Little Vacations: Arkansas

Blanchard Springs, AR
    July trip, Swimming & Spelunking

Even if your family is anything like mine and loves Heber Springs just as much as the next Memphian, I'm back in town to tell you...it's time for a change.
We left the boating and innter tubing behind a few weeks ago & spent a day swimming in the little river between Blanchard Spring and Gunner Pool.

It was so beautiful!

The water is crystal clear.  Even the shallowest part in this photo is about a foot deep!

This is Blanchard Spring, whose water feeds the swimmable river.

...but a word about the water...

It is swimmable...it is NOT potable!

Just on the other side of that waterfall is a cave

...a cave full of bats!

The National Forest Service tells me I don't want to drink bat debris, and I'll take their word for it, but more about the bats later... 

Be sure to bring waterproof shoes!

You'll also want at least one float (or two life jackets & a pool noodle).

There are lots of places to wade into the stream.

If you're lucky, you can see little fish and huge tadpoles.
If you're like me, you'll need to watch out for water snakes. I wish I were kidding. 

There is even the Mirror Lake fishing pond...which I enjoyed more for the waterfall than the trout.

After swimming & hiking, you can even cool off with the bats.

Well, actually you probably won't see the bats (thank goodness), but it is perpetually a pleasant 58 degrees in the Blanchard Springs Caverns.

The "battleship," or "Titanic rock," as my sister & I like to call it is my favorite formation (excuse the nerdiness). Can you see it in the spotlight? Isn't that neat?!

The network of lights & pathways through on the Dripstone Trail is truly impressive, and even though I just don't feel comfortable taking a tour that combines the words "wild" and "cave," the Wild Cave Tour (without theater lights & meandering pathways) also sounds really fascinating. 

So, those are some of the high points from Blanchard Springs!
With Labor Day only two weeks away, I just wanted to share with you a new place to celebrate with a little vacation.

Hope you're having a truly wonderful weekend,
  Erica

Feelin Fall-y

I see you, summer style bloggers and business people. You look great in your tailored clothes and layers of statement necklaces that match your 'waist cinching' belts, but I'm on to you.  You put on those great outfits, dashed outside, did your photo shoots/lunch meetings, and then retreated back into your homes and your Nike shorts. You're not fooling anyone. 

A pile of comfort & utility

I mean these shorts of comfort and breeziness are some of the most practical things I own, and you won't hear any complaints out of me for the first month or so that I adopt them as my summer uniform...but Memphis summers last from about April to October, if not longer.  That's a loooong time!

...and y'all, my Nike shorts have started getting me down.

Ugh, your cheery colors mock my limited wardrobe.

Of course, I could probably wear something else...like cotton shorts and a grown up/non tee-shirt shirt...but that's it. Done. No more options. Shorts/shirts combos are the sum total of honestly tolerable southern summer-wear. 

Sorry, Lilly just a little tired of your shorts right now

Thank goodness there's fall... fahhhhhll!

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against summer except the boring outfit options, but I'm also not going to lie...I've been stoked every (very) early morning this week to feel that a new season of cooler weather and layered clothing are inching closer.

To celebrate getting excited about all the new outfit possibilities along with the pumpkin spice flavors and temporary mosquito extinction and other great things that come with fall, my sister and I have been working on fall wreaths!

Here's an end of summer one:

With a functioning chalkboard!

My grandmother loved seeing her initial, 

but she can't wait to write notes for all of us!

Here's a rustic one!

We're even getting ready for Halloween 

with witch hats & jack-o-lanterns!!

Boo!

To make this celebration even more exciting, we are selling our wreaths HERE!

...check out the link to see these wreaths & many more!

Kitty cats not included!

Hope you are as excited about fall as I am!!!

And be sure to find ways to celebrate, even if chilly days are still weeks away!

One Moment Please

Alys Beach, FL

What a beautiful place for a beach party

...or a lazy afternoon.

Wishing you sunny days & sandy feet this week!

Tale of the Tiny Trash Table

A few years ago, as a friend was moving, I noticed a small table had not made it into the Uhaul. When I pointed out this oversight, she explained that it wasn't going.  

The little table had almost washed away from a hurricane flooded house twenty years ago, and in her eyes, it was ruined and had reached the end of its lifespan. 
With one glance at its distressed top and still sturdy construction, I could tell it had years of use left in it... I just didn't know in what setting.

  

"I'll take it," I told her. I had watched one too many home makeover shows and explained how I could definitely, positively refinish it, but after the table sat in my room for quite a few months without my ever learning how to refurbish furniture, I finally embraced its current condition...I think designers call it "shabby chic" or "country chic" or something. 

