Want some earrings?

The Trace designs earrings giveaway is this week so be sure to come back for the info on how to enter. As soon as Davina returns from her NYC voyage- this one's all her- it will begin!

Faux Barbecue....Farbecue

I have'nt eaten red meat in about 10 years... I miss it

The smell of steak grilling, a burger with cheese , my Grandmas roast beef and above all barbeque. People ( my husband and brother) pressure me often to eat it but at this point my cow days are over. I do stare longingly at my husband when he does dive into a bbq feast so imagine my glee when I discovered Morningstar farms BBQ riblets at the store last week. I have tried several of their other products- breakfast sausage because I don't eat pork, but that's another post - but just for some reason passed the riblets on by.

They caught my attention so in my cart they went and I prepared some mashed potatoes and corn to go with. I was skeptical of how good they would be but after the first bite I was hooked. My husband ate some too and was turning to me to ask what I thought when he saw me licking my plate. Gone.. just like that. For me, a person who has not eaten bbq "ribs" in years they were probably one of the best things I have ever had. Same texture, taste and smell as the real deal. The only problem...I wanted more.

Check them out even if you do eat meat. They are better for you and packed with loads of protein and soy goodness. A cow will thank you.

~ Karen

Darth Vader Breaks That Sh**t Down

Who knew that Darth Vader could kick my ass in a dance-off? The following clips are from Disney's Star Wars weekend. Nerds from all over the globe dusted off their lightsabars, packed up their jedi robes, and asked their mom to drive them to Orlando for a weekend of Star Wars mania.

I wish I could have been there.

~Davina

Mekka Lekka Hi Mekka Hiney Ho

If you are a fool for the 80's like I am then I know you watched, and loved, Pee Wee's Playhouse. Does it matter that I was a teenager and enjoyed it? Pish posh and hell no. Pee Wee was an icon in my house and watched every Saturday.

Now I understand that Pee Wee fell onto some hard times and had some kind of altercation in a theater- let's keep the details to ourselves. To each his own right Mr. Wee? I never stopped liking him and hoped that one day he would have a triumphant return. Well that day is now!


Click below to get the details on Pee Wee live on Broadway where you can see Pee Wee, Captain Carl, Jambi the Genie, Miss Yvonne, Pterri the Pterodactyl , Chairy and Clocky.
Davina and I watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure so many times that I swear if you asked us to recite it right now we could-word for word.

Long Live Pee Wee


http://www.peewee.com/broadway/

Etsy - A Craft Show for Hipsters

Need a fun idea for a Christmas gift? Sure you can head to the Mall - but who needs another Yankee Candle or Bath and Body Works body spray?

Where else can you get cool knit gloves from Turkey?

Or a set of Nutcracker Ballet Puppets?

Or, really cool Onyx earrings.

Oh, wait... you like those you say? Me too. That's why it pains me to give them away. Yes, the earrings are up for grabs in our next give-away.

Details to come next week. In the meantime, check out Trace Designs (she made the earrings that you know you want to win).

~Davina

A ride on the Disney bus turns into a cat fight gone wrong...don't think I won't strangle you

This lunatic started stangling a Disney bus driver while his baby was next to him because the bus was full.

If you've ever been to Disney then you know that the end of the night buses are always packed and the ride home can take a while. El lunatic started saying he should have priority because he had a baby.Hey jackass..95% of people getting on these buses have tired ,cranky kids who want to get to their hotel.


Stay out of my Disney D bag

Reservation for Four at the Castle Please

I know Karen likes to talk directly with her people when making a Disney dining reservation. I, however, enjoy the anonymity of online reservations. It's always baffled me that a company as big as Disney required you to call and actually talk to someone. Ew.

I was thrilled when they recently unveiled their new online dining reservation service and I've been using it for dining reservations for my family Disney trip in January. 

And to take it to the next nerd-level Disney just announced "near me".  This new service allows you to check for table-service availability at nearby park restaurants using the location-based services on your supported Android, Blackberry or iPhone device.

