Happy Birthday, Pete!

I am such a bad Mommy! I didn't do a post for Pete's fifth birthday on October 3. I'm so ashamed to admit this, but I actually forgot her birthday and didn't remember until I was driving to Atlanta on October 9. I know she doesn't realize her birthday is on October 3, but I do and I cannot believe I forgot it! Poor thing.

Justin and I started a tradition for her first birthday. We always let both dogs ride in the car, out of their carrier, to the Dairy Queen on their birthday for a cup of vanilla ice cream. They love this! Hanging out of the windows, one on each side of the car, ears flapping in the wind, going to the DQ for ice cream - does life get any better than that?! We weren't able to do this in 2008 because I was living in Nashville at the time and the DQ was closed. I wasn't able to do it this year because the DQ is still closed and I forgot.

I did buy some bite-size cupcakes at Whole Foods that weekend and Mama and I celebrated with Pete and Annabelle when I arrived home that Sunday night.


This is Miss Pete on her first night at our house. She was six weeks old at the time and so little. She looked like a little rat.

This was taken after Christmas in 2004. She was about three months old. I took her to be groomed in Tifton. She loved posing!

This was taken in 2006 shortly after being groomed. They do not stay clean very long. She already has some dirt on her face.

El Torero

Saturday night, Justin and I ate supper at El Torero in Atlanta. This restaurant is near the Moe's on Briarcliff that we frequent and we've commented several times that we needed to try it. It's a typical Mexican restaurant, so it was very tasty. The chips were exceptionally good and the salsa was also very good (a little spicy).

I ordered the special quesadilla fajitas with shrimp and a side of rice. Yummy! My food was very delicious! Justin ordered one of the "dinners" and I think it had burritos, a taco, and rice and beans. He enjoyed his meal, too. Our food arrived very quickly even though they were fairly busy. Their prices are very similar to other Mexican restaurants in Atlanta.

I will likely visit this restaurant again.

Atlanta Hawk(s)

A few years ago, I heard someone say that some small pets such as cats and chihuahuas weren't safe outside because of the threat of hawks. I thought this was silly, but I did a little research and realized this was a real threat. Due to my constant worrying, I wouldn't let Pete and Annabelle outside without supervision because I just knew that hawks were circling and waiting to eat one of them. I know this is somewhat irrational, but that's how my mind works.

After a few months passed and I hadn't seen any hawks, I relaxed a little.

This weekend in Atlanta, I walked by a window and peered out into the courtyard. I spotted a huge bird perched on a fence post. I called for Justin to look. We were both amazed at the size of the bird. It was huge! We both immediately agreed that it was a hawk. Justin grabbed the camera and tried to get a picture from the window in the laundry room. I think the hawk spotted him because it flew to a higher branch in a tree in the backyard, still studying the ground very carefully.

Justin sneaked outside and walked very close to the tree with the hawk and snapped several pictures. I was a little scared for Justin, so I waited just inside the door with a Maglite flashlight in my hand, ready to knock that bird silly if it attacked my Justin!

Justin returned safely but I was left worrying that the hawk was going to eat one of the adorable little chipmunks that call our courtyard home. The hawk eventually became interested in one of our dear squirrels and I had to stop watching. I really hope that squirrel hid.

Pete is smaller than Annabelle by several pounds. Annabelle weighs about twelve pounds and Pete weighs around eight or nine, so I doubt a hawk could lift either of them, especially Annabelle, but one might try to hurt one of my babies. That thought is just horrible! I now have a rule that Annabelle and Pete aren't allowed outside in Atlanta (when they finally move up there) without adult supervision.

Mama said we need to get a gun and shoot the hawk(s), but I don't think the neighbors and police would appreciate us shooting guns haphazardly in town. She then suggested we get a bow and arrow. That would probably be even more dangerous to Justin, myself, and any other people or pets who might be in the vicinity.

I think I'll just hang onto the flashlight for now. I wonder if hawks eat snakes?

These pictures do not show the true size of this bird! I estimate it was one and a half to two feet tall and had a wingspan of about four feet.

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Tap Tacos, and Floods

Saturday evening, Justin and I joined our friends Grant and Caroline for a performance by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. They performed Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique" and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3.

