A Belcourt Christmas Tradition is Back! Frank Capra’s inverted take on “A Christmas Carol” stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who’s spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would’ve been like had he never been born.
Prime corner lot on Belmont Blvd. Not often do you see these! Especially a newly renovated four square with 5 beds, 4 baths. A large family room, built for entertaining, complete with wet bar, ice maker and wine fridge. A beautiful back porch, cedar fenced yard with premium turf. Never track mud in again! Entire 3rd story and extra heated and cooled walk-out basement. Modern amenities, speakers, tankless water heater, drop zone, walk-in closets, large storage areas. This one has it all! Elementary: Waverly Belmont Middle: John T. Moore High: Hillsboro Comp. This property is listed at $1,890,000. Consult your local real estate agent to see.
Christmas is coming and you’re scrambling to buy the perfect gift. Yet, some of your list has everything. Why not give them a sweet gift from something made locally? Here are five (sure all are really well known) local candies you should be buying this holiday season.
We’ve been a fan since their opening. Oddly, we’re not marshmallow enthusiasts. That said, this is a go-to for us each holiday season and even when friends come to town. Yes, they like the tourist traps around them but it’s awesome we get to drag them in-store to sample a wonderfully Nashville made product. Also, don’t forget the Dream Drops while you’re there.
Gotta say, we’re chocolate all the time with Olive and Sinclair. That said, our friends who consume animal products love these duck fat caramels. If you have family coming into town do get them some chocolate from Olive and Sinclair but also check their tour schedule. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing how our local artisans work to perfect their craft. Not to mention, CHOCOLATE SAMPLES! (We really liked the Peppermint Bark)
Three: Marie McGhee’s Bumble Bees from Colt Chocolates
Just fantastic. Layers of buttery salted caramel and roasted pecans thickly covered in pure milk chocolate. Mackenzie made this chocolate to honor her mother, Myrtle Marie McGhee. She used to love chocolate turtles so Mackenzie made her version and named them after her mother. You can pretty much find these all over the city. If you see a box, buy it. Individually packaged inside the box makes it easy for transport if you’re heading out to see Christmas lights.
609 Overton St www.coltschocolates.com
Four: Nashville Toffee Company
Nashville Toffee Company makes premium Almond Toffee, Toffee Crumbles, Chocolate Barks, and Corporate Gifts. This is what you want to grab if you need to leave a gift for a client or for someone who really loves a toffee treat.
1830 Air Lane Dr, Ste 7 www.nashvilletoffeecompany.com
Mark Twain said, “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” A good book for Christmas is a great way to help your loved ones live an ideal life. Last week we discussed great books for the young readers. Now, let’s see what Parnassus has in shop that would make a perfect gift this Holiday Season. *Descriptions from Parnassus Books*
One: Nashville: Scenes from the New American South (Hardcover)
Nashville: Scenes from the New American South beautifully captures my home city of Nashville in this exciting moment of change and growth.— AL GORE
This book is excruciatingly gorgeous. Every page makes me homesick. —CONNIE BRITTON
A great book about a great city.— JOHN PRINE
This has been a time of such great change for Nashville that I think we are all very curious to see who we are now.— GILLIAN WELCH
This book reminds me, in the sweetest way possible, that I probably should have never left Nashville.— CHRIS THILE
Introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Jon Meacham A dynamic, experiential, and intimate portrait that explores the many sides of the legendary Southern city and country music capital, from award-winning writers Ann Patchett, Jon Meacham, and acclaimed photographer Heidi Ross.
Nashville is a creative collaboration that awakens the senses, providing a virtual immersion in this unique American city hailed as the Athens of the South. Patchett, Ross, and Meacham in his introduction, at once capture both the city’s iconic historical side—its deep, rich Southern roots, from its food and festivals to its famous venues, recording studios, and style—and its edgier, highly vibrant creative side, which has made it a modern cultural mecca increasingly populated by established and upcoming artists in art, film, and music.
