Category Archives: deals/discounts/savings

The Beekeeping Groupon

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If you know me, you know I’m all about a new experience. I like to try new things, and will most likely jump at an opportunity to do just that. My interests vary and change, and around Christmas 2014, I saw a groupon for Beekeeping and purchased it as a present for my husband (AND secretly myself as well!). It wasn’t a spur of the moment buy, as earlier in the summer I had thought it might be something I was interested in learning more about, and learn I did.

As the groupon was nearing its 6 month expiration, I thought, “no better time to check this out, than on my husband’s 30th birthday!”. So, the morning of his big 3-0, we arose and headed to a discreet, weedy, and chigger infested location within the city of Rowlett,TX. Lets just say, had i doused myself in DEET bugspray prior, my overall experience would get a 10 out of 10!

The Details:

  • Groupon: $79 for two adults
  • Beekeeping: Round Rock Honey, 10am on a Saturday morning.
  • Expectations:  wear badass bee suit, get near bee hives (actually boxes), and taste the honey. Check mark for ALL 3: this girl did it all AND, got to hold several bee frames that had combs on it!

*We arrived, parking in a small field, easily accessible by a nearby main road. After walking a short distance, we were greeted warmly by our beekeeping guru, a zany but confident woman. Our  expert had many years experience with bees AND absolutely zero fear of the flying striped bandits. Upon signing in, we were directed to tubs containing protective gear and gloves, in many sizes. Following our desired size pick, we continued down a short overgrown path, to a clearing in a field. We personally (along with everybody and their brother) had forgotten chairs to sit in, but our expert beekeeper pulled up her truck, as did another hardcore beekeeper, and we “tailgated” as we learned more about bee species, habits, and the importance of their existence in our lives.

Smoking the hive, to calm the bees

Smoking the hive, to calm the bees

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A not so developed comb.

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Interesting things learned:

  • bees don’t live long (workers- 6-8 weeks, queen- 2-3 years)
  • each box contains 1 queen
  • bees occassionally are transported across country, via semi-trucks. These semi trucks transport the hives on the truck bed, and are all enveloped by a huge lightweight mesh covering. Literally 1 week after my class, I was on a road trip to NE, and saw this very thing!
  • after purchasing pure honey, it can harden/crystallize-but this doesn’t mean it has gone rotten. You can actually microwave it, to be good as new!
  • honeys taste is reflected by the pollen and nectar gathered from the flowers and plants near the hive
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Yours Truly

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You can see the honey in this picture, as well as the queen bee. She is the longer one towards the top right. Her torso is darker than her surrounding workers.

While I cannot speak for other classes Round Rock Honey offers in different cities, I can commend the one I attended. I would highly recommend a similar introductory class for those that are just curious, interested in learning, and especially those interested in starting a hive.

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6 Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Las Vegas Vacation

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Mrs. Christensen isn’t the only one who went to Vegas recently. I just returned from a long weekend there with my husband and two of our closest friends. We went for a “babymoon”/30th birthday trip for Michael and it was everything we needed and more. I thought, since you’re not likely to find my reviews on TripAdvisor (yes, I use it for planning and I review things too), I thought I’d share some things I learned on my trip or things I did to ensure we had a great time:

Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 12.51.05 PMWe loved The Bellagio. First time to stay there for us.

1) Plan out each day. 
Everyone’s favorite night of our trip was Michael’s birthday night. His best friend and I spent months planning a very full and exciting night for him. Each activity was a surprise. It was so fun. But what we noticed the next night—a night on which we purposely didn’t plan anything so we could just relax and wing it—was that there are so many – maybe too many – options in Vegas. And if you don’t have a pretty firm plan in place, you might find yourself overwhelmed and unsure what to do next. Or, like with us, you might find yourself gambling more than you planned and/or you’ll wander for “miles” trying to decide on the perfect restaurant for lunch. Or you might find yourself at The Bellagio Buffet one night and live to regret it (like we did). It was ew. #LubysLasVegas

2) Stay at a centrally located hotel.
This will cut down on the amount of walking you have to do (saves energy), the amount of taxis you need to take (saves money) and you’ll be right in the heart of the action. We loved The Bellagio for so many reasons. Not only is it nice inside and out, centrally located, beautiful and clean, and classic Vegas, but it’s also one of the nicest, best laid out casinos; it has many of the nicest restaurants in the whole city on site; and it has the most accommodating and friendly staff ever.

