Bell Buckle Cafe, Bell Buckle, Tennessee

I really can't say enough good things about the Bell Buckle Café in Bell Buckle, Tennessee (which is walking horse country).  It is superb!  We first found out about it in the Tennessee Magazine.  In the issue we read, it was voted the Best of Tennessee 2012 "Home/Country Cooking" in Middle Tennessee.

The Bell Buckle Café has a down-home atmosphere.

                 Signed photos of country-music celebrities line several of the walls.

This country décor sets the stage for the mouth-watering food that is served there.  (Our food was served by Renee, who did a great job.)

They have some unusual desserts that you don't find anywhere else.  For instance, they have homemade grits cake with strawberries and whipped cream, Moon Pie sundaes with vanilla ice cream, and chocolate cobbler (that I overheard one woman say was great which I don't doubt for a minute!) to mention a few.

                                         Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Sauce

Bell Buckle Café and the town of Bell Buckle of around 450 people are closely intertwined.  As we were waiting for a table in the café during prime time, we visited some of the interesting little shops (You don't mind waiting, as the time just seems to fly by since you're enjoying the shops so much!).

                                           
After we finished eating, we visited a few more shops, like the Doodle Bug Too which has handbags and jewelry and Perfectly Painted which has, among other things, a really cute resident dog named Bugzy.

                                                                  Bugzy

The items in these shops are good quality, and are very reasonably priced!  (I bought a pair of earrings, necklace, and bracelet, all for $12.00 plus tax, and they are lovely.)

                                                  My $2.00 Vintage Bracelet

We are going back to this wonderful little community again to visit more shops, and to the Bell Buckle Café to try their fried biscuits with homemade apple butter.  Yum!  Sounds like a plan!

F.Y.I.
Bell Buckle Café
16 Railroad Square
Bell Buckle, Tennessee
(931) 389-9693
www.bellbucklecafe.com

Positive Thought: "Scatter Kindness" -From a sign in the Bell Buckle Cafe
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Positive Changes

Welcome!

And, a special welcome to two more Followers since last week!

A few months ago, Greg and I moved from a region we'd lived in most of our lives to another part of Tennessee.  The move was not an easy one.  We had to leave behind the familiar, and our loved ones.

Although things seemed strange at first, we adjusted, and learned to adapt to our new environment.  In fact, we now believe we did the right thing.  Greg's career move was a really good one, and new opportunities have opened up for my art, writing, and organizing business.

There's a ton of things to see and do where we live now.

We've met a lot of new people, and we've made friends along the way.

Our family members are only a phone call or an email away.  Besides, we get back to our old area every few weeks to visit and to shop at local stores.

Right now, we're living in a rental house with a beautiful view of a farm with its array of farm animals.  (Better than TV, and our cats love watching all the animals, including peacocks!)

We have definitely made some positive changes, and we plan on even more to come!

We need to move to a house with land of our own, closer to where Greg works, maybe even to another nearby town.

This blog post was inspired by another blog, River Cliff Cottage ( http://www.rivercliffcottage.com ), written by fellow blogger and new friend, Eva Beaule who lives in an area of Southwest Virginia near where I grew up.

I'm enjoying reading about her life in that rural part of Virginia which she finally came to terms with and decided she loved.  With words and pictures, she describes (sometimes humorously) her day-to-day activities and her beautiful house which is a work-in-progress.  I appreciate the fact that she's sharing her experiences which include the changes she's going through as she lives her life.  It's good that we can learn from each other along life's journey.

Nothing ever stays the same.  Change is inevitable.  We can either fight change, or we can go with the flow.  If we look for the good in every situation, we can always find it.

Positive thought: Every change is a golden opportunity.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Puckett's Downtown Columbia Is Great!

Last week, my blog featured the Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tennessee.  This blog is about the great new restaurant we went to after the parade, Puckett's Downtown Columbia which opened just last month.

And, we weren't the only ones who decided to go there that day, as the place was packed!

Greg and I are familiar with the local Puckett's restaurants, as we've been to, and I've blogged about, most of them.  Each one is a little different.  According to Claire, one of the owner-managers, they try to decorate the different Puckett's according to each one's location.  She said that Columbia has an interesting history which they tried to show through the decor, with the help of a picker, William Powell.

The decor of each restaurant may be different, but one thing is consistently the same-the great food!

          I had the delicious fried catfish sandwich, along with squash casserole.

                    For dessert, Greg enjoyed the cherry cobbler with ice cream.

We've also tried their breakfast buffet which is fantastic!  There's everything from fruit to French toast.

                   Puckett's also has a nice selection of grocery items for sale.

Plus, everyone we chatted with that worked there was nice, including Allison, our waitress and Debbie who works the buffet and bakes pies.

