Today is the last day of November which means that for me, the Christmas season officially starts tomorrow. It starts at a different time for everyone. I've been watching Christmas movies since the second week in November. I know of people that started decorating 3 weeks ago. But for me, it officially starts on December 1st!
Tonight, we are going to finish cleaning the house and start decorating the house. I actually meant to start decorating this past weekend, but I just couldn't get everything ready in time.
Tomorrow, I will be starting the 25 Days of Christmas series sharing our daily activities that we will be doing to celebrate the season. I will also be sharing our elf, Zippy's, daily antics.
I hope you enjoy this coming month. Spend time with your family. Be joyful and thankful for everything and everyone.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Christmas Photos
Hi Everyone! Now, if you've ever read my blog before, you know that I am a big fan of photography. That being said, I don't think it's necessary to go out and pay for every single mini session you can find. If you only get your family's picture taken once a year, do so before Christmas! Please oh please take advantage of the Christmas Card Photo Sessions that people host.
Personally, we struck a deal with one of our friends to take their Christmas pictures if they took ours. Plus, we just got our pictures taken with the reindeer at our local zoo this past Saturday. I will post those when I get them (Wednesday!). Here are our pictures folks! (Click images to view them larger)
And here is our Reindeer picture! It turned out so great!
Personally, we struck a deal with one of our friends to take their Christmas pictures if they took ours. Plus, we just got our pictures taken with the reindeer at our local zoo this past Saturday. I will post those when I get them (Wednesday!). Here are our pictures folks! (Click images to view them larger)
And here is our Reindeer picture! It turned out so great!
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, IN
So, if you've read any of my travel/vacation posts before, you know that I do a lot of research before doing anything. This time is no different. My mother-in-law just turned 50 and to celebrate, we wanted to do something fun for her. She likes to gamble and spend time with us (of course) so we ultimately decided to go for a long weekend in Michigan City, Indiana (2.5 hours from us and 45 minutes from her). Our plan was always to go to the Blue Chip Casino, but we weren't sure whether or not we actually wanted to stay here so I did some research. In the end, this seemed to be our best option.
Parking
There are quite a few parking options here. And by that, I mean that there a lot of spaces available. Near the Blue Chip Tower, there is a parking garage. This is where most people seem to park. We were staying in the Spa Blue Tower though, so we parked near that side door. Most of the time, we could find a spot fairly close. Also offered is valet parking.
Check In
We arrived early so our room was not ready yet. However, we did all of the check-in things when we got there, and they were able to reserve us a room on a fairly high floor (14) facing the lake. My suggestion if you're staying in the Spa Blu Tower is to get there early so that you will be more likely to receive a room on a higher floor facing the lake. I assume if you get there later, all of these 'premium' rooms will already be gone.
The Room
There are 2 different towers to this hotel. The old one (The Blue Chip Tower) which is where the pool is located and the newer one (The Spa Blu Tower) which is closer to the spa and has nicer rooms. We chose to pay more and get the nicer room in the Spa Blu Tower. There were 2 queen beds, a chair, a dessk, a dresser, a nice bathroom, and all the amenities you would expect with an upscale hotel. I realized I had left my razor at home and really wanted to shave my legs before going to the pool so I called down to the front desk and the woman quickly brought me a razor and a couple packets of shaving cream.
The Pool
I'm glad there was a pool. My 5-year-old son really took advantage of it. I was surprised by the large number of children that were there though. And everything echos so much that you could easily get a headache from being in there too long. I'm not sure why other people didn't seem to have an issue with this and practically encouraged their children to be ridiculously loud. Just be aware of this fact before leaving. Towels are located on a rack in the pool area. There are two hot tubs.
The Casino
Since our 5yo son couldn't go into the casino, my husband and I took turns going with my MIL on one night. The other night, my husband's uncle and cousin came and the cousin watched our son in the room while the adults gambled. It was a lot of fun. The employees were all so nice. My husband and I wanted to know how craps worked and one of the employees (at a table that wasn't very busy) explained everything to us. At the end of our trip (playing all slots), we actually walked out with $200 more than what we came with. I'm pretty impressed!
The Spa
We got my MIL and myself pedicures for her birthday. It was fun. The woman that did them was very nice and everything seemed very tranquil in the spa area. However, while I was on the phone the week before-hand trying to make reservations for some spa packages, I got very frustrated with the woman on the phone. She would say there was an availability at a certain time and then 2 minutes later, it wasn't available anymore. This happened at least 4 times before I was just too annoyed by everything and ended up just booking some pedicures so that we had something.
