NOLENSVILLE FEED MILL: AN AMISH COUNTRY MARKET

As you know, my dear friends, I truly enjoy discovering a new restaurant, boutique, or any other hidden treasure. SOOOOOOO last week I went out to Nolensville to pick out a few items for my house at Three French Hens. I ended up getting there about thirty minutes before opening, so I wandered across the street to the only place that was open. It is this moment, that I encounter The Feed Mill. OH MY GOSH. Since I was the only person in the store, I taste-tested practically everything in the store. All of the product are local from Tennessee. They sell fresh cheeses (um, they had Blueberry Cheddar Cheese. Delish), milk, pie fillings, jams,veggie chips, chocolates, fresh bread, and much more. All local. I ended up coming home with two pie fillings (peach and key lime with which I plan on making my homemade pie from my New Year Initiative list!) and some FROG jam. Do not be alarmed about the FROG jam. Initially they told me that, yes, it was indeed made of FROG legs, but this is a lie. It actually stands for Fig, Raspberry, Orange Marmalade, and Ginger. BEST Jam I have ever tasted. So....it is now another place to add to my list of secret spots. So fun.

XOXO

A FAIRYTALE...AS ALWAYS

Love, love, love her! and this song...

XOXO

BITTERSWEET DESIGNS

So many of you know that I have wanted to write since I was little. Other than this blog, I recently began journaling again. You may not think that it is important to have a "special" journal and that any piece of paper will do, however I have recently realized that this is an incorrect notion....or at least in my case. I have bought several journals over the past few years promising myself that this year I would begin again. In middle school and part of high school I was addicted to journaling and writing, but as I grew older I made less time for it and eventually it was nonexistent. With that said, I have a million empty journals in boxes.

Back in November I decided there would be no more excuses and I would begin writing out my thoughts once again. Along came my "Whimsies" journal. At first I could not fathom spending this small fortune on a journal and resisted the temptation. After a month of returning to its location and drooling over it, I made the plunge and it was mine. Good choice, since I can't seem to fill it up fast enough.

My "Whimsies" Journal

So, why is my Whimsies journal special? Bittersweet Designs makes composition books, baby books, pictures frames, photo albums, and jewelry out of vintage wallpaper, silk ribbons, vintage chains, and sparkling stones making each item unique. As far as I know the only place to purchase their line in Nashville is Lulu on Main Street in Downtown Franklin. Other than that you can check out their products online and inquire about a retailer near you.

BITTERSWEET DESIGNS

XOXO

PRAYERS LATELY

THE GLORIOUS UNSEEN

So what have I been praying about recently? Ironically, prayer. The last several weeks have been full of "I just don't knows" for me and some of my close friends. Some of my friends are making some big life changing decisions regarding their careers, locations, finances, etc. Personally, I have been struggling with giving my future to the Lord and admitting that I just don't know what is next....and being at peace with that. On top of that, I have had people close to me dealing with unexpected illnesses with their friends and families. Through all of these things, God has lead me to focus on prayer and how to pray. For the past several days I have been reading and studying what the Bible says about prayer and what I have learned is how without even realizing it, I have been doubting God. Here are several of the verses that I found...

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know he hears us- whatever we ask- we know that we have what we asked of him." - 1 John 5:14-15

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." - Psalm 37:4

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord." - James 1:7

"When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." - James 4:3

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?" -Matthew 7:11

and finally....and this is a long one....

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth. If anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." - Mark 11:22-24

What I found reiterated over and over, is that we are commanded to not doubt God, and to believe that what we have asked has happened. I then started to think about all of the "safe" prayers I have prayed over the years. I have simply not asked for things so that I didn't run the risk of ever being disappointed in him. How selfish of me and how silly to even try and put God in a box. I am called to pray bold prayers and to believe in those prayers. For those who are sick, God will heal them. For those who are lost, God has revealed himself to them. For those suffering that God will comfort them. And for the desires of my heart, God will bless me with those. I guess I am now challenging myself in this new year, to pray in a new way. To pray boldly and to be confident that my prayers will be heard and answered. Below are a few people that I ask for complete healing for and I ask that you do as well.

LITTLE LANA

BRENT ADAMS

LAUREN SETZLER

I'll just end on one final verse and it is off to bed.

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." - James 5:13-16

LOVING ALWAYS,

FANCY TODAY

I think I am in love with this dress. I mean....if anyone out there is in the mood to buy me a dress and send it this way....I will gladly accept :) Just kidding, but how cute is this? And if you don't check out ModCloth's website you should. FANTASTIC. Not to mention I get very excited that they actually name their clothing. I think it makes it much more interesting to shop and call clothes by their name. For instance, this dress is called the "Whipped Cream on Top" dress. I think that would make it much easier to discuss your clothing choices with friends if every outfit had a name....just a thought.