Simply search “disneyworld.com/dining” from your phones browser, or visit http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/reservations/dining/m/ and choose to view “map view” of dining results. I'll never have to talk to another human being again!

Smell Like a Monster? But of Course!

I have avoided Barney. The Thomas obsession seems to have faded. And it was only recently that Elmo made a surprising comeback after being discarded for Blues Clues (the Joe episodes... not that other guy).

If you must watch a show over and over and over, let it be something decent. Case in point, Grover's new parody for the Old Spice ads.

The sweepstakes queen first winning trip recap- fevers, gross food and all

Well my first winning sweepstakes trip is but a distant memory. The family and I had 5 great days that went by much too quickly and of course had it's ups and downs. It started with my 9 year old getting a fever right as we were heading to the airport. The boy who never gets sick got SICK. Strep throat followed...needless to say this was not his greatest trip but being the Disney trooper that he is he never complained and tried to enjoy everything as much as he could. The 6 year old wild one did'nt stop for a second. Typical girl..

Pool off property

The trip included passes for WDW , airfare ( for 2 ) 3 nights accomodations off property and all our transportation. The hotel was nice enough and very spacious , but being the Disney snob that I am all I could wish for was Saturday when we were checking into the Wilderness lodge on our own dime. My husband , who needed to be convinced to switch hotels, woke me up at 5:30 a.m whispering " I'm too excited to sleep..I just want to get to the Wilderness Lodge." I have raised him well.

Home sweet Home

All the events planned by the contest were great -for the most part- and we did break the worlds record for making the biggest smiley face. The people we met along the way were all so nice and just as excited as us to be there. Afterwards there was a brunch where my husband became BFF's with Joey Fatone.

Fool...



That night however is a part of my life I would like to block forever. They took us all to a farewell diner at the Pirate Adventure dinner show. Just walking into the building made me nauseous and as soon as I saw the food I knew why. I apologize to anyone who is fond of these dinner shows but they are just not for me. Bad acting, horrific food slopped onto your plate off a serving cart and a nasty smell from the arena. My son even leaned over to me and said " mom these are the worst chicken nuggets". I advised my entire family to not eat anything and they were more than happy to listen. I have no pictures to post..the less I remember the better I am.

Obviously the best parts of the trip were our times at the parks and of course our one lone night on property. My son even got to raise the flag at the Wilderness Lodge the next morning. It just goes to show you that it is worth every dime and having a BF with a Disney Vacation club is even better. We have now promised to pay her for point usage ( 2012 ) as we can never stray far from property again. A Disney pimp if you will...

So I have started entering more contest again but will be mindful of entering those for off property hotel . A house off property is one thing, a hotel is another. Again, I apologize if you like these hotels, I am just far too much of a princess.

~ Karen

Johnny available for mutiny tutorials...why did'nt I think of that!?

Seriously...a wee little girl writes to my dream asking on lessons in mutiny and gets a personal appearance by the Captain himself ? I am ashamed of myself for not conning my 6 year old into doing this.

I need inspiration on what to say to get him to Massachusetts. Help rid me of my awful accent or perhaps a lesson in pumpkin carving. Whatever it takes.

This 9 year old is my new hero. She did in months what I've been trying to do for 24 years.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1649580/20101008/story.jhtml

~ Karen

One point tip of the day- I should take my own advice

As I get ready to depart on my free trip that I won- yes I am a winner- to Disney World, I leave you with a one point tip of the week. I am positive that I will not be following my own advice as those delicious mickey ice cream bars are at least the points for 2 days. I will try to convince myself that all the walking I will be doing cancels it out, but seriously...who am I kidding.

My one point tip is a super yummy cocolate pretzel blast mini treat bar made by WW. I bought them at a meeting site for $5.00. That was the sale price. There was a good amount in the box and it did hit the chocolate spot nicely. They were like a mini watchamacalit - old school candy reference.

