Thelma Lou is 6 months old!

 Our girl is six months old!

Time sure has been flying by with this sweet pup, and we cannot believe how much she has grown. The little baby we picked up in June weighed under 9lbs, and we are now around the 33lb mark! (Note to self: It's time to start lifting heavier weights at the gym!)

Life with Thelma Lou has definitely been an active one, which is exactly what we had hoped for. When planning for a new dog, we knew we wanted one that would challenge us and keep us moving as we age. She has done just that, and all three of us are better for it!

Her current favorite snacks are carrots, pumpkin, and banana. And she cannot live without her Woof pupcicle in birthday cake flavor! Talk about a pricey habit to get started on...yikes!

To celebrate her six month birthday, she went on her very first hike - we started her off with an easy and quick trail - Big Sink Trail at Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. She loved it!

She did so well on her first trail, we have quite a few more in the works for the fall and winter months. We have been using the All Trails app and love it!

She also got to visit her first pumpkin patch - which was a little too exciting for her! She picked out a great first pumpkin for herself, and we have it sitting on her food mat by her water dish.

She finished up her pumpkin patch visit by "driving" the pumpkin wagon around the property! 

We are so happy with this girl, and we think she feels the same about us!

We love you Thelma Lou!! Happy Six Months! 

A Hot Brown at Mammy's Kitchen - Bardstown, Kentucky

 Last week my husband and I took a small weekday trip to Bardstown, Kentucky for a shopping and lunch date. I'm sure I've mentioned before - #willtravelforfood !!

We have dined at Mammy's Kitchen before - but it was many years ago. It truly is the cutest little restaurant. With all the current news and controversy surrounding Cracker Barrel's redesign, it was interesting to be back inside Mammy's Kitchen and paying a little closer attention to their decor. 

The entire restaurant is a decorated with local and family photos and memorabilia, much like Cracker Barrel, but these photos and the stories on the walls have direct meaning to the place.

Of course, I can't blog about this place and not include a picture of their adorable indoor "front porch"! 

I had completely forgotten about their menu being in newspaper format - so I was surprised when our waitress handed it to us. 

You know I ordered my hot brown. In fact, I ordered the "baby brown", the smaller version.

IT WAS AMAZING, and just as good as I remembered it!

My husband ordered the Bourbon Burger and was equally pleased, so much that he said he would order it again.

Once we finished, we popped into the gift shop, and I was blown away with how much they had and how cute everything was! The sold items from one of my favorite brands, Mud Pie. 

I saw this darling cast iron sign that I would have loved to have, but it was heavier than I expected! I wouldn't know where to hang it. Maybe I should have my husband investigate a place for it with his stud finder. I may just have to go back for it!

Overall, we had such a nice day, and it was wonderful getting out on a day trip on a weekday. That doesn't happen often for us!

If you're ever in Bardstown, Kentucky, 

Mammy's Kitchen

 is located at 

116 W Stephen Foster Ave

Thanks for reading!

-Bunny

#willtravelforfood

A Sunday drive along the Ohio River - Cloverport, Kentucky

 I find river towns fascinating. My husband and I have visited quite a few since moving back to Kentucky, and each time I visit one, no matter how big or small, I fall in love with it. We had visited Cloverport, Kentucky twice before, but that was about four or five years ago. We were in the area recently, so took advantage of a beautiful sunny day to explore some more. I had been trying to check in with the happenings there online, and had noticed the downtown area had been fixed up and some buildings were for sale. That's always a good sign!

When you arrive in Cloverport, you drive over a small bridge that crosses over Clover Creek right where it meets the Ohio River. The first thing that will catch your eye is the Higginbotham's building, and the large barn quilt displayed on the side of it. 

The Higginbotham building was first the location of Needle Craft, then became a grocery store in 1933. Mr. Higginbotham passed in 1971, but his son took over the business. I'm not sure when the grocery store closed, but hope to be in town sometime when the town museum is open. I think the Higginbotham building is what I am most interested in, and would love to get some more information on it.

I had been to Family Ties Flowers & Gifts a few years ago and chatted for quite a while to the sweet owner. That was probably in 2019, so I'm having trouble remembering if this shop has moved to a new store or if it's the same one I visited. It could just be that the building got a facelift. It's such a cute store and I wish I could have gone in again. That's the downside to Sunday afternoon drives - everything is closed!

The history of this small town is so interesting. From producing coal oil that lit Buckingham Palace, to the button factory, railroad maintenance shops, to Mickey Mouse dolls produced there! Who would have thought Mickey Mouse dolls were being made in a tiny Kentucky river town and shipped out by train? My, times have changed. Made in China, anyone? I've been doing some research, trying to find some information or a photo of these Mickey Mouse dolls but haven't had any luck. If you've never looked into vintage Mickey dolls, boy, some of them are REALLY creepy looking!

Cloverport is part of the Lincoln Family Trail through Kentucky, and I am so grateful to live near it and visit all these sites. The Lincoln Family crossed the Ohio River into Indiana near this spot, and when you stand there and really think about that, it is very strange (at least for me!) to wrap my head around. A future President of the United States was once standing on the bank of this very river, just like I was. I would have been very scared crossing the river on a log raft, and I wonder what was going through his head at the time.

Even though it was cold and snowy, we took a walk around town to read some more of the historical markers and take some photos. There's lot of barn quilts scattered around the town, and I located as many as I could!

We had such a lovely drive that day. I am so happy to see so many buildings for sale, and look forward to seeing what will occupy them. It will be interesting to go back and look at the photos I took of Cloverport the last time we were there and compare them to what the town looks like now in 2025. Five years can really change a town. I am noticing it in my own town, and my husband and I were just talking about that yesterday. It makes me look at things differently, and I want to document so many things, no matter how insignificant they seem. One day some of my favorite spots in town could be completely gone, like it never even happened. It's really sad when you stop and think about it. 

