It's that time of year again. Time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next. Since I am convinced that 2011 is going to be fantastic, I will get the bad out of my system first.
It's really only been the last couple of weeks that were really bad. In the last 2 weeks of December, this is what was happening: 1) Our heat broke and it was very cold in FL. There were a few days with lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s and 50s. 2) I had a cold & a fever at the same time of having no heat. Being sick while pregnant and not being able to take anything is no fun! 3) A very good friend was diagnosed with stage 2-3 cancer on Christmas Eve. 4) Someone got my debit card information and ran up $2200 in fraudulent charges at gas stations from 12.20-12.28. I still had the card in my possession. Also, on 11.12, we had to put my sweet 14 year old Victoria to sleep. It was a very hard decision and I still tear up thinking about it, but I know in my heart of hearts it was the right thing to do.
Now on to the good...My photography business did really well in 2010. I had several weddings and the majority of those were from clients who were "strangers" and not people I knew or referrals from people I knew. I also began to do newborn and maternity photography and really enjoyed it. I actually got to do the newborn session for the daughter of the bride and groom from my very first wedding.
In April, I faced an interesting career challenge. I was working as a medical assistant for a physician and there was a lot of drama in the office. I very quickly had to learn a lot in a field I was never trained in. I also had a lot of issues with this physician, including harassment, among other things. Thankfully in July, I became the office manager for another physician and am much happier in my current position. It definitely still has its challenges, but hey, I'm the boss! : )
Chris graduated in June with his B.S. in electrical engineering. We will find out (hopefully) in February or March if he will be accepted into the Air Force as an officer. This is something he really wants to do and would be a great thing for our family. We have had a lot of negative feedback about this, mainly because of moving, but it is not a negative thing to me. We are young and I have lived here my whole life! I need a change!!!
We took a couples trip in June to Savannah and had a blast even though it was ungodly hot! My mom, a friend, and I took a girls trip to Savannah in December and had a great time even though it was ungodly cold! Perhaps we will get the timing right for great weather one of these times!
The biggest news of 2010 came in late October when we found out I was pregnant! I am due on June 28th and we are obviously quite excited for what 2011 has in store for us.
2011 will be the year of a lot of firsts for us. It will be the year we have our first child. If Chris gets into the AF (which he is pretty confident he will), there is a good chance that we will be moving for the first time out of state. (Well, first time for me. I have always lived in my current area.) I am sure I am leaving out a lot of details from 2010, but I think I covered a good portion of the highlights.
Goodbye 2010, hello 2011!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
We have a heartbeat!
My first real midwife appointment was on Wednesday, Dec 1st. I was quite anxious to hear the heartbeat b/c I had psyched myself out over hearing about chemical pregnancies, blighted ovums, etc. The only "proof" I had that I was pregnant was the 4 positive HPTs and my morning sickness. I was only 10 weeks and 1 day and I knew that a lot of times, it is not possible to detect a heartbeat with a doppler until 12 weeks.
The midwife explained that my heartbeat will be in the 80s and the baby's heartbeat will be between 120 & 170. She found mine right away and said "well, your heartbeat is in the high 90s, so you must be excited." No kidding! 10 seconds later she moved the doppler over about an inch and there was the baby's heartbeat. Talk about a sigh of relief! She made the comment that she was quite surprised that she found it so fast. Hopefully the baby will continue to be so cooperative which is only fair considering the amount of morning sickness I have suffered so far!
The midwife explained that my heartbeat will be in the 80s and the baby's heartbeat will be between 120 & 170. She found mine right away and said "well, your heartbeat is in the high 90s, so you must be excited." No kidding! 10 seconds later she moved the doppler over about an inch and there was the baby's heartbeat. Talk about a sigh of relief! She made the comment that she was quite surprised that she found it so fast. Hopefully the baby will continue to be so cooperative which is only fair considering the amount of morning sickness I have suffered so far!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
I guess I am an undercover crunchy/granola/whatever momma to be...
One of my SILs and I were hanging out yesterday afternoon and I learned something new. So far, she is the only SIL (I have 4) that I have revealed my birth plan to. As long as I remain low risk, I will be delivering at a birth center with mid-wives and would like to do a waterbirth. This may seem crazy to some, and I am okay with that. I just have this huge fear of hospitals and have had very serious reactions to a variety of medications, particularly Demerol & Versed, so I would like to avoid medications as much as possible.
I am not going to push my beliefs on anyone, so don't worry about that. I think every person should do their research and go with their instinct on what they think is right for them. Now if I become high-risk or something happens, I will obviously do whatever is best for me and/or the baby.
I also plan on breastfeeding and cloth diapering. Gasp! When I told my SIL that I plan on cloth diapering (CDing) she gave me a high five. However, she told me that she was quite surprised I would go that route because I don't "seem" like the type.
I find that to be kind of funny, but at the same time, it is a good thing. Cloth diapering sure has changed since my childhood and there are just so many options. My mom was shocked when I showed her all the options and made the comment "what about the rubber pants?" Yes, CDing has come a long way and is a lot easier than it used to be.
