Did you seriously just do that?

Well, this post was inspired by one of the worst things I have ever seen happen at a restaurant. Ever. Yesterday, I walked across the street from my office for lunch at a sandwich shop. There are tables and a "bar" type seating area for people who are loners eating by themselves to sit. So, I parked it in one of those seats, as to not take up an entire table for just myself. (Don't you just hate when people do that?) There was only one other person sitting in that are. After my first few bites of a delish sammy, I heard the most disgusting sucking/ slurping sound. I looked up and in the mirror I saw the lady picking her teeth. In. public. With a toothpick. I immediately lost my appetite. I was amazed (hence this post's title) I have never in my life seen someone "go at" their teeth in a restaurant like that. Ok, I understand grabbing a pick on your way out, but c'mon, this is not your personal bathroom lady.

That being said, I thought I would go over some of my pet peeves and things I think every diner should know. (Stop right here if you don't want to read a SERIOUS rant)

First of all, I would not call myself the most mannered person in the world, but I have done my fair share of reading from Emily Post (gotta love it) and the Tiffany's Table Manners for teenagers book, and I feel that table manners are of the utmost importance. I think that manners in general have fallen by the wayside, but some people have no clue about what to do when sitting down to a meal.

Secondly, I would like to thank my mom for teaching me all about table manners. I am so thankful that I know what to do, and don't embarrass myself in certain situations. Thanks to dad as well, he always used to get on us at the dinner table for "pushing our food with our fingers".

Anyway, on to my pet peeves!

1. I hate when people sit down for a meal and don't put their napkin in their lap and set out their fork(s) and knife. It is easy, and it is ALWAYS what I do first. I think it might be a little of my OCD coming out, but I hate when the table doesn't look uniform.

2. Buttering bread. Many people don't know this, but when buttering your bread, you should tear off a piece at a time and butter and eat it. Never butter a big ole' slab of bread at the table with me, it gets to me!!

3. I hate when people order and say "i'll have..." or "i'll take the.." I have never worked in a restaurant, but a little please and thank you go a long way and are surely appreciated. I almost always say "may I have.. please?"

4. Chewing with one's mouth open. Enough said.

5. Since yesterday, I have added a new one I never thought I would have to. Don't EVER pick your teeth in a restaurant!!

6. Please, hold your utensils correctly!! Some people have the strangest ways of holding a fork and knife (some look terribly uncomfortable), but I just can't stand to see someone grab a fork and spear something! Also, along with this, I hate when people take more than one bite off their fork. I can't stand the thought of someone "gnawing" on a piece of meat or whatever is on their fork.

Well, I'm sure I could think of a billion more, but I will leave it with those big ones. I think I am just a little OCD about people eating in general. I can loose my appetite in an instant if I can hear someone else eating (slurping, crunching, smacking). I know sometimes it's impossible not to make a little noise, but it literally makes me nauseous.

So, now that I am off my soapbox, does anything annoy you about manners, or lack there of?

And, I was going to leave y'all with a little video I did in a journalism class last year on this very topic, but I can't find it:( Oh well...
ERK

What I'm Lovin'- Pink Edition!

Since it's almost Valentines day, I thought this weeks "What I'm Lovin' Wednesday" would be all things pink!

1. The Kate Spade Gold Coast Bright Evangeline! I don't know if y'all remember, but I was lovin' the black version of this just a few weeks ago here. I saw this baby at Bloomys today while looking for a gift for the bf (obvi I had to peruse the ladies section after looking at every men's item in the store) I am SMITTEN! This bag would be so perfect with almost every one of my Lillys and would add a pretty pop of color this winter too! the Robin also comes in this pretty hue. You can find both of these pretties at Zappos!

2. Lilly Pulitzer Finn Shift Ponte in cocktail pink! Wouldn't this be so cute to wear to work next Monday?!?

3. OPI's Elephantastic pink. This is one of my fave pinks!

4. The Vineyard Vines ladies Shep Shirt in flamingo! I have been wanting a Shep shirt forever! The men's one just looked so cozy, but when the ladies came out I knew I needed one. The colors are so pretty!

So there are some of my favorite pink things! What pink stuff are y'all lovin' this week?

ERK

Weekend Recap!

What a fast weekend!! I feel like this was the shortest weekend ever, and I was NOT ready to get up and go back to work this morning. After our delightful dinner to kick the weekend off right Friday night, my mom and I headed down to Macon Saturday morning to see my sister. We went to take her a valentines present from my parents (a neat pot that has a steamer basket and and deeper pasta basket), and we stayed for a little Marshall's outing and lunch. We took Cupie along, and when we got there she refused to go potty before we went in. SO, sure enough, the second we walked in, she ran to my sister's bedroom and peed on the bed!! I was dying! She is BAD sometimes, but mama still loves her. After picking up a few things for my Valentines party (which is this weekend!!!) at Marshall's we went to lunch at a nice little sandwich place called fountain of juice. It was pretty good. We ended up getting back to Atlanta around 5:30 and we had a new dish for dinner, spicy Asian noodles with chicken. Mom and I loved it, dad, not so much. Oh well, you can't please everybody!

Sunday, we went to church and I spent the afternoon making sugar cookies (well actually just the dough) for my valentines and I made a chicken pot pie to test it for Sunday night's party. I am glad to say it passed with flying colors and we basically ate the entire thing!! My friend Sara came over to watch the Super Bowl, so she got to test it out as well. I was glad she liked it!!

