I love my 'hood

Even though I live on the not-so-good side of the neighborhood (for now), there are still many blessings over here! I've been getting more involved with neighborhood things and getting to know more people (several on my side of the hood who are as passionate as I am about making this place the best possible place to live). I even volunteered at our local "Night Out Against Crime" (which is a Nationwide event - did you attend yours?) to work in our Neighborhood Watch booth. It was a blast!

Here's Pablo, doing his own version of Neighborhood Watch:



He's available should they ever need a mascot. His motto is "Tough on Crime... and Squirrels!"

Yesterday was election day, and this was my first time voting in anything other than a presidential election.



I have gotten to know my council person (who was a resident of my neighborhood for 25+ years and is still a great participant in making the Village such a great place to live), and my vote helped him get re-elected (though he really didn't need it, he won by a landslide!), I also cast my vote ro re-elect our mayor (not that he really had much competition, but it feels good to know the person *I* voted for is serving the great city of Nashville), and I educated myself on the issue with the fairgrounds and was able to make an informed vote on that as well. That whole "knowledge is power" thing is not just a rumor, folks! ;)

In other news, I don't think I mentioned it much on here, but our next door neighbors (renters) were just awful people. Awful to each other, their kids, their dog. I can't tell you how many nights I worried myself sick over that dog because he was not getting proper care. Josh and I really did what we could, but our options were pretty limited. Our neighbors across the street are also dog lovers and really did a lot for him, too. More than us, but the neighbors liked them more! Haha. Joy of joys, the bad neighbors moved to a different state this week and gave their dog to our neighbors across the street. Not only did my life instantly feel more peaceful the moment they left, but I no longer have to worry about the dog getting proper care. Since the dog never had his shots, got neutered or anything else, Josh and I decided to pitch in on getting him up to par, since we are so grateful for our neighbors for giving him a home. He will be getting fixed on Monday, and he's already gotten his shots this week. It may be a long road to get him settled, so send good thoughts. He's very confused as to the change in his living situation and he's never really had any training or a proper home. He has gotten out of his fence several times. Yesterday I came home to find him in his old back yard. It's sad, but I hope we can all work together to get him acclimated to his new and better life. I think our great neighbors deserve some homemade cookies or something this weekend, don't you?

Even the backyard sunsets are more beautiful with the restored peacefulness on our block!



Though we may not technically be on the 'good side', our blessings are no less bountiful.

Have a great weekend!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out.

A post I wrote about Nashville has been featured on one of my favorite blogs, Sometimes Sweet.:
http://sometimessweet.blogspot.com/2011/01/slice-ofnashville-tennessee.html



Viva NashVegas!

Weekend Recap

Friday night, the hot dog urge overtook us and we met at Huckleberry's for some of their delicious hotdogs served on garlic Texas Toast. I got mine with baked beans.



So delicious.

Saturday morning, I was off to the Farmer's Market again for more chocolate milk and some eggs. I had a small chocolate "chug" and a small tomato and goat cheese quiche.



When I got home, I went with Josh to the Frist because he had to write a paper. We saw the Impressionism exhibit, and they also had a few pieces from Chihuly... I am so bummed we missed it at Cheekwood.




(I need a haircut so bad... I am also going to get it colored the next time I get it cut. Greys begone!)






It was so overcast when we went in.






This was really the only impressive Chihuly thing that they had. The rest of the glass pieces didn't really move me, but I did love his paintings.






It was beautiful and sunny when we left.



Yesterday (Sunday) I FINISHED ALL OF OUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I am so proud to have it all done this early. I did the majority of it online, but went out to get a few things - stocking stuffers and gift cards, bows, etc. But it's ALL DONE. I just have to wait for it all to arrive on my doorstep so I can wrap it. We're not going to Ohio this year and I am debating how early to send the gifts and baked goods up there.

I also started two more batches of strawberry vodka yeasterday.


Just a couple more batches to go... maybe another strawberry and two more pear. Each jar makes enough for two gift bottles. Infusing is so much fun. I can't wait to try different things next year - I have a white wine recipe that looks interesting, and also some brandies.

Beautiful Nashvegas, Tennessee....

Photos from Sunday when Julz and LeAnn and I went downtown to be tourists. I've taken pictures of the same sights 100 times before, but I can never resist! I love this place.

Want Elvis to tell you your fortune?

Or Willie? (P.S. Don't take tax advice from him!)

Legends is my favorite Honky Tonk.

I'm two weeks overdue for a garden update, I'll do that tomorrow, I think!

