Pik 'N Pig BBQ!

Last night we ventured forth to the neatest little BBQ joint I've yet to find in three years of living in the deep South! I caught wind of this little dive through a friend on Facebook, and we finally checked it our for ourselves, being in the mood for some pulled pork and all.

I'm not sure how we've missed out on this place for so long! It's totally up our alley-- a quirky, cheap, hole-in-the-wall eatery with TONS of personality! It's about 15 minutes north of us in a little town called Carthage, and when we arrived it had two major factors in its favor, a) you could SMELL the barbeque before you even got out of the car, and b) for being in the middle of nowhere, it was PACKED.

It's located right on an airstrip where private planes land and take off (which only adds to the excitement), and they had some nice indoor and outdoor seating available. It was a PERFECT night temperature-wise, so we opted for the outdoor seating.

 You can see part of the air field in the background, and the cornhole boards for the kiddos to play with while you wait for your food!

 They also have some old WWII planes you can walk around and look at (I'm telling you, this place is SO random!), and Zach-O loved them.

 We'd been out playing tennis earlier that afternoon and the kids had brought their scooters to ride with at the park. Lucy apparently tried a "jump," and not being the most coordinated of children, she took a nose-dive and scraped up her poor little face! Again. Poor Luce. 

 Anyway, the barbeque finally arrived and we were treated to some tasty pulled pork, coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies, which is all very standard Southern fare.

 I got a yummy pork butt sandwich with coleslaw and Wisconsin cheddar which was very good. We didn't know that they only accepted cash, so we didn't have enough on hand to try the desserts, but with peanut butter pie and banana puddin' on the menu I have very high hopes the next time we go back!

We were treated to a very lovely sunset on the drive home and with nice full bellies ended our Saturday on a very Southern, very tasty note. Definitely a place to bring our favorite visitors!

The Scoop for September!

School and the fall season are well under way here in the Land of the Pines. My kids are loving school so far, which makes me a very happy mama! While the new, earlier schedule (we leave the house by 7:15 a.m. every morning) has been the biggest adjustment for Lucy and Zach so far, bigger by far has been the adjustment Leah has had to make of being home alone with just mommy all day! Admittedly, I am not nearly as much fun to play with as Lucy and Zach. The kids are all SO excited to see each other when they finally get home; it's very sweet!

Lucy and Zach got invited to play over at Josh and Luke's house one Saturday afternoon, and to their delight their mom invited them to stay for lunch. She texted me this cute picture of them. It is SO convenient and nice to have friends live right next door!

The other night I was making black bean soup to take for dinner to my visiting teachee, who'd just had her second baby. I was supposed to have it there by 4:30 p.m., which is kind of early for us since the kids don't get home until about 3:15 p.m., and she lives about 25 minutes away. Anyway, I'd doubled the recipe so we'd have some too, and was pureeing the soup in batches in my new blender. I finished one batch and lifted the pitcher off the blender and the bottom part that screws on, completely FELL OFF. Boiling hot soup dumped all over me, the counter, the cupboards, the floor, my iPad, and worst of all Leah who was standing right next to me!! The splatter even reached to the living room! It was CrAzY. The picture just doesn't do it justice. I had to change my clothes as well as Leah's, quickly mop up the floor enough so I didn't keep sliding in it, finish making dinner with the leftover soup, pack it up, and get out the door. Needless to say, we did not make it by 4:30 p.m. but got there sometime around 5 p.m., and it was one of those laugh-or-cry moments. I was so glad I'd doubled it! It took me about an hour to finish scrubbing off all that dried, stuck-on soup when we got back home, and the greatest irony of all was after all that mess I didn't even want to eat it! 

 We've had a family of deer walk through our backyard the last couple of nights right around twilight. It's been so cool because there are two babies and a mom and a dad, and they just graze along the back part of the yard, which isn't fenced in. I tried to get a picture of all four of them, but spooked the babies and they're hiding behind that tree to the left.

