New Year's Eve Dinner

 The Admiral=Best Restaurant in Asheville=Fab-u-lous-ness=DEEE-licious-ness=Melt in your mouth! Let the pictures explain......

From the outside, looks can be deceiving.

The menu

Lobster and clam chowder

Beets, Brussels, and Goat Cheese

Duck Breast

Triggerfish

Scallops

Filet

Chocolate Decadence

Bellies are full!  Of food and babies :)

Asheville, NC

We are in Asheville this weekend for New Year's.  Yesterday, we were able to meet up with friends that we haven't seen since we moved back to Selma.  We had a great time catching up, eating at our favorite restaurants, and reminiscing about when we all lived here.  

Friends Justin and Mary Katherine meet us for pizza and beer while passing through.  

Dental Friends Jeremy and Jenn, and her husband Mike.  Miss these guys!!!!!

Jeremy, Mike, Jenn, Katie, Logan, and Me

We tried out a new brewery that just opened this weekend.  Hanging out in bars and beer tasting rooms are not quite as fun when you can't partake in the festivities......at least I was in good company so it was not so bad!

Yummy!!!  

The Arcade......bar for adult "children"

Intense Skeeball competition

So far, we have been in Asheville for less than 24 hr and we have already made it to 3 beer tasting rooms.  We have already eaten at our favorite pizza place (put they were out of our favorite pizza....we might have to go back before we leave).  Also on our agenda is to go to the grocery store and buy Logan's favorite beers and load up the car with as many as we can!  At least he has his priorities in line.  Today, I'm going to try to stop by as many chocolate stores and bakeries as I can....cause now, food to me is as beer is to Logan :)We are looking forward to resting and relaxing the rest of the weekend and New Year's Eve!

Our New, Old House

Logan and I purchased our first house about 8 months ago.  It was built in 1939 and needed some TLC!  Overall, it was in pretty good shape and has great bones.  On the inside, the paint was chipping and falling off, and the plaster walls had cracks.  We have been working on renovating it, and hope to be finished and moved in soon!  Some of our projects included repainting everything inside, refinishing all the hardwood floors, and totally redoing the kitchen.  We put in a HVAC system (the house had a furnace and window units), new plumbing in the kitchen and downstairs powder room, and had the windows reworked as they were painted shut with about 10 layers of paint.  We will put in new toilets, sinks and fixtures for the bathrooms.  We added spray insulation to the attic, and had new electrical done throughout the house.  WHEW!!!  Here are a few before pictures.  I will post some more when everything gets finished and do a room by room tour. 

View from the front of the house.  Look at the windows and how the blinds are pulled tight!  When we bought the house, all the windows had blinds, sheer curtains, and then regular curtains.  Notice how tall the scrubs are in the front.  Logan and I pruned them all back, but we think that we will pull some of them up this spring and start over.  

Back of house.  Yes....those are state of the art window units upstairs.  And the ivy was growing inside the house.

Living Room

This is the living room.  Don't you love the plush gold carpet?!!  Underneath is gorgeous oak flooring.  I love the plaster crown molding.  All of the rooms have plaster walls except for the kitchen because we totally gutted it and started over.

Den

View from front door

 We thought about keeping the chairlift.  It would be convenient for Logan to get upstairs if he has had one too many adult beverages! :)

Kitchen

I kept the sink and had it refinished as well as the faucet.  

Downstairs half bath

Logan really wanted to keep this bathroom the way it was......NOT.  We removed all of this and actually moved a wall here to allow you to walk from the den into the kitchen.

Ranger likes it!

What a jungle!

Sun Porch

Dining Room

I'll do more posts later to show each room and how we refinished each one.  I'll also add some pictures of upstairs.  We can't wait to move in!

Anniversary Trip to Barnsley Gardens

Last weekend Logan and I spent the weekend at Barnsley Gardens in Northwest, Ga.  We had a great relaxing weekend.  The food was great, the rooms were comfy, and the gardens were  beautiful.  What a great place to celebrate three years of marriage!  I would recommend this place for a great weekend getaway.  

 Ruins from the old original house on the grounds from the Barnsley family.

 Golf Course.

 Beautiful Rose Arbor

 Our Room

Happy Spring!

Here are some pictures that I have taken recently of Ranger and of the flowers in the yard.   Enjoy! 

 This is a red-bellied woodpecker, common in Eastern woodlands and forests.  From what I have read on the internet, I think that this one is a male.  I will be looking for it again in the yard to try to get some more pictures.  Ranger is good a scaring off the birds and squirrels, so I have to be quick!