Just an Ordinary Weekend and the Macon Civic Club Show

So, I haven't been on here in a while cause I really haven't had a whole lot going on- aside from school, a new job, being on the Macon Arts Alliance committee for Fired Works... yeah, I guess I do still have a lot going on.

But I haven't really been out and about like I usually would, not since New Year's and First Friday. This past weekend was just simply amazing, and I definitely did not go anywhere. But let me tell you how a day of nothing can turn in to something: you have to keep your mind open. For instance, my mom needed to go to Wal Mart, so I dropped her off at the door and my sweet babies were in the back seat. At the entrance to Wal Mart were about a dozen young men and women in uniform, asking for donations. So, I gave my babies a dollar each to give to them and asked who they were with: Crawford County High School ROTC. They just loved being able to help out! Then as I took the long way through the parking lot to Chic Fil A for their lunch, we pulled up next to a firetruck. They LOVE firetrucks! So I rolled down the windows and my kids waved and waved and waved! The firefighters were so nice- they beeped the horns and turned on the sirens and waved back. Then, on to Chic Fil A and back to Wal Mart. After we ate, we went over to the soccer fields at Stratford. My mom is a teacher there so it was no problem- my kids ran and ran and RAN. Then I showed them how to roll on their sides down the hill. Got all kinds of dried grass all over us but I didn't care. It was a good reminder it's the simple things that can make us happiest.

While this past weekend was about the simple things, I do love a good black tie affair and this upcoming weekend is the perfect one: the Macon Civic Club's Rollin' On the River. Be sure to check out my other blog, Make It Work Molly, for details about what I will be wearing ;) If you have never been to this show I promise you do NOT want to miss it. I will be at the Friday night black tie event, which is only $40/person and includes the pre show cocktail party, but other nights are as inexpensive at $18/person. Each evening's performance will benefit a different Middle Georgia charity, and of course yall know I can't say "no" to charities. And I really can't say "no" to seeing people I have grown up with making fun of themselves on stage- after all, the best kind of humor is self deprecating- correct?

Afterwards- be sure to enjoy the night out in downtown Macon! Perhaps cocktails at Kashmir, downtown grill or even Dovetail? Where will I see you?

So Much To Do, See, and Live in Downtown Macon

I love Macon. I really, really love Downtown though. This past weekend was First Friday- my evening started off meeting a certain someone at downtown grill before heading up to Thomas Sanders first solo show at Macon Arts Alliance. I have to say it was SO refreshing to see a bunch of people who I don't usually see out downtown out and about. But- first the show.

Thomas is an incredibly talented artist and if you have not made it down there yet you really should make the effort to go.

I saw a ton of people there as usual: Betsy and Keith Fitzgerald, Carey Pickard and Chris Howard, Lauren Benedict, Chloe Meadors, Ansley Morris, Collin Holder, Canaan Marshall, Steven Fulbright and David Quakenbush and more. The night would continue at Tic Toc Room where we ran into Canaan again, and then over to Dovetail where we had what HAD to be the best flippin salmon of my life. No joke yall it was unreal. And Wayne made up a cocktail for me. It had in it Grey Goose, Chambord, Grand Marnier, Creme de Mure garnished with a flamed orange peel- I gotta be honest anytime my drink is lit on fire you've gotten my attention. And I need to ask Roger Riddle about the sides with that salmon: some kind of rice and peas. Off the charts just damn good. 

I was happy to get the chance to catch up with Chloe and Ansley at Dovetail also- I hadn't really seen Chloe since we both joined Junior League and Ansley is an old friend from Stratford, middle school days. (And she had on THE cutest top from The Blue Door Boutique in Columbus.)

Now, as much as I love downtown I have been keeping my eyes open for a place to live down here. It's really difficult to keep track of the different places and possibilities especially with homes owned by a single person or smaller groups along with the "bigger" places. Luckily, there is now livedowntownmacon.com - which makes it SO much easier to find a place to live. I spoke with Kris Hattaway about it as well:

Molly:  Can you tell me, what initiated this website?

