Our tinies.

Pre-Construction, Pre-Movement to the Woods:)

I don't remember just when we began to toss about the idea of incorporating a couple of built out shipping/sea containers into our B&B's cabin inventory. But I do remember I was not a fan at first!

Unlike Mike, who claims that I am the visionary, I have a difficult time seeing the end result of something so...out of the ordinary. He - on the other hand - saw it all from the first time we stepped out of our truck to view our first container purchase. Where I saw dents and dings, dirt and grime, he was already envisioning primer, sheetrock, wall placement, plumbing fixtures, and electrical outlets. Where I saw a big, empty - yet very TINY space, my husband saw cozy, cabin getaways that a certain segment of our guest population would absolutely adore.

We had already watched about 1373.86 hours of HGTV and DIY, meticulously studying ways to maximize every square inch of liveable space, carefully noting the do's and don'ts when it comes to doing it yourself. We were all read up on timelines and sticking to your budget and where to invest more money and where to save it. 

But then we began construction and...

it all went out the window. Well, not ALL of it; let's just say that had a television camera crew been following US around, it would probably fall under the genre of comedy. Or tragedy. Tragic comedy - there you go!

For real...SHOW ME SOMEONE THAT CAN COMPLETE A TINY HOME IN 6 WEEKS AND I'LL DO THEIR LAUNDRY FOR A YEAR!  (Caveat: must  be a first-time amateur:)

The lessons we learned, y'all. The HARD way. Lessons that had us, alternately, smiling, crying, high-fiving, bleeding, taking ambulance rides for dehydration, c&%*ing, walking away only to return again. And again. And again. 

Now I was already madly, deeply in love with Mike Wilder, but let me just say, watching him pour his heart, soul, (literal) blood and tears into these labor of loves took that love to an all new level. I truly believe this man can do anything he sets his mind to. 

We in NO WAY AT ALL came EVEN CLOSE to meeting our timeline and the Good Lord knows we broke that budget! But the result at at the end of the project, once we set the horse trough tubs in place in the bathrooms, installed the industrial pipe lighting, added the open shelving, hung the precious curtains at each window, placed newly plush towels in their holders, made the beds, and laid the rugs...

There are no words. 

Our two tinies - The Cowboy and The Rancher - must be experienced to understand. They are tiny works of pure art. Cozy retreats, with a window (and a deck, table and chairs) into the raw nature and our trails which surround them. They are serene and beautiful. They are tiny and breathtaking.

They are a piece of our combined souls.

They are the perfect compliment to the B&B!!!

                        

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For MANY more pictures of both tinies, as well as our other facilities OR to make reservations, visit wildernestbedandbreakfast.com or call 903-246-9220.

Hot Springs Getaway

Whispering Pines Tree House

Last year, in January, we had THE sweetest young couple choose Wildernest B&B for their "beginning of the year" getaway. They explained to us that they do this each year, a time to financial plan, have some of the hard conversations, and set both personal and couple goals for the upcoming year.

They very deliberately decided on a place away from home because - we all know - these types of conversations at home often become interrupted, or - dare I say truthfully - even heated? 

My sweet husband and I have taken a cue from them and are taking our "yearly planning" on the road this year. It didn't happen in January, but we are taking this Thursday and Friday off of work and traveling to Hot Springs, Arkansas - just a short hop down the road from us. After taking care of some necessary appointments/duties on Thursday, we'll hit the road and enjoy a couple of nights away to rest, plan, prepare, and set our financial goals for 2019.

This is a first for us, and we will definitely document this time and blog about it in the next few weeks. It doesn't matter if you're newlyweds, married with small children, empty nesters, or enjoying your "Pipe Dreams" like we are - having a PLAN and CONSISTENTLY working it together is just so important.

So...Whispering Pines, we will be tucked away in your part of YOUR piney woods in just a few short days, ready to rest, recharge, and plan. Our mutual couple goal for this year is to live intentionally, move forward with purpose, and take better care of our families, our children, and our grands!

Does anyone relate to this subject? Drop a comment if you want to share! If you'll leave a comment, we'll send you a little takeaway from Hot Springs upon our return!

Many blessings on this Sunday!

