North Carolina Family Vacation Day 4--boat ride, pirates and beach fun

On Tuesday, I awoke extra early. I was up and on the balcony at 6:30am. I just find that I don’t need as much sleep here. So I sat on the balcony and ate some cheese danish and read some of my library book, while enjoying the sights and sounds of the ocean. Around 7:15 I woke the kids up, got them dressed and breakfast as we had a fun morning ahead.

After breakfast, we headed out to a little town called Beaufort. This is the area that Hurricane Arthur made landfall at on Thursday night/Friday morning. Beaufort is an adorable town. We were heading there to take a dolphin watching boat ride aboard “The Lookout Express.” We left the harbor at 9:20 and the first wildlife that we saw as we left the dock area were a couple of wild horses on Carrot Island. That was pretty neat to see. Then we headed out to look for dolphins. The Lookout Express is a sailboat so we had to go under a drawbridge to head up the Newport River, where there are several pods of bottlenose dolphins that like to play and live. Captain Steve said that he thought the dolphins might have been scared away because of the hurricane, but he had seen them the day before. He turned on some reggae music and said that the dolphins liked the music. He also mentioned that before the hurricane had gone through that the water had been crystal blue and very pretty. However, since the hurricane, the water was a murky brownish blue color.  We saw only about 5-6 dolphins while we were in an area that the Captain described as prime dolphin territory. As we were heading back, we passed by a pirate ship that belongs to a real bonafide pirate who is registered with the United States government. As we were heading back toward the docks, we saw a TON of dolphins in the water, including a few that were jumping out of the water.  This was an area where the water was crystal blue and beautiful. The perfect conditions for the dolphins, I suppose. It was really neat to see, and Rebecca especially LOVED seeing the dolphins.

After we disembarked from the boat, we headed down the street to a restaurant named “Clawsons” for lunch. They had really good food. Rebecca and Jacob had cheese quesadilla and fries, Benjamin had grilled cheese and fries, Bill had an angus burger with fries and I had a Carolina BBQ pulled pork sandwich with homemade kettle chips. It was really, really good.

After lunch, we headed a little further down the street to the “North Carolina Maritime Museum”. This free museum is a quaint little museum that houses some awesome artifacts. In 1996, Blackbeard the Pirate’s famous ship, “The Queen Anne’s Revenge” was discovered off the coast of Beaufort in 25 feet of water. Over the years, they have salvaged some of the items and they are housed in the museum. It was neat to see some of the artifacts and to learn that it was maybe 1% of what they had found.

After leaving the museum, we decided to head back to the condo (which was about half hour drive) to recharge our batteries and cool down. The temperature was 93 and their was high humidity. The only saving grace was the sea breeze. When we got back to the condo, we noticed that the winds had kicked up pretty high and that the waves were very choppy. We decided to wait until after dinner to go out to the beach.

For dinner, I fixed chicken nuggets, green beans and mandarin oranges for the kids and I fixed chicken wings for Bill and I. Once again, we ate out on the balcony.

After dinner, we got changed to go out to the beach. Rebecca, Jacob and Bill played in the water, while Benjamin and I sat on the beach. The wind was kicking the sand up really high. While we were on the beach, 2 military helicopters flew over. Because of the wind we didn’t hear them until they were right over us.

After we came in, the kids got bathed and put to bed, and Bill and I went out on the balcony to relax with a wine cooler…classic lime margarita for me and Jamaican me Happy for Bill. I will be honest I was not a fan of the margarita flavor. Then it was off to bed after another great day on the Crystal Coast.

Stay tuned for Day 5! 

North Carolina Family Vacation Day 3---beach time and Fort Macon

Monday morning (July 7)  we all awoke feeling refreshed and ready to go. After a quick breakfast, we all got changed and headed down to the beach for some fun. Bill had developed quite a nasty sunburn on part of his back and side so he said he would stay out of the water and on the beach with Benjamin.

