Home Sweet Home

Funny how fast 2 weeks can fly by! I'm adjusting to some new things at work and have been out of town in some shape or form the last 3 weekends in a row. Excuses, Excuses. Anyway, I hope to get back into a regular blogging routine.

Last weekend, I went to SC for a quick trip to visit family. It was a packed weekend! As usual, I'm starting with the food. I'm sensing quite a food theme these days.

My mom took me out to a cute little restaurant, Grits and Groceries, that has the BEST food. It's about 12 miles outside of my hometown, but well worth the peaceful country drive. If you're living in the Anderson area and haven't tried it yet, make plans to do so pronto.

Fried Green Tomatoes!

After we stuffed ourselves, it was off to a fabric sale closeby. The place is called All About Fabric and has taken up shop in an old mill. There were rows and rows of every type of fabric imaginable. My mom often finds things here for her many projects, but it was my first time. I was looking for something to complete the bedroom update project. Maybe I was too overwhelmed, but I couldn't make a decision. I found patterns I loved, but not in the colors I wanted.

Then it was off to my cousin's baby shower. I have a relatively small extended family with just one aunt and three cousins, which round out the 5 stairstep grandaughters on my dad's side. I'm proud to be the oldest of the stairsteps. Anywho- this baby is kind of a big deal since it's the first in the family in about 20 years! Needless to say my grandmother can't wait to add the "great" to her name. My cousin was glowing and we had the very rare occasion of all being together. (This is also exhibit #1920394 that shows I look more like my step-sibling-the only other blond in this pic)

The day wasn't over yet! We went to Greenville to Cafe and Then Some for their new show, Obama Mia. More good food, funny show, and great company!

The weekend was rounded out by seeing my bff on her birthday and her adorable kidos. We didn't get pictures, but you'll have to take my word that they're super cuties.

Oh- I also got to meet Ethel Roberts and she is just as sweet in person as she looks in the pageant pictures! She actually recited her ABC's backwards to me- at the age of 97!

Whew....makes me tired just writing the weekend recap!

Southern Eating Frenzy

Whenever I take a weekend trip, it takes a few days to get back to blogging! I had a great weekend in SC and as usual, the highlights are all about the food....

First, if you ever find yourself in Columbia around a mealtime, get yourself to Pawley's Front Porch IMMEDIATELY. I have to say that I'm kind of glad that this place wasn't open when I was in college, cause I would have eaten here way too much and gained 100 pounds or so. I started with some fried pickles. mmmmmmmm. This was a tough decision as the fried green tomato appetizer looked divine. I choose the Isle of Palm Burger which had a pimento cheese spread on it. double mmmmmmm. I got the sweet potato fries as the side (trying to be healthier, but probably doesn't really matter at this point.) Everything was delicious! We scored a table outside and had great service. Man, I miss the south. Pawley's definitely earns a 5 on my Sweet Tea Scale.

At our office holiday party last year, I won a lobster dinner for 2 from Legal Sea Foods. Initially, I thought it was a regular ole restaurant gift certificate. But it was a mail order type thing. I got 2 live lobsters, clam chowder, crab cakes and boston cream pie. I don't think I've ever eaten lobster like this and definitely have never tried to cook live ones. Needless to say I was a little intimidated by this whole thing. Luckily, I had a partner in crime that was up for the challenge. I didn't have to touch them. I just watched and took some pics. Again- this was delicious! The portion sizes were perfect and it tasted great. If you ever need a good gift idea, I highly recommend it.

Next up: Brunch! I met a college friend at Di Prato's for a lovely brunch. I got the special of the day- banana pancakes with pecans and my friend got the eggs benedict and we shared. It was so good! Another 5 on the Sweet Tea Scale. I'm giving those out left and right these days, maybe I'm just getting really good at picking places! Just kidding, I had nothing to do with either of these Columbia gems, but am glad the people I know have excellent taste!

It was nice to get away and catch up with people I don't get to see regularly. An all around great start to the summer ahead! That is, besides the whole dropping my cell phone in the toilet thing. Yep, it fell right out of my pocket and in to the John. May it rest in peace. So if you've tried to get in touch with me in the last few days, this is my excuse!

1st DIY Project

I mentioned that I finished a project over the weekend. I've been trying to brighten up and update my room. I want bright colors and bold, fun prints, and girly flowers. I was originally going for a serene-type of decor with lots of greens and neutral tones.

But I'm bored with that and want some COLOR!

So it starts with the bedding. And before I could get new bedding, I had to update my headboard. My crafty and talented mom and stepdad made me this headboard when I moved to DC. I'm not about to try and build a new one on my own. But I did want to recover and update this one so I can use a different color palette. I decided to go with brown- both of which go well with either pink or blue which I want to use as the accent colors. I found a set of cotton sheets on sale for $10 at TJ Maxx. I had it monogrammed here . And purchased and used my first staple gun! That's all I needed to recover my current headboard.

Ta-Da!




Close up of Before:

Close up of After:

I am so pleased with the outcome and declare my first DIY project a success!

It was also affordable:

$10- Brown Cotton Sheets at TJ Maxx

$50- to have monogrammed

=$60 for a new and improved headboard

I'm still searching for the perfect duvet cover...my mom made the last one, including those stripped pillow shams, so I may be giving her a call soon! :)

Ray's the Steaks

It's been quite a while since I've reviewed anything on the ole Sweet Tea Scale! Last fall, (and before President Obama made it even more famous) I told you about my Ray's Hell Burger experience. So good.

The same owner opened Ray's the Steaks before the burger joint and I've been wanting to try it forever. I've heard really good things.