The Food
Kids are only allowed in 2 out of the 5 restaurants so we didn't eat in too many of them. When we first got there, we ate at Nelson's Deli. The portions were huge. We each got a meal that was a big mistake. We should have just gotten 2 between the 4 of us and split them. We ate at Options Buffet one day and I thought it was very good. There was a large selection and everything we ate was very delicious. I was actually just looking at their website and I saw that Blue Chip now has it's very own food truck! That's exciting.
Shopping
There were 2 different stores. They are very different from each other. And they sell things that are very cheap and quite expensive. It's a nice mix. Plus, I did notice that they had a very large variety of sizes. I saw sizes in dresses ranging from XS-3X. I really enjoyed souvenir shopping in these shops. The one closer to the casino is more about souvenirs while the other one is more about generic (sometimes expensive) clothing and purses and stuff.
Check Out
Check-out was a breeze. It takes no time at all and we had no issues so everything went great.
Bonus Tip: If you get a room facing the lake, you can very easily see the fireworks on the 4th of July. In fact, you can see fireworks from all over.
Overall, I would definitely suggest coming here and staying in this hotel if you are in the Michigan City area.
Parking
There are quite a few parking options here. And by that, I mean that there a lot of spaces available. Near the Blue Chip Tower, there is a parking garage. This is where most people seem to park. We were staying in the Spa Blue Tower though, so we parked near that side door. Most of the time, we could find a spot fairly close. Also offered is valet parking.
Check In
We arrived early so our room was not ready yet. However, we did all of the check-in things when we got there, and they were able to reserve us a room on a fairly high floor (14) facing the lake. My suggestion if you're staying in the Spa Blu Tower is to get there early so that you will be more likely to receive a room on a higher floor facing the lake. I assume if you get there later, all of these 'premium' rooms will already be gone.
The Room
There are 2 different towers to this hotel. The old one (The Blue Chip Tower) which is where the pool is located and the newer one (The Spa Blu Tower) which is closer to the spa and has nicer rooms. We chose to pay more and get the nicer room in the Spa Blu Tower. There were 2 queen beds, a chair, a dessk, a dresser, a nice bathroom, and all the amenities you would expect with an upscale hotel. I realized I had left my razor at home and really wanted to shave my legs before going to the pool so I called down to the front desk and the woman quickly brought me a razor and a couple packets of shaving cream.
The Pool
I'm glad there was a pool. My 5-year-old son really took advantage of it. I was surprised by the large number of children that were there though. And everything echos so much that you could easily get a headache from being in there too long. I'm not sure why other people didn't seem to have an issue with this and practically encouraged their children to be ridiculously loud. Just be aware of this fact before leaving. Towels are located on a rack in the pool area. There are two hot tubs.
The Casino
Since our 5yo son couldn't go into the casino, my husband and I took turns going with my MIL on one night. The other night, my husband's uncle and cousin came and the cousin watched our son in the room while the adults gambled. It was a lot of fun. The employees were all so nice. My husband and I wanted to know how craps worked and one of the employees (at a table that wasn't very busy) explained everything to us. At the end of our trip (playing all slots), we actually walked out with $200 more than what we came with. I'm pretty impressed!
The Spa
We got my MIL and myself pedicures for her birthday. It was fun. The woman that did them was very nice and everything seemed very tranquil in the spa area. However, while I was on the phone the week before-hand trying to make reservations for some spa packages, I got very frustrated with the woman on the phone. She would say there was an availability at a certain time and then 2 minutes later, it wasn't available anymore. This happened at least 4 times before I was just too annoyed by everything and ended up just booking some pedicures so that we had something.
The Food
Kids are only allowed in 2 out of the 5 restaurants so we didn't eat in too many of them. When we first got there, we ate at Nelson's Deli. The portions were huge. We each got a meal that was a big mistake. We should have just gotten 2 between the 4 of us and split them. We ate at Options Buffet one day and I thought it was very good. There was a large selection and everything we ate was very delicious. I was actually just looking at their website and I saw that Blue Chip now has it's very own food truck! That's exciting.
Shopping
There were 2 different stores. They are very different from each other. And they sell things that are very cheap and quite expensive. It's a nice mix. Plus, I did notice that they had a very large variety of sizes. I saw sizes in dresses ranging from XS-3X. I really enjoyed souvenir shopping in these shops. The one closer to the casino is more about souvenirs while the other one is more about generic (sometimes expensive) clothing and purses and stuff.
Check Out
Check-out was a breeze. It takes no time at all and we had no issues so everything went great.
Bonus Tip: If you get a room facing the lake, you can very easily see the fireworks on the 4th of July. In fact, you can see fireworks from all over.
