grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

O Come, O Come to Thorncrown Chapel

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Thorncrown Chapel

We visited Thorncrown Chapel while the leaves were turning. Nestled in the Ozarks just outside Eureka Springs, Thorncrown Chapel is one of the most stunning and iconic structures in Arkansas. Today, I’m bringing it to you.

Woo-hoo!

Arkansas’s own brilliant architect, E. Fay Jones, designed Thorncrown Chapel using native woodland elements. The 48-foot tall structure consists of 425 windows totaling over 6,000 square feet of glass. So much glass brings the surrounding Ozark forest inside.

Inside your mind and heart.

Thorncrown Chapel

Because of the marvel of the design, Thorncrown Chapel never looks the same inside or out. Hour to hour, day to day, season to season, surrounding nature is an important part of the overall experience. Continue Reading

Garvan Woodland Gardens

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Garvan Woodland Gardens

Before my pictures get lost in the black hole of Photo Feed Land—yes that’s a place I can’t begin to understand or organize—I thought I’d post a few shots from our recent visit to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Here’s a fun fact: members of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks enjoy the perk of reciprocal membership with over 300 gardens across North America. It’s pretty satisfying to show our membership card and stroll right on through the gates without paying admission.

As an aside, I truly would like to visit all 320 gardens. John and I have only been to about ten (in Arkansas, Texas, and Colorado). This should keep our bucket list full for all our livelong days.

Anyway, with the holidays quickly approaching, I highly recommend a membership to the botanical garden closest to your home. Botanical gardens have become destinations for not only flowers and nature but also musical entertainment and special events throughout the year. Another perk!Continue Reading

Lake Girls. Lake Time.

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Lake Girl, Lake Time

Lake Girls. Lake Trip.

This weekend marks our first lake trip of the year. Our first official trip of summer, not that summer is here yet (but you know what I mean). Now that Momma and Staci are both living in Fayetteville, we are much closer to Lake Norfork. And we can go for long weekends. That was practically impossible to do when we lived in Texas.

So we’ll kick off lake season the way we did when we were all living together on the farm, when Staci and I were kids, before college and marriage and family and careers. We’ll spend the weekend doing many of those same things we always do when we go to the lake. Lake girls are like that.Continue Reading

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