New Ice Cream Shop in Tennessee

Welcome!

If you love ice cream as much as I do, check out the new ice cream shop in Columbia, Tennessee, "Hattie Jane's Creamery," which is next door to the locally famous restaurant, Puckett's, that's on the town square.

It's a cute little shop...

with cute decor...

and homemade ice cream that is simply delish!

This is Tahitian Vanilla with caramel sauce in their homemade waffle cone. They also have intriguing sweet treats such as "The Elvis" which consists of 'nana puddin' ice cream, peanut butter, candied bacon, and amaretto whipped cream.

Not only do they have ice cream, but they also have other wonderful confections like brownies and cookies.

And, to wet your whistle on a hot summer's day, how about some ice cold lemonade?

I believe these nice ladies would agree that...

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream. And that's kind of the same thing."
-Unknown

F.Y.I.

www.hattiejanescreamery.com

I'd also like to add a birthday cake as a special treat for a special person, my mother, whose birthday was on July 9. We love you!

Food for thought: "Tomorrow we can eat broccoli, but today is for ice cream."-Mallory Hobson, age 9

Thanks for visiting! Until next weekend, Becky

Local Parks

Welcome!

I recently mentioned on a blog post that I'd write about one Tennessee park every month. This month, this post is about one of our local parks here in Tennessee.

We are blessed with several local parks here in Columbia. One of our favorites is Riverwalk Park.

A few days ago, after I had finished up some business in town, on a whim, I decided to stop by Riverwalk Park since it was such a beautiful day.

This wonderful park has something for everyone-

A nice picnic area-

Plenty of  walkways-

Areas for games like basketball-

Fishing-

Places to rest and just contemplate nature-

A shelter for the farmers' market-

Beauty everywhere-

I'm so glad I stopped by this park a few days ago because I felt so refreshed after having spent some time there.

Why not visit your local park soon? You don't need a special occasion to enjoy the wonders of nature that await you.

Positive thought: "Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."-Rachel Carson
Thanks for visiting! Until next weekend, Becky

A Day of Fun in Columbia, Tennessee

I just wanted to share with you a fun day we had recently in Columbia, Tennessee.

The occasion was a special one, the Mule Day parade, that we enjoyed with two special people, Mike and Betty, who traveled over three hundred miles to celebrate with us.

The Mule Day parade is one of the best parts of Mule Day.* Here are some of the highlights of the parade, in words and pictures-

Toward the first of the parade, there were men on horseback, carrying various flags, including the United States and Tennessee ones.

There were horses carrying beauty queens.

There was even a "horse of a different color"!

And, since this was the mule parade, there were mules, of course, as well.

There was even a pretend mule.

Even some of the spectators came dressed for the occasion.

There were canine fans, too!

Like my animal-lover Daddy would say, "Here's a little sweetheart."

The over-hour-long parade was spectacular with lots of other things like floats, fancy cars, and horse-drawn carriages, etc.

After the parade, we were hungry, so we headed over to Puckett's** for lunch.

Preparing to Visit Puckett's

I got the breakfast buffet instead of ordering lunch. Great choice!

We stopped in at The Old Curiosity Book Shop which was right down the street.*** 

Next on our agenda was the home of James K. Polk who was the 11th President of the U. S. (I found a cute mule-shaped cookie cutter in the gift shop which is now on display in our kitchen.)

We then went to an old graveyard to find a Confederate soldier's grave since Mike and Greg are Civil War buffs.

While there, we happened upon this adorable little calico, which was nice to see, since we didn't notice any cats attending the parade!

Question to ponder: A mule is a combination of what two animals?

"Always make time for the people that remind you, life is meant to be fun."

-"An Inspired Approach"

*For more information on Mule Day, please see my 4/1/12 and 4/6/13 "The Art of Positive Living" blog posts.

**For more information about Puckett's, see my 4/14/13 blog post. 

***For more information about The Old Curiosity Book Shop, see my 10/13/13 blog post.

(Note: The first and last photos were taken outside of Puckett's.) 

Positive thought: "Have fun!! (seriously)-pinterest.com
Thanks for visiting! Until next Monday, Becky

A Valentine's Day Idea

I'm glad to be back, after a five-week's absence from this blog.  I've been really busy with other projects which I'll share with you at a later time.  For a while, I'll be back with new posts about once a month.  Once I get things under way, I hope to write posts a little more often, and maybe even some mini blog posts in between.

With Valentine's Day less than a week away, I'd like to share with you an idea that might be fun if you live near the Columbia, Tennessee area.  It's a wonderful little place that Greg and I have visited several times.  It's called the Columbia Coffee Cafe & Bakery.

The decor has several cleaver and charming touches-

It's a family-owned business that has not only coffee and bakery items, but many other delicious items, as well, including soups, salads, sandwiches, several side items, and ice cream which are all  homemade.

Here are pictures of some of the bakery items-

Blueberry Muffins for Two (Romantic!)

My Special Valentine!

The interesting Columbia Coffee Cafe website (See F.Y.I. below.) gives a complete look at the family members who own and run the cafe, the business days and hours, as well as a detailed menu. 

For lots more pictures of their delightful desserts and other food, be sure and check out their Facebook page.

F.Y.I.

Columbia Coffee Cafe & Bakery

1907 Shadybrook Street, Suite B

Columbia, TN 38401

Phone:(931) 901-0825

www.ColumbiaCoffeeCafe.com

Greg and I just spent a couple of wonderful days with Mike and Betty, including a visit to the fabulous Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

News you might use: "The Food Babe Way," a book by Vani Hari, will be for sell starting February 10.  I pre-ordered mine from Amazon.  It should be really interesting, helpful, and informative.  (Disclaimer: What might be right for me, may not be right for you. Please use your own judgment on any suggestions that I might make.)  (Also, I get no payment for recommending this book.)

Positive thought: Happy Valentine's Day, and happy every day!

Thanks for visiting!  Until Sunday, March 8, Becky

   

Columbia Fall Festival

Welcome!

Columbia, Tennessee starts fall off right every year with it's wonderful "Southern Fried Festival" in downtown Columbia, Tennessee.  This is Greg's and my third year attending, and we believe it just gets bigger and better every year.

The weather was perfect for us, partly cloudy to cloudy with temperatures in the upper seventies.  There was a light breeze with no rain.

The weather set the stage for a great celebration of fall.

There were plenty of things to keep you entertained.

We really enjoyed going through this old bluegrass bus.

There was, of course, country music.

Deputy "Barney Fife" with his patrol car is an annual favorite.

There were plenty of things to keep the children entertained.

Since I love animals, I really enjoyed taking pictures at the petting zoo.

There were lots of arts and crafts, etc. booths.

I found this pretty bracelet for only $4.00, including tax.  I also started my early Christmas shopping here.  You can find such unique gifts at festivals, plus, you're helping out the local economy,

There was plenty of food for lunch (Some of us here in the South still sometimes call the noon meal "dinner"), and snacks.

Greg loves that barbecue!

We plan on returning to the "Southern Fried Festival" next year, if like the old Southern country saying goes "the Lord is willin' and the creek don't rise."

F.Y.I.
www.southernfriedfest.com

(All of the meals that Greg and I eat at home are mostly organic, and when we go to work, we take our meals with us so that we are in better control of what we consume.  We eat out only one day a week, and then we try to make careful food choices wherever we happen to be.  We eat sweets once or twice a month.)

Check out our photos on iStock:
www.istockphoto.com

Positive thought: "Each morning comes with a gift: a brand new day!"-"Woman's World"
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky