Al and Joe, Henry and Ro

HI, I'm Allison!

Charlottean, NC State Alum, transplant Atlantan

Married, gainfully employed and trying to fake it 'til I make it in basically all categories

Topics covered: life in the peach state, the adventures of Henry and Ronin, pretty dresses, etc.

The etcetera portion will likely include instances of me making a fool of myself and food I like.

Welcome.

I don’t know the last time I loved a song this much, but I can tell you that it’s been a long time.

Give it a listen.

(Source: Spotify)

fullcredit: JUST KIDDING I FOUND SOMETHING EVEN BETTER Olivia Benson has been busy living my dream life. I hope these two are in discussions of Joe Biden replacing Detective Amanda Rollins post VP term because there had better be a season 17 of SVU.

fullcredit:

JUST KIDDING I FOUND SOMETHING EVEN BETTER

Olivia Benson has been busy living my dream life.

I hope these two are in discussions of Joe Biden replacing Detective Amanda Rollins post VP term because there had better be a season 17 of SVU.

Last weekend, the girls in my extended family road tripped to Fripp Island, SC for a quick weekend getaway. My grandma, her sister, and a few generations of girls in each of their families came. The sleepy pace of Fripp and Beaufort was perfect. Both mornings we had deer wander into our backyard looking for food. They ate apples and celery out of our hands. We had a nearly four hour dinner at Wren after losing track of time. It turns out a few bottles of wine and non-stop laughing will do that. In the afternoons we sat on a near empty beach and endured the chilly temperatures and chillier wind to get a little tan but mostly sunburned. We wandered the neighborhood by golf cart and after a while, found the only beach bar that was open, where we were the bartender’s only customers. On Saturday night we went to a neighborhood tavern for dinner at 10 PM and ate fried seafood while all of the drunk patrons sang along to “Don’t Stop Believing”. And we didn’t remember to take a single picture of the group all together. Sometimes I think that’s an indicator of the very best kind of weekend. The cherry on top was coming back to meet our family’s newest addition, Wyatt Richard. He joined the world almost a month early and is a goofy, grandpa-looking guy, and little brother to my favorite now toddler, Luke. We all left under the assumption that yes, we will do this again. I am already looking forward to next time.

Last weekend, the girls in my extended family road tripped to Fripp Island, SC for a quick weekend getaway. My grandma, her sister, and a few generations of girls in each of their families came.

The sleepy pace of Fripp and Beaufort was perfect.

Both mornings we had deer wander into our backyard looking for food. They ate apples and celery out of our hands.

We had a nearly four hour dinner at Wren after losing track of time. It turns out a few bottles of wine and non-stop laughing will do that.

In the afternoons we sat on a near empty beach and endured the chilly temperatures and chillier wind to get a little tan but mostly sunburned.

We wandered the neighborhood by golf cart and after a while, found the only beach bar that was open, where we were the bartender’s only customers.

On Saturday night we went to a neighborhood tavern for dinner at 10 PM and ate fried seafood while all of the drunk patrons sang along to “Don’t Stop Believing”.

And we didn’t remember to take a single picture of the group all together. Sometimes I think that’s an indicator of the very best kind of weekend.

The cherry on top was coming back to meet our family’s newest addition, Wyatt Richard. He joined the world almost a month early and is a goofy, grandpa-looking guy, and little brother to my favorite now toddler, Luke.

We all left under the assumption that yes, we will do this again. I am already looking forward to next time.

What we Eat

I’d estimate that 85% of my meals in the last two months have been consumed in a restaurant or drive-thru line. Yes, in a drive-thru line because waiting until you get home is for people who don’t enjoy fries that burn off your fingertips.

I very much look and feel like that percentage would indicate.

These are a few very bomb meals I have made in recent history that are worth discussing: 

  • Beef Bulgogi- I did not even know what this was until seeing it on V’s Instagram and was basically a rabid dog until I could get to the grocery store. I went with her tweaks and added edamame and piled it on Soba noodles. It was a 10 out of 10 and I’m making it again tonight. 
  • Chicken Tikka Masala- this is an old favorite that, to me, works for every season. If you only have one Indian dish in your arsenal, this should be a candidate. It makes enough for the entire week and re-heats beautifully. I like to keep the meat mixture separate from the rice for leftover purposes. 
  • Maple Mustard Glazed Pork with Balsamic Brussels Sprouts and Mushroom Risotto (cheated and used TJ’s box version and added a pound of ‘shrooms)- Joe and I brought this to his former Manager and his wife a few days after the birth of their second child. It received rave reviews but that may have been because the alternative dinner would have been Mini Wheats. I will say I was shocked at the amount of flavor the pork held between the rub and the glaze. Note: use 100% real Maple syrup when making the glaze or you may be disappointed. This is also two-year old approved. Their toddler ate all of this which gave me hope that it is possible to teach your kid to have a palette that extends beyond Kraft Mac & Cheese.

On my “to make” list is this parmesan bread pudding with broccoli rabe and pancetta. I hope it doesn’t disappoint, though I don’t think anything with “bread pudding” in the title ever does.

Movin’ on up, to the east side (literally)…

I’d forgotten about this fortune I’ve kept in my wallet for coincidentally, about a year, until last week.

Though it’s quite wrinkled and uncharacteristically sentimental, I still might just frame this little piece of paper. We put an offer on this house on April Fool’s Day (it’s a good thing I got too lazy to continue being as superstitious as I once was) and just finalized our June move.