I am not going to push my beliefs on anyone, so don't worry about that. I think every person should do their research and go with their instinct on what they think is right for them. Now if I become high-risk or something happens, I will obviously do whatever is best for me and/or the baby.
I also plan on breastfeeding and cloth diapering. Gasp! When I told my SIL that I plan on cloth diapering (CDing) she gave me a high five. However, she told me that she was quite surprised I would go that route because I don't "seem" like the type.
I find that to be kind of funny, but at the same time, it is a good thing. Cloth diapering sure has changed since my childhood and there are just so many options. My mom was shocked when I showed her all the options and made the comment "what about the rubber pants?" Yes, CDing has come a long way and is a lot easier than it used to be.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
"Outing" myself...
Big news in our household....I'm pregnant! I have known for 3 weeks tomorrow and am just too excited to contain myself. I do ask for those of you that know me IRL or on facebook to not say anything on FB b/c only immediate family and very close friends know right now. Of course I have to include a photo of the 3 tests (yes, I was in disbelief):
Now for the funny story, although I must first start with a backstory... We had been TTC (trying to conceive) for 4 cycles. The Friday before I tested, C asked me if I thought this was the cycle. I had never been so sure that my period was coming and I told him this wasn't our month.
My first 2 cycles "trying" were very odd. I had a cortisone steroid shot in my SI joint (low back) to help with my back pain and I truly believe that the steroid made my cycles go crazy. Cycle number 3 was super short - only 18 days and I ovulated on day 7. Craziness!
So on Sunday, October 17th, I woke up and took my basal body temperature like I do everyday and went back to sleep. (I temp every morning at 5:30 am and then just go back to sleep if I don't need to get up right away.) 8:30 rolls around and I decide to see what my temp was and I was expecting it to take a nose dive like it normally does as my period is about to begin. To my shock, my temp had gone up and was higher than it had ever been. This can be an early sign of pregnancy, so since I was 12 DPO (days past ovulation), I decided to test.
The first test I dipped was messed up and the control line did not even appear. I figured that I must have not dipped it long enough, so I re-dipped. Sure enough, 2 lines appeared. Then I figured that I must have messed up the test and started with a new test. Sure enough, 2 lines appeared again.
It is now about 8:45 am, so I decide to go wake Chris up. (I had always thought I would do something creative to tell him, but I was too excited, shocked, and in disbelief to not tell him.) So I go to Chris and say "I tested and there are 2 lines." The poor guy was so confused and had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I told him he just need to come with me and he begrudgingly agreed. He looked at the tests, scratched his head, and said "So does this mean we need to have sex?" WTH? My response was "no, we already did that and this is the result - I'm pregnant." :)
Back to Chris's comment - one of the things I was doing while charting was using OPKs (ovulation predictors). These things drove me batty! I had convinced myself that there was something wrong with me b/c I NEVER got a positive OPK. For the record, a truly positive OPK has a darker test line than a control line. So all of those people that I see saying that they have 7 days of a positive OPK really need to read the instructions.
Well that's all for now, I'm sure there will be plenty more to come.
p.s. My EDD is June 28, 2011.
Now for the funny story, although I must first start with a backstory... We had been TTC (trying to conceive) for 4 cycles. The Friday before I tested, C asked me if I thought this was the cycle. I had never been so sure that my period was coming and I told him this wasn't our month.
My first 2 cycles "trying" were very odd. I had a cortisone steroid shot in my SI joint (low back) to help with my back pain and I truly believe that the steroid made my cycles go crazy. Cycle number 3 was super short - only 18 days and I ovulated on day 7. Craziness!
So on Sunday, October 17th, I woke up and took my basal body temperature like I do everyday and went back to sleep. (I temp every morning at 5:30 am and then just go back to sleep if I don't need to get up right away.) 8:30 rolls around and I decide to see what my temp was and I was expecting it to take a nose dive like it normally does as my period is about to begin. To my shock, my temp had gone up and was higher than it had ever been. This can be an early sign of pregnancy, so since I was 12 DPO (days past ovulation), I decided to test.
The first test I dipped was messed up and the control line did not even appear. I figured that I must have not dipped it long enough, so I re-dipped. Sure enough, 2 lines appeared. Then I figured that I must have messed up the test and started with a new test. Sure enough, 2 lines appeared again.
It is now about 8:45 am, so I decide to go wake Chris up. (I had always thought I would do something creative to tell him, but I was too excited, shocked, and in disbelief to not tell him.) So I go to Chris and say "I tested and there are 2 lines." The poor guy was so confused and had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. I told him he just need to come with me and he begrudgingly agreed. He looked at the tests, scratched his head, and said "So does this mean we need to have sex?" WTH? My response was "no, we already did that and this is the result - I'm pregnant." :)
Back to Chris's comment - one of the things I was doing while charting was using OPKs (ovulation predictors). These things drove me batty! I had convinced myself that there was something wrong with me b/c I NEVER got a positive OPK. For the record, a truly positive OPK has a darker test line than a control line. So all of those people that I see saying that they have 7 days of a positive OPK really need to read the instructions.