Enjoy!

~ Karen

One point tip of the week

Here's another one point tip of the week for everyone. If you are a breakfast lover then this one is for you.

Try Thomas' light , multi grain english muffins. Only 1 point which is less than a weight watchers bagel. Add some peanut butter or an egg white and there's your protein and your ready to roll.

Mama always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

New Contests from the sweepstakes Queen

I have'nt updated all the newest Disney/Florida related contests in a while so here are some new ones. These are all Florida related in some way, but with the gross Winter approaching I'm sure you'd all appreciate some time in the sun.

My trip that I won is actually coming up in two weeks so there will be much to discuss about that afterwards. What kind of Queen would I be without an actual win?



Hanes Magical Golf Getaway

Win one of six Grand Prizes of a Walt Disney World vacation for 4 people, including airfare, 4 nights accommodations, ground transportation, Park Hopper tickets, Mickey Mouse Ear hats, a $500 gift card and a round of golf for 3 people


http://www.hanestravelincomfort.com/


Fashion Bug Ultimate Accesory Sweepstakes

Win one of 102 Prizes of a 3-night trip for 4 people to Walt Disney World, including hotel accommodations and four 2-day Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper option OR a 2010 VW New Beetle OR one of 100 $70 Fashion Bug gift cards.Win one of 102 Prizes of a 3-night trip for 4 people to Walt Disney World, including hotel accommodations and four 2-day Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper option OR a 2010 VW New Beetle OR one of 100 $70 Fashion Bug gift cards.

*I apologize if you win only the Fashion Bug gift card

http://fashionbug.lanebryant.com/content.jsp?pageName=UltimateAccessorySweepstakes



Read With Kids Challenge


Win a Grand Prize of a 3-night trip for 4 people to Walt Disney World, including hotel accommodations and four 4-day Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper option. Win a First Runner Up prize of a $2,500 US Airways gift card. Win a Second Runner Up prize of a $1,000 US Airways gift card


http://www.readwithkidschallenge.com/



Good luck!


~ Karen

MAC meet Disney..Disney meet MAC. Two of my fave things!

The geniuses at MAC have decided to combine two of my favorite things assuring that I must buy their entire new collection. The new Disney Venomous Villains Collection launches September 30th and it looks fabulous!

It's an homage to all the lovely and heavily made up villains that Disney has featured over the years. No princesses to be found here, just the witches that torture them. Love it...

Cruella de Vil

Eyeshadow ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Sweet Joy Frosted creamy pale gold (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote from Passions of Red)De-Vil Rich copper (Veluxe Pearl) (Limited Edition)Carbon Intense black (Matte) (Permanent)
Lipstick ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Innocence, Beware! Light yellow pink (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)Heartless Cherry red (Amplified) (Limited Edition)
Lipglass ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Wicked Ways Deep fuchsia with pink pearl (Limited Edition)Devilishly Stylish Light nude with gold pearl (Limited Edition)Powder Blush ($19.50 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)
Darkly My Dear Dirty brown plum (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Beauty Powder ($25.00 U.S. / $30.00 CDN)
Her Own Devices Cool nude (Limited Edition)
Penultimate Eyeliner ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)
Rapidblack True black (Permanent)

Evil Queen
Eyeshadow ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Her Alter Image Light violet (Veluxe Pearl) (Limited Edition)Vainglorious Bronze burgundy (Frost) (Limited Edition)Vile Violet Deep dirty blue purple (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Lipstick ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Toxic Tale Bright coral (Satin) (Limited Edition)Sinister Soft brown plum (Lustre) (Limited Edition)
Lipglass ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Strange Potion Soft coral pink (Limited Edition)Hot House Deep raspberry with pink pearl (Limited Edition) (Repromote from Strange Hybrid)
Powder Blush ($19.50 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)
Bite of an Apple Soft coral pink (Matte) (Limited Edition)
Beauty Powder ($25.00 U.S. / $30.00 CDN)
Oh So Fair Clean pink with gold pearl (Limited Edition)

