Pure Michigan

If you live in the Chicagoland area, I'm sure you've see or heard a commercial that features the talented Tim Allen. There is just something so enchanting about his voice in those television and radio commercials that give me this strong desire to visit Michigan. So we did! Along with our friends, Jason and Rachel, we hit the the road for a little time away in Michigan.

Saturday, October 1st Jason and Rachel picked us up at our apartment just after 9:00 a.m. We loaded up our overnight essentials into their Xterra and we were on our way.

Our first stop on our mini vacation was the St. Julian Winery - a winery that we have done together in the past. There we did some light tasting and purchased a few of our favorites. After St. Julian we walked practically next door to Warner Vineyards. Again, some more light tasting and a we picked out a few bottles to take home.

At this point it was getting to be lunch time, so we walked across the street to Subway. Yum! We arrived just in time for Subway's ANYtober! Any regular foot long sub for $5! Score! And yes... I ate my very own foot long.

Once we were done enjoying our lunch we got back on the road and went to Jollay Orchards to try some unique apple cider. I think that Jason tried the strangest tasting apple cider ever... peppermint cider! Yeah, not the best. Ha ha!

After sampling some cider we went to the Jollay Orchard down the road to pick some apples! This was mine and Dan's first time picking apples. The orchard was crowded but we managed to find a spot where there were LOTS of delicious apples to be picked and no one else was around. We had a blast and our baskets were full in no time!

After apple picking we went to Contessa Wine Cellars and Tabor Hill Winery to enjoy a little more wine tasting.

At this point it was starting to get close to dinner time, so we went to go check in to our hotel and search for a place to have dinner. In the room, Jason and I fell asleep while Dan played around on his laptop and Rachel played on her iPod Touch.

After a quick cat nap I was refreshed and ready to get some dinner. We all agreed on a BBQ joint called Charlie's Piggin' N' Grillin' in Benton Harbor. It had fabulous reviews on Yelp! and the prices were great. It was delicious! Apparently, the food gets smoked for hours and they let you sample side dishes before you even pick! You'd think you were down south with this fabulous food!

Next, we drove to St. Joseph to catch a lovely sunset off of Lake Michigan and then grabbed some specialty coffee at a nearby cafe, The South Bend Chocolate Company. There we listened to two guys preform some music while we sipped at our Halloween-themed coffee and got warmed up. It was a nice way to wrap up a fun and eventful day.

On Sunday, October 2nd we got up around 9:00 a.m. and packed up our stuff to leave our hotel. Once we were all packed we went to IHOP to enjoy a late breakfast of coffee, eggs, bacon and specialty pancakes - minus pumpkin pancakes, since they were fresh out. Boo!

After "brunch" we went back to the cider mill so that Rachel could get some carmel apple cider - can't go wrong with a classic flavor.

Next, we went to two more wineries Domaine Berrien Cellars and The Round Barn. At The Round Barn we discovered that they were charging for tastings (every other place was free). We figured that since we had already gotten a number of bottles at past wineries we decided to skip this one. Instead, Dan and Jason went to The Round Barn's brewery were they each got a glass of beer that tasted a lot like a chocolatey version of Guiness - plus, they got to keep the glasses. There was a local guy singing some accustic tunes in the outside patio area, so we took advatage of the nice weather and sat outside to enjoy the music.

Now it was time to head home. We got back later that afternoon, just in time for Dan to get ready to go to his volleyball game. I stayed home and rested because I came home with something that I didn't intend to... a cold! Oh well, cold or no cold... it was an excellent weekend!

Think Pink

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So don't be surprised when you start noticing lots of pink everywhere you go. Even NFL players are getting in on the action and wearing pink during football games! It's unavoidable... you will notice extra traces of pink throughout the entire month of October. Fabulous!

Taken from NBCAM.ORG:
"Breast Cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, aside from skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 192,370 cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in the United States this year. An estimated 40,170 [were] expected to die in 2009 alone. Today there are about 2.5 million breast cancer survivors living in the United States."

