It's March 2015 (again in April)!

March 2015 was one of the craziest months of recent.  There were lots of good things going on and lots of not-so-good things going on.  But I guess that's usually the way life goes.

The first of the month started with lots of planning for a brand new venture I could not be more excited about.  For months, my friend Tracy has been toying with the idea of opening a gift/home store.  Several doors closed along the way but one flew wide open about the middle of February and she took the plunge.  She signed a lease on the cutest little house and began the process of preparing to open The Iron Rose.   Isn't this awesome?  You want to know what is more awesome?  I'm moving my Wonderful Events office there!  WooHoo!  I'm super excited.  The Main Street Market location has served us well for almost 5 years but I felt like this was the next right thing.  So we moved all of the office things to the new location last week.  While things are still in major disarray there, it will eventually be fabulous.

Anyway, back to March.  Tracy and I began to think about how best to restore this old house to a more cozy cottage homey feel.  Paint colors and light fixtures were chosen and the buying of merchandise commenced.  Whew, that was an ordeal.  I went to the Mart a couple of times but Tracy, of course, has primarily worked tirelessly to choose just the right merchandise mix.  Which is no easy task when you are opening something new.  I think she's done an amazing job.  I love everything she's bought.  So we've got that going on ...

On March 7th, my sweet girl turned 29 years old.  LOVE this child.  She is such an amazing person.  She's so amazing that she had 2 birthday desserts:  her old favorite Strawberry Cake and her new favorite, Grasshopper Pie.  She loves chocolate and mint so I had to add this to the birthday mix. 

Happy Birthday to you, sweet Emily!


On the 14th we headed to Nashville just for a fun weekend.  We usually go to visit D's sister and her family in Murfreesboro and never make it to Nashville.  But this time, we were going to be tourists and we had a great time.

If you are a fan of American Pickers, you need to make a beeline to their new store in Nashville, Antique Archeology.  Of course, what do you think the Wiley's did?  They walked straight to this awesome miniature grocery store.  Is that not awesome?  If not for the $250 price tag, it might have come home with us. 

Next we went to the  Fontanel Mansion which is the former home of Barbara Mandrell.  Being a long time fan of Barbara and a super-fan of the Mandrell Sisters Variety Show (who remembers that too?),
this was an awesome glimpse into the Mandrell's career.  And, by the way, the Fontanel Mansion is the largest log home in the world.
Darrell was loving Buck Owen's red, white and blue guitar.  Okay, you've got to remember Buck, too, right? 

After an exhausting afternoon of site seeing we had to have some nourishment.  And of course you can't be a tourist in Nashville and not eat at the Loveless Cafe.  The best fried chicken I've ever put in my mouth.  Yum.  

On Sunday morning, we got up and went to Puckett's Grocery and Restaurant in Franklin.  We first saw this grocery store turned restaurant on the Food Channel several years ago and have had it in the back of our mind's ever since that we wanted to visit.  We had their breakfast buffet and it did not disappoint.  Delish.  Obviously this is a stock photo of an event held there but this shows you how cool this place is. 


After leaving Franklin (which by the way I want to go back when all of those cute little shops are open) we stopped at Carnton Plantation.  I highly suggest you read about this place.  It was fascinating.  During one of the civil war battles, this private home became an instant hospital to 300  soldiers. The wood floors are still stained with the soldier's blood. The ones that were killed are buried right on the grounds, over 1,500 soldiers.   It is the largest privately owned military cemetery in the nation.  The woman of the house, Carrie McGavock become devoted to giving these men a lasting legacy and worked tirelessly to identify the bodies, mark their grave sites and contact their families.  So interesting.

After we left Carnton, we headed to downtown Nashville for a major tourist attraction, The Country Music Hall of Fame.  I loved it.  I could have stayed in there all day.  Right now, they have special Alan Jackson and Ronnie Milsap collections.  Two of my favorites. 

One of the reasons for going this weekend was because we had tickets for The Sing Off Live Tour.  We have gotten hooked on this show and when we saw at Christmas that they would be at the Ryman Auditorium, we got together with D's sister and her husband and got tickets.  If you aren't familiar with the Sing Off, it is a singing competition for acapella groups.  The things these folks can do with their voices are amazing.  You just have to listen.  This is one of our favorite groups, Home Free, singing "Ring of Fire."  Love.

Monday morning as we were heading back to Gainesville, we got the call that my mom had fallen.  Long story but she didn't break anything or hit her head but she did have a heart attack.  She stayed in the hospital until Friday and was then transferred to a rehab facility to regain her strength.  She'll be released from there on Sunday and come to stay at our house for awhile.  So it's been a crazy couple of weeks.  I had knee surgery last Friday, the 27th and I'm making progress.

So I think that catches up to April.  Today is a big day.  I can't wait to tell you about it.  And tomorrow's Easter.  He is Risen.  He is Risen indeed!