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Nashville Guide – Dragon Park

October 27, 2020 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

One of the very best parks in Nashville. Simple as that. It’s smack dab in the middle of Hillsboro Village, which is just an incredibly beautiful part of town. This is a kid + family park. Not necessarily the park where people are walking their dogs and setting up hammocks to hang with friends. If you want that- Sevier Park is your place. But if you have kiddos, Dragon Park is a great choice.

It’s a very unique park in that it doesn’t just have a normal slide/swing set up. It has ramps that make it a GREAT park for early walkers and kids who love to just run. Charlie was in physical therapy for a year to help her walk and this was our park where she could practice walking up and down the ramps. There is also a swing bridge that is perfect for learning balance.

There is an area at the end of the green field with many covered picnic tables that would be great for family activities.

Address: 2400 Blakemore Ave, Nashville, TN 37212 | Located in Fannie Mae Dees Park

Pros:

Big + Beautiful!
A lot of shade
Great for early walkers
Variety of activities
Many tables for parents to sit or have lunch
Super fun, colorful dragon that kids love to climb on- it’s fun to find all the hidden shapes and pictures in the dragon!
Safe and large area so it’s not close to any streets
Smaller area for younger kids to play with small slide
Close to walk to Hillsboro Village shopping area

Cons:

No easy or close bathroom options
Not the easiest parking if it’s crowded- I always park in the little parking lot behind the Ruby Event Space (it’s a church on Sundays so that would be full then). There are only a few spaces there, however. So the next option is street parking on the edge of the greenway. Not a big deal at all! But your car will not be right next to the playground if there is a potty accident, etc.

Pro-tip: The tall pole that looks like a giraffe next to the swing bridge is a mister when it’s really hot. So nice in the Nashville heat!

Nashville Guide – Private Pottery Lesson with Rebecca Blevins

October 14, 2020 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Ceramics and pottery are one of my true loves in life. I collect pottery from all over the world thanks to the beauty of Etsy and I try to grab little ceramic treasures every where I go. I’m specifically drawn to the undone ones, the rustic and raw ones. I have many, many little bowls and cups that I like to put little trinkets and treasures in around the house and I’m sorry but drinking out of a beautiful cup just makes it more fun. Head to my Pinterest for some beautiful ceramic inspiration or find me on Etsy to see some of my favorites. It’s been a goal of mine for a loooong time to take pottery lessons for a semester somewhere here in Nashville. But as any parent knows, it’s hard to squeeze that in when you’ve got littles.

Enter “Airbnb” Experiences. If you haven’t been on their app yet and checked out this new feature…you MUST. You can sign up for/join so many cool and interesting little lessons going on around the world. Prices vary…but there are things like making a cocktail with someone in Barcelona or doing an art lesson with someone in Rome. I stumbled upon Rebecca Blevins of Blevins Ceramics on there and found her private lesson offering for two hours for $95 (ended up being $75 because Airbnb cancelled my appointment and I signed up with her privately).

If this pandemic has taught me anything it’s that life is NOW. We truly do not know what tomorrow is going to hold so do what you want now. Take a leap and jump right in. Don’t wait.

One afternoon of wheel throwing lessons for me was perfect. It satisfied my desire to start learning how to sculpt pottery and I learned so much. It was so so so much harder than I never would have thought. Being an artistic person I thought it would immediately come naturally to me. But I was humbled in the plain and simple fact that it did not. But that just makes me want to learn more and practice harder.

Rebecca was lovely and professional and her pottery is beautiful. We worked along side each other for two hours, her modeling what to do and me following. You make two pieces and she will fire and glaze it for you.

Her studio is located in the Elephant Gallery at 1411 Buchanan St. in the Buchanan Art Distract. Parking is on the right of the building toward the back. There are several artists and ceramicists housed here, a fun place to check out and Rebecca offers open studio for those who have already taken a class or lesson. 4 weeks of three hour sessions and 1 week of learning how to fire in the kiln and glaze.

Yes, I went to the grocery store like this.

My second piece that had to be scrapped. But my first cup came out cute and I say one outta two ain’t bad.

If you’re here in Nashville or just passing through and want to learn the basics of pottery and how to wheel throw- check her out- I highly recommend!

