Foothills Parkway & Gatlinburg Shenanigans

Happy Weekend Y'all!!! 

This past week has been completely full of snow, mountains, and magic. 

There is something magical about snow, especially high up in the mountains. Whenever it snows, Nathan and I like to cruise into the mountains because the beauty never disappoints.
Last week, the hubs and I were super excited about our first "snow." Knoxville only got a few flurries, but we knew the mountains would have more!
Up we went, into the Foothills Parkway!

We were hoping to see much more snow, but it was still a gorgeous day and enough snow to tie us over until the next "real" snowfall!

On a separate occasion, hubby and I went up into Gatlinburg! It has probably been a few years since we have been up there.

As soon as we drove into Gatlinburg, we were ready for some breakfast/lunch.

Pancake Pantry ended up being our decision, and wow, that was a HUGE mistake.

Nathan and I were both incredibly disappointed with Pancake Pantry. It wasn't very busy, but we waited a while for a hostess to sit us at a table. Then we waited forever for one of the many waitresses to come by just get our drinks and give us silverware. We were both starving so we each ordered omelettes. Nathan had the ham and cheese, and I ordered a western omelette. When our plates arrived, I think I actually laughed out loud. The "omelette" I ordered, was literally cooked flat eggs with vegetables (barely cooked), and a non-melted cheese slice on top. The three tiny pancakes on the side were nothing special. For $15 EACH a plate, it was ridiculous. Even the maple syrup was watered down. Phew, at least now we know we won't be going back there. Luckily, Gatlinburg has TONS of other pancake/breakfast restaurants around the area. 

After our sad breakfast, we walked around "The Village" area in Gatlinburg to cheer us up.

I adore the old European feel you get in The Village section.

The Spice & Tea Exchange

Pop Culture

I was thrilled when I saw there was a "Zi Olive" store! We had a Zi Olive right down the road from us not too long ago, but they left! Their gourmet olive oil's and balsamic vinegars are delicious and make cooking easier!

I had to try the smoked pecan olive oil, and it was alright. However, the employee had me try it mixed WITH the Kentucky Bourbon balsamic vinegar and WOW that was SO GOOD! 

I'm looking forward to trying these for some new recipes soon!

Wednesday was National Hot Cocoa Day! I've been celebrating with hot cocoa quite a bit this season. 😏

As far as Christmas music goes...there is no better Christmas song than "O'Holy Night," and my favorite version is O Holy Night - Glee Cast

 It's a gorgeous song, and this version does this song completely beautifully. 

However, if you do enjoy something more modern (I do, as well), try out (on iTunes) Kaskade Christmas! I've enjoyed this album a LOT this Holiday Season! It's modern and unique!!

QUESTIONS:

* How do you enjoy your Hot Cocoa?

* What is your favorite Christmas Song?

* What is your favorite Christmas movie?

Baby, It's Cold Outside ❄️

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Brrr...It is a cold start to this Sunday morning! A chilly 24 degrees outside right now!

I LOVE this cold weather! Knoxville actually had some decent flurries on Friday!

Chilly days call for hot cocoa!

This past week has been a lot of fun. I've been able to do a little exploring around Knoxville and check out some places that I have been wanting to go to for a while now! Here's a recap of this past week!

First off, I'm super excited that I can finally make smoothies again! I got a Ninja blender for my Birthday last week, and I've been making a smoothie practically everyday!

To get my chocolate cravings in, I've been making more banana, chocolate smoothies. I add the ground flaxseed because of the health benefits, but mostly because it helps keep me fuller, longer. 

1 banana, chocolate almond milk (about 1/2 cup) , 1/2 tablespoon ground flaxseed, and ice!

Speaking of chocolate cravings...

Last Monday was NATIONAL COOKIE DAY!!

I picked up these gluten-free cookies from Aldi! The brand is Live G Free, and these cookies were double chocolate brownie. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprising, the cookies tasted really good! I liked how soft and chewy these cookies were. The only downfall is how tiny they are! 2 cookies = 120 calories. Two cookies isn't bad though when you just need a little bit of dessert!

Cat cuddles!

Now, for the exploring Knoxville restaurants/shops bit:

I enjoy my days off with the hubby, especially since it doesn't happen often enough. I was ecstatic when we had Thursday off together.

Nathan and I have a nice long list of restaurants we want to try out. 

We decided to go to Tandur Indian Kitchen for lunch!

Tandur Indian Kitchen was sooooo yummy!! I certainly love Indian food, so when I heard about Tandur Indian Kitchen arriving in Knoxville, TN, I was extremely excited! When you enter the restaurant, I was greeted by the friendliest staff, offering to explain the menu. I already knew the majority of the menu, so I ordered right away! 

I love Saag (creamed spinach), so I ordered it with chicken. My meal came with either basmati rice or brown (I ordered brown rice), and regular Naan bread.

We ordered vegetable samosas to start out - the mint sauce is delicious! I have to learn the recipe!

Samosas!

Saag with chicken, brown rice, and plain naan!

After an incredible lunch, the hubs and I needed to walk it off. Just down the road is Bearden area, and there are so many local shops that I haven't been to yet!

Fig & Co. is one of the many places that I had been really wanting to check out. I can't believe it has taken me this long to go into Fig & Co.! They had the cutest home decor and very reasonable prices! This is the place to go to get your Christmas presents for everyone!

The staff was extremely friendly, as soon as Nathan and I walked in, we were offered to try some chocolates (we were too full from our lunch), and they also gladly answered any questions we had! I really appreciate genuine customer service; that's exactly what you receive at Fig & Co.!

I bought an adorable fox trinket box, a little "puzzle" reindeer! I plan on going back very soon to get some more Christmas gifts!

