20

Jul

Why I love my husband

You guys, he let me edit his post before he posted it, and that is why I love my husband.

Anyway, since he is so slack and takes 50 reminders to get stuff posted, I’m next-day blogging to get us caught up from our busy busy weekend.
Since husband briefly mentioned the auction, even though I hate to divulge our delightful little secret, I shall share with my new friends.  Back in Tennessee, we went to an auction a handful of times, and though it was crazy packed every time, it was always fun to go.  It’s interesting to see what comes up in estate sales what people are willing to pay for extremely tacky shit (FYI– a lot).  On the rare occasion, we would find something delightful, like an old carpenter’s chest/trunk that now serves as our living room coffee table.

Now that we’ve moved, it’s a matter of discovering new places and things all over again.  A few weeks ago, I checked out AuctionZip.com to see what auctions are in the area, and if you’ve never been on the site, it will show you the places and sometimes even photo galleries of stuff coming up in the auction.  Well I just happened to find the most kick-ass retro dining room table (See?  Isn’t it amazing?) at the Thomas Auction Group on Johns Island and I decided that I just had to have it (if it was within reason).

Nick wanted to relax at home so I decided to go it alone.  When I got there, I was pleasantly surprised.  Unlike the auction back in Maryville, it was only a quarter to halfway full of people, which meant plenty of seating!  There was quite a bit of furniture and a few knick knacks, but they moved the junky stuff pretty quick and got to the furniture fast.  Although, I will say, one lady got an ENTIRE table of nice glassware for $1.  People at this auction either want tacky shit or they are just really stingy.  There was also a nice chest/bench that went for $30.  My table, because I was too afraid to keep bidding, sold for only $135.  $135 PEOPLE!!!!  You can’t even find a chrome/formica set for under $200, and I’ve never seen anything like this table.  At any rate, you can find some AWESOME treasures at this auction, and there is the added bonus that the family that runs it is pretty entertaining.   On our last Saturday night run with Mama Romer, we snagged a crystal decanter, a chair, and a set of dinnerware from Target for a total of–wait for it– $11.  Jealous?  Yeah, I thought so.  The chair is a bit dingy, but we plan to reupholster.  You can’t even buy a burger for $2.50.  Needless to say, we had a good time, and it is definitely worth at least a one time visit.  I highly recommend checking out Auction Zip a few days (2 or 3) before the auction to view items they may have, but either way, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  I would love to put a link to their site, but they don’t have a web presence other than a Facebook, so from me to you, enjoy.  They only have 27 likes so you if you decide to check them out, be sure to “like” ’em on Facebook!

For my food plug this week, we took Mama Romer to Triangle Char & Bar in Mt. Pleasant (though we’ve been to the one in West Ashley before).  Our new friends Katy and Clay had told us it was one of their favorite places to eat, and Mama Romer just happened to see the restaurant all lit up as we drove down Coleman.  Our first visit wasn’t too shabby, so we decided to take Mama inside.  I would have to say this visit was much better than our first visit, and none of us were disappointed.  I had The Coop (with a side of delicious mac & cheese), husband had a buffalo chicken wrap special, and Mama Romer had a spinach salad.  While the food was good, I think everyone agreed that the mac and cheese was the best part.  Or the ambiance.  Triangle Char & Bar is good for both.

Just to prepare everyone, this weekend we’ll be attending the premier part of Hysteria at Terrace Theater.  Stay tuned for our review of the movie AND the theater.  HAPPY FRIDAY everyone!

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19

Jul

Cobwebs & Cookout

Nick here. As my wife previously mentioned, we had an outing to The Early Bird Diner with Mama Romer. On the way there, we spotted a little shop called Cobwebs off Wappoo Road. Caity mentioned that it was a cute name for a consignment and used furniture store. I guess the shop stayed in the back of her mind because the next day Caity was off to explore this shop. It wasn’t long when I received a call from her. “I found a chair that I think you will really like,” she said. “You should come meet me here. This store is really neat and reasonably priced.”

Back story on the chair. Ruccus is our goldendoodle. He is a cute dog and Caity probably loves him more than me. Ruccus, although adorable, was destructive in his first couple years. He destroyed my favorite blue chair a while back, and I have been telling my wife she owes me a new chair ever since.

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I made the short drive from Park Circle to Cobwebs and met my wife in the back of the store. There she was waiting with a black reclining chair. The chair was used, but in really good shape. Not only did it recline but it was a glider as well, and it came with a gliding ottoman. Let me tell you–it was extremely comfortable too! The chair was priced at $69.95, but retails online for $250 to $300. Short on cash, we put the chair on layaway. Oh yeah, Cobwebs lets you put things on layaway! I have never seen a store like this that allows you to put stuff on layaway. Cobwebs requires 20% down for layaway but does not charge you a fee or interest.

I was only in the store for a very short time but saw tons of pieces that I liked and saw potential for. (My wife and I like to buy furniture and knick-knacks to “re-purpose” for our home. However, we often do not finish some of the projects we take on.) I will say that it is definitely a store that we will frequent often just to see what they have, and they constantly get new items in.

While Mama Romer was in town, we also decided to go to the auction on Johns Island. The auction is off of Savannah Highway, and a drive thru restaurant called Cook-out happens to be just down the way! Cook-out is a national chain restaurant that serves burgers, hotdogs and such. We actually had one in Knoxville that Caity wanted to try desperately, but we never made it there before we moved. We picked up some food before the auction as we were all wanting to try it. YUMMY! Caity had the “Cheddar Style Burger,” I had the “Mexi Hot Dog,” and Mama Romer had a plain hotdog with mustard and a side of fries. It was all amazing! So much so, that after the auction, we went back (shamefully) through the drive thru a second time. This time I tried a burger and the two girls had milkshakes. Caity swears that their Chocolate Chip Mint shake is the best milkshake that she’s ever had.