Weekend! (Saturday)

We had kind of a busy weekend... I took a lot of pictures and I am unsure if I will make several posts today, or maybe just write them and set them up to post in the next few days. I tend to make several posts at once, and then nothing for a week. Oh well, I guess I'll figure out what to do later.

Friday was our Habitat for Humanity build day at work. It has been a goal of Josh's for a long time to do that, so he came along with me and volunteered, and was very happy to do so. I learned how to install insulation. Very good life skill to have.

Saturday we got up and went to the Flea Market. It was a little chilly when we got up, so I wore jeans, and boy did I regret it by the time I got there. You see, it's kind of unusual for Nashville to have such a long spring. We tend to go from cool to sweltering in about a week. But we've had very mild weather this spring, so I've yet to bust out my sundresses. Well, I guess sweltering decided to come on Saturday, AFTER I had put my jeans on. So I basically sweat to death, and we were done at the flea market around 11:30. I can't believe it was that hot before noon!!! It's going to be 90 today, and June is just around the corner... perhaps it's finally safe to put the turtlenecks away?

Pictures from the Market O' Fleas:

(I REALLY wish I would have spent the $8 on the above vintage ice bucket)

(Can you believe these little skulls are carved from KNEECAPS? The Bip was fascinated, and considering the issues I've been having with my own knee lately, $15 seemed like a bargain for a new one!)

(Our only purchase. It now resides in the garden. If you're curious, Josh's wrist tattoo say "Know Thyself" in Greek. I believe it was over the entrance of the ruins of an ancient Greek temple and he saw a picture of it somewhere, and now it's on his wrist. It's my favorite tattoo of his.)

We had the BEST roasted corn at the Flea Market right before we left. There was a little stand set up, and it had every seasoning you could ever ask for, so you could season your corn however you wished. I think we ended up using butter buds, salt, a rosemary and garlic blend, and parmesan. I think we're going to use this idea at the little 4th of July party we're planning. Old Bay seasoning would be great on this, too, I think!

Our plan was to go to Prince's Hot Chicken for lunch. Nashville is famous for it's Hot Chicken, and rightfully so. Prince's is the best. Josh was born and raised here and has never been there! I've talked to him about it a few times, and then someone mentioned it at the Habitat build, so I was bound and determined to eat there on Saturday. According to the internet, they open at noon on Saturdays. We got there a few minutes before noon, and the sign said they didn't open until 2 p.m. Sadness! So instead, we went to "Richie's Hot and Spicy Castle" in Madison. I had never been there, but Josh has been a few times. It seemed like a good compromise.

Let me tell you, that stuff was goooood. Josh had the Cajun Catfish and Dirty Rice:

And I had the just-as-tasty, but not as photogenic Cajun Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Fries (and I had already taken a bite of it before I remembered to take a picture:

It was all so delicious. I ended up bringing most of mine home because I couldn't finish it.... It was just as yummy later that day. I can't wait to go back, and I hope we get to go to Prince's soon, too. If you are in the Nashville Area, Richie's is on Old Hickory Blvd in Madison. Do check it out.

Of course, after all that spicy, we needed something to cool off, right? So our next stop was Baskin Robbins!

(Why am I making this face? Yuck. Total Snooki face, I hate it when girls do that in photos, and there I am, doing it.)

And I can't think of a better picture to end with than the one below!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, napping, reading, and I did some catching up on some DVR'd Giada shows (which reminds me, I have some recipes to print out). It was a great Saturday!

More posts coming up... be sure to think good thoughts for the Bip today.... not only is he getting a haircut (and there is always a chance of haircuts being tragic), but he is painting THREE rooms in the house today AND putting  on a second coat of paint in the third bedroom, which he painted last night). He was also going to put up some beadboard and do some painting in the bathroom, but I think that's a little much to try to attempt in one day!

Hope your weekend was happy!

IKEA and floods....

Last Friday, we decided we would go to the IKEA in Cincinnati instead of Atlanta. Cincy was 46 miles further, but Atlanta doesn't have a Tim Horton's. That sealed the deal.

http://www.timhortons.com/

We got off to somewhat of a late start, and the fact that Ohio is on Eastern Time landed us there about 11:00 pm. We were on an exit with a Tim Horton's AND a Outlet Mall, so we were happy.

This is how Cincy looks at about 70 mph.

In the morning, of course we got our bagels and iced capps from good ol' Tim's, and we headed to the Outlet Mall first. They had a JCrew outlet, and the dress I want for the wedding is from JCrew, so I thought there might be a chance they had it there. They did, although not in white. But it was nice to try one on, even if it was black, so I could see how it fit and all that. I will order the white one online.

