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Hello friends! You may have noticed, I have been absent from my blogging duties for a while – there's been A LOT going on in my life these past weeks, so I sincerely apologize for leaving y'all hanging. The 13th edition of Three to Share has some big announcements, so without further ado... |
This is a very exciting announcement: My family recently opened a brand new restaurant here in Pensacola! It's called the Five Sisters Blues Café and it's located downtown in the Belmont-DeVilliers neighborhood. The restaurant has been under construction for a few years, and had been a dream in my father's head for many years before that – many years before me, in fact!
The five sisters are my dad's mother, Jeannette, and her four sisters: Cora, Dorothy, Sara, and Margaret. It is from these wonderful ladies my dad learned how to cook and also developed a passion for hospitality. And blues, well that was the soundtrack of his life, so to speak. This restaurant is an homage to these soulful ladies and his southern roots. And, it's a true family restaurant – daughters, cousins, aunts, and spouses have really come together in recent months to help this restaurant go from idea to reality. So exciting!
If you're in the neighborhood, and you have a hankering for some home-cooked goodness, stop by 421 W. Belmont Street and get your fix! They offer scrumptious Southern cuisine, Sunday brunch, a full bar, live music, patio dining, and on/off-site catering. I can honestly tell you *everything* on the menu is delish! My suggestions? Start with a refreshing Mint Iced Tea and some oh-so-yummy Fried Green Tomatoes. Then choose a filling entree, sandwich, or salad. And DO NOT leave without having dessert! Choose from 3 kinds of bread puddings or the cobbler du jour. Meg and I agree: the pecan cobbler is absolutely to die for! |
It is with a tinge of sadness that I announce that I have left MBP and Pensacola for Boston. Yep, that Boston – up there in New England, the one with the Red Sox and Paul Revere and where Elle Woods went to school, and also where they seem to have their own vocabulary. ;)
My husband is originally from there, so it's a big homecoming for him and quite a new adventure for me! I've never lived anywhere that has four seasons and white Christmases, or a fanatical sports culture. I'm looking forward to all of that and more!
Although it seemed short, I have many great memories during my time here at Meg Baisden Photography. Getting to see all of you readers during the most special day of your lives (to date) has been quite a pleasure and a privilege. Meg and Charles are gracious employers and friends and I certainly do not see this as "good-bye." My home is here and I will be back visiting often and I hope to see them in Boston, too!
Thanks so much for embracing my little contribution here! If you're interested in keeping up with me, check out my own little blog that I just started!
I bid you all a very fond farewell. :) |
| And now for an update from Meg... |
Hello readers! As you have now learned, last month we said a tearful goodbye to Jamie. It's been a sad transition, not just because we were losing a great employee, but also because of what she had contributed here on the blog and in the album-design realm for all of you. She made our world a prettier place and invented this little series that I loved from her first installment. I am happy to say that the Three to Share series will continue on - with snippets from me and whoever else I can strong arm into sharing goodness here.
Another change I'll be making (effective immediately - I've always wanted to say that!) is in regards to post titles and categories. Now that we have officially wrapped up our backlog with our flashback series, it seems silly to continue referring to recent work as "hot off the press" - as everything will now be hot off the press; so I'm retiring those two categories. They will live in the archives, so you can find what you are looking for there - but moving forward, I will be switching up our title format a bit so that it's easier to find what you are looking for in our search box. That's all for now!