How can you make a difference? Personally, I don't have breast cancer but I still feel driven to support those who are and those who are diligently working to find a cure. One of my favorite ways to help contribute is to purchase yogurt. Sounds silly but Yoplait and Dannon both have their own campaigns that are raising funds to support breast cancer research. I love yogurt and helping others, so for me this is an easy way to show my support.


Looking ahead, you can also consider walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer or financially support someone who is participating. The Chicago walk takes place June 2 -3, 2012.

So this month I'll be eating lots of yogurt and wearing pink to show my support for those courageous women (and men!) who are battling breast cancer.

Now, for those who are in need of some hope, in any way, shape or form, here is some encouraging scripture from our loving Heavenly Father that I hope fills you peace and comfort...

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!
1 Chronicles 16:11

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:13

Savy Shopper Savings

On Friday, September 30th Dan and I made a quick trip to CVS to purchase some random items that were on sale. Rating myself an "intermediate" coupon queen, I managed to spot a few deals and match them up with some helpful coupons. These are our results:

Dan's Items Purchased:

REGULAR PRICE
1 Snickers Bar $1.19
1 Vick's NyQuil (12 fluid oz) $8.99
1 Vick's DayQuil (12 fluid oz) $8.99
1-4 Pack Schick Quattro Women's Replacement Blades $11.99

SALE PRICE
NyQuil and DayQuil (12 fluid oz) 2/$12
plus $3 in ExtraBucks Rewards
1-4 Pack Schick Quattro Women's Replacements Blades $8.99
plus $4.00 in ExtraBucks Rewards

COUPONS USED
1 Free Candy Bar
$3.00 off two bottles of NyQuil
$4.00 off one Schick Quattro Women's Razor Blades
$2.00 ExtraBucks Rewards via Facebook

FINAL COST: $12.92
(after tax)

According to Dan's receipt, he saved $19.17.

My Items Purchased:

REGULAR PRICE
1 Oil Of Olay Age Defying Cleanser (6.78 fluid oz) $6.49
1 CVS Ibuprofen Liquid Filled Softgels (80 count) $7.99

SALE PRICE
Oil of Olay Age Defying Cleanser (6.78 fluid oz) $3.99
CVS Ibuprofen Liquid Filled Softgels (80 count) $6.49

COUPONS USED
$1.00 off one Oil of Olay Cleanser
$3.00 ExtraBucks Rewards
$4.00 ExtraBucks Rewards

Final Cost: $2.98
(after tax)

According to my receipt, I saved $12.00.

GRAND TOTAL SPENT: $15.90

GRAND TOTAL SAVED: $31.17

Did you follow all of that? It can be confusing at first, I know. Basically, we ended up saving more than twice as much as we spent! About 66% off in total savings. Plus, we got some popular, name-brand items.

Sure, I'll be the first to admit that coupon clipping and bargain shopping can be very time consuming, but in the long run, it is quite thrilling! The less I spend and the more I save, the bigger the thrill! It's a game. A time consuming, mathematically challenging game. The more you practice, the better you get. I've been getting better but I think that I've got a lot to learn before I go all pro.

The Packing Has Officially Begun

Dan and I officially started packing last night. I got a nice jump start while he was out running errands and picking up more boxes from my parent's house.

I've found that sometimes in order to get super organized you have to get super messy. Our family room looked like a war zone once we started packing, but things started looking really nice when we wrapped up for the evening. Below is a "before" photo. I don't have one that features our finished work for the night... I was just too tired.

While I was packing, I started capturing footage from a recent wedding. I managed to capture and organize all of the footage by the time I went to bed. I also managed to clip and organize lots of coupons! Needless to say, it was a very productive evening.

We're Moving... Again

Two weeks from today Dan and I will be moving into our very own, custom house! The feeling is still so surreal. Well, for starters, we were planning on purchasing a house/building a house sometime in spring 2012, but I guess God had a different plan. Instead, He paved the way for us to get an incredible deal on a house that went above and beyond anything we could have ever planned for! Now, in two weeks, we will be closing on an amazing house that I am so excited to turn into a home.

