Touring P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain Farm

A few weekends ago, my mom, aunt, Nana, and I toured P. Allen Smith's Moss Mountain Farm just outside of Little Rock.  We started the day with a quick introduction from Allen before making our way to the gift shop for browsing and book signing.

I've been a huge fan of Allen's for a while now and I'm always recording his shows and stalking his Instagram, so it was a thrill to meet him!

Then, back to the main home for the indoor part of the tour.  The home was built to look old, but is actually only a few years old.  The bricks were made in wooden molds and given a limestone wash that ages beautifully.

 It's hard to see in this photo, but the porch ceiling was haint blue.  I loved the unexpected color of these traditional chairs, too--more coral than they appear in this photo.

We started the home tour in the living room.  That large painting on the right wall was my favorite piece--and Allen painted it!  I had no idea that he was an artist, but he had lots of his art (including the two fruit drawings on the back wall) around the farm.  I'm still trying to find the perfect place in my house for some of his art that was for sale in the gift shop.

Here's a (somewhat) better view:

I am crazy about these sides table, too.  (Its match was on the other end of the couch).

And look at this hidden china cabinet!

On to the kitchen.

I love the large island and the brightness and cleanliness of it.

And the den off the kitchen...

And the "slumber party room" on the attic level.

This space must be so much fun for his nieces and nephews.

I love that bright green couch with aqua piping...and I have a wing chair waiting to be recovered! :)

Back down to the middle level and this beautiful purple bedroom.  I wish my photos were better, because these walls were the most gorgeous pale lavender!  (I wonder if Allen painted that piece above the bed??)

This basketweave tile in this bathroom is beautiful.  

And on to my very favorite place...the sleeping porch.  It even has a copper tub!  And check out that view of the Arkansas River back there!  I'm in love.

I wonder if he needs a housekeeper?  I'd be happy to live out here as payment! :) 

After the home tour, we headed to the "barn" for lunch.

 We had a salad with chicken followed by an absolutely delicious buttermilk pecan pie.  Both recipes were from his cookbook Seasonal Recipes from the Garden.

And after lunch, we roamed around the rest of the farm.

A view of the back of the house.

 Check out that little cut-out in the hedges so you can see the river while you dine outside.  Perfection.

And on to the "summer kitchen."

 I can't imagine anything more peaceful than a summer night bonfire out here.

And the 1,600-square-foot "next generation garden home" built in 150 days for (almost) $150,000.  Allen's brother and sister-in-law live there now.

Love these former cotton-wagons-turned-turkey-houses.

And the enormous and beautiful chicken house!

 And finally, we headed over to the rose garden.  Unfortunately, the roses weren't in bloom when we were there.

But the garden was still beautiful!

And how precious is this Parthenon-inspired chicken house for the Silkies?  

They were just getting Spring planting started, so Mom and I have already made plans to attend again in the Fall. :)  If you ever get a chance to visit, I highly recommend it!

A Request...

We live within 10 miles of where the EF4 tornado swept through Arkansas last weekend, killing 15 people. There really isn't a lot I can say about it, but I would like to share this post with you:

http://thehodgepodgedarling.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-cheerleader.html

We were incredibly lucky.  We have no interior rooms in our house and absolutely no tornado plan, but this storm has made me start thinking of one, especially before we start a family.  I hope you'll all do the same.

Making the Most of Spring

There has been a definite lack of posting lately, but not because of a lack of activity! 

A few weeks ago, we went up to Wye Mountain to take advantage of the huge field of daffodils.  We enjoyed barbecue, nachos, and bratwurst, and took tons of photos...

and a few girls were "renting" bunnies.  We borrowed Coconut for some especially precious photos. :)

(And I couldn't resist a little cuddle time, too!)

Last weekend, we helped host a gender reveal party for some of our sweet friends.  We made lots of pink and blue sweets, like my blue macarons with strawberry filling...

and my sister's brownie bites and mini cupcakes.

And found out they're having a boy!!!

And today, we hosted a family picnic for Easter!  I used my assorted vintage tablecloths and Mom put together some arrangements for the tables at our neighborhood pavilion.

I made Ina Garten's Pineapple and Carrot Cake, which received rave reviews!

And white cupcakes with buttercream icing and tons of fun toppings for the kids to make their own masterpieces.

 Natalie loved the Easter egg hunt!

 And I can't resist showing off James and Lilly's Easter baskets :)

Dad's Birthday: A Bourbon Tasting

For Dad's birthday a couple weekends ago, we had a bourbon tasting at my parents' house.  None of us claim to be experts, but we thought it would be fun...and it certainly was!

First, let me set the scene:  We used these printable placemats to keep track of the samples (my mom and sister poured blind samples for the guys and me) and these score sheets to keep track of our impressions of each one.  This part was so much fun!  

Each of us has a very different drinking style, so it cracked me up to see everyone going through the sniff-swirl-sip motions.  James is typically a shot-taker, Dad puts a splash of bourbon in his large glass of water, my brother-in-law Bo is a Bud Light guy, and I'm....well, I'm mostly a mint juelp kind of girl.  James and Bo were actually really good and picking out subtle scents and flavors (most of James's descriptions sounded very similar to the bourbons' website descriptions!) but Dad and I were less advanced.  Dad can't smell at all, so we didn't expect much from him anyway.  :)  We used this flavor wheel for reference.  I also set out a bowl of whiskey stones (which Dad thought was a snack and almost tried to eat!) and straws for adding drops of water to our samples.

I did do a little bit of reading on proper bourbon tasting before our venture, but we mostly just had a good time with it.  I put together a platter of snacks intended to bring out specific flavors in the bourbons, but they weren't necessarily treated that way!  We included dark chocolate, fresh orange wedges, dried cherries, pecans, aged Parmesan, and sorghum on water crackers.

Next, the samples:  We tasted Basil Hayden's, Knob Creek, Maker's Mark 46, Jim Beam, Old Granddad (ha!), Bulleit, Wild Turkey, and Elijah Craig.  We started out with a bottle of Zachariah Harris to get a $7.50-per-fifth sample in there, but Dad had finished it off in the weeks leading up to our tasting. :)

The results:  I have to say that my scores definitely did not turn out they way I expected.  I included the Elijah Craig in the tasting because I had heard so many good things about it and had never tasted it, so I totally expected it to end up at the top of my list (which it wasn't).  We usually keep Bulleit, Wild Turkey, and Knob Creek on hand, so I also expected to have those near the top of my list...but they weren't, either.  In the end, three of the four of us chose the same favorite:  Maker's Mark 46.  

The final verdict:  If you're interested in doing a legitimate bourbon tasting, there are plenty of good websites out there with great tips.  If you're interested in planning a fun night with friends, I would totally suggest a bourbon tasting anyway!  We didn't take it overly seriously, had a blast, and now I definitely know what bourbon I'll be buying in the future!