Nashville celebrates Nashvillians’ beloved locales and events, both established and new, that are the heart of the city’s character including:
Bobbie’s Dairy Dip
Broadway
Cumberland River
Buchanan Arts District
Bolton’s Chicken and Fish
Dino’s
East Nashville Tomato Arts Festival
Germantown
The Gulch
Grand Ole Opry
Pie Town (SoBro)
Pride Festival
Prince’s Hot Chicken
Schermerhorn Symphony Center
Stanley Cup Playoffs
Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Tennessee State Fair
Third Man Records
WXNA Independent Radio
Here, too, are engaging vignettes spotlighting the diverse talent that makes the Tennessee city a significant cultural incubator and influencer, including singer-songwriters Marty Stuart, Gillian Welch, and Dave Rawlings; film director Harmony Korine, textile designer Andra Eggleston, country music fashion designer to the stars Manuel, chef Margot McCormack, acclaimed pastry chef Lisa Donovan, and model and musician Karen Elson.
Blending exceptional narrative, evocative photography—including 175 black-and-white and color photographs—and a bold graphic design, Nashville is an intimate, textured panorama that brilliantly illuminates one of America’s most remarkable treasures.
Two: Homecoming: Shafer’s Tale of Lost and Found (Hardcover)
OK, it’s a kids book but it’s local and this one is perfect for the 2nd to 5th grade readers or just a dog lover. You know, like Parnassus books whole staff.
“On a dark fall evening, the family dog Shafer is enjoying a ride in the car when he suddenly finds himself stunned and on the ground while the family car disappears without him. Frightened and thinking he is all alone, he discovers that his woodland friends – Shamir the Deer, Sherlock the Hawk, Myrtle D. Turtle and Howell the Owl – are there to help him. Meanwhile, Shafer’s mom and dad have their friends and a very special tracking dog named Harper to help them find Shafer. Based on a true story, Homecoming: Shafer’s Tale of Lost and Found is a heartwarming story of a lost dog, a family determined to find him, and the meaning of home and family.”
Three: You’re on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir (Hardcover)
Have you ever wondered what it would be like talk to Parker Posey? On an airplane, with Parker as your seat companion, perhaps? Parker’s irreverent, hilarious, and enchanting memoir gives you the opportunity. Full of personal stories, whimsical how-tos, recipes, and beautiful handmade collages created by the author herself, You’re On an Airplane is a delight in every way.
In her first book, actress and star of movies such as Dazed and Confused, Party Girl, You’ve Got Mail, The House of Yes, and so many more, Posey opens up about the art of acting, life on the set, and the realities of its accompanying fame. A funny and colorful southern childhood prepared Posey for a life of creating and entertaining, which not only extends to acting but to the craft of pottery, sewing, collage, yoga, and cooking, all of which readers will find in this whimsical, hilarious, always entertaining book. Parker takes us into her childhood home, behind the scenes of the indie film revolution in the 90s, the delightful absurdity of the big-budget genre thrillers she’s turned into art in a whole new way, and the creativity that will always be part of both her acting and her personal life.
With Posey’s memorable, hilarious, and poignant voice, her book gives the reader a feeling of traveling through not only a memoir, but an exploration, meditation, and celebration of what it means to be an artist. Buckle up and enjoy the journey.
Four: Becoming (Hardcover) by Michelle Obama
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States
In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.
Five: Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits (Hardcover)
Academy Award–winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon invites you into her world, where she infuses the southern style, parties, and traditions she loves with contemporary flair and charm.
Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea always said that a combination of beauty and strength made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery.
Reese’s southern heritage informs her whole life, and she loves sharing the joys of southern living with practically everyone she meets. She takes the South wherever she goes with bluegrass, big holiday parties, and plenty of Dorothea’s fried chicken. It’s reflected in how she entertains, decorates her home, and makes holidays special for her kids—not to mention how she talks, dances, and does her hair (in these pages, you will learn Reese’s fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique). Reese loves sharing Dorothea’s most delicious recipes as well as her favorite southern traditions, from midnight barn parties to backyard bridal showers, magical Christmas mornings to rollicking honky-tonks.
It’s easy to bring a little bit of Reese’s world into your home, no matter where you live. After all, there’s a southern side to every place in the world, right?
Hopefully this gives you enough ideas for the readers in your family this holiday season. One of our favorite things giving a fresh new book and these new books are instant classics. Don’t take it from us, ask the folks at Parnassus!
Nobody likes the Holiday stress but we all love the holiday treats. Both of those need to be balanced though with a wonderful workout. To maintain health and your sanity. Get to Krankfit and let’s burn the stress and calories away.
