Catching up…

August 8, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

I haven’t had a lot of time to blog lately — so much has been going on — some good, some not so good! 

The most fabulous, wonderful, magnificant thing is… (drumroll please)…I got a new job!!!  I will still be doing transcription from home, but my hours are going to be very different, but the new hours will actually give me a lot more time to get things done for the confection company.  I can’t wait to start!

I ran into fellow blogger Kim Pritt while celebrating my birthday with my in-laws last week at Myra’s Kitchen (shocking, I know).  It is always nice talking with Kim.  She is busy working on the CIS Gala.  I will post more about that later, but Jonathan and I both LOVE the CIS Gala.  It is my favorite event of the year, and it is for such a great cause.  Myra is also going to participate in the gala, and I cannot wait to see taste what she will prepare!

The waitresses at Myra’s were so sweet and gave me banana pudding (delicious!) and sang happy birthday.  It made my dinner extra special!  As usual, dinner was delicious.  I think we are going back again tonight. 

For the rest of my “birthday week,” Jonathan took me to LobSteer in Southern Pines the day before my birthday for our “birthday date.”  That was his first time there, and we both loved it!

On my actual birthday day, mom cooked all of my favorites.  It was great to get to enjoy it with Jonathan, the boys, my granny, my sister, my parents, and my uncle (who never comes to anyone’s birthday celebration, so I felt honored).  Emily Page asked if someone made me a cake, and I told her that none of my family would dare make me a birthday cake!  I’m sure I would love it, but they won’t even give it a try!  The last few years, my sister has gotten me ice cream cakes each year and we all enjoy them (and still are since there is plenty left in mom’s freezer)!

Overall, it was a great birthday.  Last year, I turned 30, and I am actually a little ashamed to say that it was a rough day — not because I felt old or anything like that (yes, I know that 30 is not old), but more because I thought my life would be a little different at 30.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my life.  I have the greatest husband in the world, two wonderful step-sons that I think of as my own, a great family, and a growing business.  I was just one of those women who always said that I would have all my children before I was 30.  Then, all of the sudden, 30 hit me and…no babies!  Hopefully 31 will be the year that some miracle happens and things turn around!

My sister’s wedding is quickly approaching with only two weeks to go.  She has had showers every Sunday for the last month or so and the last one is day after tomorrow.  Last Saturday night all the girls took a trip to Raleigh for her bachelorette party, and we had a great time!  It is rare that I go out on a Saturday night, but I really had a great time!  

There is so much left to write about.  My goal this week is to try to start blogging on a regular basis again…we’ll see how that works out!!

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Drama, drama

July 24, 2008 · Filed under General, Melissa's Wedding

Well, it seems like the last few months have been so busy and crazy that I cannot find any time to blog!!  I have missed it terribly.  So many of the things going on in my life right now are not things I thought I should put out to the rest of the world!!!

I have spent the last week and a half frantically looking for a new job.  I have been a medical transcriptionist since 2001 and really thought I would probably do that forever; however, I am losing my largest contract on the 31st of this month because the doctor is going out of business.  I have cried until I have no more tears to cry!  Working from home has been such a blessing.  Jonathan has no idea what it would be like for me to leave the house to go to work.  I have been a work-from-home transcriptionist since we met. 

I have a few offers – one is a pretty far drive, another is still a stay-at-home transcription job, but the pay is less than half what I make now and I really don’t have a great feeling about the company.   I faxed an application yesterday for a job that I really, really want, but have heard nothing – so, of course, I have convinced myself it isn’t going to work out!! 

I would love a new transcription job, but they are becoming harder and harder to find — much of our work is being sent to India and other offices/hospitals are using electronic medical records.  So, at this point, I am just looking for a job!!!

On a brighter note, we are now down to less than a month before my sister’s wedding.  We are all so excited.  Each weekend is another “wedding event,” which so far have been lots of fun!  This weekend is full of wedding activities. 

Another exciting happening around here the last few weeks is that our “baby” started driver’s ed last week!  He finishes the classroom portion tomorrow and then…they will let him behind the wheel for his on-road portion.  He’s definitely not the little boy he was when Jonathan and I met!

Hopefully my next post will be titled “I got a job!!!!!”

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Oh, poor, neglected blog!

July 4, 2008 · Filed under Family Stuff, Melissa's Wedding

I have been such a bad blogger for the last month!!  Things around here have been crazy and I have actually had some trouble with my blog.  Somehow some posts (and comments — and they were great comments that I hadn’t responded to yet!) are missing and I have just been really irritated with it! 

