Wednesday, February 23, 2011

On Eating at Rib & Loin

We ate at Rib & Loin last Saturday night. Greg and I haven't eaten there in quite some time and yes, I realize that it is technically on Brainerd Road and I'm deviating from "eating up and down Lee Highway". But, I was in the mood for BBQ. Well, actually, I was craving a stuffed potato. I love stuffed potatoes. Really love them.

The food was great. Greg had a pork plate, I had...you guessed it- the stuffed potato with chicken, and the kids had mac and cheese. We finished it off with yummy banana pudding. Service was friendly and quick. Plus, they played music from Alabama....you can't really go wrong eating BBQ while listening to "Feels so right", "Old Flame" and "Mountain Music". Which reminds me I need to dust off my clogging shoes...

Bottom line: We will definitely eat there again and you should try it too!

Rib & Loin
5946 Brainerd Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421-3501
(423) 499-6465

Sunday, February 13, 2011

On a Saturday Night (we eat out)

Every Saturday night we go as a family out to eat. In the past our usual places have been Cracker Barrel and Wally's until I actually said something like I was going to throw up if we went to either place again. (yes, I'm a grown-up resorting to childlike threats). Don't get me wrong, I do love the Barrel of Crackers but when you eat there like 26 weeks in a row it gets old. Plus, the kids always order breakfast and I keep thinking I can make you eggs and pancakes at home. So...no, more CB for awhile. (fingers crossed).
I thought that I may start writing a little bit about these places that we eat and hopefully someone will give us some suggestions on other places to go.
Currently, I decided we are going to 'eat our way up and down Lee Highway'. I don't know what I was thinking but we've gotten 3 knocked off the list so far. Not sure how many more we will do since the kids aren't fans of Indian or Thai food. We'll see how this goes.
So, let me know your fav place...and we'll check it out. By the way, we typically like local places and tend to stay on our side of town....not opposed to crossing the river but it better be pretty good. ;-)

Sunday, December 26, 2010

On Jenna's Camera

Jenna received a kid's digital camera for Christmas ~ Enjoy!











On Christmastime Gatherings

We enjoyed celebrating Christmas last weekend with my brother and younger sister and their families.

Then we celebrated at my Mom's (again with my younger sister and her boys).




Nathan enjoyed this:

A sewing kit for Jenna:
A swimming Dora for Katherine Ann:
We spent Christmas Day with Greg's family opening presents and playing in the snow. How wonderful to have a White Christmas!

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

On a Sleepless Night

It's 4:30 in the morning and I'm sandwiched on the pull-out sofa (the sick couch) between my two girls. One whose skin is so hot to the touch, it's like sleeping next to a fire. The other whose cough sounds so yucky it makes me sad for her. I'm thinking about all the sleep I've missed over the past couple of nights caring for sick children...how grumpy I will be tomorrow because I'm soooo tired and my patience is worn. And then I hear a small voice reminding me that I will make it through, because HE will help me.

So, I want to offer thanks for a few things on this rainy day:

- I'm thankful that it is 1:30pm and I have a few minutes to myself.
- I'm thankful for my pediatrician and always being able to call and come right in....I'm certain we would have been in the ER last night had we not seen him yesterday.
- I'm thankful for coffee, children's programs on TV and leftover Halloween candy, especially the chocolate kind.
- I'm thankful for my sweet neighbor who with a quick phone call offers to take my place in bringing a dish to church tonight since we will not be there.
- I'm thankful for my husband who said he will try to be home a little earlier tonight.
- I'm thankful that I'm a stay at home mom. Some of my friends have to work after being up with children during the night, I cannot imagine how hard that would be.
- I'm thankful for the overall health of my family.
- I'm thankful for coffee - oh, did I mention that one already? It deserves double billing I think.

And, I'm thankful that for once I listened to HIS calming voice during the night and was able to quit worrying (at least for awhile) about what tomorrow will bring.

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

On Couponing - my fav thing

HA! If you've been around me at all you have heard me complain about this couponing mess. Yes, I know it works for some of you and you can feed a family of 7 for something like 25 bucks a month (I'm looking at you Gretchen). But, if you have the love/hate relationship like I do with my printer...well, you would understand my position. Every Wednesday I scour the newspapers as well as Southern Savers making my grocery list and meal plan. I 'clip' my online coupons and it never fails...I cannot get them to print out. Ever. I don't know why I try anymore. I will admit, it may have something to do with the cord from the printer that plugs into the laptop....there seems to be more than one option - but, I've tried all three, unplugged the printer and restarted the computer to no avail. I love a good deal and all, but seriously?
OK...I'm all done with my rant, I feel much better and guess what - I'm sticking with the old school method and saying 'no thank you' to online coupons. Until next Wednesday...

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

On Labor Day Weekend at Mom's (a late post)

I love going home to my Mom's house in Parsons. I hurt for it when I'm away for too long. It's more than just being with my Mom, it's being in the home that I (mostly) grew up in. It's watching my kids ride trikes around the driveway circle, the same driveway that I rode my bicycle on so many years ago. It's swimming in the pool that I remember being built when I was in high school. It's giving my children a small slice of what it is like to live in a small town...in the country. (But for those who know where Mom lives, yes, I've technically always lived 'in town').

My mom tries to make memories, lasting memories for my children and my sister's kids as we often coordinate our visits. This year she led the kids into the backyard and stated that "we were going to build a fire". Even my 2 year old helped - she followed along and grabbed a handful of sticks to place on the pile. They loved it!

My mom has been having trouble with armadillos digging in her yard. So, my kids enjoyed the treat of dropping worms into the live bait trap buried in the dirt. They were so excited to check the trap the next morning...and thankfully, it came up empty.


I think the hardest thing about these memories for me is that I am acutely aware that they ARE memories in the making. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic but with my mother's current health issues, I'm constantly reminded of how precious our life is. I'm reminded because she's aware too...she told me this weekend, "I feel confident that if I die within the next year, that all the grandkids will have memories, good memories". Thinking about the loss of my mother and with that, the loss of my childhood home makes me sad beyond words.

Also, it's not only about losing my mom but also the physical place that shaped who I am today...the church where I grew up, where my sisters and I got married...the home where my sisters and I celebrated our wedding receptions....the remains of my parent's store where I spent every Saturday working while in high school and most of college.

It makes me sad and even worse, I can't think of a way for that issue to be resolved. My kids will grow up and Chattanooga will be to them what Parsons is for me...possibly this house we live in now will be the one they cling so tightly to later. Or maybe it's just me...maybe I have a hard time letting go.

Whatever the case, I still miss home but I'm determined to continue to make wonderful memories with Mom and my kids and their cousins. Memories of going to the Beauty Shop to see Miss Joy or going to church (where Mommy used to go when she was a little girl) or riding the pony at the Dairy Bar or just riding a trike around a circle driveway. These are the things that remind me of home and some of the things we experienced this Labor Day weekend.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

On a Hot, Hot Day in August

Jenna has been asking to have a lemonade stand. So I finally decided to 'help'. We got our chairs.


We waited for our 'customers' and I listened as my children yelled out "Lemonade...lemonade for sell." I'm sure our neighbors loved the screaming, but hey, for the low, low price of 10 cents they could have enjoyed a tasty drink.


Since we are blessed to live on the same street as many other families from our church, we had a few customers.



We closed up shop after a couple of hours as the natives had gotten restless and began throwing rocks in the road. As well as playing 'hide and seek' with the money. Oh well....we'll try again another day.