Good Eats

Recently had a lunch date with the hubs at The Other One deli in Grove Center. This burger was RIDICULOUS!! Lol. Two meat patties stuffed between BLT, the works and to top it all off- two grilled cheese sandwiches serve as the buns. Be hungry- VERY hungry when attempting to eat this 'burger.' Pair it with the sweet potato fries for a perfect combo. MMM! For the more reserved appetite, try the Vol burger. It was really yum!

The Birth eX-Perience... or 'A Roll of the Dice'

First off, I apologize for my blatant disregard of this blog... I used to like to pride myself on doing little features of local venues, opinions, etc. from a mom's perspective, but I guess you can say I have been a little preoccupied these days. My husband & I are just so blessed and happy to welcome baby girl #4 safely into this world. She was born the last weekend of January, and we are just tickled "pink" to say the least :)

In fact, PINK seems to be a popular color for this family- just a week after our precious bundle was born, my hubby's little sis had her own little girl at one of the larger hospitals in Knoxville! It has been an exciting month for our family. That being said, I have had some time to recuperate and grab a little rest when I can... actually, I can't lie. I am one of those lucky *ladies that have the good fortune to have a Mommy who recently retired. Yes - Granny's here & just in time too! Yes- we are having an adjustment period... because of course Grannies like to do things the 'Granny' way. Yet- I am still so thankful for this, because during the last trimester of my pregnancy, my husband and I got extremely sick, and the kids did too. I don't think I would have lasted so long if my Momma hadn't come to the rescue! Much love out to all the Grannies, Ma-maws, Nanas, and such that always come to the rescue -XOXO!

Having had three previous pregnancies & birth experiences to compare, I can definitely tell you this little nugget of truth is certain- No two pregnancies or birth experiences are exactly the same! So don't let your friends scare you with their own terrifying nightmare ER stories... Don't let your Momma wig you out about her 36 hours of excruciating labor to bring you into this world, or your sister freak you out with her thousandth telling of the OMG- 'my water broke in Walmart' story. You are your own individual being, and the same goes for your birth process as well. And if you are like me and have had four individual birth processes, then you will soon find out that each one is going to be its own unique experience as I assuredly found out with this past pregnancy.

My overall pregnancy went well- aside from the crazy illnesses going around this past winter, everything from my oldest bringing strep home from school 3 times in a 4 month period, to H1N1 (which also came through my place), to bronchitis, let's see throw in some crazy bacterial infection, a little bit of sinusitis... some nasty hospital trips... Well, I think you get the idea. Folks- the illnesses going around out there are SCARY! It was enough to almost turn me into a Howard Hughes disciple at the end of my pregnancy... I was wearing gloves in the supermarket so I didn't have to touch the buggy, spraying Lysol everywhere- lucky I didn't poison myself or the kids with cleaner!! UGLY stuff. Anyway, as far as weight gain- I only picked up about 11 pounds, a triumph because this is the least amount of weight I have ever gained during a pregnancy. Which is odd, since this is the BIGGEST baby I have delivered so far!! My first pregnancy tipped the scales with a whopping 60 pounds gained... I am only admitting this to show that each pregnancy is different. Yikes, with my first baby- EVERYTHING swelled- even my poor little nose!!

Country Mouse VS City Mouse...
Now, I am the first to admit that I am city born & bred. It has taken me some time to get used to some of the differences between big(ger) city living and the country life. One thing that I have wholly come to embrace here is that of my family doctor taking on the role of delivering my babies. I have to say that I love my doctor- he has delivered three out of four of my babies, and he knows me & I know and trust him. I think the most important quality you can have in your doctor, whatever their specialty, is trust. I have confidence in the fact that what he is telling me, is absolutely for my own good & that of the baby. The other thing that is high on the list of important qualities is LISTENING. My doctor never makes you feel rushed, or like you are on his time, he always sits patiently and listens to what I am saying. He is like the old school family doctor who knows my husband & his family (in fact, he was my husband's childhood doc), and has a talent for making you think you are having plain old conversation when in fact he is actually gleaning valuable health-related information from you.