Kris: NewTown Macon has had the livedowntownmacon.com website for several years.  In its earliest form, it was a listing of all the rental properties that you could rent in downtown Macon.  So, if you were wanting to live downtown and looking for an apartment, this site would give you all the contact information to call around and see if anything was available.  This past summer we gave the website an overhaul and reworked it to better meet the needs of the potential residents for downtown.  The site still lists all the rental properties in downtown [under Places to Live] which shows that we have a lot of rental properties downtown, but now the main purpose of the site is to list the properties that are available right now! These are under Featured Listings and are highlighted in a rotating box on the home page.

In 2011 we updated a 2008 residential market study that told us we could fill 235 new housing units [houses, lofts, apartments] each year for five years.  Now, that includes rental and owner-occupied units, but the demand is great! NewTown gets call every week of people looking to move downtown.  This website is a great tool to assist people in their downtown living search. 

NewTown is currently managing a $5 million bond fund from the Development Authority of Bibb County - thanks to Bibb County - to provide gap financing for residential projects downtown.  We have used those funds in the Cotton Avenue Lofts that added 6 units to downtown and were rented before completion.  We're also using those funds to assist with the Dannenberg Lofts which will start renting in the first quarter of 2013 adding 69 lofts and three new retail spaces.  The third project the funds are being used for are the Lofts at 401 Cherry Street that will add 20 furnished lofts to downtown.  Our hope is that the Central Georgia community will become accustomed to going to the website to check on availabilities that it will help with filling the new units that are coming online in 2013.

This is a very cool site, it looks like it's open for both private listings as well as larger commercial ones. Do people with properties need to pay to have their properties listed?

On the site you can find listings for apartments in divided houses, lofts above street retail, as well as units in large complexes such as Katherine Court.  The site is currently complimentary to property owners with units in downtown Macon.


About how many people do you reach through this site? How long has it been up?

The newly revamped site has been live since NewTown's Annual Meeting on October 17th.   A complete marketing plan will kick off in January with a focus on March - May, so be on the look out for more to come!


Where do you see the growth of residential space downtown going? Who is your target audience?

Much (if not most) of our street level retail spaces have upstairs floors that are either not being used or are not built our for lofts, but that is the perfect use of that space. NewTown has just entered into our third phase of revitalization for downtown.  With this new phase, we have identified three target blocks where we will focus our work. The first target block is bordered by Cherry, Third, Poplar, and Second.  The second target block is bordered by Poplar, Third, Plum, and Second.  The third target block is bordered by Third, Cherry, MLK, and Poplar. Our strategic plan can be found on our website -  http://www.newtownmacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/NTM_StrategicActionPlan_FINAL.pdf

The lofts that are being built at this time are just the beginning of the influx in residential units downtown.  We expect to see more and more upper floors of our downtown buildings being renovated and used for lofts.

The Volk Study done in 2008 and updated in 2011 tells us that are primary target market is young professionals. The secondary market is empty nesters.

So, as you can tell, there is going to be LOTS of room for all of us who love downtown so much rather soon. And if you can't wait for the new lofts be sure to check out livedowntownmacon.com for all kinds of places available right now.

After all, wouldn't it be nice to be able to walk home after Mulberry Market (I went yesterday!!! LOVE it) or even after an event like Clifford Live! at The Grand Opera House?

Yep- I have one last thing to tell yall about. For anyone who thinks downtown isn't a "family friendly" place you  need to check out the Clifford Live! show- http://www.thegrandmacon.com/clifford-live/. I know I will be taking my kids. They love watching Clifford on PBS and to let them see it up close and personal on stage will be a very special treat for them. I'm super excited to get them introduced to theater early and to go ahead and instill a love for the arts at an early age. They love watching Disney musicals on tv so can you imagine how magical it will be for them to see this in person? 

