REWIND: Sister's Weekend 2012 - St. Louis

Last year we visited The Big Apple for our first annual Sisters Weekend. Sister and I scaled it back this year and opted for The Gateway to the West - Saint Louis, MO - where we shared a wonderful long weekend together in May. I love you, sissy!

Having spent a bit of time in STL, I knew the city offers a variety of FREE! attractions; more than enough to keep sisters on a budget entertained for a few days. And along with exploring the city, we also got spoiled by our host family The Jensens.

So what did we choose to do with ourselves? Well...

FREE! An afternoon stroll through Tower Grove Park. After settling into our room at the adorable Jensen Inn and Suites, sister and I walked to nearby Tower Grove Park and spent time stretching our legs and catching up on men, work and family politics.

FREE! Grooming advice from a caring sister: "I don't know if it's your pregnancy hormones or what, but your beard hair is OUT OF CONTROL. I knew no one else was going to tell you that."

FREE! Backyard cookout @ The Jensens. Everyone in the family pitched in a served a delicious dinner including burgers, chicken, fresh broccoli from the garden, slaw, baked potatoes and stawberries with vanilla custard for dessert.

$10.00 The St. Louis Arch - Journey to the Top. First thing on Friday morning, Sister and I headed to the city's most recognizable landmark - The Arch. At 630 feet in the air (via a very sloooowww mid-century modern rickety pod) we were able to see an areal view of the city. And after about 3 minutes of viewing, we were done. Back on the ground we entertained ourselves by taking pictures under the Arch.

$10.00 (about) - Lunch @ The Vine. After a failed attempt to locate a tapas style restaurant (thanks to the crappy Garmin getting us lost), we ventured back to the Tower Grove Park area. I remembered eating at The Vine before, and I knew it would be delicious. The flavors at this Medieterranean restaurant are like none I've had before. The rice is cinnamon-y and the fresh pita bread is warm and soft. The serving sizes are so generous that you can easily split a plate between 2 people. Did we do that? Of course not! The stretch of South Grand where The Vine is located -  between Arsenal and Humphrey - is host to a whole mess of restaurants, most of which are international. Yet, I keep returning to The Vine because it's just that good.

FREE! Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis - a breathtaking experience. Completed in 1914, this cathedral offers 5 billion square feet (or thereabouts) of gold mosaic tile. Okay, I just confirmed on Wikipedia that it's actually 83,000 sq ft, one of the largest mosaic collections in the world. It was GORGEOUS.

$5.42 - a large strawberry concrete (custard) from Ted Drewes, a local shop serving shakes to the people of STL since 1929. St. Louis is HOT in mid-May, and my pregnant ass needed a big cool treat.
FREE! (Well, free for me.) Dinner at SALT was definitely NOT free, but sister treated me to a birthday dinner. Salt is located in the area of STL known as Central West End (just sounds fancy, doesn't it?) We spotted this restaurant after leaving the cathedral and knew that it would be worth our while. Had we made a reservation early enough, we might have been able to enjoy dining on the whimsical outdoor patio, but this converted funeral home offers an artistic and modern indoor dining experience as well. We feasted on several small plates; gnocchi, pork belly and pickled vegetables, pork meatballs and mussels. Though, it was dessert that really had my eyes rolling into the back of my head - a whipped goat cheese custard (yes, goat cheese) served in a small mason jar, topped with strawberry fluff and served with chocolate sauce and wafer cookies.

After dinner, it was back to the Jensens' abode for some R&R. We watched Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story with the family.

$34.75 - a Saturday morning stroll through the historic Tower Grove Heights neighborhood followed by breakfast for 2 at Local Harvest. I love this place! Their vegan sausage is surprisingly delcious, and they serve a huge portion. (Before you get all crazy on me, don't worry - I'm not vegan. I had enough pork at dinner the night before and thought I ought to lay off for a while.)

FREE! Following breakfast, our busy Saturday tour of STL started with a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. St. Louis City/County residents are generously offered free admission on Wednesday and Saturday mornings before noon. Knowing this, Sister and I turned off our Southern twang and offered our local zip code to the gate attendant...and in we went for $0.00! (Normally, admission is $8 for adults.) The garden is offering a Chinese lantern exhibit through the middle of August, and although we didn't see the lanterns glowing at night, I could tell that the displays would be magical. We were especially impressed with the Climatron domed conservatory, which held a maze full of unusual plants, waterfalls and lizards.

