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Tuesday’s Treats #44

/ The WheatandTares

The Blue Otter Restaurant & Sportsbar  

The view here is spectacular! The restaurant is located right on the side of the highway, facing Lake Chatuge. The food is really good, too. I’d have to say it wasn’t awesome, but the view made up for the lack of luster. We had burgers, wings, pizza and a buffalo chicken wrap, all served with fries, onion rings and Tator tots (you choose one)…true Sportsbar type variety.  The sweet tea was good Southern style sweet tea, and the cherry cokes were true Roy Rogers, grenadine and all. 😉

The Hiawassee burger is good with bacon, pickle slices and BBQ sauce. It comes with ranch dressing, too, but I had it omitted. The wings were yummy, and my son ordered them with hot sauce; so, they were fire producing! Haha. The pizza was more bread than pepperoni and sauce, but the taste was good. The last time we went, our party got the big “Kitchen sink” pizza, with all the toppings, and it was loaded and yummy! The chicken wrap and ranch dressing was average, not really spectacular.

The atmosphere inside is really cool, but because it was such a beautiful day, we sat outside on the deck with a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains. The waitress seemed a little distracted, which made her a little on the slower side, but she was really nice. Everything was really good, and we will be back, I’m sure.

Here is their website for location and more information. 

Tuesday’s Treats #42

/ The WheatandTares

Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano

Location: Lawrenceville, Ga
 This place is a little fancier than you would expect, pulling into the Kroger parking lot to find a spot. The hostess is a little pretentious, and the restaurant seems like it might be with the white tablecloths and decor, but if you can get past that, the food is pretty good. It seems to be a popular lunch spot, as it got pretty crowded today, and it is listed #5 on tripadvisor.com for the city in which it’s located.

The menu is quite limited; so, if you’re looking for an extensive, authentic Italian menu, you might want to go down the road to Carrabba’s. I ordered off of the daily specials menu, because for the price of a simple entree, I could choose the  “3 course entrees.” You get the choice of soup or salad, an entree and a dessert for $12.95.

I had a Caesar salad, pizza mafia (pepperoni, sausage, bacon, black olives) and tiramisu. My husband ordered a Chicken Caesar, and our youngest got the kids pepperoni pizza. Everything was delicious, but the tiramisu was just ok. It seemed more custard/pudding based and was served in this tiny ramekin (like 1-2oz. size!); so, I was a little disappointed at that point.

The bread that is served before the meal is accompanied by this brouchetta-eske sauce with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Yum! …and I’m not even a tomato fan. The sweet tea is really good; however, as the entrees came, our glasses were changed from these really cool, large glasses to these rather small glasses. So, we had to keep asking for refills. I thought that a little odd. Shouldn’t the larger glasses be served with the meal?

Anyway, the food was good, and we might drop back by sometime…if we’re in this parking lot at lunchtime, but I don’t think we will make a special trip. The regular menu prices seemed a little steep for lunch, and they don’t seem to have a wide variety of choices. However, my opinion may be a little skewed by our personal experience, because once our entrees were served, we didn’t see our waitress again for about 20+mins. (Time enough for us to finish, sit waiting, and my husband and son to “give up” and head for the car.) She finally arrived back in the room, put her apron back on behind the bar and came over to the table to ask me if she should box up the leftover pizza.

That’s when my tiny dessert was served by another waiter. She never seemed the slightest concerned about her absence, even when I graciously mentioned we had to hurry now, because we didn’t know it was going to take so long. Yeah, those moments of frustration, and the disappointment in the dessert,  may have slanted my opinion a bit.

Despite this, I chose to blog this “treat,” because of the TA rating, the amount of traffic they received during the lunch hour, and the food was rather tasty. Maybe we just got a bad waitress, and it’s usually better. Maybe we need to try it for a date night, too… maybe…

Check out their website here.

Tuesday’s Treats #27

/ The WheatandTares / 4 Comments

Austin’s Cattle Co.

Location: Valdosta, Ga.

This place is a hidden gem in Valdosta. You wouldn’t quite expect the quality, as its location is unassuming and connected to a motel, and usually motel restaurants are, at best, hit and miss. Well, this is a “bullseye hit!”