When we got down to the beach, Rebecca and I started making a sand castle. It was a lot of fun, even if Rebecca kept knocking down the towers as she was trying to put shells on to decorate. As we were completing our creation, my parents, brother and sister showed up.  Then my sister and I decided to take Jacob and Rebecca into the water. It was a lot of fun, getting pushed around by the waves. The waves seemed much stronger today. Every time a wave would hit Jacob, he would run up onto the beach and say “I’ve got to get out of the water.” Rebecca loved running up on the beach too.

In the meantime, Benjamin finally decided to have fun in the sand. My dad laid down next to him and he started throwing the sand on my dad and they also played with a wiffle ball. (My dad got a very nasty sunburn on the back of his legs and on the bottom of his feet while he was laying there playing with Ben). Bill then decided to come out to the water and he tried to unsuccessfully catch a fish with a bucket.

After a while, we decided to head back in to change and head out to get some lunch. We decided to head toward the other side of island as we were going to go a local fort that afternoon. We stopped at a place called “4 Corners Diner” which looked like a type of dive that you might find on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” TV show. They were only open for breakfast and lunch. The kids had chicken fingers and fries, and Bill and I had one of their specials--fried trout, fries, coleslaw and hush puppies. The trout was really good, and the hush puppies were amazing. It was really good food, and the waitress was really honest. They also had another special for crab cakes that I thought about getting and the waitress said that she would not recommend them that day.

After lunch, we headed out to the edge of the island toward Fort Macon. The last time we had vacationed in this area we went to Fort Macon as well. In the 8 years it had been since we had been here, they had done a ton of renovations, including building a very nice welcome, visitors center that had a little museum in it and bathrooms and a gift shop. They had also added new display rooms into the actual fort itself. Jacob kept calling it “ Fort Bacon” and he said his favorite part of the fort was the cannons.

After we left Fort Macon, we headed back to the condo to relax a little. Once we came back, I decided I needed to head to the store to get some milk and more sunscreen. I called my mom to see if anyone wanted to ride along as it was a 15 min ride to the nearest store. My sister and brother decided to tag along. We went to “Food Lion”  and got some more essentials…including milk, apple juice, cheese danish, sunscreen and chocolate! After we came back, I cooked a very simple dinner of hot dogs and baked beans and we just relaxed a bit and I gave the kids their baths as they were not going walking on the beach that night.

At 8oclock, my sister came over to watch the kids so that Bill and I could go have an evening walk on the beach that was just the 2 of us. It was really nice to be alone with my sweetie and just enjoy the ocean and talk. We walked for about an hour. When we got back my sister left and we got the kids to bed. I straightened up and then took a shower and Bill and I enjoyed a wine cooler on the balcony---colada for him and blackberry breezer for me. Then we came in to head to bed. Another great day on the Crystal Coast.

Homemaking Meme

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, has tagged me in a meme...I used to love to do things like these when I first got on facebook, and when I would get email ones. I haven't done one in a really long time so I thought I would join in. As a side note, I am supposed to tag a few to continue it, but I will just say if you are reading this then you are tagged! :) 

So here goes: 

Aprons - Y/N If Y what does your favorite look like?
I love the idea of an apron, but have never worn one. 

Baking - Favorite thing to bake?
It is probably a toss up between cakes and muffins. I like the challenge of baking and decorating a cake for special occasions, but I like the simplicity of making muffins--especially zucchini and/or pumpkin muffins.  

Clothesline - Y/N
Again like aprons, I like the idea of one, but have never had a chance to use one. 

Donuts - Have you ever made them?
Nope. I have never had a desire to make them.   

Everyday - One homemaking thing you do everyday?
Laundry and dishes.

Freezer - Do you have a separate deep freeze?
Yes I do. It houses our dinner meats and extras.

Garbage Disposal - Y/N
Yes. I missed it when we went on our vacation to North Carolina and the condo we rented did not have one. 

