Park? Yes Please!

Look at that tongue!

Girly Thank You Basket

A friend was so very kind and watched our dogs and house for us while we were in Montana for over a week. If you have met our dog, Jack, or have been reading this blog you will know that he is a handful. He still has all his puppiness and all the jumping, chewing, and bounciness that comes with that. We are so very thankful to our kind friend who house sat for us. We of course paid her but after a few texts mid-week about Jack going over to the sitter and lifting his leg and uh... "marking" her if you will, we felt we needed to show our appreciation a little more! 

I think this gift basket is a good gift and it is so simple to make. I would definitely encourage you to make one as a thank you gift or for any occasion. I purchased this gift basket set (pictured above) from World Market for only $4! It came with the basket, straw bedding, a gift tag, cellophane wrapping, and twine to tie it all up. Pretty nice for such a small price tag. A bag of straw cost $3 at World Market... so I'd say that the basket set pays off well. 

I filled the basket with various things by just walking around World Market. I ended up going with sort of a pink theme which was determined by the first thing I picked up... Pomegranate Martini mix and matching glass rim sprinkles. After watching our dogs for a week you need a drink! So that was definitely a go! Next I picked up some "Get Gorgeous" organic tea, some bath salts and soap, and finally some purse tissues with a saying that is also appropriate after watching our dogs, "Keep Calm, Carry On". Each item was under $6 each. I also picked up a small martini glass for $2... I just forgot to put it in the photograph... oops! :)

I placed the straw in the basket, followed by all the pink items, wrapped it up and tied on the gift tag (which was signed by all of us). Such a simple to make gift. I hope our house sitter enjoys it and can get some use out of the items! I know I'm tempted to keep some of them for myself... good thing the basket is wrapped up in cellophane! =)

Mom Visits!

My mom came to visit for a few days this week! I was so excited to spend time with her! It was so much fun to have girl time and we did a lot of things that I've been wanting to do in Savannah ever since we moved here over a year ago.

She arrived Monday afternoon and after introducing her dogs, Bailey and Luke, to my dogs, Emma and Jack, we scooted off to grab some lunch. It was really nice to eat and talk and just catch up. After lunch I drove her around where we live and she got to see a more extensive look of Savannah and the new area we moved to. Monday night she was such a good sport and came to our soccer game. We won the game, but I played poorly. I think I was nervous because my mom was there, ha!

Tuesday my mom and I started our day off early. We headed straight down town and ate breakfast at Caraway Cafe & Market. Their food is delicious and the atmosphere was comfortable. I had the salmon and goat cheese omelet. YUM! The breakfast came with a homemade biscuit that tasted like my Great Aunt Pat's biscuits which really topped it all off!

After finishing our breakfasts we headed off to do a trolley tour. I've wanted to do one of them for a long time. Not necessarily because of the trolley, but because I wanted to learn about the history of Savannah. The tour did not disappoint! A friend had told me the best trolley service to use was Old Savannah Tours because they are a local company (Old Town Trolley Tours are all over the nation) and locals get to go for free if you bring an out of town guest. We had a very friendly tour guide who reminded me a lot of the fairy godmother in Cinderella, in looks that is. We also did the 9 am tour and were very pleased that we never had to use the fans that the driver had supplied us with. The weather was actually really enjoyable! I completely forgot to take pictures... but that's okay, just shows how wrapped up I was in the history of the tour.

After the tour mom and I headed back home to let the dogs out. We decided to take the dogs to the park so they could burn off some energy. This was a bad idea. It was blazing hot by the time we got there. The heat was so intense that even the dogs didn't want to run around. Rather they just sniffed and Emma was smart enough to dig a hole in the shade and lay in it. Needless to say, we didn't stay there very long! But on a dog note, I'm also happy to report that my mom's dog, Bailey, who isn't ever going to win any Miss Congeniality awards, did very well with Jackson! We didn't have to put her muzzle on the entire visit! Yay! Go Bailey!

"Yawn... this heat is making me sleepy!"

We went back home and put the dogs up, got our nails done, and then headed out for lunch. My friend had recommended we try out the Gryphon Tea Room. I am sooo glad we went there! It is in an old building that decorated with Tiffany lamps, a wallpapered ceiling, walls lined with bookshelves filled with old books, leopard print carpet, a couple of old arm chairs and sofas upholstered in rich velvets, a baby grand piano, and music from the 1940's. The food was delicious too! I got a summer salad with poached salmon, mango, strawberries and nuts. Very refreshing and tasty! 

After lunch we were stuffed and went home to relax and chill a bit before heading back out to dinner with Miguel at one of our favorite restaurants, Cha Bella. We all really enjoyed our food! Mom and Miguel got a grouper and I got beef. After dinner we enjoyed the city at night and got some cocktails from a favorite local martini bar of mine. 

The cozy dining room at Cha Bella. Photography by Tim A. Rutherford

Wednesday morning mom and I headed to Wormsloe Plantation. This is literally right down the street from where we live and I have been wanting to visit there for a while. I am so glad I finally got there and am very happy that I went with my mom. We both share a love of history and I enjoy sharing these experiences with her! The lands are breathtaking and we both learned a lot about Georgia history! The main road to the old house and museum is lined with over 400 Live Oak trees! The pictures just don't do it justice!

The entrance to Wormsloe

Click on me to enlarge!

