window treatments, menu planning, bathroom flooring, local newspaper and awesome cabinets!!!

Since yesterday we have had so much going on! Grant and Savannah have put together a great lineup of "what's for dinner??" It may not sound like a tough thing to accomplish, but when you have to decide on each item and what goes into it or on it, that does take time. And lots of it. We have actually been working on the menu items for the entire time now. We may like something and it might sound good, but after we look at what goes into it, we have to decide whether or not it's a keeper or to just drop it. If it has too many ingredients that are hard to get, we have to let it go. We need items that will be easy to make and that are relatively easy to obtain. So we are in the final stages of making the menu. I can tell you this though...we're going to have BIG sandwiches and fresh salads, including chicken salad on a lovely, fresh bed of lettuce (or on a fluffy, buttery croissant, with no trans fat, of course) and thick, hearty soups...homemade. Mmmmm...yummie!! Last night, Ripley's father Tommy Fowler, came and helped us at the store, yet another time. He's really a talented guy! He came and laid some wood-look flooring down into the bathrooms. The flooring in there was just awful. Old and beaten up terribly. He pulled every bit of that stuff up and then put down some new kind of floating floor. WOW! Does it ever look different. He is a very giving person and his wife, Sueann has been so gracious to help us out. What a blessing they have been and we are so glad to get to know them better with this venture. Thanks Tommy and Sueann!! We love you guys!! You know, when your funds are limited and you don't really want to spend much on "decor", it makes sense to try to be as creative as possible. Well, that's exactly what we've done. I am trying to use as many different things as I can. Window treatments can be very costly and when you are opening up a restaurant, you know that $$$ do not need to go into alot of elaborate decorations. Sooooo, I've taken the left over parts of what we've used in other areas of the store and made use of it. These little panels will keep the light at bay during the afternoon and also add a special touch to the indoor decor. Yea!!! I hope you all like it. If you don't just keep it to yourself..lol...jk!! It kinda goes with the fencing wall we made and I may even use it to decoupage some ole time photos onto later. Today, I went to the local newspaper, The Arab Tribune. They were so helpful as I shared with them our story of what we're doing. They allowed me to look through all the 'archive' books that I wanted and said to take all the time I needed to look. They were great. I am looking for old photos of our town. I want to dress the restaurant up in a way that brings out the history of the town. I'm so excited!! I can't wait to share it with you!! It's going to take a bit of time to gather all the pics and info, but they are so helpful at the Tribune, it should move along quickly. More on that soon. This is the best part!! Bro Bo Alexander has made the most beautiful cabinet and countertops for our store! He brought them last week without the countertops and when I walked in, I just about cried. They were made so well and with such skill. It was amazing to look at his work. I know it must have taken him a very long time to do. You have got to come by just to see them. I love them!! He brought the countertops today and they are just gorgeous. I can't believe it. They are so pretty and go exactly with the decor of the store. If we ever move to another location, I'm taking them with me and using them there!!