Well that's all for now, I'm sure there will be plenty more to come.
p.s. My EDD is June 28, 2011.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Cleaning blinds the easy way
I am one of those people with a heightened sense of smell and do everything I can to keep things clean and fresh around the house. One of the things that used to take me a lot of time were the blinds. I remember when I was younger walking around the house with 2 different buckets (one with wash water and one with rinse water) and a rag to clean the blinds. It would literally take me an entire day because I would wipe each slat separately. Crazy! Crazier still is that I did this on my own without my mom ever even asking me to do it. : )
Thankfully I have come up with a much more efficient way to do this. All you need are a bath tub, laundry detergent, and a large towel. Simply take your blinds out of the holder and take them to the bath tub. I use the shower sprayer to do an initial rinse to remove dust. (Be careful with metal parts as they can rust.) Then put the drain plug down, add some hot water and some laundry detergent. (I put about an inch of water in the tub.) Make sure the detergent is mixed thoroughly with the water. Now you just need to place the blinds in the water. I normally let it soak for about 10 minutes and then I pick up the blinds and rotate 180 degrees b/c there is more water in the bath tub by the drain. This ensures that both sides of the blinds are in the solution.
After soaking, simply drain the water and rinse the blinds. Place the blinds on the towel and remove as much water as possible. I don't stress about completely drying the blinds, but I like them dry enough where I am not leaving a dripping water trail throughout the house. Now just hang up your blinds and wipe excess water away. Super easy!
I do this about every month or two. The blinds in the bathrooms seem to be the worst, but I am sure that has something to do with my hair products. This method is easy, doesn't leave dirty water spots, and removes odors that may attach to the blinds.
Thankfully I have come up with a much more efficient way to do this. All you need are a bath tub, laundry detergent, and a large towel. Simply take your blinds out of the holder and take them to the bath tub. I use the shower sprayer to do an initial rinse to remove dust. (Be careful with metal parts as they can rust.) Then put the drain plug down, add some hot water and some laundry detergent. (I put about an inch of water in the tub.) Make sure the detergent is mixed thoroughly with the water. Now you just need to place the blinds in the water. I normally let it soak for about 10 minutes and then I pick up the blinds and rotate 180 degrees b/c there is more water in the bath tub by the drain. This ensures that both sides of the blinds are in the solution.
After soaking, simply drain the water and rinse the blinds. Place the blinds on the towel and remove as much water as possible. I don't stress about completely drying the blinds, but I like them dry enough where I am not leaving a dripping water trail throughout the house. Now just hang up your blinds and wipe excess water away. Super easy!
I do this about every month or two. The blinds in the bathrooms seem to be the worst, but I am sure that has something to do with my hair products. This method is easy, doesn't leave dirty water spots, and removes odors that may attach to the blinds.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
There really needs to be a license requirement to be a parent...
I was at my mom's house last weekend and while we were out running errands, we drove by a Buy Buy Baby store. And before anyone asks, no, I'm not pregnant. However, I have heard of this store and was quite curious. It is owned by the same company as Bed Bath & Beyond and it definitely looks that way on the inside. There are only 3 stores in my state and I find it amazing that there is not one in my area.
Anyway, my mom and I went in and walked around for a few minutes. When we came out to my car, we noticed that the car next to us was running, but there was no one in there, or so we thought. My mom then noticed that there was a baby in a car seat in the backseat!!! The baby was probably about 18 months old and was eating something. We contemplated what to do and we decided that my mom would go into the store to alert someone and I would stay in the car to make sure the kid is ok.
A minute later a store employee comes running out and starts to write down the license plate number on his hand. Immediately behind him is a pregnant woman screaming "that's my car"! She looked at my mom like she was crazy and that it is perfectly acceptable to leave your baby in the car. My mom then said, "what would happen if your car turned off - the baby could suffocate. Did you know he is eating something? And how about this passenger door that was left open!?! Someone could have kidnapped him!" The lady insisted that the child was fine (which he was) and continued to look at my mom like she was crazy. The lady then closed the passenger door, jumped in her car, and sped away (without putting on her seatbelt).
Crazy, right!!! I now wish that we had called the police and given her a real wake up call. It wasn't like she was going to be there for just a minute. She passed us in the parking lot on her way in and she had a cart.
Also, about a month ago, C & I were on our way home from the beach. We noticed that a lady was driving with a baby on her lap! I think the child was about 2, but I don't know for sure. We called FHP, but we have no idea what happened.
It really just floors me. I mean, I don't even leave my DOG in the car unattended and you bet your butt she has a seatbelt harness & gets buckled in.
Anyway, my mom and I went in and walked around for a few minutes. When we came out to my car, we noticed that the car next to us was running, but there was no one in there, or so we thought. My mom then noticed that there was a baby in a car seat in the backseat!!! The baby was probably about 18 months old and was eating something. We contemplated what to do and we decided that my mom would go into the store to alert someone and I would stay in the car to make sure the kid is ok.