3) Try a new restaurant every meal.
Don’t get lazy and just head back to the places you went to last time you were in Vegas. The restaurant lineup is constantly changing and improving, and there are so many new celebrity-chef eateries to try that you could never get to them all, even if you ate five times a day. Our favorites among the many places we tried were:

  • PRIME at The Bellagio – I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing and worth it it was to dine here. $200+ for two, but AMAZING (try the peppercorn new york steak with a side of au gratin potatoes and the brocolli w/pistachios).

Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 12.50.47 PMIMG_5255-0PRIME on Michael’s 30th birthday.

  • BurGR at Planet Hollywood (try the Jalapeno Poppers, the Jalapeno Margarita–it’s really spicy and strong, and any of the burgers. We each got something different and loved them all.).
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The flaming sign outside BurGR. This is definitely a casual spot, and it was packed even though we were eating a late, late lunch at 3:30 p.m.

  • Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesar’s Palace – The BLT is to die for! Also, the lamb burger is supposed to be amaze, but our boys weren’t impressed. (BTW: We aren’t obsessed with Gordon Ramsay, it just happened that we went to two of his restaurants while we were there.)
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The BLT—The bacon was so thick and covered in a yummy glaze!

Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 12.52.32 PMAt Yellowtail with my baby. 

  • Spago at Caesar’s Palace – I say go for a nicer lunch and people watch since it’s at the Forum Shops, but dinner is popular there too. We shared the most amazing pizza (one of the best we ever ate) and a caesar salad (just average). The pizza we had was their Italian Sausage & Goat Cheese pizza; try it!

IMG_5176This was the first official picture I took on our trip.

4. Don’t bother hiring a VIP nightlife service.
There’s no need. Club promoters are out during the day looking for nicely dressed people and groups with cute girls to give free entry (and often free drinks) to. We got on the list at the Encore Beach Club, The Bank, Hakkasan, etc. just incase we did end up wanting to go. By getting on the list with these promoters two things happen: 1, you don’t have to pay the expensive cover charges and might get a couple free drinks out of it, and 2, you’ll get to walk right in past all the lines. We decided to go clubbing one night and DID use a service – at Tryst at The Wynn for Michael’s bday night – and it was great because we knew we wanted to go to that exact club. If you don’t really care where you end up, don’t bother with a service, cause you’ll get in a bunch of places for free without their help. You might not bump into a promoter for the exact club you’re hoping for though, so being flexible on where to club is key.

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IMG_5292Pics from Tryst on Michael’s bday night.

5. Stay three nights MAX.
Michael and I broke this rule because it was our first trip away from Baby Grace and we wanted a couple extra nights of uninterrupted sleep (thank you Lord!), and so that was awesome. But the reality is, two “wild” nights in Vegas is sufficient. That’s enough time to scratch your Vegas itch for the year, as well as gamble just enough not to lose your house. It’s time enough to try a few great restaurants, do plenty of shopping, and even get in some golf or pool time.

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IMG_5189 IMG_5195A little golf with my honey the first day at TPC Las Vegas!

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Mimosas by the Bellagio pool Saturday. One of my favorite parts of the trip.

6. Go with good friends (friends who like the same kinds of things as you).
You don’t want to go to Vegas with certain people (you know who they are). Don’t bring the guy that wants to stay up till dawn every night and club hop if you’re not into that. If you’re a foodie and want to dine at the latest and greatest, be sure you’re with people willing to spend the dough to dine with you. You get the idea. Friend trips are so amazing, especially when you go with friends like ours (heart y’all!), but it can get a little uncomfortable if you or your friends are secretly not interested in the same things or don’t have the same mindset about money (like taking taxis v. walking, seeing a show v. gambling all day …) Vegas brings out all sorts of personalities (for me, I spend money on vacation like I’m rich and get home to remember I’m so not, while others come with a strict budget and need to stay on it. That person and I wouldn’t have as much fun together on vacay, prob. LOL).

