Gabrielle Giffords Congresswoman Shot

I am beginning to wonder what the heck is wrong with our world!  I was just sitting here watching the news to hear that some random gunman walked into a local event at a Safeway and started shooting.

At least 12 people were shot including a Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.  The results of her injuries and her status isn’t known as of yet.  I am so sad that someone takes it upon themselves to ruin someone’s life like that.

The reports from witnesses are also stating that there are bodies at the scene and the parking lot was packed with people.  The shootings seemed to be random, but who knows what his motive was.  Democrat or Republican, this is horrible.  What if she has children?  Really sad!

Ice Wine Better Than Whine

I have never been a wine drinker, and often I have a hard time with most alcoholic beverages, because I somewhat allergic to it.  I am also not a big fan of the strong taste of wine or alcohol in general.

I started to investigate the world of wine after reading numerous articles about the health benefits of drinking wine.  Well over half of the wines that I tried, just weren’t my style because of the stronger taste and since I really don’t drink, not much appealed to me.  If it is alcohol, it shouldn’t remotely taste like it for me to actually enjoy drinking it.

I am a white wine girl, and although most of the health benefits of wine come from the “red wines”, I figure I could start here and possibly work my way into the red stuff.  According to this article by the Mayo Clinic:

“Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of “good” cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.”

After my recent check up at the doctor, I found out my good cholesterol was a little low so I went looking for ways in which to help the process along.    This doesn’t mean we all go out and become alcoholics, but an occasional glass of wine is a good thing and may help the old ticker!

Although the wine I have discovered isn’t red, I thought I would mention how delightful this stuff is.  It’s called Ice Wine and it is considered a sweet dessert wine.  It is more like drinking grape juice, it is just that sweet.  After discussing with my neighbor that I liked a sweeter taste to my wine, she suggested a Moscato, which I tried and likes, but Ice Wine is even better.  What makes it so sweet?  According to good ole Wikipedia:

Ice Wine is produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The sugars and other dissolved solids do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape must to be pressed from the frozen grapes, resulting in a smaller amount of more concentrated, very sweet wine.

With ice wines, the freezing happens before the fermentation, not afterwards. Unlike the grapes from which other dessert wines, such as Sauternes,Tokaji, or Trockenbeerenauslese, are made, ice wine grapes should not be affected by Botrytis cinerea or noble rot, at least not to any great degree. Only healthy grapes keep in good shape until the opportunity arises for an ice wine harvest, which in extreme cases can occur after the New Year, on a northern hemisphere calendar. This gives ice wine its characteristic refreshing sweetness balanced by high acidity. When the grapes are free of Botrytis, they are said to come in “clean”.Due to the labour-intense and risky production process resulting in relatively small amounts of wine, ice wines are generally quite expensive.

Canada and Germany are the world’s largest producers of ice wines. About 75 percent of the ice wine in Canada comes from Ontario.^[1]

My husband was “sweet enough” to get me a bottle for Christmas. The name Inniskillin Vidal Ice Wine, from a supposedly good year (2005). We were eager to try our first glass, and I had mine while soaking in the tub. I fell in love at first drink and I could hardly tell I was drinking wine. The nice part is, I still experienced the mellowed out effects of a nice glass of wine without me wincing from the strong taste that, comes from me being unaccustomed to drinking wine.    I think I have found a new favorite!  You can find out more about Inniskillin Ice Wine, I know I would love to be invited for a tour to experience the process first hand!

Hersheys Stocking Giveaway Winner

Congrats to Tracy who is the winner of the Hersheys Stocking of Treats!

I’m A Little Grayer

Sometimes being a parent is tough, but it’s even more difficult when your babies are sick.  Both of my kids have been sick, in fact, our entire family has been sick with something for about two weeks now.

I have never had a personal experience with asthma, but my husband has had it his entire life.  One of my lil ones only gets flare ups whenever he has a respiratory infection.  It isn’t all of the time, but these flare ups happen once or twice a year.  Earlier this week, he started to cough and in less than 12 hours, he was having a very hard time breathing.  I whipped out the nebulizer, and was prepared to ride it out with round the clock breathing treatments and an initial dose of steroids until I could get to the Dr.   If you are a mom, you know that when lil ones are sick, you rarely sleep.  When my lil one starts in with breathing issues, I am afraid to even close my eyes.