It seems to be locally owned and cared for by people who care about quality as well as service. It’s hard to tell from appearances, if the owners own the motel, or they may not be affiliated at all with the motel; however, it is evident the restaurant is of top priority. From the front door to the tables to the food, everything is extremely clean and treated with “A+ quality.”

The steaks were cooked to perfection and seemed to melt in your mouth, and the veggies were cooked exactly as they should be, not squishy and soggy, and the taste was scrumptious! The menu is quite extensive with choices not only of steak but chicken, salads, burgers, etc. Our waiter was delightful and helpful with the menu, and she was quick to keep our drinks refilled and assist in any way she could.

If you’re in the Valdosta area, and you want an incredible steak, this is the place to eat! Check out their website here.

Tuesday’s Treats #26

/ The WheatandTares

River Grille on the Tokoma River

Location: Daytona, Fl


We love this place. This has become a “must” when we’re in Daytona. The atmosphere is cool, and you can choose to eat inside or outside on the deck. They have large, gentle ceiling fans; so, the temps are too unbearable on a warmer day (maybe not in the hottest parts of summer, though😉).  

Yes, I know, I’ve started this blog with a picture of dessert, but there’s a reason: Thai key lime pie is TO DIE FOR! Oh. My. Goodness. I can be a little picky about key lime pie, too. 😉

For the main entrees, we ordered the blackened swordfish and blacked mahi mahi, and they were incredible! Honestly, the hush puppies are so so, but the grits are out of this world! 

The atmosphere, and the boardwalk out back is great. The time before last we were there, we got to see an alligator swimming by, but we didn’t see one on this trip. They have fish food you can feed the fish, just be careful, and definitely hold onto little ones, as there are no railings on the dock! 😉

Here’s the website for you to find the location and menu items.

Life’s Many Blessings

/ The WheatandTares / 2 Comments

Don’t discount the bad times with just being bad times. Let Him teach you something, even through the storms of life…

The WheatandTares's avatarthe grizzle grist mill

Do you ever think about how many times God blesses us in a day??

Sometimes, it’s just as simple as receiving a sweet phone call or a little card in the mail.

Sometimes, it’s as precious as getting an extra hug from my teenage son before bedtime.

Other times, it’s getting through the yellow light when I’m running late and really should have slowed down a little more.

Other times, I realize I may have been running late; yet, there was also a wreck that might just have avoided.

Maybe it’s the “surprise” answer to a very long ago prayer.

Yet, what about those times we hold out for that answered prayer that, much later, we realize wasn’t answered for very good reasons?

What about those aches and pains which teach us to rely on Him a little more?

What about those heartwrenching seasons that help us to understand another’s…

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Wednesday’s Ode #32

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I love Essential Oils! (…and NO, I’m not trying to sell you any! Lol!)         

Some of my favorites!

 

My journey with EOs began late last year, just after Thanksgiving. We had a very rampant case of a nasty stomach virus in the area, and it seemed our church nursery might be one of the culprits! (Not really, but we sure had a bunch of families who were sick!!) I just happened to      have gotten several essential oils into my little repertoire, and I started doing a little research on them. I found that a great way to combat sickness is to take a little carrier oil, a few drops of EOs and apply it to the soles of your feet, because your feet have the largest pores in your body. This allows more of the oils to be absorbed.      

So, that’s just what I did! I began a nightly ritual of rubbing oils on mine and my family’s feet and pulling on socks afterward (for the oils will ruin bedsheets and clothes if not protected). Our little family survived that month with NO sickness! I became a believer!! There had been probably close to 50-60% of our church family who had suffered from the flu and various sicknesses during that Christmas holiday, and we had visited with many of them! 

Another incident which deepened my reliance on EOs came in March when our little man caught a stomach virus. Now understand, our boys usually are over a stomach virus within about 6-8 hrs. I quarantine them, keep everything highly sanitized and they’re done, never passing it on to anyone else in the house. However, this little big was nasty! I hope I don’t gross you out, but to explain the strength of this virus: JMan threw up every 30 mins for the first 10 hours, subsiding, after that, to every hour for the next 8-12 hours, and by that time, it was simply dry heaves. His little body was just wrecked. He ran a high fever on the third day, and, finally, on the fourth morning, he was getting better. I was right there with him through it all, he laid beside me, trying to rest or watch cartoons. I helped him to the restroom, and I quarantined myself in the room with him for the duration. It was the worst he’s ever been sick!                       

