the Autonomic Nervous System to achieve balance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic systems.
~Amethyst synthesizes the transmission of neural signals through the brain.
~Far Infrared Rays provide relaxation, antibacterial effects and purification of the air.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Make Adjustments...by Joyce Meyer

Adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence).

- 2 Peter 1:5

Sometimes we have to make a few adjustments in our lifestyle to follow wisdom. We may have to say no to too much activity. Hebrews 11:1 teaches that faith is the assurance of things we do not see now. But...
like God, we can call "those things that be not, as though they are" (see Romans 4:17). This spiritual principle applies in the negative realm as well as in the positive realm. So we may need to make some adjustments to the things we say.

If you feel that it is hard to get up in the morning, don’t say, “I am too tired.” Get all of that weak, tired, wimpy, quitter, give-up talk out of your vocabulary. Instead, say, “Because the Lord is my strength, I can do whatever I need to do today.”

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Snowstorm 2015 and More

This past Saturday and Sunday was our big 2015 SNOWSTORM! We broke a record with 16.5"! We have drifts that look like Waves, and some that stand nearly 4 feet high! No power loss, so we stayed warm. Naturally with that kind of snowfall, Tom's Oncologist's office called Sunday night at 9pm to let us know that the office would be closed on Monday and that we should call in for another appointment. This was the appointment when we were...

to find out the results of all the tests hubby has had in the past 2 weeks....something like 4 Cat Scans, a Bone scan and 3 MRI's...all of different areas and with and without contrast.

Now, our appointment is next Tuesday, February 10th.

That's why I haven't updated my Blog with a post about the findings. Also, I've been extremely busy the past 2 weeks, making lists of things needing to be tended to...getting hubby to do his share and me doing mine. Things are progressing. Sorry I haven't been visiting and commenting much recently. I do look, but can't think of anything to say...I'm just at a loss for words.

Tom's daughter has come over several times (sometimes with a couple of other people) to shovel our 650 square foot courtyard (for our Pups), our sidewalk and the drive-way, since hubby can't do it all himself...and I can't shovel at all.

This is our Sweetie Girl, Angel. She is a Coton de Tulear and will be 2 in July. She had just come in from outdoors...running around our courtyard with Jasper and Rosie...and continued running around in the house. She jumped up in the bed in the office and I quickly snapped a picture! How cute!!

I hope you're enjoying the Devotions I've been posting lately. It seems nearly every one of them that I get in an email, speaks to me and my situation...and I know I must share them! And besides, there isn't much to post about.

Monday, February 2, 2015

He Will Tell You What's Ahead

He will announce and declare to you the things that

are to come [that will happen in the future] - John 16:13

One of the many benefits of hearing from God is that listening to His voice helps us prepare for the future. The Holy Spirit gives to us the messages the Father gives to Him, and He often tells us things that will happen in the future. We find many instances in the Bible in which God spoke to people...
and gave them information about the future. He told Noah to prepare for a flood that would come to destroy the people of the earth (see Genesis 6:13–17). He told Moses to go to Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites and that Pharaoh would not grant this request (see Exodus 7). Obviously, God does not tell us everything that will happen in the future, but His Word promises He will tell us some things.

There are times when I sense that something good, or perhaps something challenging, is going to happen. When a challenge awaits me and I have some prior knowledge of it, that knowledge helps to cushion the blow when the difficult situation comes. If an automobile with good shock absorbers hits a pothole, those absorbers protect passengers in the car from the jarring impact that would result and no one gets hurt. God’s giving us information ahead of time works the same way.

Part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is to tell us things to come. He knows the mind of God and He knows God’s individual plans for our lives. He will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it in order to fulfill the good plans God has for us.

God’s word for you today: Trust the Holy Spirit to tell you what you need to know about the future.