Sometimes it’s fun to play tourist in your own town. My town is Florence, Alabama, and the other day I was waiting for a doctor’s appointment (stupid high cholesterol) and instead of eavesdropping on overhearing conversations in the waiting room — “And then the nurse told me I should have taken two tablets instead and I told her, ‘Honey, I can barely swallow one!'” — I decided to wander around the block. I’d never walked here before and I was tickled to find the Cedar Nest, http://www.cedarnest.net/, a tourist apartment I’d heard about but never really knew where it was. This one-bedroom apartment is just a block away from all the action of historic and hoppin’ downtown Florence. It’s like a bed-and-breakfast without the breakfast part, although you could walk to several downtown coffee shops and bring back breakfast to eat
on the treehouse balconies.
Across the street, I found this beautifully stately house surrounded by an intricate — and slightly menacing? — iron fence. This house makes me think of a graceful and gracious older aunt who remembers her days as a young belle of the ball before her fiance was killed in the war and she spent the rest of her life gently fading away. Or maybe I should stop reading so many Victorian novels. Anyway, I believe that this mansard roof means the house dates from around 1860-1885. Aren’t you impressed that I know that? Thank you, Mr. Google!
Crafts

I think this is the best baby-shower idea ever: Hand-painting onesies. I helped co-host a baby shower with friends this past weekend and early in the planning stages a couple of the gals said, “We have something you’ve never seen before and everybody is going to love it” — and they were right. At the shower, we set
up a couple tables and offered the guests plain newborn white
onesies with a variety of paints, markers, brushes and stencils. At first there was palpable art anxiety as women who declared they had no talent or skill whatsoever were a bit apprehensive about producing a work of art, but soon everybody was designing and creating like pros. It was a great icebreaker and mixer — and of course the mom-to-be ended up with some adorable clothes and great memories. You also could turn the onesies into a baby quilt or frame the painted sections for unique and personalized wall decor. It so reminded me of birthday parties when my now-20-something-daughters were young and we’d turn them loose outside with paints and T-shirts — remember making stamps out of sponges? The baby shower, however, was a little more restrained. But no less fun.
Restaurants

Here are two of my favorite bathrooms in Tupelo, Mississippi from two of my favorite restaurants in Tupelo, which, by the way, is much much more than merely Elvis Presley’s hometown. The photo on the left is from Fairpark Grill, http://eatwithus.com/grill, an eclectic and modern space with a super bar and a menu featuring burgers, sandwiches and shareable appetizers. Theone on the right is from the Grill’s sophisticated older sister, Park Heights, http://eatwithus.com/parkheights/ — a serenely elegant and upscale restaurant that offers rooftop dining for an unparalleled view of downtown Tupelo. Both of these are owned by the Eat With Us Group, http://eatwithus.com/mission.php, which also started the family-favorite Sweet Peppers Deli franchise. Anyway, I love these bathrooms! Although my husband detests raised-bowl sinks like the Grill’s, I adore them and so wish I could sneak them into our bathrooms at home without him noticing. And the Park Heights bathroom is so peaceful and stylish, just like the dining areas. You all know my thing about restaurant restrooms: They’re the perfect spots pampering customers and making them feel special — like a little extra “We are so glad you chose to come spend your money with us” instead of “We’re forced to offer you these facilities so here you go.” These get it right.
Shopping
One more name-that-store shopping quiz. And this one is easy — plus you get bonus Cute Baby pics! Okay, maybe this was just an excuse to sneak in more photos of my grandson, Capt. Adorable. We were shopping at a national retailer that’s maybe not known for low, low prices but sure is a fun place to stylish and fun budget-friendly basics. And you know that Capt. Adorable’s mommy had scrubbed and sanitized practically the whole cart before we let him in it.
Shopping
Okay, we’re playing the Name-That-Discount-Store again today. And because you all are too good and had no trouble with yesterday’s clues, today is going to be much harder. Both of these photos are from the same store. I took them this past December but you still can get a feeling of the diverse inventory at this national chain that specializes in closeouts. Every time I wander in one of these, I wonder why I don’t shop there more often. With a little digging, you can find fantastic buys on everything from wrapping paper to furniture to weird exotic packaged food that you’ve never heard of.
What do you think? Any guesses?
Shopping
Okay, here’s a shopping quiz to see how well you know your discount stores. Those who feel as if they have to get dressed up to go shopping shouldn’t even try this. Here are two photos each taken inside two different nationally known discount chain-stores. Both are known for their variety of inventory, designer finds and discounted prices. Can anybody name the stores? I don’t have any prizes for the winning guesses — you’ll just have to be content with the satisfaction of knowing where to find the good deals. And really, isn’t that prize enough?????
Memorial Day