Oh! And before I forget- be sure to come and see me at the Georgia Bridal Bash this Sunday!! I will be hosting the fashion show and would love to see all of you there. This will be a fantastic event for any lady who is a part of a wedding- and there will be a cigar bar and lounge for the guys. Don't miss it!!! (Remember my friend Tori's wedding I have told yall about? She will be there as well- her wedding was amazing.)

It's going to be amazing! All of this is right here in downtown Macon- if you haven't discovered it I promise it's not too late. There are so many cool things happening right now and in the future.

Time to plan for the New Year- New Year's EVE that is!

Christmas was just over and the planning for New Year's Eve began a week ago. There are events and things to do all over town- frankly it's a good problem to have, having a hard time choosing which events to go to. But I will for SURE be downtown- all kinds of restaurants are having special dinners. Lemongrass and downtown grill and Dovetail for sure, and Kashmir will have a New Year's Eve Masquerade (but be sure to get your tickets in advance)! There will also be the Cherry Blossom Ball Drop and the ARC will have their annual ball at the Terminal Station.

My head is spinning already! How will we ever decide? And to top it off I am still debating outfits (would you expect anything less).

This I can tell you: we will eating at Dovetail this evening. Below is the menu according to the email they sent out:

The first course is an Amuse Bouch and is served with a glass of champagne. You get a choice of four different options with your appetizer and entree. To finish the meal Pastry Chef, Ashley Dunn, has prepared a dessert trio. You get to taste all three! It's going to be a night full of fun and flavor!

Amuse Bouch

Griulled Squab Breast - dill carrot puree, Dijon mustard, served with a glass of champagne

Appetizer

Choose One:

Pecan Smoked Corn Chowder - paprika biscotti, buttermilk creme fraiche

Grilled Endive Salad - roasted beets, toasted pecans, heavenly blue, whole grain vinaigrette

Chili Rubbed Pork - pecan bacon pesto, perimmon jam, sherry cider vinegar

Curry Rubbed King Crab Legs - aromatic Carolima rice, coriander crab hollandaise

Entree

Choose One:

Smoked BBQ Chicken - fried potato salad, creamed collard greens

Butter Pached Shelled Lobster - triple cream brie grits, three sisters succotash

Coriander Crusted Venison Rib Chop - whipped bananas, goat cheese, poblano pear chow chow

Beef Filet - horseradish rutabaga mash, charred tomato hollandaise, asparagus salad

Dessert Trio

Smoked sea salted creme caramel - Tarte noir Pernod ice cream - Pomegranate sabayon donut shooter

This wonderful New Year's Meal is $85 per person. Spots for this special dinner have been filling up quickly since it was first announced. So, we suggest you make your reservations as quickly as possible.

We look forward to dining with you on New Year's Eve at Dovetail.

I know yall are jealous ;) But there are a bunch of places offering special menus- I mentioned Lemongrass above but I believe Tic Toc is as well and I know downtown grill is. Afterwards, I'm not sure everything we're doing- I know we're going to Cox Capitol Theatre and Kashmir. What are your plans? I know one thing is for sure- it's gonna be a fantastic night with all of my wonderful friends! 2012 has been fantastic and 2013 will be even better.

Yes, Bishop and Lily Kate, Even Mommy Believes in Santa Claus

Christmas Morning:

Twas up til 3 am, putting the gifts together, I swear never again will I (er, Santa) get so much with parts to be put together

At 5 past 3 I fell asleep to such silence, that I dared not move an inch

But at half past 8 I was awoken with the little girls voice: " Mommy I have to tee tee- in the UPSTAIRS potty". So I rose with such reluctance, that of the parent who has zero sleep and a toddler who is doing so good with her potty training.

Up I rose to the little bell voiced child, and with even more reluctance awoke the eldest who cried and refused to wake

"No- we must all go upstairs together to see what Santa left us in his wake."

Slowly we trudged the steps, with one child dancing the pee pee dance merrily and the other crawling the floor- searching for his bed-

When at the top of the stairs oh! We saw- what Santa had left such good boys and girls:

Babies and trains and trucks, tracks and bottles and blankets and clothes- oh my!