I’ve acquired a nice little collection…got the box from Amazon, and it works great! Doesn’t matter the brand!

 

Well, long about the 12th hour into this, I pulled out my EOs and start application. I, also, started taking organic apple cider vinegar twice a day. With this combination, thankfully, I was able to avoid this mean virus. I was, also, able to use a little bit of peppermint and carrier oil to soothe my little man’s nausea during this time. 

I am so thankful to have discovered these natural remedies for my family! I encourage you to do the same. 

There are a couple of things you must know before you run out to the local health store:

1. If taken incorrectly, or if overdosing, EOs can be dangerous, even toxic and lethal. 

2. Not all EOs are equal. Do some research. See which brand is best for you. 

3. There will be many, especially those who are involved with marketing and recruiting for certain brand names, who will tell you theirs are the best. I suggest you refer back to #2. 😉

4. Not all EO brands are for personal use. Some are better for house cleaning and aromatherapy. Refer to #1 &2 😉

5. Not all purchases of EOs have to break the bank. Check for sales from the companies you prefer. Check Amazon. 😉

6.  EOs won’t always replace doctor visits and other medications, but they sure can help and prevent frequent trips and purchases! 😉

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s Ode, and I hope you discover some great EOs for you! 🙂

Life’s Many Blessings

/ The WheatandTares / 3 Comments

Do you ever think about how many times God blesses us in a day??

Sometimes, it’s just as simple as receiving a sweet phone call or a little card in the mail. 

Sometimes, it’s as precious as getting an extra hug from my teenage son before bedtime. 

Other times, it’s getting through the yellow light when I’m running late and really should have slowed down a little more. 

Other times, I realize I may have been running late; yet, there was also a wreck that might just have avoided. 

Maybe it’s the “surprise” answer to a very long ago prayer. 

Yet, what about those times we hold out for that answered prayer that, much later, we realize wasn’t answered for very good reasons? 

What about those aches and pains which teach us to rely on Him a little more?

What about those heartwrenching seasons that help us to understand another’s pain on life’s long journey?

What about those hard times which bring us to our knees and cause us to reach for more of Him and so much less of ourselves?

There are countless blessings just awaiting us in every new day. 

Let us never look only to the good for blessings, for the bad can simply be blessings in disguise. 

Bring Your Brokenness

/ The WheatandTares

Sometimes, we clutch and hold so tightly the very things that are broken, bruised and shattered in our lives, those things which God so desperately longs to heal for us. It makes me think of a tiny child whose favorite doll has a leg that falls off or a toy truck that has a wheel that keeps coming off. Sometimes, that child will hold onto the toy, trying to put the broken part back together, growing more and more frustrated, because it just won’t work right. Finally, growing so frustrated, they throw a temper tantrum or break the toy further, not knowing how else to handle the situation.

This reminds me of our youngest with his lego building. There was a time when he just could not get some of the pieces apart to put them exactly where he wanted. He has always been pretty independent in his building of things; so, in those moments, he would try as hard as he could to get those pieces apart, and when he just couldn’t stand it anymore, he might just throw the pieces across the room with a loud “ugh!” It took him just a little while to realize if he brought that same piece to mom, she could usually use her nails to “magically” pry the two pieces apart. These days, if he has the slightest struggle with pulling two Legos apart, he may try his little Lego tool on them, and if that doesn’t work, I hear his calling my name to come fix it!

This is, often, I think, how we treat God. We keep holding onto our broken toys, determined to try to fix it ourselves. We keep trying to piece together our broken dreams, meddle with our broken relationships, tinker around with our broken hearts, only to realize the more we “work on it” ourselves, the worse it seems to get!

If we can ever get to the place where we immediately take our brokenness to God, we will find that He knows exactly how to fix it. We will find that He has the perfect remedy, the perfect salve, the perfect tool that “magically” brings it all back together. Now, let’s be clear, when He fixes something in our life, many times, He doesn’t fix everything instantaneously.

