5 Smoky Mountains Tips While Visiting Pigeon Forge, TN

{“This blog post is sponsored by Sawyers Farmhouse Breakfast, Three Bears General Store, The Pigeon Forge Gem Mine & The Old Gris Mill Restaurant. It reflects my personal views and opinions on the products.”}

We just got back from our Smoky Mountains trip and since moving to the beach, we needed a good ‘ole dose of fall foliage with fresh mountain air!

Must Do’s while in the Smoky Mountains

1. Grab an RV spot in the mountains! The place we stayed was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended!

It was one of our favorite parts because of the amazing fall foliage and it was super clean with wonderful access to hot heated showers, laundry facility and a dog park! This is the link!

2. Explore nature and take some hikes! In the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area, we hiked Clingmans Dome (moderate) and Grotto Falls (more moderate).

We loved them both! NOTE: Both have steep climbing!

3. Take a drive through Cade’s Cove and visit several old church’s and log cabins.

You can see wild life like deer, bears and other turkeys!

4. As for more touristy things, there are a TON of options for you in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

One of the spots we visited that I visited as a child was The Old Mill. It’s a gris mill, turned restaurant! Check out our REEL on IG!

 

They even have a Pottery Shop next door, along with a General Store! We went for dinner and the food was yummy and I fell in love with all of the pottery! Check out my REEL on IG to see which pieces we came home with!

5. We also took a half day and spend it at a more touristy spot but we had a blast! You can see our reels for the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, 3 Bears General Store and Sawyers Farmhouse Breakfast on IG!

We started off the day with breakfast at Sawyers Farmhouse Restaurant, then headed over to the Pigeon Forge Gem Mine, where we mined for minerals and rocks! You can even have jewelry created from the minerals you find! My younger two girls both had pieces of jewelry created for them! It does take 4-6 weeks for the jewelry to come in, so I’ll need to update the post when we receive our jewelry!

We also visited the Three Bears General Store where they have live bears that you can see and feed! Very budget friendly at $4 and then $2 for food! The Three Bears General Store was amazing! They have anything you could think of to buy, like name brands, such as Sinply Southern and Pandora, along with an arcade that we all loved!! The Three Bears General Store also has candy apples, fudge and ice cream! We decided to treat ourselves to ice cream at the end of our visit! Such a great place to spend time with those you love!

A Few Other Tips For Your Smoky Mountain Vacation

1. Be adventurous! Go hiking, check out the beautiful fall foliage. Try something new!

2. Bring a hiking backpack with a first aid kit, water, cliff bars, snacks, phone  charger and a flashlight. It will be much needed! 

3. Be safe! Don’t forget the time zones are sometimes different than we live. It is fall, so it’s getting darker later now.

Cades Cove is a beautiful place!

The Smoky Mountains was showing its majestic colors of the season! The weather was perfect and the mountain air was glorious! Hoping this was helpful! I hope you and your family have a wonderful trip to The Smoky Mountains!

Visiting the Magnolia Silos in Waco, Texas

We finally went on a trip, to the Magnolia Silos, in Waco, Texas! It has been a dream of mine to visit and it was not just about the shopping and cupcakes! We decided to go on this trip on a whim and I am so grateful to have spent it with three of my four daughters! Nothing better than shopping, cupcakes and girl time!

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We stayed in Hamilton, Texas, which is about an hour from Waco.

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Driving to Waco from Hamilton is stunning, with their magestic mountain views, vast canyons, longhorns, wildflowers and cacti. A highlight of our trip!

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The photo below is from the absolute cutest modern farmhouse, Air B’n’B that we stayed in, while visiting Waco! If you are interested in staying here, please contact Haley on IG @vintagenvine ! She’s super sweet and the best hostess! Check out the link below!

Haley from @vintagenvine

Photo below from magnolia.com.

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Magnolia Table

Magnolia Table is 8 minutes from Magnolia Market. It is open for breakfast and lunch from 6AM-3PM, Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. You will need a reservation, but they do take walk-in’s. The restraurant is beautiful! They seem to be famous for their biscuits and strawberry butter but also I have heard their french toast is amazing! 

Photo below from magnolia.com. 

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Magnolia Table offers a Take Away area.  A great option if you do not want to wait! You can pick up your food and eat outside or at home! 