 Recently our dryer stopped working, which is kind of a big deal when you do laundry for five people. Our rental agreement was such that the owners would leave their personal washer and dryer (which were both very old but worked fine) for us to have, but if at any point they stopped working, they wouldn't replace or fix them. So, for the first time in our 10 year marriage, we had to purchase a new washer and dryer! And I LOVE them! They've been a ridiculously entertaining purchase for me, made possible by the money Jon's been making at his moonlighting gig (which has been a total answer to prayers). Yet another unexpected expense that job has helped us bounce back from! 

The last couple of weekends has found us heading north to Cary, which is a suburb of Raleigh about 45 minutes away. I love Cary. I think we would have lived in Cary had I known more about this area 4 years ago, but hind-sight is 20/20. Regardless, it's a great family friendly area with tons of shopping and restaurants-- including the "Jasmin Bistro," which is where we've discovered an authentic  chicken shawarma joint. So good!

 We then checked out REI and Old Navy, and headed over to Waverly Place, which is a brand new shopping center with a playground and splash pad. 

 There are tons of restaurants and shops, and tons of families with kids (Whoa! You never see that in Pinehurst!) and it was super pretty all lit up at night.

 Lucy hanging out at the splash pad and by the big water fountains.

We capped the night off by stopping at Gigi's for some pretty tasty cupcakes. They offer a hefty military discount which makes them only cost about a $1 per cupcake, so it's an even sweeter reason to indulge!

 We got the Strawberry Banana Sundae cupcake, Salted Caramel Turtle, Kentucky Bourbon, Flourless Chocolate, Cookie Dough, and Pretty Princess.  

Yesterday at Costco we bought Zach-O this $15 Optimus Prime costume. He was SO super excited! Leah wasn't sure what to think--she kept trying to take off his gloves--but I thought he looked kind of scary. He can't wait for October and Halloween and has a list of about 10 things he wants to dress up as. And with the way September is flying by, it'll be October before you know it!

Charleston, SC

For Labor Day weekend we planned a trip to Charleston, SC which was three years in the making. I've been wanting to visit Charleston literally from the moment we found out we were moving down South--not only because of its historical significance as an integral part of the Civil War, but also to experience the "southern charm" its famous for and the amazing Southern soul food! We left Friday afternoon after we picked the kids up from school, and about 3 hours later arrived in the palmetto state. 

 Saturday morning bright and early we headed to downtown Charleston to hit up "Toast!" which is famous for it's Southern breakfasts with a twist. We timed it just right and got right in (when we left, the wait was up to 60 minutes). Jon ordered the stuffed French toast with fresh peaches and peach cider syrup. It was to die for! 

 I got the crab cake eggs benedict with a fried green tomato, along with cheesy grits, and a buttermilk biscuit. All of it was amazing! It was probably my favorite meal of the whole trip. Definitely worth a trip back!

 After breakfast we headed out to see the sights, and decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride to see the city without having to make the kids walk in the crazy summer heat and humidity. It was about 97 degrees and totally swampy by 10 a.m.!  Waiting to load onto our carriage, and waiting by the stinky horses.

 Our tour turned out to be about 60 minutes long, which was about 50 minutes too long for Leah--ha, ha-- so we kind of spent the majority of it trying to keep her quiet, but I still managed to take a few photos. This was Philadelphia Alley, the 2nd most haunted street in America (the first is in New Orleans). Apparently this is where the Southern gents would meet to duel to protect their honor and over a hundred people died, and their spirits still haunt the alley.

Charleston's Royal Exchange building and Provost Dungeon built in 1767.

 The old dungeon that housed many a pirate who tried to come through Charleston during colonial times. Lucy was so freaked out about ghosts she wouldn't stand near the bars!

 After our carriage tour we found a little popsicle stand and bought a fresh peach popsicle to cool down with. I was wearing a skirt that day, and apparently when I stood up after the tour the entire backside of my cotton skirt was drenched in sweat. Awesome! It was SO hot and muggy!

 We did a quick walk-through of the City Market, where back in the day slaves would come to buy goods and groceries for their masters. They've turned it into an open air market for arts and crafts vendors, basket weavers, and many, many boiled peanut stands.

 The oldest church in Charleston, St. Michael's, built in 1680 as part of the Church of England. I always think it is so cool to walk where so many centuries of people have also walked-- it's like breathing in history!