Surely this Santa must be real to have left such wonder!

But Santa for Mommy is different, my dear Bishop and Lily Kate.

 Santa is very real indeed, for while there are no presents under the tree- he has left me small miracles throughout the year:

Reenrolling in college- and making an "A"!- first time in so many years;

Community leaders who care about this town and want to see it grow;

Progressing in a new job role- and even getting a new job altogether at the end of the year!

Family and friends who have been through it all with me, friends that have grown so close that I am now a part of "The Family";

Even if I did not have a roof over my head and plenty of presents for you, I am so very blessed;

All the love in the world and even more, I see through you two- dear little ones: the joy in your eyes and knowing you trust me so ever so much (even though sometimes it's scary- like when Bishop decided to jump off of the chair and trust Mommy would catch him)- knowing I will ALWAYS have you two is the best gift of all- even with all I listed above.

So yes, Santa is real, even for Mommy, no matter what his name is- Santa or Jesus or even God, Santa has been good to me this year, and I am looking forward to so many more.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy Holidays and whatever you celebrate, I wish you the best and all the love this world has.

It's Mid December- Time for Christmas Parties!

Holiday party season! So far I have managed to not totally overwhelm myself. Santa Claus (ie: Me) is finished with my children's Christmas shopping. I still need to wrap up shopping for everyone else. And last weekend kicked off the holiday parties. Perfect timing, really, with the opening of Cesare's newest hot spot: Kashmir. But we'll get to that in a moment...

Our group would first convene at David's house before the Jazz Association's Holiday Jam. When you invite people over, even if you have plenty of cocktails, you have to have food as well. That was my self appointed job. If I didn't have a regular 9-5 job and children I could have time to make appetizer type food, even though I say I can't cook I can make appetizers no problem. But again the problem is time. I do kind of like to get my sleep when I can. So, I made a phone call to Cesare who got me in touch with Mary- who handles all of his private room bookings and caterings. I didn't need a whole lot, just something for around 15 people during cocktails.

I wish I had taken pictures but we had three platters of food from Dolce Vita: cucumber and tomato sandwiches, fruit and cheese, turkey and avacado wraps, and more. They were beautiful and yummy. And a big hit.

From there we went to the Jazz Association's Holiday Jam at the Library Ballroom. The jazz band was amazing! However as per usual for our group we had to make the rounds. From there we stopped by the party in the alley outside of downtown grill before stepping inside. From there we went on to Tic Toc Room- which was packed for the performance by Tokyo Spa. Needless to say, we did not make it to Kashmir that night- we did the next night though- but we did stop by BJ's to tell my brother Happy Birthday.

We wrapped up the evening at David's house- needless to say I have a very fun group of friends. Ending the evening dancing with Ricky (who also had a birthday), Jonathan, Steven, David, Betsy, Keith, Tori, Jerry and David- simply priceless! There are pictures but I probably shouldn't post them.

The next day we tried to make it to Wesleyan Market, but I remembered the closing time wrong so it didn't happen. We did however go by Yesterday's Antique Market. That is one really cool place- I saw the coolest glass ball wall installation.

After that we also went to Payne City Antique Market. That evening we made it over to Dovetail because I had a serious craving for the Sweet Tea creme brulee- we then went to downtown grill but they were so busy we couldn't get it. Hey- it happens- which is honestly a great thing to see. So we went on to Kashmir, where I saw so many old friends especially from my days for working for Cesare: Mary, Paula, Sunshine... and sorority sister Caroline who then introduced me to Catherine- one of the girls working there who is also an ADPi.

And tonight is the Bravo's Christmas party! This is yet another fun group- so don't miss out on any of our fun activities next year. :)

All in all, it was a very fun weekend but I am super excited for this weekend- I already have playdates schedules for my sweet babies.