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Magnolia Market

Magnolia Market’s store hours are from 9:00-6:00. We arrived around 7:45 am and we were able to grab a parking spot right up front at Magnolia Press Coffee Co.  Parking is free around Magnolia Market and the parking lot across the street. Once filled, they have a trolly you can take and I’ve heard the church parking lot is $10 to park! 

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Did y’all know that Magnolia was dog friendly? Our pups would love walking around Magnolia! There is a dedicated pet relief area with dog waste stations where they provide waste bags. The dogs are welcome everywhere except the artificial grass areas like the ballpark.

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My best tip for Magnolia Market would be to avoid peak days if possible and arrive early! 

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The Magnolia Market complex consists of the large Magnolia Market where you can purchase goods, like home decor, clothing and furniture. The displays are beautifully curated for the season! 

One of my favorite curated sections was Joanna’s handwritten notes!

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The “Earle” fern was also one of my favorite’s in Magnolia Home. He’s a 26-year-old staghorn fern that traveled all the way from Florida to his new home here at Magnolia! 

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Outside of the Market, you’ll find the turf scattered with corn hole boards and striped bean bag chairs . Perfect for visitors to relax and unwind.

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The Silos are the main fixture in the complex and an identifying landmark! Absolutely a beautiful backdrop to the Magnolia complex!

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The perimeter is lined with a variety of food trucks. You can check Magnolia.com to see what trucks are available.

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In the center, you’ll find a covered picnic area where you can relax and enjoy lunch! You can even drink sweet tea served in Mason jars. 

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There is even a Wiffle ball field. Perfect for your significant other and young fellows! They can play ball while you shop! There is something for everyone at the Magnolia Silos!

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Did y’all know that there was a little white church on the property? “The Old Church” is  one of the oldest structures in Waco!

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The building’s historical charm holds a unique story of something old being made anew.

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Built around 1894, The Old Church was comtructed using elements preserved from an abandoned church across town. 

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Magnolia Coffee Press

Our first stop was the Magnolia Coffee Press! Hours are Monday-Saturday from 7AM-6PM.  

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Magnolia Coffee Press is a cozy and inspiring shop! We didn’t wait long, grabbed our coffees and chocolate milk then headed out to our second stop! 

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I know someone who was thrilled to be drinking chocolate milk at Magnolia! 😉

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Silos Baking Co

The Silos Baking Co  was our next stop because, who doesn’t love a cupcake for breakfast? Bakery hours are Monday-Saturday from 7:30AM-6PM. 

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A history of this century-old building was used as part of the cotton oil mill right here at the Silos. Later on, the building became Rosetree Floral, a flower shop that occupied the space and  where Chip would buy flowers for Jo!

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When Chip and Jo bought the Silos property in 2014, they decided that a signature bakery, filled with Jo’s personal recipes was just what the grounds needed.

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When we visited we tried several different flavors-strawberry, chocolate and vanilla.  They were all delicious!

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Magnolia Seed & Supply

One of our favorite shops here is the Magnolia Seed + Supply Store for all of your gardening needs! What a beautifully curated store with the sweetest employees!

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Magnolia Seed & Supply has a full functioning garden right in front of the Seed & Supply store and there were many employees tending to them outside.

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The garden shop itself is small, but you can find some cute and practical items inside, if you’re a gardener. I grabbed a new composter and it was on sale for around $21!

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The Little Shop on Bosque

If you’re looking for discounted Magnolia items, you can find them at The Little Shop on Bosque. This was actually the very first retail shop Chip and Jo opened in 2003. It’s located about 4 miles away from the Silos.

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There were lots of discounted items here including apparel, home decor, paper goods, etc. Basically last sale items from the Magnolia Market.

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I did find some great items on sale for over 60% and 75% off! Now that’s what I’m talking about! Who’s a deal hunter?! 🙋🏻‍♀️

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We found several shirts, a child’s musical toy and my daughter found a wood picnic basket. I think we spent under $60 for everything we purchased.

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It’s such a small shop that they had to expand their sale items outdoors. I would definitely stop by here if you are looking for some great deals. Definitely do not miss this shop!

