Southern Patches

A couple of weeks ago when I was in Chattanooga our group visited Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is a 145 foot waterfall inside Lookout Mountain. It is the tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public. You can read more about it on the Ruby Falls Website here. If you missed my post about Chattanooga and the few days I was there check it out here. Chattanooga Visit

Something very unique and innovative that Ruby Falls has added to their wonderful experience is the opportunity to stay in one of their new Treehouses. This is not a totally new concept in our area. It is one of the first times I was able to actually view them and go inside. They’re adorable!!!

Each of the treehouses are modernly furnished. The ones at Ruby Falls were decorated like you wouldn’t believe. Each one had some type of record player, yes I said record player with records and one of them even had a very old phonograph player with very old records.

Look at this hammock on the deck. It looked so peaceful it just made me want to take a nap under the trees.

I can just imagine sitting on this little porch and having coffee while I look out over the city of Chattanooga.

Some of the houses had a bedroom downstairs and the living area with a couch and desk upstairs. And some were just the opposite with the bedroom upstairs.

The treehouses are filled with windows offering you a view in every direction. The trees around are beautiful but can you imagine snow or rain gently falling while you are nestled in the treehouse, reading a good book. I can.

The stairs leading to the second level of the treehouse are a little steep but definitely doable.

Each treehouse had an outdoor sitting area, a fire pit and at least one hammock. The leaves on the trees were gently blowing and it was just like paradise.

This one had an outside tub with a privacy curtain and also an outdoor shower.

So peaceful!!

Once you get to the parking area for the treehouses you can look down on the tower at Ruby Falls and Chattanooga. Isn’t this a beautiful view?

This is the pathway leading to the cabins. It is lit so if you are out at night you would have no problem finding the path.

You can actually drive to an upper parking area and load your things in one of these little wagons to take to the treehouse.

The treehouse experience is not a cheap one. It is different. It is definitely an experience that you will never forget. A boutique treehouse retreat is what will be waiting for you. Check out the Ruby Falls website and then click Treehouses for lots of photos and availability.

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Happy Happy Friday!! I am so glad to see the weekend. I have a few favorites to share with you.

First of all I have to tell you about last weekend. This was definitely a favorite. I made a wedding cake for a sweet couple I work with. The wedding was on Saturday. I didn’t get home from the Chattanooga trip until late Wednesday evening. I knew I wanted to make a couple of the layers on Thursday so that is what I did. As soon as we had dinner finished on Thursday I started working on the largest layer of cake. I already had all of the cake pans out and ready. I got the cake ready to put in the oven. The couple had requested the bottom layer to be a yellow and chocolate marble swirl.

***Sorry I didn’t get a picture after I swirled it.***

It took about an hour and a half for this layer to bake. As soon as it was done I put the middle layer in. They had requested that the middle layer be chocolate inside. It didn’t take quite as long to bake this layer. After that I cleaned the kitchen and went to bed. On Friday I left work a little early and went home to start making the massive amount of frosting that I had to make. While I was working on that I made the top layer of the cake which was vanilla. This small layer would be the layer they would keep in their freezer and eat a year later on their one year anniversary. I also did a crumb coat for the two larger layers. I let them sit in the fridge overnight. It is so much easier to spread the frosting on a cold cake.

***This base layer was huge and heavy. I was whispering a prayer as I flipped it onto the cake board.***

The next morning, Saturday, the day of the wedding. I got up at 4:00 AM and started to put the frosting on the layers. I was so nervous but it went great!!! The wedding was at 1:00 and I had promised to be there by noon to set up the cake. The bride provided the flowers that she wanted to use. They matched her bouquet and the bouquets her bridesmaids’ carried.

I was using my tried and true cake stand that I have had for years. I loaded the layers into separate boxes so they could travel the distance to the wedding venue. once I was there her dad and another man offered to help me carry the boxes. I told them I appreciated the offer but I hadn’t even let my husband touch it. HA!!

They used their Boyds Bears cake topper.

I think you can probably see the relief on my face that it all turned out ok. I am always a nervous wreck. Especially when I make a wedding cake.

The newlyweds. They were both happy with the cake that’s all that matters to me.

I would like to say it was a beautiful day for a wedding but it wasn’t. It was outdoors. And just as the ceremony started it started raining. Before the ceremony ended it was a steady downpour. Luckily the food and tables and chairs were under tents. But hey if it rains on your wedding day it’s supposed be good luck. It rained on mine and me and my husband have been married for 33 years.

The rain didn’t stop the fun. Everyone pulled their shoes off and danced in the wet grass. We ate and ate and had a great time. I was so happy to be a part of their special day.

***Hanging with some friends at the wedding. Waiting on the ceremony to start, and the rain.***

A few other favorites I wanted to share with you.

My little mother in law. She will be 90 years young in November. She has been through so much in the last few years. She’s tough and feisty and can get with you if she doesn’t like something. But she almost always has a sweet smile. She was enjoying a bowl of ice cream when I went to see her a few days ago.

I had to show you my yarn I bought when I was in Sweden. I am not sure what I will make with it yet maybe a scarf or two. I always write the name of the place where I buy it so that I can remember later.

I also got this planter when I was on my European trip. I got this lovely in Copenhagen. It was one of our first stops on the trip. I had to take her out of her box because it took up a lot of room. I was afraid I wouldn’t get her home in one piece but I packed her really well in my suitcase and she made it. I currently have one of my orchids in it.

Dunkin’ has finally opened in our small town. We have been waiting all summer. It actually opened when I was in Chattanooga but I heard it was so crowded you couldn’t get in. Just the newness of it all. One of my coworkers stopped in the other day and got us some much needed afternoon coffee.

***I’m very basic and my drink of choice is an iced Caramel Macchiato.***

If you have bridgework, implants or braces and you have used dental floss with those little blue hook looking thingies. Stop the clock!!! These things are wonderful. It’s sort of an all in one threader and floss. You may already know about these and I am just late to the game. But I love them!!! I got these at Walmart.

I have come to terms with the fact that when it comes to my upper body I am muscularly challenged. On our last trip I carried my backpack as a carry on for the plane. But it was so heavy I think my arms actually grew a few inches from carrying it. My nephew Tyler took pity on me a couple of times and carried it through the different airports for me. I decided I needed something with wheels. I have a trip to California in a couple of weeks and I will be traveling alone so no hubby or Tyler to help me. I decided to buy this bag on wheels. It is small enough to fit under your airplane seat. I got it today and I love it. I ordered it from Amazon. And look it has kitties on it!!!!!

I have only finished one book in the last week or so and man it was a long one. The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner. I love her books and have read many of them. This one had a way of detailing every single person in the book. Maybe a little more than you wanted to know about them. But it was good just a little long in places. The overall story was a good one.