This time he decided to scare us even more, when after three breathing treatments at the Dr’s office we were told to head to the hospital.  When we arrived, they gave him several more treatments and a steroid dose that you would give a moose!  I was beginning to worry because after that he had minimal change.  When the Dr came in he said they were going to continue to give treatments until he responded.  If you know anything about albuterol, it makes them shaky, hyper and your heart races.  I’m thinking whoaaaaaaa they are going to put my kid in cardiac arrest!

It is always hard because you are worried sick, yet you don’t want your kids to pick up on it.  Thankfully, we finally got to all go home and my bubs is improving and breathing much easier.  But, I however, am a few hairs grayer and have politely requested that he stop scaring his mommy that way.

Disney World A Perfect Ending

At the close of Brandcation, the rest of us who didn’t head home on Sunday, were treated to a day at Disney World.  We headed out in the morning to the most magical place for kids of all ages.  We spent our day at the Magic Kingdom.  I didn’t get to experience Disney World as a kid, and my first trip there was when I was 23.

There is something about walking through the gates to the “place where dreams come true,” and becoming a kid again.  It is my opinion that you are never too old to visit Disney World and have a wonderful time.   We headed there in small groups then broke off for the day.  I had the pleasure of sharing my day with Tanya and we experienced our first venture doing pin trading, did some Christmas shopping, and enjoyed some of the rides minus our kids (I still felt a little guilty).  It was so much fun to go through the park as adults and have fun like we were kids.

I had a blast pin trading and probably spent more money than I would care to admit on various pins that I thought were cute.  A great way to get pins for trading is to buy them in bulk on ebay then you can trade for some really cute ones that you find the cast members wearing on their lanyards.  I never met a single grumpy face or person, and all were willing to trade at any given moment.  Pins that you can purchase range in price from $6-$13.  While we were there I also ran into these little collectible figurine packs by Hasbro.  You can collect numbered packs and get them in a collection like mini Star Wars figures, classic Disney characters, but we found it difficult to find the various packs and they are only sold in Disney Resorts.  I brought a few home for my boys and they adore them!

We took on the Buzz Lightyear Ride where you are firing lasers at all the Zurg targets and you can move your car in circles, which I had more fun doing, just so we could get a giggle out of it.  I  beat Tanya by hitting the most targets. You get a score at the end, so you can compete with your family and friends.

I was brave and stepped foot on Space Mountain, my expression says it all.  I screamed through the entire thing.  This is not a ride for young children!  It is a roller coaster that is in the dark.  I used to love roller coasters as a kid, but this was a little much for my adult style, but if you a thrill seeker, this would be a fun one.  I am happy to say I rode it, and that will keep me good for another 20 years  LOL.

I’m thinking I’m gonna die here!   lol

One of my personal favorites what Mickey’s Philharmagic.  It a 3D show featuring some of the classic Disney characters in Donald’s quest to return Mickey’s hat back to him.  There are effects like sprinkling of water drops, and yummy scents in the air.  I could go watch this over and over!

No trip to Disney’s Magic Kingdom would be complete without taking a charming boat ride on It’s A Small World.  You travel through countries while listening to “It’s A Small World”  This is a really great ride for young children and a way for you just to relax.

A trip to Disney’s Magic Kingdom also wouldn’t be complete without a few yummy treats.  My personal favorite, are chocolate dipped rice krispie treats in the shape of Mickey Ears, and the twirly pops for the kids.  When Tanya and I headed to downtown Disney we say a lot more that would add inches to my waistline, so we just sat outside the windows to these places and drooled  LOL.

Every trip to Disney World, so far, has had that sprinkling of magic pixie dust for me.  At the end of the day you are tired and you walk through those gates to say goodbye and step foot back into reality.  You leave with a sense that you just experienced something out of a dream.  The staff is always so nice, that I want to pinch myself to make sure it is all real.  Our first trip there with the boys, was amazing and even a year later, they still talk about Disney World and are saving money in their piggy banks to go back.  Whether you are there just to explore as adults at your leisure, or there to experience it as a family, it is truly delightful.

I always recommend that you take time outs with children so they are in over stimulation mode.  Go back to your hotel for naps and small breaks, and it will make it more enjoyable for the whole family.  This past trip to Disney World for Brandcation we only spent a few hours in the park but had just as much fun as if we were there for the whole day.  For me a relaxed pace is far better than having a schedule in these places, especially with young children.  Anytime at Disney is memorable, and magical, no matter how much or how little you do there!

