Nailed It

When I was younger, I enjoyed having my nails painted.  I guess I was too rough because the polish was perfect for about an hour.  Because of this, I was never one to pay for manicures because I knew I was wasting my money.  I would occasionally paint my own nails, but as a right-handed person, my left hand looked decent.  My right hand looked pretty bad since I had to paint it with my left hand.  Pretty bad is being a little generous.  It was a hot mess!

 

Enter the gel polish manicure.

 

I discovered this miracle when I moved to Atlanta a few years ago.  One of my favorite stores is The Limited.  Three stores down from The Limited at Perimeter Mall is Nail Premier.  While they don't have great reviews online, I've always had good experiences.  For the last five or six months, I've gotten the same guy when I get my nails done.  He does a good job and seems very interested in how long my polish lasts.  He'll call over other employees so he can show off his work.

 

Back to The Limited...

 

One day after completing a shopping excursion, I decided to stop by Nail Premier and get a manicure.  They had a special for a gel manicure, so I told them to go for it!  I got a French manicure the first time because I figured that was pretty safe.  I don't remember exactly how long it lasted, but I think it was at least two weeks.  At that point, I was hooked.

 

I like for my fingers and toes to match, so I was introduced to Lechat's Perfect Match line of gel polish.

 

My favorite Perfect Match color is Fizzy Apple.  It's a classic red and looks nice on my hands.  I have very pale skin and this color works well with it.

 

 I like it so much that I ordered my own Fizzy Apple set from Amazon.com.

While ordering Fizzy Apple, I discovered Jack Rose.  It's a peachy, coral color.  It's a great color for spring and summer.  I always have either Fizzy Apple or Jack Rose on my nails.

Prior to Sunday, my last manicure was four weeks ago.  Gel polish is supposed to last two weeks.  I can get mine to last three, but that's because "the gap" doesn't bother me.  As your nails grow, a gap develops between the polish and your cuticle.  Depending on how fast your nails grow and the polish color, the gap can be very noticeable after a couple of weeks.

The four week gap was awful.  I don't have any photos of the gap, but it was big.  I even had to trim my nails because they were getting so long.  Oddly enough, there were no chips in the polish.  This stuff is awesome!

This is what my nails look like when they are freshly manicured:

 

 

This makes me smile.

 

Time wise, I don't have a lot of spare time these days, but my manicures are something I will work in.  Pretty nails make me happy, so it's worth it to me.  The cost is also something to consider.  I pay $66 including tip each time I get my nails done.  This includes a pedicure with regular polish and a manicure with gel polish.  This is about $15 to $20 more than a regular main/pedi combo.  It's still worth it in my opinion since my nails are flawless for two to three weeks.

Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia is touted as one of Atlanta's best restaurants.  Some people even say it's Atlanta's best restaurant.  I agree with the latter.  Hands down, the best food I've ever eaten.

The good food comes with a price.  Justin and I have wanted to eat at Bacchanalia for a few years, but knew the cost meant we needed to save the visit for a special occasion.  Justin has gotten into flipping houses and said once he sold the first house, we would dine at Bacchanalia.  The flip house sold a few months ago, so Justin made a reservation.  Bacchanalia is popular, so a Saturday night reservation wasn't completely easy to get.  If we wanted to wait and dine at 9:30 p.m., would could have gotten a reservation a couple of months ago.  We tend to like eating a little earlier, so we waited for a 6:00 p.m. reservation.

I've been looking forward to June 20 for several weeks.  June 20 is when our reservation was for.  We dressed up and headed across town.  Traffic meant we had to detour slightly and even with the detour, we arrived about five or six minutes late.  Justin will attest to this, but I do not like being late for things.  I managed to remain calm since I was really looking forward to this dinner.

Surprisingly, they do not offer valet parking.  Nearly every other restaurant in the city has valet parking, but the highest rated one does not.  This made me smile.

We were seated immediately and the dining experience that is Bacchanalia began.

The menu is divided into five courses - a first and second appetizer, a main entrée, a salad/cheese course, and dessert.

 

This menu is from another day, but is very similar to the one from last night.  My selections are below: 

• Georgia White Shrimp
• Gulf Crab Fritter
• Ricotta Gnudi (not on the menu above)
• Many Fold Farm Brebis
• Peach Fried Pie

I think my favorite course was the crab fritter.  Oh, was it good.  The shrimp was served with clams and a foamy broth.  The crab fritter was served with an avocado puree and a Thai pepper sauce.  Gnudi is a gnocchi made with ricotta instead of potato.  It was delicious.