While I can't say that I have officially started packing, I can say that I have started organizing and putting a few items in boxes. However, tonight I am going to do some serious multi-tasking as I capture footage for editing and start filling up the many, many, many boxes that consume our family room.

Ready! Set! PACK! October 13th will be here before we know it.

Freebies!

It has been a long time since I've posted. Well, almost a year since I've written an update, to be exact. A lot has happened in the last year but I don't intend on playing catch up. That would be a really long post. Instead, I am simply going to start fresh with the latest and greatest. So here we go!

If you didn't know already, I am always on the hunt for a fun and fabulous freebie! Back in August I discovered hunt4freebies.com. What a wonderful website for someone like me! It basically does all the research for me and all I have to do is click on the links in attempt to get some hot freebies.

Yesterday I was very pleasantly surprised when I came home from work and found a full-sized bottle of Pantene Pro-V Split Hair Repair waiting in my mailbox! Thanks to hunt4freebies.com (via Facebook) I was reminded of Patene's "Freebie Friday" Facebook contest. I entered and I won a full-sized bottle of this special, leave-in conditioner! My hair can really use an item like this.

Over the years I have collected several hundreds of dollars worth of freebies. These various freebies are great for sampling/testing new products but they're also helpful items that can easily be packed for vacations and overnight trips. I also use these freebies as emergency items for guests who stay at my home and forget to pack shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, lotion, etc.

It can be timing consuming, but it's worth it when the items add up and you don't have to rush out for shampoo because you suddenly ran out.

UPDATE: I used this product last night. After I took a shower and wrapped my hair in a special towel to soak up some excess moisture from my hair, I applied one and a half pumps of Pantene's Split Hair Repair to my damp locks. After combing the product evenly among my hair strands, I got my blow dryer (which I hardly use these days) and dried my hair. The next morning I took my flat iron and smoothed out my hair. Let me tell you... my hair feels wonderful! Very soft. Yeah, I really need to stop touching it. Ha ha!

My GOLDEN Birthday!

To quote Wikipedia, "A person's Golden or Grand Birthday, also referred to as their "Lucky Birthday", "Champagne Birthday" or "Star Birthday", occurs when they turn the age of their birth day (e.g., when someone born on the 25th of the month turns 25)." This year was my GOLDEN Birthday! I had been looking forward to this special birthday for quite some time and I knew that I wanted to make it extra special. How? Not sure.

Dan had earned various rewards from a some business trips to Iowa, so we decided to cash them in and put them towards a vacation. We had two ideas in mind: Vegas and LA. We weighed the pros and cons of each trip, calculated the cost and basically tried to figure out which location would give us the most bang for our buck. The result: Los Angeles, California!

On Friday, August 27th we got up super early to catch our flight to LA. We landed at LAX and went straight to Avis to pick up our rental car. I played the "birthday card" and got the guy to upgrade our basic, little car to a red, 2010 Mustang Convertible! We had to pay a little bit extra but not nearly as much as anyone else. It was worth it!Once we loaded up our car I drove us to Huntington Beach. We were a little disappointed by the chilly overcast, but we still had a good time. We did a little shopping, had lunch, and stopped by the ocean to snap a few pictures.

When we drove to our hotel the sun came out and got a lot warmer. We checked in to our hotel and then drove to the nearest Best Buy that had some miniDV HD tapes. Seriously, back in Illinois and in California we had the hardest time finding them. Finally, Dan managed to call a Best Buy that had some and we went to pick them up.

Later that afternoon we walked to Downtown Disney from our hotel. We were curious how long the walk was - since we picked our hotel based on Dan's rewards and it's closeness to Disney. It was about a 15 minute walk. Not bad at all. Good exercise and we didn't have to pay for parking!

That night we went to Red Lobster for dinner. We had gotten some gift cards for our birthdays, so we used them on our trip. I also had a coupon, so needless to say, we ate good! Our waiter was awesome! He knew it was almost my birthday and that Dan had recently celebrated his birthday, so he kept treating us to all sorts of goodies - including an extra pound of crab legs for Dan!