$28.32 lunch @ Wildflower. After a long and hot trek through the botanical gardens, these sisters had worked up an appetite. Our bellies took us back to the Central West End area in search of good grub. The intersection of Leclade and S. Euclid is another little pocket of eateries, and we settled on the outdoor patio at Wildflower. The place was hopping with guests, the food was acceptable, but the service left a lot to be desired.

FREE! We made the quick hop from Central West End to the entrance of Forest Park and headed towards the St. Louis Art Museum. The collections and exhibitions were a bit lackluster in my opinion. The place was half empty, and I felt any eerie sense of abandonment as we headed to the top floor (most of which was blocked off). Regardless, we found some noteworthy pieces to ponder, but our journey to the art museum didn't last very long. I reckon I shouldn't complain about a free activity.

$32.55 Admission for 3 to the City Museum. The rate drops from $15.00 to $10.00 per person after 5 p.m. Sister and I borrowed the youngest Jensen child to acompany her through the museum. Due to my current condition (pregnancy) I was unable to participate , but I was still very excited to see the museum again. This is THE PLACE to visit if you only have 4 hours in St. Louis. It's an old shoe factory that a group of artists restored and decked out with the most imaginative creations, a la Tim Burton. There's an outdoor jungle gym that climbs several stories into the sky, twisting and turning, taking you through gutted airplanes. The indoor space offers a 7 (?) story slide, man-made caves and tunnels to explore, an acquarium...and that's just the beginning! For added admission there's an extra special exhibit on the rooftop, which I've never seen. Adults and children can both get lost for hours exploring this place.

$33.44  Dinner for 2 at Anthonino's on "The Hill." The Hill is the Little Itlay of St. Louis, and this joint came highly recommended to us by a local. THIS JUST IN: Food Network star Guy Fieri visited Anthonino's for his show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives less than one month after we were there. His show is stuipd, but the restaurant was perfect-o! (That's an Italian word, right?) The restaurant itself is rather small and dark, which I enjoy if done right - and it was. The dining room was cozy and offered a good atmosphere. The guests were cheerful and clearly enjoying their meals. The service was SPOT ON, and I couldn't have been more pleased...until I got my food, and then I was all, "WOOOOWWW!!! YUUUMMMMM! MMMMMM CHEEEEESSSSSEEE." Our pizza was delicious. I sure do love pizza, especially Anthonino's. Definitely ranked among my Top 5 favs.
$18.16 Last stop on our tour of St. Louis was Sunday breakfast at City Diner. We once again walked through Tower Grove Park and enjoyed our last moments together. City Diner is just that - a diner with greasy breakfast food and lots and lots of 1950's memorabilia. A little too cheesey for me...but it got the job done. After breakfast we were back on the road - Sister to Lexington, and me back to Nashville.

**You may have noticed that we skipped a few St. Louis highlights...and that was on purpose. What we DIDN'T do?? The FREE! Budweiser brewery tour. Why? Because I've been before and it wasn't all that great. We also didn't go to a Cardinals game. Why? Because last time I went to a game I thought the Cards were playing a baseball team from South Dakota. And guess what - there is no baseball team from South Dakota. Little did I know, the "SD" on the scoreboard stood for San Diego. It is a complete waste of money for me to attend ANY sporting event. And finally, we skipped eating at the world famous Pappy's Smokehouse. Why? Because I've been several times, and because Sister is a martian and doesn't care for BBQ.


$82.41 - gas for the 10 hour round trip drive from Franklin, TN to St. Louis, MO
$16.33 - food for the road - a combination of Wendy's, Chik-fil-A and gas station snacks/drinks
Grand Total: $271.38 (a fraction of what I spent on last year's trip to NYC!)

The Company You Keep

I've heard it said that the older you get, you'll realize "true" friends are few and far between. You know, it's those people you may as well consider family because you're completely YOU when you're around them. They've seen the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between. I consider myself very lucky to have a healthy number of true friends. I don't kno why they keep coming back for more, but they do!

One of those true friends is Jordan, whom I've known since we were 12 years old and in the 7th grade. I haven't seen Jordan since her wedding 2 years ago, and I was SOOO excited when she told me that she was bringing her family in for a visit. She stopped by for one night with husband and baby in tow, and it was wonderful to visit with them. We had just enough time to eat dinner and gab with our husbands for a while before bed. It was too short, but I'm so glad they came through town!

