I promise Justin and I don't eat all the time.
While we were out running errands Sunday afternoon, Justin suggested we eat at Three Dollar Cafe in Norcross since we were up there and hungry. It was on the second floor of a small shopping strip. It seems to be a sports pub-type restaurant...nearly twenty large screen televisions all showing football games.
We ordered chips and salsa to start. We were hungry. Justin ordered the pecan bleu salad with balsamic vinaigrette. I had the USA salad with honey mustard dressing and topped shrimp tossed in hot sauce. We didn't have to wait long for our food to arrive since it was 3:00 p.m. and they weren't very busy.
Justin and I cleaned our plates. The chips were good and the salads were even better.
Prior to this, we went to Brandsmart in Doraville and purchased a new Hoover. We've been looking at vacuum cleaners for a while and had decided to wait for a while to purchase a new one. A couple of weeks ago, we purchased one for Justin's mother for her birthday and she told us over Thanksgiving how much she was enjoying it. This convinced us to go ahead a buy one for us, too. We liked the Hoover Whisper Cyclonic because it is so quiet. We also like it because you can empty the dirt "cup" with one hand and the filter never has to be replaced. You simply wash it with water every three months. Yay!
After we returned home, we raked the driveway. I'm ashamed to say that you couldn't see our driveway because it was covered by leaves and pine straw. I'm not exaggerating. You couldn't see concrete. Our yard still needs some attention, but at least the house no longer looks abandoned.
While we were bagging leaves and straw, Justin called for me to turn around because he wanted to show me something he found in a pile of leaves. I turn around and see Justin holding a snake by it's tail. I refrained from screaming at the top of my lungs, but I start yelling for him to put it down as I back into the road. That's just nasty! As I'm going into panic attack mode, I ask him if it's dead and he says it appears to be but it hasn't been dead too long since it is still soft. While standing in the road, I begin yelling for him to put it down and he simply drops in on the driveway. I then start yelling for him to move it and he wants to know where I want it. I want him to make sure it's dead so he stomps it a few times and says, "There! It's definitely dead now! Where do you want it?" He starts to throw it in our yard and I stop him and suggest/demand that he throw it in our neighbor's yard. We're such good neighbors.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Bookhouse Pub
Since Justin's birthday is today, we celebrated Saturday night by going out to eat. I told him to choose anywhere he wanted. He has suggested Bookhouse Pub several times in the past and we've tried to eat there a couple of times, but parking is not plentiful. He said he wanted to eat there Saturday night, so we went. We were lucky to find a parking spot as another vehicle was leaving. We were seated immediately, which was nice.
Justin ordered the seared duck breast and said it was some of the best duck he's ever eaten. He also had a bottle of Chimay Blue beer. I tasted it and it was actually very good. It was a little pricier than what he would typically order, but since it was his birthday dinner, he splurged. I ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and an order of french fries. The sandwich came with a tomato dipping sauce, which was very good. The fries were lightly seasoned and there were more than enough to share with Justin. I think we left about a third of the fries because there were too many.
We had to try the funnel cake for dessert. It was so yummy! I haven't had a funnel cake in forever. This one came with the typical light dusting of powered sugar. There was also a scoop of cinnamon ice cream on top. We devoured that poor cake within a few minutes.
The atmosphere is exactly what I expect of a pub - dark, lots of wood, and slightly loud. It was fun and we had a great time and wonderful food. I recommend the Bookhouse Pub and the funnel cake.
Justin ordered the seared duck breast and said it was some of the best duck he's ever eaten. He also had a bottle of Chimay Blue beer. I tasted it and it was actually very good. It was a little pricier than what he would typically order, but since it was his birthday dinner, he splurged. I ordered the grilled cheese sandwich and an order of french fries. The sandwich came with a tomato dipping sauce, which was very good. The fries were lightly seasoned and there were more than enough to share with Justin. I think we left about a third of the fries because there were too many.
We had to try the funnel cake for dessert. It was so yummy! I haven't had a funnel cake in forever. This one came with the typical light dusting of powered sugar. There was also a scoop of cinnamon ice cream on top. We devoured that poor cake within a few minutes.
The atmosphere is exactly what I expect of a pub - dark, lots of wood, and slightly loud. It was fun and we had a great time and wonderful food. I recommend the Bookhouse Pub and the funnel cake.
The Social House
Mama and my niece were in Atlanta this weekend to see the Rockettes at the Fox Theatre. They drove up Friday afternoon for the Friday night performance and spent that night with Justin and me. Saturday morning, we got dressed and headed to The Social House for brunch. Justin and I ate here about a year ago and really enjoyed it. There is always a crowd of people waiting to get a table and the food is worth the wait. We got so lucky on Saturday morning since we only had to wait about two or three minutes for a table.