A minute later a store employee comes running out and starts to write down the license plate number on his hand. Immediately behind him is a pregnant woman screaming "that's my car"! She looked at my mom like she was crazy and that it is perfectly acceptable to leave your baby in the car. My mom then said, "what would happen if your car turned off - the baby could suffocate. Did you know he is eating something? And how about this passenger door that was left open!?! Someone could have kidnapped him!" The lady insisted that the child was fine (which he was) and continued to look at my mom like she was crazy. The lady then closed the passenger door, jumped in her car, and sped away (without putting on her seatbelt).
Crazy, right!!! I now wish that we had called the police and given her a real wake up call. It wasn't like she was going to be there for just a minute. She passed us in the parking lot on her way in and she had a cart.
Also, about a month ago, C & I were on our way home from the beach. We noticed that a lady was driving with a baby on her lap! I think the child was about 2, but I don't know for sure. We called FHP, but we have no idea what happened.
It really just floors me. I mean, I don't even leave my DOG in the car unattended and you bet your butt she has a seatbelt harness & gets buckled in.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Nervous...
Okay, so I can't really post this on Facebook or anywhere else because I have too many clients on FB, but I am competing in my first real photo competition tomorrow. I am super nervous and have some serious knots in my stomach just thinking about it! I know that it is good for me as a photographer to do this and that it is really beneficial. Man, this feeling is almost worse than school critiques!!! Wish me luck!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Yummy Greek Vinaigrette
I am a definite sucker for vinaigrettes. At work last Friday, we had a Greek salad from a particular restaurant and the dressing was so tasty. I was of course craving the dressing all weekend, but I refuse to pay $8.00 for lettuce, feta cheese, & dressing, so I was bound and determined to find a recipe that would be close. (Plus I didn't really feel like driving and I almost always have the ingredients for salad dressing on hand.) Here is the recipe I found from www.recipezaar.com.
Here it is:
1 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Mix & serve!
Here it is:
1 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Mix & serve!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Weekend trip to Savannah or rather a weekend of eating in Savannah!
We just got back from a 3 day weekend in Savannah and I want to write this entry before I forget about anything! This was our first trip with another couple (V & T)and it sure was a lot of fun. We did a lot but I think that the weekend was spent enjoying new restaurants. Here is a review of our excursions/dining experiences:
Friday lunch was at Clary's Cafe. I had the stuffed french toast which was fabulous. C had a turkey & ham club sandwich which was also quite tasty. V had crab cakes benedict & she does not recommend it. T had the corned beef hash which he thoroughly enjoyed. T said it was quite salty, but as long as you mixed it with the eggs, it was quite tasty.
We then went to check in at The Galloway House. We rented the first floor main apartment which was perfect for us since it has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, as well as a sunroom. The Galloway House was wonderful & we will definitely be staying there during our next trip to Savannah which will hopefully be in the cooler months of October or November.
Then we decided to head down to River Street to check out the sites. We checked out a few shops, but were quite pleased by The Peanut Shop of Savannah. They offered free samples & C & I bought some honey roasted peanuts, a bone for Jasmine, as well as some Blackberry Peppercorn Zinfandel dressing.
We also stopped at Huey's Southern Cafe for a break. Turns out we were there during happy hour, so we enjoyed some $2 glasses of house wine. The house wine was actually quite good.
Friday dinner was at Elizabeth on 37th. It turns out that this spectaculor restaurant was only 2 blocks from our apartment. We originally drove there (before we realized it was so close). Once we arrived, we realized parking would be a nightmare, so V & I were dropped off & C & T went back to drop off the car & then walk back. Despite the fact that there were others with reservations who arrived before us, V & I were sat almost immediately, even though we didn't have reservations. I think looking hot was working in our advantage! : ) Now on to the food...I had the Broiled Mustard Glazed Wild Salmon dish which was to die for! It was voted the best dish at the table & it was so good. The herbs & flavors just melded so perfectly with the fish. V & T each ordered the Coastal Grouper Celeste which had a tasty peanut sauce. C ordered the Double Cut Berkshire Pork Chop. He says it was good, but I don't eat pork, so I can't vouch for that one. : ) For dessert, we ordered the Savannah Creme Cake, the Triple Chocolate Cake, & a blueberry-blackberry cobbler. All three were tasty, but the cobbler was my favorite. All in all, I will be dreaming (or perhaps drooling) about this meal for months to come.
Saturday morning we enjoyed some muffins & bagels at the house & then headed to Forsyth Park. V wanted some fruit, so we stopped by the Forsyth Park Cafe for some light refreshments. V just ordered a fruit bowl. C & I ordered an egg sandwich on rye & a fruit bowl. It was the perfect start to the day. We then walked around Forsyth Park & enjoyed meeting some doggies. The park is beautiful & the fountain is pretty cool.
After walking through the park, we were pretty hot, so we got back in the car & decided to drive. We drove around the city & saw The Mercer House (from the car) which was made famous in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil." The house is pretty darn big & does take up a whole block.
