UnScrooged

I'm happy to report that the Christmas spirit has finally found its way back to me this year. This morning began with what I would like to call the soundtrack to my childhood Christmases. My trusty Saturn's radio tuned into the Ray Coniff Singer's The Little Drummer Boy medley which always reminds me of my Dad singing along as he sneaks ornaments on all of the light fixtures in the house.

Greg indulged me in another childhood tradition when we ventured off two weeks ago to pick out our best Christmas tree yet at a local tree farm. Oh, and please don't think Greg is trying to strangle poor Winslow in the picture. We just have a photo averse dog.

This weekend, we enjoyed a visit from my parents as well as our Tennessee family. We celebrated Addie's 4th birthday at the American Girl Bistro on Saturday evening. A few of the highlights from the night: meeting Shad for the first time, finding my very own Gwen doll at the store and catching up with the cousins. Enjoy a few snapshots.

I'm looking forward to all the upcoming holiday events we have planned specifically our Festivus For The Rest of Us brunch.

An Experiment in Food

I know after the sunny fall days are gone all I'm going to be left with are short, grey days and most likely the onset of self-diagnosed seasonal affective disorder aka seasonal depression. After a pretty tough winter in 08, I decided I would give myself a fresh start for 09. My chosen path for better health in mind, body and spirit: raw foods.

My thought process followed the lines of: Hey, this will detox my body and help me feel energized. I should be drinking less caffeine and alcohol any way. So, the weeks went by and I did my research and I devised my plan. I would start by eating two raw meals and one cooked meal. This seemed reasonable. Oh, and I was cutting caffeine completely out and limiting alcohol drastically. I made my meal list (including things like: smoothies, raw cheese, sprouted breads, salads) and ventured off to Kroger and Whole Foods to make my rather expensive purchases. Heck, at this point I thought I could go completely raw by week three.

A recap of Week One:

Day One: I started the day attempting a salt water flush. Look it up if you must. Any-hoo, it didn't work. That was followed by a banana, blueberry and kefer smoothie....meh. Lunch was a huge salad with raw apple cider vinegar and cold pressed olive oil dressing...yums. This was accompanied by a raw miso soup (warmed to 114 degrees) with seaweed, carrots and mushrooms.....disgusting. Needless to say, I was rather discouraged with day one.

The rest of the week encompassed me trying a sprouted hummus (gross) and finally finding my stride with the smoothies and meals. Not to mention the soul crushing caffeine withdrawal headaches.

The beginnings of Week Two:

I've blown the raw foods off a total of three meals thus far. Oh, and there is no way I would be able to fully transition to raw foods. What have I learned so far? Well, the recipes suck and the only physical difference I've noticed overall is better digestion. I'm going to wrap things up later this week because I at least have to eat all the good food I bought.

Oh well.

Family Fun

GrandPop turned 80 on Saturday, so myself and many, many family members crawled out of the woodwork to celebrate with him. Ahhhhhhh, togetherness!!

On Friday night, we all crammed into the main cabin for our traditional family slide show. The show dated back to 1963 when the family began vacationing in the Poconos at nearby lakes. We were all sitting in the dark laughing hysterically at our shared past. Isn't this what it's all about? My Uncle Nino turned and whispered to my Aunt Karen,"I haven't laughed this hard in 100 years". I'm smiling just thinking about it.

A huge shout out to my Aunt Mary who planned the entire weekend and even included those non-invited stragglers like myself.

PICTURES

Hell Hath Frozen Over

Greg and I have been together for over 13 years and never once have we done a costume as a couple. This really crushes my soul because Halloween remains my favorite holiday even as an adult. I think even more so as an adult. There are usually no family obligations. It's a chance to be creative and eat lots of chocolate. It also occurs during my favorite time of year. Bonus point.

Back to the Halloween costume rant, GREG HAS AGREED TO DO A COUPLES COSTUME!!!! I'm so excited. Now, you all need to invite us to your Halloween parties and we'll be all set.