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Harp Design Co

No trip to Waco, Texas, would be complete without a stop at carpenter extraordinaire Clint Harp’s design company. When we were in Waco visiting Magnolia Market, we took a little drive a few miles down the road to get a glimpse of Harp’s white distressed candle sticks and farmhouse tables up close.

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The store was filled with Clint Harp originals, including his signature candlesticks, along with lots of other home decor items curated beautifully!

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I loved looking around the small shop, as the displays full of wooden treasures, unique wall decor, plus lots of pretty things for the kitchen , like wooden chargers and cutting boards-all styled to perfection! The employees here were super sweet as well!

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I took home a few Harp Design Co post cards to send to family! It has been a tradition of ours, to send handwritten post cards, to our family, to share of our vacation stays.

Other Places to Visit in Waco

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Heritage Creamery 

Heritage Creamery is a locally operated ice cream shop in Waco, TX. They are  proud to be “Grown Here” in Waco, and proud to be a part of the city.

Their mission is, “To provide locally and responsibly sourced, delicious, frozen treats for our community.”

My daughters and I enjoyed our ice cream while sitting outside of the shop! Definitely a highlight to our trip!

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The Findery

The Findery is open Monday through Saturday from 10AM-6PM. Closed Sunday. Located across the street from the Magnolia Silos. You can literally walk on over from the Magnolia Silos! 

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At the Findery, you will find furniture and home decor with a mix of boutique items! They are a unique blend of antique, modern and found-isn’t that evident in their building? 

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The Findery’s inventory is thoughtfully curated, uniquely stocked, which might possibly leave your pocketbook empty or your mind inspired! From locally sourced items to uncommon finds for your home or even that statement piece you’ve been wanting for your closet!

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The Findery is a building that has been restored beautifully!  Percy Medicine built this landmark of a building in 1908 and the Fatheree family restored it to its current beauty-whole paying homage to the legacy of the building!

Thrifting & Antiquing in Waco

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Cameron Trading Co

Two floors of antiques, collectibles, vintage and more. We knew we had to stop here because Cameron is a family name!

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Located at 618 Austin Avenue  in Waco. Cameron Trading Co’s hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 10AM-5:45PM and Sunday from 12-5PM. 

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The girls and I had a great time exploring in here! There is so much to see! You could spend half a day in here!

From here, we purchased several antique dollhouse accessories for our youngest daughter’s barndominium dollhouse we built for her birthday! I also found a few antique pencils with Waco business names on them, for only $1 each! My oldest daughter found a vintage 90’s skirt and an antique rouge.

Great time, laughing and being silly-great memories! A must when visiting Waco is a visit to Cameron Tradimg Co!! 

Traveling Home From Texas 

The Boot Barn

I didn’t think any trip to Texas was complete without grabbing a cowgirl hat! Am I right?! The Boot Barn had impressive  displays of cowgirl hats and cowgirl boots! We left with our cowgirl hats and cowgirl bandannas! 

Texas Thrift 

I have called myself a “thrifter” since I was 16 years old! The love of thrifting is engrained in me! I just love it and all of my girls have a desire to thrift as well! One of our activities we do while traveling is going thrifting at local shops! We found a Texas Thrift on the way home and we just knew we had to visit! It’s the largest thrift store we’ve ever been in! Prices were pretty good too! For example, a child’s denim skirt was $1.99. From here, we grabbed a child’s denim skirt, child’s plaid shirt, baby clothing for our Grandson/Nephew and leather belt for my oldest daughter. We spent under $20 here! 

Bucee’s

No trip to Texas is complete without visiting a Bucee’s location! Fuel up, coffee up (long drive) and food! We fell in love with tex-mex and Bucee’s has their Tex-mex down right!

Texas Welcome Center

We couldn’t resist stopping at the Orange Welcome Center, for a picture beside the Texas star! Leaving on the heels of loving the state of Texas… from the experience f driving to Texas and getting detoured on long a Farm Road, where the speed limit is 75 on a two lane road! I am glad we got detoured because we ran into several really old towns (100 years or more old) like these, about every 30 miles or so.

The state’s vast array of wild flowers, longhorns and cacti to the precious memories made with three of my four daughters. On the way home, we decided we should try to come back at the end of the year! God definitely had plans for our family with Texas because the same week we arrived home, our oldest daughter met a young man at church, traveling through and you guessed it, he was from Texas! Amazing to see how God uses experiences in our lives!

