The Past Month in Pictures

Things with the house are not falling together as quickly as I'd hoped. Unpacking seems to be taking AGES to do, but I'm soldiering on. I thought I'd share a picture-heavy timeline of what I've been up to over the past month. Most of these come from my CraftyHope Instagram feed so you may be familiar with them if you already follow me there (which you totally should!)

So, we bought an older house on five acres with a pool (you can see some of the house tour in my last post)

On our first day out at the pool, this little guy was flitting around. I adore his colors - the denim blue and teal are dreamy.

We started the renovations with some ceiling scraping. This guest bathroom was easy-peasy. I cannot say that for the other rooms we attempted. We ended up with texture in the bedroom and gave up on the sunroom (for now).

While exploring the property and structures on it, Pat found this gem. It's an antique exposure meter for photography. As soon as Pat picked it up he handed it to me, knowing that I would treasure and use it (eventually).

The property has a lot of overgrowth on it. In particular, it's full of air potato vines; an invasive plant to say the least. We've been working on getting rid of it, but it will be a long, long process. I was especially taken with this natural arch it formed as it grew up a small tree and grabbed onto the fence from there.

After the ceiling-scraping fiasco, we finally started getting some paint on the walls. Here's the first few strokes in the craft room. The color isn't very true in this photo, but anything was better than the peach!

We scheduled the movers a week after we were in the new house to make sure we had some time for the scraping and painting. I was excited to finally get some furniture in and make it feel more like home.

These built-in shelves int he kitchen were covered with stained rose wallpaper. I freshened them up with some shelf paper. Much better!

During he first two weeks, we spent a portion of nearly every day in the pool. Pat was off work, and it was the perfect way to cool off from the renovations. Our pool is on the chilly side with all the shady trees around it. We don't mind as it offers lots if privacy and seclusion.

The pile of boxes has been daunting. The majority of the ones in this photo are just for the craft room (go figure!). And, yes. . .there are a lot of liquor boxes, but they were FREE and with two mortgages, we like free.

One of the main challenges we've had to deal with here are the 14 feral cats that the previous owner left on the property. While we are very much cat-lovers, the poor things are sick and flea-ridden. A local organization is helping us relocate them and get them the care they need.

We've reinstated margarita Fridays but with a twist: we're making the meals and drinks at home. We had friends over for tacos on the kickoff night. 

However, that's not to say that we've completely nixed eating out completely. A friend of ours opened The Bone and Barrel in downtown Fairhope, and it is GOOD! I mean, my burger was even licking my fries! 

I lucked up and won this Vintaj BIGKick prize package on the Vintaj Facebook Page. I recorded a video of my unboxing the BIGKick, but haven't really had any time to play with it yet. Just wait, that's coming for sure!

Our oldest niece is in her high school's band. Their football team played against our local one so we both attended our first football game in over 20 years. 

I FINALLY started unpacking the craft room. I'm finding myself struggling with a little less space and where to put everything. It keeps stalling me out and thus taking much longer than it should.

For Labor Day, we went against the grain and didn't grill out as planned. Instead, friends made some homemade ramen. It was our first 'real' ramen experience, and we loved it!

I delayed unpacking the beads as long as I could but finally delved into transferring the two huge tubs of them into the bead cabinet. It took all day as I sorted out what I knew I'm not interested in using anymore.

Another trip to The Bone and Barrel was in order. This time we tried the highly recommended Fried Ribs and were not disappointed. My Tuna Sandwich wasn't too shabby either!

At long last. . .Yesterday I FINALLY started pulling out beads and components for some jewelry-making. 

There's been plenty more activity that didn't wind up in pictures - like the start of college football season! Once again, here's hoping that things will get to some semblance of 'normal' soon and I'll have something else to share with you later. Thanks so much for all your support and for hanging in there as I deal with this transition in my life.

Local Feature: Country Queen Cafe

Once again the Southern Bloggers Jubilee meet in a fun, tasty location. This month it was the newly opened Country Queen Cafe.

