Five Things Friday

Thing one: 
After Moo eyes my cup of coffee and lurches for it:
ME: That's Mommy's drink. You can't have it. It's my coffee and it's hot.
MOO: fake coughs (cough-ee, right Mom?)
ME: Smarty pants.

Thing two:
Date nights have become date days over here. We realized that we were paying someone to sit on our couch while our kid slept, so now we start our dates at 4 and come home by 7 or 8, which means the sitter is earning her money and we can still fit in a movie before crashing for the night. It's like getting a 6-hour date! Not bad. It does mean that we're that couple that eats dinner out at 5:30, but at least it's not crowded then. We're embracing it.

Thing three:
Just picked up Zora Neale Hurston's autobiography, Dust Tracks on A Road. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never made it through Their Eyes Were Watching God, but I'm somehow fascinated by this woman all the same. Interested to read her life story.

Thing four:
Downton Abbey, you're overly-dramatic and borderline ridiculous at times, but I love you.

Thing five:
Had a few hours to myself this week and decided to hit up some thrift stores to fill in a few gaps in Moo's wardrobe. Remind me never to shop for children's clothes anywhere but a thrift store ever again. If I have the time to weed through everything, I can find some gems, folks. For a dollar each. Or 75 cents on Wednesdays. Man, I love a deal.

Points

There are a few places that deserve a little extra recognition for their customer service, and they should come as no surprise.

First, Regions Bank. Last week, I was in the drive through, depositing some checks, and I'm sure the teller heard me talking in my silly voice to Moo while we waited for the transaction. The shoot whirs and I open the capsule to find not only my deposit slip but also a lollipop for Moo. Of course, they didn't know he was too young to eat it, but points to them for seeing the car seat, hearing the mommy-talk, and taking the initiative to give us the sucker. 

Second, Publix. Ah, this place just does. it. right. I don't go there very often because I can find most food far cheaper at Aldi, but I was there last week with Moo. He likes to have a little something to chew on while we walk around and instead of doing what I usually do (hand him whatever item from my purse is available), I decided to grab one of their plastic lids that goes on the to-go cups. He loved it. As we walked by the deli section, a woman came out and followed me part way down an isle asking if Moo would like some fresh fruit instead of the lid. I looked down and in her gloved hand was a fresh piece of watermelon and cantaloupe. Points, people. (As a side note, Moo was more interested in the lid, but I was pretty pumped about two free pieces of fruit!)

Third, the Birmingham Zoo. We joined about two weeks ago and have been several times. If you plan to go more than three times in a year, it's worth it to get a membership, and that membership is also good for 150 other zoos around the country. The place is always clean, has clear signs, has trash cans and bathrooms at convenient and logical places, and has tons of activities for kids of all ages. Points!

If you give a mouse some coffee...

Every city has its must-go-to coffee shops, and one of Chattanooga's is Niedlov's. They're known for their homemade breads, but their lattes hit the spot too.

The other week, I had the opportunity to go to Niedlov's with a dear friend and just as we were sitting down to our coffee, I looked down and in the corner only FEET away from us was a mouse. Eek! Actually, there was no screaming. I'm not one to scream at rodents, and this one was particularly cute and moving slowly, so he (she?) wasn't creepy at all. However cute he was, a mouse in a coffee shop isn't that cute, so we moved to the other side of the shop &, not wanting to alarm any other customers, I discreetly told the girl behind the counter about our furry friend.

If you're tempted never to go to Niedlov's right now, keep reading! It gets better--promise.

About 30 minutes later, the mouse found us again and I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands. So, I grabbed a water cup and trapped the little guy under it. Then, I told the behind-the-counter people that I had it trapped & did they have a dust pan so we could send him on his way. Yes, they did, and one of the guys working there took him out to the freedom of the great outdoors.

As a thank you for my service to the cleanliness of Niedlov's, the workers insisted that I take home a loaf of bread on the house. And since they insisted, I had to accept, right?  It was the easiest way I've gotten something free in my life! Their bread is some of the best I've ever tasted, and I'm quite the bread connoisseur. So, I left with a beautiful sliced loaf of Chattanooga Sour Dough and my friend (for being a very loyal accomplice) went home with a bag of sugar cookies. The bread was gone in less than a week--no lie. Of course, we shared some with friends, but I would find a mouse a day if I could get a loaf of bread like that out of it.

Before you judge a place like Niedlov's for having a mouse, I'm pretty sure that every bakery has a little mouse war going on, and at least this one wasn't back where they make the bread. And really, if you could just taste their bread, you'd know it'd be completely worth a mouse siting. My mouth is watering for you.

Thanks, Panera!

Last Thursday, I was out and about, trying to run a bunch of errands on my rare day off, when I realized that I was insatiably thirsty and hadn't actually had any fruit or vegetables all day. Nice. So, I decided to go to a nearby Panera to try one of their "real fruit" smoothies. That counts as fruit, right?

While waiting for my drink, I notice a sign for the new cherry vanilla bagel, and since I'm always thinking of new food combinations, I asked the very fine looking guy at the register if he had tried it. I thought it sounded good, but I was having a hard time envisioning those flavors in a bagel.  He had tried it, but felt the same way, that it was an odd flavor for a bagel. (Insert our conversation about how great cinnamon crunch and asiago cheese bagels are). "Do you want to try a cherry vanilla bagel?" he asked. I just looked at him with "do-I-have-to-pay-for-it?" plastered all over my face. "I'll let you try it," he said. And of course, I let him give me a free bagel--toasted.