Janie Lanie Boutique

I also wanted to mention my pink dress from Jamie Lanie Boutique. Janie sent me their Frances Dress in Mellow Rose and I absolutely love the fit! Super comfy, modest, flattering midi dress with smocked bodice. It really is perfect for every day wear, church or a trip to Waco!  Features smocked bodice, v-neck, ruffle bottom and is lined. Easy pullover style. I paired mine with borrowed comfort boots from my daughter for our trip! For church, I like wearing a pair of flat sandals in summer and now with fall approaching, I can pair with a sweater and suede booties! Check @janielanieboutique on IG! Coupon below!
 

Janie gave me a coupon code for y’all! Use SSG15 at check out and receive 15% off your purchase!

Happy traveling to the Magnolia Silos in Waco, y’all! 

How We Stay Organized in Our Pop Up Camper

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Pop Up Camping can be a lot fun and a great way to create memories with your family. Pop up camping is one of my favorite things to do with my family, as it allots a way to travel, with our family of six, for significantly cheaper than even renting from VRBO or a hotel. Our family invested in a 1996 Coleman Pop Up Camper for $500 from Facebook Marketplace, two years ago, this month! You can see how we renovated our pop up here.

Here is a before of our Pop Up Camper on the day we brought her home!

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Staying Organized

Staying organized in your PUC is key to functionality in a small space being able to enjoy yourself while on vacation! We have several trips under our belt now and sometimes it’s trial and error to see what works best for your family. 

Below is  picture of our four daughters in St. Augustine! Stunning beach! 

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Organizing Our Clothing

When we went on our first few trips in our pop up, we had six people traveling in our camper. (We have since had one daughter get married, so we now have five.) When we first began began traveling, we used two seperate sections of our bench seating for clothing storage for myself, husband and two oldest daughters. It works, as we travel only in the warmer months, not taking a lot of bulking clothing or shoes. 

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T-shirt’s, shorts, swimsuits and flip flops! Now that we are minus one, we use that one storage compartment to store  a convection oven. Folding compactly does matter in the amount of space you have in the area you are storing clothes and that you keep that space neat, while on vacation.

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For our youngest two girls, we use the cabinet by the entry, as their clothing storage. We can even slide their add their flip flops, sandals and a pair of tennis shoes in their cabinet on the bottom far left! We have  good week’s worth of clothing on each child’s shelf! Now, who would have ever thought that we could cram so much clothing in our pop up camper?! Pretty awesome!

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How We Organize Our Food 

We keep the bulk of our food, along with paper items like plates, in our middle bench seating. I use metal and woven farmhouse baskets to help keep things confined to their spaces. I try to keep like items together like paper plates, plastic cutlery and cups.

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I have a couple seperate baskets for things like cans, noodles, sauces, juice,  rice, extra condiments and coffee. The other basket has dried goods like sugars, flours teas and mostly baking items. 

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In our “kitchen” cabinets, the first set of cabinets, we keep more food items. I have a plastic  storage basket from Target and a metal farmhouse basket in the cabinet on the left. Those baskets hold spices, oils and measuring cups. 

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On the right hand side of the cabinets, I keep more oils, Thieves cleaner, rubbing alcohol (for cleaning), peroxide (for getting out stains on clothing), plastic storage bags, foil, dog treats and scrubber pads for washing dishes. 

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After we had camped a few times, we realized pretty quickly that we would need some type of overhead storage for more regularly used food items and that they would be easy to access like cereal bars, bread, coffee, apple sauce pouches and vitamins.

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I bought a small coffee pot for our camper, beside it I store salt, pepper and sugar for coffee. Again, these are items that we use on a regular basis.

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Target had the best plastic storage bins and all for under $3.00. I use them in our home and all througout our pop up camper!

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I placed two more metal farmhouse baskets on the bottom shelf. The first one holds forks, spoons, bowls, cups and plates. It also holds our yeti’s that we drink coffee from each morning. The second metal basket holds fruits and veggies. 

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Organizing Our Small Appliances

Bench seating storage is amazing! We literally have almost any appliance you can think of on this side of our bench seating storage! To the far left, I keep three, 6 quart rubbermaid containters. In these containers, I keep first aide, vitamins and allergy meds. I made the labels with my Silhouette.  I also have my waffle maker, blender and extra apple sauce pouches. 