And, the Super Bowl.... the Packers won! I was rooting for them because they beat the Falcons, and I guess it makes us look a little better that we lost in the playoffs to the team that won it all. Also, the Steelers had too many Super Bowl wins already, so I wanted the Packers to have their chance.

After the game I was so tired, but decided to stay up and watch Glee, and I was not disappointed! Glee is the only show I actually follow and watch every week and this hiatus has been killin' me!! I loved last night's episode and can't wait for another new one on Tuesday!

And Finally, I will leave you with one of my favorite commercials. The dog reminds me of my friend Lauren's dog who I talked about here.

Hope y'all had a great Monday!

ERK

Miller Union Review

As I told y'all yesterday, we went to a new (or I guess not that new anymore) restaurant last night for dinner for my cousin's birthday called Miller Union. I still can't get over the fact that he is 15 YEARS OLD!!! I feel like he was just born. But anyway, to the food. I loved it!

For my appetizer, I had the farm egg baked in celery cream with rustic bread, and I swear, it was the BEST thing I have EVER eaten. It was amazing, phenomenal...perfect!

It was really dark and my pics didn't come out, so I grabbed this one here.

I had the triggerfish for my dinner, and it was quite tasty. I am not usually a big fish person, but it was a nice white fish, and was served with a beet puree and sunchokes, which were divine!

And, for dessert, a mini coconut cream pie. It was delightful!! Too bad I was so full that I couldn't finish it!

If you live anywhere near the Atlanta area and are looking for a nice spot for dinner, this place is a must! But, call ahead, because getting a reservation is still difficult, even after it has been open for a while!

ERK

Yummy dinner to look foward to!

I am beyond excited to go to a restaurant my mom and I have been DYING to try for a while now. It's called Miller Union and it is supposed to be Ah-mazing!! I checked out the menu and I think I know what I want, but i'm sure there will be some specials that might be even more tempting!

I will take some pics and let y'all know if it lives up to its reputation tomorrow!

Have a great Friday and woohoo for the Super Bowl in 2 days!!

ERK

What I'm Lovin'

Today I'm lovin...

1. That I got into Georgia State College of Law!!! I had to stay late at work, so I got home later than usual. I saw the mail was still in the box, so I decided to be nice and pick it up for mom and dad. The first thing was a letter addressed to me from GSU law, but it was a small envelope. Everybody knows (at least I think) that small envelope= no bueno. Soooo, I opened it, and I was accepted!!! WAHOOO The only problem is that I have to let them know by April 15, which is just around the corner and I am still waiting to hear from 2 other schools.

2. Kenny Chesney's new song "Somewhere with you." I just LOVE this song, and I haven't been a big fan of Kenny for the past few years. His music was always the same ole same ole, but I am really loving this one. I totally jam to it in the car whenever it comes on the radio!

3. My clean little Cupie. She had a bath yesterday, and boy did she need it. Now she looks and smells great!!

Right after her bath (sorry for the bad quality, it's and iPhone pic)

4. That I haven't had any caffeine in 2 weeks! Go me! I can't believe I haven't had a coke, or coffee or anything in that long!

Well, thats it for today. Hope its been a great Wednesday!

ERK

Bad habits die hard

I was thinking today that I have some pretty bad habits that need to stop ASAP. They're nothing super bad, like illegal, but I would be better off leaving them in the dust. Sooo, without further adieu, here they are:

1. Picking my cuticles. Ok, I know, that is GROSS but it is a terrible habit and I just cant stop!! I try to keep my nails done, which stops me from messing with them, but if my nails aren't polished you can bet I'm working on them with or without cuticle clippers. I have tried all kinds of cuticle oils and creams to keep them soft, but they always end up looking gross and hence the picking. I am, however, pretty much a professional at doing my own nails which is a huge money saver, so I am going to try to start doing my nails more to knock this habit out.

2. Flossing. Something else that is gross, but I just never floss! I am a stickler for doing my entire 2 minutes on the Sonicare morning and night, and I usually brush my teeth after lunch at work, but flossing just isn't in the routine. I will occasionally start to floss for a few days, but then I stop. I think I would benefit from flossing more for sure. So, I put a note on my mirror (like that's going to help) and I pulled the ole floss out of the back of one of my bathroom drawers to try and start flossing more. We shall see how this goes...

3. Making my bed. There is nothing I like more than getting into a nicely made bed at night, but I rarely make my bed! I don't know why, because it only takes about 2 seconds, but I just never do. I am going to try to start waking up 5 minutes earlier to make my bed every morning, because there is nothing better than untucking your sheets and sliding into bed after a long day at work.

Picture via

4. Putting away clothes. I usually take off my work clothes and throw them onto my daybed and forget about them. Now, I'm not the kinda girl who sends everything to the cleaners after each wear, that would be a little wasteful, but those clothes aren't doing me ANY good lying in a big pile in my bedroom. I really need to start hanging them up right when I change to avoid the treacherous pile that I end up having to go through and hang up every other week. 

Well I'm sure there are others, but that's enough for today. In other news, I finally got some cupcakes from Gigi's today, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Just not the best I've ever had. I think Society Bakery in Dallas is still my favorite cupcake, or my mom told me tonight that Piece of Cake, a heavenly bakery in Atlanta does cupcakes as well. 

Well, I hope y'all had a great Tuesday! Hopefully the weather wasn't too bad!

ERK