 

The fourth course is the one I was least looking forward to.  I'm not too adventurous when it comes to food.  I've gotten a lot better in the last couple of years, but I'm still hesitant to try some foods.  Cheese is one of those foods.  I love cheese, but I don't like tangy cheese.  I prefer cheese made with cow milk.  Don't ask me why I'm so anti-sheep's milk cheese.  Goat cheese is a little too tangy for me, so I don't eat it.  The brebis was made into an ice cream (no sugar) and served with blueberries, oats, and homemade cream.  Oh, was it tasty.

 

My dessert consisted of two small fried peach pies, served with ice cream.  It was wonderful.

 

Justin had the following items:

• Confit Foie Gras
• Gulf Crab Fritter
• Magret Duck Breast
• Sequatchie Cove Dancing Fern
• Blueberry Souffle

He said his favorite course was the crab fritter, too.

 

Once we were seated, a server brought a small bowl with gougeres.  These were tiny biscuits filled with a soft cheese.  They were amazing.  They also served a melon gazpacho with a melon and cucumber "sandwich" between the first and second appetizers.  Between the cheese and dessert courses, they served a small peach smoothie.  It was perfectly refreshing.

Not only was the food impeccable, but the service was also top-notch.  The server was attentive, but not overly intrusive.  Everyone working seemed to have a purpose.  No one stood around doing nothing.

I told Justin I wish we could eat at Bacchanalia frequently.  We would be broke, but the food is worth it.

Hipe Bluetooth Shower Speaker

I enjoy listening to music while showering.  Anytime I'm at home alone, I crank up the speakers on my desktop computer in the guest room and shower away.  Luckily, the guest room is across the hall from the bathroom Justin and I claimed as the master bath.

 

The problem with this set-up is that I'm infrequently home alone, so I rarely get to listen to music while showering.  Justin isn't opposed to music, but because the speakers are in another room, I have to turn up the volume pretty high to be able to hear it in the shower.  This borders on torture to anyone not in the shower.

 

One afternoon, I searched for a bluetooth enabled speaker I could use in the shower.  I found some options, so I knew what I was looking for existed.  Win!  I shared my want with Justin and considered ordering the speaker for myself, but decided to wait.  It wasn't something I needed.

 

I had actually kind of forgotten about the speaker until my birthday.  Justin presented me with an Amazon box the morning of my birthday.  Inside was the Hipe speaker.

 

I am in love!  I immediately began charging the speaker so I could use it later that morning when I showered.  After it was charged, I paired the speaker with my mobile phone and opened Pandora.  I'm pleased with the speaker.  The sound is good and I don't have to wake the dead by turning up speakers in another room of the house.  Don't ask me how I know this, but moon walking in the shower is so much easier than moon walking outside of the shower.  Heee! (said in the style of Michael Jackson)

Thanks Justin!  I'm so lucky my husband listens and remembers things I say I want.

Dirty Annabelle



We've had a lot of rain over the last few days.  My sweet Annabelle loves digging holes and hiding her treats in the back yard.  She uses her front paws to dig the hole and then she uses her snout to cover the hole.  This causes her face to get filthy!

 

These photos make me smile.  Pete is being all proper in the background and Annabelle is at the door waiting for me to let them inside.

Avington Entryway Table and Mirror

I've been looking for a cabinet or table to go in the hallway near our front door.  The area is pretty small, but is large enough for a small piece of furniture.  We wanted something wide enough to be functional, but narrow enough to not restrict movement.

 

I was looking on Target's website recently and found the Avington Entryway Cabinet and Mirror.  The size was good and the price was right, so I placed my order.  Both pieces were on sale (Cabinet = $183.74, originally $244.99 and Mirror = $44.99, originally $59.99) and I also got free shipping because I spent over $50!

 

The cabinet arrived one day and the mirror arrived the next day.  The mirror really didn't require any assembly, but I added picture wire to the back hooks.  Justin and I debated hanging the mirror horizontally, but eventually decided to hang it vertically.

We got the cabinet assembled in about an hour one evening.  The instructions were pretty clear.  I was kind of surprised at the quality.  The cabinet is obviously not solid hardwood, but it is quite heavy and seems very sturdy.  Overall, Justin and I are pleased with the cabinet and mirror.

After hanging the mirror and getting the cabinet in place, I began adding items the top.  I knew I wanted a lamp and checked a nearby Marshall's.  I didn't find what I wanted, so I dragged Justin to Target last night.