We are now down to less than 2 months to go before my sister’s wedding, and the festivities have begun!!  This past Saturday was her first shower, and it was great!  I was really excited about this one, because my “Mt. Airy family” was coming.  My aunt and uncle (my dad’s older brother and his wife) hosted a Jack and Jill shower at their home with a big cookout afterwards.   Besides my dad and his older brother, most of their family lives in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, aka Mayberry.  Yes, the real Mayberry.  I love to visit there.  As a child, I would beg to move there.  It is just a different kind of place.  Things really do seem simpler somehow.  And my “Mt. Airy family” is fabulous!  I love every one of them so much and we rarely get to see them.  Melissa & John received lots of really great gifts, and John was able to meet a lot of our family. 

By far, the best part of the night was the pickin’ session at my parents’ house afterwards.  My uncle Dennis (who is married to my dad’s baby sister, Carolyn) is the best acoustic guitar player I have ever seen — and I don’t just mean in person.  I have never watched anyone on TV who I thought compared to him.  I could sit and listen to him play for hours.  He is absolutely amazing.  Some of my fondest childhood memories include Dennis and my uncle Gary playing into all hours of the night.  Luckily, he is passing his gift along, and has taught his son, Jeremy, and his nephew (my cousin), Mitchell to play.  These guys are really doing great and have put a whole new twist on their music sessions. 

Luckily, I had my little Flip video camera with me, and I was able to capture some of the moments of the evening.  The quality is not great, because I didn’t actually intend to use them for anything (so turn your volume up and ignore the laughter), but the song is funny — especially if you have filled up your gas tank today.  So, below is a parody of Bill Clinton (on the left) and George Bush discussing the gas situation.

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What a great cause!!

July 4, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

The folks at Stepping Stones in Sanford are working really, really hard to update their playground.  You can find detailed information at Emily Page’s blog or Anyone Hungry?  They have also started a really informative new blog about the entire program here.  They are trying to raise $37,000 to make their playground accessible to ALL children — that is quite an undertaking, and they need all our help! 

Today, at the Depot Park Fourth of July festivities (which you all should be going to anyway!!), they will be selling raffle tickets and will have lots of activities for children.  Make sure to take a few extra $$ with you and stop by to help them out!

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Function at the Junction

June 27, 2008 · Filed under Downtown Sanford/Lee County

Due to our new shag dancing classes, which are every Thursday night, we have missed the last two concerts in the Function at the Junction series; however, last night we had to make a trip by my shop before our ride home, and as we drove past Depot Park, the concert was still going strong and sounded great!  It looked like there was a large crowd enjoying the music of Tommy Edwards & Friends.

The upcoming list of performers can be found at http://www.downtownsanford.com/2008PosterTBA.pdf. 

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“Anyone Hungry” provided a great suggestion!

June 27, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

I have enjoyed Lindsay’s blog, “Anyone Hungry” for a while now.  I have tried a couple of recipes and loved them all. 

Last night, I made the Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy found here in here post http://lindsayrose.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/salisbury-steak-with-mushroom-gravy/ and it is wonderful!!!  I had never made salisbury steak for some reason.  I served it with fresh smashed potatoes right out of our garden and corn (frozen from last year’s garden). 

If you’re contemplating what to have for dinner tonight, definitely visit Lindsay over at “Anyone Hungry!”  You won’t be disappointed!

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More Herald Restaurant Shout Outs!!

June 25, 2008 · Filed under Downtown Sanford/Lee County, Restaurant Reviews

I think it’s starting to sound like we eat out every meal, but I promise we don’t!!  I was so excited to see Jonathan Owens and a photographer from The Herald in the Fastop Grill in Lemon Springs when I picked up my lunch today.  I am assuming this means they will be the next restaurant featured in The Herald’s restaurant spotlights. 

I’m not really sure when the Fastop Grill opened, but I’m pretty sure it was before I was born.  I cannot remember I time in my life when they weren’t open!  As a child, the locations in Tramway/Lemon Springs where places like Hardees, Food Lion, and Subway (even Jackson Brothers) were woodland areas or tobacco fields.  The only place to eat without have to go all the way into town (which seemed like a really long way) was the Fastop Grill.  At that time, they were open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (for a while dinner was just Friday and Saturday nights), and we ate there A LOT! 

Oddly, I remember the day I was allowed to order a quarter-pounder with cheese.  My dad always had the quarter-pounder and my sister and I were not allowed to get it because it was just to big (and too expensive) for us.  Then, finally, after so very long, it was mine!  I have loved it ever since (as does the rest of my family).  I also have very fond memories of piling up in my papa’s big pickup truck and going to have lunch during the summer.  It was rare that we actually ate there; we always got take out.  But once in a while, he would treat me to a “sit down meal!”

Even when I lived way on the other side of town in far away West Sanford, I would still drive to Lemon Springs for a cheeseburger steak, quarter-pounder with cheese, or the greatest BLT ever!  Now, being back on my family farm, I am only maybe 2 or 3 miles away and take advantage of the close proximity quite often.  Now they are open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. 

