Date Night

We don't usually do a "date night" as in getting dressed up and going out but due to my husband's schedule we either pick up some and bring it home or run through a drive thru (not the best alternatives but it is what it is!).

So when Bonefish Grill contacted me offering a gift card to check out their newly remodeled location, I was excited and quickly accepted their offer.

Reservations were made for us (I don't think reservations are usually required but it was nice to have them so we didn't have to wait in a long line).  Just as soon as I gave our last names, the hostess immediately knew who I was and took us to our table. Our waiter quickly took our drink order and went over the menu with us....pointing out several choices we might be interested in. We decided on an appetizer of raw oysters and when they were brought out, they were not served with crackers or horseradish. When we inquired about crackers, we were told that "corporate" did not authorize crackers! That was a little odd, I've never had oysters without crackers but we made do.

I ordered a talapia dish with ceasar salad and steamed broccoli. My husband ate most of my salad and declared it the best ceasar salad he'd ever had. I thought it was good too. He ordered a steak with steamed vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes. My dinner was very good and there was quite a lot of it....I couldn't finish all of it at all, although the hubs made a "happy plate"!

We decided to go "all out" and order dessert too. I got the creme brulee and he ordered the doughnuts which were three warm croissant-type doughnuts, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with sea salt caramel and chocolate sauce.....he ate all of that too!

All in all we really enjoyed our dinner and will definately go back to Bonefish. We had not eaten there in quite some time but it will go back on our regular rotation when we want a nice sit down dinner.

The only "con" I will say is that our waiter was a little overly enthusiastic and eagar. I'm not a fan of a waiter hovering over the table and constantly trying to engage you in conversation while you are trying to eat. Checking back with us one time (two at the most) to see if everything was okay and refilling our glasses is fine with me but this guy kept coming back and kept coming back. I know he meant well but it was a little annoying, but that's just me.

Right now Bonefish Grill is offering $10 off your meal good through August 3rd. Here's the link to the coupon which you can either print off or take a screen shot of and show to your waiter.

  (image only...go to the link to print your coupon)

 If you have never eaten at Bonefish Grill I would recommend you giving it a try. We enjoyed our visit and will definately go back.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

No, my husband and I are not breaking up....just want to put that out there right off the bat.    But there is a breakup on the horizon and I'm just not sure how to handle it.  

I've been going to my hairdresser about 8 years now.   When I first started going to her, I loved everything she did to my hair....color, highlights, cut...you name it, I always got compliments and I was always able to fix it to my liking.    A year or so ago, things just didn't seem to be the same with the cut or style.    And I had to book my appointments 5 weeks in advance!   Now I'm not talking about a salon in a big city that would warrant that much ahead of time but the salon was a little bitty one in a small town...she had been doing hair for years and had a pretty good clientele but come on now....5 weeks every time?!    I had to drive about 20 miles from home to the salon.    Once I retired it wasn't a problem as I was able to go pretty much any time but it really irked me that I never felt I could cancel and/or re-book due to her "5 week" policy.    There were a few times I went not feeling well but was afraid I couldn't re-book soon thereafter so I'd just go ahead to my appointment.

My husband, daughter and granddaughter got tired of me complaining every month about my hair....sometimes I'd just cry it was so frustrating.    You couldn't tell her that you were having problems as she got defensive and would say "that's what you told me to do"!     I really just tried to emphasize to her that "something" wasn't working and I'd hope for the best every time I sat in her chair.   She could not fix my hair either...I have a lot of hair and I'd go out of her salon with "hair helmet" and I'd run home and re-wash and re-style it which, to me, defeated the purpose of getting my hair "done."   Not to mention the amount of  money I was paying her, it just didn't make sense for me to keep going back, but I didn't have a Plan B so I just kept going to her.

A couple of weeks ago, I found out about a local beautician that was really good at what she did.   She had a Facebook page that showed her "work".    On top of that, she was "friends" with a lot of my friends!   So I went to her for a consult and decided to cancel my already scheduled 5 week appointment with my "old" stylist and see how I liked this new girl.    I loved how she "did" my hair and I made the decision to step out and make a change.    She is local, I don't have to book so far in advance and she works with you on problems I might have once I leave her salon.   In fact, I went back to her the next week so she could show me how she fixed my hair.    Now this salon is a "high end" one but she was able to fit me in with a 2 day notice!    The cost is a little more but the convenience is well worth it to me.

I texted the receptionist at the old salon to cancel my July appointment and got a text back from my original stylist asking if anything was wrong.   She's never contacted me in any way whatsoever so I found that a little odd.    Then she left me a voice mail yesterday....I still haven't cancelled my August appointment but I'm going to.    I don't want to burn any bridges with her because we did become friends over time and I like her as a person.    My daughter and granddaughter still use another stylist at that salon so I don't want things to be uncomfortable for them.  

I'm having a dilemma as to handle my breakup with my original stylist.    My husband says to just tell her that he wants me to use someone in town and that is a little more flexible to get an appointment with.   I'm not good with things like this.    I want to make a "clean" break but still be able to maintain a friendship with her in the event I ever need to go back....does that make sense?  Because why would I go back if I've been unhappy for a while?   See...confused!!

