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.

Sushi, Jellyfish, and Basterds

Justin and I planned to install a window or two or three this weekend, but the rain prevented that. We spent a fairly lazy weekend not doing much of anything, which was great!

Saturday evening, we went with Angie and Travis (Angie works with Justin and Travis is Angie's husband) to eat sushi and see a movie. My sushi rolls were delicious and everyone else seemed to enjoy theirs, too. I should say that Angie and Travis are much more adventurous than me when it comes to food. Actually, most people are. Justin tried most everything they ordered. I stuck to the two rolls I ordered and was perfectly happy. Travis ordered jellyfish and insisted that I try it. I was hesitant, but everyone else was telling me I had to try it. I gave in and ate the jellyfish. It was different than I expected. Justin said it had a Jolly Rancher flavor. I did not agree with that. The texture was odd - almost like a tough grapefruit and it was red, probably because of something it was soaked in or flavored with. It was crunchy, but not because of anything hard in it. It had a strange flavor and even stranger aftertaste. It was a little salty, but not in a salt kind of way. It is almost impossible to describe. It's not something I would eat frequently, but I could eat it again. Surprisingly, it didn't gross me out.

After we ate, we headed to the movie theater to watch Inglourious Basterds (I know this is not the correct way to spell either word, but it's the way the movie title is spelled). This movie is fantastic! We found it to be very entertaining. It's not a movie that everyone will want to see, but Justin and I enjoy other movies written by Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, et al.). The movie takes place in Nazi-occupied France in the 1940s. Brad Pitt is the leader of a group of Jewis-American soldiers who are tasked with killing Nazis. There are several other stories intertwined in the movie and the movie is fairly comical and a little serious. The language and violence could be offensive to some people. Like I said, this is not a movie that will be enjoyed by everyone, but I did enjoy it.

Even though we didn't accomplish much of anything this weekend, other than eating a jellyfish, we did enjoy the weekend and that's what is important. Relaxing can accomplish a lot, too.

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

Someone recommended this brownie recipe a while back and I tried it. I have made these brownies many times and they are delicious! They're easy and Justin and I both agree that they're better than boxed brownies. The recipe also uses ingredients that most people have around the house. One of the best reasons this recipe is better than a boxed mix is no partially hydrogenated oils = no trans fat! Yummy!

Guest Bedroom

This weekend, Justin and I decided to paint the guest bedroom. The room was originally a butter yellow, which was fine, but I wanted something else. There were also some holes that were filled with spackling and never painted.

I used a Valspar (from Lowe's) color called Palisade Blue for my room/office in our house in Tifton. I liked the color. It was soothing and familiar, something that I currently need in my life. Justin and I discussed it and decided to paint the guest bedroom in Atlanta Palisade Blue.

After breakfast Saturday morning, Justin and I moved the furniture out of the room and covered the moulding with tape. We also covered the floor with plastic drop cloths. When we painted the house in Tifton, we usually had the floor stripped down to the concrete slab and the base mouldings removed since we were installing the bamboo. It is so much easier and less stressful to paint like this. If you drop paint on the floor, oh well! No big deal!

I mainly "cut-in" around the doors and ceilings with a brush while Justin rolled the walls. It doesn't take long to paint when you have help and it's fun to have someone to talk to. We finished painting and got ready to go eat with friends at The Treehouse in Peachtree Hills.

Sunday morning, we touched up some areas and waited for it to dry before we removed the tape. After cleaning up the room, we began moving the furniture back in. This is always so exciting to me! We even made up the bed with our old down comforter. Mama said we could have the matelasse bedspread that used to be in her guest room. It's ivory and will look really nice in the blue room. I bought a rug that I used in my blue room in Tifton, so it now has a home in the guest room in Atlanta. After we got the furniture in the room, I began pulling random, unused decor items from other parts of the house to use in the guest room. I'm sure I'll make changes to this room in the future, but I used what I had lying around.

I'm pleased, but this room is a work in progress. The black desk will eventually be moved to another room, but it works in the guest room, so it will stay a little longer. I know a lot of the colors don't go together, but we'll make do for now. I also want to replace the closet doors with either bi-fold closet doors or a pair of regular doors. I absolutely do not like sliding closet doors. The closet organizer has to be off-center and one side of the clothes rods is practically useless. I am planning to paint the closet. None of the closets in this house are painted to match the room they are in, except for the master bedroom, which we painted.

This is one corner of the room before we began painting.

Another "before" corner. That big hole behind the door is where the air vent grille belongs. We removed it to paint.

The window corner. We did leave this one chest in the room while we painted. It's heavy and somewhat difficult to move. It came through without any stray paint on it.

Accessories can really make a difference in a room.

The "after" picture. Of course our guests will be greeted each morning by Pete's and Annabelle's faces (in picture-form only).

We are planning to hem the curtains and move the rods higher. The curtains we previously used in this room were shorter and we never moved the rods. I would eventually like to replace the curtains, but these will work for now.