*Tickets provided by Disney for Brandcation event*

Brandcation Thank You To All Who Made It Possible!

I know that you have been hearing me talk a lot about Brandcation and all the fun things that we did, but none of it would have even been possible without all the hard word and generous donations from all of the sponsors including the ones that contributes to all of our wonderful swag bags, snacks, and prizes that were available to us on our trip to Florida.

I know that this is a trip that I will certainly never forget but wanted to make sure that I didn’t forget the people who made it possible for all of us to share this opportunity with you.  I also wanted to thank Trisha over at momdot for dreaming up such a wonderful event, and all of the people who helped her, Blondie, Kim, and Shasta.

Below is a list of all the wonderful contributors.

The ULTIMATE Sponsor:

Global Resort Homes

Event Sponsors:

• Sleuths
• Florida Ecosafaries
• Boggy Creek Airboat
• Gatorland
• Arabian Nights
• Walt Disney World

Brandcation Swag Bag  Sponsors:

• Food Should Taste Good –  Facebook
• Cleavitz – Facebook
• Candy Wrapper Store – Twitter –  Facebook
• Zondervan – Twitter – Facebook
• BitDefender –  Twitter
• Ikea – Facebook
• BAZI –  Twitter – Facebook
• Blunders
• Shawne TV– Twitter – Facebook
• Proforma Green Marketing – Twitter– Facebook
• Bumble Bee –Facebook
• Uncle Ben’s
• Journey Bars –  Facebook
• Carolina Pad–  Twitter – Facebook
• Backyard Safari Outfitters –  Facebook
• Maple Leaf Farms – Facebook – Twitter
• Shoe Wallet – Twitter
• Cherb Chronicles – Twitter – Facebook
• Canine Colors– Twitter – Facebook
• ShaToBu’ – Facebook –Twitter
• National Association for Moms In Business – Facebook –  Twitter
• Bringing Out The Best In Others
• 25 Best Time Management Tools & Techniques
• Homeless for the Holidays DVD–  Facebook
• Really Wooly Kids– Twitter – Facebook
• Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure DVD– Facebook
• No Limit Kids DVD
• YouCast
• Deans Dip – Facebook – Twitter
• Save The Children–  Facebook – Twitter
• Become An Ex– Twitter
• TNT–   Twitter
• YumYum Dish– Twitter
• Swappers by ANNETTE –Twitter– Facebook

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Mystery Sleuths and Arabian Knights Dinners To Remember

Brandcation was an all around amazing trip.  I got to finally put faces to all the names and learn a few things about myself along the way.  Each and every place that we attended as a group, we felt very welcomed and the experiences were also great.

Two of our three days ended in some really unique dining experiences.  Going out to eat is always something that I enjoy, especially without the kiddos because I can actually taste my food and enjoy some adult conversation.  But while in attendance at brandcation, we had two wonderful dining experiences that included two very unique shows.

I had always wanted to attend a mystery dinner, a who done it of sorts.  When we arrived Friday night for Mystery Sleuths, we were all shown in to our respective tables.  During getting situated at our tables, the member of the cast dressed in their costumes mingled throughout the room, in a funny and humorous display.  The wait staff quickly got our drink orders and started us with our salads.

The show began as we were thrown into the story of Holidaze in Hillendale where

Mayor Rockwell and the citizens of Hillendale invite you to their quaint Americana town to celebrate their Annual Holiday Pageant and compete for fame and fortune on TV’s #1 reality show. The contestants will do anything to win even if it means taking out the competition!.

The cast of characters played their respective parts right up until someones untimely death, then we had to guess who did it.  I was way off by a country mile, and even though I thought my sleuthing skills were good, they had me fooled.  It could have been any one of them.  I wonder where they get their material.

The show was really great with all of the humor thrown in, and the food was pretty good too.  I had a honey glazed cornish hen, with this sweet potato and this cinnamon butter that I could have eaten about 4 of.  The wait staff was prompt and I always had my beverage glass full.  The night ended with a question and answer of sorts before the true murderer was revealed.  I would definitely return again for some crime solving humor and dinner mystery theater style.

Mystery Sleuths is a great show to attend if you have a little older children, who would understand the content and get the idea of solving a mystery. Adult tickets run about $53 per person, and $24 for children ages 3-11. *Prices include: Dinner, Show, Unlimited Beer, Wine, and Soft Drinks. The site does state that they offer periodic coupons and discounts also.