We own a B&B!

Interior of The Boho House, taken by a guest turned friend!

To be an enthusiastic Bed & Breakfast owner, I sure don't blog much about it, do I?!? :) I'm going to attempt to do better.

The reason for the lack of B&B content is probably because I value our guests, and their time with us, so very much that I never want any of them to think we are taking advantage of their experiences here by writing about them. But the reality is that there is so much goodness that we reap from the people who choose to trust our little rural B&B for their getaway!

We have former guests that have become friends we'll have for life. People like Opie & Mary Cyrus. Denise Craig. Cory & Jessica Gonzalez. Daniel & Savanna Tuesburg. The list goes on and on.

When we first opened The Cabin and established ourselves as business entity, we had no earthly idea that one of the very best rewards of being inn keepers was the folks you'd meet and come to love. There's a connection you make when staying at a bed & breakfast that you don't usually get at hotel stays. (Not that I don't love a good hotel stay from time to time!!)

We do our best to follow our guests' lead and engage in conversation when they desire it, but also grant them as much privacy as they might want as well. What tends to happen is that an authentic relationship begins to take root and - whether they become repeat customers or just guests that opt to "stay in touch," our lives are made so much richer due to the people who trust Wildernest with their stay.

Of course, as I'm sure ANY B&B owner can laughingly attest to, we also have some STORIES! LOL. Things that will never make the blog! We have seen just about everything. Heard just about everything. Found just about everything!

If you are new to B&B stays, or are just interested in a really great article about them, this read provides great info, as well as the names of "quirky" or niche B&Bs that offer some...um...amenities...that you won't find here.

But if it's a warm and comfortable stay, in the cutest cabins in the woods, with a one-of-a-kind breakfast crate delivered to your front porch each morning, please give us a try! We love what we do, we genuinely care about our guests' stays, and we absolutely love it when a guest becomes a friend.

RECIPE: Triple Berry French Toast Casserole

I've had several requests for this recipe, so I thought I'd share it here. I was searching for a really delicious, yet really simple and fast sweet dish to add to the B&B breakfast menu when I came across Mom on Timeout and this delicious casserole!

Due to ingredients on hand and last minute B&B guests, I've at times made a few variations. Each version is just as yummy as the original. I used English muffins once instead of the normal French bread, just cut them into cubes as well.

During the spring and summer I kept gallon-size freezer bags filled with the 5-6 cups of fresh fruit, including strawberries. Lately, I've been keeping the large frozen bags of triple mixed berries from Walmart on hand.

We've eaten this casserole with the syrup and without (it IS truly scrumptious with warm maple syrup though:) but we always include a liberal dusting of powdered sugar after placing on serving platters. Be sure to use the almond milk; it adds a rich, sweet, decadent element that elevates the flavor.

Enjoy! And be sure to visit Trish for lots of great recipes!!

Ingredients:

 1 16 oz loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
 4 eggs
 1 cup Almond Breeze Vanilla Almond Milk
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 1 tbsp granulated sugar
 ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
 5 cups frozen berries (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry blend)
 ½ cup granulated sugar
 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
 1 tbsp cornstarch
 1 tbsp granulated sugar

 Instructions :

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. set aside.
3. Place bread cubes in a large bowl
4. In a medium bowl, combine, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and cinnamon and whisk together until blended.
5. Pour egg mixture over the top of the bread cubes, stirring to coat. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
6. In a medium bowl, combine frozen berries, ½ cup of sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Stir to combine
7. Pour berries into prepared baking dish.
8. Spoon bread over the top.
9. Sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
10. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.
11. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with fresh berries, whipped cream, or maple syrup if desired.

Recipe by Momontimeout

Here's to you, Steve Jobs!

Funniest thing, Steve Jobs started following me on Pinterest today. It's funny because, well you know...

But honestly, it's great that it occurred just as I was trying to summon up the courage to pick this blog back up. Sometimes we take ourselves so seriously (preaching to myself here:) that we let valuable opportunities, connections, and maybe even relationships pass us by because we're too concerned with image rather than with what's real beneath our image.

