Sweet Grass

I asked Doc last night if he wanted to blog about Sweet Grass while I was at bunco and his response was, "Uh, I guess I can write about your sweet ass."  Clearly, he misunderstood me. Sunday night, the last night that Doc's parents were here with us, we decided to go out for a nice dinner.  We had already taken them to several of our favorites, and there are a few that aren't open on Sundays, so we narrowed our choice down to Sweet Grass, a fairly new restaurant in town.  Neither Doc nor I had eaten there yet, but we'd both heard pretty good things about it.  My parents were going to join us too, and they hadn't eaten there either.  It was a new place for all of us!

I like their logo.

Of course, you can't have a restaurant called Sweet Grass without decorating with bundles of - what else? - sweet grass.

I originally took a seat next to Doc's mom, but she must've decided that I smelled weird because she traded seats with Doc's dad.

My parents joined us a few minutes later.

While we chit-chatted and surveyed the menu, I sipped on this delicious cocktail.  I can't remember what all was in it, but it was full of strawberry-basil goodness.

The menu had lots of yummy things to offer, and they were divided into small, medium, and large plate categories.  Of course, the thing that sounded the best to me was a large plate.  Didn't stop me though, I went for it!

7 oz. beef tenderloin, bacon shiitake grits, green beans, and some kind of awesome sauce.

Now, I'm a southern girl through and through even though there are some southern things I don't like (sweet tea and fried okra - bluh!), but grits are not on that list.  Cheese grits make me wanna slap my pappy, and who knew that adding bacon to them could make them so much better! Yumm-o!

My dad gets annoyed with me when I take pictures of my food during dinner, so I put my camera away for the rest of the meal.  It's a shame, though, because we ate some pretty awesome food.  I loved my tenderloin, and Doc said his jambalaya was flavor-filled and excellent.  My favorite part, though, was definitely dessert!  Doc and I shared a piece of chocolate peanut butter pie, his parents had a slice of lemon icebox pie, and my folks had the apple pie a la mode.  We passed our plates so we could taste them all...delicious!

My final rating of the restaurant was excellent.  The service was quick, the drink menu was good, the food menu had lots to choose from, the desserts were tasty, and the price was not bad at all.  We left feeling full and satisfied, but not at all like we were about to pop.  I think we will definitely go back.

The gentlemen of the evening:

And now I finally have a picture of me with both of our moms.  Yay!

While the restaurant was a really good choice, I think we'll all agree that the company and conversation is what made the evening so perfect.

Thank You Notes

Dear Bill and Pat,          Thank you for coming to spend the weekend with us and for forgiving me every time I had to run out on you.  We were so glad to see you both!  I hate that I had so many commitments and couldn't spend more time hanging out and visiting with you.  Thank you, Pat, for treating me to a mani/pedi date.  I love being pampered, I love how pretty my nails look, and I loved getting to spend the afternoon with you!  Thank you, Bill, for the (insert fancy name here) trees that you bought and planted in our flower bed.  It looks so much better already and I know it will only get even better as they grow and fill in!  Thank you both also for taking care of Lolli, a delicious dinner out, and for being the best in-laws a girl could ask for! Love, Lucy

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Dear Lolli,           Thanks for tee-teeing all over the couch...not!  Seriously?  What was up with that?  Let's not do that again, ok? Love, Mama

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Dear Mom,           Thanks for helping so much at the wedding on Saturday night, and for assuring me that I did a good job even when I felt like I did not.  Thank you for getting all of your friends out on the dance floor so that Doc and I didn't have to dance alone all night.  I don't know about you, but I've gotta hang my dancing shoes up for a while!  The music you played during the ceremony was beautiful - Sweet Hour of Prayer is still my favorite.  Love ya! Lucy

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Dear Meghan,           A huge thank you for supplying me with a ponytail holder Saturday night.  Holy smokes, was it hot in there or what!?!  I seriously think I might have died had I not been able to pull my hair up.  So, you practically saved my life.  (Super shiny photo below serves as testament to how frickin' it hot was in there!)

Thank you, also, for helping me and Doc represent the young crowd out on the dance floor, especially since the wedding party, uh, did not.  You and that husband of yours (and heck, your parents too!) have some pretty sweet moves.  Love, Lucy

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Dear Doc,           Thank you.  I really can't say those two words enough for everything you did for me over the weekend.  I will try to thank you for everything, but I am sure I will leave so much out.  Thank you for all the behind-the-scenes work you did to make me look good, specifically ironing my clothes, loading up my car, packing me a drink every time I left the house, being the stern voice I don't have but needed when the groomsmen slacked on their ushering and the band's break started running long, dancing the night away with me even though it was 1000 degrees, and for being my right-hand man all night long.

