Road Trip 2012~Shakin’ things up in Shaker Village, Kentucky & Franklin,Tennessee.

 

Well I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! I’ve been spending the weekend doing a little end-of-summer cleaning and organizing. Long weekend means more time to at least try and check some things off of my to-do list. One of those has been writing a new post about my trip through the southern states a few weeks ago. It took forever to decide where to go on our vacation weekend but we finally decided on driving through Chattanooga to Shaker Village in Mount Pleasant, Kentucky and then heading to Franklin, Tennessee. Mom and I had never been to either place but have heard good things and we were ready to see some new and interesting places. It did not disappoint! We had an amazing time and saw and did so much in just a few days in two towns.

I’m still sad it’s over. I took so many pictures, as I usually do, so it took a while for me to go through them. Some of them can be seen on my Instagram feed, which is here on my blog now! I’ll be breaking up the trip into several posts. Lots of great pics and of course Miss Jane had a wonderful time. In fact she felt right at home surrounded by so much history and beautiful homes and gardens. So be sure to check back soon for more about our journey.

 

Miss Jane’s bags are packed! Ready to go!

On the road!

Miss Jane loved this dress made of invitations and announcements at Warehouse Row in Chattanooga.

Maman, Pink Girl, & I all worked for Yves Delorme so it was fun getting to visit the outlet at Warehouse Row in Chattanooga. Made me want to redo all my bedding, so many beautiful linens.

Delicious lunch at Public House! Mmmm.

Veggie platter~Summer succotash, pickled radish and cucumber salad, and fresh squash casserole with cheddar muffins. Delish!

Deviled eggs with candied bacon

Fried chicken livers with grits and Tabasco butter. We also had the roasted beets with goats cheese. Yummo!

Back on the road, headed to Kentucky. Driving through the Cumberland Gap!

Sooo, it’s a long drive until another Starbucks is close at hand. FINALLY we arrived in London…Kentucky…where we got a much needed boost. Onward!

 

It’s a little disorienting driving through so many corn fields.

Finally the Shaker stone walls have emerged from the corn. We’re there!!!

We were greeted by many different creatures in Shaker Village. These content, grazing geese said hello first.

Eeek! Snake in the road! Well, hello to you too!

Sheepies!

 

 

It was so peaceful and quiet arriving in the village.

This is where we stayed. It’s one of the actual buildings built by the Shakers and served as their housing.

Feels like home!

We officially have arrived!

     

 

Walking to the Trustee’s office for dinner. Such a nice day!

 

 

 

These are some of the oldest buildings in the state.

Jane feels right at home!

Beautiful architecture!

Ready for some R&R! We had a delicious and quiet dinner at the Trustee’s Office. Fresh veggies from the garden, homemade breads and French onion soup using onions from the Shaker gardens, and fresh Shaker lemon pie. Fabulous way to end the day!

 

Going for an evening stroll back to our lodgings. Low and behold out from the shadows came two resident cats. We cannot escape the kitties. Purrfect way to end the night.

 

 

Kitty followed us all the way back to our room! We stayed and chatted for a while while watching a thunderstorm roll in then called it a night.

See you in the morning!

More from Shaker Village and Franklin coming soon. In the meantime if you want to learn more about Shaker Village check it out here!

On the road again tomorrow!

Have a bright night!

Bright Girl

25 things I can’t live without

Last night as I was scrolling through my blog reading list I came across this one from Susan at Between Naps on the Porch who shared products she can’t live without and it got me thinking about what I couldn’t live without and thought I’d share. What things do I use everyday/swear by/love? Well…let’s see…
1}My fluffy down pillow~I’m picky about my pillows. It’s gotta be just the right amount of fluffy and firm. I often bring my own pillow when I travel otherwise it could be a rough night. Leading to… 2}

2}Pillow Protectors~I use a zip up pillow protector on my pillows for many reasons. It keeps your pillow cleaner, makes laundry much easier, keeps your pillow from showing through the end of your case, prevents escapee feathers from flying off when you take the cases off, etc. It’s a win win. Buy a plain white one. Any patterns or stripes won’t look too cute showing through your case.

Doesn’t this look so comfy! These sheets are by Bellora, which I saw in a shop when I went to Italy. Too bad they don’t sell here in the states. Love the pink! If you live in the Atlanta area you should head over to Gramercy Fine Linens to see some beautiful sheeting and bedding options.





3}Kitchen Aid Mixer~I love this thing. It makes cooking and baking so easy. I really want to get one in a fun color someday!!





4}Parchment Paper Baking Sheets~I have a stock pile of these and use them for all of my baking. They are a quick and easy way to bake up some goodies with basically no clean up. Which reminds me I need to make macarons again soon. Check out Sur La Table or King Arthur Flour.





