I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday. Lots of activities, get togethers, gift giving, food and drink sharing. Seems like long ago doesn’t it? Hopefully life has resumed back to somewhat normal and 2020 will bring good health, prosperity and kindness to all. I know kindness is the theme of the year and it is very interesting to me.
Those of us who have had children have been teaching our children to be kind, from their first encounter with a friend, or to a pet or at the playground. Maybe in the grocery store when they see someone that might be a little different than themselves we would remind them not to stare and that we are all created equal on the inside. I guess we are never too old to learn and it’s a great time to put our words into actions. Let’s not only be kind to strangers, but to ourselves.
Take a moment to stop and breathe… When I find my self in a situation here, whether something breaks, or the weather is terrible or I just can’t get everything done, I just have to remind myself, that it will be ok.

That said, it’s been brought to my attention that it is the middle of January! Hold please, I have to check my calendar. Seems impossible. Oh my gosh it is. But wait, hasn’t the weather been mostly blue skies and temps over 50 degrees?
I was thinking about planting some seeds, until I was reminded that February is just weeks away and a BIG holiday is coming. After all we are one of the most romantic BNB’s in KY. All of this is very hard for my brain to absorb. The first one slipped passed me, I was in the state of disbelief that I actually owned this gorgeous place. I must admit, last year I didn’t quite grasp the idea of all the possibilities to embarrassed this holiday and help folks wanting to surprise their loved ones with a magical evening. Call me slow, or late to the party, but this year I am ready!
Valentine’s Day’s on a Friday this year, which means couples have the entire weekend to plan special things for each other. And we are ready. Our 2 night minimum stay in any of our rooms that includes February 14th will include, roses, hand crafted chocolates, a cheese and fruit board and silk rose pedals adorning your bed. If you like, a bottle of sparkling wine or juice. Breakfast will be a little extra special on Saturday as well. Make sure to add on some extras that will make your stay the most special night of all!
Give us a call or book directly on our website.
Speaking of websites. We have done a little maintenance work on ours. www.willisgraves.com. We have made navigating a lot simpler, we hope. We have added a few new pages with area things to do, and our kitchen section will help you find what you need to know about our breakfast, our foods to take home, or pick up if you’re local. And coming soon a photo gallery, that will give you a good feel about what to expect when you arrive about our property. We will post more recipes soon and they will also live in their own home.

Our cooking classes have been a big success this season. We will continue to hold them through March. You can also gather a group of friends and let us customize one for you. We had 9 ladies here over night in December for a “big birthday” celebration and they added on a cooking class, and the fun we had…. Lots of laughs, great food and fellowship was had by all. They are on Friday nights and make a great addition to a one night getaway. Everyone always asks if we do dinners, and typically we do not. This is a great way to come, not have to leave in bad weather and enjoy a great meal.
Here is the complete list of our upcoming classes.
Our breakfast menu will have some changes soon. We will say goodbye to Gingerbread pancakes, I know, that’s hard for some. But we decided to try for the first time Gingerbread Creme Brûlée French Toast! Let’s see if this will suffice for the gingerbread craze. We will be serving a Dutch Baby Apple Pancake along with our fluffy and light traditional buttermilk pancakes. A new egg special that I’m dying for you all to try. Ham, egg and and gooey melted cheese baked in a bread bowl garnished with chives and parsley. Poached pears with our homemade honey vanilla yogurt and granola will also join the menu for February. If you visit and you have a personal favorite that is currently not on the menu, just give us 24 hours notice and we will happily make it for you.

And for those that don’t want to lounge around, catching up on your sleep, a good book or a movie, there are plenty of events happening in the Cincinnati and Northern Ky area indoors and out. Here is the link to have a look for museums, live shows, food and drink! https://cincinnatiusa.com/big-weekends
And as always, one of the TOP attractions in this area with lots of guest speakers and winter events can be found here at The Ark and The Creation Museum https://creationmuseum.org/ https://arkencounter.com/
I know I didn’t put any scary Inn Keeper stories in this journal. I do have a few saved up. Just a little too soon to find them as funny as I know they really are. I’m feeling very lucky right now. And I probably just jinxed myself!
We love to hear from you all, and of course hope to see you again one day! Please feel free to reach out for recipes, cooking questions or just to say hi.
Many thanks, and very grateful
Jennifer, otherwise know as IKJ…… Inn Keeper Jen