The owner of this property was a man named Noble Jones. He was one of the first families to settle here with Oglethorpe. I learned a lot about the history of Georgia from Jones' story. Did you know that alcohol, slavery, catholics, and lawyers were banned from Georgia? And Georgia wasn't a Royal Colony until they tore up their laws against slavery? Also, poor Noble Jones, who was a surveyor by trade, was commissioned to do such a plethora of jobs that I don't know when the man slept.

Just of few of the jobs that Jones had...

The park ranger spent his time casting pewter spoons and then filing them down

The house that Noble Jones built back in the 1700's no longer stands. Only the ruins remain. However, an interesting fact, his descendants still live on the property in a private house. I'm glad someone still gets to enjoy the fruits of Jones' hard work!

The plantation ruins

After leaving Wormsloe we went to go see Midnight in Paris. I generally don't like Owen Wilson, but he did really well in this role. The movie was sort of a period film and the characters were a lot of famous artists and authors, which really appealed to me. Again, I was thankful to go see the movie with my mom, as we both agreed afterwards that the guys would have been bored. 

via

After the movie we went to lunch at a local favorite, Sweet Potatoes. They serve southern homemade cooking. We got jerk chicken and pork over sweet potato mash with black eyed peas. Very tasty! 

The rest of the day we spent doing girly things that we miss doing with each other, like going shopping and getting our makeup done. 

Once Miguel got home the three of us started making dinner, though Miguel was the master chef! He grilled us some really delicious lamb. I generally am not a huge fan of lamb but this meal was very tasty and changed my mind on lamb all together! We had a lovely evening at home eating a wonderful meal and watched a movie. It was so nice to me to just relax and spend time with family!

Thanks for grilling, babe!

I loved having my mom down for a visit! I miss her a lot! However, it is really nice to have the house nice and quiet without four dogs! All the dogs together was just overwhelming! Especially when each dog wanted to be the center of attention!

My mom is under there somewhere!

Finding dogs in all sorts of places... :)

Again, it was so much fun to spend a couple of days hanging out with my mom! Now I'm counting down till we have our family trip in a few weeks! And then I get to see the whole family! Yay!

Jack: One Month Update

So Jackson has been part of our family for one month already! The time has seemed to fly by because we've been so busy. However, Jack has really seemed to settle in well! Here are some things we've learned about Jack in the past month:

• He is scared of rain. He won't go outside if it's raining. One time we were driving home and had Jack in the car. During the ride home it started to rain. Once we got home Jack flat out refused to get out of the car. Miguel had to lift him up and carry him inside. 
• He loves to eat grass.
• He isn't completely potty trained. This is a big bummer. It's not from a lack of taking him outside often. I take him out about every hour. He just hasn't learned how to communicate to us when he needs to go out. Sometimes when he's outside he is much more interested in playing than doing his business. 
• He is a stinky boy! That puppy can produce smells that shouldn't be possible! And he is totally not ashamed of his poots. When Emma toots she gets frightened and looks ashamed... Jack, not so much. He is such a boy.
• He isn't the brightest of dogs. But what he lacks in wits he completely makes up for in desire and willingness to obey. We can let him out in the back yard without a leash. 
• He loves people and likes to jump on them when they first meet... despite our many "no"s and "down"s.
• Every morning when I take him out of his crate he bites my wrist and tries to walk me to the back door. 
• He wouldn't bark if Emma wasn't barking. Even when Emma barks and Jack joins in it is soft and he looks confused like he's not sure if he should be barking at all. 
• Jack wants to be with all the time. Emma doesn't go through doors that are cracked open. Jack on the other hand pushes every door open to try and get to you. I can no longer use the restroom alone. 

• Jack LOVES the car! Almost every time I take him outside he goes straight to the car door and then looks back at me, wagging, as if to ask, "where are we going?". He always sticks his head out the window whenever we roll it down, no matter how fast we are traveling.
• He doesn't like to share cuddles with Emma. If I'm on the ground giving Emma some loving, Jack will barge his way in and push her out of the way and then lean on me. 
• He loves to play with Emma, but at the dog park he can be a little shy. 
• He goes in his crate without any struggle or fight. We say, "go to bed" and he goes straight in. 
• He likes to sleep underneath my feet. 
• He never whines or whimpers when he is in his crate... unlike Emma ;)
• He is a cutie patooty and and I can't imagine life without him in it now! 

Jack Meet Water. Water Meet Jack.

Sunday morning Miguel and I took the dogs to Fort Pulaski. Jack had never been swimming before and we were really excited to show him the water! He was a little hesitant at first, but that quickly faded. He L.O.V.E.D the water! Taking the dogs to the "beach" (Tybee doesn't allow dogs) is so much fun! I adore watching Emma and Jack run around, so happy and free. They love playing with each other. It's so cute to watch their interaction with one another. They always need to know what the other is doing and always want to go too where ever the other is headed. Jack and Emma ran up and down the beach and would then spring full speed into the water. They wrestled and played the entire time, even though it was miserably hot... but I guess the water helped cool them down. I'm looking forward to bringing them again. It's just too bad we live about an extra 15 minutes away from the Fort now. Trips to the water will most likely be a weekend thing from now on. But the drive is well worth it. The dogs had so much fun and they are both sleeping like logs. We took loads of pictures. Here are a few below. =) 

Splish Splash

A little blurry, but awesome that Jack's feet aren't touching the ground!

It's so much fun to run with Dad