Rainbow Row

They've done an amazing job of preserving the colonial character of the city, and there are some seriously stunning views of old alleyways, cobblestone walkways, gas lamps, and row after row of antebellum homes with European architecture and the brightly colored Caribbean influence. We fell in love!

 We walked along the waterfront where there was a nice cool sea breeze! You can't quite see it, but way out yonder behind Jon and Lucy is Fort Sumter, the site where the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861. Also in the distance is Sullivan's Island, where slaves were brought and held before being sold into the city, to ensure they were free of infectious diseases.  

 Hot, tired, sweaty, and hungry we headed to Hominy Grill, which was featured on Rachael Ray's $40 a Day. It was packed and had a long wait, but my kids (and husband for that matter) were total troopers, and patiently waited for our turn at some of the best shrimp and grits in town! I actually tried the pork belly and fried green tomato sandwich, which was delish! 

 Lucy is my budding foodie and ordered the Lowcountry Shrimp 'N Grits, which were super yummy! I can't believe my 7 year old likes grits and seafood and mushrooms, but there you have it.

 Ready to be done with sweating buckets for a little while, we headed south of Charleston to Folly Island where there is an awesome beach. It felt so good to cool down and relax in the ocean!

 Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, with your toes in the sand!

 The water was SO warm-- it felt like bathwater. The kids loved it.

Shortly after this photo was taken we discovered a little gift on our car window in the form of a $30 parking ticket, so thank you, Folly Island Police Department for raining on our parade! Our car tires were barely in the roadway, but c'est la vie.

The next morning after a good night's rest, we headed to Mt. Pleasant for a relaxed Sunday brunch at Charleston's Cafe. You have to drive over the coolest bridge ever to get there, and then we dined on fare like pumpkin bread french toast with brulee and croque madames.

I'd been dying to check out some of Charleston's famous plantations, so we headed into lowcountry about 15 miles south of Charleston to visit Magnolia Plantation which has been around since 1676. 

Ahhh, the live oaks! Such BEAUTIFUL trees! Covered in Spanish moss it just sort of epitomizes how you picture the South with its swamps and bayous. Magnolia had live oaks lining the drive up to the plantation which were so gorgeous and old!

We started with the petting zoo, where there were these very friendly deer to feed. It was another scorcher, so my kids were covered in sweat. The deer didn't care for the dehydrated corn as much as it liked to lick the salty sweat off of Lucy and Zach's arms! At one point it was full on licking Zach's head, which was kind of gross but also hilarious!

There was an enormous pot-bellied pig wandering around, and we loved him. Lucy wanted him as a pet!

They had free popcorn and snow cones and I'm not so sure how many we ate all together, but I do know they totally hit the spot! They melted before we could even finish them.

 A pretty spot for a picnic under an ancient live oak! 

 Magnolia House. The bottom floor had about 9 rooms which housed the indoor slaves that worked cooking and cleaning for the family. The main floor and third floor had 15 rooms for the family and guests to use, and the top floor housed only an attic where they caught rainwater, since being that close to sea level their well water was brackish and not fit to drink.  

 The quintessential wrap-around Southern porch. Lucy and I did the house tour (no photos allowed) while Jon waited outside with Zach and Leah. Lucy loved learning about all the history!

Despite the heat and humidity we decided to walk around the gardens and see if we could find the old slave quarters. It was a huge rice plantation, so during the summer months the family didn't even live in the house due to the fact that in order to grow rice, you have to flood the fields and it attracted hordes of mosquitoes which brought malaria. They spent their time in the cooler mountains of North Carolina from May to November, avoiding the heat and swampiness of summer, while over 45 slaves stayed to work the rice fields. 

 Although we saw signs warning about gators, Zach was really disappointed we didn't see any in the swamp gardens. Awww, shucks! 

 Black Water Pond

 Apparently, George Gershwin visited Magnolia Plantation while staying in Charleston to write "Porgy and Bess." Wandering around those lush gardens I could just hear "Summertime" playing across the grounds. We didn't see any fish jumping, but the cotton was definitely high and you could just feel what a different and unique culture the South offers. It was truly like stepping back in time!  We loved exploring Charleston-- the seafood, the beaches, the fireflies, the sunsets, and the Southern charm made it a fabulous weekend!