Month: September 2018

Tuesday’s Treats #139

/ The WheatandTares

The Perfect Coffee Place

Location: Newnan, GA

This is an unassuming, quaint and very comfortable coffee shop. They have amazing coffee, free WiFi and the best Morning Glory muffins on the planet!! They, also, have lots of other breakfast items from which to choose. So, go ahead and bypass your “same old, same old” Starbucks and embrace your new local coffee shop! 😉

Tuesday’s Treats #139

/ The WheatandTares

The Original Waterfront Crab Shack

Location: Fort Walton, Fl

This place is absolutely AMAZING!!

It’s the effect dockside seafood dive with absolutely delicious food! We had a large party at lunchtime on a weekday, and we were seated immediately. Our waiter w

Here’s the website.

Tuesday’s Treats #138

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Papadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen

Location: Norcross, Ga

This place is absolutely amazing!! We had actually gone to eat at one of the sister locations just the day before and had a not so great experience, but a friend of mine and I decided to drop by this location to have a “redo,” oh, my. Was it ever worth it! Wow!

We were seated in one of the best seats in the house, a nice little corner with plants and flowers at the window, hissing the parking lot, and a vintage entryway displayed out the other window. The server was terrific. You’d have thought we see his only, and most important customer of the day. So, we were already to set to have a great lunch, but I’m not sure we could have been prepared for the deliciousness we were about to consume!

We started with the coconut shrimp, which are HUGE! These are giants, but yet, they’re not tough like tiger prawns. They are meaty and tasty. Then, I had a Caesar salad, and they put creole grilled baby tomatoes on it. Now understand, I don’t like tomatoes, but if it weren’t for a texture things with me, these things could make me begin to! They’re yummy, and the salad is great.

My friend ordered the salmon, and she said it was probably one of the best salmon she’s ever had. I ordered a season feature, halibut and Spanish octopus. Now look, I’m not exactly the “adventurous type, when it comes to eating; so, I didn’t couldn’t stomach having the octopus 🐙 put on my plate, but I will say, the picture of it didn’t look too bad. Lol. 😂 The halibut was one of the best I’ve ever put in my mouth, and the combination of toasted hazelnuts, butternut squash, all grilled in a light buttery sauce was absolutely to die for!! It was so much food, I couldn’t finish it all, as we wanted a dessert, but wow. That left a mark.

Then….DESSERT. Oh. My. They bring this huge dessert tray with all kinds of delectable, homemade desserts, and you just want to ask them to leave you the whole tray! 😂 We opted for the creme brûlée and the key lime pie. Oh. My. Word!! My friend said the creme brûlée was wonderful, and my key lime was just as if it was fresh out of The Keys, topped with just a bit of yummy whip cream and fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries and blueberries). This meal was incredible, we’re still talking about it!

Note, this Norcross restaurant is on the “high end” of the money scale; so, be sure to take your wallet, but I promise you, you won’t regret it! Papadeaux’s has three locations; so, check out their website for directions and menu options.

17 Years … Have We Forgotten?

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Written yesterday, on the 17th Anniversary of 9/11…

Consumed with memories today…

I will never forget the feelings as I sat on the bed in a hotel room in Cleveland, Tn, on this day 17 years ago. We were in town for a funeral, and I was holding JGrizz in my arms. He was only one month old. My mother knocked on my door to tell me what happened, and I didn’t believe her until I turned on the news. I sat in disbelief, shock, fear and grief as I watched all of the events play out. It felt like a nightmare, a terrible, never-ending bad dream.

How could this be happening in our nation, America, the home of the free and the brave? It was so overwhelming; it was almost hard to breathe. We went to The Blue Hole (a beautiful rock filled area on the Ocoee River) later that day just to try to collect our thoughts and the gravity of what this horror meant for our country.

Then, just days later, I watched with pride, honor and respect as men and women began pulling together as communities, people of all races, backgrounds and walks of life began looking past themselves to something bigger: the rebuilding, the protection, and the defense of a beautiful nation. Firefighters, police officers, welders, construction workers and so many others would come in droves from all over the country, on the backs of big rigs, stop at red lights in NY and be cheered on by the business men and women who were waiting to cross the streets to try to carry on a “new normal” workday. The builders rebuilt and mended the broken walls while the New Yorkers tried to make some semblance of understanding of their, now, broken city. Hope was slowly seeping into every crevice, chasing away the shadows, as love ones were pulled from the ruble, as small miracles were found along the way.

Everyone went the extra mile, wanting to leave no one behind. Everyone worked hand in hand, side by side, to restore the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness upon which this nation was founded. Bravery, chivalry and just sheer, raw, unapologetic guts and strength were applauded that day and each day thereafter.