That's when my table seemed to take on a new life.

If a hurricane hadn't destroyed it, I figured this table could handle anything.

Things that would have ruined other tables just couldn't hurt this one...

Dripping candle wax? No problem! 

Over heated containers? Not much to ruin here!

(which is good because I do love candles)

I began to find that my little table could help me fearlessly decorate for any occasion.

I've added (possibly overwatered) flowers for spring themes

...actually, this accent table has even accented outside.

Placed next to an inviting chair, it's the perfect place to perch a cold beverage

Whether...or not...

guests reach for a coaster.

I highly recommend rescuing your own indestructibly useful accent table!
You never know how it will come in handy!

Little Vacations Near Memphis: Ghost River & Millington

Ghost River, TN
    June weekend trip/ fun at a swamp

By now, everyone in Memphis has probably heard of the Ghost River Brewing company...I personally haven't tried any of their products, but their advertisements are prolific. So, when my family found out that there really is a section of the Wolf River that looks just like the mysterious picture on  the brewery's labels, we decided, why not check it out?! 

Now, I don't want anyone to think this isn't a fascinating place to visit, but I've added some some travel advice to this little vacation post that other websites didn't let me know before I visited.

1. Canoeing and kayaking are decidedly the best options for experiencing this natural area.
You can follow the driving directions on the few websites that offer them: here's one  and here's one. 
However, really this one view is all you can see from the road.

from Bateman Rd, again:

2. Even with directions, the park isn't exactly user friendly.
After stopping at a few muddy, river landings, we followed locals' advice & drove down a random road, through what I'm sure was someone's back yard, across a temporary bridge, and into the woods to find the only visitors' info board we saw all day.

Here's the info, just in case you don't want to traipse through other people's property.

3. Ghost River is, in fact, a swamp. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Notice the intense mud at the foot of the trees... yet another reason to boat through here.

4. Despite some drawbacks, Ghost River really does have a unique beauty.

Millington, TN
      July weekend trip/ Winery Visit Round 2

Ok, I get that Millington isn't even outside of Shelby county, and some people even consider it part of Memphis (ahem Justin Timberlake), but still isn't a vacation any break from ordinary life?

While, they may not merit their own post, here are some of the things my sister & I recommend after our first trip to Millington:

1. Shelby Forest- It's nice that Memphians have such a large, natural setting so close to home.  Point of interest: apparently Shelby Forest is home to one of America's best disc golf courses (haha, strange).

2. Shelby Forest General Store- The atmosphere is very Bass Pro meets Appalachia. My sister's boyfriend recommends the ice cream bars.

3. Old Millington Winery- This winery may not be as showy as Arrington, but these wines are also delicious, and many weekends, there there is live music. I recommend the blackberry wine, although everyone else loved the Strawberry. We brought home a bottle of very refreshing Delta White...here's its cheery label!

Little Vacations: Nashville

I know I haven't posted on the blog in a while, so I thought I may share some of the things I've been up to with friends and family that have kept me away from the computer.

Sometimes, even when my family can not take a very long or thoroughly planned vacation, we find ways to have lots of summer fun close to home. Hopefully, the mini vacations I'll share through the next few posts will inspire you, sweet readers, to take your own little breaks from everyday life.

Nashville, TN
   June weekend trip/Winery Visit Round 1

A few weekends ago, my sister, my mom, and I hopped in the car to visit my aunt & cousin in Nashvegas!

We started our very short trip with a visit to History Channel's own Pickers.

Ok, this isn't exactly the gigantic warehouse full of rust I was expecting...

In fact, it was a bit more of a Nashville flavored tourist-trap.

But there was a lot to look at

Not even sure what some stuff was...

While we didn't purchase much

(I got a Picker pick from music city (pretty clever souvenir huh?))

and we may not have wanted to buy some things at all...eek!

we did have a very good time!

After a few country music star encounters (or music star look-alike encounters),
we spent a girls' afternoon at Arrington Vineyards.

Oh my gosh, maybe it's the wine talking, but I can not say enough good things about this place. Y'all, I want to have my birthday here; does that tell you anything?!

You can sample up to four varieties of wine.

Be sure to try the Chardonnay and especially the Raspberry (yum!)

...oh and there are delicious raspberry chocolates...i know they're not really wine but....

Even though there was a wedding, birthday party, live country music, and the rustic front porch was just generally packed while we were there, it was pretty easy to purchase your favorite wine and find a picnic table with a great hillside view.

(wow we love stripes!)

What a beautiful day!