Some grass grows in Atlanta

The courtyard behind our house has lots of potential. In order for this potential to be achieved, the weeds needed to be gone. We've lived in this house for nearly two years and I don't remember there ever being grass in this area. It did have large clumps of some kind of special grass and an overabundance of weeds, but no real grass. The lack of grass didn't stop me from mowing it. Mowed weeds look better than non-mowed weeds.

When it was time to start mowing this spring, Justin asked me nicely not to mow the courtyard. I demanded to know why. He explained that he wanted to kill the weeds and that by mowing them, we would never get rid of them. I reluctantly agreed. It nearly killed me having to walk by that mess while pushing the mower and not being able to do anything about it. Nearly killed me.

A couple of weekends ago, Justin started tilling the weedy areas of the courtyard and got rid of all of the visible weeds. I bagged the trash while he raked and we were finished in a few hours. We purchased some topsoil from Lowe's and spread it around the freshly weeded and tilled area. Justin then spread some grass seeds and watered them. The Honda saved the day again. We used her to haul 300 pounds of dirt. Three hundred pounds of dirt fit in the trunk of the Honda. We would have liked to put down sod, but compared to seeds, sod is expensive.

The weather was less than ideal this past weekend. We wanted to work in the courtyard again, but the rain was terrible. Sunday, we checked on the seeds to see if any made it through the downpour. They all seemed to be ok, but still no grass.

Monday was a completely different story.
You can see the big clumps of existing grass (Kentucky Bluegrass) in the upper part of the photo above.


It may need to be mowed this weekend. Probably not, but it's a good thought. The stones were in the courtyard when we moved in. They were slowly being covered by weeds and sediment. We removed them from their "beds" and added new dirt beneath them so they'll actually be useful as stepping stones. There is also a concrete brick paver pad at the corner of the courtyard. I think it could be nice as a sitting area with some chairs and an umbrella. It might also be nice to house the grill.


I've mentioned before that we live a couple of miles from PDK (Dekalb-Peachtree Airport). This is not generally a problem. Every now and then, a plane will take off and make a lot of noise. These are usually propeller planes. Lots of private jets use PDK and these actually make very little noise compared to the planes. Justin and I are like kids sometimes when jets fly overhead. When we're out in the yard working, we'll drop what we're doing and run to an opening in the trees to watch jets fly overhead. When I was mowing recently, I know I saw a military jet either landing or taking off from PDK. It was very loud, but that kind of noise is very rare. I think our neighbor's house is in line with the long runway because the jets and larger planes seem to fly directly over their house when landing. Sundays seem to be a super busy day at the airport. Lots of landings and take-offs.


This jet was taking off. The jets usually take off toward our house and curve over our other neighbor's house. When we drive by the airport, we'll sometimes see the big jets parked by the fence and we'll drool over the really big ones. Size does matter.

Living Room Lamps

We recently rewired some lamps that belonged to my grandparents. These lamps are probably fifty or sixty years old and really needed some attention. Electrically speaking. I think these lamps are classy and stylish and really look nice in our living room. Rewiring them was actually very simple. Justin did most of the work while I handed him tools. He's so manly.

The light they provide at night is really nice. Pictures don't do them justice.

I am still looking for something to hang above the sofa. I'll know it when I see it. I have also looked for some new lamp shades for these lamps, but geez are they expensive! These will work until I win the lottery.

Miss Olivia

These are some pictures of Olivia. Olivia is the daughter of Justin's brother, Darren, and Darren's wife, Cortney. This adorable cutie is almost four months old and seems to get cuter by the day.

We had houseguests

Justin's parents visited our home for the weekend. They planned to arrive around 7:00 p.m. Friday and leave sometime Sunday afternoon. Due to awful northbound traffic (evil spring breakers!), they didn't arrive until 9:30 p.m. I wasn't far behind them at 10:00 p.m. It took me four and a half hours! It was just horrible!

After inhaling some food from Mint, Justin and I chatted with his parents and then everyone retired for the evening. It's amazing how sitting in a car for a few hours will wear you out.

The next morning, we got ready and headed out to indulge in some of Atlanta's offerings. We hit Flip Burger Boutique for lunch. There was no wait and it wasn't crowded at all. I had the shrimp poboyger, again. Justin enjoyed the mushroom & swiss burger and shared some french fries with me. The fries are served with ketchup and smoked mayo. I don't know how they make that mayo, but it is delicious. Justin's parents shared the philly burger, which is a beef burger that is served with caramelized onions, green peppers, ketchup, and cheese foam (this was pretty neat). They also enjoyed some fries. After our meal, Justin and I split a krispy kreme milkshake. Heaven.

