Forest Gully Farms Getaway

-

I don't always have the best ideas, but I have to rank the idea of going to a farm getaway with some friends to unplug and unwind has to be one of the best ideas ever!!!  A few months ago I posted in one of our homeschooling groups to see if we could get 5-6 moms to stay the night away in some Hobbit Houses! 

 
(photo by Kim) 
That's right!  Little Hobbit style huts are built into this beautiful Tennessee farmland!  The farm is called Forest Gully Farms and they are part of a "Glamping" trend.  (Camping in glam style!)  When I saw the pictures I knew it would be perfect for a little mini-retreat!

 
 They have 4 huts - 2 are sleeping huts and 1 is a kitchen with a full refrigerator, microwave, hotplate, coffee machine, toaster oven, dishes, and table and chairs!  The other hut is a playhouse hut for little kids!
  
(photo by Kim)
They even have baskets to take up to the chicken coop to gather your own eggs for breakfast!

 
(And of course a hobbit pipe for decoration!!!  Along with copies of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy to read while you relax!)

 

 My friend Wendy planned out the menu for us and we each brought something to share for our meals and snacks!  I'm so so so so glad that my friend Kim is a fire guru!  She was awesome at firing up the grill and the fire pit! 

 


We didn't have an agenda for the getaway, it was a gift that we all gave to ourselves for getting close to the end of the school year with our kids!  Most of us have just a few weeks or less left to finish the year! WOO HOO!!!!  I made little gift bags for everyone with a monogrammed wine glass.  Cheers!!!

(photo by Kim)

Besides the adorable chickens, gardens, and Hobbit Huts, the property has an amazing hiking trail along a river with several places to stop and enjoy a water fall.

 
(photo by Kim)

The part of the trip that I was looking forward to most was to sit by the water and have some devotion and reading time.  I wanted this trip to be nourishing to my soul and have some inward reflection.  I'm so thankful for the women that surround me in our homeschool journey.  Kim has often talked about Sally Clarkson and I asked if I could borrow a book this weekend and the first chapter that I've read was so refreshing.

"How thankful I am that God showed me his path so that I can relax in each stage of childhood and find joy in my moments with my sweet ones, knowing that in my acceptance of his call, my children can rest in the peace and security of my commitment to them."

I know that this book will be a comfort to me as I continue to walk the journey of motherhood.  I absolutely love every moment that I have with my kids and the opportunities we have to learn, love, and live life together!  I pray that God will reach their hearts and bring peace to mine as I seek Him for wisdom and guidance!

 

And what a blessing to be surrounded by other like minded moms who will uplift and encourage along this motherhood journey!  

We had a blast talking around the campfire and we even did a little 2017-2018 school year planning for our folk songs and we sang the Ambleside Online Term 1 folk songs together!

(photo by Kim)
(photo by Kim)

As it got darker it was even more magical with fireflies lighting up the sky and forest!

(photo by Kim)

  I highly recommend checking out Forest Gully Farms for a time just to get away from the business of life and take time to reflect while hiking through the forest!

 

This was such a sweet view while coming back to the campsite from the hiking trails.  I loved seeing the kitchen hut coming into view!



The owners are so creative with all of their decor and garden design.  You could even book a farm tour to learn about what they grow and how they have planned this self sustaining land!


I really hope that this may be an annual trip with friends each year! Before we make it back for another mini mom retreat my kids have already asked that we come and stay as a family!  Day farm tours, mom mini retreats, or family overnight adventures.....Forest Gully Farms definitely has you covered!  Here's their website!!! Forest Gully Farms






Comments

  1. sally clarksonMay 1, 2017 at 6:55 AM

    Love love love love this. So beautiful. so honored to have been a part of your sweet time. So glad you all have each other. Blessings and blessings of grace to you all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RaeAnna GossMay 1, 2017 at 7:43 PM

      Thank you! I look forward to reading more! <3

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Folk Dance

-
Image
Community dancing is such a wonderful activity for all ages!  I have seen the question pop up in many homeschool groups about suggestions for resources to teach folk dances so I want to share some of my favorites from teaching music and dance to elementary students in public school and our homeschool groups!  If you have the opportunity to find a group already in place to attend and learn dances and observe how they teach you will have a better understanding of how to approach this in a group setting!  You may feel like at the beginning like you are herding a bunch of cats but that's ok!!!  Practice and consistency will improve the process! Cited Material First, I want to just say how blessed I am that I have been fortunate to have training under the most talented folk dance and movement specialists.  I feel like my education and experience has been in the "golden" age through first hand workshops by the following professionals.   New England Dancing Mast
Read more

Burgess Bird Resources

-
Image
While planning and working on preparations for Year 1 Ambleside , I have found some amazing resources for study guides.  Unfortunately, one of the resources is no longer free so I came up with my own document that you are welcome to download and use! CLICK HERE to download the coloring pages I also wanted to have a resource to see the color versions of the birds so I created a photo guide to each bird. CLICK HERE to download the photo companion. Here are some other helpful resources! Burgess Bird Study Guide Burgess Bird Images and more links
Read more

Christmas Around the World - December Term

-
Image
  Our family enjoys a "December Term" each year. I've also heard homeschooler refer to this time as "Christmas School!" Basically, we hold off on our regular curriculum studies and spend a quiet and peaceful month at home with poetry, music, literature, and activities that bring us into a spirit of Christmas!  You can find a post about our first December Term in 2018 here! While looking through the website archive.org (my favorite public domain library!) I found adorable Christmas stories published by Dana Estes & Co. out of Boston in the early 1900s. I read each story in the collection and knew they would be perfect for our December Term so I spent the weekend writing lesson plans with links and ideas to make the most out of a cultural holiday experience! The age range for these stories is 6-12 years old. In Christmas in Austria , the children in the story include an 11 year old boy and a 9 year old girl! That's exactly the ages of my children in Decemb
Read more