simple things - grace grits and gardening

Simple Pleasures #6

November 10, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Last week was filled with some of my favorite simple pleasures. I spent time with friends at a Hemingway-Pfeiffer writer retreat which meant five whole days to talk about writing, share my writing, think about writing, and actually write. This is blissful. I followed that up at the Bat Cave with my Mother which always involves lots of laughing.

So a few of last week’s pleasures were…

1. A tranquil drive through the Ozark Mountains.

2. A glimpse of Lake Norfork, (my happy place), perfectly timed at sunset.

3. Sharing the first chapter of my manuscript with other writers and receiving wonderfully positive feedback. Yay.

4. A great night’s sleep at home in Mississippi County followed by a lazy morning drinking coffee with Momma.

5. Being surrounded by delta farmland for a few days! Look at all the beautiful cotton:))

Here’s wishing you a week of good coffee and lots of laughter.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Laughter, time to write, sleeping in my own bed. A few of last week’s #simple #pleasures. [/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

David Nail – Turning Home

Simple Pleasures #5

November 3, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Simple pleasures. Things I can count on like one-two-three. Uncomplicated things. That’s what I’m recapping from last week.

1. Decorating for Halloween. I’ve had this string of lights forever. Knock-on-wood, they don’t make ’em like this anymore.

2. Perfect, homemade chocolate icing. Recipe coming soon…

3. New Converse. Converse tennis shoes are part of my typical “uniform”. These are Razorback red. WPS!

4. Spending time with my oldest best-est friend. Seriously. Elementary school.

5. Cool find at Dickson Street Bookshop. Yes, I “adopted” another book. How could I not? It’s about the Mississippi Delta!

Here’s wishing you a week filled with comfortable shoes, best friends and chocolate.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Musical Pairing:

Count on Me – Bruno Mars

Simple Pleasures #4

October 27, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

This quote by author Joan Marques says it all—Simple things bring infinite pleasure. Yet, it takes us a while to realize that. Once simple is in, complex it out – forever.

It is common to get tangled in the constant activity and busyness of life, but living in Northwest Arkansas makes it easy for me to slow down and appreciate each day. The pace is much less hectic than Dallas. I marvel daily at the surrounding natural beauty just beyond my kitchen window. Sunrise over Mount Sequoyah. Brilliant autumn floating to the sidewalk. Here’s a recap of the simple things I’ve enjoyed recently.

1. In a word, bacon. I made these yummy bacon-wrapped apricot appetizers for friends using local Petit Jean bacon and White River Creamery goat cheese. (The recipe is similar to THIS one, but I used apricots instead of dates.)

2. Allergy Medicine. Along with the beautiful fall leaves and cooler temperatures comes allergies. Thank goodness for meds. Can I get an Amen?

3. Planting Iris. These irises came from my late mother-in-law’s yard in Fort Smith. I transplanted them into our Fayetteville garden, and I know she is smiling down on them.