C decided that he wanted to see Old Fort Jackson so we headed out for a short drive. Upon arriving at the fort, we decided that it was too hot to walk around the fort since there was no shade. We then decided to head out to Tybee Island to see what there is to do/see. We just drove around and then remembered that one of our house hosts recommended eating at AJ's Dockside Restaurant, so that became our new mission. After a couple of wrong turns, we found our way to the restaurant & found a parking spot. Once seated, we encountered two problems. 1) I am allergic to shellfish & there was a warning on the menu that if you have any seafood allergies, you should not eat here as they cannot guarantee that food will not be cross-contaminated. (Okay, not their exact wording, but you get the idea.) 2) It smelled like garbage or a dirty diaper. We decided to leave & head back to Savannah for lunch.
T was our nominated iphone researcher for the trip and he came across Toucan Cafe, so that is where we headed for lunch. Wow, this place was yet another great find! I ordered the Turkey Avocado sandwich (which I don't see on the online menu) and it was great. It was served on a honey wheat roll and had some kind of special mayo. C got some kind of steak sandwich was also tasty. V ordered the Salmon dish which she said was also quite tasty. I don't remember what T ordered, but I think he was happy as well.
We headed back to the house to rest for a little bit & then headed over to the Cupcake Emporium on State street for some dessert. We quickly realized we were going to have an impossible time deciding on just 1 cupcake each. We ordered 6 cupcakes & 6 "cookies" which were really cookies baked as cupcakes with frosting. No, we didn't eat all 12 desserts there, we took most of them to go! I ordered the lemon cupcake with raspberry cream cheese frosting, a red velvet cupcake, and a white chocolate macadamia nut "cookie." All 3 were great, but the lemon with raspberry cream cheese frosting was my favorite. It was unique & like nothing I have ever had.
Then we decided to do a tour before dinner. We quickly decided on Old Town Trolley Tours. It was just a normal tour. I don't really have any negative or outstanding reviews about it. It was nice to hear some of the history though.
Saturday dinner was at Sol. This one has mixed reviews. It is a newer restaurant & with the right tweaks, it will be a hit. The ac left a lot to be desired & it was pretty much like the outdoors inside. Also, V & T's dishes were both quite salty. V ordered the scallops & they were almost too salty for consumption. However, on the plus side, the tomatillo salsa was awesome. Also, you have to try the "Sweet Tater Fries" which are served with pineapple ketchup. Yum! I had the Lime Marinated Skirt Steak salad & was quite pleased. I ordered the steak medium rare & it was quite tender for a skirt steak. I didn't even need a steak knife to cut it. The dressing was also quite tasty. All in all, I think this was a good restaurant but it was a wee bit too hot (room temperature wise) for me.
To continue with our "course hopping" of the day, we went to Lulu's Chocolate Bar for dessert. C & I had the white chocolate raspberry creme brulee which I loved! To me, you can't go wrong with white chocolate raspberry anything, so this was a winner in my book! V had the tiramisu which she was also happy with. T wasn't sure what to get, so he ordered the creme brulee sampler & was also happy. The creme brulee was nice because it wasn't over "brulee-d." I don't really enjoy a super thick crunch on my brulee & this one was perfect.
We were going to head over to City Market to check out the live music, but we were just too tired from our day of eating. We headed back to the house & pretty much crashed.
We relaxed at the house on Sunday morning & finally had the chance to meet the four legged residents of the house. They are 2 great danes who were quite the pups!
We begrudgingly packed up on Sunday morning. We decided to enjoy one more meal in Savannah before heading home. After consulting Urban Spoon, T & I decided upon Soho South Cafe. Man, this was another great choice! I had the Organic Chicken Panini with Tomato Basil Bisque soup for my side. Again, this was fabulous! V had the biscuits & gravy & she was a member of the clean plate club!
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We do have a list of things to do/places to eat for our next visit. They include:
Belfords
Corleone's Trattoria
Eos Food & Wine
I also want to visit Bonaventure Cemetary & do some kind of ghost tour.
What are your favorite things to do in Savannah?
Friday lunch was at Clary's Cafe. I had the stuffed french toast which was fabulous. C had a turkey & ham club sandwich which was also quite tasty. V had crab cakes benedict & she does not recommend it. T had the corned beef hash which he thoroughly enjoyed. T said it was quite salty, but as long as you mixed it with the eggs, it was quite tasty.
We then went to check in at The Galloway House. We rented the first floor main apartment which was perfect for us since it has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, as well as a sunroom. The Galloway House was wonderful & we will definitely be staying there during our next trip to Savannah which will hopefully be in the cooler months of October or November.
Then we decided to head down to River Street to check out the sites. We checked out a few shops, but were quite pleased by The Peanut Shop of Savannah. They offered free samples & C & I bought some honey roasted peanuts, a bone for Jasmine, as well as some Blackberry Peppercorn Zinfandel dressing.
We also stopped at Huey's Southern Cafe for a break. Turns out we were there during happy hour, so we enjoyed some $2 glasses of house wine. The house wine was actually quite good.