I ordered the shrimp on grits (without the andouille sausage) and those were the creamiest grits I've ever eaten. They were delicious! Mama and my niece enjoyed their stacks of buttermilk pancakes and Justin ate all of his spinach omelette. He shared his biscuit with my niece and me. Mama ordered bacon and also enjoyed sugar-free syrup with her pancakes.
We had good service and the atmosphere is a little loud, but enjoyable. I highly recommend The Social House.
I ordered the shrimp on grits (without the andouille sausage) and those were the creamiest grits I've ever eaten. They were delicious! Mama and my niece enjoyed their stacks of buttermilk pancakes and Justin ate all of his spinach omelette. He shared his biscuit with my niece and me. Mama ordered bacon and also enjoyed sugar-free syrup with her pancakes.
We had good service and the atmosphere is a little loud, but enjoyable. I highly recommend The Social House.
Happy Birthday, Justin!
Today is Justin's twenty-ninth birthday! I hate that I'm not getting to spend it with him, but we celebrated this weekend. He'll also have his family birthday party on Thanksgiving and I'll get to spend that time with him.
Happy Birthday, Justin! I love you!
Happy Birthday, Justin! I love you!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Deck the Walls
I typically wait until December or at least until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. However, I jumped the gun this year and decorated last weekend. My rationale for this was that I didn't put up the tree last year or put out any Christmas decorations and I wanted to make sure I didn't run out of time this year. It's also my house and I can do what I want.
Justin and I bought this tree in 2003 for $16.88 at Wal-Mart. That was full price. We were proud of it since it was our very first Christmas tree together. We're still proud of it! We bought a couple of boxes of balls for the tree that year and have slowly purchased a few more on sale at the end of the Christmas seasons since then. One year, Justin really wanted a box of deep purple balls and I tried so hard to talk him out of it because I didn't think they would look good with our deep red balls. He insisted and I eventually relented. Those deep purple balls really look good and blend with the deep red ones.
We also hung some framed pictures on the dining room wall this weekend. These are some toile prints from my grandparents' house and I think they look fabulous in our dining room. They are very understated and so classy, almost like they were made for this room.
Justin is so precise when he's doing something like hanging pictures on the wall or cutting wood. He measures, measures, and measures, and then makes the cut or hammers the nail. This task was no exception. He drew a sketch, measured the wall and pictures, and calculated how much space we wanted between the pictures. He made marks on little pieces of masking tape and then hammered (after removing the tape). The result: perfectly hung pictures that are level and absolutely gorgeous! We also only have one hole in the wall for each picture.
Justin and I bought this tree in 2003 for $16.88 at Wal-Mart. That was full price. We were proud of it since it was our very first Christmas tree together. We're still proud of it! We bought a couple of boxes of balls for the tree that year and have slowly purchased a few more on sale at the end of the Christmas seasons since then. One year, Justin really wanted a box of deep purple balls and I tried so hard to talk him out of it because I didn't think they would look good with our deep red balls. He insisted and I eventually relented. Those deep purple balls really look good and blend with the deep red ones.
We also hung some framed pictures on the dining room wall this weekend. These are some toile prints from my grandparents' house and I think they look fabulous in our dining room. They are very understated and so classy, almost like they were made for this room.
Justin is so precise when he's doing something like hanging pictures on the wall or cutting wood. He measures, measures, and measures, and then makes the cut or hammers the nail. This task was no exception. He drew a sketch, measured the wall and pictures, and calculated how much space we wanted between the pictures. He made marks on little pieces of masking tape and then hammered (after removing the tape). The result: perfectly hung pictures that are level and absolutely gorgeous! We also only have one hole in the wall for each picture.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Artuzzi's
I realized this weekend that I haven't written about one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta. Justin introduced me to Artuzzi's sometime last year. It quickly became one of my favorites. It is similar to Fazoli's, but better in my opinion.
I think Artuzzi's is a Roswell, Georgia based chain that has locations scattered about the Atlanta area. I've only visited the Briarcliff Road location. It is only about three miles from our house, so it's relatively close. Justin and I usually call in our order, pick it up, and head home to watch Seinfeld or Friends on DVD.
They mainly serve pasta and pizza. I've never had their pizza, but their pasta is good. I almost always order the spaghettini with pomodoro sauce, which is basically spaghetti with chunky tomato spaghetti sauce (no meat). Another item I order frequently is the linguini with quattro formaggi alfredo sauce, which is linguini with alfredo sauce (no meat). Both of these are delicious. The baked manicotti is also very good. Yummy! I'm getting hungry just thinking about these.