DECEMBER 17, 2018
5:30 AM 30/30 Hope Crosson 1 hour
6:00 AM Cycle-50 S.J. Hill 50 minutes
8:30 AM 30/30 Hope Crosson 1 hour
9:30 AM Cycle-50 Nikki Jo Boston 50 minutes
4:30 PM Cycle-50 Meghan D’Amico 50 minutes
5:30 PM Cycle-50 Annie Hogan 50 minutes
6:00 PM Krank Strength-45 Danny Hirtler 45 minutes
6:30 PM Cycle-50 Faith Benson 50 minutes
DECEMBER 18, 2018
6:00 AM Cycle-50 Meghan D’Amico 50 minutes
6:00 AM Krank Strength-45 S.J. Hill 45 minutes
8:30 AM Cycle Rhandee Gortney 1 hour
9:30 AM 40 Strength/20 Cycle Rhandee Gortney 1 hour
5:30 PM 30/30 S.J. Hill 1 hour
5:30 PM Cycle-50 Barrett Freibert 50 minutes
DECEMBER 19, 2018
5:30 AM 30/30 Nikki Jo Boston 1 hour
6:00 AM Cycle-50 Alli Bridgers 50 minutes
8:30 AM 30/30 Nikki Jo Boston 1 hour
9:30 AM Cycle-50 Valerie Poile 50 minutes
4:30 PM Cycle-50 Natalie Hennessy 50 minutes
5:30 PM Cycle-50 Annie & Hannah 50 minutes
6:00 PM Krank Strength-45 S.J. Hill 45 minutes
6:30 PM Cycle-50 Hope Crosson 50 minutes
DECEMBER 20, 2018
6:00 AM Krank Strength-45 Nikki Jo Boston 45 minutes
6:00 AM Cycle-50 S.J. Hill 50 minutes
8:30 AM Cycle S.J. Hill 1 hour
9:30 AM Val’s 60min. Strength Valerie Poile 1 hour
5:30 PM Cycle-50 Adam Denison 50 minutes
5:30 PM 30/30 Adam & Hope Team Teach 1 hour
DECEMBER 21, 2018
5:30 AM 30/30 Adam Denison 1 hour
6:00 AM Cycle-50 Hope Crosson 50 minutes
8:30 AM 30/30 Adam Denison 1 hour
9:30 AM Cycle-50 S.J. Hill 50 minutes
DECEMBER 22, 2018
8:00 AM Cycle S.J. Hill 1 hour
8:30 AM Krank Strength-45 Nikki Jo Boston 45 minutes
For us, a great ride all begins with music. KrankFIT Instructors are super serious about curating a musical journey that amps up a strong ride. Our rides have strictly fixed elements to elevate your endurance and get you breathless, but each instructor brings in mega personality which makes no ride the same. Getting locked in to a rhythm make your work stronger in a drill and the hour flies by in a flash. Getting into that zone that sweats out the stresses of life is the reason why KrankFIT has developed a reputation for offering the most addicting cycle class in Nashville.
Looking to build lean muscle and bust out calories at the same time? Interval Training with KRANK STRENGTH. Our classes utilize TRX suspension training, sandbags, dumbbells and body weight to provide a rewarding workout. Class size is small (limited to 14 people), which allows our trainers to provide close guidance in form and performance.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys a workout that focuses on cross training, the 30/30 is just for you! This class includes 30 minutes of cycle followed by 30 minutes of strength. With the 30/30 class, you get all the benefits of KrankFIT cycle’s endurance and KrankFIT strength’s HIIT, delivering the true meaning of a cross training workout. Crushing calories and boosting your body’s energy.
Perfect amount of cardio for the Krank Strength lover. 40min of the best full body work. Efficient and form driven. Work high intensity intervals, fatigue as many muscle group as possible and then 20min of Cycle! It’s amazing and so, so much fun.
At KrankFit we were seeking a new level of cardio & strength. Power Moves is the ultimate ride with strength on the bike. 20 moves created by KrankFit instructors. These 20 Power Moves are designed to work legs, glutes, shoulders, chest, back and core! It’s a workout for EVERYBODY. Any level can really work to efficiency because all moves have modification. Come ride Power Moves and find another level with us!
Nashville Humane Association was one of 124 animal welfare organizations across 39 states to receive grant funding from the ASPCA to participate in a Subaru Share the Love Event. On Saturday, December 15th from 10am – 5pm:
Fee Waived Adoptions on ALL Dogs (6 months and older), Cats and Kittens at NHA!