5}Iced Tea~There’s nothing like a cool, refreshing glass of iced tea. I get flack from my southern friends but I only order unsweetened tea with lemon when I go out to eat and sweeten it myself. You never know what you’re getting when you order sweet tea down in the south and I’d rather not get a swig of sugar water, thanks. I do love some Chick-fil-A tea, I order it half sweet/half unsweet. A good middle ground.





6}Chocolate~I love chocolate, especially dark. It’s medicinal people!

7}Bottled Water~I’ve had several jobs over the last few years that don’t have running water{as crazy as that sounds it’s true}. I drink a lot of water everyday so I keep a case in my car that way it’s always on hand.




8}Burt’s Bees~I have a stick on each bedside now plus one in my purse. I don’t like my lips to be dry! And the cooling mintyness is relaxing.




9}Glass Nail File~I’ve always had long nails and I absolutely HATE when I have a chip or a nail breaks and I have no file to fix it. Blergh! I keep a glass nail file in my purse and have had it for years. They last much longer than regular paper ones so I don’t have to worry about it being worn out or replacing it all the time. Try out this one by Sassella.

10}Tweezerman Tweezers~I’m pretty sure I would lose my mind if I didn’t have this on hand at all times.

11}Maybelline Great Lash Mascara~I’ve only ever used Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Brownish Black. It wears just right, lasts all day, no smudging, and comes off easily. I just bought Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes the other day and loving it so far. People often ask me if my lashes are real. I was born with it and it is Maybelline.




12}Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer~A few months ago I went shopping at Woo Skincare and picked up this great concealer by Laura Mercier. I have very pale skin and have had problems finding the right blemish concealer to match my skin tone. Secret Camouflage works great. Just a few dabs of this makes my skin look great.

13}Lipstick~Every Southern Belle knows you can’t leave the house without lipstick on! I have a habit of buying a new shade just about each season. I really want to find a bright pink shade next. Gotta change things up every once in a while.





14}Perfume~I love perfume. Right now I mainly rotate between Clinique Happy Heart and Vera Wang Truly Pink. I also have several Fragonard perfumes that I’ve had for a long time. I like perfumes that are feminine, floral, fruity, and natural. And if they’re pink it doesn’t hurt.





15}Hand Sanitizer~Use it all day!

16}Johnson & Johnson Baby Hand and Face Wipes~Working with kids all day these are a necessity!



17}Professional ceramic hairdryer~I’ve had my BaByliss Ceramix Xtreme for years and swear by it. I rarely bring it with me when traveling to save space but I’m always a little sad once I get to my destination because regular dryers take FOREVER. I guess I’m spoiled now.

18}Dyson vacuum~After going without a vacuum for a long time I finally bought a Dyson a few years ago. Let’s just say I got my moneys worth those first few days and every day since. I love a good clean!

 
19}Mr.Clean Magic Eraser~This is a great product. Cleans pretty much anything. Stained countertops? Scuffed walls? No problem! I don’t know how it works but I guess that’s why it’s magic. So mysterious.





20}My laptop and 21}iPhone~I just got an iPhone and I love having data now. It’s so easy to check in with people and look up information right when I want to instead of waiting to get home and not forgetting to do it once I get there. Plus it should totally help me from getting lost again at sundown. Yikes.
My laptop is my lifeline, that’s where I do most of my work and unfortunately it’s going to have to be replaced soon.





22}Alarm Clock~I am NOT a morning person. I’m usually a little grouchy and very sleepy in the morning. I can sleep through just about anything. Often my mother has conversations with me in the morning which I have absolutely no recollection of half an hour later. I have reminded her repeatedly not to talk to me in the morning due to this issue. It’s hit or miss. I hit the snooze a lot. I use an alarm clock and two different alarms on my phone. As much as I’d like to be better about this, I’m pretty sure it’ll never change. But thank God for alarm clocks because without them I’d be lost.



23}Netflix~I love Netflix. One of the first things I did after graduating college was sign up for it. All those years spent studying, writing, volunteering, working, etcetera pretty much everyday for 6 years left little time for watching movies{or reading for pleasure. Still working on that}. I’m catching up every week.





24}Calendars~I’m all about organization! I have several calendars, one large and one small for my purse. Plus I color code dates and events. I really like these Papermate Porous Point Felt Tip Pens. My Lily Pulitzer calendar, made my Lifeguard Press, is super cute and has fun stickers.





25}My Furry Children~Although the drive me crazy everyday for some reason or other and like human children they often keep me up at night I love them dearly and couldn’t live without them. After a long day there is nothing like a kitty snuggle. Aren’t they adorable! They’re cutest when the are sleeping. No driving me nuts like this, haha!
To quote Bob Barker, ‘Remember to spay and neuter your pets.’ And please rescue from shelters before buying a breeder pet!! Check out http://www.goodmews.org/ and http://www.adoptagoldenatlanta.com/.






What are some of your favorite products? What couldn’t you live without? I’d love to hear!

Have a Bright Day!
Bright Girl