In the middle of the bench storage, I keep my Ninja Foodie, accessories, my recipe box and a couple mason jars.

The far right storage area has my Ninja Foodie with a couple mason jars and a tupperware container. See how much it holds?!

How We Organize Pots, Pans and Cooking Utensils

In our “kitchen” cabinets, on the bottom of the cabinets, I keep a pots and pans set, along with a mixing bowl, cheese grater and a few cooking utensils.  Nothing fancy here!

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We even have a convection oven in one of our bench seat storage area’s and it has been so nice because it’s like a mini oven. We bake cookies, homemade breads, toast things, warm things like left overs, ect. 

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A Space to Organize Bath Towels, Washcloths and Kitchen Towels Along with Bath Products

When we bought our PUC, it was in very poor condition. In fact, it was almost complete gut job.

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Since it was missing one of the cabinets on the right hand side of our entryway, we decided not to rebuild and grab a metal, collapsible dog kennel, since we knew our family pet(s) would be traveling with us. On top of the dog kennel, we added a piece of plywood and set a three drawer rubbermaid storage on top of it. In the top storage drawer, we keep bath towels, wash cloths, kitchen flour sack towels and Norwex cloths in the top drawer. We also have a collapsible laundry basket for dirty clothes and towels. 

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The middle drawer houses bath towels! In the top two drawers, we store twelve bathtowels and two dozen washcloths plus a dozen flour sack kitchen towels and several Norwex cloths.

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The bottom drawer contains bath products. I even used some of the Target plastic containers to help organize the drawer space to help it be as effecient as it can be with space! 

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We also keep a metal farmhouse basket on top of the three drawer basket. In this basket, I keep more bath products. I also have a woven basket that I keep tissue rolls in. I like to keep a couple plants, well more than a couple, in the camper, as it helps purify the air and give a more homey feel in our camper.

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To the left of the three drawer storage, I keep a medium sized woven basket on the bed that holds our hair dryer, flat iron, curling iron and a few hair scruncie’s. I even have a mini heater stored in the woven basket! Sometimes other things can get thrown into here! 

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When we were renovating our camper, I wanted to paint chalk paint on half of the inside of the door, so I could use it as a menu board. It is another way to help me stay organized with food and groceries, when we are traveling. I usually use a chalk pen but you can also use a regular piece of chalk too!

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And that is about it folks! Staying organized is key in such a small space.  I don’t think we would be able to function in here without organization! If yall have any questions, please reach out! 

Love~Shae

Below is a picture of my husband and I on St. George Island! One of our most fav places on earth!!

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Exploring St. Augustine, Florida: History and Culture

Exploring St. Augustine, Florida: History and Culture

This post contains sponsored links. The item featured and linked, in this post is provided by St. Augustine Lighthouse (six admission tickets); all opinions and reviews are my own.]

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St. Augustine: History 

In June of this year, we had the pleasure of visiting St. Augustine, on the Atlantic cost of northeastern Florida. St. Augustine is a gem situated neatly along the shores of the Matanzas River and holds heavy historical significance! The Southern and Spanish-influenced St. Augustine, Florida was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers and it is the oldest inhabited European-established settlement in the United States. When you are walking around on its centuries-old cobblestone streets, you will instantly feel like you are either in Europe or Old Florida, depending on which street you’re on! It’s a charming escape for anyone wanting to take a vacation!

Bridge of Lions; St Augustine, FL; Plate Girder; Painted, Metali

 

St. Augustine: Arrival

The Bridge of Lions will take you across the Matanzas River to the heart of the historic old town. Once across the bridge you have the choice of turning left on Avenida Menendez to the marina and sight-seeing cruises or right to the Castillo de San Marcos. You can also continue straight ahead on Cathedral Street into the heart of downtown.

 

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St. Augustine: Beaches 

One of the reasons we wanted to travel to St. Augustine was for the beaches! The beaches are so pretty! With a historic city being one of its main attractions, don’t forget about the  beaches near St. Augustine! From their sunrises to sunsets, they are stunning!