I was also quite excited to see Bud’s BBQ in today’s edition of The Herald.  Bud’s is very special at our house.  Bud Burns was Jonathan’s grandpa — his dad’s dad.  After the passing of Mr. Burns, Jonathan’s dad took over the family business.  You can read more about the history here http://www.sanfordherald.com/index.php?pSetup=sanfordherald&curDate=20080625&pageToLoad=showFreeArticle.php&type=art&index=04.

Jonathan has very fond memories of growing up as the “son of the Bud’s BBQ family.”  I still often have people say “now, you’re married to the BBQ guy from Cumnock, right?”  We ate lunch with Jonathan’s dad in the restaurant on the last day he was open as the owner of Bud’s BBQ and it was both touching and sad.  Brandon (Jonathan’s oldest son) and his then girlfriend also joined us that day — it was the day we told him we were getting married.  I also remember meeting Phillip (Jonathan’s youngest) for the first time ever in the restaurant during a Friday night hootnanny (when Jonathan’s dad and his friends would get together for some pickin’ and grinnin’).  Jonathan often recalls his summers spent there and every Tuesday morning his MawMaw (Mrs. Burns) would cook breakfast at 4 a.m. for their family while the BBQ was cooking.  He would then be left to clean the BBQ house while his dad when went to start serving customers.  His list of memories goes on and on.

Just as the article states, the new owner, Bill, has done a great job on the place.  I often hear folks talking about the awesome ribs and just how tasty everything is!

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The “dish” on Myra’s…The Aftermath!

June 25, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

So, I was very excited to see Myra’s on the front page of The Herald this morning.  Amy’s Confection Company and I have made it to the front page of the business section a few times, but never the “big” front page!!  I know it was very rewarding for Myra and Buddy to see all of there hard work spelled out so beautifully by Jonathan Owens!

We had already planned to have Myra’s for supper tonight and we debated it after thinking it would be really swamped after the newspaper article.  Fortunately, we decided we had to have our Myra’s fix. 

Kim wanted to know if they had been busy…I think they were SWAMPED all day long!!  It was a huge crowd for a Tuesday night and they were out of a lot of different things.  Apparently I have been pegged as a country fried steak girl, because they quickly let me know they were out!

I had the pot roast with vegetables for the second or third time and, as usual, it was awesome!  Jonathan had the smothered chicken with fried okra and fried corn on the cob.  I tried the cucumber & tomato salad for the first time and I will definitely be having it again!  We have a surplus of cucumbers on our farm right now and I’m going to try making a similar recipe tomorrow. 

Myra was telling me that Kim and Emily Page had told her about all the blogging surrounding her restaurant and that she had read my blog — I told Jonathan I felt like a blog star (just kidding – sort of!). 

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Yeah for Myra’s!!!!

June 24, 2008 · Filed under Uncategorized

I was so excited Sunday when I read that Jonathan Owens was going to have a piece in the Tuesday paper about Myra’s Kitchen.  Several months ago, Kim Pritt introduced me and the other local bloggers to Myra’s through her fabulous blog.  Since then, Jonathan and I have been loyal patrons and have tried to introduce our friends and family to the quaint, country restaurant. 

Jonathan Owen’s article was great and really captured the essence of Myra’s.  We have plans to go there for dinner tonight and I’m anxious to see if there is an extra large dinner crowd due to the article.   I know there is a piece of fried corn on the cob with my name on it!

I’ll make sure to post about the scrumptious meal I am sure we will have!  If you haven’t been out to visit Myra’s, it is on Colon Road across from Turner’s Chapel Church.  If you are coming from downtown, just go to the Fairgrounds and keep going.  If you are from Tramway/Lemon Springs like us, the new bypass makes it extra easy to get there quick! 

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It’s almost moving day!!

June 19, 2008 · Filed under New House

A year or so after Jonathan and I married, plans were well underway to move forward with building a new house.  We were trying to figure out exactly what we wanted, who we wanted to build it, etc., etc.

About a year ago, those plans changed dramatically.  On Jonathan’s way home from work one day, he passed by the construction site for the new middle school and noticed that they were preparing the house that had been there for years to be moved.  For whatever reason, he stopped and inquired about the house and they said it was for sale.  He called me and I met him there and LOVED this house.  It was quite spacious for a ranch, had four bedrooms (which we had to have), had a giant living room, and (best of all) had beautiful hardwood floors.  We spent a lot of time there that day and went back over once the workers were gone to get a better feel for the house. 

We knew nothing about what it would take to move this house, remodel it, etc., but we loved it enough to want to figure it all out.  Originally, we were just going to move it, do everything required for that, and do some painting and sprucing up.  Boy did that plan change!  We ended up taking out walls to make a larger kitching, removing all the plumbing and electric, and doing a completely overhaul of this entire house. 

Here we are 14 months or so later and we still don’t live there!  With Jonathan and dad doing 98% of the work, it has been slow going at times, but I think it is so going to be worth it.  We have both fallen in love with this house over the last year, and now we are so close to finally moving into it!!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that the plumber shows up as planned tomorrow!!

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