Enjoy your weekend. |
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Greetings and happy Friday!!! Welcome to this week's edition of Three to Share. I hope the following links will serve as a pleasant distraction to your day. Enjoy! :) |
Google has been quite the phenomenon of the last decade. I mean, we are using its name as a verb (What have you Googled today?). Though I use many of Google's applications on a daily basis, one of my favorite features is the occasional "Google Doodle." You know, when it's a holiday or event and they decorate their homepage with a themed logo? Did you see yesterday's Earth Day logo? So cool! Well, if you ever wondered, Dennis Hwang is the talented guy that doodles for Google. :)
Follow this link where you will find a plethora of logos from days and years past. Here are some of my favorites... |
| Oh my! This suite of sites is just drool-worthy. Consider this fair warning: you will spend hours at any one (or all) of these sites. foodgawker, weddinggawker, and craftgawker are image-packed sites that allow you to: "Feast Your Eyes, "See the Day," and "Look to inspire" respectively. Each site displays gorgeous photos linking back to their authors. It's such a great source of inspiration. Have at it! |
A while back I visited O'Charley's and was delighted to see a Cotton Candy Shirley Temple on their menu. Maybe I was a little *too* delighted for my age, but what a fun twist on this "mocktail!" I LOVE cotton candy and Shirley Temples separately (what can I say? I'm a big kid!) and to have them together in this edible mash-up... YUM! Allow me to paint you a picture: A glass of lemon-lime soda arrives at your table with a puff of pink cotton candy resting on top of the rim. Then push it down with your straw and watch it fizzle and dissolve into the drink. It makes the sweetest, girliest, liquid refreshment ever! It's crazy-simple to recreate it for yourself, your mom, a bride-to-be, or anyone else with a sweet tooth. :)
Recipe adapted from here.
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| That's all for now. Have a great weekend! |
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TGIF!!! :) Hope you all are looking forward to the weekend – we're only a few hours away! In the meantime, here are some more of my finds I love to share. Enjoy! |
| See Jane Work is a fabulous online retailer for unique and stylish office accoutrements. Meg and I definitely share a love of office supplies: pens, paper clips, thumb tacks – oh my! If you have ever been frustrated at the bland choices at your local office supply store, don't fret. Just hop online and explore the wonderfulness that is See Jane Work. |
I discovered The Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond) about a year ago when I was looking for a lasagna recipe. Even though I own a library of cookbooks, I still like to search online for some reason. I was immediately drawn to Ree's oh-so-friendly virtual voice, her beautiful step-by-step photos, and her deliciously simple recipes. The lasagna was a hit and so were the several other recipes I tried.
Over the last year or so, the Pioneer Woman has written and published a cookbook, made several TV appearances, and there are rumors of a movie starring Reese Witherspoon! I should also mention that her multifaceted site features articles on homeschooling her kids, and photography lessons and assignments. If you're not already enjoying Ree's offerings, giddy-up check her out! |
Were you a fan of Sixpence None the Richer and their iconic love song, "Kiss Me" and covers of "There She Goes" and "Don't Dream it's Over" from back in the 90's? I was... big time! Even though each of those songs were so played out on the radio, I really never got tired them. And their album, Divine Discontent, totally got me through college!
Leigh Nash, lead vocalist, has gone solo! The band broke up for a few years, but according to Wiki, they've reunited and they're working on a new album. But, if you've missed her sweet melodic voice, check out her recent album, Blue on Blue. It's soft and a little moody. Perfect for lying around on a lazy spring day. Ah, my idea of heaven! ;) |
| Have a fantabulous weekend, everyone! See you back here in two weeks! |
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Hello, Friday friends! Welcome to the 10th edition of Three to Share! That means I've shared 30 bits of goodness with you over the last several months! If you've missed any of those posts, follow this link and you can catch up! :) |
I'm nuts for fonts! And, lucky for me – and all of you out there that share this obsession – Amanda Bottoms, of KevinandAmanda.com, makes it easy for us to indulge with her site Fonts for Peas! She specializes in handwritten fonts, which I particularly love. And the coolest part? You can submit your very own penmanship and she'll turn it into a font for FREE... if it's cute enough! If your handwriting is not cute, no worries – there are hundreds of fonts and doodles available for download at absolutely no cost! If you need to create personalized print pieces for your next event, consider using a fun font from Amanda. It'll make your creation totally personalized and super adorable!
I also want to mention that Amanda's blog is one of my favorites to read. She's a fellow Southern gal that loves scrapbooking, cooking and photography. Her writing voice is very friendly and I've learned a lot. She recently taught her readers how to wear a scarf – something this South-Florida-transplant has been wrestling with this past cold season! Oh, and check out her scrapbook room, it's to die for! |
I absolutely, unequivocally, *adore* Sweet Tomatoes. My husband and I ate here religiously when we were at college in Orlando. We sat in the same booth, we had the same, lovely server every time. Until one day, we went to pay as usual and the cashier told us that our meal had already been taken care of... Huh? That's when we learned that our server-friend was leaving due to family matters and she just wanted to treat us. Her kindness was never lost on us. I'm telling you, this restaurant is good for the soul and for the tummy! Why we don't have any within a 500-mile radius is beyond me.
