Tag Archives: East Tennessee

Our HOA Meetings Are Better Than Yours

When we moved to Rivermont, I was admittedly a little nervous when I heard there was a homeowners association. I’d heard horror stories about HOA meetings in friends’ neighborhoods, in which neighbors got up in arms about paint colors and flower choices. But we’d heard our organization was not a normal HOA. They were not kidding. I love our neighborhood even more now. The topics were the usual suspects, but peppered into the discussion of the neighborhood were little gems and adorable characters. The whole thing felt very Pawnee-esque so what was I to do? Naturally, I live-tweeted it. Here are just a few of the highlights:

 

 

 

What is a CSA?

This time of year, we get asked the same question a lot: “What is a CSA?” So today, I made a little video to tell you all about it.

Just a little more info:

If you are in East Tennessee and are interested in a CSA, Mountain Meadows still has a few slots left for their Summer CSA. You can pay online, and there are a slew of pick-up locations.

The website I mentioned to find a CSA or farmers market near you is localharvest.org

What’s your favorite way to #eatlocal?
Tell us in the comments below.

 

The Tennessee Theatre

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Last night, the Tennessee Theatre opened its doors to celebrate the tenth anniversary of their incredible restoration, and we were thrilled to be there! We adore the Tennessee Theatre. As I was telling a friend from Brooklyn who recently moved to town, this is one performance hall that is really worth experiencing. The details are stunning, and, as we learned last night, the restoration was painstaking. A team dug through years of paint to find the original colors. The carpet, drapes, and seats were all recreated from a vast collection of photography taken by a photographer named Jim Thompson just after the theatre’s opening in the fall of 1928. They spared no expense. Here are a few snaps from our backstage tour.

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Becky Hancock is executive director of the Tennessee Theatre Foundation and started the tour by explaining the story of the restoration and the work they did to the front of the theatre.

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

The lights inside the theatre are amazing! My absolute favorites look like cotton plants and are impossible to photograph with an iPhone. Instead, here is a detail of one of the sconces at the front of the theatre down from stage left.

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Backstage.

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Backstage looking up. This is where they suspend the curtains, lights, and backdrops.

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

The panels on the ends of the seats look just like the originals in the photographs. Perhaps even cooler: the carpet was made from the original pattern, but the designer had to decide on colors because all of the photographs were, of course, in black & white!

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

No matter how many times you see it, the domed ceiling is always breathtaking!

Tennessee Theatre | Hannah & Husband

There are five chandeliers hanging down the length of the lobby. They were named after the stagehands’ girlfriends: Molly, Suzy, Windy, Gretchen, and Angie. [Details]

One of our favorite features of the Tennessee Theatre is the “Mighty Wurlitzer.” It was original in 1928, but by the time the theatre opened talkies were all the rage. Isn’t that funny? Never fear–in Tennessee we take our music very seriously… we also have a constant need to get our money’s worth. It’s played weekly and was one of our very favorite parts of our visit to see White Christmas in December. Here’s a little video of Dr. Bill Snyder showing us how the organist would rise up through the stage before a feature film back in the day. Enjoy!

If you’re interested in learning more about the theatre, Robin Easter Group put together a *gorgeous* book, full of pictures and penned by Jack Neely. You can get a copy here (or there are more than a few floating around town).

Christmas Comes to Tennessee

[cue Andy Williams] “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Christmas has officially come to East Tennessee! This weekend Husband and I knocked out a ton of Christmas shopping, watched a Christmas movie, decorated the tree, and drank our fair share of hot cocoa.

Hannah & Husband

Vintage Santa in the window of the shop Nothing Too Fancy. We bought a cute gift there for Husband’s brother.

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Retro vignette downstairs from Coldstream Market.

storytime-hannahandhusband-1

Our friend Caryn is the story lady at Union Avenue Books. She and her husband, Mark, do the most amazing chalkboard lettering.

unionavebooks-hannahandhusband-1

This month, Caryn also has a fab window display that includes a beautiful white silhouette or the Knoxville skyline. Do you see the Sunsphere?

Fell in love with the shop Rala and spotted some works by one of our favorites: Emily Winfield Martin.

Fell in love with the shop Rala and spotted some works by one of our favorites: Emily Winfield Martin.

Homemade hot chocolate and a decorated tree. What else do you need?

Homemade hot chocolate and a decorated tree. What else do you need?

Wrapping packages and making gift tags

Wrapping packages and making gift tags

My book club is having a special Christmas party on Tuesday where we'll be exchanging our favorite books and making pom-poms… Can you guess my favorite book?

My book club is having a special Christmas party on Tuesday where we’ll be exchanging our favorite books and making pom-poms–so naturally the wrapping had to fit!

How are you feeling about the holidays?
Did they sneak up on you this year?

December seems to be passing so quickly, but I can honestly say this may be the first year I’ve felt so on top of things so early in the month since we got married. Although with my job, I’ve really been celebrating since mid-October! Is that cheating?