When Grandma Came To Atlanta---Part II

You know a day is going to be great when it begins with this:

my mom's pumpkin muffins, made by the husband! I've been craving these muffins for a while. Not only for the taste, but for the cinnamon and nutmeg aroma that fills the home when they're baking. After devouring these scrumptious little things and giving Emery a morning nap, we loaded into the car and headed to Stone Mountain. Once there, we drove around the huge park and then hiked up the mountain (which is really more like a huge stone). We had a great little hike and kind of fell in love with the area; lakes, nature trails, and good biking roads make it a place we are really excited to go back to soon.

look what we found, etched into Stone Mountain! 

After Stone Mountain, we came home and let Emery take a nap. Then we headed to Underground Atlanta. Aaaand...let's just say that's a place I won't likely be going back to. There just wasn't much there, and I spent the whole time feeling like I was going to get robbed. Oh well---at least we saw some of downtown Atlanta! After the Underground Market flop of a trip, we headed to Mellow Mushroom for my birthday dinner. We knew it would be sure to redeem our evening.

Mellow Mushroom is a pizza place that actually neighbors our apartment complex (dangerous. Very dangerous). We first tried their pizza shortly after moving in and although the restaurant itself doesn't look like much, we have been hooked on their delicious pizza ever since. They have fun pizzas like Chicken Caesar, BBQ Chicken, Potato Pie, Buffalo Chicken, and a yummy Gourmet White pizza that goes well in combination with anything. I could go on, but the main point is, I basically love this place and it was so nice of my mom to treat us to some Mellow for my birthday! We got a small pumpkin cheesecake to each try a few bites of and it didn't disappoint either.

Later that evening, we enjoyed some piping hot, homemade apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. Let me give you the full picture: homemade apple crisp, vanilla ice cream, and again, the characteristically Fall smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add a momma into that whole mixture and let me tell you, Atlanta was feeling downright homey to me :) 

Friday was deemed Pete's main homework day, so my mom, Emery, and I went to check out the Atlanta Botanical Garden. For my birthday, my mom bought me a year long pass and I am so excited to go back! The gardens were beautiful, they have fun events throughout the month, and it will be a great place to go on walks with Emery, relax, and enjoy this cooler weather that seems to have recently fallen upon sweltering Atlanta.

After coming home and giving Emery a nap, my mom and I headed out to do a little shopping. What I really mean by that, is, my mom held and entertained Emery so I could shop and try clothes on. So so so so nice. On the way home, we stopped at a tiny, random produce place that shall remain unnamed (because I can't remember the name) in order to get some fruit and try some boiled peanuts. The peaches were good, the peanuts so-so. But at least my mom had an authentic southern food to relate.

Well, the fun adventures shall resume in a later post in which I will continue to wordily drool over food and mom/grandma will continue to spoil kids/grandbaby. Here's some pictures to wet your appetite:

The Appalachian Mountains through pretty trees