Scandinavian-inspired gem. Built in 2016, this contemporary brick home pays great attention to detail while sparing no expense in structural integrity. Beautiful large lot, many trees. Featuring white oak finishing throughout, huge sun-drenched family room, cathedral-ceilinged master suite, custom local cabinetry, and large entertainment patio. Elementary: Rosebank Middle: Issac Litton High: Stratford Comp. This property is listed at $625,000. Consult your local real estate agent to see.
We have a problem in our household. A good one but still a problem. We have a 9 year old who devours books at the rate of 1 a week average. That’s why we love the staff at Parnassus. Not only do they carry great books but they also give us something new, newer or classic to read. Some of their suggestions along with our Nine Year old Below. A great list if you have a young reader in your home or on your Christmas list. We will also list the AR Reader points and levels with each book/series.
She suggests the whole series.
One: The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy– While vacationing with their widowed father in the Berkshire Mountains, four lovable sisters, ages four through twelve, share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother. This is the first in the series. BL: 4.7 – AR Pts: 8.0.
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street– The four Penderwick sisters are faced with the unimaginable prospect of their widowed father dating, and they hatch a plot to stop him. This is the second book in the series. BL: 5.3 – AR Pts: 10.0.
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette– When summer comes around, it’s off to the beach for Rosalind, and off to Maine with Aunt Claire for the rest of the Penderwick girls, as well as their old friend, Jeffrey. This is the third book in the series. BL: 5.6 – AR Pts: 10.0
The Penderwicks in Spring– Batty is saving up her dog-walking money for an extra-special surprise for her family, which she plans to present on her upcoming birthday. But when some unwelcome surprises make themselves known, the best-laid plans fall apart. This is the fourth book in the series. BL: 5.5 – AR Pts: 12.0
The Penderwicks at Last– It’s summertime and eleven-year-old Lydia is dancing at the bus stop, waiting for big sister Batty to get home from college. The two youngest sisters are about to arrive home to find out that the Penderwicks will all be returning to Arundel. This is the Final book in the series. BL: 5.5 – AR Pts: 10.0
A great suggestion by Parnassus Staff our Daughter loved.
Two: The Royal Rabbits of London By Santa Montefiore and Simon Sebag Montefiore
The Royal Rabbits of London is the first in a series by Santa Montefiore & Simon Sebag Montefiore. A story where Shylo stumbles across a band of Ratzis and overhears their evil plan to take a photo of the Queen in her nightie. We’ve not read the second book “The Royal Rabbits of London: Escape From the Tower” but are excited for it as well as the movie in the works at Fox Studios. BL: 5.7 – AR Pts: 4.0
Another Great Suggestion that the Daughter completed quickly due to fantastic writing.
Three: Payback on Poplar Lane by Margaret Mincks
Twelve-year-old Peter Gronkowski prides himself on being a professional businessman. Tired of the clichéd lemonade stands that line his block, he decides to start a better business with the help of an intern. BL: 3.8 – AR Pts: 7.0.
This is the most recent series our 9 year old is consuming.
Four: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
A cursed child destined to die on her 11th birthday is rescued and whisked away to a secret realm called Nevermoor and given the chance to compete for a place in a prestigious organization called the Wundrous Society. The plot contains profanity. Book One in this series. 5.6 – AR Pts: 14.0. The second book in the series is titled “Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow” and was released in October of 2018.
Five: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street By Karina Yan Glaser
Told that they will have to move out of their Harlem brownstone just after Christmas, the five Vanderbeeker children, ages four to twelve, decide to change their reclusive landlord’s mind. BL: 5.3 – AR Pts: 7.0
Six: The Mysterious Benedict Society Series by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society- After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where their mission is to stop the plan of the evil Ledroptha Curtain. Book one in the series. BL: 5.6 – AR Pts: 18.0
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey-Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, all graduates of the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened and members of the Benedict Society, embark on a scavenger hunt that turns into a desperate search for the missing Mr. Benedict. Book two in the series. BL: 6.1 – AR Pts: 19.0.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma- Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance investigate when an unexplained blackout engulfs Stonetown. Book Three in the series. BL: 6.3 – AR Pts: 15.0
Hopefully this gives you enough ideas for your little readers in the 2nd-7th grade range this holiday season. One of our favorite things growing up was a fresh new book and these new books are instant classics. Don’t take it from us, ask the folks at Parnassus and our Nine Year old!
