Tennessee Summer Treats

Jackson offered me a choice: we could either go on a date in the morning on Friday or in the evening. And no, they weren’t the same plans. And no, I couldn’t pick both because he has to save some date ideas for later, greedy girl.

I picked the morning date.

Then I picked in the morning!

Be ready at 7 he said. And wear close toed shoes.

Jackson took us to the new Frothy Monkey in East where Post East used to be (RIP but also thank you for the wine glasses and drink dispensers at that one yard sale. I’ll always remember you). They’re still working out some kinks service knowledge wise, but the food is tasty as ever.

With our quinoa bowl and oatmeal in tow, we hopped back into the car. We winded our way through the Southern countryside, passing farms and small homesteads and the occasional bait-tackle-beer-breakfast stores.

We were first to arrive at Kelly’s Berry Farm.

This tender acreage off the pike past Lebanon was bursting with berries. We arrived at the tail end of strawberry season, "so you’re really going to have to look,” the farmhand warned us. But we struck rich in blueberry season and even gathered first fruits from the thornless blackberry bushes.

We decided to pick in the order that would leave our backs stretched out properly by the end. These are the kinds of things you have to think of when you’re nearly 30 and no one warned you that joints start yelling at 26 these days. Strawberries low to the ground, hiding in the shade of the plant’s large leaves. Blackberries from knee to waist height. Blueberries raining down from above my head.

Up next: sharing all the ways we used the berries. We gathered 6 pounds of strawberries, 4 pounds of blackberries, and 10 pounds of blueberries. Yup.

We highly recommend Kelly’s Berry Farm whose products are also available at farmers markets throughout Nashville.

xo

em

Sissy Date

This sissy date is from a while back (February 14th, 2019), but I wanted to share it as just one variation on the theme of sissy dates.

As you may know, I love my sister Camille. I think she is extremely cool, she’s the kindest person you’ll meet, and she always knows how to put her own pizazz on things. She’s ostrich feathers and tea in Paris. She’s panning for glass bits in my stream and recycling event florals to give to folks who need cheering up. She’s a fancy cocktail in her pajamas. She’s singing Shrek’s praises and telling you all the Bosch details you didn’t know you needed to know.

Like any family member, spending lots of quantity time and much quality time together throughout the years has given us a special bond. AND I want to keep getting to know her. She’s changed! Can you believe it? People change! Sometimes they get even better. I want to know who she is now and who she’s becoming, not just who she was to me at age 6 (an adorably aggressive hugger) or 13 (a makeup pro already) or even at 25 (the most generous carer for my grandfather).

So we go on sissy dates. While we often hang out casually, mostly when she stops by to see Potato (I am in second, maybe even third place now), we also really like to have dedicated time to do an activity or go somewhere fun together. Most recently, we did our first annual Sissy Weekend. Because we’re both pretty broke (thanks, 2020 and grad school), we did a staycation with face masks, homemade poptails (that’s a cocktail in a popsicle), massages, and a three night sleepover.

Here’s a sissy date from a time when the world was more open. Valentine’s Day 2019. Just because she was single didn’t mean she had to sit out a Valentine’s Date (not that I was her only offer on that front, but I like that I beat out the competition). We went to lunch and then made candles and drank champagne. Zero complaints here.

I *may* have purchased more than just a candle here (but those throw pillows were on super sale, babe!). We enjoyed sniffing all the scents, having a guided activity neither of us had tried before (I now pour my own candles at home), and getting dressed up to be out and about in the world together.

We’ve done picnics and roof top bars. We’ve gone to a Ke$ha concert and danced on Broadway. We’ve spent hours in McKays and devised intentionally bad business plans (one of our fave past times). And we’re looking forward to getting to be out and about on a sissy date in the near future! So thanks one more time to Dolly Parton for making our vaccine dreams come true.

xo,

em