Handbook - What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Honestly I usually turn to blogs for resources.

Ironing - Love it or hate it?
I don't really love it or hate it. It just something that has to be done sometimes. 

Junk drawer- Y/N - Where is it?
Yes in the kitchen.  

Kitchen - Color and decorating scheme?
We are renting so we have no choice as to the scheme. It is done in wallpaper that have vines all over it, and an old fashioned light fixture. Not my ideal kitchen but it is okay. 

Love - What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Making meals for Bill and the kids and watching them enjoy them. 

Mop - Y/N
Yes, as we have all hardwoods through most of the house. 

Nylons - Wash by hand or in washing machine?
When I wear hose, in the washing machine. But that is a rare occurence.   

Oven - Do you use the window to check on things or do you open the door?
I open the door. 

Pizza - What do you put on yours?
Lots of cheese, pepperoni, onions and green peppers.

Quiet - What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Check Facebook, read a book, read blogs....although with 3 young kids there is rarely a quiet time.  

Recipe Card Box - Y/N
Sort of...I have a recipe binder that I have recipes in that I have gotten handed down to me or that I have been given from people  

Style of house
Lived in....traditional.....????

Tablecloth and napkins - Y/N
No because of the kids.  

Under the kitchen sink - Organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized mostly...

Vacuum -  How many times per week? 
Less than 1...we only have one closet that has carpet so less often than most people.

Wash - How many loads per week?
At least one load a day....

X's - Do you make a daily to do list and check it off as you do things? 
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Depends on what needs to be done. 

Yard - Y/N - Who does what?
Bill does all the yard work.  

Zzz's - What is the last homemaking task you do for the day before you go to bed?
Turn on the dishwasher, turn off lights and tv and go to bed.

North Carolina Family Vacation Day 2---turtles, a shark and a walk on the beach

Sunday July 6 was our first full day at the beach….

After we got up, we all enjoyed a breakfast…Jacob and Rebecca had donuts and bananas, Benjamin had cereal and a banana, Bill had donuts and I had a cheese danish and a banana. After breakfast, we all got our swimsuits and sunblock on and headed down to enjoy the gorgeous day.

While on the beach, the kids had a blast. Rebecca kept wanting to go out farther and farther in the ocean. Ben didn’t want anything to do with the water and Jacob liked it for a little bit and then not. My parents and sister and brother are also staying in this area this week and they came down to join us.

For lunch, we came back to the condo and the kids and I had PB&Js, chips and strawberries. Bill had leftover pizza. We ate lunch out on the balcony which the kids enjoyed. After lunch, Jacob was being whiny so he went down for some quiet time and Benjamin and I played and watched a few cartoons while Bill and Rebecca went down to one of the 4 pools in the complex.

For dinner, we decided to go out to eat. We were going to go to a restaurant called Flipperz but when we got there the wait was 45 minutes and with 3 young kids we can’t wait that long. So we decided to go to restaurant named RuckerJohns and they were able to seat us right away. Their food and service are fantastic. Bill had a cajun shrimp wrap which he said was yummy. Rebecca had a hot dog and fries…the fries were handmade and were more cut from real potatoes in circle shaped. Benjamin had grilled cheese and fries. Jacob had a PB&J sandwich and fries. I had a grilled fish sandwich…which was grilled mahi mahi on sourdough bread with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and light vinaigrette. It was really good.

After dinner we decided to walk around the complex where the restaurant was and we saw turtles in the river behind the complex. We also went into a bookstore and looked around at some other shops.

When we came back to the condo, we met up with my parents and brother and sister to walk on the beach before dark. When we got down to the beach, we noticed a few guys fishing right in front of our condo unit. I noticed one guy was pulling his line in and he definitely caught something….well that something turned out to be a shark. When he pulled it ashore he put a tag on its fin and he measured it. He told the bystanders that it was a male, blacktip shark. It measured in at 58 inches long. Then he and his fellow fisherman, got the hook out the sharks mouth and got the shark back into the water and released it. It was amazing to see the shark, but scary to know that it had been caught right near where we had been swimming earlier.