We brag about The BE-Hive’s products on here quite a bit. We are very excited about this Holiday list of offerings from them.
The Be-Hive:
“Y’all have been asking about a holiday take and bake, so here it is! Follow the link to order! You have until Monday the 17th to pre-order. Be the cool kid at your holiday party with the dope vegan food.”
We love promoting good health and Yoga. One of our favorite places is Shakti Power Yoga. The schedule for this week is set and here is your chance to get feeling great as we head into Christmas and New Year.
Schedule of classes:
Mon December 10, 2018
6:00 am Shakti Power Flow Keri Newman Shakti Room – Heated 1 hour
7:30 am Shakti Power Flow Carol Anderson-Goodnight Shakti Room – Heated 1 hour
9:15 am Shakti Power Flow Kelly Farina-Carter Shakti Room – Heated 1 hour & 15 minutes
This heated class is inspired to ignite Shakti, the pure, boundless, creative energy within in each of us. The power vinyasa yoga practice is an invigorating, healing, detoxifying sequence that links movement of the body with the power of the breath. The practice is available to all, with modifications and variations of the poses. The practice builds strength, improves flexibility, magnifies your body’s energy, and calms your mind by focusing on the present moment and breath.
Community Power Flow classes are Shakti Power Flow classes for a $5 drop-in.
Shakti Strength
This 45 minute HIIT-inspired class blends strength training, cardio and power yoga. We created this practice to build muscle, get your heart rate going, and empower all fitness levels. With music to get you going and a heated room to help bring the sweat, Shakti Strength is a fun and lively full body workout. Get ready to sweat and shine!
Shiva Vinyasa
For students newer to yoga or experienced students who wish to reconnect with key elements of their yoga practice, this unheated class focuses on the fundamentals with an emphasis on breath and alignment. Students will be introduced to postures like basic backbends, twists, binds, and have the opportunity for movement, meditation, and relaxation.
Yin Yoga
A style of yoga that focuses on opening the connective tissues in the body, cartilage, ligaments, and joints. Yin Yoga is an unheated class that involves holding deep stretches for longer periods of time – 30 seconds to several minutes – relaxing the body in the poses, and finding stillness. This opening into the deep, dense tissues of the body provides expanded range of movement, healing and repair, lubrication of the joints, and opportunities for meditation. The energetic meridians of the body are believed to run in line with the body’s connective tissues, allowing you to clear and revitalize energetic pathways from your toes to your fingertips.
Restorative Yoga
Similar to Yin, this unheated restorative class with long holds compliments our Power Flow practice by relieving soreness and accumulated stress, improving posture and awareness of breath, and lengthening specific muscles in order to reestablish their ideal tone. This class offers a nourishing, opening practice that incorporates props such as bolsters, tennis balls, and blocks to facilitate healing, the release of tight muscles, trigger points, and surrounding connective tissues.
Awaken & Unwind
This gentle unheated vinyasa is designed to center, nourish and restore after a long week. A sweet slow flow is followed by a luxurious, extended savasana with healing essential oils. Leave feeling clear and refreshed for the week ahead.
Yoga in Life
This once-monthly 75 minute class is unheated and will incorporate meditations, reflective writing and personal inquiry to take the yoga practice from the mat to day to day life. We will gain insight into intentions and places we are stuck. Using this insight we open and heal ourselves and therefore all our relationships. All levels welcome. Please bring a journal and a writing utensil. There will be no yoga poses in this class, except for a comfortable seated position.
Third Wednesday of every month 6:30pm
Ashtanga Primary Series
This is an advanced, unheated practice and we advise that students have previous experience in vinyasa and/or ashtanga yoga asana. The Primary series as taught by K. Pattabhi Jois is practiced in its entirety at a group pace. This dynamic, precise, and progressive sequencing of yoga postures is accompanied by “free breathing with sound” as described by Sharath Jois. Quickly creating internal strength while resolving mental and structural imbalances this class includes full and half lotus positions, arm balances, back bends, and headstands.
Karma Yoga
This is our only 100% cash or check, donation-based class. All of the proceeds from this class are donated to a local or global nonprofit organization whose mission and work inspires us. By attending this class and giving any amount, you are empowering these organizations to continue their work. Check out our blog to learn more about the nonprofits we work with.