Friday dinner was at Elizabeth on 37th. It turns out that this spectaculor restaurant was only 2 blocks from our apartment. We originally drove there (before we realized it was so close). Once we arrived, we realized parking would be a nightmare, so V & I were dropped off & C & T went back to drop off the car & then walk back. Despite the fact that there were others with reservations who arrived before us, V & I were sat almost immediately, even though we didn't have reservations. I think looking hot was working in our advantage! : ) Now on to the food...I had the Broiled Mustard Glazed Wild Salmon dish which was to die for! It was voted the best dish at the table & it was so good. The herbs & flavors just melded so perfectly with the fish. V & T each ordered the Coastal Grouper Celeste which had a tasty peanut sauce. C ordered the Double Cut Berkshire Pork Chop. He says it was good, but I don't eat pork, so I can't vouch for that one. : ) For dessert, we ordered the Savannah Creme Cake, the Triple Chocolate Cake, & a blueberry-blackberry cobbler. All three were tasty, but the cobbler was my favorite. All in all, I will be dreaming (or perhaps drooling) about this meal for months to come.
Saturday morning we enjoyed some muffins & bagels at the house & then headed to Forsyth Park. V wanted some fruit, so we stopped by the Forsyth Park Cafe for some light refreshments. V just ordered a fruit bowl. C & I ordered an egg sandwich on rye & a fruit bowl. It was the perfect start to the day. We then walked around Forsyth Park & enjoyed meeting some doggies. The park is beautiful & the fountain is pretty cool.
After walking through the park, we were pretty hot, so we got back in the car & decided to drive. We drove around the city & saw The Mercer House (from the car) which was made famous in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil." The house is pretty darn big & does take up a whole block.
C decided that he wanted to see Old Fort Jackson so we headed out for a short drive. Upon arriving at the fort, we decided that it was too hot to walk around the fort since there was no shade. We then decided to head out to Tybee Island to see what there is to do/see. We just drove around and then remembered that one of our house hosts recommended eating at AJ's Dockside Restaurant, so that became our new mission. After a couple of wrong turns, we found our way to the restaurant & found a parking spot. Once seated, we encountered two problems. 1) I am allergic to shellfish & there was a warning on the menu that if you have any seafood allergies, you should not eat here as they cannot guarantee that food will not be cross-contaminated. (Okay, not their exact wording, but you get the idea.) 2) It smelled like garbage or a dirty diaper. We decided to leave & head back to Savannah for lunch.
T was our nominated iphone researcher for the trip and he came across Toucan Cafe, so that is where we headed for lunch. Wow, this place was yet another great find! I ordered the Turkey Avocado sandwich (which I don't see on the online menu) and it was great. It was served on a honey wheat roll and had some kind of special mayo. C got some kind of steak sandwich was also tasty. V ordered the Salmon dish which she said was also quite tasty. I don't remember what T ordered, but I think he was happy as well.
We headed back to the house to rest for a little bit & then headed over to the Cupcake Emporium on State street for some dessert. We quickly realized we were going to have an impossible time deciding on just 1 cupcake each. We ordered 6 cupcakes & 6 "cookies" which were really cookies baked as cupcakes with frosting. No, we didn't eat all 12 desserts there, we took most of them to go! I ordered the lemon cupcake with raspberry cream cheese frosting, a red velvet cupcake, and a white chocolate macadamia nut "cookie." All 3 were great, but the lemon with raspberry cream cheese frosting was my favorite. It was unique & like nothing I have ever had.
Then we decided to do a tour before dinner. We quickly decided on Old Town Trolley Tours. It was just a normal tour. I don't really have any negative or outstanding reviews about it. It was nice to hear some of the history though.
Saturday dinner was at Sol. This one has mixed reviews. It is a newer restaurant & with the right tweaks, it will be a hit. The ac left a lot to be desired & it was pretty much like the outdoors inside. Also, V & T's dishes were both quite salty. V ordered the scallops & they were almost too salty for consumption. However, on the plus side, the tomatillo salsa was awesome. Also, you have to try the "Sweet Tater Fries" which are served with pineapple ketchup. Yum! I had the Lime Marinated Skirt Steak salad & was quite pleased. I ordered the steak medium rare & it was quite tender for a skirt steak. I didn't even need a steak knife to cut it. The dressing was also quite tasty. All in all, I think this was a good restaurant but it was a wee bit too hot (room temperature wise) for me.
To continue with our "course hopping" of the day, we went to Lulu's Chocolate Bar for dessert. C & I had the white chocolate raspberry creme brulee which I loved! To me, you can't go wrong with white chocolate raspberry anything, so this was a winner in my book! V had the tiramisu which she was also happy with. T wasn't sure what to get, so he ordered the creme brulee sampler & was also happy. The creme brulee was nice because it wasn't over "brulee-d." I don't really enjoy a super thick crunch on my brulee & this one was perfect.
We were going to head over to City Market to check out the live music, but we were just too tired from our day of eating. We headed back to the house & pretty much crashed.
We relaxed at the house on Sunday morning & finally had the chance to meet the four legged residents of the house. They are 2 great danes who were quite the pups!
We begrudgingly packed up on Sunday morning. We decided to enjoy one more meal in Savannah before heading home. After consulting Urban Spoon, T & I decided upon Soho South Cafe. Man, this was another great choice! I had the Organic Chicken Panini with Tomato Basil Bisque soup for my side. Again, this was fabulous! V had the biscuits & gravy & she was a member of the clean plate club!
