Aaron's Birthday Weekend

Aaron officially turned 32 on Monday August 27th but we celebrated all weekend. On Saturday I took him downtown to a cooking school where the chef specializes in Cajun and Southern cooking. Instead of taking him out to breakfast, our usual weekend routine, I took him to learn how to make beignets and cafe au lait.

Me patiently waiting for Chef Raymeaux to start up the beignets.

Me losing my patience. Bring on the beignets!!!!

Here is Chef Raymeaux working the dough. Interesting guy. He actually got his Ph.D from the Univeristy of Oklahoma! Small world. He was a professor for a while then decided to start cooking. He also does a dinner class on Tuesday nights. We're going to get our friends to attend with us.

The finished product. Don't inhale! Takes us back to our week in New Orleans the spring before the hurricane. We enjoyed these at Cafe Dumonde along with the other tourists. It is customary to have 2 breakfasts in New Orleans (my kind of town!). Beignets and coffee early and then a "jazz breakfast" later. The cafe au lait was really good. I don't normally drink coffee so I was apprehensive that I would like it but I loved it. Of course you need to use the antique french drip pot he has and great chicory coffee poured simultaneously with hot milk.

The birthday boy enjoying a hot beignet.

LATER THAT NIGHT...........

We (myself and our friends) took the birthday boy downtown to 42nd Street Oyster Bar to enjoy some crab and cocktails. I have a new favorite drink - the Jessie's girl. Sooo good. However,Julie and I were disappointed in the Pearis Hilton. Go figure.

Planting a smooch on an unsuspecting Jeff seems like a good idea until you remember your friend has a blog! Ha! Don't worry - I'll put up unflattering pictures of myself, too (see above beignet picture)!

Todd and Kevin enjoying some cocktails at the bar.

Random Picture to Make You Laugh

Synchronized Basket Napping -

I came across this picture the other day and had to laugh. I had forgotten how hilarious it was, especially the fact that Murphy was much larger than Izzy but he took the smallest basket. He was always trying to fit into things. He would make a bed out of a spaghetti strainer if it was left on the table or a shoe box. We miss that guy!

Happy Birthday, Aaron!!!

What a cutie!! Those sweet brown eyes look familiar, don't they? Aaron turns 32 on Monday the 27th and I just wanted to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY early since he likes to celebrate his birthday the entire month of August! There are some surprises coming your way this weekend, birthday boy! We'll keep everyone posted!

Lindsay and Hadley come visit!!

I was so excited to have my great friend and college roommate Lindsay come visit. She didn't come alone, however, she brought her adorable 3month old daughter, Hadley Helen! We visited Lindsay and her husband in Austin 2 years ago when their daughter Mallory was 3 months old so it was fun to see them both so young! We had such a great time!

Hadley getting bathed in the sink! Look at those rolls! The picture of her smiling below is a good indicator of what she does all day long! She is the happiest, chattiest baby we have ever seen! She always grins at you and makes these baby parrot/dolphin sounds all day that are hilarious! Lindsay tried to muffle them a couple of times in restaurants but she wouldn't have it!

(below) Aaron feeding Hadley (he even changed a very challenging diaper!) They totally bonded, especially after he babysat her while Linds and I took the Jeep to watch "Hairspray" Friday night! She went easy on him and slept the whole time.

New Home Improvements

While we are still working on the dining room, I wanted to post pictures of our progress so far especially since Aaron's dad, Mick, visited and worked so hard to put this gorgeous color on the walls! Don't worry we are adding crown moulding to the top so he did not need to cut in! We bought this armoire in New Orleans before the hurricane. We plan to put some black and whites or botanical prints on either side. We bought the chair at Sears and got an AWESOME deal if anyone needs any!

I'm proud to say the entry way is mostly flea market, Target, and ebay finds ecept for the pottery which Aaron bought me for a birthday one year. The prints are from the Atlanta flea market and I didn't post them with our finds last month because I actually begged my mom to buy them for HER house! They were probably the best deal to date and she made the mistake of leaving them at my house for safe keeping until she could get them back to Kentucky! Ha! Thanks for letting me "borrow" them mom. She approved when she came to visit.
This vignette in the foyer is all Target (lamp on clearance!) and flea market as well. The reason I did not feature more of the table itself is because it is a $15 double filing cabinet for which we are going to make a fabric skirt so that I can file things as I come into the house instead of pile everything at the stairs. Works pretty well and keeps my work stuff out of our way.

Mick also painted our master bedroom so we will post that soon!

Fourth of July

We finally convinced mom and dad to play hooky and come visit us from Kentucky! They have been very busy with the house and barn renovations and with the horses, of course but we were able to get them to take a much needed break. We cooked, watched movies, sipped Aaron's famous margaritas, ate at the Farmer's Market (dad's favorite) and shopped (mom's favorite).
Like every 4th of July, it was a HOT one but I think they were able to relax a little bit as well!