We found the Avington Rectangular Lamp Base and a basic white rectangular lamp shade.  Target.com says the lamp is $34.99 and the shade is $12.99.  I don't recall the lamp base costing that much, but we bought a few other items, so it's possible I'm confusing the prices in my head.

I added the lamp to the cabinet and added a couple of other items.  The current state of the cabinet is below.

I'm not sure what I'm going to add to the shelf or the baskets, but I'm sure I'll find something to fill them up.

Starlight Six Drive-In

Justin and I did some things last night we've never done before.  I'm kind of ashamed to admit this, but we've never seen any of the Star Trek movies.  We changed that last night.

We've also never been to a drive-in movie.  We changed that last night, too.

A friend or ours, Katie, usually gets a group of friends together to go to the drive-in a few times each year.  We've usually had other things going on and were never able to go.  We were also a little hesitant about going simply because we didn't know what to expect.  I know that's a pretty lame excuse for not doing something, but it's the truth.

Katie invited a group to watch Star Trek Into Darkness at Starlight Six Drive-In on Sunday night.  To my knowledge, Starlight Six is one of the only drive-in movie theaters around.

I did not take the photos below, but found them online.

The entrance:

One of the screens (I think this may have been the one we were at):

The screen behind us (that lovely hill is a landfill):

We arrived and joined our friends who arrived earlier and were already settled in.  One of the great things about the drive-in is that you can bring your own food and drinks.  Justin and I grabbed some cookies from Ali's Cookies.  We grabbed an assortment of cookies and I have to say they were quite delicious.  I also made salted caramel rice krispie treats after seeing Jamie Deen make these on his cooking show.  They were also really yummy - definitely a recipe I'll make again.

We hung out with our friends (there were eight of us total) and chatted and snacked for about thirty minutes before the movie started.  We had to buy some bag chairs since Justin and I didn't have any, but I know we'll use them in the future.  At nine o'clock, the screen came to life.  We turned our chairs to face the screen and settled in.  We were set-up in a parking spot between two Jeeps (belonging to our friends).  Both tuned their radio to the correct channel and it was really like surround sound.

I grabbed an Off Clip On and clipped it to the arm of my chair to keep bugs away from Justin and me.  It seemed to work well, but I'm not sure there were all that many bugs out and about.

We actually had a really good time.  The movie was surprisingly good.  I had decided I probably wouldn't like it just because I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi movies, but this one was good.  Once the movie was over, we grabbed our belongings and headed out.  There was another movie starting on our screen at 11:30 p.m. and we were entitled to watch both movies, but Justin and I were tired.  Our entire group decided to leave after the first movie because it was so late.

The weather was surprisingly perfect!  The day was a little warm for me (mid 80s) so I figured the temperature would be a tad hot outside that evening.  It dropped to 70 and was wonderful.  The humidity was low so the night was perfect for watching a movie outside.

We'll definitely be back to the drive-in.  We may even have to drive Justin's truck and set-up shop in the back of it.  There were several people in lounge chairs in the back of trucks and that set-up looked quite comfortable.

Carrie Gets Married



My sister, Carrie, got married on Saturday, April 13, 2013!  This was very exciting to me since I wasn't sure if she would ever make the trip down the aisle.

 

She and Mark decided to get married in the lovely city of Savannah.  They were originally going to have the ceremony in the cozy courtyard of The Gastonian, the Bed and Breakfast where we stayed in Savannah.  A few months before the wedding, they decided to move the ceremony to Trinity United Methodist Church.  After arriving at The Gastonian and seeing the courtyard, we all agreed Carrie and Mark made the right decision.  The courtyard was pretty, but it didn't suit this particular event.

 

Most everyone began arriving in Savannah on Friday afternoon.  A couple arrived on Thursday and enjoyed an extra day in the city.  As usual, Justin and I arrived barely in time to make it to the rehearsal.  We just couldn't get out of Atlanta as soon as we wanted.  We had to get packed, get the car loaded, drop off the dogs with the sitter, and get on the road.  After making a return trip to the house, we were in the wind.

 

We rushed in the hotel, checked in, and ran to our room to get dressed.  Everyone else was elegantly sipping wine and munching on tea cakes as Justin and I arrived rather abruptly.  We ran back downstairs and jumped in the car before heading to the church.  I must say the weather was lovely, but warm and humid.  I couldn't stop perspiring!

 

We arrived at the church, walked through the ceremony and then headed to the rehearsal dinner at Carrabba's.  The food was great, but the fellowship with family was even better.  After dinner, we headed back to our rooms to settle in for the night.