Capt. Adorable's other grandparents, Sharlie and Buddy Behel, of Tuscumbia, Alabama. See? I can share!!!
Were you lucky like me and got some good family time this Memorial Day? I count myself lucky — and blessed — because my daughter’s in-laws consider my husband and me bona-fide family and invite us to every holiday gathering. And that’s a good thing because I would hate to miss out on all the food and fun that results whenever two or more Behels gather together. Sharlie and Buddy Behel, my daughter’s in-laws, are some of the most generous and hospitable people I know. Their home is always open to family and friends — nobody’s a stranger. They sort of adopted me when my daughter first started dating their son — I was a single mom then without family nearby and with characteristic kindness they took me in right from the start. And since I’m only a year or so older than their oldest son (my son-in-law was their surprise third baby), Sharlie and I feel more like sisters than in-laws once removed. You can see from the picture how much I care about them — I don’t share Capt. Adorable with just anybody!
Shopping
Shopping in Huntsville, Alabama, has taken an upturn ever
since Bridge Street Town Centre opened almost two years ago. Billed as an outdoor mall and lifestyle center with a stylish European flair, Bridge Street definitely is a fun place to stroll and window shop and see and be seen. It’s beautifully landscaped and maintained and has plenty of
easy-access parking. The retailers here are the usual suspects — Gap, Banana Republic, Victoria’s Secret,
Anthropologie and J. Crew are my favorites — but there’s also a Kate Spade, where I usually wander in, shake my head in disbelief at $525 handbags and walk back out again. Luckily, more in line with my budget are the classics of DSW, Old Navy and Barnes and Noble. But really the best part about Bridge Street is the food. This is where you’ll find the always-popular P.F. Chang’s and Maggie Moo plus the L.A.-based Dolce and Ketchup and a Melting Pot, making Bridge Street a dining as well as a shopping destination. The Monaco theater and the accompanying lounge Scene are hot spots, too. I mean, who could say no to enjoying wine and sushi in a leather recliner while watching the latest flick? Not me.
P.S. I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “If Bridge Street is so popular, where are all the people in these photos, Miss SmartyPants Reporter Blogger Person?” And I say, “Good question.” And here’s the answer: I took these photos about a month ago on the day that news of swine-flu cases in Huntsville was just breaking and schools were closed and everybody was supposed to stay home and wash their hands. And so of course I thought, “This is the perfect time to go shopping.” Wouldn’t you???
Food
Okay, has anybody out there tried the Ziploc Omelet? A friend e-mailed the recipe to me and I’d never heard of it but an Internet search pulled up lots of references. As usual, I’m probably the last one to hear about this! Here’s the recipe, from the e-mail:
This works great and is good for when all your family is together. The best part is that no one has to wait for their special omelet.
1) Have guests write their name on a quart-size Ziploc freezer bag with permanent marker.
2) Crack two eggs (large or extra-large) into the bag (not more than two) and shake to combine them.
3) Put out a variety of ingredients such as cheeses, ham, onion, green pepper, tomato, hash browns, salsa, etc.
4) Each person adds prepared ingredients of choice to their individual bag and shakes. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
5) Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13-15 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. For more, make another pot of boiling water.
6) Open the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.
Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and it’s a great conversation piece.
What do you all think? I could see where if you’ve got a crowd in the kitchen and everybody’s hungry it’s a great way to feed lots of folks in a short amount of time. On the other hand, I’m not sure about basically eating boiled scrambled eggs. One of the best parts about cooking and eating omelets is the brown crunchy bits on the bottom mixed with the melted cheese and of course with this you don’t get that yummy flavor experience. But there’s definitely a fun factor here and I can see where it would be entertaining. I may just experiment on myself with this first — but keep a skillet handy just in case.
Birmingham, Alabama
If I could conjure up my dream store, it would look a lot like Gypsy
Market in Birmingham, Alabama. This combination upscale-convenience and funky-antique store is at the corner of Second Avenue North and 23rd Street, across from Urban Standard coffee shop and What’s On Second
eclectic vintage store and smack dab in the midst of downtown loft living. My younger daughter and I peeked in the store early one
morning after lattes and cappuccinos at Urban Standard and promised ourselves a return visit. Owner Kent Griggs, who had a downtown diner in Birmingham a few years ago, opened Gypsy Market to be a one-stop shop for loft dwellers who need a last-minute loaf of fresh homemade bread or bottle of wine — or something creative and whimsical to decorate the apartment with. There’s also a cooler of ice cream and a pot of Birmingham’s own Royal Cup coffee. This is exactly what I think of when I imagine living in a downtown loft — hanging out in a very cool space and drinking espresso all day. And eating ice cream and homemade bread, of course. Read more about Gypsy Market at http://www.al.com/business/birminghamnews and Royal Cup at http://www.royalcupcoffee.com. And check out Urban Standard, one of my favorite coffee shops, at http://www.urbanstandard.net/.
P.S. Make sure to click on the pics inside the store to see them larger and get all the details in the backgrounds — there’s some amazing stuff here!