The Bip lucked out, finding a white linen shirt for the wedding.... it was on sale, too, and after his student discount, it only ended up costing about $20! We went to the Banana Republic outlet, too, and everything was marked down wonderfully low. Josh found some great shirts, AND right before we were going to check out, he found some drawstring linen pants for the wedding - 40% off! So, he ended up spending just around $50 or so for his total wedding outfit. Not bad.

From there we headed to IKEA. I've been to IKEA a good handful of times, and I usually enjoy myself. However, I usually don't buy any furniture, just decorative stuff from the Marketplace. Buying the furniture was no fun at all. First of all, I had checked online to make sure the couch was in stock. It said they had 7. But when we got to where they were supposed to be, there were none there. Wild goose chase ensued, but we did eventually find it set up elsewhere, which was a blessing. Because to drive 4 and half hours for a couch only to come home couchless would have made us pretty grumpy indeed. We also grabbed our ottoman, slipcovers, an expedit unit for the tv, a rug (though I think we need the next size up), curtains (for four rooms of the house - only $40 total!), shelves, some placemats and a few other odds and ends. Unfortunately, we had to come home without the chairs we wanted. They are not big chairs by any means, but the boxes were HUGE.

We are supposed to be heading to Ohio one month from today to get my stuff out of storage that is up there. We're going to sell as much of it as possible at a yard sale at my mom's. While we're up there, we're going to hit IKEA again (there's one about 40 minutes from her house) so we'll grab the chairs there and possibly (hopefully) several expedit units for the third bedroom/library.

Here's our new couch and ottoman (silk feather pillows were a steal at Target for $9 on clearance. The room is eventually going to have blue/grey walls. Couch is brown, chairs will be cream, accents will be yellow):

Since we couldn't get chairs or agree on a side table, we snagged our sexy chairs out of Bip's storage unit and are using a trunk and old lamp to finish out the living room for now and help it feel kind of like a living room...

And here is our little TV unit. There is another door that goes in the top-left corner, but the Bip has to cut out a notch in the back for the cords to go through. The fact that it's white will make sense once the trim is all painted.

The TV is temporary, too, until we get another. But it works fine for now. Even with all the 'temporary' things going on, the living room feels and looks 100x better than it has since I moved in. I feel so grateful to finally feel peace when I walk in the door instead of stress!

However, IKEA stressed me out enough. It was not as fun as usual, and I was so frazzled I left without buying my usual exit cinnamon roll! And then, when I was outside holding a parking spot for Josh so we could load up the truck, some toothless old man cussed me out for holding the spot. Let's just say what he called me rhymed with "Clucking Pitch". Maybe it's wrong to hold spots? I don't know. All I know is Josh told me to stand there and not let anyone in it, so I did. It was only for 60 seconds or so, but the longest 60 seconds of my life, and next time, HE can stand in place while *I* go get the vehicle!

Our drive home was pretty eventful. We had to tarp everything down because we knew we were going to hit rain. Well, the tarp kept flapping up and Josh kept stopping every 20 minutes to re-situate everything, and then I realized somewhere in KY that we missed our exit to get on 71, so we were heading to Lexington instead of Louisville! Luckily, we had only gone about 20 miles out of our way, but still.  We got turned around and back on track. We hit some rain here and there but for the most part, all was clear. When we got to Louisville there was a lot of traffic stopped and heading north. We assumed it was from the Derby, drunk drivers being stopped and such... then we passed a car on it's side on the interstate, and people lying on the road. It was backed up for miles that way. So terrible.

South of Elizabethtown we finally got rained on.... and rained on, and rained on. It was so heavy! We knew there were supposed to be storms, but we really had no idea how bad it was going to be. It stopped raining around Franklin, KY, and was still dry when we got home (although our tarp was shredded, all our purchases made it home dry). About 15 minutes after we got everything in the house it started again. HARD. Lightning, thunder, tornado warnings. We luckily didn't lose any power, but I was afraid to go to sleep. It continued raining and storming all through Sunday and places were flooding, people were losing their homes, all interstates were shut down, lives were lost. It was such chaos. We just kept staring at the TV, unable to comprehend our city in such distress. Our neighborhood was pretty unscathed. Some people had some flooded basements, but that was about the worst of it. The only thing we lost was several of our sunflowers. Very small price to pay.

Monday, Josh's exams were cancelled as was work for me. It seemed so strange, to be home on such a sunny, beautiful day, but it wasn't so beautiful once you ventured too far. Roads were still flooded, and are still flooded today. I had a heck of a time getting on 40 today.

Just say a little prayer for this city I love, and the people in it who have lost so much. Count your blessings.