It was a horrific tragedy, an unimaginable crisis that brought this nation together that year, because the pain, destruction and new purpose for healing was bigger than any trivial opinion, any mindless political jargon, and any petty argument brought about by boredom and self-exhalation. Let us NEVER FORGET what happened that day and the days, months, and years that followed. Let us never be so consumed with the frivolous manic speeches of today’s media and the inessential accusations and fallacies that it takes this kind of world shaking for God to once again get our attention as a nation.

Pray now, church.

Let us NEVER FORGET.

*I do my own not possess either of these pics. Found in a simple google search.*

Tuesday’s Treats #137

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Oink Joint BBQ

Location: Newnan, Ga

This place will leave a mark!

It was late on a Friday night. My oldest son and I were traveling through town and about half starved, because we both had waited to eat until he was off work, we were packed and on the road headed to Florida. His work ran late, and it took us a bit longer to get everything in the car; so, we hit Newnan about 8:00pm. We looked up places on Trip Advisor, and since my son wanted barbecue, we decided to give them a try. … I’m so glad we did!

From the moment you get out of your car, you can smell the smokers, and your mouth starts to water. It was definitely a busy Friday night, but there was enough seating, and there were only two parties in front of us. The menu is on the wall chalkboard, against the brick wall; so, you can decide while you’re waiting. The line moved pretty fast.

We ordered brisket, Brunswick stew, mac and cheese, chicken sandwich and salad. Now look, if you order a salad, just know, it COMPLETELY FILLS one of those carry out plate containers. So, if you were hoping for just a tiny side salad to help you feel better about all the meat and starch you’re about to eat, just forget about it, and enjoy! 😂

Everything was melt-in-your-mouth delicious!! Oh. My. Goodness!! It is one of the best bbq places I’ve ever eaten!! Yes, I’m telling the truth. One of our favorites is Biguns, and this one, now, comes in a close second. 😉 The brisket was actually chopped, just a bit; so, it made “shoveling it in” a breeze! The mac and cheese was shell macaroni with some extra goodness mixed in. The chicken was delicious, and they have three bbq sauces from which to choose: sweet, spicy and vinegar. As I’ve already stated, everything was absolutely delicious!!

Oh, did I mention, I didn’t even get to the salad? 😂 I packed it all to go, with a little leftover brisket, thinking I’d take t the next day to my husband to try. Then, I don’t I’ve off and left it in the hotel fridge! Well, it’d probably have been a mess to try and travel with it anyway!😜

We can’t wait to get back that way to have some more! Here’s their website for location and menu options. They have a FB page as well.

Tuesday’s Treats #136

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Topgolf

Location: Alpharetta, Ga.

The food was great and moderately priced for a “sports bar.” Anytime you eat at an “entertainment venue,” the prices will be just a bit more. However, we did get a fried chicken sandwich with fries, a brisket grilled cheese with tator tots and a pepperoni flatbread, along with 3 drinks and a big “donut” dessert for about $60. It was all very tasty, and the waiter was impeccably nice; so, I’d say we came out pretty good.

The dessert alone was worth the $11. Fried, bite size donuts with “infusable” flavors of chocolate, raspberry and Bavarian cream, complete with little “syringes” to insert each flavor! These were crazy good, but there were so many (2 dozen), and it was so rich, that we couldn’t finish them all! Had they not been fried, I’d been tempted to take them home (fried stuff never reheats well. 😜). … Yeah, probably a good thing, cuz just one or two of those, and I think I’ve gained 5 lbs!! 😂

My husband and youngest son enjoyed an hour and half of teeing off, and the digital read outs gave great stats of range, height, curve, etc. There’s comfortable seating, nice restrooms and fans and heaters to accommodate the changes in the weather.

It was a great day outing, and for all the entertainment and good food, we were only out $150. That amount can be shaved next time with no dessert, no membership fee and waters only. 😉 As my husband pointed out to one of his friends, it’s not necessarily the place for the “professional golfer” or to get that “real golfing feel,” but if you’re looking to work on your swing, don’t want to get bored at the regular driving range, or you need to take someone to get used to golf who might just drive you crazy out on the range, and you’d like to not spend your whole day out in the woods looking for the ball, this is a great, comfortable day to spend enjoying a “round” of golf! They do keep a scoring system for you for a little friendly competition, and there can be as many as 8 to a section; so, with the comfortable seating, ability to bring your own clubs, and all the extra little perks I’ve already mentioned, this is fun for all ages. Oh, and a little bonus, because you’re completely under a covered roof, you’ll have no worries if you get caught in a little summer shower as we did today! 😉

There’s also a “kidzone” registration if you have kids ages 12 and under, which includes perks and discounts, and they are also running a “family pass” summer special May- Sept. For $199, you’re family can come any weekday from opening-5pm, as long as a child 12 years old or younger is present. They have some other packages and deals as well, just check it all out online.

The location we went to was in Alpharetta, Ga. However, after looking at the website, I realize there are, apparently, many across the states! Who knew?