Savannah Highway is a little out of the way from our usual destinations, but Cook-out is worth the drive. It’s no 5 star dining, but if you want a delicious burger or hot dog that is easy on the wallet, Cook-out is your place.

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15

Jul

The Earlybirds

Today’s blog is brought to you by the letter M for Marigolds and Mama Romer, who came to town to visit!  We thought we’d show her a good time by taking her out to Summerville and showering her with delicious food.  Nick & I have been dying to try The Early Bird Diner, so what better way to start when I woke everyone up at the ass crack of dawn (really, it was only 8:00, but that’s the ass crack of dawn for husband and I).

The Early Bird Diner is nearly a little whole in the wall in West Ashley, and when we pulled into the parking lot, even with their 20-25 spaces, there were none open!  This is on a Friday morning people!  We had to park a lot over and walk down (shhhh, don’t tell Chick-Fil-A), but when we got there, we were allowed to seat our selves immediately.  The menu was pretty vast, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner (with breakfast served all day, lunch starting at 11, and dinner starting at 5 p.m.), but we all had to settle for breakfast as it was too early for lunch (we were earlybirds after all).  The prices were exceptionally reasonable, ranging from $5-$10 on the entrees, and they even had all you can eat pancakes for $5!  I ordered the buttermilk pancakes, while Mama Romer ordered the Biscuits and Gravy, and Nick ordered the spinach & feta omelette, and we all took turns sampling each others.  Everything was delicious, and in all total, we spent less than $30 on the whole meal, which is a rarity these days for 3 people.  Our waitress was also wonderful, quick, and clearly an Early Bird veteran.

Early Bird Diner Logo

I am definitely planning on going back to try lunch and or dinner at some point, and we will probably make this a regular stop.

After breakfast, we headed to downtown Summerville to check out the downtown shops, one in particular that I’ve been dying to visit.  Marigolds sits at the corner of Central Avenue and W 2nd S Street.  According to its website, Marigolds is an interior & decor boutique that offers “one of a kind antiques, chic vintage items, splendid gifts, luxurious home décor and accessories.”  Can I just say this is one of the most spectacular little (and it really wasn’t that little) boutiques I’ve ever set foot in?  Marigolds had so much to offer, and I really wasn’t sure where to look.  The main room has more of the new luxurious items and gifts, like jewelry and delicious smelling candles, but they have a secondary room to the left that had some really cool vintage items, like an old bicycle and a 1950’s Pearl Wick Hamper, among many other things that I would have loved to have.  They also have two small back rooms, one that contains an array Annie Sloan chalk paint (if you haven’t heard of it, Google NOW), and then another with a long hallway (with more vintage goodies) that leads to vintage home projects, like old shutters, sinks, wrought iron, and windows.  I pretty much died and went to heaven.  Don’t get me wrong, the shop is by no means cheap (I found a $100 shirt I wanted, but it wasn’t vintage), but for the vintage items, Marigolds has reasonable prices, prices that I would be willing to pay if I had the spare cash.  Even Nick, who HATES shopping, said that Marigolds was worth the drive to Summerville alone.  And it most definitely was!

If you are in the Summerville area, it’s a MUST, but there are plenty of other awesome boutiques and shops nearby to check out as well.  I plan to feature a few more sometime when I head back to Summerville to check out one of their Art Walks.

And just a plug for the city of Summerville itself, if you have ever wanted to see a real life Stars Hollow (yeah, you like that Gilmore Girl reference) or the perfect little movie setting town, check out downtown Summerville.  You will probably never find a more quaint or picturesque little city in your whole life.

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12

Jul

Who’s Who? (2) – Don’t forget about Nick!

I’m Nick. Obviously, that is short for Nicholas. My wife writes in the previous blog about everything she left behind with our recent move to Charleston. Let me let you in on a secret. Friends and family aside, it is not much. You see, we moved to Chucktown from Alcoa Tennessee. Alcoa is a tiny city about 15  minutes outside of Knoxville (also a small city.) There is nothing there to leave behind! There is a Walmart (a very scary one,) a handful of mediocre restaurants, and a Target. Alcoa is one step above straight up boonies.

I am a city boy. I was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. Caity, on the other hand, was born and raised in Alcoa Tennessee. This may explain why I could not wait to get the hell out of there, and she was a little more reluctant. Don’t get me wrong, East Tennessee did have a few perks. We were about 20 minutes from the Smokey Mountain National Park which was absolutely breathtaking at times. Also, downtown Knoxville could be fun at times. Caity’s parents were the biggest plus! They are amazing people and I always felt closer to them than I did my own parents. Now, needless to say, I have made it out of boonie-ville TN and have arrived at wonderful Charleston. (Only took us years!)

Caity mentioned her Charleston restaurant staple Lost Dog Cafe. Mine is Taco Boy! Taco Boy has great food, a fun atmosphere, and killer margaritas. With two locations, one downtown and one on Folly Beach, it is always close by and easily accessible. I am not the only one who frequents the AMAZING Taco Boy. Ask all the locals where they love to eat or drink…and they all say Taco Boy! My first love at Taco Boy was their “Carnitas Nachos.” Heaven in a pan! Cinnamon flavored pork, fresh guacamole, nacho cheese, sour cream and lettuce all perfectly blended into a huge portion of deliciousness that easily feeds two. Now as far as their tacos go I totally recommend the Kimchi Beef Taco. An Asian twist on a classic steak taco, that never disappoints.

Caity and I have started a list of things we want to do and places we want to eat here in Charleston. It’s a long list, but we are very excited to tackle and blog our way through the list as we continue our new lives here in Charleston South Carolina!

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