We then ventured down the road to introduce his parents to the wonder that is Ikea. I love Ikea. It was a little crowded, but still fun. His parents are about to begin kitchen renovations and got some really good ideas from Ikea's kitchen department. I've decided I'm going to move into Ikea. I've picked out a spot with a fabulous view. They have food, furniture, and bathrooms - everything I need.

We then drove through Atlantic Station and headed to Brandsmart, Target, and Lowe's. We stopped by the house to rest for a few minutes before heading out for supper.

We planned to eat at Gladys Knight & Ron Winans' Chicken & Waffles, but there were about thirty or more people outside waiting for tables. We were kind of hungry so we hit The Book House Pub instead. It is probably not our first choice, but Justin really wanted to eat here, so we obliged. I previously ordered the grilled cheese here, but they changed their menu and no longer served a grilled cheese. I was disappointed, but ordered the sweet potato wrap with sauteed spinach and parmesan and sour cream. It was ok. I did enjoy the fries. Justin's mother enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich and his dad enjoyed the hangar strip steak. He said it was ok, but not exactly what he generally likes. He did say the carrots that are served with that steak were excellent. Justin devoured the book house burger. For dessert, we shared a funnel cake. Yummy!

Sunday for brunch, we decided to visit a restaurant we've never visited before. Ria's Bluebird showed up on a "best of" search Justin did and I mentioned that one of my favorite bloggers recommended it. We arrived to a forty-five minute wait, but killed that time in the cemetery. The Historic Oakland Cemetery is across the street from Ria's so we wandered around there for a while. It was actually a very beautiful place. There were lots of trees so it was shady and cool and the flowers were lovely. I definitely want to spend more time there.

Our table was eventually ready and we were famished by that point. I had the french toast special. All I can say is YUMMMMM! Justin had a goat cheese omelette with a sweet potato cake, biscuit, and soysage. It was all delicious, especially the soysage. I've never had soy sausage before, but this tasted like the real thing. Justin's mother had the roasted beef sandwich with skillet potatoes and his dad had pancakes with skillet potatoes. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food and our waitress was really nice. We'll definitely dine here again.

We wandered around Bed Bath and Beyond for a little while and headed back to the house. His parents left around 4:30 or 5:00. Justin and I spent a little while replacing one of my headlight bulbs. Those things are expensive. We hit Moe's for supper and then I headed south. The drive down was so much more pleasant. The northbound traffic still looked awful. Florida has to be completely empty now.

Justin and I had a nice weekend with his parents. I hope they did, too. We hope that unidentified animal that woke up everyone at 6:30 a.m. Sunday didn't scare them off. It sounded like a child crying and then a cat being killed. We think it was a small deer "crying", but we're not sure. Justin saw it when it brushed against the fence outside our bedroom but couldn't identify it. Definitely bigger than a dog or cat. I promise we live in the city. Who knew cities had possums, deer, huge hawks, and huge snakes?!

Easter

This is a photo of my mother on Easter morning. Church members were asked to bring some flowers or greenery to put on a cross. This shows the finished product. I think it looks very pretty. The hottie next to it isn't bad either. You're welcome, Mama!

The Dentist

I am a freak of nature - I love going to the dentist! I've never had anything other than cleanings and a couple of small cavities filled, so that's probably why I'm not scared of the dentist. I am afraid of needles so the cavities were filled without a local anesthetic. Yes, I know I'm a freak. It must run in the family because my sister is like me when it comes to shots in her gums.



I had my six month cleaning this morning. I try to take really good care of my teeth and it makes me happy when they are professionally cleaned. If I could afford it, I would have my teeth cleaned weekly. The dentist I currently use is Dr. Bynum (North Valdosta Dental Care) in Valdosta. He offers sedation dentistry which is great if you're afraid of the dentist. You take a pill before your office visit and you are awake, but totally relaxed and sedated. I've never needed this sedation, but I would definitely ask for it if I needed any procedure that required an injection.