I know that some folks may think my doctor's way seems a bit old-fashioned, and might then jump to the conclusion that his medicine is dated... I think so many of us now have the impression that in order for a doctor's practice to be 'professional' that it should almost be devoid of any trace of a human element. We have gotten used to the totally sterile environment, white coats, office visits strictly scheduled for15 minute increments, and the doctor appears as the great unquestionable totem of birth knowledge. Okay- I am exaggerating a bit... but apparently not much. I have to say that when my water broke, I went right to the local hospital here in Oak Ridge, and my doctor showed up right away. He even spent the night at the hospital because he didn't want to go home and chance not being there for my little one's birth! On the other hand, my sister-in-law's Knoxville OB who came highly recommended, didn't even show up at the Knoxville hospital for her delivery... and neither did the doctor on call for the practice. My sister-in-law had what is termed a "nurse delivery," which I am told is more common than you'd think. The OB that was in the hospital was already in the process of delivering another baby when my sis-in-law was in labor. I was upset by this, but someone told my husband when we were at the hospital, that most doctors don't even want to be called unless the baby is crowning... for me this is too late! If I am crowning- you better be here with a catcher's mitt standing at the ready! My doctor said he didn't want to miss our delivery for anything- he even went so far as to tell his wife he couldn't go away with her that weekend for a quick trip... How's that for dedication! Lucky that my doc was there ready & waiting because my little petunia was a whopping 8 lbs 12 oz & there was a bit of a complication with her shoulders getting *ahem, stuck. If my doctor hadn't been there, things may not have turned out so well for us both. We were both lucky & blessed. Thankfully, things turned out well for my sister-in-law & her baby too.

I will also say that in the 2 1/2 years since my last stay at the local hospital, there have definitely been some changes. The nurses were all very nice and accommodating, some more so than others, but I was not so thrilled about feeling pushed to use medications for pain, sleep, etc. One nurse really tried to insist I take a sleep medication, and I adamantly refused. I don't like to take medications like that unless I absolutely have to do so. Other than that, I really felt that the nursing staff took excellent care of us. They were considerate, kind, and very willing to answer any and all questions that we might have had. The pediatrician also checked in on us & personally reported his findings regarding the baby's first few examinations. A new thing for us was that the babies now have to wear a little monitor that will sound the alarm system if someone tries to take a baby off of the ward without permission. Believe me- it works! I found this out because one day we heard the alarm go off- I thought the hospital was on fire! A nurse ran frantically into our room & shouted, "Do you have your baby?!!" Dumbfounded- we managed to blurt out a yes. That was a CRAZY moment, but comforting to know that your baby is not going to be slipped out of the hospital in a duffel bag! It was a bit annoying though, the little monitor kept slipping, so I'd have the baby sleeping, or feeding, & the nurses would constantly come in to check the little box & rustle her awake again. I often hear a lot of negative reviews regarding our local hospital in Oak Ridge, but while the Labor & Delivery unit may not have had some of the newer amenities as the Knoxville hospital, it has always been beyond adequate for our needs & the nursing staff was just wonderful to our family.

More Grits-n-Gravy... PLEASE!

The movie schedule for the 2009 Grits-N-Gravy Southern Film Festival has just been announced and is posted over at www.secretcityfilms.com. One of two festivals hosted by Secret City Films in Oak Ridge, the festival will feature short films by Southern filmmakers. The line-up sounds very interesting... A music video featuring Knoxville actor David Keith driving a van in a music video... Check it out!

Big Goings On in Oak Ridge @ End of February...

Glen Miller Orchestra
Feb 21st 8-11 pm at the Historic Grove Theater in Oak Ridge
hfhac.org or call (865) 482-7713

International Fest @ The Children's Museum
Feb. 21st 10am-4pm
childrensmuseumofoakridge.org or call (865) 482-1074

CASA's 5th Annual Barbeque & Bluegrass Bash Feb. 21st 6 pm @ Elks Lodge in Oak Ridge www.casatnh.org or call (865) 425-0888

Girls INC to host 31st Annual Basketball Classic
Feb 28th @ 4pm
www.girlsinc-oakridge.org or call (865) 482-4475

Get Ready for Spring Rowing Season 2009!
orra.org or call (865) 482-6538

If there are any Oak Ridge events I've missed, please let me know, or if there are upcoming local events you would like to see announced for March/April, please let me know and I will be sure to check it out!

Local Restaurant Review - Valentine's Dinner @ Outback

Okay, in all fairness, we did our Valentine's dinner a day early, on Friday... the 13th. Perhaps this was our fatal flaw. In any case, we headed over to the Outback Steakhouse on Illinois next to the Mickey D's... because sans babysitter- we had the kiddies in tow. Those of you that know us, are fully aware that we have a brood of three fun little kiddies, ranging in age from 19 months to 5 years old. Why did we choose to go Outback? Well, perhaps it had something to do with how adorably our three year old was singing and dancing to the tune, "Let's go Outback tonight!"