Right next door to Fig & Co., is another interesting boutique/shop - Ironic.  Ironic had really one of a kind pieces that I absolutely adored! This advent calendar was super cute (move the mouse to each day of the month)! At Ironic, there was home decor, clothing, some jewelry, chalk paint, and more!

Since we were still in Bearden area, we went into Nadeau (furniture with a soul).

 The staff was also extremely friendly and inviting! 

There were SO many pieces of furniture that I just wished I could take home with us! The prices were surprisingly reasonable for the majority of the pieces of furniture!

I will certainly go back after the holidays, and pick out the beautiful pieces of furniture I want/need for the home!

It's always exciting exploring new restaurants and shops. I have a list of more places so it won't be long till I check more places out! 

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Oh, apparently, the Nutcrackers couldn't handle all the nuts...😂

QUESTIONS:

* Do you enjoy snow?

* Have you had snow/flurries yet?

* Have you finished your Christmas present shopping?

Birthday = "ME" Day

Happy DECEMBER lovelies!

As soon as December arrives, my Birthday comes along with it! 👑

I had been looking forward to having a relaxing "ME" day, and my Birthday was the perfect excuse! 

A large cup of coffee with cream from Dunkin' Donuts helped me wake up, as I headed over to the hair salon!

My first Birthday gift to myself was getting my hair colored. Every time I get my hair done, I go to Natural Alternatives Salon & Spa to see Sunshine. Everyone at the salon is genuinely friendly; they make you feel welcome. Christmas decorations were hung up beautifully, and I enjoyed looking at the cute Aveda Christmas gift packages they have available for purchase!

Getting my hair done was the best way to start the day; it was relaxing, yet fun (as always)!

Sunshine surprised me with the sweetest and cutest Birthday gift!

Now, you can SEE why getting my hair done by Sunshine was EXACTLY what I needed to begin my Birthday!

Photo Credits by Sunshine Carter

Sunshine is incredibly talented! She did the most stunning transformation with my hair with her painting skills. The chestnut tones flow through my hair and are bright, yet natural!

After getting my hair done, I drove over to The Southern Market.

The Southern Market is a great place to check out when you want a large variety of items to choose from! Many of the little shops inside are local artists; which I love looking at handmade, local items!

Most of the time, I could take a long while, looking around at everything, but with their open house it was very busy! Feeling a little too cramped, I decided to head out without any items in hand (this time). However, I'll be back on a less busy day! 😊

Next, I decided to check out Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts

This was my first time checking out this little shop in Bearden, and it looked gorgeous and smelled wonderful! Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts has been around for TWELVE YEARS! I couldn't believe I hadn't been there yet!

 Gregory's Greenhouse Productions was stationed in front of the store. His displays of greenery was beautiful! 

How cute are these Christmas trucks?!

Inside the cute and fragrant shop, I met Debra van der Hoeven, the founder of Tiny Treasure Jewelry. 

Her earrings were so unusual, and it's because she uses Kombucha SCOBY! Kombucha is brewed and when it ferments it creates SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) on top. Debra re-uses the SCOBY to make these earrings! The earrings are colored with different things types of paint (from food coloring to water colors) and then dried out!

There were other types of earrings as well, not just the Kombucha SCOBY; but I found them fascinating!

Make sure to check out the website for more earrings!

Kombucha SCOBY earrings by Tiny Treasure Jewelry

Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts

The decor all around the store was beautiful! I just adore Christmas time!

I was too distracted to take more pictures. There were handmade candles, soaps, jewelry, and more! I really enjoyed this shop! I'll definitely take more pictures the next time I go back!

I had an incredible day of pampering and shopping! My Birthday was a perfect "ME" day!

When Nathan got home, I was FINALLY able to open up my Birthday present! 

An electric fireplace to put in the master bedroom! It's the perfect piece to make our room a little Utopia!

Riley loves it too!

Hygge on point!

We didn't have the energy to mount the fireplace on the wall, but that will be on our to-do list for today! 😃 I can't wait!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

* What do you do for your "ME" days?

* Are your Christmas decorations up yet?

* What is your favorite part of December?

Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Riley is ready to open Christmas presents!

December has been a fantastic month so far! The month began with the most exciting Birthday celebrations, and now my parents are in town for Christmas! My Mom actually came back up with Nathan and I when we returned home from Charleston. She and I have enjoyed having some Mother-Daughter time!

I love showing family and friends my favorite places here in Knoxville, as well as trying out new places I haven't been to yet! Holly's Gourmet Cafe is always a pleasant experience, it is no surprise that I had to take my Mom there a couple of times!

Yogurt with granola and a bowl of strawberries

Quiche!

Nearby the cafe are a couple of unique, fun shops! One shop is Southern Market (I have mentioned in previous posts), and the other is an antique store, Nostalgia. Walking around Nostalgia, you can find two adorable cats hanging out.  :p

Not antiques, but, these Dolly coffee mugs are on my wish list!

We made a few fresh juices with the juicer at home. My favorite juice had: 1 pear, 2 small gala apples, 1 beet, and 1 orange. It was delicious (and pretty)!

Norris Dam State Park is fairly close by, so we drove up there one day.

The Museum of Appalachia gift shop:

It was too brisk to walk around the different buildings, however, we couldn't resist checking out the adorable gift shop! I can't wait to go back when it is warmer!

Mostly, we've indulged a little too much this holiday season, from Starbucks coffee to ice cream....

I know I'm not alone when I say I am looking forward to those health & fitness goals at the start of the New Year! Come on 2017!  ;)

To top of the Christmas spirit, here is Santa on a motorcycle!   :p

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Questions for you!

* How did you spend the Christmas holiday season?

* Are you ready for 2017?

* What are your goals for the New Year?