So, if you're ever in Columbia, be sure to put Puckett's on your must-do list.  Bet you'll be glad you did!

F.Y.I.
Puckett's Gro. & Restaurant
15 Public Square
Columbia, TN 38401
931-490-4550
www.puckettsgrocery.com

Positive thought:  A great to-do list for a better life: being grateful, being positive, and making happiness a top priority.
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Mule Day, Revisited

               (Sign in front of a local restaurant.  More about it on a later blog post.)

Greg and I enjoyed the Mule Day parade in Columbia, Tennessee so much last year, that we decided to go back again this year.  For last year's Mule Day, please see my April 1, 2012 blog post.)

So here it is, some highlights of the Mule Day parade, 2013.  Enjoy!

Many were dressed for the occasion.

The participants-

As well as the spectators-

                                             These Boots Were Made for Watchin'.

                                                             Some Came Prepared.  

                                                                  Items Were Sold.

                                                            Friends Were Made.

All in all, everyone seemed to have a doggone good time.  Can hardly wait till next year!

Positive thought: "Expect the best from today and you won't be disappointed."
                              -Woman's World
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Celebrate Easter! Celebrate Spring!

Welcome!

Since it's Easter, I decided to share with you some pictures and sayings to help celebrate this wonderful time of year.

"For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born."
-Alice Freeman Palmer

" 'Twas Easter Sunday.  The full-blossomed tree
Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life."
-S. D. Gordon

"Easter is the only time when it's perfectly safe to put all of your eggs in one basket."
-Author Unknown

"Bunnies are cuddly
The large and the small.
But I like the chocolate one
The best of them all."

Positive thought:  

Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

Every Day Is an Adventure

Welcome!

To me, life seems much more fun and interesting when things are not always the same, day in and day out.  Every day, I try to do something a little bit out of the ordinary.  In fact, I believe every day can actually be an adventure!  (Years ago, I read about someone who had started an adventure club.  I thought having adventures was a great idea, so ever since then I've tried to live an adventurous life.)

Each morning, when I wake up, I have a general plan for the day which includes something that is different.

For instance, I planned to fix a different dish for supper last week.  Asparagus is not one of our favorite foods, but I thought it would add variety to our meals, so I researched a bit and found an easy, but relatively healthy recipe.  I'm certainly no gourmet cook, but Greg and I thought it was pretty good, so I added it to my list of regular menu items.

                                                Asparagus with Lemon Butter Crumbs

Sometimes, however, the day doesn't always go as planned.  Such as, last week, an organizing client called at the last minute and postponed until next week.  I've had to learn to be flexible and go with the flow, so I decided to use that time to go out and take pictures.  It was a beautiful day, the first day of spring, and several trees were in full bloom.  To me, that was a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring.

The adventure can be small or large, but, in my opinion, even a small adventure is better than no adventure.

Here are just a few adventurous ideas:
-Trying a new food in a restaurant
-Visiting somewhere different
-Looking up a new website
-Learning a new skill
-Cleaning out a junk drawer

Bet you could add to this list.

May your life be full of positive adventure.

Positive thought: (I happened upon this fitting saying one day when I was having a bad-hair day.)  "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful". -Annette Funicello
Thanks for visiting!  Until next Sunday, Becky

A Few of My Favorite Things

Welcome!

Just like the song says, in one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music , "These are a few of my favorite things," is the subject of this blog post.  I'd like to share some of the little things that have made my life a little happier and more positive with an emphasis on things Irish, as St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday, March 17.

First of all, Greg and I both have Irish blood flowing through our veins, as do most people in our Southwest Virginia-East Tennessee region.  So, how could we not love things from the Irish culture?
(In fact, so much of our area reminds me of Ireland.)

Just a couple of my favorite Irish quotes are these:

"St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time-a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."
-Adrienne Cook

"May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of St. Patrick behold you."
-Irish Blessing

Some of my non-Irish favorites are:

We couldn't believe it when we came across these cookies from Australia which bore our name, which is not a common last name.  It's not only great fun because of the name on the package; these cookies are actually delicious.  (And, I don't get a dime for saying so.  Shucks!)

Another of my favorites is animals.  To me, they are fascinating.  We can learn a lot about people by observing them.

Greg and I are both fans of warm, sunny weather.  In fact, Greg jokes that if he were a TV weather man, he'd like to be a fair-weather specialist.

Well, that's my short list of favorites.  What are some of yours?

Positive thought:  May the leprechauns be near you,
                             To spread good luck your way.
                             And may all the Irish angels,
                             Smile upon you St. Patrick's Day. 
                            -Irish Blessing
Beannachtam na Femle Padraig (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

Thanks for visiting!  "And until we meet again (next Sunday) may God hold you in the palm of his hand." -From "An Irish Blessing," Becky