Nashville Guide – Azafran Park

October 9, 2020 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Charlie and I have always been park people. It’s just one of our special date places. Blazing hot, sunny, cloudy, breezy, even drizzly, we don’t care. Give us a park and we are happy. And now of course Tessa is part of our park dates and it’s been so lovely watching her love it as much as we do. When it was just me and Charlie, I would take her to a park I would say at least 2-3 times a week. Not always for a playground. Sometimes that’s just where we would go to eat lunch or dinner if Blake was out of town. It was our way of getting outside, getting out of the house and getting into nature. A lot of times we just lay on our blanket and watch the clouds roll by. Tessa was born in October, so I was majorly pregnant with her all through out that summer. And wouldn’t you know, it was record hot hot hot that summer. And I STILL took my girl to the park at least once a week- pregnant belly, out of breath and hotter than heck but it was important to me that we had those dates. And now our school/PDO schedule lets Charlie and I have one day a week- Thursdays- where it’s just us. Mama + Charlie day. So we park it up.

We have our favorites for sure- Sevier Park in 12 South is our home. It’s one of my favorite places in all of Nashville. But we also like ourselves an adventure and to go park exploring. We live in the Woodbine neighborhood of Nashville- one stop past Berry Hill and not far from downtown. There is a bright, funky, fun park not far from our house- Azafran Park. To me, it’s kind of a hidden gem. If you’re looking for colors, something outside the box, water features and not crowded, this park is for you. And! There’s a huge snail. NEED I SAY MORE??

Address: 2187 Nolensville Pike

PROS:

Unlike any other park out there! Totally unique.
Brightly colored
Great for climbing
Water Fountain/Splash Pad
Musical instrument features
Never crowded
Covered picnic bench area

CONS:

Not a lot of shade. Only shaded part is picnic area. In the summer, it is HOT.
No bathrooms
No swings
Not next to, but not far from Nolensville Pike, a busy street

Pro-tip: The “button” for the splash pad was hard to figure out. There is no sign. But if you are facing it from the sidewalk, it is on the ground in the upper left hand corner. You may have to step on it a couple of different times for it to take. Try tapping lightly. I’ve definitely been the mama stomping on it for a couple minutes with no success. But keep trying- it works! And the kiddos will love it.

Note- There is a crosswalk at Nolensville where you can safely cross to South Side Kitchen & Pub and Red Bicycle Coffee.

Summer Solstice Retreat with The Tea Huntress

October 3, 2020 by Rebecca Leave a Comment

Before Tessy was born, Charlie and I had weekly dates at our favorite tea spot in town, Firepot Chai in the 12 South neighborhood here in Nashville. I remember being soooo excited when I saw it go in. I am a MASSIVE tea lover. I have always loved the ceremony of it, the comfort of it and how healing it always seems.

If you haven’t been to the shop- you must. It’s the most beautiful little space with a great tea selection and gorgeous handmade treasures. Sarah, the founder of the shop who goes by The Tea Huntress, was working one day, and I got to connect with her and hear a little bit about her story behind the store. When I was about seven months pregnant with Tessa, I went to her “Ritual Workshop” at the store one night- an hour of experiencing the ritual of tea and a little intro into the world of positive thinking and manifesting (my love language). I felt such a soul connection to Sarah so when she sent out that she was having this Summer Solstice gathering, I signed up on the spot. I’ll be in the presence of her light and soul goodness anytime!

10 of us gathered on the Summer Solstice at West Glow Farm in Kingston Springs, TN for an afternoon to reconnect, renew, rest, dream, hope, inspire, celebrate and just be. The farm served as the most beautiful backdrop for a day to let nature heal us and an opportunity to slow down and listen. To let the beauty of the trees and the hills be our guide that day. As a mom of two littles, it is a true privilege to have the time to sit down with like-minded women and share our souls. Women who also recognize that it is important, and crucial, to take time for ourselves and nurture our own beings in every which way. And I loooooove when I get to chat healthy food and yoga and meditation and oils and meditation and manifesting and soul work with other gals and they get me! As one woman said there that day, “I love being in the company of other witches!” Same, girl, same.

We drank Sarah’s lovely tea. We shared our hearts. We wrote down our dreams and goals for the future. We ate the most stunning organic lunch made by Kassia of Infused Holistic Kitchen- a holistic nutritionalist and herbalist. We did yoga in the barn. We meditated to the most beautiful sound bath. We experienced Sarah’s mesmerizing tea ritual. And we added a day of stopping to love ourselves and look inward alongside others wanting to nurture their spiritual paths to our lives. Anytime you get an opportunity to do this, to have a day like this, I urge you…do it. Say yes. Follow like-minded souls and sign up to be in their presence. And follow Sarah Scarborough- @tea_huntress- if you’re in the Nashville area. I promise you want to be a part of what she’s doing. At the end of our retreat, she decided to have it be an annual celebration. Starting next year it’s going to be called “The Sunna Gathering.” Meet me there?

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