The cafe was a dream of owner Betty Maradik who had previously worked at a small diner in Mobile for several years.

She got more room than she asked for when her husband built the place.

This is only one side of the dining area.

Betty's menu is simple, focusing on breakfast and lunch staples.

We were there for breakfast, and I got scrambled eggs, a biscuit, cheese grits, and bacon (not pictured). It was delish!

Besides the menu staples, there are lunch specials each day (posted on the Country Queen Cafe Facebook Page at about 10am daily).

With specials like these, I almost stayed for lunch too!

We were unsure what Chicken Lips were, so Betty gave us a sample before our meeting ended.

They're lightly battered thin strips of chicken covered in buffalo sauce with a side of blue cheese dressing. They were fab!!

Everything about the Country Queen Cafe was rustic, homey, and had me wanting to come back for more! And, with it just up the street from my house. . .I know I'll be back.

Country Queen Cafe is located at 19548 Booth Rd., Fairhope, AL 36532. Currently they are open 7am-2pm Monday-Friday. However, Betty is considering offering a Sunday Brunch. She also mentioned that catering will soon be available as well as the space being available for events. So much excitement, keep your eye on this little place. It's sure to be a local hit.

Local Feature: Old 27 Grill in Fairhope

If you're ever driving down County Road 27 Alabama Highway 181 in Fairhope, make sure to check out Old 27 Grill.

It's tucked back a little, but definitely not a little secret around these parts. Southern Bloggers Jubilee (a local blogging/social media group of which I'm a member) met at the Old 27 Grill just last week and had a chance to get to know its owner, William Stitt -  better known as Bill E.

William talking to our group about Old 27 Grill and his start in the industry.

Though I've dined at Old 27 several times, I totally learned some new things about the place. For one, Bill E. makes his own bacon. Let me repeat that. . HE MAKES HIS OWN BRAND OF BACON!!

The bacon sample we received was amazing!

It's called "Bill E's Small Batch Bacon". You can find the bacon both on the menu, or you can get a whole pound in the grocery to take home.

The original building's front door.

As well, Old 27 Grill has a catering menu. They can do simple, low-key meals or large, fancy events. William even said they will come to your house, cook the meal, and clean up for family gatherings or dinner parties. How cool is that? The menu for these services ranges from breakfast items and sandwich platters to rib-eyes and chargrilled oysters. It runs the gamut for sure, just like the restaurant's menu.

The Comeback Shrimp Sandwich and Fries that I ordered

The Grilled Pimento Cheese and Bacon Sandwich with homemade fries that a friend ordered.

The outside dining area includes a stage for musicians of all sorts. On Thursdays-Sundays there's usually someone scheduled. The 1st and 3rd Thursdays, though, are reserved for "Songwriter's Night". On those nights, it's all original songs from local artists, no cover bands. Oh, and just so you know; the stage was built to be 'plug & play' to make it easier on the musicians.

The outdoor seating, perfect for listening to live music.

One of my favorite features at Old 27 Grill is the variety of craft beer available on tap. They've even started offering growlers of beer in two sizes. I've been aching to get back up there and get some, since once of my favorites is available at the moment.

Check out that line of taps!

I think the only drawback to Old 27 is that the parking lot does get a little damper than some when it rains. William takes it all in stride and often tosses a few duck decoys out in the puddles.

These babies were floating when I got there, but the puddles were already on their way out when I was too.

It's that sense of fun and not overlooking the details that makes Old 27 Grill a place you won't soon forget.

Camping in Port St. Joe | Part 2 (Eating Out and About)

I promised more than one post on our camping adventure to Port St. Joe. While there's not much more to say about the park (it was lovely), I haven't mentioned anything about the food. The majority of our meals were enjoyed at camp. We grilled beer brats and steaks, made paninis and pancakes on our new Cuisinart Griddler, and ate cereal for an easy breakfast.

