Our Little Getaway!!

Friday, May 11, 2018

Our Staycation at Getaway House!!


Hello all it’s so good to be back with you again on this lovely Friday, I went to a really spectacular spot this past week, and I can't wait to share it with you guys. I had an amazing time little overnight trip, or clamping as they call it. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stay in a tiny house? I have, and many times over especially after I started watching that show on HGTV called Tiny House Hunters, and another one called: Going Tiny. I have seen them all hooked up and decorated in so many fantastic ways, and due to all of the unique and interesting little space saving ideas, they're full of so much character. I’m one of those people that is down to try anything new and fun, I guess I'm what you call very outgoing  Exploring something new is fun to me, so when I got my chance to spend the night in a Tiny House, best believe I took it. We went to a place called Getaway House in Stanardsville Virginia. Home to a family campground for over 2 decades, the site covers 80 acres of beautiful lush wooded landscape. They also have a location in Boston and New York. The Virginia location is about a 2.5 hour drive from my house in Randallstown MD, which is Baltimore County. I was really excited about going, Rob on the other hand wasn't so receptive. He has issues with his back which makes long drives tough for him, so as you can imagine I got a lot of complaints. As always I am the glass is half full, he is the glass is half empty, we're polar opposites on a lot of things. I guess this is why we make such a good couple, he evens me out in certain situations, and vise versa. I'm so glad to be able to say that once we arrived and he got a good look around his mind quickly changed. On the drive up we saw a lot of cool places that we made plans to hit up on the way back. It just wouldn’t be a travel post if I didn’t give you guys a taste of the immediate area. The whole property was tucked up in the woods making private and not to mention gorgeous. Each tiny house has 140 to 200 square foot of space inside and a name, yes I said each Tiny House has a name. I have to say I thought that was really interesting and quite cute, it adds a more personal experience when your cabin has a name, our's was named Cyris. 





They're also equipped with a little driveway, as well as a separate picnic area with two chairs, a fire pit, a picnic table and a waterproof container that includes everything you need to start a fire with ease, like fire starters, bonfire starters, and dry bundles of wood. This is where we set up Piper's line so she could explore the clearing and hangout by the fire with us. Yes they allow your dogs to come with you, for a small fee of $25 they can enjoy Getaway as well. You guys know i don't go anywhere without Piper, I think she had just as much a good time as Rob and I did.There’s also just enough trees, foliage and space, so that you have privacy from the other cabins, but you’re close enough that you know you’re not alone. My first impressions were oh my goodness it’s so tiny, until I walked into the door and got my first glimpse of the inside. When you walk in you come to an adorable little kitchen, where there is a double burner flat top, then a cute little stainless steel sink, along with some shelving on the right-hand side that holds plates, pans and cups. Just under the flat top is a fun red mini fridge, and off to the right is the bathroom. Yes it’s an actual bathroom with a flushing toilet and a hot shower, granted it’s tiny but everything in a tiny house is tiny. Then off to the left is a table and chair, perfect to use as a desk, to eat or to play cards. A little further to the left there is the super comfy bed, then further off to the left, next to the bed the far end wall is one big window. As you can see in the image below the window placement is perfect, that way you can lay in the bed and just look at and enjoy nature, it’s a genius idea. 







Now keep in mind these tiny houses are set back in the woods to give you a peaceful and quiet way to recharge, so no televisions are included, but there is a really nice radio. They also stock the cabinet next to the sink with all kinds of goodies, they also have a shelf of fun books to read. I spotted a S’mores kit on the table, along with a cell phone box to put your phones in until you leave. I have to say Rob and I thoroughly enjoyed the s’mores after settling in and getting unpacked.Then Rob went outside and started a fire where we sat and enjoyed the surroundings for a few hours, it was such a relaxing experience. We also took some walks through the area to get a look at all the other tiny houses.






I had no idea there were so many. I saw lots of beautiful Irises all over the property, along with trees being flowered due to the spring season. It was around 3 pm when we arrived so it’s wasn’t long before night fell. With the hectic morning and long drive I was more than exhausted, so I fell asleep quite early. I slept so soundly all night because is was so quiet, peaceful, and dark. Wow up there every star shows itself in the sky, it’s absolutely amazing. I woke up early and refreshed the next morning, ready to take on the day. We had a long drive home and some fun spots to stop at so we packed up and regretfully said goodbye to Cyris, then headed out to find a good breakfast spot. On our way out of Virginia we spotted a place called Jacks (located on Spotswood Trail in Ruckersville VA) and we stopped in to eat. I have to say it was a great find, because we really enjoyed the food and service, everyone what so friendly, along with the restaurant being nice and super clean, as I’m sure you can see in the images below. Rob had the eggs Benedict and I had the Mexican breakfast. Both meals where aesthetically pleasing and delish, I sure wish there was a Jacks in Baltimore because I would be there on the regular. 