Dr. Bynum's office is always clean and I am very relaxed when I enter. It's home-like, but still clinical, if that makes sense. The staff is so friendly and really seem to care about your dental needs. I always have the same hygienist, which is nice, too. Before the cleaning begins, they measure the pockets in your gums around each tooth and another employee records the measurements. I never have any bleeding, which seems to be a big deal to them. I'm always congratulated multiple times and it makes me feel really good. After the cleaning, the hygienist always mentions to Dr. Bynum during his exam that I do a really good job with my home care.



Going to the dentist is a big self-confidence booster for me. It makes me happy. It's the little things. =)

My Civic Duty

I performed my civic duty Monday. Sort of.

I received a summons for jury duty about a month ago. I was commanded to lay all other business aside and appear at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 29, at the court building in Berrien County. Since I'm not really sure about my county of residence, I contacted the clerk of court in Berrien County. I explained my situation to her and she was just as confused as me. She asked the judge and he said since I own property in Berrien County, my vehicle is registered in Berrien County, and I'm a registered voter in Berrien County, I'm a resident of Berrien County. As a resident, I had to serve. The only other jury summons I have received came from Tift County and came after Justin and I moved out of our house in Tifton. I wasn't a resident and was therefore, ineligible to serve.

I was somewhat excited about jury duty. That was Monday morning. As of later Monday morning, I was just like every other person who has ever had jury duty. I despised and hated jury duty. Upon arriving at the court building, I searched high and low for a parking space. I found one in the very far corner of the lot so I took it. I grabbed my reusable Publix bag with my wallet, gum, reading material, and my jury summons. I trekked across the lot and worked up a sweat by the time I made it inside. I should point out that I was wearing heels and dress clothes since the summons stated that we should wear court appropriate attire. To me, that involves dress clothes. To others, court appropriate attire is jeans and a sloppy t-shirt. To each his own.

I arrive at the door and am about to proceed through the metal detector when I am asked if I am there for jury duty. I smile and nod affirmatively. The deputy says, "You cannot take that bag in the courtroom." I gasp and before I can stop myself, I raise my voice and say, "Y'all should put that in the letter!" Very calmly, he says, "We don't send out the letters. That is the clerk's office." I huff and walk back to my car. I take everything out of the bag and walk back to the building, sweating even more and even more mad.

(This wristlet is very similar to what I call my wallet. It is about 3" x 4". I can see why it's a threat to security. Who knows what I could hide in there? An extra credit card or a couple of dollar bills?)

I walk back to the metal detector and the deputy points to my wallet and says, "They're not going to allow that bag either." I cock my head to the side and say, "You've got to be kidding me!" I all but shove the wallet in his face and say "This isn't allowed?!" He says, "No, ma'am." I stomp my foot and turn around and walk to my car. I dump the stuff in my front seat (I hide my wallet like usual) and march back to the building, carrying only my car key.

I make it through security and head upstairs. A man asks me if I have my jury summons. I look at him with evil eyes and say, "It's in my car. I've already walked across that parking lot three times and I will NOT go back to get it." He calmly says, "That's quite alright. We have extras that you can fill out." I scribble my name and address on the form and go stew on the stairs. The deputy walks by and very calmly says, "I'm very sorry about earlier. It's just that bags are not allowed and I agree that should be on the letter. Please complain to the clerk's office." Embarrassed, I said, "I'm so sorry about that. I overreacted and I'm very sorry." Seriously, I acted like a five year old throwing a tantrum. I'm an adult. That should never have happened. Several ladies in line with me said they, too, had to return to their vehicles and leave their purse. See...I wasn't the only one. Fortunately, we didn't have to show identification.

Jury selection is one of the most boring things I've ever endured. I know way more about the other people there than I care to know. The woman who announced that she and her husband are expecting their first child was one of my favorites. The judge did not ask that information and the rest of us could care less. We had to announce our name, general area of residence, occupation, spouse, and spouse's occupation using a microphone. It was not fun. By 12:30, only two juries had been selected so the judge released those of us who remained for lunch, but told us to be back by 1:30. I ate and made sure I was back by the appointed time. At 1:30, the judge stated that some things had happened and we would not be needed back until Wednesday at 1:30. I headed to work.

Tuesday afternoon, I received a call that my services as a potential juror were over and my check would be in the mail. I wasn't selected as a juror and I was kind of glad. I don't like change in my routine and sending someone to jail, even if they deserve it, is not in my usual routine.

So, to sum up this boring post, I hate jury duty. I only lost my temper with two people. I now know why people ditch it and try like mad to get out of it.