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Such good friends!

Screen Shot 2014-10-08 at 12.52.40 PMFortunately, Jen and I both love to shop…her even more than me….
and we both got an early start with Tory Burch shoe purchases (I got these) Friday night!

Ok, so that’s my advice. Take it or leave it.

Now… off to New York I go (trip 2 of 2 commence!).

Rock the Crock, with this Easy Porkchop Dinner

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So Texas weather is always unpredictable, but lately the entire country seems to be affected by the recent polar vortex’s. One day its 60 degrees, the next 13! I only wish warm thoughts and large mugs of cocoa for those that … Continue reading →

DIY Old Window Decor: Baby Bow Hanging Display

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It’s always nice when you’re able to give something a second life and keep it out of the landfill.
In the case of this DIY project for Baby Irvin’s nursery, I was able to give a certain little window a third life!

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This rustic white window was salvaged from a house somewhere and sent to our local Habitat for Humanity Restore. When we decided we needed a window as a prop in our most recent bridal fashion shoot, our art director Erin headed to the Restore and snatched it up, and painted it a fun neon melon color to complement the set.

Here are a few behind-the-scenes fashion shoot pics and final tears from our new issue – all showing off the second life of this little window.
<<Isn’t our model Taylor the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever seen?!>>

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After the shoot, I decided I’d take it home and see how I might be able to use it for the baby nursery. Erin suggested hanging photos from it, and I was thinking a place for hanging bows. But first, it needed a fresh coat of paint to complement the peach nursery.

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Sugared Peach – Behr Premium (Home Depot)
If I hadn’t already had the paint, I’d have just bought the sample size of the paint to save money and resources (since I only needed a little to cover the front of the window in two coats).

Here’s a look at my latest DIY …

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After two coats of Sugared Peach by Behr – the same paint color as the stripes in the nursery.

And while it turns out the color is still too close to the wall color … doesn’t stand out enough for me … so I’ll need to repaint, ultimately, I’ll finish it by rigging it with wires and cute mini clothespins to be able to hang bows from it. It will  have the look of this one, except I plan to keep the glass in (cause later I might reuse the window again and make it a photo frame thingy like this.)

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This one by Green Acres Hobby Farm

Stay tuned to the blog for a final reveal and update to this project later.

“Stay”cation…what is it?

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outside waterfall cabinWe always need a vacation. Whether you’re a stay at home mother, work a full time job, or just got back from your vacation! I can’t tell you how many times I return from a trip, and am ready to hit the road once more, after the laundry is piled up from a week of fun, and I’m preparing for Monday.

A few people consider a “staycation” as taking a week off of work, and seeing the sights around town, but at night returning to sleep at their home. However personally, I consider a “staycation” as getting OUT of the house, staying in a hotel, motel, cottage or cabin…just so long as its still within a couple hours of home. On my “staycations”, I don’t want the distractions and duties that come along with my homebase. I physically have to leave the premise and not return at the end of the day, in order to welcome that fully relaxed state that occurs with “vacation”.

Earlier in the year I wrote a list of goals to try and accomplish for 2013, and while I won’t complete all, I was able to check #8 off. My #8 was to purchase a groupon getaway, for my husband and I to escape for the weekend. I found a site called “yelp“, which is similar to groupon’s deals, and purchased a one night $95 coupon that was good for $125 at the Anderson Creek Cabins located in Glen Rose, TX. We booked two nights: Friday & Saturday, applied the coupon, & were able to pay a little less than $300 lodging for the whole weekend!

I would recommend this refuge of accommodation for couples, families, or those not into “roughing it aka camping in tents”. We had all the amenities that are present with a normal hotel, except we were away from the hustle and bustle of city life., oh, AND we had a full sized kitchen.

The pleasant innkeepers of the quaint cabins provide: pancake mix, syrup, popcorn, starbucks tea, & coffee in each cabin, and then cut firewood which could be picked up any time throughout the day at a designated wood pile, for an enjoyable cozy campfire at night. Propane grills are provided on the deck of each cabin for grilling, and the spacing of the four cabins, is far enough from each, that you cannot hear or even see your neighbor “campers”!

