Favorite Things

Hello! One of my favorite blogs, Centsational Girl, is having a link party called "Favorite Things in My Town."  So, I thought I'd create a little post for you on my favorite things in my little town.


Texarkana is a Twin City located in the northeast corner of Texas and the southwest corner of Arkansas. There are two of almost everything: two city mayors, two city governments, two police departments, and two fire departments, etc. It's "Twice as Nice".

The Mister and I both grew up in Texarkana. I don't think either of us thought we would end up back here after college. But after getting married and finding jobs here, it just seemed right. All of our family is here and we are slowly but surely finding out our small town isn't all that bad.

Some of our favorite things about Texarkana are the locally owned businesses that are located in our downtown. Our downtown is truly split between the two states with State Line Avenue running straight through the middle. Our Post Office and Federal Courthouse sits right in the middle of the street. It is known to be the "second most photographed post office in the United States".

You can stand in front of this sign and have one foot in each state!

Ok- Cheesy I know but people do it all the time!

The best place to grab a great cup of coffee or a delicious sandwich is at Merfeld's Bread Company right across the street from the Post Office.

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My favorite sandwich is the Post Office Pineapple!

A great place to have dinner and drinks is at Hopkins Icehouse. It used to be an old feed and seed store (it still has "insecticides" on the building!) downtown but has now been renovated to a unique bar/restaurant.

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They have great food ranging from pizzas, like the "Buffalo Chicken" or the "Newton", to burgers and other dishes, like Blackened Catfish, Pecan Tilapia, and Fettuccine Alfredo. They have live music on the weekends and specials all through the week.

Our favorite place to get fresh fruits and vegetables is at the Texarkana, Texas Farmers' Market.

This is where you can find us any Saturday morning selling the Mister's Best Salsa in the Ark-La-Tex!

My favorite building is the old Grim Hotel. Back in the day, it used to be THE place to stay in Texarkana.

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Now, it is abandoned and falling apart. BUT there are big plans to renovate it into luxury lofts and apartments in the years to come and I can't wait to see this beauty come back to life!

 

And my favorite door (I told you I had a thing for doors!) is 213 1/2 Main Street.

I love the color and the rustic-ness of the chippy paint! I have no idea where the door leads but I absolutely love it!

The best place to watch the sunset is out over the dam on Lake Wright Patman. We live right down the road from the lake and love to head out that way for a pretty sunset!

I guess my favorite thing to do is eat (by looking at all my "favorites")! Have you visited any of our favorite places? If you come to town, be sure to swing by!

Workin' It with Business Cards!

I just picked up my new business cards and I am so excited! They look so good!! YAY! 

Give me call if you need any help with remodeling your home or just adding a few accessories to your space!

The Doors of Ukraine

We had a wonderful time in Ukraine visiting my brother-in-law and celebrating our first anniversary. Matt has been there for the past two years teaching English with the Peace Corps. We started in the capital, Kiev, and then went to Dnipropetrovsk, which is a larger town near where Matt has been living. We then spent three days in Odessa which is a lovely town on the coast of the Black Sea and then spent a day in Verhnyodniprovsk, the small town that Matt lives and teaches in, before traveling back to Kiev to fly home.

I have always had a thing for doors and windows when I travel! I was glad to see I was not the only person to snap tons of pictures of doors in foreign cities. Meredith at Welcome to Heardmont posted about The Doors of Paris from her recent trip abroad and it inspired me to do a post of the Doors of Ukraine.

I had my camera around my neck the entire trip and got a few crazy looks from my husband and brother-in-law as I snapped photo after photo of doors and windows. But these photos turned out to be some of my favorite pictures from the trip!

The Doors of Ukraine

The Windows of Ukraine

Which door is your favorite? Window?
 My favorite is the royal blue door and the green window!

This is not a door or window but I thought it was pretty!

Hold on to Your Fork

In my quest to finish a project for my "Pinterest Challenge" I decided to create a DONE! board on Pinterest to keep up with what I have finished! I had a few more than I thought! Some were recipes I had cooked, some were tips I had tried out, some were prints I had bought and a few were projects that I had finished.

One of my favorites was the "Hold on to Your Fork". There is such a sweet story behind this saying that I heard when I was a kid and have loved it ever since! I thought it would make a perfect addition to the gallery wall in my kitchen.

My Inspiration:

via jones design company

The colors weren't exactly what I was going for but here is my version:

I traced the border and fork and painted the canvas with craft paints and paint pens! I love the way it turned out!

- Hold on to your Fork
Consider the following true story about one dear woman who was a devoted member of her church for nearly 70 years. She’d been diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only days to live. As she was sharing some final moments and last words with loved ones, her Pastor was called to her bedside to discuss her final wishes. She told him which songs and scriptures she wanted at her service and what outfit she wanted to wear.

As the Pastor was leaving, the lady suddenly cried out, “Wait. There’s one more little thing. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The Pastor didn’t know what to say. “So that puzzles you, does it?” the lady said to the Pastor.

She went on to explain… “In over 70 years of attending community socials and family dinners, church functions and birthday parties, seems like after every meal some one would say, “hang on to your fork”. Each time I heard this I felt excited and happy because it meant something better was coming, like chocolate cake or pumpkin pie, something sweet and wonderful. I want my friends and family to remember me with a fork in my hand because I want them to know that I believe….”the best is yet to come”. And when anyone asks, ‘What’s with the fork?’ I want you to tell them: “the best is yet to come.’”

The Pastor became teary eyed as he kissed his dear friend good-bye. He realized that, though he had been trained in theological mysteries, she had a far better grasp on eternity. She had lived a fine, long life and she left this life knowing for sure, something better was yet to come.

At her funeral, many people attended because she was greatly admired in her community. As they approached her casket they all saw the fork and over and over again, the Pastor was asked, “What’s with the fork?” And over and over he smiled and said, “The best is yet to come.”-

Linking up to:  The Shabby Nest Bower Power , Young House Love ,  Making a House a Home 

L.O.V.E

So- I finished just my "Pinterest Challenge" Project. I didn't get too ambitious so don't get too excited.... My husband and I are leaving tomorrow for a trip to see my brother-in-law so I didn't have much time for all my projects between all the packing and planning.

My Inspiration:

via Design*Sponge

I loved the eclectic look of these prints. All I did was find four different fonts and printed out letters on basic copy paper from my home computer. I found four frames at my local thrift store. I spent about $2 on each frame and one even came with a free picture.

Isn't he a hottie! Anyway.... then I spray painted the frames because they were just a little too thrifty looking. and here is what I ended up with....

 

What do you think? LOVE it? : )

The frames cost $2.00 each, the spray paint I already had, and the letters were printed for free on my computer- under $10 and under 10 minutes!

The brassy lamp and green sideboard are some of my next projects! I'll let you know how those turn out!

Have a great Tuesday!

Linking up to: The Shabby Nest,  Bower Power , Young House Love , & Making a House a Home