If you're not familiar, Sweet Tomatoes (or Souplantation, in some areas) is an awesome salad bar and buffet of sorts. Here, you could create the salad of your dreams with over 50 fresh ingredients or just have one of their specialty prepared salads (that's what we did). In addition, they offer hot pastas, oh-so-good soups, fresh muffins (the blueberry is soooo good!), and Focaccia breads. It's so not your average buffet experience. You can make good choices here or indulge a little and still leave feeling light and satisfied. I LOVE this place! If you are familiar, I hope you've had wonderful experiences there as well. I'm wondering how I go about bringing one to our area? ;) |
| Spoon Sisters is another one of my go-to places to shop for unique gifts. They have an extensive collection of products ranging funky to functional. Really cool stuff for your friends and every member of your family. With Easter and Mother's Day around the corner, you'll definitely want to check 'em out! |
| Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful weekend! |
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Hello there, lovely readers! Hope your Friday has gotten off to a fantastic start! It has been quite busy here at MBP, so my Three to Share series took a bit of a hiatus. But today, I'm back and ready to dish! So let's start things off with kind of a two-for-one, since I owe you! :) |
I was exploring Pensacola last weekend and stumbled into Nancy's Haute Affairs. Meg and Charles have already deemed Nancy as a vendor they love, and now I understand why! She has a super-cute boutique that offers stationery, gifts, and gourmet goods to-go.
It was here that I made the most amazing discovery (at least to me!). Nancy's shop has samples of food sprinkled about the place and I decided to try some honey. There were a few varieties to choose from, but I just randomly tried one and was immediately transcended back in time to a dinner I had at a delicious Malaysian restaurant in D.C. I distinctly remember that my dessert had the most scrumptious honey drizzled over it. So scrumptious, in fact, that I stepped out of my normal character and licked the plate... just a little! It was *that* good! :) I asked the server where they got that honey, but to no avail. Several years later, I have finally solved the mystery: Tupelo honey!
Apparently it's well-known here in the Florida panhandle, since it's harvested here – the Apalachicola River basin to be exact! After reading this, you may think I'm a honey-nut-cheerio. But I actually don't care much for honey, besides maybe in my tea or oatmeal, but that's it. I implore you to give this honey a try if you're unfamiliar or tend not to like the stuff. It will change your mind! |
Fine Art Daily is a wonderful blog by the lovely and talented artist, Jean Sanders based in Stuart, Florida – close to where I moved from.
From Jean's site: "Every day I try to paint & share a bit of my world & work. This is life with Best Beloved, the Pouting Princess, Tall Boy, cats, the weedy garden and the dust bunny-ridden house. I also offer friendly and professional illustration & design services."
I get an email in my inbox every morning of her latest offering. I just love Jean's writing and artistic style. And you can get an original work of art for a mere $50! I am the proud owner of two of her prints – a peacock painting I purchased for myself and a cute crab illustration I received from a friend for my birthday. Check out her work, subscribe to her blog or sign up for her emails and you will be charmed, I'm sure! |
This is a little last minute, but the McGuire's Prediction Run is tomorrow morning. If you're a run/walker, sign up and join in the fun! If you're more of a spectator, apparently this event is very entertaining! If you've already signed up, I'll see you there! Well, maybe not...
From Visit Pensacola:"With more than 5,000 participants, it is Pensacola’s largest run and the nation’s largest prediction run. Awards go to the fastest as well as the most accurate in predicting the time it will take to complete the course."
There are also awards for best costume and best military formation. My husband and I will be participating and we don't quite know what to expect since it's our first go at it, but I definitely think the experience will be more groovy than grueling! (Sorry, cheesy - I know!) |
| I hope you all have a happy Friday and an even better weekend! |
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