Hi Reader,
Happy Friday and Weekend!
It’s been a few weeks. I left the end of July for a road trip with my mom. If you missed that update you can read all about it here. I’m recapping my trip and taking you along this week on a few places we went.
Road Trip with My Mom
I picked my mom up on July 22nd and we headed north. She’s not able to walk anymore so I always have to pre-book our lodging. I end up getting suites as the handicap rooms are not really for handicap people. They have grab bars in the shower and toilet but the beds are too high for my mom. The suites have a sofa and a separate bed so it’s perfect for her to be out there with the tv and I get to sleep lol.
We stayed in Pinehurst North Carolina for one night. I’ve been there before when I was little because my dad used to play golf all the time. It’s a huge golf tournament community. Really beautiful part of the state. We got up the next morning and we drove north to a little town called Sanford. My mom had asked me prior to our trip to go to this tea room called Mrs. Lacy’s Magnolia House. It was so cute. Normally the owner is there and will come around and talk with the customers, but she was out that day. Her daughter was there and ended up surprising my mom and they FaceTime together. My mom found Mrs. Faye on Facebook and just fell in love with her cooking. I really wasn’t sure how this trip would turn out, but we had a great time. Normally, it’s a lot easier when you have someone to help with mom and all the things. If you’re ever in the area make sure you stop by for a nice lunch.
After we left there, we headed into Virginia. I had already researched some Amish communities. We found one on our route near Pearisburg (In the Walker Mountain and creek area). We went to Walker Valley Market and spent over an hour there. It’s also a must to go see.They have the best homemade lunch there and everything is made by young sweet Amish ladies. The Amish men are outside loading up handmade furniture that people have pre-ordered. You can also buy things that are sitting outside like swings, benches and chairs made by the Amish.
We left there and headed to Salem Virginia. We have family there and I was so excited that I got to see my cousin Ellen. We spent a few hours at dinner and then we went back to her house and visited with her husband and just chitchatted.
The next day, we were West Virginia bound. That is where my mom’s sister lives (and where I’m from) and we were celebrating my aunt Sandy’s 85th birthday that weekend. We got there and had such a blast playing bingo and listening to songs from the 40s and 50s. My mom is actually staying there throughout the summer. It’s so nice that they are able to do that. My mom is 79 and I’m glad they get some sister time.
Road Trip With My Sister
So, after my aunt‘s party, my sister and I left for a few days and went over to Central Virginia. I booked a bed-and-breakfast and could not wait to get there. This place was amazing and it was in the middle of a rural historic area withe the view of the mountains. It was called Woodville Bed & Breakfast. The owner, Stephan, and his wife spoiled us and the other guests each morning with an all organic meal, including fresh farm eggs from their chickens.
We spent our morning and evenings sitting on the porch either sipping coffee or hot tea. There must have been 20 or so flavors of tea. The sunsets were amazing and I can’t wait to go back!
Our Historical Part
The main reason we went over to Monticello, VA was because of all the history in that area. Did you know that our 3rd, 4th & 5th president have estates in this area? My sister and I were so excited to be able to go to Thomas Jefferson’s home. It took him over 40 years to build it. They offer tours and we learned so much from the guy who wrote our Declaration of Independence. Jefferson’s home had all kinds of original belongings like the actual boots he wore and the bed where he slept every night and eventually passed away in. Truly amazing!
I encourage you to take your children and grandchildren to this area. Since we are still celebrating America’s 250th Anniversary, what better time to go.
Next time, we plan to go tour James Madison and James Monroe’s homes. There are also so many wineries in the area too.
After we checked out, I headed south to my aunt and uncle’s in North Carolina and then on to a friend’s bridal shower in South Carolina. It was a long trip and I’ve never been away that long haha. As much as I love being in my home, I really am missing the Monticello area in Va. It was truly majestic and who would’ve thought it would be like that here in the state of Virginia.
It’s always good to be back too. I’ve been busy in a cleaning mode since I got home lol. I started in the pantry and I filled five kitchen size trash bags full of just junk that I wasn’t using. I’m going to dive into each room one at a time and hope to get it all declutterred before Thanksgiving comes. I like to do this in January and over the Summer. With just two empty nesters living here, I have no idea how stuff gets accumulated so quickly haha.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Stay tuned for more updates about my book and we’re about to embark on my favorite season. Fall is coming! 🍁
Reader, as always, tag me over on Instagram @lhsimpleliving. I love seeing all things simple living and any recipes of mine you make.
P.S. I truly appreciate all the shares, likes, comments on my posts and over on Instagram. It keeps me going everyday to show up and share any wisdom that I may have.
So, go grab a cup of coffee or tea and I hope you enjoy the reading today. Have a great weekend! ❤️
Wendy Walker, NTP
Some Helpful Items
 |
$14.99
Sourdough Made Simple: A How-To Guide, Using Fresh Milled Flour
What's Included (Instant Download):
Truth About Real Wheat From The Field
Step-by-Step Instructions... Read more |
 |
$7.00
Complete Garden Planner | Digital Download
Do you love to garden? How successful is your garden? Do you keep track of your yields each season?
I created this... Read more |
Follow Me
A Few Of My Favorite Things
Learn to Homestead
All things Gardening - Metal Raised Beds, supplies, etc. (5% discount - no code needed)
Organic/Heirloom Seeds - save 10% (no code needed)
Lehman’s - Simple Living Essentials (Use code: TAKE20 for for $20 off)
Lame - Score your Sourdough loaves with my favorite tool!
Truly Free - The cleanest laundry and cleaning supplies
Masa Chips - Corn chips “Doritos replacement” made with beef tallow. (20% off first order - no code needed)
Protein Powder - save 10% (use code: lhsimpleliving)
Toups & Co - Cleanest Beef Tallow skincare and makeup (Use code: lhsimpleliving10 for 10% off your order)
Grain Mill - save $20 off your purchase. (Use code: LHSIMPLELIVING)
Grains - These two companies are my favorite for buying grains and freshly milled flour. The flour is ground on a Unifine mill, which retains all the nutrition due to the process of using stones. No glyphosate, non-gmo, organic clean wheat. If you are just diving in, this is a great place to start.
Guardian Grains - receive 15% off your order, enter code: lhsimpleliving
Sunrise Flour Mill - receive 20% off, no code needed.
|
|
Subscriber's Library
If you haven’t already, grab my lists, ebooks, etc. Just enter "pantry" for the password. Subscribers get extra “Freebies”.
|
Feel free to share my newsletters with your friends and family. If you aren’t seeing my emails regularly, please add “hello@littlehousesimpleliving.com” to your contact list so I don’t end up in the spam folder.
|
|
A little about me....
I'm Wendy. A wife, empty-nester mama, homemaker, homebaker, gardener and small-time farmer. I love sharing wisdom and all the things I've learned along the way. I’ve definitely had my share of failures. Anyone can garden or homestead, no matter where you live. You just have to start somewhere. As a result, I am a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner so I can help others learn the health benefits of eating real food. Start there and the body will begin to heal.
|
www.littlehousesimpleliving.com
Scratch Made. Simple Home. Country Living
“The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
