loving the decatur farmer’s market in the rain! it’s open every wednesday from 4 – 7 pm in front of the first baptist church in downtown decatur. it’s also open on saturdays from 9am – 1pm. the kids love the live music and running around in the grass. it’s become a weekly ritual.

– ryan & gub

decatur farmer’s market

308 clairemont avenue
decatur, georgia 30030
404-377-0894

our camping adventure to tugaloo state park was a great success! the pioneer site definitely had some cons, ie. a 50 yard hike-in and only outhouses in the direct vicinity, however all-in-all, i would say it was our favorite group camping spot yet!

the pioneer site was very secluded and located on a peninsula on lake hartwell, which was awesome! there were great views and you got to wake up to the sunrise over the lake. the tent and rv sites were down the road, so there was a lot of privacy and you didn’t have to fall asleep to the sound of rv generators.

there were three shelters where you could stash your gear or hide out if it rained, which we were fortunate enough to avoid! there was also a covered pavilion near the parking area with picnic tables, however it was not very close to the tents so we didn’t use it. there were also nice bathrooms and showers near the yurts and tent sites, so you could always head there for a nicer bathroom experience. i had a brief encountering with some critters in one of the outhouses! it turned out to only be flying squirrels (see below photo), however i avoided that outhouse afterwards!

this was by far our best packing yet! we were still packed to the brim, however we packed in such a way that everything was easily accessible throughout the trip. on previous camping outings, we were often scrambling to find what we needed when we actually needed something. we now use a handy list to help prepare and make sure we have everything we need and pack smarter. we keep our supplies in one bin and food in another and pack items with similar uses together so you can easily grab what you need.

we picked up a few new camping tips for this adventure. we pre-beat our eggs and brought them in a sealed container, which made breakfast super easy! you can do the same thing with pancake mix! we also made sure we double bagged items in the cooler, so they didn’t get nasty, and brought extra tupperware and ziplock bags for storage.

tugaloo state park had a ton of stuff you could do besides relaxing by the lake. there were kayaks/canoes for rent, a couple different trails to hike, beach swimming and also miniature golf! we did some lake swimming and hit up a playground, but that was about it. our friends mike and esther bee went kayaking and said it was super fun. next time we will make our way to the miniature golf for sure!

for our first family camping of the season, it was very successful! the weather was perfect, there weren’t any bugs and the camp site was beautiful. we would definitely head back to tugaloo. the pioneer site was only $35 a night for up to 50 people, so it’s a great deal for group camping!

– ryan & gub

tugaloo state park

1763 tugaloo state park road
lavonia, georgia 30553
706-356-4362

we packed our car to the brim and headed to tugaloo state park for our first family camping of the season! it’s a very beautiful park with lake-front camping, so we are excited! more photos to come soon.

– ryan & gub

tugaloo state park

1763 tugaloo state park road
lavonia, georgia 30553
706-356-4362

it was a beautiful morning in our backyard. we over-seeded the lawn last fall and it’s starting to come in nice and green. the area by our pavers and fire pit looks particularly awesome, especially with the morning sun!

– ryan & gub

our daffodils were recently blooming and looking awesome! these are the same bulbs that we planted before clementine was born!

– ryan & gub

spring is in the air! the cherry blossom trees in our yard have been amazing the last week or so. this was definitely the most blooms we’ve had yet!

– ryan & gub

as usual, our japanese magnolia did not disappoint this year! it’s generally one of the earliest and most beautiful blooming trees in the spring, as long as a late freeze doesn’t get in the way.

– ryan & gub

to celebrate memorial day, we packed our lunches and went to red top mountain state park for some lake swimming!!! the park is only about 50 minutes from atlanta and offers great hiking trails, camping, cottages, lake swimming, miniature golf and even boat rentals. there’s lots to do for sure.

the swimming was nicer than expected, although fairly busy with the holiday. the water was super green and translucent and not too chilly. it only cost $5 to park for the day, so it was a nice inexpensive excursion. we will definitely be headed back!

on a side note, there was an o brother where art thou type baptism happening when we were at the lake. it was very interesting!

– ryan & gub

red top mountain state park

50 lodge road se
cartersville, ga 30121

more from the kirkwood spring fling!

– ryan & gub

this weekend is the 12th annual kirkwood spring fling, which is one of our favorite festivals in atlanta! besides being located around the corner from us in historic kirkwood, it is also the first festival where gub sold her craft goods, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

the spring fling features a 5k race on saturday morning, a kids area from 10am-4pm, an open air artist market from 10am-8pm with tons of crafty vendors, beer, food trucks, and live music, as well as a tour of homes and a bbq cook off.

admission to the festival is free and is once again located at bessie branham park. tickets for the tour of homes can be purchased at the festival or at local kirkwood businesses.

on a side note, we designed the volunteer t-shirts this year and think they look great! the design is up above in the header for your viewing pleasure. also be sure to check out photos from 2010 when our home was on the kirkwood tour of homes.

– ryan & gub

kirkwood spring fling

bessie branham park
2051 delano drive ne
atlanta, georgia 30317

artist market
saturday, may 17th, 2014
10am until 8pm

tour of homes
saturday, may 17th, 2014
sunday, may 18th, 2014
12pm until 6pm

5k race
saturday, may 17th, 2014
8am in downtown kirkwood

bbq cook off
saturday, may 17th, 2014
12pm until 4pm

live music
saturday, may 17th, 2014
bessie branham – 11am until 7pm
downtown kirkwood – 8pm until 11pm