Jordan and I have matured into full-blown women and mothers now, but when I'm with her I feel like I'm 12 again. Not that I'm squealing about cute boys or making a fool of myself at the mall. No, we're perfectly normal 30 year olds now. We spent a healthy amount of time talking about pregnacy, baby routines, baby poop, baby products, baby teething...you get the picture. I just mean that being with Jordan makes me feel like I'm the same middle schooler, like nothing has changed, like no time has passed at all. We slide back into being easy friends like the girls were so many years ago. I'm not even sure I can accuratly describe the feeling of comfort that brings to me.

Thank you to Jordan and to all my precious friends for filling my life with joy!

Fashion in Franklin

Friday night we were invited as VIP guests to attend the 14th Annual Eloise Fashion Show. What a treat! We've been for the past couple of years, but this was the first year Eloise was held locally at The Factory. Fitting, since Eloise showcases student collections from Franklin's O'More College of Design.

I can't say for sure what makes this event so exciting...the runway? the talent and creativity? the surprise element as each piece is revealed? free hors d'oeuvres and wine? mingling with Franklin's finest townies? I reckon it's all of the above. We absolutely LOVE this show and look forward to it each and every year.

We looked on with excitement as the models made their way down the runway. I pretended that Sean was America's favorite fashion consultant Tim Gunn and I was the gorgeous Heidi Klum, and we critiqued the pieces like we were judges on Project Runway. Our front row seats gave us excellent views into the detail, construction and quality of each piece (along with several ass cheeks). So impressive! While most of the collections didn't suit my personal taste, I still appreciated the aesthetics.

(photos borrowed from Beladonis Fashion)

These first 2 pictures are from a collection called "Mrs. Robinson." I feel terrible that I don't have the name of the designer because she was our favorite.

This collection was also very well made and unique. Applause to the furry jacket in the background!

And this piece I loved because of the asymmetrical cut and the metal mesh collar. Very medieval chic.

 

Franklin's Main Street Festival 2012

According to moi - an expert in all things fantastic - this year's Main Street Festival was the biggest and best yet. An estimated 150,000 people come out to browse the arts & crafts and sample the street food (more on the food later, 'cause you know that's what  we're all about!)
Just to give you an idea of the volume...Overnight, the town more than DOUBLES in size. Instead of the population being spread across its 30 sq miles, everyone congregates on Main Street which is about 300 yards at best. It's shoulder to shoulder crafty chaos for 2 days.

Franklin's preservation society, The Heritage Foundation, has done an amazing job of promoting our city over the past 30 years. People from far and wide travel to get a taste of our little Main Street. It truly is the place to see and be seen.

Um, hello Hollywood! Ryan and Juliann blend in with the crowd while they do some shopping. (photo courtesy of Sean's friend W. Dunavant.) Apparently Eli Manning and fam were also in attendance, but no one cared enough to take his picture.

I think Sean summed it up perfectly when he said, "I wish Main Street smelled like kettle corn all the time." And why shouldn't it? There's your next project, Heritage Foundation! Sadly, we didn't eat any kettle corn this year. I'd like to blame Puckett's DEEP FRIED OREOS. Wow, what an experience. I didn't realize the heat from the fry oil would melt the cookie into a soft, brownie-like dark chocolate center.

JJ's food truck was by far the best street food of the weekend. Listen, I love oysters, and I've been dreaming about these oysters on a stick since we left the festival. JJ took 3 giant oysters, put them on a stick, wrapped them in BACON, then battered and deep fried the suckers. The oysters were served with a fresh and spicy cocktail sauce and topped with chopped scallions. And you guessed it - I don't have any pictures because my hands were busy shoveling fried food into my face.

Real Simple Meatloaf

Nothing says "meatloaf" like Mama's homemade...except for maybe THIS. I stumbled across this recipe a few years back, and it's one of my favorites - Real Simple's Turkey and Roasted Red Pepper Meatloaf.

Before you go all "Ewww, Turkey Meatloaf!" on me, hear me out: More than breadcrumbs, one of the main fillers in this loaf is parmesan cheese. I heart cheese, and I'm also a big fan of roasted red peppers.


When our friends Chris and Kassia moved into their new home, I really wanted to bring them a dinner (because moving SUCKS and it messes up your schedule.) This was the first recipe that came to mind. It's comfort food with a twist, and it also freezes really well. I made a loaf for the new home owners, and doubled the batch so I could freeze a loaf for Sean and me. Score! You should totally give it a try.

