A Special Day in Bell Buckle, Tennessee

Yesterday, Greg and I visited one of our favorite places, Bell Buckle, Tennessee. We were celebrating a special day for us. It was my first big outing since I'd been sick. I've been slowly recovering from a rare serious illness the past few weeks. We decided to celebrate Valentine's Day early since the town was already dressed in its valentine finery.

First of all, we had a delicious lunch at the Bell Buckle Cafe. The quality and quantity of the food is amazing. No wonder the cafe is always so busy.

After our meal, including dessert, of course...

Oatmeal Cake (Yum!)

we looked around at all of the interesting little shops and other curiosities.

It was a beautiful, warm day for the first of February so you didn't even need to wear a jacket.

We even worked in ice cream for a snack from the "Bluebird Antiques & Ice Cream Parlor" on February 2, Groundhog Day, 2019.

The groundhog surely saw his shadow in this area, but we didn't care since we were there just to enjoy this day.

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."-Charles M. Schultz

Yes, this was Greg's and my special day that we thoroughly enjoyed, and I want to thank Greg for all of his help and support during my difficult time. Greg, I love and cherish you, my best friend and soulmate. (Also, I really appreciate others who have shown their love and support.)

"The best thing about my life will always be that you are in it."-liveboldandbloom.com

Positive thought: "You don't have to wait until Valentine's Day to show how much they mean to you."-soulfeeljewelry.com
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, March 3, 2019, Becky

Celebrating Valentine's Day, Tennessee Style

Hope you've got some Valentine's Day plans, since Valentine's Day is right around the corner! If not, never fear, because in this blog post, I have some suggestions on how you could celebrate Valentine's Day right here in Tennessee.

Might I suggest one of Greg's and my favorite places in the whole world, the small town of Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

The Bell Buckle Cafe is now all dressed up in it's Valentine finery, and...

is serving its wonderful home style country dishes...

including dessert like this delicious fruit cobbler with ice cream!

(The Cafe serves both lunch and supper.)

Another place that would be great for lunch or a snack is Southern's Charm's charming Tea Room-

How about this lovely table for a romantic meal for two?

Besides food, Bell Buckle has several nice little shops to buy all of your Valentine's Day gifts.

Southern Charm which has the tea room, mentioned above, also has really nice gifts, as does Miss Jane's which is one of the newer shops in Bell Buckle.

 Miss Jane's-Is this romantic, or what!

Also, another must-visit place in Bell Buckle is Bluebird Antiques & Ice Cream Parlor.

I have to admit that I am a romantic. I love vintage, Victorian things, handmade things, beauty, nostalgia, hearts and flowers...Guess that's why I love Bell Buckle so much!

If you prefer the big city, how about a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, 

and The Loveless Cafe! (If this is not the most romantic place to visit, it's one of the most enjoyable.)

(Greg's and my personal fave there is the biscuits which is their specialty. Just add butter and their delicious preserves. Yum!)

Need a gift? The Loveless has gifts in their two shops, including food gifts.

I was watching a show on HGTV a few nights ago, and guess what place was on the show? That's right, The Loveless Cafe! It's famous, and many Nashville celebrities have visited there. The walls are just full of signed celebrity photos. Everyone needs to go there at least once!

Well, there you have it, a couple of neat places to go if you happen to be in Tennessee around Valentine's Day.

If these are not your cup of tea, you might want to research some places in Tennessee on your own. You might even discover that not only is Tennessee a great place to visit, but is also a great place to live!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Positive thought:

Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, March 5, 2017, Becky

A Bell Buckle Celebration

Recently, Greg and I returned to one of our very favorite places, Bell Buckle, Tennessee. I've written about this quaint little town on other blog posts. (These are the 12/6/15, 6/21/14, 2/23/14, and 4/28/13 posts.)

This time, we were there to celebrate a very special occasion for us, our wedding anniversary!

"Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day."
-Gene Perret

Our first stop in Bell Buckle was, of course, the Bell Buckle Cafe.

There, we know that we'll always get an excellent meal...

It was sooo good! Southern home-style cookin,' Greg's and my favorite kind!

Of course, we had to top it all off with an anniversary dessert, a grits cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Fantastic!

After our wonderful, filling meal, we decided to take a stroll around town.

This is just one of the neat shops we visited.

Inside "Perfectly Painted" was an unexpected bonus, this cute little guy.

On our way out, after yet another visit to Bell Buckle, Greg and I noticed this pretty B&B, the "Walker Inn."

We thought that it would be great to spend the night here on our next visit so we could enjoy an even longer stay in this charming little town.

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction."
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Positive thought: "An anniversary is a time to celebrate the joys of today, the memories of yesterday, and the hopes of tomorrow."-Author Unknown
Thanks for visiting! Until Sunday, September 4, 2016 (or sooner!), Becky

Southern Charm's Charming Tea Room

Welcome!

A few weeks ago, Greg and I got to go to the official grand opening of Southern Charm's Tea Room in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and we're glad we did! We had a wonderful time!

(The quaint little town of Bell Buckle is no stranger to this blog, as I've written about it before. Please see my 4/28/13 and 6/21/14 blog posts for more about Bell Buckle.)

Southern Charm has "Gifts, Fashion, Accessories, Home Decor"...

And now, a tea room-

Southern Charm even had an official ribbon cutting for the opening of the new tea room. The mayor of Bell Buckle assisted Bethaney, one of Southern Charm's owners, with the ribbon cutting. (Greg and I were excited about being there because we'd never been to a ribbon cutting before!)