So, here's my review of the cherry vanilla bagel, which boasts that it's "flavored with cherry chips, dried cherries and cranberries, vanilla, honey and brown sugar": It's just okay. It smelled divine, like homemade cake, but I think the flavors would go better in a muffin or something that's lighter than a bagel. I couldn't decide if it needed to be more sweet or if it was too sweet, which I realize sounds like a paradox, but I'm pretty sure cream cheese would have solved whatever flavor problem there was  (I didn't want to push my luck by asking for free cream cheese). Bottom line: I was glad the bagel was free. After all, it's hard to top the cinnamon crunch and asiago cheese bagels.

P.S. I just learned that the cherry vanilla bagel is the "Pink Ribbon Bagel" honoring breast cancer. While that information doesn't make the bagel taste any better, I love that Panera is joining the cause in their own way.

It pays to be a Georgia fan

Remember a few weeks ago when this had me shedding rare tears? Well, today I went to court over it. I've never been to court before, so for this rule-follower who almost never got in trouble as a child, going to court and publicly acknowledging my fault was about the worst thing I could be asked to do. I woke up an hour early this morning worrying about what I would say, what would happen if I showed up late or if the judge made a snide comment toward me and I had to bite my tongue and simply say, "Yes, your honor."

I hate not knowing what to expect.

A little backstory: I went to the Municipal Court last week to set my court date. While scheduling my date, I asked if I could be moved to the front of the docket since I was a teacher and only had limited time off during the day. To my surprise, the woman said that it'd be no problem.

Back to today. When I arrived, I was one of about 30 people who were all there for "lunch court." I had to go up to the clerk to sign a waiver and while I was there, I decided to check and make sure that I was at the front of the lineup for the day. I was not. So, I relayed how I'd been told I could be one of first, and the woman said, "Who told you that? We don't do that here." And to the lady next to her: "Did you hear what she just said?" To me: "Say it again." Me: "I was told that I could go toward the front of the line today since I'm a teacher and need to get back to my class." Mean clerk with eyes rolling: "I'll see what I can do, but we really don't do that." Me: "Okay, thank you."

Thankfully, they called me first. I walked up to a table in front of the judge's seat where a pleasant and knowledgeable prosecutor was sitting. After explaining my situation to the woman, she quickly agreed that driving school was a fine option and as we were walking up to the clerk's desk to get the paperwork processed, the prosecutor (or so we'll call her since I don't know her actual title) made an off-hand comment about the University of Georgia. I looked at her incredulously. "You're a Georgia fan, I take it? We're few and far between in this state." She returned my amazed look. "You go for Georgia too? (Short pause) Well, what can I do for you?" As I contemplated whether or not to say "Drop my charges" out loud, she beat me to the punch. "I tell you what. I'm going to dismiss this case."

I have never loved Georgia football as much as I did at that moment.

While she filled out new paperwork for the next minute or two, we cheerily talked Georgia football. It wasn't quite the courtroom experience I had imagined. Minutes later, after speaking with the judge and being officially aquitted, I had to approach the mean clerk one last time for my paperwork to be processed. "You're case is dismissed. Have a nice day," she said without looking up. "So, do you need any paperwork from me before I go?" Without looking up again, she repeated, "Have a nice day." With that, I turned around and walked out--hopefully for the last time.

I put two Georgia t-shirts on my Amazon Wish List today. I figured with the $180.00 that UGA saved me today, I owed them at least my t-shirt allegiance.

Steal of a Deal

Perhaps you remember my recent raving post about ALDI.

Here's one more reason to love it:

That's right. We bought a 7-piece patio set at a grocery store! 

Patio furniture was way down on our list of home items to purchase, so I'd given up looking until I saw this little wonder.

You'll never guess how much little we paid for it.

It all began four weeks ago when I saw the box leaning up near the checkout. Price tag: $200. A great deal, but I just wasn't ready to drop that kind of cash.

Three weeks ago, it was still there, marked down to $139. Still not ready to commit, but secretly hoping no one else would take it either. 

Two weeks ago: price slashed to $100. Phil is with me. We seriously consider it, realize we have no way to transport it, get busy the rest of the day, and accidentally forget about it. I pine after the table and chairs all week, which tells me this isn't just an impulse.

Last week: We return for our weekly grocery run, fully expecting the patio furniture to be gone. Surprise! Still there, and they're practically giving it away!

Get this:

$75.00!

We drove home, put away the groceries, and then took full advantage of our new and generous neighbor who owns a truck (remind me never to buy a truck). When Phil and our neighbor returned to ALDI to buy the furniture, the manager came out and practically hugged Phil. We should have talked him down to $50. 

So, just in time for fall, we now have a place to sit outside on our deck. You know where to find us during dinnertime for the next several months!

Shamelessly branded

About a month ago, my trusty L.L. Bean hiking boots finally gave out as the rubber sole completely disconnected from the shoe. These boots had admittedly been through a lot; several countries and many a hiking trail later, it's more surprising that they lasted a decade than that they broke. I loved these hiking boots, so I got on L.L. Bean's website and online chatted with a customer service representative who was friendly, helpful, and sent me links to the correct forms I needed to print. I sent the boots back free of charge, fully intending to simply have them repaired. However, L.L. Bean has a policy that if you ever return anything you bought from them that has broken, they will replace it free of charge--amazing. My shoes were so old that I didn't even know the name of the style I had, and I didn't see anything like the online, so I opted for a new pair of Keen hiking boots in case they weren't able to repair the old ones. A few weeks later, there was a brand new pair of hiking boots in my mailbox...along with a $20 check because the Keens cost $20 less than my original pair! So, they actually paid me to buy new shoes! I don't buy from L.L. Bean often (partly because their products are so long-lasting), but you can bet that this happy customer will be purchasing merchandise from this company again.