Saturday night we headed to Arabian Knights, where we got to experience a beautiful dinner show and presentation, with what had to be some of the most beautiful horses I ever seen.  The arena is set up with stadium style bench seating and tables.  There is not a bad seat in the house, and you can see everything.

There was a pre-show out in the lobby, that was really fun to watch.  There was a belly dancer who called some men to dance with her, I think I nearly peed my pants watching these guys trying to dance.  Some of them were actually pretty darn good.  I enjoyed my glass that lit up, and my strawberry/pina colada slushie, and waited patiently for the bigger show that awaited us inside. We were promptly shown our seating area and the waitors got us all set up with our drinks, the lights went down and the magic started.

Arabian Knights Story Line Per The Website

The current featured production at Arabian Nights, A Tale of Two Genies, is a lighthearted tale of adventure and romance. Two genies bring a variety of entertainment to life as they help Princess Scheherazade search for the prince of her dreams on the night of her 18th birthday.

Scheherazade first discovers that she is a princess when her Uncle Abra reveals that he is in fact her father’s genie Abracadabra and he has kept her identity a secret to protect her from the evil Prince Vaneer.

Abra then introduces the Scheherazade to her very own genie, Hocus Pocus, and the fun begins! Hocus wants to learn more magic, and provides great entertainment for Scheherazade in the process, bringing to life the Wild West, Gypsies, Roman Charioteers and more.

Walter Farley’s legendary Black Stallion also makes an appearance, bringing his own very special magic to the aid of the princess when she needs it most!

I watched in awe as people rode out on these magnificent horses who were doing some pretty amazing things in the arena. The story was beautifully presented. After the show was over they let all the horses to run free in the arena, and you got to see some of them up close. This had to be one of my favorite dinner shows that I have attended over the years and I would definitely take my family back to see it. Tickets for the event can be bought online for around $50 per adult, and $30 per child 3-11 which includes your meal with dessert, and the show. I would not consider this a bad price for my family of 4 for a night of entertainment. You simply have to see the show, for the sheer beauty of it.

“Both dinners and all events in brandcation were provided to all bloggers in attendance to facilitate our  reviews of the experience all opinions are that of my own”

Boggy Creek Airboat Rides and Gatorland

After sleeping like a rock, from Friday’s ziplining adventures at Brandcation, Saturday morning brought a whole new set of exciting activities for our crew.  I am an outdoors girl so all the fun outdoor activities had me enjoying all the wonderful sights and sounds of Florida.

Saturday morning we were off too fly across the water at Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, to literally zip in a different way across water that in a lot of places was only inches deep.   This particular morning was unusually cold for Florida, but we all took it in stride and hopped up on our airboat to experience some more Florida wildlife.  The folks at Boggy Creek Airboat  Rides, graciously provided us all with blankets to bundle up in for our brisk morning ride.  We put on our protective ear muffs and we were off.

I loved being out on the water despite the chilly temperature.  We saw birds of every kind, and even a few wild turkeys up on the banks.  We didn’t get a glimpse of an alligator, because I think it was a little too cold and they must have been hiding elsewhere, but some of the birds were really beautiful.  We sailed across the water and made turns like we were floating on air.  Our boat driver stopped often to point out various things along the way, and it allowed us to take off our protective ear muffs and listen to the nature around us.  It is a great way to experience some of the Florida Everglades.  If it wasn’t so darn cold, I think I could have spent the entire day out there.

After our boat ride through the Everglades, we were off to experience the Florida gator first hand at Gatorland.  I don’t think that I have ever seen so many gators in one location.  There were definitely plenty of them here and I am glad that they were behind fences!

Our guide for the day at Gatorland was Donny and he was nice enough to show us gators from baby on up and even rare leucistic alligators.  We even had the opportunity to feed some of the biggest alligators in the park.  We all took turns tossing them raw meat, and none of them appeared to be missing any meals!

Shortly after we had the chance to see a fun alligator wrestling show, and enjoy lunch within the park.  This was a fun way to spend our afternoon and would be something that I would love to take the boys to on our next visit to Florida.  It offers some hands on experiences with alligators of all sizes,  that you wouldn’t normally get close to, and a chance to learn about them first hand.

A big thank you  to Boggy Creek Airboat Rides and Gatorland who provided us with these experiences and even though the weather was  cold the welcome was warm.

Florida Ecosafaris Ziplining I Never Thought I Would!