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Located on Anastasia Island, a barrier island off the mainland, St Augustine Beach has a natural feel with a wide beach and lots of good surf and shorebirds!

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St. Augustine: Lighthouse & Museum 

While traveling, one of our family goals is to visit every lighthouse we come by! The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum was a highlight for our entire vacation! When we arrived at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum  , we were greeted by Daniel Lee, who  took us on a tour of the property and we learned quite a bit of history about the lighthouse. He was very welcoming and informative on the history of the lighthouse.

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History: Pre-1862 

The story of the the current lighthouse in St. Augustine is not the original St. Augustine Lighthouse. The Spanish constructed the tower that became the first lighthouse in 1737. They used a naturally occurring stone called coquina to construct the original tower. The coquina tower replaced wooden watchtowers the Spanish built dating back to the beginnings of Spanish Florida.

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A map of Francis Drake’s 1586 raid on St. Augustine reveals the presence of a small tower on Anastasia Island. The map refers to the tower as “a Beacon or high scaffold standing on the sand hills, wherein the Spaniards did use to discover the ships at sea.” In 1823, John Rodman, Collector of St. Augustine, wrote to Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor of the U.S. Treasury, that despite the tower’s presence, “…it was never built for a lighthouse or used as one, but merely a look-out-house. The location is well suited…but a great proportion of the tower, nearly one half, is not sufficiently strong to bear any greater elevation either if wood or stone work.” 

John (Juan) Andreu became first keeper of Florida’s first official U.S. lighthouse in St. Augustine. Not only is he one of the first, he also holds the distinction of being the first Hispanic-American to serve in the Coast Guard and the first to oversee a federal installation of any kind.

Juan Andreu served as keeper until 1845 and the records are unclear as to who took over and served as lighthouse keeper from 1845 to 1849. John (Juan) Carrera served as keeper from 1849 until his death in 1853. Joseph took care of the lighthouse until his death, which he fell, while painting the lighthouse.

Joseph’s wife Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu was appointed keeper in place of her deceased husband. The Coast Guard recognizes Maria Andreu as the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard. Maria was the lighthouse keeper from 1859-1862.

History: Current 

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The current St. Augustine Lighthouse is nestled among live oaks and beautiful Spanish moss making a stunning nautical canopy. Also located on the property is Maritime Museum, along with the light keepers house.

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There is also the Maritime Hammock which is a natural area that the coastline formed when it receded, creating stabilized beach dunes that allowed for larger growth trees.

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There is even a cute gift shop located on the property as well!

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St. Augustine Lighthouse: Climbing the lighthouse

To climb the lighthouse, you will need to climb 219 stairs! Trust me when I say that is is worth it! There are eight landings and even one with a bench. Plenty of space for others to walk past you and if needed, space for a break!

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When you walk into the lighthouse, walk to the first set of stairs, go to the very middle and look up! This is the view that you will see!

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The view from the top is amazing! We had a couple that were a little nervous to be up so high, yet is not our first time on the top of a lighthouse either!

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Amazing view of St. Augustine from the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse!! If you decide to come to visit St. Augustine, don’t forget to stop by the lighthouse!

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St. Augustine: Downtown Old City Gates & St. George Street 

The Old City Gates are a site to behold toward the north end of St. George Street. The Old City Gates were at one time the only entrance into St. Augustine. The two ancient columns made of coquina were built in 1808 as a line of defense for the city.

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After visiting the Old City Gates, walk through to enter St. George Street, which is a historic street, that is filled with galleries, shops, restaurants and popular St. Augustine attractions.

 

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St. Augustine: Castillo de San Marcos

The Castillo de San Marcos is the largest masonry fort in the continental United States and was built to protect Spain’s claim to the New World!

Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the fort was closed on the inside. We did walk around the exterior of the fort!

St. Augustine: The Fountain of Youth  

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The Fountain of Youth was believed that anyone who drank from the fountain would have their youth restored. In 2,400 BC, the Native Americans, a tribe known as, Timucua, were amount the first to inhibit the land. Ponce de Leon was the first Spanish explorer to find the Fountain of Youth. The grounds at the Fountain of Youth are beautiful and you will also find several peacocks throughout the property!

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Drinking from the Fountain of Youth is wonderful experience that our family will never forget!

