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Dirt Road Adventures: Girls Trip To Morehead City, and Beaufort, NC, A Fish Tale, Foraging & More

Happy Sunday, and welcome to Dirt Road Adventures! This is where we review all the exciting events behind the scenes, on the website, and the sources of inspiration I discovered online during the past week. This weekly recap ensures you don’t miss any of our adventures.

Hey friends,

It has been such a great week. I’ve been on vacation again! This time, it’s for a girls’ trip, and I can’t wait to share. But first, I have a fish tale that made our eight-year-old buddy John’s day.

The Ponds are over 70 years old, and we have had some big fish pulled from the middle pond but rarely from the first pond. John and his granddaddy have been stopping by to fish for several years, and he is a great little fisherman. Last weekend, he snagged this huge bass in the first pond. Brad heard him screaming and thought he was hurt but he was just so excited and thrilled. This big fish was released unharmed and I’m sure John will be back to try for him again soon.

John and his big catch at The Ponds!

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Adventures at the End of the Dirt Road

This is a look back at all my adventures this past week.

This week’s big behind-the-scenes news was our girlfriend’s trip to visit our dear friend in Morehead City, NC. She was definitely the hostess with the mostest! She had our entire trip planned and food prepared for each day. We were treated like royalty.

Oh my gosh, the Morehead City and Beaufort area is just amazing. Everything is surrounded by water and gorgeous views. There are so many great shops and restaurants, but we unfortunately only had time for a few. We visited the quaint town of Swansboro for a great lunch at the Boro, a waterfront restaurant. We did a little shopping in the cutest shops and had the best time overall. Naturally, we had to get a photo with the Boro’s pirate.

Then, we had afternoon cocktails on the Beaufort Hotel’s waterfront deck, which was a beautiful spot.

The next day, we were treated to a boat cruise along the Beaufort waterfront, which included Mimosas and snacks. Her husband was so kind to put up with us. It was a little overcast due to the hurricane moving through the middle of the state, but still a beautiful day. Then, we did more shopping in Morehead City and had a wonderful dinner there. If you’ve never been to this area of the North Carolina coast, you should put it on your budget list. I can’t wait to go back.

I also want to mention that prayers are needed for all the areas affected by Hurricane Helene. There has been so much devastation in Florida and other areas within its path. Although our coastlines were spared, historical flooding occurred in the NC, GA, and TN mountains.

In Case You Missed It

Dollar Tree Halloween decorations displayed on screened porch table.

Creative & Cheap Dollar Tree Halloween Table Decoration Ideas

I’ve always loved Halloween, but I rarely decorate because I don’t want to spend much money on the decorations. But then I discovered Dollar Tree Halloween decor and picked up many great items for Halloween Table decorations. If you are looking for Halloween decoration cheap ideas that are still creative and stylish, you’ll be amazed at what I found.

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Halloween centerpiece made with Dollar Tree items.

Cheap and Easy DIY Halloween Centerpiece Using Dollar Tree Decor


Looking for Cheap Halloween Decoration ideas to celebrate the season? How about a Witches Brew Centerpiece? This DIY Halloween Centerpiece is spooky and easy to make using Dollar Tree decor. The Dollar Tree DIY Centerpiece is affordable, costing less than $12.00 to make.

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Fall farmhouse table Vignette. Basket of forged items, vintage barn door, antique features.

How To Set Up A Stylish Budget-Friendly Fall Table Vignette

Decorating your home for fall is about adding warm colors and cozy textures to create inviting fall vignettes. Learn how to add budget-friendly style to a fall table set-up with seasonal elements. A table vignette is a small arrangement of decorative items on a table, book shelf, mantel or other surface. It can be as simple as a few pumpkins and leaves or a vintage vignette with collected thrift store finds and antiques.

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Outdoor dinner party held at outdoor kitchen. Outdoor lights and tablescape.

Easy Casual Dinner Party Ideas: 6 Must-Know Tips


Looking for some ideas to take the stress out of planning a dinner party? Here are 6 tips for planning a casual dinner party that guarantee you will have as much fun as your guests. Planning a casual dinner party is easy and fun if you follow these six must-know tips.

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Basket clippers and gloves that will be used to forage pinecones, acorns and more.

Foraging Safety Guide: Tips for Pinecones, Acorns, Flowers, and More

Don’t you love gathering free foraged elements for fall and holiday decorating? It sounds wonderful, but there are some pitfalls if you don’t take safety precautions. In today’s article, I’m sharing foraging safety tips to scavenge for free pinecones, acorns, wildflowers, and more. You’ll never have to fear about a foraging disaster again.

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Vase with foraged gum balls, pinecones, dried berries, and other foraged wildflowers and plants.

Transform Foraged Treasures: Stunning Fall Floral Arrangement

Looking for an easy, stunning fall floral arrangement idea? You’ll not believe how you can transform free foraged treasures into this stunning fall flower arrangement. This wildflower arrangement has added texture with rustic sweet gum balls, pinecones, dried berries, and other materials gathered from the yard. Plus, it only takes minutes to assemble, and your friends will be amazed that it’s all free.

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Brad and Rachel at Lighthouse in Kent ME.

A New England Adventure: Boston To Bar Harbor Favorite Must-See Stops and More

We finally did it! A visit to New England has been on our bucket list for many years. Although I’m not a travel blogger, I wanted to share some impressions from our Boston to Bar Harbor road trip. I’ll share where we stayed, dined, and our favorite stops on our New England adventure.

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Adventures Off The Dirt Road

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

There are so many wonderful blog posts each week, and I’m sharing some of my favorites with you today.

There are so many creative ideas, and I always ask myself, “Why didn’t I think of that”? LOL

Home Decor & DIY Ideas

What’s In My Cart

I haven’t had the opportunity to shop online this week, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorites from this month.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, and I look forward to sharing my next adventure with you!

Diana

Sunday 29th of September 2024

Your trip pics looked fun and filling. Loved the post on bulb planting and the cute idea of floating flowers in the pumpkin. Thanks !

Rachel

Sunday 29th of September 2024

Diana, Thank you for stopping by. I'm so glad you found some helpful contents.

Cindy

Sunday 29th of September 2024

Thanks Rachel for sharing my acorn napkin rings. I'm a nature hoarder 🙃

Rachel

Sunday 29th of September 2024

Cindy, I am too! They are so cute.