Thank you, also, for all the little things you did during the weekend that I didn't have the time or energy to do, like emptying the dishwasher, folding laundry, filling up my car with gas, yardwork, and keeping us all fed.  I'd be lost without you, for so many more reasons than just the little things you do to help me out.  I love you! Lucy

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Dear Dad,           Thanks for demonstrating to the internets why you should never, ever wear a blue shirt to an event that's held in the middle of July with 100+ degree temps.  Always choose white.

Hopefully you'll remember this photo this coming weekend when you're getting ready to attend that outdoor wedding you're invited to.  Have fun! Love, Lucy

Beach House Update

The last time I was at the beach (with Doc and my folks), there had been no changes made to our lot.  No land-clearing, no construction, not even a port-a-potty set up.  Nothing.  It still looked like the big clump of brush that we purchased a few months back.

But then my brother and his family took a vacation in the area in June, and he sent us these pictures.

That's a construction site, y'all!  Have you ever been so excited to see a port-a-potty?!  I know, me either.

I definitely had to look closely at the pictures.  In any normal neighborhood, it would look like we're building in someone else's front yard.  Those houses you see aren't too far from the street.  It's definitely our lot, though.  In this neighborhood, everything is a zero-lot line, so no yards.  That's actually the back of the houses our new house will bump up to.  Let's hope the neighbors are friendly!  It could get awkward if they're chillin' out on their back porch while we're swimming in our pool.  (Did I tell you about the pool? We're gonna have a pool! A tiny one, but a pool nonetheless.)

My mom did a drive-by of the lot when she was in the area at the end of June, just a couple weeks after my brother.  She snapped these pictures.

Awwww yeah, we've got a floor!  Sort of.  Since Doc and I are 1/3 owners, that means that only every third board you see in those pictures belongs to us.  And those are mighty nice looking boards, if I do say so myself.

The floor framing was pretty exciting, until we received this picture this week from our builder.

WALLS!  So exciting! 

And according to the builder, they should be working on the tresses (is that the right word?) for the roof as I type.  Woot woot!

Now things might start getting a little stressful, as we've got some decisions to make. 

First up: paneling.  We're thinking about hanging some horizontal paneling on a couple of walls, one in the living room and one in the dining room.  Stop cringing - it's not the same dark vertical paneling you're picturing.  These would be wide planks running horizontally, and maybe white-washed a grey-ish color.  Or something.  Who knows?  Here's one kicker - the wall that we'd like to do in the living room runs through to the kitchen since it's an open floor plan.  That means one wall of cabinets will be hung on the paneling, and the other side will be on sheetrock.  Will that be weird?  Should we turn the corner with the paneling and do the other wall too?

Here's an inspiration photo that's similar to what I'm talking about.

Can you see the paneling on that back wall?  Kinda subtle, but adds a nice texture, right?  And I think it makes it look cozy.

Ok, so marinate on that for a minute while I tell you about decision number 2: corrugated metal.  Like I said, the living room and kitchen are kinda one big room, but they're separated by the kitchen bar.  It's not an island, it's a peninsula.  It's connected to the cabinets that will be hung on the panelled wall.  (Here's where I should draw you a picture, but I don't have time for that.)  We have picked out white cabinets and black granite (still subject to change, but it probably won't).  Initially, we figured we'd put white beadboard on the front of the bar but then we thought about all the little feet that will be kicking it and thought maybe white isn't the best idea for that spot.  Especially since you'll be able to see it from the front door and living room.  Following me?

We've been in several bars and restaurants that have corrugated metal hanging on the front of their bar, so we're toying with that idea.  Will that be weird?  I've seen so many rooms where people are incorporating industrial looks these days, so maybe this would be like that?  In my head, it looks pretty good, but I've yet to find a picture that matches what our kitchen would be like.  These are the best I could find.

In the first picture, the corrugated metal is so shiny.  If it were really like that, maybe we could put some kind of wash/glaze on it to tone it down.  I think it would look better with a baseboard too.  But not completely boxed in like the second picture.  In my opinion, having it on both the island and the cabinet doors is overkill, so that picture is a little much.  But at least you get the idea, right?

Ok, so that's what we're thinking about right now.  Obviously we still have lots of time since they're just now putting on the roof.  What are your thoughts - turn the corner with the paneling or just leave it with one wall in that room?  Are you a fan of the corrugated metal?  Have any other suggestions?