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I could honestly go on and talk about St. Augustine for a long time! We love this city so much!  It is such a pleasure to visit the historical St. Augustine and we know we will definitely be back!

❤️~Shae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pop Up Camper Remodel

Pop Up Camper Remodel

Last year, February to be exact, we bought a 22 year old pop up camper for $500 on Facebook Marketplace. 7232F62F-38D2-4DBB-8DEF-BF3B247FD681We knew this camper was a diamond in the rough! We dreamt of all the family vacations we could take in this little pop up. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST-INSPECTION 

We took the pop up home and popped it up.D24D2384-69E4-4B61-8579-724ED8458C12We knew initially that it had some water damage and after some research, found out that these types of campers with ABS roofs, leaked.
67475424-8AA2-480F-AAC8-AF5D48D0B3DDThe roof  leaked because of the weight of the AC unit on top of the roof.
79088843-12EF-478A-9FA9-9D2050470CE0So right out of the gate, it looked like we needed to find a solution to help the roof not sag, plus we would need to replace the entire roof. 

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ABS CEILING & ROOF REPAIR

CEILING:

My husband found a solution for the sagging roof and it was going to be by placing two, 2 inch u-channels on the interior of the roof.

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We then left the camper popped up on a day when it was raining to make sure it would not leak! It worked! No leaks!

ROOF REPAIR WITH FIBER GLASS:

Next step was to replace the roof. We tore off the ABS roof then replaced it with a fiberglass top and painted it with marine paint. You can find that you tube video HERE . In this picture, you can see two coats of the fiber glass roof material on the roof.

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INTERIER REPAIRS-REPAIRING ROTTED WOOD

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For the interior, my husband needed to replace several sections of rotted wood. One was the top on the small cabinet by the entryway, part of the floor at the entrance, a section of wood beneath the bed, by the shower plus a small section on the seated area.

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PAINTING-INTERIOR

After replacing the wood, it was finally time to paint the entire inside of the camper!

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We painted everything, including the ceiling, in Ibis White  from Sherwin Williams. We took off all of the cabinet doors to make the painting go a little easier. I decided to spray paint all of the hardware and knobs to save cost.

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REPLACING CUSHION COVERS-HOW I SEWED COVERS

Next was making all of the cushion covers for the camper. I decided to use the existing cushions & zippers, since they were in good shape.

5C5AC292-ECB3-4349-9698-3156F055B44FI did use the attachment to my carpet cleaner to clean the cushions and let them dry in the sun. I found all of my fabric on sale at Joanne’s for $50. I used two coupons! I did not have a pattern for the cushions, so I used the existing cushions as my pattern, by laying the fabric on top of the cushions and left about an inch for seam allowance on all sides.
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REPLACING OLD MATRESSES

We could not use the old mattresses that came with the camper but we did find some mattresses at a local discount store for $19.99 each! We bought plastic mattresses covers to protect them at Home Depot for $8 each.

REPLACING BEDDING

We purchased our bedding from Beddy’s and they are an absolute dream! Absolutely perfect for campers! Ours is the Modern Gray All Cotton. Beddy’s has given me a coupon code for y’all to use! If you use SSG20 at check out, you can get 20% off your purchase! Thank you Beddy’s!

CURTAIN ALTERNATIVES

We have not replaced our pop up camper curtains with the typical camper curtains.

8177E0D1-EFF8-49AE-B934-78F300E0225DWe did use a few sheers from Wal-Mart that we attached with double sided adhesive strips, just to give a more “at home” feel to the camper. I bought two sets, as each set came with two.
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CAMPER BATHROOM-SHOWER REPAIRS

The shower only needed a cleaning and a new faucet.

3FF31442-B55B-4DF2-A637-A682E598EEFASome of our paint has chipped by the shower area but it’s not a huge deal to us since this is a camper.

F1E1A5C9-4E17-49DD-8C69-9035F7D6FF51We ordered the new shower faucet from Coleman Pop Up Parts.

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REPLACING FLOORS

4D5039D0-85D1-4F1D-AAE9-F68A9EF38AE7I decided to use stick down floor “hardwood” vinyl “planks”. I even staggered it to make it look like hardwoods. I bought two boxes for $15 each, at a local discount store called Ollie’s.