The truth is that I lost the joy of blogging a long time ago. I used to blog faithfully and loved every single, tortuous minute of it. It was a great escape, a place to log thoughts, ideas, feelings, and life happenings. Some days I wrote about things that touched my soul, other days I chronicled funny events from the day. Some days were all about poetry and, still others, were nothing more than a collection of pictures that spoke to me.

And then I became a teacher and began to teach writing to a bunch of high school kids. I went in SO STINKING CONFIDENT, just knowing - knowing - that I was going to single-handedly inspire the next generation of writers.

It didn't take long for me to tuck my tail and head for shelter and - for me - that shelter was somewhere far, far away from the blogging world. My confidence in my own abilities, talents, and gifts was severely tested inside those first few years of teaching. I quickly realized that writing according to TEA standards was nothing like writing from the heart - probably the one thing I wanted most to impart to my classroom of budding writers.

Instead I had to learn to staunch my own creative urges in order to learn to teach writing in a whole new "barbaric" way. I was faced with the challenge of teaching students how to write expository and persuasive essay writing within the confines of a stringent, strangely forulaic rubric that included a length of only 26 lines.

It doesn't take an English teacher to tell you that an essay is so, so much more than 26 lines. It's about the "soul" that is discovered through writing. 26 lines leave very little room for soul. Instead, it is too often one-dimensional and lacks that certain something that has readers

Just a couple of city folk with a dollar, determination, and a dream...

I'll never forget the day.

We were city folk in search of the elusive dream.

It was late August and the weather was hot, the humidity was high, and our expectations were wilting. He wanted one thing. I wanted something else.

We were house-hunting. Really, land-hunting as it were.

We traveled down the highway, double-checked the map once we passed yet another county line sign, and finally turned right onto an old dirt county road. Great big, beautiful trees created a shady canopy and it was enchanted.

And then we pulled up to the gates of the property and promptly grew silent. There were just no words. Granted, this was before Tiny Living and Tiny Houses became trendy, but - even so - the long-empty log cabin on stilts surrounded by tall, knee-high grass and backed by a large out-of-place observatory in the sky - was both fascinating and a horror to behold.

We were city folk and we were a little bit awestruck and a lot overwhelmed.

Yet we let a bit of our hearts there that first day. Enough that we went back, and then went back again. Three days later we'd made an offer and two weeks later we were the proud, yet clueless, owners of 43 acres that included lots of woods with overgrown trails, a log cabin on stilts, a working observatory, and an unfinished shop. Quite the combo. Quite the adventure.

We were city folk who had purchased the dream.

Where others saw dirt and filth, we saw a chance to establish my dream of a B&B. Where trails were overgrown, we saw future grandkids exploring nature at its finest. Where acres and acres were barren and parched, we saw pastures with horses and yards with free-range chickens.

We were city folk and we'd lassoed the dream.

Transplanted Gal Revealed

I chose Transplanted Gal because it fits me so well in this stage of life.

I became a country gal after several decades of being strictly a city chick. I began a career of teaching at 42 instead of 22. I went from being deathly afraid of dogs to being THAT parent of two of the most precious canines on the planet. I moved away from the only church I'd ever attended and began the difficult transition into a new one. We bought a cabin on stilts, for crying out loud, and called it home for 3 years. We built our dream while we built our house.

I'm truly a transplanted gal.

I hope I'm a transparent one as well.

I would love for this to be a funny blog. I love those. The truth though - MY truth - is that as much as I admire and am attracted to funny people, I'm not that much of a funny person. That's probably why I feel the most accomplished when I make my husband laugh. It's such a great laugh and, knowing that sound was emitted because of me...well, I just love it.

What I lack in funny I try to make up for with insights - my take on life, if you will. A place for me to lay my truth out on the proverbial table. Fundamental truths that have shaped me, and continue to shape me. Truths that I stand by, even when they are not the most popular or trendy.

This blog is to chronicle the ups and downs, the pretty and the not-so-glamorous, the trials and tribulations of this thing called life.

“She worked her toes into the sand, feeling the tiny delicious pain of the friction of tiny chips of silicon against the tender flesh between her toes. That's life. It hurts, it's dirty, and it feels very, very good.” 

― Orson Scott Card, Children of the Mind