Also- be sure to check out my latest fashion blog post with my #TheMuseProject photos- more to come:
http://makeitworkmolly.com/themuseproject-take-1/

AND keep your eyes open for my updates regarding the Georgia Bridal Bash- yours truly will be hosting it! It's Sunday, January 13th 2013. It will be epic :) There will be a beauty bar, groom cigar lounge, VIP lounge, detail inspired galleries, fashion show, prizes and of course Central Georgia's finest wedding professionals.

Til next time yall!

There's a Few Things Worth Staying Up For...

I should be well in bed by now- I have the alarm set well before 6 am to make it to the gym, since someone delayed me this morning. And yet another someone delayed me this evening. So it has  to happen. But- there's something special coming up soon and I need to let yall know about it. So, I am not asleep even though my eyes are halfway there.

The ARC is a group that I first really "met" this time last year, when doing a series of interviews on the MaconScene.com blogging site. Better known as The Advocacy Resource Center, they assist people who family members that help different developmental disabilities in many ways such as finding them homes and helping them to live in the "real world." Since 1953, they have been finding ways to help these people live as independently as they can and have also aided them in reaching their individual rights that many of us take for granted.

The ARC frequently partners with local restaurants for " Eat for the ARC" days, in which a portion of the proceeds go to the ARC. Today's happens to be one of those days at Lemongrass, downtown on Cherry Street. On the 22nd it will be Georgia Bob's.

Their biggest event is the Big Bash, and this year is their fifth one. It happens to be one of THE events to go to New Year's Eve, and tickets start at just $25 per person. From their press release:

 “It is exciting to see so many supporters sell out this party to celebrate The Arc, year after year,” exclaimed board member Betsy Powell. Partygoers will appreciate the option to have a general ticket, in addition to the table seating. Beginning at $25, tickets are available now: arcmacon.org or 478.477.7764.

So, do you really want to miss out on any of these events? I think not! Get out today to Lemongrass, on the 22nd to Georgia Bob's and ring in the New Year with the ARC at the Terminal Station- they're even going to have The Grapevine performing! I hope to see each of you there.

I Planned a Relaxing Weekend, However...

... Just curious, did any of you out there actually think this would succeed for me? Well, it's kind of going to happen. For about an hour.

Tomorrow morning, I have offered to help a friend who needs a hat in the morning. So, I may be up around 6 am. And really, I need to go running anyway. I've been missing it a lot since the time change, cause I can't go after work. So, meet friend, go on a run. Then at 11 am I take some time for myself for a massage with Mandy Miller- praise Jesus. I can also nap during the massage ;)

After that it's off to lunch at Lemongrass to meet up with my editors, Gary and Carla, with Macon Food and Culture and then Jittery Joe's to finally get serious about NaNoWriMo- and to meet up with some other ladies who are trying to meet this nearly 2,000/words daily goal (hope to see each of you- Angel, Rachel, Sarah). I'm hoping to also make it to the downtown cleanup that Main Street Macon is hosting- however I may run out of time.

And after THAT it's off my friends Alex and Eleta's house for some pre-Thanksgiving festivities with lots of food and friends. I knew Alex and Eleta both in undergraduate school at Mercer and have gotten to know them both a lot better recently. I am really looking forward to tomorrow night- it's looking to be a good night with lots of friends and cerebral conversation. (I seem to always get in a good, civil, intellectual political conversation with this group and I LOVE it. Good reminder of why I was a poli sci major, I suppose.)

Tomorrow night is also the big Goodwill Gala- I hate I'm going to miss it but since I would be dateless for the evening and the fact that cloning in humans has yet to be perfected... anyone care to send me pictures so I can post them?

As for Sunday? Going to aim for another early morning run, however the recent cold weather may take it all out of me tomorrow morning. Then church- I attend St. Paul's Episcopal but I've been meaning to visit St. James also- it's always nice to check out other houses of worship just for the sake of it. And then... not sure to be honest with you! I feel like there is something I am forgetting (there usually is). Til next time folks...