Garrick Ohlsson was the piano soloist for the Rachmaninov portion and he was spectacular (supposedly one of the world's best pianists). After the performance was over, the audience continued clapping until Mr. Ohlsson returned and played some more. He played Debussy's "Clair de lune." It was phenomenal! He made it seem so effortless. What a wonderful and soothing end to a fabulous performance.

Before the performance, we ate supper at Tap, which was very near the Woodruff Arts Center (where the ASO performs during the regular season). This is probably not where any of us would have chosen to eat normally, but because traffic in Atlanta can be so unpredictable, we decided to eat near Woodruff. Tap also offers free valet parking (the sign said tips were given to charity, which is nice) and because we ate there, we were able to leave the car with them for the performance.

The food wasn't horrible, but it wasn't the best food I've ever eaten. I started with fried pickles and a glass of white Benziger (Sauvignon Blanc). I think the pickles might have been sweet pickles instead of dill. I've had fried pickles before and these were good. One person hates pickles and neither of the other two really wanted any, so I pretty much ate them on my own, which wasn't a problem.

For my entree, I had three of the shrimp a la diabla tacos. They were ok, but not wonderful. I think they would have been better with a different shell. They came with a soft corn tortilla shell, which hardly had any flavor, which is probably typical. The taco "guts" were good, but not quite what I was expecting. Justin had the nicoise salad and said he enjoyed it. Grant and Caroline shared the grilled Mediterranean flatbread and a taco trio (curry red fish, buttermilk fried chicken, and shrimp a la diabla - I think). They seemed to enjoy their food, too. I would probably return to Tap, but would definitely try a different entree.

I'm sure you've heard about the flooding in Atlanta. Justin and I were very fortunate and didn't have any damage (that we've seen). Our yard is slightly messy (obvious that it held some water), but we can deal with that. Our yard is separated from one of our neighbors by a line of grassy-like plants (similar to liriope, but not exactly) and a 6-8 inch section was flattend by rushing water. That is so very minor compared to people losing their vehicles, homes, and even lives. We live near North Peachtree Creek and voluntary evacuation orders were issued for neighborhoods around this creek (ours included). Justin and I talked about him evacuating, but we both decided that our house was far enough away from the creek and up high enough that it would be fine. I don't think any houses in our neighborhood were affected, but some apartments a little further up creek were underwater and some houses down creek were also underwater.

Unfortunately, Atlanta got very wet again Saturday afternoon. It rained on and off (sometimes very hard) all afternoon and into the evening. Luckily, we didn't have to walk in the rain from the restaurant to the performance or to the car after the performance.

Overall, it was a very nice evening.

Fall (or Autumn) is here!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall! I enjoy the cooler weather and being able to be outside without nearly sweating to death. I love the scents associated with fall (spicy stuff, caramel, burning stuff outside). I love burning fall scented candles and get so excited when I start seeing them in stores.

Recently, I purchased a couple of candy dishes at Target. One is a white ghost and the other is a jack-o'-lantern. This weekend, Justin and I were in Target (I also LOVE Target!) and I wanted some candy for my dishes. I decided on Hershey's Kisses, but couldn't decide on what flavor(s). We eventually chose milk chocolate kisses and pumpkin spice kisses. Before we got home, we had the pumpkin spice bag open and were devouring them. They are delicious!

I am not a huge candy eater, and I've never been a big fan of pumpkin flavored things, but these little candies are like heaven! We looked for them at Kroger, but didn't see them. Someone said online that they're a Target-exclusive item.

Zucchini Bread

Several months ago, I baked zucchini bread for the first time. It wasn't hard and turned out really well. I decided to bake it again this evening and I substituted Splenda for some of the sugar. The recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar. I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup of Splenda. I can't tell the difference and it makes me feel a little less guilty about eating a piece (or two!). The recipe makes two loaves so you can share one of them and feel even less guilty. I'm thinking about replacing half of the sugar with Splenda next time. I also use canola oil instead of vegetable oil.

Pete and Annabelle think it's very tasty!

Labor Day Weekend

I do love a long weekend. It's nice spending an extra day with Justin, but it's also nice having an extra day to work on the house. We accomplished so much and even had time to relax a little.