We explored the area some with a couple trips outside the state park. Actually, before we even made it to the park, our friends (who had stayed on Cape San Blas before) pulled over on the side of the road. We followed suit. Come to find out, they stopped to pick up doughnuts from Weber's Little Donut Shop.

Image via A Tropical Breeze - Cape San Blas

I was able to get the last half dozen glazed they had that afternoon and was not disappointed. The donuts were perfect for a little something sweet without going overboard on the sugar.

On our next venture out, Pat and I decided to explore downtown Port St. Joe. We found a couple of antique stores to browse though on Reid Avenue but weren't really in a buying mood. However, we were stopped in our tracks when we stumbled onto this set of doors.

They belong to the Historic Port Theatre which opened in 1938. It didn't look like the building is currently in use, but we sure thought it was cool.

After walking a good length of Reid Ave. and poking around, we were hot and hungry. Pepper's Mexican Grill was right there to give us some relief. Granted, it was a fairly standard Mexican restaurant, but the menu was extensive, the food good, and the margaritas tasty. We had no complaints at all.

That evening, still a little tired from our exploring, we ventured back out for dinner. At Triple Tails Restaurant Pat and I both ordered beers from Apalachicola's Oyster City Brewing Company and some seafood. He got the grilled Mahi Mahi and fries while I opted for grilled shrimp and a side of cheese grits.

Both the meals and the beers were definitely good, but I have to admit that the star of the show was the cheese grits. Pat (who isn't a huge fan of cheese grits) claimed that if all cheese grits tasted like those, he would order them all the time. I'd say that's a winning recommendation!

Oh, and we ordered a slice of their homemade key lime pie. It wasn't too shabby either. There wasn't a crumb left.

The next morning, we awoke to darkened skies and impending rain. Not sure how long we had until storms blew through, we packed up quickly and headed out without breakfast. The Forgotten Coast is a lovely area, but it didn't seem to be bursting with breakfast joints. As such, we drove on to the West of Panama City to the Donut Hole in Inlet Beach.

Pat and I have been to the one in Destin before and knew that it was exactly what we wanted. There was a wait to be seated and we were starving. So, I didn't get a picture of our omelets. I can tell you they were delicious and quickly consumed.

We even got some donuts for the road on our way out. It was a perfect choice and a perfect way to end our trip.

If you ever head along The Forgotten Coast, make sure you stop for more than the scenery. We definitely weren't disappointed with any part of our trip to the area.

Local Restaurant Review: Cornerstone Kitchen

We're big fans of Dragonfly Food Bar here in Fairhope so when we heard that owner Douglas Kerr opened another restaurant in Foley, we were itching to try it. That opportunity finally came, and we were not disappointed.

The new place is called Cornerstone Kitchen and is literally situated on the corner of Laurel (Hwy 98) and Pine. The actual address is 246 W. Laurel, Foley, AL 36535.

The place has some indoor seating, but the majority of their tables are in the large outdoor area.

The decor was tasteful, airy, and comfortable. Inside, I was smitten with these light fixtures made from mesh wastebaskets.

Outside features a stage where local musicians perform.

There's also a fun, tin-roofed bar and a fireplace outside.

Cornerstone Kitchen's menu is reminiscent of Dragonfly's with an eclectic mix of ingredients in each item. It's a small menu that consists of Small Plates (appetizers), Salads, Tacos, Sliders, Burgers, and a few sides. There were also some specials and a great selection of beer. (I'm sure the wine selection was great too, I'm just no expert in that area.)

Pat ordered a couple of the day's special Pork Tacos and one of the Kung Pao Chicken Sliders. He raved over them both, but especially enjoyed the slider.

I opted for the Pork Nachos (from the small plates) and a Veal Slider. The nachos were fabulous. The chips seemed to be made from puff pastry or something similarly yummy and the crispy jalapenos were delish! I also enjoyed the slider, but it was all about the nachos for me. Even with Pat's help, I didn't finish them.

We definitely recommend Cornerstone Kitchen if you live in or are traveling through the area.

We'll be making the short drive to Foley to eat there again for sure.