 

The bride and bridesmaids had to be in the Carrie's room at 8:30 a.m. for hair and make-up.  I grabbed breakfast and headed to get beautiful.  The ladies worked very quickly and left before noon.  By this time, most of us wanted to eat lunch.  I found a delivery company and took orders before placing the order online.

 

Moon River Brewing Company delivered a lot of food to us around 12:15 p.m. and we dug in.  My niece, the maid of honor, suggested we eat outside on the front porch.  This turned out to be one of the greatest suggestions of the weekend.  The weather was perfect!  There was a slight breeze, low humidity, and cool temperatures.  Perfect!  Because several of us had up-dos and pretty make-up, we decided to just hang out at the house until time to dress for the wedding.  The bride also had a tiara and veil in her hair, so going out really wasn't ideal.  We saw many tour groups ride by and take photos of the lovely ladies on the porch.

 

We were even approached by a gentleman asking for money to help with medication costs.  I have certain ideas about giving money to people on the street and just don't do it.  I suggested the man visit a nearby church.  He said he did and was arrested.  I'm sure there is more to that story.  He asked if there was anyone else inside the house and I assured him there wasn't.  About that time, Justin comes walking out the door, says, "Bye, guys!" and heads off to join Mark, the groom, and the groom's brother, Matt.  We all looked at each other while the man asking for money just looks at us like a bunch of liars.

We ordered dessert before time to get dressed and hung out on the porch a little more.  We cleaned up the porch and headed in to get even more beautiful!

My niece and I got dressed first.  All we had to do was put on our dress and then help Carrie get dressed.  My mother joined us to help with this task since the bridesmaid dresses were a little snug all the way down and prevented us from bending down very far.

The bride was simply beautiful!

After dressing, the photographer arrived to take some photos at the hotel prior to heading to the church.  There were several people ejoying the afternoon tea during the photos.  They looked at Carrie like they were enamored.  She was beautiful!

The ride to the church took two trips since there were thirteen of us to get there and the car only held eleven people.  We took photos outside before the ceremony started.  I tried to get the bride's ring to the best man before he headed back to the room to wait to walk out.  I didn't make it in time, so I had both rings in my possession.

The ceremony started and when we got to the part of the ceremony when the pastor asked for the bride's ring, the best man shook his head and said he didn't have it.  The pastor thought the best man was saying, "No" to the wedding and seemed to be preparing for how to handle this.  I spoke up and said, "I have them both" before handing them over.  Everyone seemed very relieved since there were lots of giggles from everyone.

The ceremony ended with the introduction of the bride and groom as Mr. and Mrs.  We took a few more photos in the church and then loaded up before heading to the reception dinner.

The reception was held at Elizabeth on 37th in their private dining room.  It was perfect!  The room was large, but not too large, so it felt intimate, but not too cozy.  We seated ourselves while we waited for the bride, groom, and maid of honor to arrive.  Once they arrived, there were a few more photos taken before we began our seven course dinner.  It was oh, so delicious!

Sadly, we didn't eat cake because the final course of the night was a yummy pecan almond tart.  There just wasn't room for the cake!  The cake was small, but very elegant.  It was a perfect touch to end the night.

Because it was about ten thirty at night and the limousine was still ours until midnight, five of us decided to head out for a couple of drinks.  The bride, groom, groom's brother, Justin, and I headed to Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos.  My sister and I really enjoyed the place, but Justin clearly did not have fun.  He didn't like the music, the scotch selection, or the other patrons (drunk sorority girls and frat boys).  We hung out there for about an hour before calling the limo driver to take us back to the hotel.  Carrie and Mark had to leave for the airport at 3:15 a.m. so they really needed to go to bed.

Justin and I weren't ready to call it a night, so we walked to Pinkie Masters Lounge for a drink.  He got his scotch and all was right with the world.  We wandered back to our room and called it a night.  I was asleep and didn't hear the room phone ring, but Justin told me the phone rang at 3:00 a.m.  By the time he answered it, there was only a dial tone.  We think the wake-up call for the newlyweds went to our room instead of the honeymoon suite.

My niece later told me her mother said the alarm didn't go off and the cab that was taking them to the airport almost left them.  They arrived at the airport intime for their flight.  While landing in Charlotte, NC, the wheels touched down and they took off again due to being too close to another plane.  I'm sure this wasn't super pleasant for the passengers, but glad they eventually landed safely.

We all got up on Sunday morning and headed back home.  We said our goodbyes to our relatives and Justin and I headed to Atlanta.

The weekend was lovely and perfect!  I don't think my sister's wedding could have been anymore perfect!