Thursday, January 12, 2012

Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizers & Zoe Update



What is this stuff?

     Our beagle baby Zoe is 4 months old today and she is growing so quickly you can almost watch it happen. She is a purebred beagle, but I keep asking my husband if they mixed her up at birth because she doesn't look like the other 2 beagles I've had. She has long legs and I'm sure she will grow into them, but at this point, her legs are growing faster than she is filling out. She still only has on and off. Sometimes, she is completely wild and running so fast we can't catch her, grabbing everything she can find along the way. She pulls throws off couches, laundry from the basket, rugs, boots and shoes and loves her toys! When she winds down, she snuggles into your neck and sleeps for as long as you will let her. She would love to spend no time in her kennel, but she is simply too playful and rough for our old beagle to deal with. They do have "conversations" around feeding time. Nike will do her low single bark and Zoe responds with her newly learned high-pitched beagle howl. It is funny to watch and stops after they get fed. We love her!



The sun feels good on old bones!
I'm much quieter than my sister!


Ooey Gooey Artichoke Appetizer

     We love appetizers in our family. If you give us appetizers and desserts, we don't need a "regular meal". I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicicous appetizers. I found this one in an ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese and tweeked it a little. I took it to my sister's home for Thanksgiving at it was a hit. I also put some in the freezer and had them for light lunches.

Ingredients:
2 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (I used actual cheese, not the green can/powdery stuff)
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
pinch garlic powder
1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts (not in oil) drained, chopped
6 T. chopped black olives
bag of plain mini bagels, split

Heat oven to 375 degrees



     Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in large bowl.


Stir in chopped artichokes and olives.


     Spread mixture on bagel halves and place on baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden and bubbly. Cool a few minutes and cut in half for appetizers. It will take a little longer to bake them if they are frozen. Leave them whole for a nice light lunch.


I forgot to take a picture of them after they
were cooked since we were at my sister's house. Sorry!

I am joining Michael @ Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday
Please visit our wonderful hostess!
 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Disney's Beach Club Resort-Christmas Day


     Christmas is over, but I have a few pictures that I want to share with you before moving on to other things. Besides, if you want to plan for a Disney Christmas next year, now is the time to start planning. Christmas Day is anything but traditional for us. My daughter works for Disney and the holidays are so busy that it will be years before she gets Christmas off. It is nice that the managers all work short shifts on holidays, so that everyone can enjoy time with friends or family. My daughter worked from 6:00 am until 11:00 am, then we opened gifts and headed over to the Disney Beach Club Resort for dinner. The centerpiece above was in the lobby and I really wanted it to come home with me. One thing about Disney, they certainly know how to decorate for the holidays!




Gingerbread Carousel






The hotels all serve cookies and
cider on Christmas Eve and Christmas.


We had a wonderful seafood (and everything else)
buffet at the Cape May Cafe.




 





How often do you see geraniums and
poinsettias planted next to each other?



We took a stroll over to the Yacht Club Resort
which was equally decked out for the holiday.





We had a wonderful day. Food, family,
 friends and beautiful things to see.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Show and Tell


     People alway say to us that we are so lucky to be able to spend Christmas at Disney World. Well, I do feel lucky to be in Orlando for the holiday...because it means I get to see my daughter. I also love the warm weather (which was in the 80's this year) and I admit that the decorations are stunning. However, we actually spend very little time "doing Disney" at that time of year. You see, everyone on the planet seems to come to Orlando for Christmas. The crowds both in the Disney parks, in malls and on the Orlando highways are unbelievable. We joke that it changes our personalities. We head to Florida full of love and Christmas spirit and by the time we are there a few days  we are walking about saying "I hate people" every few minutes! 

     One of the things we never miss seeing is the Osborne Light Show at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house covered in lights.  That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a 1000 red lights. With each passing year, the family added more and more lights, eventually buying property adjacent to their own in order to make the "show" larger.

     The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom-made light sculptures and a 75-foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. So many people came from all over Arkansas causing traffic jams that the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. In 1995, Disney's Hollywood Studios became the home of this dazzling light show. Approximately 80% of the lights that are on display come from the original Osborne collection. During the holiday season, once evening descends, this amazing display of 4 million lights springs to life. Formerly drab buildings become twinkling light sculptures, while a host of angels fly overhead. Florida "snow" flutters down while Christmas tunes fill the air.
    











Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Little Mud, A Little Salt...You Have to Try This!

     I want to start this post by telling you that I'm not being paid in any way for writing about these products. In fact, they didn't even know I had a blog until I made my second trip into the store and asked if I could take a few pictures to share with all of you.