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. We do have a list of things to do/places to eat for our next visit. They include:
Belfords
Corleone's Trattoria
Eos Food & Wine
I also want to visit Bonaventure Cemetary & do some kind of ghost tour.
What are your favorite things to do in Savannah?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Jewelry Organizer
I know, I know, I have been quite the slacker blogger as of late. Thankfully business has been busy but that means my free time is almost non-existent. This will be a quick post. I have been thinking of various ways to organize my jewelry, but nothing had really appealed to me, until I came across this idea in Real Simple. It is actually very simple to put together & is a great way to display your jewelry. I love that I can see my options & my necklaces don't get all tangled up!
Monday, April 5, 2010
I must brag about Jasmine for a moment...
For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of meeting Jasmine, she is an awesome dog. We rescued her when she was about 9 months old & had been in her foster home for about 6 months. Her original owner was deployed & his elderly mother was unable to care for her. She was surrendered to a "kill" shelter where animals are euthanized if they are not adopted in time. Thankfully Jasmine was pulled the day she was going to be put down.
Jasmine was very well socialized by her foster mom & gets along great with our cats as well as other animals she encounters. She has never hurt another dog but has had her own fair share of cuts, scrapes, & wounds. She is extremely smart & she just fits perfectly in our little family.
Okay, so on to the bragging... The daycare where Jasmine goes was having a fundraiser for the SPCA, so of course we had to attend. Food is provided & dogs are welcome. There are also various raffle drawings & local doggy bakeries come with lots of samples for the pups. I want to say that there were at least 50 dogs that showed up + all of the owners. We got there very early in the evening, grabbed some snacks, & went to sit down at a table to eat.
Well, there was a couple who had 2 very misbehaved dogs who sat down at a table near us. The one dog positioned himself underneath the table & every time another dog would walk through the door, he would aggressively bark & charge at the dog entering the room. There were a few times when fights started to break out. We were about 5 feet away from the dog & its owners. I said that we should finish eating & then go elsewhere because I did not want to get caught in the middle of this.
On our way out, the owner of said dog stopped me and said "thank you for judging my dog. He's a rescue and I am just trying to socialize him." I was dumbfounded! The invitation clearly stated that this event is only for extremely dog friendly dogs as there will be a lot of dogs in a small area. What I really wanted to say was "I am not judging your dog, but rather I am judging you and that clearly your energy has been well fed to your dog as he is looking to pick a fight just like you." Rather than saying that, I mustered something about how I feel bad for her dog & it does need to be socialized, but this is not the situation. Perhaps they should look into a behaviorist. She made some sort of hand gesture when I left, but I wasn't looking, so whatever.
We ended up leaving & having dinner at a local German restaurant that is dog friendly. While there, there were a few different people doting on Jasmine & saying how well behaved she is. We were even told that they thought she was a therapy dog and no one could believe she is only two and a half! : )
Oh and to top it off, I won the grand prize which is a year of free boarding! How awesome is that?!?
Of course I have to end this post with a couple of Jasmine photos.
Jasmine was very well socialized by her foster mom & gets along great with our cats as well as other animals she encounters. She has never hurt another dog but has had her own fair share of cuts, scrapes, & wounds. She is extremely smart & she just fits perfectly in our little family.
Okay, so on to the bragging... The daycare where Jasmine goes was having a fundraiser for the SPCA, so of course we had to attend. Food is provided & dogs are welcome. There are also various raffle drawings & local doggy bakeries come with lots of samples for the pups. I want to say that there were at least 50 dogs that showed up + all of the owners. We got there very early in the evening, grabbed some snacks, & went to sit down at a table to eat.
Well, there was a couple who had 2 very misbehaved dogs who sat down at a table near us. The one dog positioned himself underneath the table & every time another dog would walk through the door, he would aggressively bark & charge at the dog entering the room. There were a few times when fights started to break out. We were about 5 feet away from the dog & its owners. I said that we should finish eating & then go elsewhere because I did not want to get caught in the middle of this.
On our way out, the owner of said dog stopped me and said "thank you for judging my dog. He's a rescue and I am just trying to socialize him." I was dumbfounded! The invitation clearly stated that this event is only for extremely dog friendly dogs as there will be a lot of dogs in a small area. What I really wanted to say was "I am not judging your dog, but rather I am judging you and that clearly your energy has been well fed to your dog as he is looking to pick a fight just like you." Rather than saying that, I mustered something about how I feel bad for her dog & it does need to be socialized, but this is not the situation. Perhaps they should look into a behaviorist. She made some sort of hand gesture when I left, but I wasn't looking, so whatever.
We ended up leaving & having dinner at a local German restaurant that is dog friendly. While there, there were a few different people doting on Jasmine & saying how well behaved she is. We were even told that they thought she was a therapy dog and no one could believe she is only two and a half! : )
Oh and to top it off, I won the grand prize which is a year of free boarding! How awesome is that?!?
Of course I have to end this post with a couple of Jasmine photos.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Marmalade Wings
This recipe is so good I have to share. I actually found it in my Princess House Cookware recipe pamphlet. You can definitely make it even if you don't have the PH cookware.