Then we started walking along the beach. The sunset was gorgeous. Rebecca LOVED looking for shells, of which there were a ton. Jacob couldn’t decide if he liked it or not. Benjamin didn’t want to walk at first, but then he realized he liked picking up shells and throwing them. At least he found something to like.

After coming back in, we got the kids bathed and put to bed. Again I had to rock Ben and lay in bed with him before he would go to sleep. Bill and I got showered then enjoyed a wine cooler  (peach fuzzy navel for me, Jamaican me Happy for Bill) on the balcony before we headed to bed ourselves. It was a great first full day at the beach.

Stay tuned for day 3!

9 years ago today...

9 years ago today, Bill and I stood up in front of family and friends and recited our wedding vows to each other. It is one of the happiest days of my life. 

It has been a crazy ride these past 9 years, but I am very happy that I have had Bill at my side through it all. 

Happy 9th anniversary Bill! I love you! 

North Carolina Family Vacation Day 1--driving there and first time on the beach

Saturday morning, we left to go on vacation to Indian Beach, North Carolina. I spent much of the day Friday packing and I think that maybe I over packed on some things but not on others. Early Saturday morning, Bill and I loaded the kids up and left to make the 12 hour drive to the coast. We left our house at 12:50AM.

Kids all in the van ready to go

Shortly after we left, Benjamin made a choking sound and threw up just a little in the van. Luckily it wasn’t much and we could keep going. We stopped for gas at a Loves gas station around 4am and Benjamin was awake and he pointed out the front window and was saying “Don, Don, Don” as he was pointing to the adjacent McDonald's. I guess we eat there too much. We saw the sun rise while we were in VA and we were up in the mountains and the kids go to see the view and Rebecca’s reaction was “Whoa….that is cool.“

Very foggy in the mountains in the morning

Around 730AM and right as we entered North Carolina, we stopped for gas again and we stopped at a rest area to eat the breakfast that I had packed… cereal, bananas and milk. While there Jacob was running and fell and scraped his knee up pretty badly. Ben also fell just as we were getting into the van and scraped his knee up.

Right over the border in North Carolina

Around 11:00 we stopped at McDonald's to eat lunch. The drive was uneventful. The only time we hit traffic was during the last 2 miles or so before we hit the bridge to cross over into Emerald Isle. During this time, Ben decided he had had enough and started whining and crying because he wanted out of his booster.

Once we were on the Crystal Coast, we stopped by the realtor's office to make sure that our condo had power, as Hurricane Arthur had been through only 36 hours before. Then we went to Food Lion to get some groceries, before we were able to check in. We then were able to get our keys and to check in. We were renting a condo in a complex called Summer Winds. It was a nice complex, and our condo was 3 bedrooms. It was perfect.

view from our balcony

After we were settled in, we decided to just relax for a while and the kids watched some cartoons. Then we decided to order in pizza for dinner. We got sausage and pepperoni pizza from Pizza Inn and it was yummy. After dinner, we got the kids changed into their swimsuits and we headed out to walk along the beach.

Rebecca decided to LOVED the water. She would sit in it and walk in it and she kept saying “This is amazing” “ This is awesome”. When we were walking back, she said “Thank you for taking us here Mommy.” I love that girl.

Jacob was unsure, but then he liked the water. He did not want to sit in it, but he would walk in it.

Benjamin wanted NO part of the water. I think the noise and the waves scared him.

view from our balcony

After we came back to our condo and got the kids bathed and showered, they went to bed at 8pm which is early for them. I did have to lay down with Benjamin as he wanted NO part in sleeping in a big boy bed for the first time. Then, Bill and I sat on the balcony and drank wine coolers and talked and watched the fireworks show from one end of the beach. Then we turned in early as well…around 9:30. It was a nice way to end a day.