Dad enjoyed Aaron's hammock in a big way. He and Izzy (see bottom corner) snuggled in it and took mid-morning catnaps. Fitzi, who looks huge for some reason in this picture (the camera adds 10 pounds to everyone I guess) wanted to participate, too. The dogs love having their grandparents in town.

We had a great time riding around in Aaron's jeep. This was the 4th attempt at a picture where everyone wasn't laughing too hard to take it. Mom tried to salvage her hair with Aaron's hat. I have pretty much given up so I usually look like Diana Ross when I get out. Still worth it.



Sorry for the dark pic. We went to the movies at Regency Park Ampitheater and saw Hitchcock's "The Birds". It's a fun movie to see outside although when you haven't seen it in 20-30 years or so like mom and dad you realize how it is almost funnier than it is scary in 2007. On the way out there was a loud bird sounding off in the forest and a couple of funny teens were running through the crowd screaming "COVER YOUR EYES!!!". Come back soon, guys!

Funny Picture of the Week

I never hesitate to poke fun of Aaron's plant friends. This is a very successful VP in a plant society that shall remain unnamed (as will the person even though is name is actually pretty funny, too). Don't want to have this pulled up when googled! I have never seen him in public without Dickies and a tee-shirt washed to the point of disintegration (this one had a cactus on it!). The Dickies tucked into gray socks and women's LPGA hat were a new addition! I was unable to make it to this field trip but Aaron and I enjoyed reviewing this pic.

Flea Market Finds - Atlanta, GA

As promised, a look at our flea market experience in Atlanta. I HIGHLY recommend a trip to the Scott Antique Market/Flea Market. The prices are great and there is no junk, just antiques and imported goods. We didn't even make it to the 2nd building! Probably a good thing! Take a look if you are interested. Aaron has a meeting back in Atlanta in August so I think we'll find ourselves back here!


Mom haggling for a handpainted lamp.



















We barely set foot in the market when I found this framed peacock painting w/ Chinese clasp and it was a STEAL!! I love peacocks for some reason. We had one growing up for a little while and I remember being both terrified and fascinated by it.

I also love foo dogs since we have 2 Asian pups of our own now. I have the concrete set on porch as well as turquoise and cream porcelain ones but this is my first pair of gold ones. They are very heavy and were an amazing price to start out with and the guy knocked off 1/2 the price just for asking!







We bought these 2 Asian Calligraphy brushes from a man who looked like Johnny Cash. He was trying to make Aaron a deal on a deadly looking machete but luckily we just settled on these. They are made of jade. Almost as pretty as Nate Berkus' photo underneath!







We FINALLY found an inexpensive but attractive mirror for our powder room. I love the Greek key pattern. We were told it was a federal mirror. It weighs a ton despite its smallish size.










One of Aaron's purchases. We have this in our bathroom by the tub. He also bought an old wooden bucket to make a fountain in our backyard as well as an antique porcelain wash tub w/ stand to hold iced beers for get togethers under pergola.

Hotlanta, GA

Last weekend Aaron and I met my mom in Atlanta to show her the city and do some home shopping, botanical garden admiring and Southern food eating - our favorite things to do. It was a HOT weekend for sure and we kept a very busy schedule as you can see from the pics below. The above shot is from The Glenn Hotel, our favorite hotel in downtown Atlanta. It is close to everything and makes you feel cooler and hipper than you really are. As you can see, the downstairs bar is gorgeous and makes for a very swanky late night hangout.

An interesting shot of me in front of the skyline on the rooftop bar. This is a great perk of the hotel as well. There are big sectional couches and tables with a bar to hang out around and listen to fun 80's music like Duran Duran and the Police. When the sun went down it was actually breezy and nice - a great summer night.


(Below) A trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden is always a must for us. They have a great orchid selection and do a phenomenal job with their beds and container gardens. The crepe myrtles and hydrangeas were in full bloom.

(Below) the formal gardens outside the conservatory

(Below) Me admiring a hydrangea

(Below) Mom and I couldn't resist!

(Below) Dekalb Farmer's Market - aka Aaron's Paradise. This was probably the highlight of the trip for Aaron. This is an awesome indoor market that has food literally from all parts of the world. It was so interesting to watch people from different cultures shop and examine their shopping carts! Aaron clearly enjoyed all of the tropical fruits and unusual vegetables (see him below with the world's largest okra!) . We purchased some interesting wines and spices as well as 3 different kinds of coconuts and machete-like spears of Aloe Vera. Aaron plans to make beverages out of them!

Pretties in pink... Mom and Aaron admiring a very large spiky fruit called a durian (?). According to Aaron they smell like dead flesh. Yum. I see why they did not take off in this country. We did not manage to get a picture of me getting busted by the Farmer's Market Police eating a sesame candy I had not yet paid for. He was undercover and nailed me! I wonder how they determine who gets the Farmer's Market beat. Is that a promotion or demotion?

