Saturday, November 24, 2012

{Life}: Haircut.

This post is a little on the self-involved side but thought I would share...

I got my haircut recently. I cut about six inches. My hair had been long for a while now and I loved it:



 But it was getting unhealthy, plus I was just feeling blah about it. See this picture? I just feel like my hair didn't have any style to it (but isn't my pal Ellen a cutie?):


It had gotten pretty long and ridiculous:


So I cut it. Last week I just decided I needed something new. It will grow.



In shaking things up,
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Friday, November 23, 2012

{Go there}: South of Beale.


South of Beale is a local gastropub in the South Main district of downtown Memphis (it is... south of Beale Street. Get it?). We've gone there a few times before, including a few brunches (blogged about it here) but hadn't been since they changed their menu (as they do seasonally) and since they were featured on the show Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

South of Beale is known for being a bar with great food in a world of bars that just have food. So the other night when we wanted to celebrate being off for Thanskgiving break, Jake and I decided to try out their duck fried rice, which was featured on the show.


There weren't too many people in SOB that night but usually when we go it is pretty crowded so it does good business. There is a small parking lot to the side of the building or you can park on the street. Parking is a lot less of a problem than the main area of downtown.

When we went they were on happy hour (4-7) so draft beer was $3. They also have other drink specials too. They are big Grizz fans at SOB, which we loved.


We started off with the cajun chips and house dip. The dip itself was fine (spinach and something else, maybe sour cream?) but the chips were worth it. They were hand cut, soft but crispy, and quite delicious.


For dinner Jake had the duck fried rice and broccoli, both sides on the SOB menu. I got the gouda mac and cheese (a side on the menu) and the strawberry vinaigrette spinach salad with fried goat cheese. Everything was beyond amazing. The duck fried rice was worth its legendary status. The mac and cheese was divine. The best part? The fried goat cheese. Loved it.

Sides on SOB's menu are $5 so you can easily get two sides (which are huge) for dinner, making it a $10 meal, which I consider to be really reasonable for a night out.


It is also worth noting that SOB has gluten free designations on their menu. My cousin is on a gluten free diet due to allergies and lives down the street from SOB and the owners have worked very hard to get tasty GF options on the menu, which I think is really great.

So next time you want to grab a drink in a hip atmosphere but eat some food that isn't "bar food" (you know what I mean... wings? fried everything?), definitely check out South of Beale.

In loving downtown,



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Thursday, November 22, 2012

{Life}: Thankful.

Today I'm thankful to have family to spend this holiday with, eating and enjoying each others' company. I am thankful that I have a supportive family, that I have an amazing husband, and that I married into a fabulous set of in-laws. I'm thankful for best friends, for puppy dogs, for new jobs that fulfill me and make me happy, and for all that I have.

Happy Thanksgiving from me!

Thankful for my guy...


For my parentals...

And for my baby brothers...

Happy Thanksgiving!
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

{Make this}: Easy Meal Starter.

Y'all know I love an easy, delicious meal. Especially when it's made by my guy and not me. Well the other day I was in the grocery store and I saw a new product that I decided to try:


These "Saute Express" kits by Land O Lakes looked intriguing so I decided to try one out. I picked the Lemon Pepper kind and we used it on some chicken and served it with couscous and green beans.


I don't mean to sound like a commercial about this (and no, this isn't an ad) but this stuff was actually really good. I would use a little less of the saute starter than they recommend because it is pretty buttery but it added a ton of flavor to the chicken and was really delicious. If you were trying to make a semi-impressive dinner and needed something easy and fast, I'd definitely recommend this. I found them in the dairy section of our Kroger. They had several other flavors as well.

In spreading the good (butter) news,


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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

{Family}: Fall Family Weekend Getaway.

For a while now (off and on) my family has had a tradition of getting away for hiking and some family time together in early November, always right around my dad's birthday. It started when I was in college and we'd meet halfway between and continued when my brothers went to college.

This was our second fall to head to Monteagle for family weekend. This time we stayed in the Walker House on the grounds of Dubose (where my camp is) and it was so nice to have a house versus motel rooms.

We went at just the right time for the fall weather. Our hike Saturday was beautiful and the weather was gorgeous. It was a great time.

We hit the road Friday after work. It was actually pretty exciting because 840 opened right as we got to it so we like to think we were some of the first people to take it from I-40 to I-24. It did cut some time off the drive and we didn't have to deal with Nashville traffic.


Once we got there, we met my brothers and went to dinner at one of Monteagle's finer restaurants (ok... one of its only restaurants), Papa Ron's.


After that we went back to the house and hung out before going to bed. The next morning we woke up to this beautiful sight outside our window:


The Dubose grounds were full out in fall mode and were beautiful. I love Dubose in the summer but fall is pretty nice too.

We did a little bit of hanging out in the living room Saturday morning. It was great just to chill as a fam with no real agenda.


After a while we headed over to the Waffle House for breakfast. My dad loves the Waffle House.


Then we went back to Dubose to get ready to hike.


We decided to go to Greeter Falls for our hike. We usually do Fiery Gizzard and while I love that one, it was nice to do something new.

On the road to Greeter:


Getting on the trail:





The first hole is called Blue Hole and is a very easy hike with a good return. It would be a great hike for families to take with small children in the summer because they can swim in the water (the falls are very small here) and hike there easily.

The parentals pose:


Dad and my brothers:


My man:


The hole:






After that hole we went on to the next part of the hike, which was two different waterfalls on a longer hike that was a loop.



Greeter Falls:







After three beautiful waterfalls, we had hiked over three miles and seen lots of great scenery.


My family on the way out of the hike:


And of course what do you do after you hike all afternoon? Eat cookies... We stopped by Dutch Maid Bakery on the way back to Dubose. Dutch Maid is a Monteagle must (actually in Tracy City).


Dutch Maid has been around forever and is known for their homemade goods. They have bread, cookies, jams, pastries and more.


After a great afternoon we went back to Dubose for some family games and watching football.


My mom brought her famous chili and we sat around eating, laughing, and playing games.


It was a great weekend and I'm so glad we take the time to do these trips. Love my family!

In making memories,



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