The personable Judy Osborne started the tea room.

These ladies are busily preparing all of the goodies.

The decor and Christmas decorations were exquisite!

The complimentary appetizers, desserts and drinks we had for the grand opening were superb!  

Perhaps our favorite was this fantastic yellow cake.

(Did you ever feel like you were in the middle of a wonderful dream that you didn't want to end?)

F.Y.I.
Southern Charm
29 Railroad Square
Bell Buckle, TN 37020
(931) 389-0003
ilovesoutherncharm@gmail.com

Greg and I love everything about this small town, including the friendliness of the people who seem to keep the spirit of Christmas alive all through the year.

Positive thought: "Keep your Christmas-heart open all the year round."-J. L. W. Brooks
Thanks for visiting!  Until Sunday, December 13, 2015, Becky

Delightful Day Trips

Welcome!

Glad you could join me as I fill you in on a recent trip that Greg and I took.  It was a day trip in which we went to a nearby destination for a delightful day of fun and relaxation.

On my previous blog post (October 6, 2015), I wrote about our trip to Memphis, Tennessee.  That was a long trip for us, and we spent the night.  We had every aspect of the trip planned, and it all went pretty much the way we had hoped it would.

However, day trips are different, because they are closer home and you don't spend the night.  While long trips are fun every once in a while, you can go on day trips more often, and you generally don't get as worn out or spend as much money on these short excursions.

Part of our recent trip was to a park that Greg and I had been wanting to visit for some time, Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Lebanon, Tennessee.  There are a lot of cedar trees at the park and 19 rare plants that grow abundantly there and nowhere else in the world!  The park offers hiking, picnicking, camping, and horseback riding.

Greg, at Cedars of Lebanon State Park

We enjoyed exploring the park and taking pictures of the few colorful fall leaves that were still left.

Afterwards, we drove a short distance to the small town of Carthage, Tennessee which Greg was curious about since it was the former hometown of a famous fellow Tennessean, Al Gore.

Sometimes, it's more interesting not to plan every aspect of your trip, but to just let things happen.  And, sometimes you are pleasantly surprised!

That's what happened to us as we left Carthage; we found a great place for our evening meal, Timberloft Restaurant in nearby Gordonsville, Tennessee.  Timberloft has steaks, barbecue, and southwestern cuisine.  It's the number one restaurant in Gordonsville, and was awarded a "Certificate of Excellence" from TripAdvisor.

Timberloft welcomed us with colorful fall flowers and pumpkins.

The interior is inviting and cozy!

The charming outdoorsy decor has whimsical touches.

After a delicious meal of perhaps a "Philly Steak & Cheese" sandwich and "Kale Salad" or a "BBQ Stuffed Potato," you might want to try one of their delightful desserts.  They even have gluten-free options.

F.Y.I.
www.timberloftrestaurant.com

We enjoyed our last day trip so much that we decided to go on another one soon, for shopping and for the opening of a tearoom in the charming little town of Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

You might want to plan your own day trip soon, to explore somewhere that you've never been.  Where would you go?  What would you do?  Bet you'd have a great time!  (Did you know that many people never take advantage of the entertaining and interesting places near or even in their own hometowns?)

Website you might find helpful: www.goodguide.com  On this website you can "Find safe, healthy, green, & ethical product reviews based on scientific ratings."  Over 250,000 products are rated on this site.

Positive thought: "Not all who wander are lost." J. R. R. Tolkien
Thanks for visiting!  Until Sunday, December 6, 2015 (or sooner!), Becky

Christmas Magic

Welcome!

And, welcome Winter!

On this blog post, in words and pictures, I'd like to share with you some of  the magic of Christmas.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over the world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
-Norman Vincent Peale

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know..."
-Irving Berlin

"O Christmas Tree"
-Traditional German Christmas song

"Tradition: sit with husband in a room lit only by tree lights, and remember that our blessings outnumber the lights."
-Betsy Canas

"A candle is a lovely thing;

It makes no noise at all,

But softly gives itself away."

-Eva Logue

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..."

From "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clarke Moore

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six.  Mother took me to a department store, and he asked me for my autograph."
-Shirley Temple

"Gifts of time and love are surely the best ingredients of a truly merry Christmas."
-Peg Bracken

-"The worse gift is a fruitcake.  There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other."
-Johnny Carson

"Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home."
-W. J. Ronald Tucker

"A three-year-old gave this reaction to her Christmas dinner, 'I don't like the turkey, but I like the bread he ate.'"
-Author Unknown

Lest we forget, this is what Christmas is all about-

"Love was born at Christmas.

Star and angels gave the sign."

-Christina Rossetti

"And they went with haste, and found Mary, Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger."
-Luke 2:16

And, even more magic in our part of the world-

Bell Buckle, Tennessee, All Dressed Up for Christmas

A Unique Marriage Proposal, Right Before Christmas (What a Great Gift!)

And, finally, I must give the Christmas "creativity award" to these guys (Bob Matlock and a co-worker) at our nearby convenience center, for they certainly have the right idea, to use what you have, and to create beauty out of the less than beautiful, for that is the essence of positive thinking, a sort of "when-life-gives-you-lemons,-make-lemonade" mentality...

 or "Bloom where you are planted."

Mitzi

Kallie

"Meo-wy Christ-mouse!"

-wrapcandy.com

Positive thought: May your Christmas be filled with magic!

Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Here are our pictures on iStock:
http://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/rebecca-arnott#10f6e9a3