After filling our bellies we headed out to one of two spots we noticed on the drive up. First stop was a petting zoo, you guys know I had to stop in, I took a live feed video on Instagram, I wish I could post it here for you guys to see because it was so much fun. They had little gum ball machines full of feed to give the animals such as Billy goats, llamas, ostrich like birds, beautiful colorful pheasants, huge pot belly pig’s, and even a big beautiful peacock. The animals were so sweet and ate the feed right out of your hand. If you’re ever in the area stop in and give it a go, it’s fun and free. (It’s located on S. Seminole Trail, in Madison VA). 



Then not much further down the road towards home we stopped at the Prince Michel Winery, talk about a beautiful spot and some amazing yummies. When it comes to wine I’m a sweet gal, I definitely don’t like dry. I usually go for the red, and I’m glad to say they had some amazing choices. We also checked out the vineyard which was so green and gorgeous, and the wine was amazing. As you can see below they both photographed beautifully and you know Piper had to get in on the action. After spending a couple hours tasting wines and schmying around, we got in the car and headed home. 




All in all it was a great trip, and I definitely was able to prove to myself that there are never ending fun things to do in the Maryland, DC, Virginia area. I’m going to be going out of my way to find all of those interesting and fun things to share them with you guys, so if you have any great ideas or things you’d like to see in these areas definitely let me know, you never know I may go. 
Have a wonderful weekend Dolls!!💋 


Read More

Getting the yard ready for spring!

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Welcome Spring!!



We started to beautify the yard for the summer, we decided to get as much color as possible to make it stand out. I love lots of pinks, yellows and purples. I also wanted to get plants that flower all summer. I have bought some that literally bloom once or twice then for the rest of the summer they’re just green leaves, which is very blah. So this time I did a little research (by asking the sales person 🤣) what will remain colorful and bloom the whole summer season. I planted about 25 hibiscus plants last summer, and even though it says they would come back they still haven’t. I have been watching them and still I see no signs of life which is disappointing. They are an amazing plant and they bloom huge beautiful flowers all summer. As annoyed as I am they didn’t come back, I will still be buying them again for the season, I was so impressed by their beauty and how easy they we’re to care for. I have a heavy deer population in my area and they destroy everything, it’s quite apparent that they love Hibiscus as much as I do.








So in my quest for flowers to put in the front and back yard I asked are there any that are colorful that they will not eat? Turns out there is really no flower they won’t eat, but there are some they don’t like that much. Marigold, Begonia and Zinnia are just a couple, they’re also pretty and full of color. I think being paired with some well rotated deer repellant that we should do much better this summer with keeping them at bay. Nothing is more heartbreaking than working your butt off all spring to nurture and grow gorgeous flowers, which in turn make your home look beautiful, then coming out one morning to see it all gone and destroyed by a dam deer. Last summer they hit all of the Hibiscus bushes by the patio and there was nothing left but broken branches almost to the root. They even ate the green on the walnut trees where they could reach, they literally destroyed all of our hard work. They’re a common problem that a lot of homeowners have to deal with, and mine is 10x worse since there is a deer reserve 6 blocks from my house.





Sometimes I feel like I should just give up, but then I realize I can’t. I am proud of my home so I want to make it beautiful by taking care of it and my yard. I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone in feeling this way. Now granted I was so mad when they ate everything last summer that for a couple days I did nothing but research ways to keep the deer away, I even thought about getting a privacy fence, but that would just close the yard in and ruin the open and free feel to it. I found out that there are companies you can pay that will come out once a week or every two weeks and spray a deer repellant, then the next time they switch it up a bit, so on and so on, it seems they get used to one spray, so they keep altering it to keep it effective. In combination with the flowers they don’t like, I think my yard will stand a chance. So that’s my game plan, I’ll definitely update you guys on how it goes, and how it looks once it’s all in and in full bloom


I can’t wait to post pics of the yard once she’s in full bloom and looking amazing, have a wonderful weekend and please feel free to comment with your opinions on he post, I always love hearing what you guys think,
💋💋






Read More