PRETTY DRESS

XOXO

THE PERCH might be my new obsession....

Have you ever been somewhere and INSTANTLY fallen in love. Well, it has happened today. My BFF Matty called me this afternoon super excited because he looooooves crepes and hasn't been able to find anywhere in Nashville that has them. In comes THE PERCH. I tried to put off going until next week, but Matt would not have this. He would be at my house in thirty minutes and we were going to eat crepes immediately. So.....an hour later we have arrived. Let's just say it is DARLING. Very small- just a few tables. Just the way I like it. Definitely one of those places you could go by yourself and sit for hours reading and drinking coffee.

Now, not only was it precious, but the menu was small and full of deliciousness. Also please note that my friends know how excited I get when I see a menu full of adjectives describing desserts. They get a kick out of it and make me read the menu to them out loud. I am pretty sure there is nowhere else in Nashville where you can consume an Orange Creamsicle Latte (candied orange and white chocolate) or a Smurf Latte (white cholate and blueberry). They had several types of crepes, but I chose the "healthiest" on the menu which was the Smore's Crepe- filled with marshmellows, hershey bars, and crushed graham cracker. Pretty sure I died and went to heaven. On top of that I had their Cinnaroll Latte. Mmmmmmm! Matt and I are extremely excited about our discovery and have decided that it will be our secret spot. But here I am sharing about it, so I guess it's not a secret anymore. You should probably try it out.

THE PERCH

My Yummy Smore's Crepe

XOXO

WHAT IF THE WORLD STOPS TURNING......

So I LOVE music....and you probably already know how much I adore Mindy Smith- HOWEVER, I discovered a song on one of her Long Island Shores album which I hadn't really listened to and now it is my new favorite of the week. The lyrics are sweet and beautiful ofcourse. LOVE HER.

XOXO

NEW YEAR: SIMPLE PLEASURES

Hi Lovies! So, yes, here I am starting out on this whole blog thing for a few reasons. One, most of my pretty friends are getting married, having babies, and starting blogs. So I should probably keep up. Two, I like writing and remembering- so this is the best of both worlds. <3

So, it is a New Year and really I can't believe that it is 2010. I started thinking about where I was 10 years ago on New Years and had the sweet memory of being very sick and missing a NYE celebration with my best friends from high school at Shannon Wilhite's house. We were 16 and were super excited about drinking sparkling grape juice out of champagne glasses. This year was definitely fun and a nice start. Nothing like good friends and 80's music to kick off a new decade. Here is a picture of my good friends Jenny, Janae, and I dressed in our festive New Years Eve garb before heading out.

Growing up, we always spent New Year's Day at our friend Roy Robbin's home on Mud Island in Downtown Memphis. It is one of the most memorable traditions I have of growing up, and hope that one day I will be able to have something like that in my home. Roy always has all of his close friends over for a "drop-in" meal throughout the day. Some of the menu items typically included are homemade bar-b-que shrimp, seafood gumbo, raspberry cheesecake, and sweet potato and pecan pie with Chantilly cream sauce. Probably the best meal I eat all year. But this year New Year's Day was spent in Nashville and was very pleasant. Janae spent the night with me and we woke up, watched Breakfast at Tiffany's in our PJ's, and ordered pizza. AND THEN!!! it was time for the New Year's resolutions. Since I am currently very content with life, I thought I should make a list of fun things I want to do or accomplish this year. I am still not done with my list, but here are a few of my favorites......


Watch the sunset from somewhere high up with a bottle of wine....and a friend

Finish learning to play the piano

Road trip with no plans

Find somewhere dark in Nashville and watch the stars for a while

DECK FURNITURE!!! - so I can actually utilize my pretty deck

WRITE

Praying specifically

Send more cards just because

Finish the Anne of Avonlea series....(I'm on book 3. L.M. Montgomery is the best thing that ever happened to girls who love adjectives)

Plant a pretty garden

Buy a shaggy rug for in front of my fireplace

Multi-media collage

Make a homemade pie

Go horseback riding (Pretty sure it has been at least 10 years....)

Build a pillow fort and watch movies like when I was 10

Do something I wouldn't normally do (I feel that this has been accomplished with the fact that I just bought a pair of skinny jeans...that counts right?)

Have a picnic

Keep an open heart

Trust God daily

Love.

So- to 2010. I think it is going to be a year of special moments with new friends and old, a year of growth, a year of love, and a year of simple pleasures.

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." - L.M. Montgomery in Anne of Avonlea

XOXO