Life's a Beach

Well, at least last weekend that held true. The boys and I headed to the Georgia coast to celebrate year two of wedlock.

This week, not so much. To be completely honest, I'm pissed off at all the rain we've had here. It's stolen my Fall and flooded friends' farms. Guess what? It's supposed to rain all weekend again.

A CliffsNotes Version of September

Labor Day weekend was spent lounging at the lake with the Clintons. Winslow enjoyed swimming for the first time ever. Mom and Dad came down to help volunteer at the Oakhurst Community Garden. All I have to say is, "Dang you, worm bins!" Click for pictures.



This weekend Greg and I enjoyed visiting with Stacie and her little cutie pie as well as the Chattanooga cousins. Good times!

So long, Sedona.

It's been a week since I spent a wonderfully relaxing weekend in red rock country with girlfriends. To summarize the trip, we spent each morning with a creek side breakfast followed by hiking, more eating and relaxing at our cabin with wine and good conversation. The breakfast was unanimously voted the best part of the trip. How could we resist a wonderful buffet prepared for us to enjoy in dappled sunlight and hummingbirds flying overhead?

Our inn contained all things wonderful: yoga on the lawn, massages by the creek, sheep nibbling on grass, a lovely swimming hole and a tidy cabin. I will be back.

The most amazing hike I've ever encountered was Red Rocks Crossing followed by swimming and sunning on the rocks. None of us could get over the stunning scenery during our stay in Arizona. We wondered what it would be like to live there...would you take it for granted?

Did we have any complaints? Not many. 1) I'm too old to work most of a day, fly across the country and then drive 2 hours to a destination. 2) Our shower was built with an under 5'5" person in mind. We are tall ladies. 3) One hike landed us in a two inch deep creek with blue crawfish nibbling at Danielle's bottom. Dang you, West Fork Trail for denying us entrance!

Don't you worry, Sedona. I'll see you in a few years. In the meantime, let's all enjoy some pictures!

Ms. Scarlett in the Library with the Candlestick

I needed to pick up a book on hold at the library last night and I really didn't feel up to driving an entire ten minutes to get it. I just wanted to make a lovely summer pasta salad dinner, enjoy a glass of wine and be done with it. I managed to somehow convince Greg to not only go with me, but also to drive us there. It must be my charm and good cooking.

We arrived to find some strange "goings on" in the parking lot; two teen-aged girls recently had a fight. A cop arrived while we were inside and as we were heading back to the car, we heard one of the girls relaying her version of the fight to him. I told Greg during the ride home that the only thing worse than men fighting was women fighting.

As I was continuing along in Plan B, I realized it was more than just that. Anne describes libraries as sanctuaries,"Libraries are like mountains or meadows or creeks: sacred spaces".
Agreed.

Figs and other thoughts

This weekend, I planned on going "figging" at a local pick-your-own spot. Due to the recent lack of rain, there were no figs to be had. This is the point in my story where I suddenly remember a fig tree at a nearby office park. Do we dare? Yes, we dared and joined the league of suburban scrumpers.

scrump (v.) to steal fruit, especially apples, from a garden or orchard

I made a reasonably yummy fig tart with our spoils. We've since gotten an inch or so of rain here so maybe I can get some legit figs soon.

On another note, I began reading Anne Lamott's Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. I love her. Seriously, when I read her books (stick to her nonfiction) I feel as though I've reconnected with an old friend.

Touring the Delta

Greg put a trip to Memphis on his birthday list this year and as you well know, I’m game for travelling of all sorts. He’s been getting into the blues genre the past few years so a Delta Blues Tour was an order.