Actually, Outback used to be a pretty good choice for parents with kids as young as ours. The booths are very spacious, offering enough room to prop a baby's carseat, & cram several coats, a full-sized mom, and at least one toddler all onto one side of the table. The atmosphere is noisy & busy enough that the neighboring tables won't necessarily hear that your child may be at any one moment loud-talking/fussing/arguing with a sibling/or singing along with the music playing overhead. Also, the kids can be successfully distracted by many of the cool Australian-themed objects generously adorning the walls... We try to sit within sight of the jersey-wearing crocodile hanging on the wall. This is handy so that if there is some kind of trouble at our table with the girls, I can say, "Hey, stop that! Uh-oh, look- that croc is checking you out!" This serves well as a useful momentary deterrent.

Well, everything started out well enough... except that we arrived later than we normally would have liked, and rather than the usual large booth, we were seated [with no wait] against the wall at a 1/2 booth with the neighboring tables a little too close for comfort. Also, on one of our last occasions to eat at Outback we were horrified to discover that they had taken away our favorite menu items. No more Towoomba or Cyclone Pastas, no more Asian Short-Ribs... although we were told you could still make a request for the ribs if you like,however , they may not taste the same.

For starters, we ordered the Bloomin' Onion and my husband ordered the wings with ranch dressing. These came out quickly enough, as did our Wedge salads, the Bloomin' Onion was tasty per usual, but the wings... I've never seen my husband NOT devour a plate of wings. He can make a plate 'o wings DISAPPEAR before your eyes in seconds, but he only munched on two. He also was not a fan of the fact that the wings actually appeared to have little 'hairs' where they were not plucked well, not an appetizing factor. The actual meals we ordered were only fair, not good, or great. The kids' meals were just okay as well, the chicken tenders were very good, nice and crunchy, tasty, but the fries were awful. The potato soup I ordered as a starter was actually the best part of my meal. My shrimp pasta was a little dry, it did not really have enough sauce, and the shrimp were not particularly bursting with char-grilled flavor. Really just sub-par considering the money we spent. The service was very friendly and fast... but overall the experience was a big V-Day bust.

I think we will be avoiding Outback Steakhouse for awhile... at least until they change the menu again and we have an incentive to try again. Overall, great service, wonderful atmosphere for kids, but the menu needs some help.

So Many Little Things...

So little time left! I know I have been a bit neglectful lately. I have three little ones, and we have just been hit hard this season with back to back illnesses... Just when one starts to feel better, another one will have a fever... UGH! I hate being sick myself, and it's just miserable to watch your kids struggle through a fever or stomach virus. Yikes!

Anyway, not to be a little ray of sunshine, but I thought I was actually going to be ORGANIZED this holiday season, well, one big HA_HA on me. We decided to give homemade preserves for Christmas this year to some of our lucky friends and family, this was done by my hubby back at summer's end, so I thought- wow- I can actually coast now... AND here's how the trouble always begins right? You know you have one less thing to do, you take it for granted now that you have that extra bit of time now and you get lackadaisical about everything, then BOOM- you suddenly realize that there are only 9 shopping days left until Christmas... and the panic sets in! Did I mail a card to cousin Eddie, why didn't I buy that scarf for Granny when it was on sale, will my brother really appreciate that gift certificate to the "man spa"... and it goes on like this until the tree is trimmed, all the presents are wrapped, stockings stuffed, and Christmas dinner is on the table...

I have found that now more than ever this year, I am really trying to shop local for gifts, or buy homemade crafty gift items online. I have been surfing Etsy like crazy for unique treasures and awe-inspiring baubles at an amazingly affordable price. I am even going to *Gasp* crochet a hat for my sister (at her request!) I think that this year, in light of the economic situation we are facing, it is so important that instead of just arbitrarily buying gifts just to be giving something to a person, that we really take a moment to think about the person that will be receiving this gift. I have found that just by going to Etsy and browsing all of the wonderful and creative items up for sale, that inevitably I see something that reminds me of someone, or that inspires my direction somehow. This is really an incredible site that you should visit when you have the time to sit down and really browse. Another great blog for crafts and ideas is Jessica Jones' How About Orange.

Another feeling that I have, which I mentioned before, is that I wanted to try to support local artisans and the community by buying things made locally here in Tennessee or even just made the USA... Do you know how hard this concept is becoming?! Commercially, you can forget it with the big stores, I read that four out of five toys sold here in the US are made in China. I know that kids are always going to want that fabulous toy they've seen on tv. However, for the adults in your life, there are a few local shops that will pride themselves on supporting local arts and crafts. In Oak Ridge, you can start by perusing the shops at Jackson Square, where you can always stop for a yummy snack and well-earned hot cuppa coffee at Moondollars Cafe (where I actually bought one of my Christmas gifts - a print by the artist & mathematician Stacey Kite,) and then perhaps make your over to the Corner Gallery at Grove Center. Believe me- compared to battling the mob in Wal-Mart, it's a much nicer way to spend an afternoon of shopping.