     It isn't often that I find a place and products that completely blow me away. A few days before Christmas, that is exactly what happened. After a huge pre-holiday meal (a future post) we decided to take a stroll around the shops at Pointe Orlando, where the restaurant was located. As we walked by a new shop, Mindful Minerals, what first caught our eye was the colorful soap sitting just inside the door. We stepped inside and you have never seen 3 females turn into such "girly girls" so quickly. We were immediately greeted by Melissa Sweiss, who is friendly, fun and extremely knowledgeable about her products. She put a bit of the mud mask on my hand and let it dry. It not only changed the texture of my hand, it changed the skin tone. My hand looked younger with one use.


    The facts: Mindful Minerals products are 100% pure raw minerals harvested from Jordan’s Dead Sea. They contain no preservatives and additives found in all other Dead Sea Products currently available in the market. They offer products free of preservatives and additives with its unique process of maintaining purity while naturally preserving the product. This allows Mindful Mineral customers to experience the amazing benefits of the 21 minerals found in the Dead Sea, 12 of which are found in no other ocean or sea.

     Now, for my take on the products and the store in general. I love this place! I bought several products for all of us on our first visit and took them back to the hotel and we tried them. I went back before I left town to stock up because I already knew that I didn't want to run out of anything! My daughter has been back in the store twice this week. Best of all, not only does my skin feel better...my husband actually commented on my face on two different days this week! Of course, it went something like this-

"Your face looks better, less bumpy"

"My face was bumpy?"

"No, you know...smoother"

     A couple of days later, he said, "your face really does look better". I see this as sort of a back-a**ed compliment, but considering he never says anything about my skin...I'll take it! I really can see a difference and the products are fun to use and amazingly affordable. Melissa told me that their products are sold in the Ritz Carlton Spa for so much more than they are selling them in their shop. Honestly, these are high-end products at such affordable prices we were shocked.

     So, what products am I using and do I suggest you try?

The Dead Sea Mud-it comes dry and you add a little water and use it on your face and/or body. The dermatologist at the store told me to use it once a week.


The Dead Sea Scrub-I am using this twice a week on my face. Again, as suggested by their dermatologist. I was a little nervous about this at first because my skin can be very sensitive. It does sting a bit (it is supposed to) but I was told it would "get rid of all the dead skin on my face"! It actually is doing that! You can use this all over your body as well, I haven't had a chance to do that yet.


Just Get Smooth Exfoliating Bar-I'm using this about twice a week in the shower on my legs and arms.

Just Get Dirty Mud Purifying Bar-I'm using it on my face every day and on my body 5 days a week.



Dead Sea Salt Bath Soak-I've used this only once, and I liked it. I just have a hard time taking the time to soak in the bath tub. I need to do it more often as it helps with sore joints and muscles.


The Dead Sea Skin Care Creams-Cleanser, Day Cream and Night Cream-I swear these combined with the salt scrub are doing good things for my face. I use the cleanser at night only. The price of these was so reasonable that I couldn't have bought them at Walgreens for that price.


The Citrus Soap with loofah-this is just fun and it smells good and feels good. It has loofah sponge inside the soap!



     I never buy skin products in large amounts, but as you can see...I bought a ton of Mindful Minerals and I bought 3 jars/bars of almost everything just for me, plus what I bought for my daughter and her girlfriend. My dad even bought a bar of the Just Get Smooth soap for his dry skin. What is wonderful is that it works if you are 27 (my daughter) or 57 (me) or 85 (my dad). It works for men or women.

     I think you can tell that I love this stuff. I love the fact that Melissa and her husband lived where these products come from for 3 years. I love that they have a dermatologist that tells you (even if you don't want to hear it) exactly what you need to do to look better. I loved that their young children were in the shop and that they were so new that they had just gotten their cash register the day we were there. I also love how she really works with you on what items are best for you and didn't push a single product. I also love it that I have a single jar of night cream in my bathroom that cost more than all of these products I bought added together. It is affordable and it works!

     I am linking the website and their Facebook page so you can see more of the products and order some if you like. There are also discounts offered on the Facebook page. If it were me, I would call the number and talk to Melissa. They had some great specials before Christmas and my daughter says they have a Valentine Special now. You can save even more money if you happen to grab a special offer, plus she can tell you what you need most for your skin type and how to use it. I actually can't wait to see what products they come out with next and I will try them without hesitation.

     If you call Mindful Minerals, please tell them you read it about them on Suzy's blog. I'd love for them to know that I sent my friends their way. You won't be sorry, I promise!