4.13.2010

What I need most..

Once upon a time, what seems like a very long time ago but really was just last summer,  we traveled to that far away state to meet Southern Darlin' for the first time.   Already being a family of 7 at the time, we have a hard time fitting into normal hotels w/o having to purchase two rooms which would be an issue not only in money but in logistics.. Who to put in each room? Daddy Chaos & I would have to sleep separately (which I guess is not the end of the world but you get the point).   A friend suggested that we try a TownePlace Suites by Marriott.   This began a change in our hotel habits.

What keeps pulling us back is not the fact that they have two bedroom suites , a full kitchen, or feed you supper on weeknights*..  It's this :





Who can resist such comfort? Now I have slept in a waterbed since I was  14.  I normally cannot stand a *normal* bed.   These beds, I drool over.

So when we had to make the trek to that far away state in order to finalize on Southern Darlin's adoption last week, we naturally stayed at a TownePlace Suites on our trip home. I fully tried to convince Daddy Chaos  to just stay in Texarkana for ever in our suite. I did not want to leave the comfort of that bed.  The only way he convinced me to leave was to promise me that he'd drive an hour out of the way to hit another TownePlace Suites on our way home.. Love that man.

If you ever have a chance to go stay at one of these (perhaps all Marriott's have these beds, but I can't say for sure), try it out if you dare..  I could careless what the hotel looks like (although both we've stayed in have been wonderful) if the bed is to die for.

Now that we're home, Daddy Chaos & I have already been bed shopping trying to find a comparable bed. I NEED it.

* I'm not 100% sure that all TownePlace Suites serve snacks/supper on weeknites but the ones I stayed at did :) 

**This post is 100% my own personal opinion. It was not sponsored or compensated in any way... Although if Marriott wanted to send me a King size bed like above, I'd love it.. heehee

4.12.2010

Who says you can't throw food?

 

I have been hearing about this place for a while. Lamberts Cafe- Home of the Throwed Rolls.  We've been thru the area a time or two in our travels (when we were 'young' we lived in Utah & thought it was a nice weekend to drive home to Indiana & back again.. we were crazy, what can I say) but never at an appropriate eating time.  This past week, we made the trip to Texas to finalize on the 6yr old's adoption. It just so happened, that we hit Sikeston, MO right at lunch time and we stopped at Lamberts.  Finally!

One of the first things most of us learn (and teach our kids) is that we don't play with our food. Apparently the people at Lamberts have figured a way around that old rule because throwing rolls makes everything more fun. Everything about Lamberts is an experience.  

From the adorable horse & covered wagon ride outside the front door that The Toddler absolutely LOVED :
 

To the Giant footprints leading the way thru the restaurant- which of course all the kids, big *ahem* and little,  had fun putting their feet in to measure up:


To the Humongous drinks that come out standard.  Now you all know how much Momma Chaos loves her drinks (fountain pop, people.. fountain pop).  Let me tell you that even I didn't ask for a refill and was only able to finish it by standing at our table and quickly slurping as Daddy Chaos tried to leave.. Geez, you'd think some people didn't know me after 15yrs of marriage.. You just don't leave Dr Pepper (or Mr Pibb in this case) sitting.  Regardless, a pop this large is like a gauntlet thrown down.  You have to try to finish it in one sitting. 
 

The food was spectacular and so much of it.. If I have to complain (and we all know I have to at some point), my only complaint is their rule of no sharing plates.  I do not think a single one of us, big or small, finished our plates.  Naturally it doesn't help that they walk around with all the freebies.  They call them "pass arounds" and the servers walk around carrying pots bigger than their heads full of goodies.. From   fried okra (Daddy Chaos loved, kids tried but couldn't find a taste for it) to the best fried potatoes (sorry Mom) to what my Momma calls Mactomaters (macaroni and tomatoes) to  black eyed peas and sorghum and honey. Quite frankly there were enough pass arounds to not even need the food to being with..  But then..

Then we get to what they're really famous for.   The rolls. Huge rolls. Hot rolls.  Utterly delicious rolls. All made better with the added fun of having them pitched at you from across the room.  The entire atmosphere was fun and friendly.  Rolls were flying then you'd hear an entire table burst out laughing because someone at their table had *missed*.  The roll thrower would have this look of disbelief on his face.  She DROPPED the roll?  *snort* and another was thrown.  Even the 4yr old got in on the action. While our roll thrower happened to come quite close, he could have handed one to the 4yr old but instead instructed him on how to hold his hands to better catch it & lightly tossed it to him.  The boy was THRILLED.  I'm sure that roll was 100x better to him!  

After witnessing the whole 'roll throwing' experience, it made me wonder.. Who ever thought, hey let's start throwing rolls?   Naturally (being me) I did some research.. You aren't surprised are you?  This is what I learned directly from Lamberts website :

The first roll was thrown in 1976 by Norman Lambert. At the original location, he would walk around and hand out the rolls.. One day it was really busy when Norman couldn't get through the crowd....one of the customers yelled to him " Throw the D*** thing!". And with that The ONLY HOME OF THROWED ROLLS was born.



So next time you're in the area.. You have to stop by and try it out for yourself.  Come back and let me know how you liked it.. Yum. 

This post was 100% my opinion.  It was not sponsored or compensated in any way.