REPLACING CANVASES

F06D3A41-E0B3-414A-B776-2E5CAC539A8FOur biggest expense in our makeover was new canvases but we felt like it was a must have! We ordered them from Bear Creek Canvas . Their site is so easy to use! All you have to do is select the camper manufacturer, ours is Coleman, select the model year, 1997 for us, select if you want a complete canvas replacement or partial canvas replacement, ours was a complete replacement, then select your camper style, such as a no wing model, 1-4 wing model or a pickupper, ours was a 2-wing model. Once you have all of that selected, it will give you your price for the replacement. Our total was $1,050.00. The customer service was also wonderful!

CHALKBOARD PAINTED MENU BOARD

9172C203-98C6-4DC5-A985-9FBA13113C9CI even painted the inside of the door with half of black chalkboard paint so we could have a menu board. We already had this paint on hand!

PAINTING-EXTERIOR 

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The exterior also got a paint job from head to toe! We painted the exterior with a marine paint in Repose Gray  from Sherwin Williams. (We only use SW for all of our painting needs!) We had lots of helpers that wanted to help remove the old vinyl from the exterior of the camper and help paint!

FIRST TRIP

Leaving out for our first trip in the camper! 

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REPLACING CAMPER TIRES & SPARE TIRE 

We also replaced the tires on the pop up and purchased a new spare tire. The old tires were in good shape but we just wanted to make sure we had new tires, since we were driving so far away on our first trip. The best deal we found on tires were at Wal-Mart on sale for $26.99 each.

THE SUNSHINE STATE

Fort De Soto, FL

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ACCESSORIZE 

Most all of our accessories for our pop up came from a local Five and Below store- from our little stool, to the rug, to our outdoor mat.

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TROUBLE BEFORE PARADISE 

About 3 weeks before our first camping trip, our pop-up would not stay popped up so we had to order a Coleman Wiffle Tree Alternate. We were praying it would come in before our trip and that it would be the only issue and be resolved quickly with this new part! Thank God it worked and in just about 3 days before our trip! We purchased that part from Popuppaarts.com .

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TALLY UP

We spent a total of around $2,300 on our pop up makeover. Here is a breakdown of the costs:

$500-Pop Up Purchase Price

$1,050-Canvases

$80-Paint

$45-Mattresses

$60-Wood

$125-U-Channels

$125-Fiberglass Roof

$81-Tires

$20-Shower Faucet

$50-Fabric for Cushions

$30-Vinyl Flooring

$5-Wood Colored Caulk for floors

$144-Wiffle Tree Alternate-Part for lifting camper up

EGMONT KEY, FL

Wesley & I in Egmont Key at the lighthouse.

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SUMMARY


It was a lot of work but we are so glad to have little pop up to travel in! Definitely a bucket list item! Our two adult daughters helped us so much and we could not have done it without them! Definitely a family effort! You can read about some of our travels here . If you have any questions, please email me! What is your favorite thing about our renovation of the camper?

❤️-Shae

Beddy’s  Bedding COUPON CODE: Use SSG20 at check out for 20% off your purchase! Perfect bedding for a camper, bunk beds or any bed really!!

June Clearance Challenge

June Clearance Challenge

For this month’s Clearance Challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to use for the challenge. I headed to our local Five Below store before our vacation (check my IG highlights/posts) to grab a few items for our newly renovated pop-up camper. Do y’all know what amazing items they have in this store and all for under five bucks?! Ok, ok, let me show you! I bought a black and cream boho chic rug and a cute little gray fuzzy foot stool for the camper. Both were $5 each!

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I also purchased a gray and white plastic outdoor mat for $5. It worked perfectly for our “front porch” area on the outside of the camper.

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But, perhaps the best bargain of all was the felt letter board that I found on clearance for $1! It was regularly priced for $5, but when I got to the register, it was on clearance for $1!

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See? You really can decorate your home or camper, while being budget friendly. I hope you take a moment to hop on over to each of my friend blog’s and see what these creative ladies have found on clearance. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Lots of summer vacation vibes from our family to yours!

Love, Shae

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Top Shelf Clearance Challenge ~ June

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Clearance Challenge: One Item, Four Looks

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Hallway Update + June Clearance Challenge

 

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June Clearance Challenge – Global Takeover