grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Dallas Staycation

July 12, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Over 4th of July weekend, John and I enjoyed a Dallas staycation. He took two rare days off work, and I tried my best not to work on my manuscript. We crammed lots of simple fun into our staycation—two movies (a 4th of July miracle), grilling with friends and family, shopping, gardening and lots of reading.

Saturday we spent the afternoon wandering around all the cute boutiques in the Bishop Arts District of Dallas.

We stuffed ourselves at Eno’s Pizza. Check out the Pig Smiley pizza. Best pizza name ever. Spicy sausage, ham, cheese and local honey. If you’ve never had honey drizzled on your pizza, you are missing out.

Pig Smiley Pizza at Enos, Bishop Arts District

Pig Smiley Pizza, Eno’s Pizza, Bishop Arts District

Since John had never driven over the new Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge (designed by Spanish artist, architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava), we made sure to do that. He drove while I took pictures from the sun roof like a tourist. It is truly stunning.

We wasted time in Lost, one of our favorite antique stores located on Riverfront. We only browsed. I’m still patting myself on the back for not buying anything.

Getting lost in Lost Antiques, Dallas.

Yes, I even passed up this table of Fiesta pieces!

I bought my annual Life is Good t-shirt at Whole Earth, along with my new lake hat:) These summer essentials make me hap-pap-py. Da doo dada da, dee da da dee da da…

How’s your summer going?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. The two movies we saw: Jersey Boys ✯✯✯✯✯ and The Grand Budapest Hotel ✯✯✯✯. Loved them both!

Musical Pairing:

In the Summertime – Mungo Jerry

Birthday Girl and the Memphis Queen

July 10, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Birthdays are still kinda fun to me, and I’m happy to have another one today. Soon, my mother will call and sing Happy Birthday. I’m lucky that way.

One of my most memorable birthdays was my 9th because my party included a Mississippi River boat ride on the Memphis Queen. Here we are with Nana who always posed like a model and never took a bad picture. My friend Sara, sister Staci, and I are wearing matching Memphis Queen Line berets because we are fun tourists from Arkansas.

I remember being nine years old. The beginning of the Jan Brady years…

I loved Donna Osmond. His life-sized poster covered the door of our bedroom closet.

I played with Malibu Barbie and wanted to be Nancy Drew when I grew up.

Take a look at the party picture below and let’s discuss…

(l-r) Staci, Me, Sara with Nana (Frances Johnson Creecy)

This is the BAT cave kitchen. My mother still lives in this house on the farm. Although much has changed (new floor, cabinets, etc.), the kitchen is in the same location in the house. If that room could talk…

See the expando hat rack on the wall? It now hangs on the back porch, and I’m pretty sure Momma still has at least two of those same hats.

By the time we ate cake, my Memphis Queen beret already hung on the rack. Never much of a hat person, I was over that thing.

And speaking of cake, Nana’s fresh strawberry cake (always my birthday cake choice) sat on the table in front of me, yet Staci somehow ate chocolate?

I wish Momma still had the dinette set. It’s a collector item now.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Donny Osmond, Go Away Little Girl

Garden in Summer

July 9, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Summer has arrived in Dallas. As we flirt with 100 degrees, the air lays blanket thick over my garden. Yet even with hot, hot temperatures, bright colors and fresh smells fill Promise of Peace Community Garden. Cucumbers and okra are taking over my bed. I harvest tomatoes, eggplant, ginormous basil, spinach, and swiss chard. In my neighbors’ plots, pumpkins, cantaloupe and honeydew grow heavy on the vine.

Here are a few pictures I snapped this week.

A beautiful, hot place.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Frozen, In Summer

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Food. Farm. Garden. Life.