Saturday, August 28th we got up nice and early to make our way to Disneyland! I was so excited to be spending my actual birthday at Disneyland!

We get a kick out of their specialty buttons (which are free). So once we got into the park we picked up my birthday button and Dan even got a button to share in the fun!
We spent the morning hitting our favorite rides at Disneyland: Peter Pan, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride... needless to say, we were having a great day! Cast members and even other guests were wishing me a happy birthday! "Hey! Happy Birthday!" "Happy Birthday, Karolyn!" It was like having a big birthday party! I felt so special.

In honor of Dan's recent birthday, I let him choose where we should have lunch. After using his phone to find a few options, he decided to go with Wine Country Trattoria at the Golden Vine Winery in the Disneyland California Park. This the same restaurant that we dined at with Dan's parents back when we celebrated his 21st birthday, in 2008.

I ordered Lasagna Rustica served with house-made bolognese and Dan enjoed a delicious Grilled Chicken Sandwich featuring herbed chicken breast, arugula, provolone and walnut-porcini aioli on toasted ciabatta with a green salad.

During our lunch we were pleasantly surprised when we got to watch a Toy Story parade pass by - Dan's favorite Disney movie!

Once lunch was over it was time for more rides and attractions.
That evening, Dan surprised me with dinner at Blue Bayou in Disneyland. Located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, at the Blue Bayou you sit "outside" in perpetual twilight, surrounded by winking fireflies and the soothing sounds of the bayou's crickets and frogs, while boats filled with guests heading into pirate-filled Caribbean waters drift past.

For dinner I enjoyed a delicious Filet Mignon broiled to perfection (medium rare) and topped with bearnaise sauce with Blue Bayou potatoes and seasoned vegetables - complete with a thirst-quenching Diet Coke. Dan cheerfully ordered and enjoyed the Bayou Surf & Turf. Sweet petite lobster tail from the Pacific Northwest, paired with an expertly broiled filet mignon (medium rare, of course), bearnaise sauce with Blue Bayou potatoes and seasoned vegetables.

I was surprised with a chocolate mousse dessert from our waiter - complete with birthday candle and birthday wishes. A sweet, delicious way to complete our meal.

After dinner we went on more rides and gazed upon some magical Disney fireworks.

On Sunday, August 29th we met up with Kimmy in Beverly Hills. There we enjoyed a nice lunch at Panini Cafe followed by a walk to the Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery for dessert. I've been selling Sprinkles Cupcake mix at Williams-Sonoma for years, but this was my first time ever visiting an actual Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery. We each ordered a single cupcake and enjoyed it while sitting outside in the warm sunshine.

Sprinkles Cupcakes is like Garrett Popcorn in Chicago. People line up for blocks to buy Sprinkles Cupcakes. The line wasn't very long when we got there, but it was out the door - not that the bakery is very big to begin with. Still, it was a fun experience.

Together we cruised and explored Beverly Hills. The weather was perfect for driving around with the top down! We had a blast until it was time for Kimmy to get picked up by her friends at a nearby mall.

After we parted ways with Kimmy, Dan and I went to Hollywood! We went strolling down Hollywood Boulevard and checked out the Hollywood Walk of Fame, found our favorite celebrities' hand prints in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater and shopped at the Hollywood and Highland Shopping Center.

After hanging out in Hollywood we made our way to the Universal City Walk, located just outside the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park. There we shopped and enjoyed a nice, casual dinner at Johnny Rockets. We were both craving a simple burger and Johnny Rockets hit the spot!


For dessert we tried out Yogurtland for the first time. There we got to customize everything we wanted in our ice cream and in the end they charged us by how much our dessert weighed. It was fun and very yummy!

We spent the majority of our last day in California at Downtown Disney. It was nice to just spend the day walking around and enjoying the scenery. We also enjoyed one final lunch at Storytellers Cafe.

Leaving is never as fun as going, but when it was time to go home we left knowing that we just shared a very memorable vacation.


So it was "good bye" California! Until next time...