Justin always gets the linguini with bosco sauce. He seems to really enjoy it. All pasta entrees come with a breadstick and they are delicious. They're not dripping with oil and don't reek of garlic.
I think Artuzzi's is a Roswell, Georgia based chain that has locations scattered about the Atlanta area. I've only visited the Briarcliff Road location. It is only about three miles from our house, so it's relatively close. Justin and I usually call in our order, pick it up, and head home to watch Seinfeld or Friends on DVD.
They mainly serve pasta and pizza. I've never had their pizza, but their pasta is good. I almost always order the spaghettini with pomodoro sauce, which is basically spaghetti with chunky tomato spaghetti sauce (no meat). Another item I order frequently is the linguini with quattro formaggi alfredo sauce, which is linguini with alfredo sauce (no meat). Both of these are delicious. The baked manicotti is also very good. Yummy! I'm getting hungry just thinking about these.
Justin always gets the linguini with bosco sauce. He seems to really enjoy it. All pasta entrees come with a breadstick and they are delicious. They're not dripping with oil and don't reek of garlic.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Living Room
I have been wanting to paint the living room since we moved into our house. It was originally olive green, which was fine, just a little too dark for me. The living room and dining room are open to each other and the dining room was originally painted black.
Last week, I decided that I was going to paint the living room. One of my favorite paint colors from our house in Tifton was Pale Gold 2 (Laura Ashley color from Lowe's). I painted the dining room in Atlanta Pale Gold 2, so it seemed natural to paint the living room that same color.
We moved the furniture and covered it with plastic tarps. My painting abilities aren't great enough that I'm comfortable painting without taping the moulding, so we spent a little while with the masking tape. I should say that regular masking tape is cheap, but the blue painter's tape is soooo much easier to remove. I think it's well worth the extra cost.
Because the walls were dark and we were using a light tan paint, we primed the walls. Someone at Home Depot recommended the Zinsser primer when we painted the dining room because we were covering black paint. I think we used Kilz primer when we covered the black paint in the master bedroom. It worked fine and we ended up with an unopened gallon of the Kilz. I planned to use it in the living room since we had it. I got all of my supplies out and was ready to roll (literally), but when I opened the Kilz, it was very runny. No problem. I grabbed my stirring stick, but it just stuck in the solid mass in the bottom of the bucket. Something was obviously wrong, so we loaded it in the car and headed to Lowe's. We were told that it just needed to be shaken, but I wasn't convinced. We returned the Kilz and bought Zinsser.
Priming took a while and we grabbed lunch (at 4 p.m.) while it dried. By the time we began painting, the sun was going down. Our living room doesn't have any overhead lights, so we relied on the foyer and dining room lights, which was a bad idea. We couldn't see much of anything so we grabbed the flash light to "check" for spots that needed a little more paint. When we were satisfied with our product, we cleaned up our mess, showered, and headed to Panahar for supper.
I began removing the tape the next morning and quickly discovered that we were going to need another coat of paint. We hauled out the supplies again and moved and covered the furniture (we moved the furniture back to their proper locations the night before so we could use the living room) and added a second coat of paint. It's better to do it right than be dissatisfied with our room.
We think it looks great and has really brightened the room and made it look bigger.
Before:
Last week, I decided that I was going to paint the living room. One of my favorite paint colors from our house in Tifton was Pale Gold 2 (Laura Ashley color from Lowe's). I painted the dining room in Atlanta Pale Gold 2, so it seemed natural to paint the living room that same color.
We moved the furniture and covered it with plastic tarps. My painting abilities aren't great enough that I'm comfortable painting without taping the moulding, so we spent a little while with the masking tape. I should say that regular masking tape is cheap, but the blue painter's tape is soooo much easier to remove. I think it's well worth the extra cost.
Because the walls were dark and we were using a light tan paint, we primed the walls. Someone at Home Depot recommended the Zinsser primer when we painted the dining room because we were covering black paint. I think we used Kilz primer when we covered the black paint in the master bedroom. It worked fine and we ended up with an unopened gallon of the Kilz. I planned to use it in the living room since we had it. I got all of my supplies out and was ready to roll (literally), but when I opened the Kilz, it was very runny. No problem. I grabbed my stirring stick, but it just stuck in the solid mass in the bottom of the bucket. Something was obviously wrong, so we loaded it in the car and headed to Lowe's. We were told that it just needed to be shaken, but I wasn't convinced. We returned the Kilz and bought Zinsser.
Priming took a while and we grabbed lunch (at 4 p.m.) while it dried. By the time we began painting, the sun was going down. Our living room doesn't have any overhead lights, so we relied on the foyer and dining room lights, which was a bad idea. We couldn't see much of anything so we grabbed the flash light to "check" for spots that needed a little more paint. When we were satisfied with our product, we cleaned up our mess, showered, and headed to Panahar for supper.