The plan on Saturday was for Justin to work on installing windows in his room/office while I painted the dining room. The windows he was replacing made up a double window on the front of the house. This was the first double window we were replacing and we were both a little nervous. We weren't sure how the windows were originally installed, so we proceeded with caution. After he removed the moulding and saw the installation, he wanted to get pricing for an actual double window instead of using two separate windows, so we headed to Home Depot.

After we returned home, a friend we haven't seen in a while called and wanted to visit with us for a little while. I continued priming the dining room walls while Justin and I hung out with Mark. We had a good time and I was very happy I was able to finish priming the walls. After I finished priming, I showered and Justin, Mark, and I headed to Doc Chey's for supper. I had the sesame shrimp stirfry as my entree and the crispy veggie spring rolls as an appetizer (painting will work-up an appetite). The food was delicious and the atmosphere was fun, too.

Sunday, I cooked cinnamon rolls (from a can) for breakfast and then we headed to Home Depot to buy paint. We also made a trip to Whole Foods for some pizza for lunch and other groceries. We returned home and began installing the two windows in Justin's room (we decided to install two separate windows instead of buying a double window). This took a little while, but we got one installed and decided to install the second one since we already had the tools out. Getting the ladder close enough to the house to caulk outside was not easy. There are holly bushes close to the house and Justin said they were a little painful to crawl through (I took his word for it). We also fed Atlanta's mosquito population.


The original windows with the moulding removed. There was too much light outside so my flash didn't work, but you get the idea.

The window on the left is original and the one on the right is new. This picture makes the window look curved and crooked, but it's not.

Yay! Both new windows are in place. We need to install the moulding to finish the window. Once again, the window isn't curved.

After installing the windows, we ate supper (vegan soy burgers and sweet potato fries - both were yummy!) and then painted the dining room. I enjoy painting. I love seeing the transformation from one color to another and this was a transformation - black to pale gold! Painting didn't take very long and we were both so pleased with how much we accomplished that day. I couldn't wait - I had to move the dining table and chairs to the room to see how it would look.

The "before" picture. I didn't take an actual "before" picture this weekend, but this one was taken last summer when we were house hunting.

After priming. Notice the light fixture is being suspended with a black shoe string. We have no idea what this is about, but we hope to replace it soon. We like the fixture, but I think something else will look better, although, the black shoe string has grown on us. Also, you'll notice the dining room window is new. We replaced it a few weeks ago.

Another primed shot.

The "after" shot. Ignore the tape around the chairrail. This was for the touch-ups. The paint color is a Laura Ashley color from Lowe's called Pale Gold 2. This is a color we used is several rooms in our house in Tifton and we both like this color. We had Home Depot color match the sample and we used Behr paint. Because we primed it very well and used a good quality, premium paint, we only had to paint one coat of color.

The flowers are from Whole Foods. I received a coupon from them for a free fiesta bouquet. I just love freebies! I can't find my vases, so I just used a cup. It works.

Monday, we cooked pancakes for breakfast and began removing the masking tape from the dining room walls. We did some touch-up painting around the moulding because that pesky black paint just wouldn't go away. After lounging around the house and running to Bed Bath and Beyond, we decided to eat Chinese food for supper. We found Little Szechuan online and decided to try it. It was not completely inexpensive, but the portions were enough to feed four people and the food was amazing. I had the shrimp fried rice and it was so yummy!

The pancakes. My buttermilk Aunt Jemima wannabees (i.e. Kroger brand) on the left and Justin's whole wheat pancakes on the right. He likes huge pancakes that are impossible to flip. It makes him happy so I didn't yell at him when he poured his batter and it ran into my perfectly poured pancakes. For anyone wondering, that is catnip in the plastic container on the left side of the picture.

More pancakes. They were good and Justin and I had a good time cooking them.

Unfortunately, after supper, I had to leave Atlanta for the drive back to Nashville. It was pretty uneventful, which is how I like it, and traffic was not as bad as I was expecting. I went through a GSP license check/road block in Tift County after I exited I-75 and had just gotten on Hwy. 125. Two troopers approached my car and one asked for my license while the other shined a flashlight throughout my car, looking for alcohol, I guess. While the one looked at my license, the other trooper announced, "Well, she's drinking, but it looks like it's just a Diet Coke." I proudly held up my Publix Diet Cola and showed him he was basically correct and went on my merry way.