We went on vacation...and Happy Homemaker Monday

Last week, a mere 24 hours after Hurricane Arthur made landfall off the coast of Beaufort, North Carolina, Bill and I herded the kids into the car for a lovely 12 hour drive right to that area. We booked a condo right on the beach for the week. It was our first real family vacation and let's just say that we had a lovely time, which I will be chronically over the next few days. I just got all of our photos uploaded to the computer, so will be going through those and writing up about some of our adventures...let's just say they include sharks, rays, a boat ride, and lots of time on the beach.

For now though, I am joining Sandra today over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for her Happy Homemaker Monday theme! And to keep things interesting, she has given us some new questions for this week :) 

Breakfast time, what is on the plate this morning:::: This morning I had eggs, turkey bacon, toast, a banana and a glass of orange juice.
On today's to do list:::: Benjamin had speech therapy today, I need to get some more things unpacked from our trip, and I need to purge some toys
Currently reading:::: Nothing right now....
On the TV today::::kids are watching cartoons
The weather outside is::::muggy and humid. Supposed to get some storms later that will be bringing in unseasonably cooler weather
On the menu this week::::not really sure, have a couple of ideas
If I have a few minutes to myself, I will::::read a book
Favorite photo from the camera::::

Visiting with blog friends (blog you want to share, blog post that caught your eye)::::I haven't had a chance to visit blogs for over a week as our wifi access at our condo didn't work....so I am not sure what is going on. 
Praying for::::direction for our life going forward. Where we need to be and what we need to be doing. 
Bible Verse, Devotional that is resonating me with at the moment:::: Psalms 107:1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endures for ever.

Thanks Sandra for hosting! Hope everyone has a great week! 

What are your favorite sweet treats?

Picture credit

The other day I came across a blog that I used to read, then stopped reading, and started reading again...."Midlife Mom Musings." She was doing a "sweet treat tag" post based on a vlog that she followed, and I have decided it would be fun to answer the questions here.....So here goes...

Which would you prefer?

1. Donuts or Cookies – Donuts! Honey Crullers from Tim Horton's are my fave! 
2. Bake Cake or Ice Cream Cake – Baked vanilla cake with vanilla icing! 
3. Milk Chocolate or Dark Chocolate – Milk chocolate. I find the taste of dark chocolate to be too bitter for me.
4. Hard candy or Chewy Candy – Chewy candy...love starburst, especially the pink ones
5. Pie or Cheesecake – Cheesecake
6. Hershey’s Kisses or Dove Chocolates – Dove Milk Chocolates
7. Reese’s or Kit-Kat – If I had to pick one, I would say Reeses...but I love them both, especially if they are frozen. 
8. Cupcakes or Brownies – Cupcakes
9. Pumpkin, Apple or Pecan Pie – Apple
10. Pieces or Bar – Bar
11. Classic Twizzlers or Pull and Peel – Classic Twizzlers! 
12. Regular or King Size – Depends on the brand...I find that some of the king size bars have a different consistency and therefore to me taste different. So I guess I would have to say regular size. 
13. Favorite Candy Bar – Hershey Milk Chocolate bar and Dove milk chocolate bar  
14. Ice Cream Cone or Dish – Ice Cream in a waffle cone
15. Original Oreo or Double Stuffed – Double stuffed! (We just bought some at Target that had chocolate and vanilla cream filled! Can't wait to try them)

So there you have it! Some of my favorite treats!

 If you were to answer these, what would your answers be? 

The Chopped Cookbook

The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You've Got to Cook Something Great

Book Description:

Never again let the question, “What's for dinner?” stump you. The Chopped Cookbook features secrets for combining pantry staples to make exciting meals. 
  
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.

My thoughts:

I was excited to receive The Chopped Cookbook by Food Network Kitchen for 2 reasons. One is that I have been a fan of the show Chopped on Food Network for some time. I like how they take a variety of items and create masterpieces out of them. The second reason is that I have found my own cooking to be the same things over and over and quite honestly I was getting bored. Upon receiving it, I found the cookbook to be a combination of things that I expected and things that I did not expect.

I expected it to be full of yummy recipes and combinations that I had never thought of and it was. I expected the photos to look very yummy and they did. (There were not pictures of every recipe, which was kind of disappointing to me.) I expected there to be lots of different recipes using different ingredients and there were.

The things that I did not expect. I kind of expected that there would be recipes that had been used in the show. There were not. There were recipes to use items that any person that could be found in your pantry. While this was good, I was disappointed that it didn't tie in to the show more. I expected there to be some exotic recipes in there, but there really wasn't. Most of the recipes sounded normal to me.

Overall, I think this is a good cookbook to have in one's collection. I have not had a chance to personally make any of the recipes, but I have gotten inspiration from it and I think that is the goal of the authors.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Kids

Books that I have been reading lately....

Not all the books that I have been reading have been for review. I have made several trips to our local library to check out some books to read just because.....

Here are a few that I have been reading....(Disclaimer: if you click on the book pictures they will take you to the page on Amazon.com).




Have you read any good books lately, just for fun and not for review purposes?

Randomness...

I have been in a fog the last few days. After getting myself all geared up for cleaning, I got the upstairs cleaned and I have sort of fizzled since then....I have a LOT that needs to be done in the next 2 days but I can't seem to figure out the best way to do them.

I keep finding myself looking at the weather and wondering how folks along the East Coast are faring with Hurricane Arthur. The area that is supposed to have the direct hit is one that we used to vacation to every year when I still lived at home with my parents. The last time I was there was in 2006 while I was pregnant with Rebecca and we had to deal with Tropical Storm Alberto that dumped heavy rain on us for the day. Bill and some friends of my parents, my dad and my brother spent the day in the hot tub. Being pregnant I could not join in.

There is a fad going around facebook called "TBT" or "Throw Back Thursday"...I posted this picture today...It was from our vacation to Emerald Isle, in 2006.

I have been feeling off all week...I think it is because I am not eating well...too much sugar, also I have gotten into the bad habit of drinking lots of pop again....I need to drink more water and not eat so much junk. 

Went to the library yesterday to pick up some "Star Wars" books for dear hubby and the male librarian that was checking the books out I think was trying to hit on me....he asked "so who is the star wars fan?" When I said my husband, I swear his shoulder drooped a little and his voice changed back to more professional. 

I really should get off of here and go do something....

Hope everyone is having a great day, and if you are on the East Coast, stay safe from the Hurricane! 

Cleaning....

This week I have decided to work on cleaning up the house and dusting and doing those yucky tasks that I don't like to do. June was a very busy month and looks like later in July will be busy as well, then we are talking back to school so I decided that this week we have hardly anything planned so I will be cleaning. I took advantage of Bill being home on Sunday and cleaned and dusted the upstairs.

The biggest problem in the bedrooms was that mine and Bill's dressers had become catch-alls for stuff. So I cleaned them off and it made the room feel so much cleaner. I also stripped the bed, washed sheets, remade the bed, swept under the bed and the whole floor, dusted the room and did general tidying.

The kids' rooms just really needed general tidying. I stripped all their beds and remade them. I cleaned up toys and swept and dusted the entire rooms. I also had a talk with Rebecca about putting her clothes away where they go and NOT in her toy box. I had opened the lid of her toy box and found 7 items of clothes including 3 nightgowns that had been missing.

Finally I cleaned the upstairs bathroom. I still need to deep clean the closet off the bathroom, but I will wait until later in July when I can set things up for selling on facebook or ebay.

Overall I am pretty happy with what I got accomplished upstairs. Today I plan on attacking our mudroom and kitchen.

Are you cleaning/decluttering anything?