Stay tuned for pics of our finds from the Scott Antique Market. What a blast!

Aaron's First Post

Aaron's first post... As you can see, the Jeep is getting seriously ready for some summer fun... no doors, no top, no worries. BUT wait, did you see something fly out?? Oops.. better buckle up, double check those cargo pockets, and safely stow your belongings. Stacey doesn't seem to appreciate sudden scavenger hunts involving her credit cards.

It is early peak season at our semi-tropical oasis. Fresh fragrance from our jasmine, nicotiana, and sweetbay magnolia are finding smiles on our faces while we hideaway from the summer's sun. Considering our options for vining vegetation to compliment the nearly finished pergola. Tangerine trumpets with chocolate throats and mocha fragrance are tops the list for the time being.. Possibly some carnivorous climbing beauties with hefty heartshaped foliage.

Ferocious foo dogs to guard the front. We happened upon these impressive little Fitzi's while at the last Palm Society meeting in Beaufort SC.

Will do my best to keep you posted between tending my tropicals and hanging out in my new hammock. -Aaron

Home Improvement

Many of you have requested pics of some of the interior improvements we have made so here they are. We have been able to make some great purchases through our neighbor Carson who has been kind enough to pass on her designer discount, our friend Richard who was also kind enough to pass on his discount at Pottery Barn (the drapes!) as well as take advantage of the perks of living in the furniture capital of the U.S. (I swear I didn't know that when we moved here!) There are great discount houses for all of the major brands in all of these small towns around here. I love a bargain!!



Most of the accessories we have picked up in Charleston and Savannah like the mirrors over the mantel and the drum table next to the chair. You can see Aaron looking at the yard - he gets to decorate that part! Just kidding. I love that he has an opinion about the inside of the house (unless he disagrees with me!) The couch pillows are from Target!!

This is MY chair (don't worry - Aaron has HIS chair,too). I had picked it out in a store in Atlanta but found it at one of the discount stores in NC for hundreds less!!
Aaron had the fun job of hanging these mirrors and he did a great job! You can't see the nail holes where I tried to hang them without him!










This was pure luck. Our friend Carson could have bought this for us with her discount but we found it at a store in Raleigh and it was less than her wholesale price for some reason. I think it was a mistake!

Working Girl

Here is a picture of Fitzi hard at work with her daddy. Everyone at the college knows her by name and loves to see her coming now. Unfortunately our dog-daughter doesn't want to work anymore. When she sees we are ready for work she puts herself in her crate! I guess we'll have to find another way for her to earn her keep. We were comparing pics now with baby pics and can't believe how big she's gotten!

Memorial Weekend

These are pics from our industrious Memorial weekend. We have been wanting to build a pergola over our back patio for some time but Aaron has been very busy with improvements at Meredith College so we got started this past weekend. Again, these pics are a testament to having good neighbors. We had lots of help and between all of our friends - lots of tools! You can see Todd, Richard, and Dwayne pitching in and Aaron posing next to his prized banana tree. My job was to keep the lemonade, beer, and snacks coming and to prepare dinner. Small price to pay! The frame is completely built so we just need to add the rafters to the top. So far it looks great! We will probably finish it this week so we'll post finished pics along with other home improvements soon.

Random Pic To Make You Laugh (Or Not!)

Okay, I feel a little validated about affectionately calling Aaron's Palm Society friends "Plant Nerds". This is a picture of the vehicle of one of the members. At the beginning of the meeting people bring plants to trade and sell. This person decided to display his plants on his sweet ride. He has somehow made his car more aerodynamic (?) by adding heavy duty plastic to the back and what looks like taping styrofoam or board of some sort over the wheel area which you cannot see well in this picture. I'm sure that cuts waaaay down on wind resistance. I don't think I need to say anything else.

Soggy Cinco de Mayo

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo last weekend and unfortunately the weather did not cooperate so we were forced to fiesta inside but as you can tell it didn't dampen our spirits. Aaron andI grilled chicken quesadillas and made pina coladas and margaritas for everyone. We also made everyone Spanish name tags in case you were wondering why everyone is wearing starbursts. Todd (Dogberto) and Kevin (Roberto) are in top pic (Todd is the one in sombrero - he wears this all the time!) Harrison (Javier) was patient as usual while we posed him just to crack ourselves up. He also looks cute wearing a baby toupee of Julie's (Shakira's) hair and breakdancing. Not sure what Richard (Ricard0) was doing in above pic but it cracked me up so it goes in (sorry, Ricardo!). We absolutely love having friends so close who are so much fun to hang out with. It is also important that our friends like Mexican food since we get together for Mexican food every Wednesday night! What awesome neighbors! If anyone else wants to be our neighbor the houses on either side of us are for sale! I hope it wasn't something we said!