I am soon to be the least hip girl in East Atlanta and I absolutely can’t wait. Joe already has ample plaid, Vans, and old school Ray Bans so I’m on my own here.

matt-t: SHE GOT A BIG BOOTY SO I CALL HER BIG BOOTY I think Michael’s is running a special on custom framing and I’ve never seen anything more deserving.

matt-t:

SHE GOT A BIG BOOTY

SO I CALL HER BIG BOOTY

I think Michael’s is running a special on custom framing and I’ve never seen anything more deserving.

(via happyhumanscribblings)

Thanks to the Final Four being hosted in Atlanta this year, there were free concerts downtown all weekend. Maybe this was some sort of peace offering to the citizens of Atlanta who had to deal with insane traffic and 100K+ extra people in downtown alone, but I’ll gladly take it. Saturday was primarily rap all day and Muse at night. I skipped most of the rap because if you live in Atlanta and haven’t seen Ludacris perform, I mean, I don’t even know how that’s possible. We saw Flo Rida’s entire set and I was kind of ashamed to know every single song. He actually put on a super fun show. We only stayed until they ran out of beer and then left because I cannot care about Muse. Just can’t. Yesterday we saw Grace Potter who was absolute magic and Sting who did the perfect mix of his own stuff and old Police songs. The man is a legend. We left just before Dave Matthews Band because again, I cannot care about DMB. They closed the gates right as he came on and teenagers were coming through in droves. There were a handful of girls crying outside the gates so I guess DMB is still very much a “thing”. I had to keep sunscreen from my dermatologist on hand at all times to not land myself in sun poisoning territory on the first warm weekend of the year, which I did last year and had the traces of a shorts tan the entire summer. Lesson learned. I’m mostly a dead body at work today but also probably still contact high. And I am most definitely going to see Grace perform again and also pretend that we’re on a first name basis. 

Thanks to the Final Four being hosted in Atlanta this year, there were free concerts downtown all weekend.

Maybe this was some sort of peace offering to the citizens of Atlanta who had to deal with insane traffic and 100K+ extra people in downtown alone, but I’ll gladly take it.

Saturday was primarily rap all day and Muse at night. I skipped most of the rap because if you live in Atlanta and haven’t seen Ludacris perform, I mean, I don’t even know how that’s possible. We saw Flo Rida’s entire set and I was kind of ashamed to know every single song. He actually put on a super fun show. We only stayed until they ran out of beer and then left because I cannot care about Muse. Just can’t.

Yesterday we saw Grace Potter who was absolute magic and Sting who did the perfect mix of his own stuff and old Police songs. The man is a legend. We left just before Dave Matthews Band because again, I cannot care about DMB. They closed the gates right as he came on and teenagers were coming through in droves. There were a handful of girls crying outside the gates so I guess DMB is still very much a “thing”.

I had to keep sunscreen from my dermatologist on hand at all times to not land myself in sun poisoning territory on the first warm weekend of the year, which I did last year and had the traces of a shorts tan the entire summer. Lesson learned.

I’m mostly a dead body at work today but also probably still contact high. And I am most definitely going to see Grace perform again and also pretend that we’re on a first name basis. 

One whole week later, a picture from Easter! This is the only picture, despite all of the family arrangements, in which everyone’s eyes are open and people aren’t talking mid-snap. It was Joe’s first Easter with my family. He’s been at work the last eight years and has never gotten to participate in Grandma’s cash Easter egg hunt. This year everyone brought a dish to Grandma’s but forgot to coordinate so we had enough ham for a village and every side dish was a carb. There were no complaints about the spread.  I baked one of the three things I know how: coconut cupcakes. Please try to gloss over the amount of butter and just know that these are a crowd pleaser, even for coconut skeptics. Post-lunch, my mom thought I was announcing a pregnancy, but I was actually just surprising her with her birthday gift. The cut of my dress probably didn’t help but that was specifically selected for over-consumption. I don’t know where a silk scarf ranks on the scale of birthday card to grandchild, so I hope she wasn’t too disappointed.  We missed the full Easter egg hunt [not over it] because everything and everyone was running late this year, but we did snag a few eggs along the driveway on our way back to Atlanta to meet Joe’s dad for a tapas dinner.  Oh, and I finished my Easter basket goodies [thanks, mom!] a week ago. 

One whole week later, a picture from Easter!

This is the only picture, despite all of the family arrangements, in which everyone’s eyes are open and people aren’t talking mid-snap.

It was Joe’s first Easter with my family. He’s been at work the last eight years and has never gotten to participate in Grandma’s cash Easter egg hunt. This year everyone brought a dish to Grandma’s but forgot to coordinate so we had enough ham for a village and every side dish was a carb. There were no complaints about the spread. 

I baked one of the three things I know how: coconut cupcakes. Please try to gloss over the amount of butter and just know that these are a crowd pleaser, even for coconut skeptics.

Post-lunch, my mom thought I was announcing a pregnancy, but I was actually just surprising her with her birthday gift. The cut of my dress probably didn’t help but that was specifically selected for over-consumption. I don’t know where a silk scarf ranks on the scale of birthday card to grandchild, so I hope she wasn’t too disappointed. 

We missed the full Easter egg hunt [not over it] because everything and everyone was running late this year, but we did snag a few eggs along the driveway on our way back to Atlanta to meet Joe’s dad for a tapas dinner. 

Oh, and I finished my Easter basket goodies [thanks, mom!] a week ago.