Dating for Dinner {With Friends}

Lake Rabun Hotel Restaurant

Lakemont, Georgia

My girlfriend Beth shares a birthday month with me and so thankfully there is always a reason to celebrate in January. This year our husbands treated us to a night on the town, well, lake with dinner at Lake Rabun Hotel. Our reservations were set for 5:30 so our long drive {about 20 minutes from Clarkesville} that took us around the winding lakeside road was timed for a winter sunset. As I was walking up to the hotel across the stone paved walk way, I noticed this place is quite the romantic getaway... especially if you like fairytales. The lodge style hotel is quaint and aptly decorated to give way to an ambience reminiscent of a hidden cabin in the woods and it faces the beauty of Lake Rabun, a pristine crisp water tucked into the low country hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

photo courtesy bnblist.com

click the photo to be taken to the restaurant website

So what to say about our supper? We had an amazing seat near the windows adjacent the bar, we had amazing attention served to us along with a polite compliance to our request that we have a lengthy meal. Backstory: My Mom tells me about dinner in Europe and how when you take a table at the restaurant it is assumed you'll be there all evening and dine for hours. I have always wanted to take that much time to dine and wine! Our evening took us through 4 courses and a bottle of wine in about three hours.

There is a new chef at the restaurant and I do think he deserves his credit. Chef Ryan Spruhan was named a Best Chefs America chef in 2013 (BCA Award), which kinda speaks for itself doesn't it? I could not wait to experience what he had to offer us. The menu was filled with so many delicious suggestions, complete with newly added dishes from the chef, that we debated every item. We started our dinner with fried green tomatoes that were served with grits and blackened shrimp and then ended up not being able to resist the newly added classic style french onion soup, roasted cauliflower & parsnip bisque, and a winter salad. Each of us was satisfied at this point but anxious to try our main courses. We ordered pork shoulder that was topped with pomegranate seeds and served with fried sweet potatoes, rice, braised kale; a cajun style shrimp and grits; crab cakes {made of crab and not filler, so good!} with honey roasted carrots;  and a satisfying vegetarian dish of creamed parsnip, rice, braised kale, with pomegranate seed and garnished with pecan and a mustard seed honey. I also managed to indulge my tastebuds with a flour less chocolate torte and Beth had a blood orange infused creme brulee. We left happy campers with love in our bellies from a new favorite restaurant. I think that's quite a perfect treat for my birthday! It's no secret good conversation and deliciousness are the way to my heart. 

P.S.  Excuse the following poor image quality of my photos of our meal. My 3G iPhone camera was all I had to work with and turns out it isn't candlelight compatible, imagine that. 

Thank You For Being A Friend

I seriously could probably categorize my besties with these characters. I think the Golden Girls are a great example of how completely contradicting personalities can come together and be best friends. You'll read repeatedly on this blog how much I love how different each of my friends are! I think that the fact I surround myself with such unique ladies contributes to me being personally well rounded.

 

Inspiration Adore

I did another post over at Vantage Point Vintage! This time, I wrote about gypsy fashion inspiration. It's a short read featuring some of my favorite photos from Tumblr and beyond... If you gals wouldn't mind clicking the photo to jump to the post and possibly leaving a comment (so they can see I bring readers) I would greatly appreciate it!

AND in the spirit of asking... I've been teaching my children that if they want something, just ask! The worst that can happen is you not get it, right? I grew up timid of asking for anything and I feel I probably missed a lot of opportunity because of that. Soooo... Lena from Mom2MemphisandRuby is trying to get 300 FB 'likers' by March! She asked, and I'm helping deliver. And in the spirit of full disclosure there is something in it for me... an advertising spot I have my eye on! Help a chicka out, would ya? You'd be making TWO ladies vurry vurry happy. Just leave me or her a comment letting us know you visited via my request! Here's her Mom2MemphisandRuby Facebook Page and if you get a gushy feeling by clicking "LIKE" buttons, here's mine: Chickadette on the Facebook... cool stuff happens there.

Today I cried.

I got a package in the mail today from a bloggy friend. Inside was a belly band that she graciously offered to send to me! When I put it on, I immediately felt the relief I had been seeking for the past few months... both physically and emotionally. You can see my teary eyed face combined with a smile in this photo:

THIS, ladies, is what I was hoping for when I started blogging. I wanted to find friends. I wanted to feel the comfort that comes from knowing someone out there cares just a little bit more. I have friends like this in town I've known for years that I'm eternally grateful for and maybe I'm being selfish by wanting to find more, but who cares? :) I've been lucky enough to begin friendships with many of you and I look forward to cultivating more and hopefully making a difference in someone's life in a small (or major) way like Jess made in mine today.

Thanks Mama WhiteElk!

Birthday Extravaganza!

Once again, I was absolutely spoiled beyond belief. Brett asked Sarah to help him plan a surprise birthday party for me! All of the people above we given a time and a place and chose to be there! These are my best friends. I sat through nearly all of dinner with a huge grin on my face, trying not to tear up.