You will hear me talking about my recent trip to Florida on several of my posts but this is one post that you will want to read.  The event was brandcation and the theme was adventure.  If anyone, knows anything about me, I am less than adventurous.  If I cannot rationalize it in my head I just don’t do it.  But I figured I would bite the bullet and face my fears, that, and I couldn’t be a chicken.

Friday morning we headed off to Florida Ecosafaris, a 4700 acre wildlife preservation, for an experience of a lifetime.   We were all going ziplining, and that meant jumping off of high places, and dangling from cables in mid air.  I am the one who watches this stuff on tv and says “NO WAY would you see me doing that.”  There were three groups of 12 and we all were assigned our particular times to head out to the zipline.  We all had to get weighed in (no worries this is for safety), and then we were given our times to go.  I was feeling calm, cool, and collected, then I realized we were the first group to head out…FIRST!!!!  I can think of a million things I would love to be first at, first in line for free chocolate, first in line for a good show, or whatever thing that doesn’t involve heights and jumping  LOL.

We arrived where we met our guides Alvin and Anna (love these guys!), got ourselves suited up in our harnesses, put on our helmets, and we were off.  We arrived at this tower of stairs that felt like it was swaying in the wind and they assured us that 26 people could fit way up there on this tiny little platform.  We climbed up this mini tower for what seemed like forever and we all stood there huddled together, all securely latched to out respective cables overhead. Then, one at a time we stepped up to take a leap of faith and put our trust in our guides, our harnesses, and all the gear that held us.  Anna attached my pulley to the cable, and hooked up my harness  and says off ya go to Alvin waiting on the other side.  My instructions were to keep my feet up, and make sure I grab the rope on the other side.  I had my momentary panic attack, and off I went, I was so worried about grabbing the rope on the other side that I didn’t even care that I was dangling in the air by some tiny cable.  My landing was a little rough on my first zip, but it got a little easier as we went along.  I can honestly say that I was having a good time, and felt a great sense of accomplishment that I was able to do it.

You can see my first zip, ignore the rough landing LOL.

Global Resort Homes and Big Thank You

I am back from wonderful and pretty spectacular trip to Florida on an event called Brandcation.   The main sponsor of the event was Global Resort Homes and they put us up in some pretty nice resort homes for our 4 day stay in Kissimmee Florida. The houses that we stayed at were beautiful resort homes.

I arrived in the evening on Thursday and headed over to our house so I could get rid of my luggage and go next door to meet up with the girls.  When I walked into our home, I was pleasantly surprised at how much space there was and how big all of our rooms were.  I was excited to be here!  Everything was nicely laid out, and even the dining tables were set.

The kitchen was beautiful and decked out with all stainless steel appliances and plenty of counter space.  This is a huge plus when you are vacationing, because you can have all of the amenities of home while you are away on vacation.  Each home was equipped with some of the basic cooking utensils and pans that you would need to make food while you are in the house and no need to over pack because you have your own washer and dryer.so you can toss in a load and go for a swim in your own private pool and hot tub.  I didn’t get the chance to take a swim, but the pool is heated and looked very inviting.

This was much better than staying in a hotel room, because you had space to just move about.  There were eight of us staying in our house, and yet we all could find that we had space to either sit in our rooms, take a shower, or just hang out downstairs, I never really felt crowded at all.

Check out this video by Blondie over at Good Golly Miss Blondie of our house!

The best part about Global Resort Homes is their locations to nearby attractions.  We were just minutes from the front gates of Disney.  I had rented a car and even though I wasn’t used to driving in Florida, finding my way to the Magic Kingdom was very easy and literally just minutes from our Florida vacation home.  We were also very near to local grocery and department stores, so it makes it easy to get the stuff you need for your stay.  After staying in just a hotel room with the four of us in Florida previously, I can honestly say that I appreciate having access to  basic needs in the comfort of a home rather than just a single room.  For me it is nice to be able to put your kids down for a nap in one room, and you can be doing things in another.  If anything it is worth staying in one of these homes for the sheer practicality of it.  It is also surprisingly inexpensive to stay there off of Disney property.

Brandcation was awesome, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a place to stay.  Thank you to Global Resort Homes for such a warm and inviting welcome.  You can check out Global Resort Homes for your next family Florida vacation and become a fan on the Global Resort Homes facebook page.  They are also sponsoring a really wonderful contest so you can experience first hand Global Resort Homes.

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