Often, He gives us time to process the healing. Sometimes, we may have to learn from a mistake; sometimes, He is using our healing to be a witness to someone else, and sometimes, He is working on several parties at once to bring about His glory in a unique way. There are many reasons why He may not fix it all in an instant. However, you can rest assure, He will bring you peace the instant you give it to Him, and through it all, as Paul tells us in Romans 8:28, He is always working all things for your good. Sometimes, the results are not going to be exactly what we expected, but I can attest, He knows what He is doing! He is God. He is faithful, and He loves us. We just have to trust Him. If we will do this, we will be amazed at how He will bring healing and work through our lives!

Wednesday’s Ode #19

/ The WheatandTares / 1 Comment

  Shrimp and grits at Madison’s Restaurant, Highlands, NC

I just love shrimp and grits! I know, I know, this is really just a Southern thing, but I am a Southern girl; so, I guess it fits. I have to say, if you haven’t tried shrimp and grits, you must give it a try. Actually, you must give it at least two tries, because shrimp and grits can come in so many different styles, and it takes a bit to realize which style you might like. 🙂

There are two main preparations for shrimp and grits. What I will call the Louisiana-style usually has a lot of sausage, spices sauce and tomatoes added to the dish, and, what I will call the “Southern” style, has more grits and shrimp. My favorite style is a little less Louisiana-style and a little more Southern style. Both are really good, it just simply depends on your personal preference. For this post, I will be referring to more of this Southern preparation. 

If the restaurant we visit has shrimp and grits, you can just about bet that it will be part of my order that day. It is very rare that I won’t order it, unless it is a restaurant at which we often eat, we will be visiting again soon, it’s not the style I prefer, or it’s just an “off” day for me, and I plan to try them later. I love shrimp and grits that much!!

My favorite preparation is the kind in which the grits are freshly stone ground, cooked to perfection with a texture which is both creamy and gritty with just a touch of cheese. The shrimp are blackened just a bit and sautéed in a sauce of just the right amount of buttery sauce and spice. …Mmmm, this post is making me hungry! 

Now, yesterday, I had a new kind of shrimp and grits, and the grits just won me over! The menu read “pimento cheese grits,” and when the plate was set before me, I was surprised to see the grits had a fried batter around them! Oh. My. Word! They were delicious!! These grits had actually been cooked thoroughly and then “pattied” and fried to a yummy perfection! I am sorry that I didn’t take a pic of them before I devoured them! At another restaurant, several weeks ago, in Charleston, SC, I had a dish of shrimp and grits that was also scrumptious. This dish I did capture a pic, and you can see it below. The chef prepared it by sautéing the shrimp in a lobster butter sauce. Oh. Wow. It was yummy! 

So, as you can see just by the two photos I have included, as well as, these different descriptions, shrimp and grits can come in a variety of ways, but you will never know which you like best until you try it! So, be adventurous. Try a new dish, and, if at first, it isn’t so wonderful, just simply try, and try again until you have reached the plate you just can’t live without!! Lol. 😉  

Shrimp and Grits at The Oyster Room Restaurant at Foley Beach, SC (near Charleston, SC)

The Battle Rages

/ The WheatandTares

There is a war down deep within.
It is a battlefield of purity and sin.
A struggle for what can be and what forever has been.
The one we feed the most is the one who will always win.

Everyday, this battle rages.
It has continued throughout the ages.
Through sin it has promised, death, its only wages.
Proven again and again throughout history’s pages.

A flesh-filled life gives in to every whim
It holds you in its grasp as your light slowly dims.
The lamp of salvation burns, the wick is always trim.
Hope fills the void, joy overflows the life that once was grim.

A life of peace, to you, He longs to bring.
Hope, love and joy in abundance, He has these things.
He takes away the pain. He heals those life stings.
Your name is called, throughout eternity it rings.

Away from heartache and brokenness it is you He tries to lure.
To the end, he wants to take you if, faithfully, you’ll endure.
Every ill thought and lifeless promise, he longs to allure.
Your precious heart, when freely given, always, He makes pure.

Choices to choose come like a tidal wave.
The easy and popular, the flesh always craves
To choose long-lasting peace, your heart must be brave.
It is your soul He wants, for eternity, to save.

Penned – MG – 1/23/15