The time finally came and let's just say that Ray's the Steaks deserves a big fat 5 on the Sweet Tea Scale! The food was tasty, reasonably priced, and we had good service. I had the special which was a generous portion of their well-seasoned hanger steak, and included an appetizer (I opted for the delicious crab bisque), sides (all of the steaks come with mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) and dessert (my choice was a chocolate mousse) for only $25.

One caveat: this place fills up fast and just started taking a limited number of reservations. The wait is known to be long if you don't have a reservation. So we took a 5:30 reservation!!!

Next up: Ray's the Catch!

The Good Stuff

The weekend was filled with the Good Stuff from start to finish. I'm feeling so blessed by a truly peace filled weekend, and best of all- it was the little things....

A yummy steak dinner

Falling asleep to the sound of rain

Planting my first vegetable garden

Shopping in Old Town

Sleeping in

Sweet Tea

Finishing a project (pics coming soon)

Thai Food

A good nap

Unexpected revelations




Tell me about the Good Stuff your weekend was made of....

Princess Ethel Roberts

This story is so sweet that I just had to share! My mom is the Director of a Living Center in a tiny town in SC. She's always coming up with and supporting non-traditional activities that you won't find at some nursing homes. Like bringing in animals to live with residents, going to local baseball games, and planting vegetable gardens. She brought in an art therapist and then had an art auction so the residents could sale their original artwork. (I have a colorful print of a palmetto tree hanging in my room that one resident painted.) They even took a group to the beach last year as reported in the local newspaper. My mom, and the lovely folks that she works with are dedicated to making their resident's last stage of life as enjoyable and special as possible.

Which brings me to the latest event: the Ms. Willow Creek beauty pageant! My mom supplied most of the formal dresses since we have so many from proms, formals, and her own community theater performances. This particular dress was my prom dress junior year. And I can't think of any better use for it!!!

A little blurb about this pretty lady from my mom:

"Mrs. Ethel Roberts is a resident at Willow Creek Living Center in Iva, SC. She has endeared herself to the staff and residents since coming here a year ago. We have placed a quote by Mrs. Roberts on our wall as an inspiration to the work we do. The quote is "Good, better, best and may we never rest until the good is better and the better is best". When she was getting ready for the pageant she told us that she felt like a princess. Oh how I wish I could be this beautiful when I am 97."

This proves that we're NEVER to old to be a princess!

Mother's Day

I know, it was yesterday. But I couldn't not do something on here! I am so blessed to have a great relationship with my mama. She's known to have a classic "Pollyanna" optimistic outlook on life. She's an inspiration, a constant support, and a great friend. I wasn't able to celebrate in person, so I'm still sending lots of love her way.

On the lighter side for the blog, and in line with my obsession with lists, here are a few of the many things I've learned from my mom.

Things I learned from my mom:

1. Everything tastes better when cooked in an old Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. (Yes, I capitalized it. I'm southern and the Iron Skillet is sacred.)

2. The secret to good southern food is lots of seasoning.

3. Never pass by a bell ringer at Christmas without giving something.

4. Haste makes Waste.

5. When you get the chance, Dance!

6. Be true to yourself.

7. Let the boy pay!

8. Always look for a good bargain.

9. It's okay to sometimes to smile pretty and bat your eyes to get something you want. (Especially when related to mechanics/car repair.)

10. The softer glow from table lamps is so much better than overhead lighting!

Happy Mother's Day!

DC- versary-

This month marks 5 years in DC!

It was May of 2004.

A 22 year old version of myself, and recent Columbia College graduate, is waiting to hear about a job. A few weeks earlier, I had my first ever phone interview with the Legislative Director in a Senate office. I was nervous to be talking to a "senior" senate staffer for Senator Hollings, both of whom I had never met. I don't remember much of what we discussed. But I do remember poaching through the Senator's somewhat antiquated website to learn about his position on issues. Here I was, studying up on issues, including the upcoming 2004 election, and the question that threw me completely off was, "Do you by chance play softball?" Ummmm, what?

Of course I'd only "played" in the parent-youth softball game at my church in high school. And I'm pretty sure I was more concerned with my crush of the moment rather than the mechanics of the game.

It turns out that the Senator's office had a long and proud tradition of having a good softball team. They had apparently lost some solid players. I was sure they would choose someone more useful to the the team.

Despite my lack of softball skills, I was called back to have an interview with the state director. Thankfully, softball did not come up. More time passed and I was called back for a third interview the week of my graduation. This time I met with the Chief of Staff who was in town.

I graduated. Had the party. Spent a week worrying. Finally, it was good news! I spent the next week packing and planning. My mom was frantically teaching me how to cook so I could survive. My dad made me learn how to change a tire and bought me tools.

Two weeks after I graduated, I started my first job as a Legislative Corespondent. I had no idea what I was doing.

But I learned. And when the 2004 election went terribly wrong and there weren't very many jobs for people of my political persuasion, I found a new job. When my first roommate decided to leave DC, I found a new place to live. I've made some really great friends along the way.

It's hard to believe that when I moved here, there was no MLB team. The Verizon Center was the MCI center. The old convention Center was still here. Friendster was the social networking site of choice. There was a very different political atmosphere as President Bush was in his 1st term and Republicans controlled Congress. I'm not really sure what I watched on TV since there was no Grey's, Gossip Girl, Big Love, or Brothers and Sisters.

To be completely honest, people that know me know that I haven't maintained a love affair with this place. I don't like the winter or traffic. There's no decent sweet tea. And I hate missing out on my family's birthdays and other special occasions.

But in the end, I'm here for a reason and still surprise myself that I've made it here.

I vividly remember when a certain old bf was trying to teach me how to drive and learn my way around the one way streets and infamous circles. He thought there was definitely no hope. He told me that people like me need to either walk or take the metro....anything but drive. But not only have I learned, I've been asked for directions from other people!

I've learned. I've grown. I've survived.