We enjoyed an amazing dinner at what I now consider a staple restaurant in Athens, Georgia.

farm 255 

Everything on the menu, including the meat, is harvested or raised on their very own farm just outside city limits. The menu changes constantly, of course, as availability is reliant on the harvest.

After dinner, we walked over to a local bar called Manhattan Cafe just around the corner in downtown Athens. It was nice to be able to sit and chat in a comfy corner and enjoy a hot chocolate (with peppermint!).

Someone even scored me a few photos of me and my darling beau:

What outing would be complete without a photo of the ladies + Robby?

then there's the loot

besides the company I was given a ticket to see Edwin McCain (don't judge me... Tambi and I are attending for sheer nostalgic purposes. The 15 year old girls in us couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the old geezer in our own town!), a new compact mirror (that I constantly am in need of) from Thirty One, and I finally received a gift I've been anticipating for years (forseriously)... a peacock drusy quartz ring made by Sadie (to my right) from her collection The French Quarter.

<3

Christmas Fete

Oh my gosh! Heeeeeey! It's been, like, FOREVER!? Right!? Or so it seems... Sorry it's been so long. But alas, I'm back! Soooo, there's news!

I had a party.

anditwasa.GREAT.one

I have this habit of buying clothing off the clearance rack with no regard for the size of the garment simply because I figure one day, I might fit in it. This gold sequined spaghetti strap top is a perfect example of that habit. I purchased the top from Urban Outfitters in Asheville, North Carolina for $6. It has been sitting in my closet for nearly two whole years. It's a medium and way too big on me to justify wearing in public... until I gots myself pregnant! NOW, it's a super cute mini dress that fits just right. The entire back of it is see-through, which I deem inappropriate for pregnant ladies, so I threw it on over a black cotton spaghetti strap dress that was close enough to the same length to get away with. Paired with my fave leggings and cardigan and VOILA! 

Holiday Prego Dress #2

And here are my lady friends:

I'll tell you, one of the perks of being in love with a chef is getting to eat all of the incredible food he makes. I hope our guests felt as spoiled as I did!

If you're interested, email me and I'll send you the recipe.

This was my contribution:

I got off way easy this year. Obviously.

what SHE wore

This is more of a post about what Beth wore. Beth = Awesome! She's a dear friend who shares a love of music, culture, and most important to this post... FASHION. She blew me away the other day when she showed up wearing this amazingly cute cropped jacket! Or so it seemed. She'd actually been thrifting and GUESS WHAT!? She found this most adorable little boys blazer. 

I honestly would have spent a hot minute figuring out how to acquire such an effortlessly chic look. She delighted me by sharing not one but three looks where she is rocking the few boy's blazers she's found. 

We all know what the best form of flattery is, right? Right! Copycatting (is that even grammatically correct!? meh) So here's my take. I spent a bit of time in my local thrift store before remembering that I was on a mission and headed straight for the little boys section. Here is my $2 score:

Not bad, eh? I was pretty proud of this outfit! I wore it on a date with my Baby Daddy last Friday night... before we maxed our credit cards, got kicked out of the bar, and then hit the boulevard. hahaha

{--------------------------> dork face}

Blazer: vintage Jacobson's little boy jacket
Prego Tank: Target
Black Stretch Pants: Fossil
Heels: BCBG (Ross)
Jewelry: made by me

*have you entered my GIVEAWAY!? Click HERE*

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Masq(less)erade!

I went to a masquerade themed tea party last night with my frands. I didn't get one damn photo of  us with out masks. FAIL, Dahlin. But I did get this one:

In Sadie's defense, she didn't know about the dresses. Communication mishap... but her ability to put together a rockin casual yet appropriate outfit wins again. I want to note how much I love these lovely ladies. For one, we're freakin hilarious. I laughed sooo much. We're like the Golden Girls... only better. Yes, I dare say so. I find my confidence and myself when I am surrounded by these beauties. As a matter of fact I found myself in this extremely awkward situation last night that I would  NOT have made it through without their presence. (I ran into the best friend of my abusive ex's new girlfriend. I had no idea who she was but she knew me. ACK! More on that later.)

Okay, so seriously, I was mega impressed with the decor (and some of the food) last night! The hostess, Andrea, made this killer chandelier using a strand of lights and a hula hoop (yessss... a HULA HOOP). DIY to the glorious maxxx.

Here are the handmade snowflake ornaments she made from glitter and toilet paper rolls. She hung them on branches that she gathered herself and slightly spray painted white. 

THE BEST TREAT EVERRRRR

She made these little bites that reminded me of a Take 5 candy bar. THEN she told me how to make them.

Take one square pretzel, top with a Rolo, place a pecan on top & heat in the oven at 250 for 4 minutes then just press the pecan down into the Rolo.

She planned and decorated this entire affair for only $1.

She wins.