Ramblings

• I have been swamped at work and I keep meaning to blog, but haven't been able to squeeze time in for it.  This will be a "Brain Dump" of sorts.  (I really hate that phrase...mostly the "dump" part of it.  That just sounds gross.  What can we rename this - Brain Emptying?) 
• Last week was miserable.  On Wednesday, our air went out again.  You may remember that that's already happened once this summer.  Doc was traveling for the week and I was working 10-12 hour days, so there was no time to sit around waiting for a repairman.  That means the AC didn't get fixed until Saturday.  Four days in the middle of July in 100+ temps with no air conditioner.  Actually, we had some air.  Last time it was the upstairs unit that went out so we couldn't sleep in our room.  This time it was the downstairs unit that went out.  Pros: I could sleep in the bed and shower and get ready for work.  Cons:  No cooking or hanging out downstairs, Lolli had to sleep upstairs with me, and hot air rises.  Our upstairs unit was working overtime just to keep it at 79 degrees, which is really not that cool.  So yeah.  Multiply the Longest 24 Hours Ever experience by 4 days and that's how fun last week was.
• Thankfully, the weekend was better.   On Saturday, as soon as our AC was fixed, we headed to my brother's house to spend the afternoon at the pool.  Funny how we finally had cool air again and ditched it to hang out in the sun.  At least the house was cool when we got home.
• Sunday I came home with 4 new pairs of shoes.  The best part?  They were all on clearance!  New shoes make everything better.
• I updated a couple of books on my 2011 Reading List.  Click that link to see what I thought of them.  A quick scroll-thru will show you that I'm behind.  There are 13 books on the list (the top 10 and 3 honorable mentions) and I've only made it through 5 of them.  That's not good, especially since the year's already more than half over.  I gotta get busy reading!
• Doc has been out of town again this week (Vegas!) but he gets home today.  Yay!  His parents arrive tomorrow for a weekend visit.  I can't wait!  It's been a while since we've seen them.  Good food and mani/pedis are already on the itinerary. 
• Also this weekend I'll be doing my first official wedding coordinating.  I know I've helped with lots of weddings, but this will be the first time I'm actually running the rehearsal myself and sending everyone down the aisle on the big day.  I'm excited but a little nervous too.  This weekend could potentially decide if this is something I'd ever seriously considering doing.  Like, for money.
• Yesterday, in a fit of wild craziness, I posted a link to my blog on someone else's site.  This is the first time I've ever done that.  Talk about nervous!  I think I'm getting braver.  I'm not sure what I expected - maybe lots of new visitors? - but all I got was 79 spam comments.  Grrr.  Oh well.  If you're visiting from The Mustard Ceiling and this is your first time here: Hi! Welcome! Take a look around!
• I think I need a new blog title.  Something that maybe makes more sense and is easier for you guys to remember.  I'm struggling to come up with anything creative on my own, so I invite you to leave suggestions in the comments.
• What else?  I feel like I had more to say, but my mind just went blank.  Maybe that means my brain is officially empty.  What's been going on with you guys?

Surprise Party! (Part 3 of 3)

Let's wrap this party up!  This will be the Surprise Party: Photobooth Edition.  Check out the Planning, Details, and Decoration Edition here and the Actual Party Pictures Edition here. Ok, I've hit most of the highlights of the party - invitations, how we got my mom there, decorations and dancing - but there's one last thing I haven't even touched on.  I knew as soon as I started planning this shindig that I'd want to do a photo book for my mom afterwards, and I figured the book would be a lot better if the guests could leave their own messages for my mom.  And what better way to make that even more interesting than to throw in some costumes and props?

To make all of this happen, I set up a corner of the room as a photobooth.  I wrote a message on this chalkboard (made by my dad) so that guests would get the idea.

Then next to the sign, was this big box that I had wrapped up like a present full of costume pieces and props.

Thank you to all my friends that supplied me with such great props.  We had a ton of things, especially hats!

Once again, I have to give special thanks to Allison for manning the photobooth and taking pictures all night.  Of course I had to make sure we took a picture together.

Doc joined me for a photo, too.  I'm not really sure exactly what look we were going for.

While the one of both of us is fun, I think the one I took by myself is my favorite.  I might look nice, y'all, but don't mess with me when I have my gun.

Everyone else did a much better job of using the markerboard I had out to write a message.  I think the rest of these can probably speak for themselves.

I am so glad that just about everyone participated.  These pictures will be great for her scrapbook, and will be so fun to look back on!