Day One – A Surprise for Greg
We drove 6 hours through genetically modified fields of cotton, corn and rice to reach our destination. In my research, I stumbled upon The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi in the heart of the delta. When I found the inn, I knew we HAD to go there and when I found out that it was only an hour away from Memphis the reservation was made. We stayed in the Fullilove shack and enjoyed sipping brews from the front porch and watching the sun set on the tin cotton gin. We ate dinner at Rust, made friends with a local couple at the table next to us and even enjoyed chatting with the owner/chef. Our new friends told us to head to a local diner for breakfast the next morning where we were told to tell the owner that the “CIA sent us”. Can I tell you how much I love the people of Clarksdale?? Dinner was followed by listening to open mic/jam night at Ground Zero in addition to a few more beers. We bumped into a crew of fellow Shack guests all around Clarksdale and one of their recommendations was Graceland Too on our drive back home. After a few people mentioned that at moments they didn't know if they would make it out alive…we decided to pass on that one. Off to Memphis!
Day Two- Memphis
We began our Memphis visit with a tour of Stax Records. It's a great tour if you love gospel, blues and soul music which was followed by a late lunch at Blues City Café on Beale Street. After a couple of cocktails, we headed to the Westin to relax a bit and it was at that point I decided I need Westin’s Blue Marvel channel at home. I digress. Back to Beale Street for dinner and more beverages!

Day Three- Greg’s Birthday
Our second day in Memphis consisted of touring the Gibson Guitar Factory and Sun Studio. We loved them both. We later ventured out of the touristy area to Midtown for lunch and then to the burbs to see some Memphis babes. It was wonderful to catch up with Laura and to finally see the twins! We took Mama Hoffman out on the town to celebrate Greg’s birthday with sushi and Booya’s. Good times. After cake, the birthday boy and I then headed back into town to experience Ernestine and Hazel’s. I love a place with an excellent jukebox, cold beers and a lot of history regardless if I end up smelling like a soul burger by the end of the night.

Day Four- The Return
Before we left town, we hit up Brother Juniper’s for a very filling and very yummy brunch. It was featured in Rachel Ray’s $40 A Day book/show which reminded me to pull out my copy for my upcoming trip to Sedona.

I hope my hubby enjoyed his birthday trip as much as I did. Enjoy some pictures, ya’ll!

Blueberry business

Last weekend was my yearly trip up to Berry Patch Farms to pick all the blueberries I can in the 90 degree heat. I managed to pick a little over 2 quarts and had the hopes of preserving my first harvest with my new canning equipment. This weekend, we're heading to the Georgia mountians for a relaxing weekend away and I'm hoping to sample my first batch of preserves. Last night, I made a Blueberry Boy Bait Cake. I mean, how can you not want to try a recipe with a name like that? It almost made me swoon. Needless to say, it will be joining us at the cabin this weekend.

Garden highlights

I think my favorite moment in the garden so far this season was finding this renegade tomato plant. I was taking a look at the lemon balm that has so invasively taken over the area surrounding our deck and lo and behold: a tomato plant! I don't know where he came from, but I am happy he found a home there.

I've updated my 2009 Garden set as well. Enjoy!

Stay-cation 2009: update

This week has gotten away from me a little and I've been meaning to crank out a post or two. So far, I've balanced errands and chores well with things I love like gardening, reading and yoga.

Tuesday was an action-packed day that began with coffee and a bagel and ended with an evening with friends. I ventured to Serenbe Farms to practice yoga with Stephanie followed by lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy. We rushed off to meet Farmer Brandon who took time out of his busy day to show us around the organic farm and answer all of my harebrained "farming" questions. I was also coerced into trying an electric button. I spent my first few moments on the farm spitting every few seconds. Charming!

Eventually, Farmer Brandon had to head back to what he does best: farming. Steph and I left to explore open houses in the Serenbe Community. I managed to find a perfect home for Greg and Gwen along the way. It's a modern house with clean lines, exquisite details and a porch that just keeps on going. Now, if only we could afford the sucker and move it to a quiet stitch of land where there is more room for me to putter about the yard. 