We stayed in the “Waterfall Cabin”, which when provided with a decent amount of rainfall, produces a waterfall that can be viewed from your personal deck. Unfortunately, as we’ve been in a bit of a drought, there was just a lovely view of the rock face sans water.

If you enjoy hiking, nature, or have children who like dinosaurs, Dinosaur Valley State Park is less than five minutes from the Anderson Creek Cabins. The hikes are easy, not even intermediate, unless of course you are going to “get primitive” and decide to hike the path less traveled.dinodino printusAn amazing dessert place in downtown Glen Rose called, “Pie Peddlers“, creates homemade cream & fruit pies, so if you have a sweet tooth, make sure to try a slice of blackberry pie and key lime pie. It was delicious and so worth it!!pie peddlerspie

Next time you are interested in a inexpensive getaway for the weekend, check groupon or yelp, because you just might be packing your bags sooner than you realize! Have fun friend & share your finds!

AMAZING shower/bath soap scum remover

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7We all have many “pins” in our Pinterest accounts. However, instead of adding new ones to the “I can do this” board, I decided to try my saved DIY’s and see if they are actually  Pinterest “pass or fails”. Here is one that passes with flying colors!!!

I saved a soap scum removal idea a couple months ago, and this weekend was shocked to find it was the best cleaner I have ever used. EVER! And I’ve tried everything from: Clorox, bleach, Tilex, Clorox, you name it! This cleaning recipe calls for only 2 ingredients, and you won’t find yourself breaking your arm scrubbing for endless periods of time. Please try it, I swear you won’t ever use another tile cleaner/soap scum removal ever again 🙂

What you need:

  • 1/2  cup Dawn detergent (already had)
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar (heat this in the microwave until boiling) (already had)
  • (1) spray bottle (already had)
  • dirty shower or tub

HOW:

  1. Heat 1/2 cup white vinegar in microwave until boiling. Remove from microwave to cool for about 30 sec. (or at least long enough so as not to melt your spray bottle)
  2. Pour the white vinegar into spray bottle
  3. Pour 1/2 cup Dawn detergent into spray bottle
  4. Shake Well. It will turn into a sort of foam inside your spray bottle. Not to worry. This is good.
  5. Spray glass walls on inside of shower and on tile, or bottom of tub.
  6. Leave to soak for at least 3 hours.
  7. Wipe down with sponge and water. (I did this while I showered!)

FYI: Our shower is small so I only needed 1/2 cup of white vinegar and Dawn. If you have a bigger shower or tub, or are wanting to clean more than one bathroom, double your formula! Also, your bathroom will smell a little weird for a couple hours after you have wiped glass and/or tile clean, but it is nothing you can’t get rid of with a nice candle.

BEFORE PICS:

Letting the sprayed formula soak in for a couple hours:

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AFTER PICTURES:

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Try it and Thank me later!!

DIY Chalkboard Frame

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You many have seen pictures of a chalkboard frame at the recent surprise maternity party I helped throw for Mrs. Irvin, and due to many requests…here is how I made it. Supplies: -old frame (already had) – 1/8″ 2×4 temp … Continue reading →

$5.75 Thats Worth Your Time

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So, there were 2 trash bags filled with: 1) entryway floor mat, 2) bath mat, 3) set of sheets, 4) mattress protector, & 5) master bed quilt/comforter. For a month these items were chillin’  in their transient home, when 2 days ago, sick of … Continue reading →

Healthier, Homemade Microwave Popcorn Using a Catamount Corn Popper

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This gallery contains 13 photos.

My husband and I received the Catamount Corn Popper and a package of seasonings from my Grammy last Christmas. At first, I was a little perplexed by this contraption, but upon a quick Google, I learned that this was going … Continue reading →

5 Things You Need to Buy at the Dollar Store & 5 Things You Shouldn’t Ever

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This gallery contains 9 photos.

I’ll admit it. I shop at dollar stores. Dollar Tree mainly. And while my trips aren’t frequent, there are a handful of things I won’t buy anywhere else. I thought I’d share these with you in hopes of saving you … Continue reading →