I am hoping this year that we can explore more of the western part of our state! I have quite a list of towns I'd like to visit!

Here is a photo I snapped when we got back to our neck of the woods. What a gorgeous day we had!

To learn more about Cloverport, the Breckenridge County Barn Quilt Trail, and the Lincoln Trail in Kentucky, visit the links below!

City of Cloverport, Kentucky

Kentucky Lincoln Heritage Trail

Breckenridge County Barn Quilt Trail Brochure

Thanks for reading!

-Bunny

Part 2 - A Day in Hardinsburg

 If you read my last blog post about our day trip to Hardinsburg, you’ll remember I wrote about the time warp that is their local Walmart. Well, I have another time warp for you. We had the absolute pleasure to dine in at a Pizza Hut Classic. 

My husband and I are children of the 80’s, and grew up in the days of Book-It pizzas. I still have my Book-It pin too, full of star stickers for reading Sweet Valley Twins and the Babysitter’s Club. I’ll never forget the excitement of having that little pizza sat in front of me. I’m sure every generation looks back on their childhood and thinks “Man, we truly had it all.” 

I was so excited to see the vintage art on the walls, and of course, there’s my purple Book-It pin right in the center of this photo. I didn’t recognize any of the others. 

Every single table had the red and white tablecloths and the Pizza Hut Tiffany style lamp! 

They even had THE RED CUPS!!

We didn’t have our Book-It pins with us, so we actually had to pay for our food. 😁 We got a large pizza to share. Now, it was exactly the same pizza we could get at our local carry out/delivery location, but it was better, ya know? 

My husband said the only thing that was missing was a PacMan game! I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m seriously considering buying a Pizza Hut lamp, a PacMan machine, and some red cups for our family room pizza & movie nights! 

On our way out the door, I noticed this plaque at the door. 

If you’re interested, my husband found this website that lists all of the Pizza Hut Classic locations by state. I hope you’ll find one close to you, and relive some 80’s and 90’s nostalgia! 

https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/news-nostalgic-americana-best-list-pizza-hut-classic-restaurants-across-usa-explored-viral-tweet-sparks-frenzy

See you soon! 

-Bunny

#willtravelforfood

A day in Hardinsburg, Kentucky

 Whenever we get the chance, my husband and I enjoy traveling to our surrounding counties and visiting much smaller towns than the one we live in. I’m sure as we are heading their way, the people there are heading elsewhere, towards a more populated area, with big plans for their day. Better shopping, bigger grocery stores, more variety. We tend be searching for small businesses and grocery stores, local restaurants and hidden gems. When you think about it, it’s quite funny! The grass is always greener! 

On this particular weekend, we visited Hardinsburg, Kentucky, which has a population less than 2,500 and is located in Breckenridge County. We took many back roads, and along those less traveled roads we stumbled upon so many beautiful barn quilts. 

The barn quilts didn’t slow down once we got into town, either! Hardinsburg is such a cute little town, and it seems that lots of the once empty storefronts are filling up. I love seeing downtowns being revived! 

There was a cute boutique called The Exchange on Main that I really wanted to go in, but of course it was closed. That’s always my luck! Also, there’s a restaurant called Nettie’s that’s on my list to try, but it was closed too. They have a Hot Brown Baked Potato on their menu that I’m just itching to try! 

The post office caught my eye. It reminded me of the post office in Camden, South Carolina. Whenever we travel, I’m always looking for the post office. I enjoy mailing things from small towns, but I also enjoy seeing the type of buildings they will stick a post office in. You don’t see many this beautiful anymore, especially in rural parts. There’s a town by me that just recently got a post office, and it’s in a single wide trailer. These beautiful brick post offices deserve to be photographed and admired! I mailed a card to my Mama on this day. My husband regularly cuts out his favorite funnies from our small town newspaper and mails them to her. She so looks forward to getting them, and we enjoy sending them. When we visit her, we see them all hanging on her fridge! 

Hardinsburg also has its own radio station! I used to listen to it a lot when we lived closer to Breckenridge County, but my radio antenna had to be positioned *just right*, and it was still a little fuzzy. There’s just something special about a small town with their own radio station! Clairee Belcher knew what she was doing when she bought KPPD! (That’s for you Steel Magnolias fans!) 

Now, this is something you don’t see much these days. This is an original Walmart that opened on February 5, 1985. Look how small it is! The garden center is in the parking lot, and if you’ll notice, you can still park facing the store. 

The inside was like walking into a time warp, and I loved it! There was something so comforting about this store. It felt safe, reassuring, and didn’t have the hectic atmosphere that the supercenters have. The customer service desk was still in the middle of the store, right when you walk in. It reminds me of the location my grandparents used to shop at in the early 90’s. The only thing missing was a Walmart cafe, and my Grandma and Grandpa sitting in a booth, chatting and laughing away.  Sigh. Those truly were the days, and we’ll never get them back. 

Did you notice that there is only EIGHT registers!? 

I purchased a yard of white cotton fabric for a beginners quilt pattern I will be working on. It will be my first mini quilt attempt ever, and I’ll always remember this first project, so hopefully I’ll remember that I bought some of the fabric for it at this cute little Walmart. 

Thanks so much for reading along on my small town adventure. Stay tuned for part 2 of my trip to Hardinsburg, which will be all about where we ate - ANOTHER TIME WARP!

Hope you’ll stick around!

-Bunny

#willtravelforfood