Marmalade Wings:
1 1/2 lbs chicken wings
1 12 oz jar orange marmalade
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 6 oz bottle soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Mix marmalade, brown sugar, soy sauce, & lemon juice together. Cover chicken wings with mixture & bake for 1 hour.
My notes:
1) I have no idea what the actual package size of the chicken is. I just buy 1 package of chicken wingettes & call it a day. Yes, I learned after my first purchase of chicken wings, not to buy the package called chicken wings. They were the whole wing & had to be cut at the joint.
2) Definitely make the marinade the night before & then let the wings marinate overnight.
3) I have never found a 12 oz jar of orange marmalade - it is always 18 oz. I just use that & increase the brown sugar to 3 Tbsp.
Enjoy!
Marmalade Wings:
1 1/2 lbs chicken wings
1 12 oz jar orange marmalade
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 6 oz bottle soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350. Mix marmalade, brown sugar, soy sauce, & lemon juice together. Cover chicken wings with mixture & bake for 1 hour.
My notes:
1) I have no idea what the actual package size of the chicken is. I just buy 1 package of chicken wingettes & call it a day. Yes, I learned after my first purchase of chicken wings, not to buy the package called chicken wings. They were the whole wing & had to be cut at the joint.
2) Definitely make the marinade the night before & then let the wings marinate overnight.
3) I have never found a 12 oz jar of orange marmalade - it is always 18 oz. I just use that & increase the brown sugar to 3 Tbsp.
Enjoy!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Makeup Organization
I don't know about everyone else, but finding a functional way to organize my makeup has been almost a lifelong process! : ) I love makeup & use it everyday, so it is inevitable that it will be out on the counter. I have tried various baskets, caddies, organizers, & have never really been happy. Things would get messy, I'd still be digging through the basket, caddy, etc in order to find that one perfect eyeshadow. However, I now have a system that I love & it has worked well for the best month & a half! (That's a major win in my book!) Without further delay, here is my new makeup organization method:
I am now using one of my bathroom drawers to organize. The 1st basket is hair ties & bobby pins, the 2nd one is for eye creams & special face creams, & the 3rd basket is for samples.
Here is a side view of the upcoming makeup organization. I love my toothbrush holding ballerina. I have had the ballerina since I was 4 or 5 & it always makes me smile. :
I am all about functionality & this new method is extremely functional. It is compact enough that C is okay if I leave it on the counter & the drawers are not too deep so things don't get lost.
I am now using one of my bathroom drawers to organize. The 1st basket is hair ties & bobby pins, the 2nd one is for eye creams & special face creams, & the 3rd basket is for samples.
Here is a side view of the upcoming makeup organization. I love my toothbrush holding ballerina. I have had the ballerina since I was 4 or 5 & it always makes me smile. :
Frontal view of organizer. (Those are my new pink, Sigma brushes on top which I love & will discuss later.) This is just a 5 drawer organizer which I purchased for maybe $10 & it is just the perfect size.
The top drawer is called my "face" drawer & is for foundations, powder, blush, bronzer, & concealer.
The second drawer is my eyeshadow drawer. I don't think that needs further explanation.
I call the third drawer my "eye accessory" drawer. This contains mascara, brow stuff, eyeliner, sharpeners, etc.
I call the next drawer my lips & stuff drawer. It has my lip gloss, lipstick, lip liner, as well as my compact, & eye palette.
The final drawer is my misc drawer & it contains, you guessed it, the miscellaneous stuff, including my eyelash curler, tweezers, chapstick, & false eyelashes.
I am all about functionality & this new method is extremely functional. It is compact enough that C is okay if I leave it on the counter & the drawers are not too deep so things don't get lost.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Master Bath - Before & After
Let's just get into the photos!
I didn't take a whole lot of "before" photos because there wasn't really a lot going on. It's just the normal double sink, mirror, bathtub situation. But here are the before photos:
Here is a picture of our towel rack before. Again, it's pretty standard.
There were a few things I wanted to change:
1) COLOR! I wanted something that felt clean & relaxing.
2) I wanted the bathroom to have a "clean" feeling.
3) I needed to find a way to deal with the towel situation. Our linen closet is on the other side of the house which is quite annoying.
4) C doesn't understand the point of having towels for decoration, so I wanted to remove the towel rack that was used for towels that we don't use.
5) There were no towel hooks/racks/whatever by the sink so our hand towels were always laying around (which would lead to towel that got stinky fast!).
So here are the after photos:
First, the color is Bay Mist by Valspar. It was a little different than what I wanted, but I now love it!
Here is what I did to solve the towel situation. The storage unit is actually a wardrobe from Ikea. It fits perfectly where our old towel rack stood.
I also purchased a new shower curtain in white. The new color theme is aqua & white, which I feel gives the "clean" look I was going for.
This is the hook I also purchased at Ikea for us to hang our wet towels on. I love that it is right next to the shower.
We framed the mirror to dress it up a bit & also installed the towel rings so our hand towels now have a home. I purchased the rings from HomeGoods for about $7 a piece.
I am happy to have a master bath that I love & is now functional!
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