Enjoy pictures from my day trip and hopefully there will be a Gwen Garden update soon!

She's crafty

This project started when I saw a cute display at the Indie Craft Experience and I thought....I can do that!

I have all these awesome necklaces and I hardly wear any of them because they're all jumbled up in my jewelry box.


Items needed:
Thrift store picture frame
Drill
Hooks
20 minutes of your time

P.S. - If you click the link for ICE, you can see a bum shot of me as I was painting a T-shirt at the fair in 2008. Nice!

Beer

How can you beat an afternoon at the zoo with lots of friends, fun and beer? And otters. Did I mention the otters?

Fantastic.

I only wish I knew that they were closing the animal exhibits at their normal closing time so that I could have shown my man around the zoo some more.

A few more pictures.

A little regrouping

I think I'm finally catching up here. After months of work stress for the both of us and no sleep thanks to my scared-shit-less-of-thunderstorms dog, I believe I'm settling in a better place. I could be wrong, but I'm hoping.

Last weekend, I ran away with some lady friends to frolic in the (rainy) forest and reflect on life as I know it. I also managed to get some major trashy vampire novel reading in thanks to all the rain. If you take the skeeters out of the equation, it was *almost* a day at the beach. Click here for pictures.

Today, the W Hotel delivered our Heavenly Bed with feather bed pillow topper. I....CAN...NOT....WAIT to get home tonight and get in my new king-sized upgrade. Hello, sleep. I've missed you.

I know.

I'm even boring myself here. I'm worried Facebook has killed my blog.

A fine line

It's been almost a month since I've posted and I have to wonder: has too much happened in that time or just nothing that moved me to get on here and post? I'm going to go with too much.

The most consuming project in the past few weeks has been the garden. Mom and Dad helped to install window boxes and raised cedar beds at the end of March. Tomatoes and peppers have been quietly growing in the basement under lights. Plans have been churning in my mind as the weather slowly warms here.

I have tomorrow off and I plan to get the majority of the garden started outdoors. Go me.

Check out the most recent pictures!

Reconnecting

It's been a busy two weeks, but I certainly feel more grounded and connected to the people and places surrounding me.

Last week, I took a half day from work and journeyed up to Chattanooga to play some major catch up with Stacie and the Sebes crew. I met Grant for the first time and spent the evening and a good portion of Saturday with all of the Sebes gals. Then, I hopped back in the trusty Saturn and made it back to Atlanta in time to celebrate the second shower of the day with the Greenville folks. PICTURES

This weekend was spent indulging my garden nerd. I attended the 2009 Georgia Organics conference and really, really enjoyed it. I took a farm tour, sat in on victory garden sessions, absorbed the Spring Equinox and met many wonderful people. PICTURES

I can't wait for Turk and Doris to head down this weekend for more family and garden fun!!!

Hold up and wait and minute

Jamaica was excellent. Click here for more pictures.

Waiting for spring

My heirloom seeds have arrived. I just need to gather the necessary equipment from my mom to get these suckers started in a few weeks.

***THEN***

We build a raised garden bed and you all have to listen to my garden nerdly-ness.

The good news and the bad

Good News:

My wonderful husband is taking me to Jamaica to celebrate my upcoming 30th birthday.

Bad News:

I can no longer eat fried food. My nearly thirty-year-old stomach can't hang any more.

Wowzers!!

This recipe is from angry chicken. She's my current girl crush at the moment. I made this for dinner last night and we devoured it. The recipe reminds me of a chipped beef dinner my mom used to make and now I have a suitable vegetarian option.
It made the entire house smell so good and looked so lovely when served with a side salad. This is an excellent winter comfort food and only took 15 minutes to prepare. It doesn't get much better than that!

Proof I've still got it

Yep. I can still babysit with the best of them! After 15 or so years of neglect, my babysitting skills remain intact. Both Elliana and Tamale succumbed to my mad nap-inducing tactics while we all lounged on the couch.