Busy Bees.

Surely you've been wondering what we're up to since I last posted. I'm sorry to say, I don't have any thrilling stories about traveling across the world, or even the country. We DID, however, leave the state. So where have we been? Let me see...

Earlier this month we hosted a small family gathering for Sean's long lost step sisters who traveled down from New Jersey. Quite fun to sit around the fire and catch up with pseudo-siblings.

Speaking of our outdoor space, Sean spotted a good deal on Ikea patio furniture. We thought it would fit nicely under our pergola (and it does!). We took a last minute trip down to Atlanta to visit the Scandinavian superstore, and my goodness...what a day! Five hours, five pallet carts, and lots of money later we finally made it out the doors. We were beat! We got everything we needed and more. And now Sean gets to enjoy building it piece by piece ;)

While in ATL, we shared an amazing meal at the restaurant Canoe in Vinings. The property is gorgeous and sits right on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. Canoe is best known for its game and seafood. Sean tried rabbit for the first time while I had quail - and both were delicious! Perhaps my favorite part of the evening (besides spotting Dr. Sanjay Gupta) was valet-ing our giant white cargo van (a.k.a the rape mobile) at the swanky restaurant. We attracted a large number of stares from the Land Rover and BMW owners. Super. Awkward.

If only we knew how to prepare rabbit at home...We see plenty of the big-eared fellers hopping around in our back yard. I'm certain they are responsible for nibbling my hostas down to nubbins. !@#$ We're also being taunted by a mischievous raccoon, who ate his way into our crawl space and is supposedly camping out under our home. We've tried catching him with 2 different traps and every kind of goody from apples to carrots to cat food.  Darn thing left muddy coon prints on our brand new Ikea furniture!

In other news, I started a 4 week digital photography class at O'More, and I'm really excited to share better pictures with y'all here on the blog. At least that's the plan...Come September I should be ready to take gorgeous photos of our cherub-faced babe. Doc says the heartbeat is strong, everything looks great, and we'll know in less than 1 week if it's a boy or girl. What's your guess?

Looking ahead, we're going to be busy, busy bees. This week is already chock full of activities (Heritage Foundation meetings, trivia, yoga, HOA, photo class), and this weekend brings the annual Main Street Festival. Who's excited about an extra 100,000 visitors in town? Not. Me. But it's really something special, and we always enjoy it. And in case Sean and I don't get our fill of food truck grub during Main Street fest, Franklin is hosting its first Food Truck Fair the following weekend. So many eateries to try!

My sister and I are gearing up for our 2nd annual Sisters Weekend mid-May. This year will carry us to the gateway to the west, St. Louis. And later that month [GASP] is my birthday. [GASP, GASP] Until then, I plan on enjoying these last few weeks in my 20's to the fullest.

Frumpy Dumpy

I'm captivated by the world of fashion bloggers. I love them and hate them at the same time, but mostly I'm left wondering...Who are these women, and where do they find so much time to do all this shopping and styling? Are they really trying to pass as regular every day people? Because I don't buy it. No one in real life looks that cool, or put together, or has so much time. And when do they find time to do their amateur modeling routines in the middle of their street/ally/random brick wall? Before work? After work? During lunch? Do they even work at all!?!? Where did they gain so much confidence? Where are they "thrifting"? Because I'm certain there ain't no vintage couture dresses lying around Nashville. And WHO is indulging them by taking these photos? And how do they make the world's UGLIEST most mis-matched outfits look kinda cool?

I mean, really...

And here I am getting worked up into a tizzy.

Of all the fashion bloggers I stalk/hate/love/loathe, Kendi from Kendi Everyday is my most favorite. I appreciate her style, her sense of humor and her triumphant story of rising from her unfashionable roots to becoming the owner of a clothing boutique. She is truly an ever day kinda gal. Kendi brings me hope...that I may one day be stylish. And most importantly, her outfits are not whacked out like these. Like, I can actually walk around town or go to work in a Kendi-inspired outfit. In fact,  I've attempted to copy a Kendi look on several occasions, and last Wednesday was one of them.

Here's my frumpy dumpy version of Kendi, y'all. It's proof that I can frump the hell out of the most simple looks.

The real deal:

My frumptastic version: