Looking for What the Locals Know

      I am addicted to Tripadvisor. When we travel, even if it is only an hour from home, I check out the reviews of restaurants and if it is an overnight, the hotels and the listed "things to do". We love to find restaurants that feature local foods or something unique and if we can avoid the chain restaurants you find in every city in the country, we do so.  We took our time on the way home from my daughter's wedding. We wanted a little post wedding down time, so after staying a couple more days in Florida on the beach, we headed north. Our first stop was in Prattville, Alabama. We stay here often on our way to and from Florida, but we always grab dinner someplace very close to the hotel. We had read on Tripadvisor that the number one restaurant was Uncle Mick's Cajun Café, so we decided to give it a try. It was located in historic downtown Prattville, just a short drive from the area with all the hotels. We knew it wasn't going to be fancy, but everyone claimed the food was fabulous and it was!

 

     The Cajun food is authentic and served cafeteria style, on Styrofoam plates. "Uncle Mick" greets you and asks if you have been there before...if you say "no", you are suddenly given sample bites of everything and anything you want to try. I walked in thinking I was going to have one thing, but after my sample bites...my mind was completely changed. The plate above is mine. The Shrimp a'La Crème was the best thing I ever tasted (and I usually hate fish in a cream sauce). What you see is a half order of the shrimp and a half order of Crab Meat au Gratin, which was also delicious. My meal came with 2 sides and you can see I selected the deviled eggs and tomatoes with feta. 

 

     My husband had the Shrimp Piquant over rice with the Tomato and Feta and Corn Maque Choux and he loved every bite. Our dinners were both about $9.00 each. We took their Bread Pudding back to our hotel for later and it too was delicious. It was just like eating in New Orleans only we were in a small restaurant in Alabama!

 

     Our second night on the way home we spent in the Franklin/Nashville area. We have always loved Nashville, there is so much to see and do there. We met for dinner with a dear friend we hadn't seen in almost 30 years, it was wonderful. If you get the chance to reconnect with someone, take it!

 

     We stopped by The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville and we were greeted with the World of Wicked museum display. Wicked the musical was in town and this display was so much fun. We saw Wicked several years ago in St. Louis and it is one of my favorite shows. It was a small exhibit but there were original costumes and the soundtrack was playing, so fun!

 

  

 

     Our last night was in Paducah, KY. It isn't a long drive to our home from there, but we just had to make the short drive from there to Metropolis, IL to blow $20 at the Casino (we love Casinos, but only play the penny slots and only spend $20, doubt we will ever get rich). We did not love this Casino, it felt dirty to me. We won't go back. We also stopped to see the famous Superman statue.

 

 

     Once again I turned to Tripadvisor to find an interesting place to have dinner in Paducah. We would never have found this place without reading about it, it is in town, but down a road that appears to lead to nothing and there isn't a sign. Flamingo Row is a Caribbean restaurant and as we were driving to it, I wondered what we were getting into.

 

 

The outside was very colorful and the inside...was just fun!

 

     My husband had the Baja Bash, grilled chicken breast topped with Caribbean Mango Vinaigrette on a bed of coconut lime rice, with black bean salsa, avocados, salsa and topped with  toasted pumpkin seeds.  It was $10.89 and much prettier than my phone picture shows.  

 

     I had the Coconut Grove, fried coconut chicken tenders, bananas, pineapple, spring mix, toasted coconut, almonds, and Pina Colada yogurt dressing for $11.99. I  couldn't eat it all, it was so big. Our food was interesting and great. We would definitely go back.  

 

     I think it is much more fun to find those hidden spots, not the tourist spots. The food is usually delicious and the prices are often much less. The next time you have a road trip, check out Tripadvisor, Yelp or just ask the locals in your hotel or a store where they eat...you may find a new favorite place!

 

     I wasn't compensated by any of the above websites/locations, just sharing my opinions.

A Touch of Spring

 

     Spring has arrived at Chez Sue, even if the weather outside doesn't feel like spring at all as I'm typing this. You know for many years, I didn't change my "knick-knacks" for the seasons. I had certain things that set out in my house, on the tables, mantels or kitchen cabinets and other than when I put out Christmas decorations...they just stayed there. On occasion I would get something new and put something I had in a garage sale or donate it...but, my house had its decorations and they rarely changed.

 

     When my children were young, I would put out Valentine, Easter, Halloween decorations...along with my "normal" things. After they left, I only decorated for Christmas. Then came blogging. I was inspired by things I was seeing on other blogs. I was bored with seeing the same old, same old on a daily basis. I started putting away Christmas and leaving out winter. Winter would be put away and spring/Easter would show up...until some of that was switched around for summer. When the beachy things of summer were tucked away...the pumpkins came out...you get the picture.

 

     Some of you may be thinking that you don't have the time, money or "stuff" to make these changes. It really isn't true. What you don't have, what I didn't have, was the energy or inspiration to do it. What I want to share with you today is that it requires very little time to make small changes in your home and the payoff is worth it. You don't have to have lots of new things. You can pick up a few things at GoodWill or the Dollar Store. If you don't want to spend any money at all...move things around. Grab a box or a tub and put some things away for a while. Move bedroom things into the living room and vice-versa. Swap the lamps around, stack some books and sit something on them. For spring, a simple DIY project is to take some of those plastic eggs we all have and Mod Podge some pretty tissue paper on them. Put them in a basket or a glass vase or jar (click here for easy instructions). You may remember that last year I put colored sugar and sprinkles in Dollar Tree jars for spring...easy and cute!

 

     I don't suggest these changes because you want to impress others or even write blog posts. I suggest this because it will make you feel better. Small changes in our environment can truly change our mood. When I put out spring things a few days ago, it was in the 20's, snowing and gray. When I looked outside, I got the blues. When I looked around my house, the brighter colors and changed table tops made me feel good. It was worth the time and effort. I am glad that I no longer let myself be stuck in the same old stuff rut. You should try it!



 

The small tables (above photo) and this birdhouse are new.

I fell in love with them.

 

You can read about where I got them further in the post.

 

 

A vintage bird that was found in my in-law's things.

 

I stuck a flowered egg that I had in

a small pot and "instant topiary"!

 

 

     We have a new shop in our small town. The husband of the woman who owns it is from England and they advertise it as an English Antique shop. All of their items come from their trips to England. The first time I went to Union Jack Antiques it was because my husband made me. I had no interest in adding any antiques to my home. We have way too many, most of which are stored and not being used. He loves antiques and wanted to see the English imports. Imagine my surprise (and pleasure) at finding that the store carries more than antiques! Jessica has a great eye for decorating and for purchasing wonderful items. It takes alot to impress me and I was very impressed! I was going to write about the store before Christmas, but I decided to wait until they had a place I could link to the post. Below are a few pictures I took before the holidays. Isn't that chest just perfect? It was still in the shop when I was there last weekend. Love it! They also carry delicious imported teas and food items. Click the link above to their Facebook page...you can see more of their spring items.

 

 

I am joining Marty @ A Stroll Thru Life for The Scoop

(instead of Table Top Tuesday this week)

 

and

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

 

 

 

 

Did You Know...

     When I was a kid, one of my favorite television programs was Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. I loved to watch the singers and I guess that may be why I love American Idol (not so much these days) and The Voice. One thing I remember from Amateur Hour is the Geritol commercials. All I knew at the time was it was for "iron poor blood" which was something old people had.

     I had to have some blood work done last week and I learned a few things that I didn't know. Now maybe I am just not as smart as I think I am and you all know this stuff...but, one nice thing about having a blog is sharing information that might help or inform someone else.

     It seems that I am anemic. It probably isn't a big deal (praying) and can be taken care of with a few changes on my own. So, while it happened to me once a couple of years ago with good reason, the reason didn't seem obvious as to what is causing it now...until I started my own investigation.

    I don't eat a lot of red meat. It just isn't my preference. I cook a roast now and then, or have an occasional steak, but if I have a choice of fish, chicken or pork, I take it. Since the first of the year, I have been eating very healthy. I love fruits and veggies anyway and I have been eating tons of them as well as "normal" portions of chicken, fish etc. with dinner. The good news is that my migraine headaches are a rare thing since I started eating less and moving more. The bad news is that when I actually looked at my iron intake on the website that my daughter and I are using to keep track of what we are eating (myfitnesspal.com), I found out that my iron intake is between 25-30 percent of the daily recommended doses. Am I the only person that assumed that all those veggies and greens were full of iron?

     It gets worse. I found out that coffee, tea and dairy products work against iron absorption. Who knew? I've been eating yogurt for breakfast as long as I can remember. I have my cup or 2 of coffee a day and I sip a cup of tea all day long. I love hot tea. As for taking vitamins, I had some here...I would grab one once or twice a week and have it with my tea or my yogurt. Duh. Everything I read said that an iron supplement needs to be taken a few hours after dairy, tea or coffee (green tea and decaf coffee still count). They also should be taken with added Vitamin C in some form to help the iron stick. I learned that many vegetarians have low iron levels, not that I'm a vegetarian. It was just a surprise to me. So, my day now has a multi-vitamin with iron taken in the late afternoon along with a vitamin C supplement. It also means that I now don't get to have coffee or tea in the afternoons and I am not happy about that, but I won't give it up in the mornings and I love my after dinner tea!

     Anyway, since bloggers tend to be tea and coffee drinkers, many are women, many are vegetarians or restrict the meat intake...I thought this might surprise some of you the way it did me. It appears I have done just about everything I could to give myself low iron levels...iron poor blood, what old people have! Maybe I should find some Geritol instead, it used to be 12% alcohol. That would have been more fun!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

     For years, I have looked longingly at glass floats in antique shops and in magazines. On Sunday, my husband stopped at an auction on the way home from picking up Sunday papers and he found a box of 5 floats on one of the tables. He had me come take a look and then he went back to the auction and they are mine! My favorite is the aqua one that shows a the most wear and tear, but the mixed colors work well in my house. For now, they are in this tall glass vase to keep me from breaking them.

     I am a blue jean baby. I live in jeans in the cooler months. Some years are better than others for me for jean styles. This year, I'm in love with the dark denim and the very slim, straight legs. I bought 3 pair at 3 different stores, so I have my fall/winter uniform ready to go!

     Move over Jon Bon Jovi, Adam Levine is my new rock and roll crush. Even I don't understand it. He is young, thin, covered with tattoos and he won me over completely as a judge on The Voice. I've always loved the music of Maroon 5, but now...I love Adam too.

     In the spring I got a gift of a Keurig coffee maker. Love it! My husband will not give up his Mr. Coffee, so this baby is all mine and I use it 3 or 4 times a day. I have k-cups for tea, coffee, apple cider and iced tea with hot chocolate coming in the near future. This machine really is one of my favorite toys. 

     I hate to admit my new guilty pleasure...the train wreck known as Dance Moms. I stumbled on this television show by accident and I couldn't stop watching. The loud, mean dance teacher and the whiny, competitive moms just sucked me in. I'm so horrified by the way they behave and the message that they send to their children and yet I keep watching every Wednesday night. I am thrilled to say that I have never been, nor do I have friends who ever behaved like these crazy women!

     Fall colors! I am really not a fan of orange, but this time of year when the fall flowers and Halloween decorations start showing up in the stores...I can't wait to start putting things together for the front door and the porch. Here is a peek at my color choices for this fall.

     I never go anywhere without a granola bar of some kind in my purse. When I get too hungry, I get sick. Since many of them don't taste all that great, I was thrilled to find these little squares from Nature Valley. With only 80 calories and a nice crunch, they are just perfect for when you need just a little "something".

So, what is making you happy these days?

I'm going to join Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for

Wow Us Wednesdays

I'm not sure this post will WOW anyone,

but many of the others will, so make sure you visit her!

It Is A Good Time to Clean Out Your Jewelry Box

     We had an interesting "date night" last night. We made a trip to Centralia, Illinois which is about an hour from us. Centralia is one of those towns in South Central Illinois that I've always heard of, but I'd never been there. So, why would we pick a small town an hour away to go to dinner on a Wednesday night? We went, because I cleaned out my jewelry box!

     During the process of sorting through things at my in-law's home, my husband and his sister found some old coins tucked behind paint cans in the garage. This really wasn't a good idea on my father-in-law's part...we almost missed finding them. My sister-in-law took them to a local jewelry store and they bought them. It was at that moment I started paying attention to the prices of gold and silver right now. We also had some blue books of coins in the auction on Saturday and as we watched a few books of dimes, quarters etc. (face value-not much) sell for over $200, my wheels started spinning. You see, I worked in a bank many years ago. On the rare occasion a silver dime or half dollar would pass my way, I'd buy it and throw it in a bank bag at home. I knew there wasn't much money in that bag, but I wasn't sure what I had. I hadn't looked at it since the early 80's. I also decided it was a good time to dig out some of those silver chain necklaces that I also hadn't worn since the 80's. Throw in a couple of old gold crowns, a couple random sterling spoons and off we went to visit Centralia Coin, Stamp Etc.

     When researching where to take our small little bag of treasures, I found Dan and Blake Griffin's website. I knew that I wanted to find someone who had been in business a long time. Locally, we have a few of those "We buy Gold and Silver" places, but that wasn't going to work for me. I like dealing with people I can trust, even if we aren't talking about a lot of money. The Griffins didn't disappoint us. They are both friendly, informative and they know what they are talking about. They made us feel very comfortable and they not only answered questions about our silver, they answered questions about the town and sent us to a great place for dinner. I highly recommend making the trip to see them if you live anywhere in the area.

     So, I'm sure you are wondering if we made enough money to pay for the gas and dinner. Our trip was absolutely worth our while. For example, 2 old gold crowns...$75. I'd forgotten the dentist sent me home with them years ago. Six silver chains, 2 bracelets and 2 spoons...$144. The silver coin was paying over 20 times the dollar amount. So, if you have $10 in silver coins...you will come home right now with over $200. I had done my homework and I knew the actual value of the coin I had and I knew that we would be offered less because they have to be able to make a profit. I had a figure in mind that I thought would be fair to both of us and they were exactly where I thought they should be.

     While in Centralia, a little town of 13,000 located in 4 different counties in Illinois, we took a little time to explore. The Griffins told us to make sure we took a drive by the Centralia Recreation Complex. What an impressive 60,000 square ft. facility for such a small town.

     We also drove past the Centralia Carillon (the 8th largest Carillon in the world). They have weekly concerts and their Carillonist is from the Netherlands.

     We had dinner at Jerry's Corner Grill & Bar and it was great! This is one of those places that we would have never found if the Griffins hadn't sent us there. In fact, I probably would have driven by if I did see it. It is a slightly dark place, with blue twinkle lights covering the ceiling. Our waitress said she had been working there for 29 years and that they had been open for 40 years. Evidently they are famous for their steaks, but the menu also had Asian, Mexican and Seafood. I had a Lo Mein dish that was delicious and my husband ordered the chicken strip dinner. It came with homemade soup, the best and largest dinner salad I've ever seen with homemade dressing and 5 huge pieces of chicken and fries. His chicken may have been the best I've ever tasted. Needless to say, we brought part of our dinner home.

     So, if you find yourself with a few silver chains and coins...hungry...and interested in exploring an old railroad town-make your way to Centralia, Illinois. You might just be as surprised with what you see as we were!

Don't Wait

    
     There are no words to describe the past few hours of my life. Many of you knew that I was heading south to spend some time with my mother. She suddenly became ill a little over 3 weeks ago and has had one issue after another. She was finally ready for me to come to visit and the plan was that I would arrive yesterday...she would be going home from the hospital and I would be around to help cheer her up, help her get her strength back and just make her feel normal again. There were still tests to do, results to wait for and probably treatment and stressful news ahead, but we were going to try to get back to a regular routine while we waited.

     They did a fairly routine test on her early yesterday afternoon. Her blood pressure dropped during the procedure and they were a bit concerned. They got her awake as soon as possible, her blood pressure started going up and she was talking to my dad. I was still on the road. I was 2 hours away when I got the call that her blood pressure had dropped again. At an hour away, they knew she was bleeding internally from the procedure and they were pumping her full of blood, trying to stop it. My dad told me to hurry. When I arrived at the hospital, she was still in trouble and they had called in a surgeon to consult about going in to stop the bleeding. I got to see her, hold her hand...and even though she couldn't talk because of the tube they had put down her throat, she knew what I was saying. She knew that I was there and my dad wasn't alone.

     Surgery became the only option and it wasn't a good one. Her wonderful surgeon took us aside and told us that he really didn't think she would come out of surgery. She was still awake, we got to talk to her. We prayed, we called others to pray and we waited. The surgeon came in and told us she was back in her ICU room. He stopped the bleeding, he "felt good" about the result. I fell in love with him on the spot. I spent the night curled up on a couch in the waiting room. We got to see her a few times and she knew we were there, she rolled her eyes when I told her she was fine. She hates that tube and we hope they remove it later today.

     Medically, she isn't out of trouble. She does have some serious health problems that she had no idea she had. I don't know how this will all turn out. I do know that after trying to get her to let me come down for 3 weeks, I was able to get here at the most important time of her life, my dad's life and mine. I do know that she shouldn't be able to look into my eyes today, but she did. I know that when almost all hope was lost, I could feel love and prayers all around us. I know that for today, they were answered. I also know that life can turn on a dime. I don't have any unfinished business with my mom. As I waited last night, all I felt was worry for my father, sadness for my sister who wasn't here yet and fear of the loss that I thought was coming. I didn't feel as if there was something I hadn't said, or issues I hadn't fixed. I didn't feel any guilt, just intense sadness. I've always known that life can change quickly. I had never experienced it in such a drastic way before. Within an hour it went from what we would have for dinner when we got her home, to "go in and say what you need to say to your mom". I counted my blessings and could feel the prayers and love through every minute.

     Don't wait. If you have unfinished business with someone and there is any way to fix it...do it now. 

Sometimes "Mom" Knows When To Take A Shortcut!

     I love to cook. I've been reading cookbooks as long as I can remember and I have folders of recipes collected over the years. I'm one of those people who has a hard time eating fast food or anything that comes from a box. I want homemade. Baking is something that I actually do pretty well. Sugar cookies have been showing up in my house for decades. My cookie cutter collection contains something for every holiday. I have recipes that include sour cream, cream of tarter and almond extract. They all taste fine. They require some prep work, chilling and repeated rolling. A few years ago, I found a secret weapon.

     Yes folks, I use a mix for my sugar cookies these days. It is easier, requires no chilling and in all honesty...they taste better than any of my other recipes. The best part is...no one knows. Well, they do now-but, only if they read the blog! Just follow the directions on the package for rolled cookies, grab your rolling pin and cut out the shapes. I make a glaze (recipe below) and spread it on the cookies and top with various sugars or sprinkles. Worth it! Enjoy.

Sugar Cookie Glaze

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
food coloring
 
Stir confectioners' sugar, corn syrup and water together. Add food coloring a drop at a time until you get the color you want. Spread on cooled cookies...top with sugar or sprinkles before drying. Allow to dry before storing.

Mom says, "Don't Forget to Knock"

Pottery Barn Image

      We spent Saturday evening attending a progressive dinner. A progressive dinner is a fun event that includes food, friends and moving quickly from house to house. Generally, there are 3 or 4 meal courses, each served at a different home. Our party Saturday night included appetizers and drinks at one home from 6-7 pm. We all jumped into our cars and moved to a second home for soups, chowders, chili and salads from 7-9. Finally, after another move, we ended the evening with desserts at our final stop.

     I have been to progressive dinners that offer four courses; appetizers, soups at the second house, salad and a main course at a 3rd house, followed by dessert. That generally is too much food, and the soup and salad course tends to be a better option. Each couple takes a food item to one of the houses, and the hostess also prepares an item or few to serve. It is really a fun way to spend an evening. The food is usually fabulous and the changing of houses generally means the changing of your seating partners with each course.

     Are you still wondering about the title of this post? I'm getting to that. One thing that is fairly common at a progressive dinner, is walking into the homes without ringing the doorbell. Generally people are coming in groups, the hostess is very busy and the noise level tends to cover the sound of knocking or ringing. On Saturday night, our first two houses we were familiar with. The dessert house belonged to a couple that I don't know well. We asked for directions and we were told to "turn right on this street and then just watch for all the cars". Easy...right?

     I was with my husband and a close friend who was the hostess for the soup course. We were the last car to leave house #2, because my friend had to turn off lights, blow out candles etc. We drove out towards the lake, found the street and turned right. A few houses down the street there was obviously a party...lots of cars in the driveway. You can see where this is going, can't you? I was the first one to the door, followed by my friend and my husband. I opened the front door and immediately saw two women sitting at the foot of the stairway just inside. I did not know them, but it still didn't "click". After all, some people only go to certain courses and I don't always know everyone. I did realize that there were kids in the next room and my brain was slowly processing that fact. The women said, "come on in" at about the same time my girlfriend stopped behind me and said, "oh"!

     Needless to say, wrong party...wrong house. I crashed my first party at 50-something. We all realized at the same time what had happened. The women pointed us down the street about 3 houses, our phones started ringing with the rest of our group who were watching from the correct driveway and laughing their heads off, and we were apologizing and laughing our way back to the car. We did find out that the party we "crashed" was a memorial birthday party for the homeowner's young husband who had passed away months before. We had noticed the women had on matching t-shirts with crosses on them, but we assumed it was someone's 40th birthday. Finding out the party theme made us feel even worse. In all honesty the first party seemed to be fun and the women were very gracious to us. After all, we did walk in without knocking. That will never happen again! Lesson learned.

This is my 99th post! You know what that means...my next post will be a giveaway!

The $5 (or less) Cure for the Winter Blahs

     I am one of those people who doesn't "do winter" well. I don't like feeling shut inside, I don't like driving on slick roads and I really don't like that it gets dark so early. Do I have Seasonal Affective Disorder...I don't know. I have enough problems without giving myself that label! I have found that the past 3 winters have been a little better for me and I truly believe the reason is that I spend 2 weeks in Florida in December, where the flowers are still blooming, the grass is green and the sun shines.

     I discovered several years ago that a simple $5 or less expenditure really helps my mood. I know that many of us are budgeting this time of year. We don't feel as if we should "treat" ourselves to much of anything. I promise you that this is worth it. Give up that latte, that extra magazine or bag of Oreos and grab one of those bouquets from the grocery store. Our Wal-mart has them starting at $3.98, even less if you happen to hit the half-price sale. It doesn't matter what kind of flowers they are, just bring them home, snip off the ends and put them in water.

     We have been having sub-zero temps and snow around here. Friday night I found these gorgeous tulips at Wal-Mart for $5. They weren't white, but they weren't exactly pink either. Tulips are my favorite flower and with just a moment's hesitation, I put them in my cart. When I woke up Saturday morning, I'd forgotten about the flowers. When I walked into the living room, the first thing to catch my eye was the vase on the kitchen counter...I started my day with a smile. There is something about that touch of life in the house when the temperature is -10 that gives me hope that spring is coming, eventually. I call it flower therapy and I swear it works. Here it is Tuesday morning and they still look beautiful. What a deal for $5.

Life Lessons Learned Along The Way

1. Being a parent brings with it the greatest joys and the greatest heartaches.

2. One should always carry a spare shirt/blouse/top when leaving home for the day.

3. It is acceptable to say no.

4. Ordering water with lemon in a restaurant will save a family of 4 approx. $10.00.

5. Getting those annual dental check ups will save you money in the long run.

6. Putting money into a 401K plan should be the first payment you make each month (even if you lost $$).

7. Hotel shampoo will substitute for laundry detergent if you need to rinse out something while traveling.

8. Rice Krispy Treats are still a favorite for all ages and easy to make.

9. I really am turning into my mother.

10. A spoonful of peanut butter will get rid of the hiccups.

11. Your children still need you no matter how old they are (my daughter suggested this one-sweet!).

12. Always take a heating pad and a thermometer with you when you travel.

13. A woman always starts her period on the first day of vacation.

14. If caught with wrinkled clothes and no iron, hang them in the bathroom and turn on a hot shower.

15. Cars with heated and air conditioned seats are worth the extra cost.

16. I really don’t have to do anything I don’t want to.

17. It really is harder to lose that 10 pounds as you get older.

18. Sometimes nothing tastes better than scrambled eggs.

19. Samples don’t have calories.

20. Life is short, mend all fences quickly-regret is something no one wants to live with.

21. I will never be rich.

22. Experiences are more valuable than things.

23. Sometimes it is okay to just be unhappy for no reason.

24. I never get tired of holding a baby.

25. Men should get tested for prostate cancer at 40 (or sooner if there is a family history), regardless of what your doctor says.

26. Someone will drop in on the one day I don’t pick up the house.

27. Never vacation anywhere without putting a pair of jeans in the suitcase.

28. Fashion is not important if you are at a zoo, theme park, or large mall…wear tennis shoes.

29. Always keep a bucket in the car for various types of emergencies.

30. A puppy will brighten any day.