So help a girl out!   How would you handle this situation and what would you say?   I know some folks would say I don't owe her an explanation, just cancel and that would be that.   But I do feel like with the time I have invested with her, I owe her some kind of reply, don't you?  

I'd love any suggestions on how you would handle this sticky situation.   Thanks! 

Jalapeno Pinwheels and Class Reunions

I recently attended my class reunion and although it was catered, some of the "girls" brought snacks and appetizers to munch on until our main meal was served.   One of my high school friends brought these pinwheels and although I missed out on trying them (too busy socializing!) my husband loved them.   So I asked my friend for her recipe and I'm sharing it with ya'll today. 

JALAPENO PINWHEELS

• 1 8 OZ. pkg. creme cheese
• 1 container of chive and onion creme cheese
• 1/4 cup sour creme
• 12-16 oz. shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup chopped jalapenos
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1 pkg. flour tortillas

Mix all until well blended.   Spread filling over tortillas.  Roll up and cover in plastic wrap for several hours (or overnight).  Cut into pinwheels.   (The end of the rolls won't have filling in them, but put them aside and watch how fast they go!)

DISCLAIMER:   Since I haven't made these I don't know how many hours to cover them....I'd say at least 4-6 and would probably be best if left covered overnight.   She also didn't say to refrigerate while covered but I would think so.   I copied the recipe as it was provided to me.

I plan on making these soon as my husband raved over them....of course he loves anything with jalapeno's!

Here's a picture of our "class" someone sent me.   I went to a small private school and we only had about 26 graduating seniors....two of which are deceased.

  (I'm on the end wearing black top and white jeans...my friend that I worked with on the reunion is also in black and white...not planned!)

My good friend and I worked on the reunion for about a year and were able to contact all of our remaining classmates but some were unable to attend.   We combined our class with the ones above and below us so we had a pretty nice turn out.   

We had a great time and it was great connecting with some people I haven't seen in a looooooong time!   I really enjoyed meeting some of the spouses of the guys in my class.....even the wife of my high school "crush"!    Several people were really unrecognizable (not necessarily in a bad way) so it's a good thing we had name badges!    One of the men, a local dentist, was such a quiet unassuming guy in school....and man has he changed!   He and his wife were a lot of fun.....he's also my daughter's dentist.   My best friend from high school was unable to attend but we have reconnected and hope to have a visit soon.  

Have you ever attended your class reunion?   If you haven't and ever get a chance, I would recommend going....I had a great time at mine!

 
 

Happy Birthday To My Son

Today my "baby" turns 41! How can that be? I'm so proud of the man he has become....loving father, wonderful husband and fantastic provider to his family. He has worked hard and it's paying off for him.

(son and granddaughter)

(source)

I hope you have a wonderful day sweetheart!   I love you....Mom

Burlap Lined Tray

I love trays! They are so useful and attractive just about anywhere in your home. Over the years I've accumulated (you might even say hoarded) a number of different types of trays. I have quite a stash of them in our storage building as well as around the house.  

I love seeing how other people use trays and when I saw the burlap lined tray that Yvonne made I knew I had to have one for myself! I recently came across a rustic divided tray at a local flea market for a whopping $17.50! I couldn't get to the register quick enough to pay for it! Shortly thereafter I bought some typewriter inspired burlap and made my own version of Yvonne's.

 

Here are the quick and easy steps I did to make my lined tray

Instead of gluing down the fabric to the inside of my tray, I decided to cover a form that would fit snugly into the tray but that I could remove when I wanted and/or change up from time to time.   I had a piece of  foam board that I had my husband cut to fit inside the two sections of the tray.      It wasn't precise but no one was going to see that foam board but me.   He cut the pieces just slightly smaller than the measurements taking into consideration the slight bulk of the fabric so it would be a nice, snug fit.

 I found the burlap at Joanne's Fabrics...the only place I could find the typewriter burlap

 

After that I used my foam board pieces as my pattern to cut two identical pieces of burlap.    Then while my husband pulled the fabric tight around all four sides of the foam board, I used heavy duty tape to tape it to the back....real technical I know!   When all four sides were taped down, I did a test run to see how it would fit and it was perfect!

This was my kind of project...quick and easy with big results!   

I put it on my "new" wicker trunk (more on that on another post) in the sun room but ultimately decided to put it on the coffee table in the den.

So here's where it ended up....on the coffee table in our den

(You can see the base of a fan in the left corner of this photo....we're in Alabama here and it's hot as all get out...even with the ceiling fan)

I love, love, love how it turned out!   Do you love trays as much as I do? 

New Sandals

I've been needing (translation: wanting) some gold sandals this summer. I've looked on line but the ones I liked were either sold out or way more than I was willing to pay. While browsing around at T.J. Maxx today I saw a cute pair by Steve Madden and the price was just right!

 Can you believe that price!?!?!

We spent a wonderful 4th on the lake.   It started raining cats and dogs just when we started the low country boil but our "resourceful" men brought a tent to put up on the deck so they could cook and stay somewhat dry.   

 

Sunset on the lake...just beautiful.   

I'll be back later this week to share our 4th of July with family.   

Thanks for stopping by!

America....Land That I Love