Overall, I would definitely suggest coming here and staying in this hotel if you are in the Michigan City area.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Stocking Stuffer Ideas
It's time to start thinking about stocking stuffers! I love getting them. And I love giving them even more. I don't have a lot of experience with buying a lot of stocking stuffers for boys and girls of all ages, but here are a list of a few things I have gotten people in the past. I have tried to name at least 2-3 ideas per age group. Please leave any ideas you might have in the comments and I will update this list as often as new ideas come to me! Enjoy!
Boy or Girl: Under 1
1. board books
2. teething toys
3. bath toys
4. Lots of Links
Boy or Girl: Age 1-3
1. Block Buddies
2. bath toys
3. toy phone
Boy: Age 4-6
1. Lego Minifigures
2. Mini Lego sets
3. Candy bracelet
4. Pez Dispenser
5. Go to Party City and pick out a bunch of 'goodie bag' gifts. They have a ton for under $1.
Girl: Age 4-6
1. coloring book and crayons
2. bathtime crayons
3. stickers
Boy: Age 7-9
1. handheld games
2. Batteries (if they are receiving any toys that need them)
Girl: Age 7-9
1. jewelry
2. Sunglasses
Boy: Age 10-13
1. handheld games
2. small remote control car
Girl: Age 10-13
1. Bracelet
2. Nail Polish
3. Lip Gloss
Girl: High School
1. Baby Lips or other fancy lip balm
2. Nail polish
3. Earrings
4. Gift Card
Boy: High School
1. game for handheld device
2. Gift Card
Men: Adult
1. Pocket Survival Tool
2. Flashdrives (which you can usually find super cheap on black friday)
3. Jigger
4. Gift Card
5. Lottery Tickets
6. Star Wars Jelly Bellys
7. Mini bottles of booze
8. Bar mix or peanuts
Women: Adult
1. Fancy hot chocolate and a mini whisk
2. Nail polish with emery board
3. Watch
4. Silicone Spatula
5. Gift Card
6. Fuzzy Socks
7. Anti-Bacterial in fun scents
And you can always get candy. Most people like candy.
What are some of your ideas?
Boy or Girl: Under 1
1. board books
2. teething toys
3. bath toys
4. Lots of Links
Boy or Girl: Age 1-3
1. Block Buddies
2. bath toys
3. toy phone
Boy: Age 4-6
1. Lego Minifigures
2. Mini Lego sets
3. Candy bracelet
4. Pez Dispenser
5. Go to Party City and pick out a bunch of 'goodie bag' gifts. They have a ton for under $1.
Girl: Age 4-6
1. coloring book and crayons
2. bathtime crayons
3. stickers
Boy: Age 7-9
1. handheld games
2. Batteries (if they are receiving any toys that need them)
Girl: Age 7-9
1. jewelry
2. Sunglasses
Boy: Age 10-13
1. handheld games
2. small remote control car
Girl: Age 10-13
1. Bracelet
2. Nail Polish
3. Lip Gloss
Girl: High School
1. Baby Lips or other fancy lip balm
2. Nail polish
3. Earrings
4. Gift Card
Boy: High School
1. game for handheld device
2. Gift Card
Men: Adult
1. Pocket Survival Tool
2. Flashdrives (which you can usually find super cheap on black friday)
3. Jigger
4. Gift Card
5. Lottery Tickets
6. Star Wars Jelly Bellys
7. Mini bottles of booze
8. Bar mix or peanuts
Women: Adult
1. Fancy hot chocolate and a mini whisk
2. Nail polish with emery board
3. Watch
4. Silicone Spatula
5. Gift Card
6. Fuzzy Socks
7. Anti-Bacterial in fun scents
And you can always get candy. Most people like candy.
What are some of your ideas?
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Recipes: Sex on the Beach
My maid of honor got married a couple years ago. I am so excited for her! I can tell you one thing, I love being married and I hope everyone can be as happy as I am. She got married on a beach in Florida. It was so beautiful and I was so excited to be there right by her side the way she was there for me. Anyway, the point of this whole post: For her bachelorette party, I made a drink to go along with the whole beach theme and it went over really well. It's simple and it's a classic. And if you're already starting to miss the beautiful summer weather, perhaps this drink could bring back those wonderful summer memories for you!
I didn't do exact measurements. I actually used a red solo cup to measure everything so when I say cup, it means red solo cup. Since I was making a large pitcher, it worked out perfectly.
2 cups Vodka
1 cup Peach Schnapps
3 cups orange juice
3 cups cranberry juice
Mix everything together.
It was delicious. I hope you like it too.
I didn't do exact measurements. I actually used a red solo cup to measure everything so when I say cup, it means red solo cup. Since I was making a large pitcher, it worked out perfectly.
2 cups Vodka
1 cup Peach Schnapps
3 cups orange juice
3 cups cranberry juice
Mix everything together.
It was delicious. I hope you like it too.
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