I began removing the tape the next morning and quickly discovered that we were going to need another coat of paint. We hauled out the supplies again and moved and covered the furniture (we moved the furniture back to their proper locations the night before so we could use the living room) and added a second coat of paint. It's better to do it right than be dissatisfied with our room.
We think it looks great and has really brightened the room and made it look bigger.
Before:
This picture makes the olive green look a lot lighter than it is/was.
After:
It's not decorated like I want. Don't judge me!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Panahar
I've mentioned before that Justin is much more adventurous than me when it comes to food. I tried sushi several months ago and really enjoyed it. Justin has been trying to get me to eat Indian and Ethiopian cuisines a lot recently. Anytime we're trying to decide where we're going to eat supper, I always say, "Justin, I'll eat wherever you want to eat tonight as long as it isn't third world ethnic."
I finally gave in this weekend and ate at an Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant. Supposedly, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines are quite similar and I've heard that Indian food is delicious, but I just couldn't make myself try it.
Justin searched online for what seemed like forever and eventually decided on Panahar. It advertises itself as "Atlanta's first and only Bangladeshi restaurant." It was actually fairly close to our house so we didn't have to drive very far, which was nice. Parking was also plentiful since it was in a shopping center.
We were forgiven for not having a reservation since it was our first visit to Panahar and were encouraged to make a reservation in the future. We waited ten to fifteen minutes for a table, which surprised me because they were very busy. After studying the menu, we were ready to order. One thing I did not like about this restaurant was the waiter trying to upsell our order. I looked over the menu and ordered what I wanted. I don't want someone telling me what I should try. You can recommend something, but when I say I want "X", don't keep trying to get me to order something else instead.
The waiter encouraged us to order an appetizer, which we gave in and ordered one. We tried the appetizer platter (combo of chicken shingaara, vegetable shingaara, and pankoras). It was good, although I have no idea what I ate. I think Justin enjoyed all the items on the platter.
I ordered the tondoori shrimp for my entree. It was very similar to sizzling fajitas. The shrimp were lightly seasoned with something that turned them bright red, but didn't add a lot of flavor. They were served on a sizzling tray with onions and peppers. It was good. Justin ordered the chicken teek-ka. He enjoyed his entree, too. The entrees were served with basmati rice. I'm not sure what it was flavored with, but I did not enjoy it. The waiter also encouraged us to order the raita sauce to accompany our entrees. I did not like this sauce. There were way too many different flavors. The food was all good, just not what I enjoy.
The service was good and the inside was clean. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Indian/Bangladeshi food. Just remember to make a reservation. They were very busy and seemed to have a lot of repeat customers.
I still have to eat Ethiopian food. Justin swears I'll like it. I hope he's right.
I finally gave in this weekend and ate at an Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant. Supposedly, Indian and Bangladeshi cuisines are quite similar and I've heard that Indian food is delicious, but I just couldn't make myself try it.
Justin searched online for what seemed like forever and eventually decided on Panahar. It advertises itself as "Atlanta's first and only Bangladeshi restaurant." It was actually fairly close to our house so we didn't have to drive very far, which was nice. Parking was also plentiful since it was in a shopping center.
We were forgiven for not having a reservation since it was our first visit to Panahar and were encouraged to make a reservation in the future. We waited ten to fifteen minutes for a table, which surprised me because they were very busy. After studying the menu, we were ready to order. One thing I did not like about this restaurant was the waiter trying to upsell our order. I looked over the menu and ordered what I wanted. I don't want someone telling me what I should try. You can recommend something, but when I say I want "X", don't keep trying to get me to order something else instead.
The waiter encouraged us to order an appetizer, which we gave in and ordered one. We tried the appetizer platter (combo of chicken shingaara, vegetable shingaara, and pankoras). It was good, although I have no idea what I ate. I think Justin enjoyed all the items on the platter.
I ordered the tondoori shrimp for my entree. It was very similar to sizzling fajitas. The shrimp were lightly seasoned with something that turned them bright red, but didn't add a lot of flavor. They were served on a sizzling tray with onions and peppers. It was good. Justin ordered the chicken teek-ka. He enjoyed his entree, too. The entrees were served with basmati rice. I'm not sure what it was flavored with, but I did not enjoy it. The waiter also encouraged us to order the raita sauce to accompany our entrees. I did not like this sauce. There were way too many different flavors. The food was all good, just not what I enjoy.
The service was good and the inside was clean. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Indian/Bangladeshi food. Just remember to make a reservation. They were very busy and seemed to have a lot of repeat customers.
I still have to eat Ethiopian food. Justin swears I'll like it. I hope he's right.
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