Maleficent
Minearlize Eyeshadow Duo ($21.00 U.S. / $25.00 CDN)
My Dark Magic Deep pink with pink pearl / Deep plum with purple pearl (Limited Edition)She Who Dares Deep navy with blue pearl / Deep forest green with lime green pearl (Limited Edition)
Lipstick ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Violetta Bright clean violet purple (Amplified) (PRO)Dark Deed Burgundy plum (Amplified) (Limited Edition)
Lipglass ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Revenge is Sweet Light yellow purple (Limited Edition)Wrong Spell Deep plum with pink purple (Limited Edition)
Beauty Powder ($25.00 U.S. / $30.00 CDN)
Briar Rose Soft violet pink with pearl (Limited Edition)
Nail Lacquer ($13.00 U.S. / $15.50 CDN)
Bad Fairy Red with red multi-changing pearl (Limited Edition)Formidable! Teal green with pink multi-changing pearl (Limited Edition)Mean & Green Purple with teal multi-changing pearl (Limited Edition)

Dr. Facilier
MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder
Truth & Light Sheer shimmer that reflects silver and pink (Limited Edition)Cajun Sheer bronze shimmer that reflects gold (Limited Edition)
Lipgelee ($15.50 U.S. / $18.50 CDN)
Resort Life Off white with pink pearl (Limited Edition) (Repromote from Lillyland)
Greasepaint Stick ($17.50 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)
Slick Black True carbon black (Limited Edition) (Repromote)French Quarter Dirty black green with multi-colour pearl (Limited Edition)
Pigment ($19.50 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)
Melon Soft bright golden peach (Frost) (Permanent)Brash & Bold Bright magenta (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote from Makeup Art Cosmetics)Push the Edge Deep bright purple with pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition) (Repromote from Makeup Art Cosmetics)
MAC I’m So Vain Mirror ($12.00 U.S. / $14.50 CDN)
Compact inspired by collaboration; interior contains standard mirror on one side and magnifying mirror on alternate side. (Limited Edition)
Zoom Fast Black Lash ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)
One Shade Deepest black (Permanent)

~ Karen

September = free yoga month

Did you know that September is National free yoga month? I did'nt either until my girl Mary Ellen ( a BF's future contributing blogger ) told me all about it. So I'll share the news with you.

Go to the link below for more info on how to get a free weeks worth of yoga at a participating studio near you.



http://yogamonth.org/freeyoga/



Check out the side bar for the Namaste light box. Just in case your " I bow to you " was feeling a bit bloated you can keep it on the light tip .


~ Karen

1986 Vs 2010 Technology

In honor of the new Shuffle, Touch, and Nano design released by Apple yesterday, I thought I would showcase how far we have come.

Heading to the beach? No worries, pack your portable device of choice:

2010

New Nano design with touch screen

1986

Cardboard for spontaneous break dancing not included

One point tip of the week

Let me begin by saying I hate that I feel inclined to give out one "point" tips . Weight Watchers is my nemesis and we have a love/ hate relationship. I've been doing it for years off and on with success. Some years are better than others.

Love your body the way it is ladies, so take this tip to either help you lose weight or get healthy. I will say for only one point it is fabulous and delicious! Vitatops rock. They have a variety of flavors -chocolate being the only one I have tried so far- and are found in the freezer section. Chocolatey goodness can't go wrong.

~ Karen

The Inapropriate ABC's and 123's

My mother-in-law saves everything. She recently brought over all of my husband's old children's books for Grayson and Quentin to "enjoy". As I flipped through them, I realized that there was a reason some of these books were no longer in print.

~Davina

The heartwarming story of Bill the chain smoking cabbie.
Reach for the stars kids.

Laurie, Rusty, Patches, and Teddy are waiting...
but where is the child's parent?
Inside smoking with the cabbie of course.

Because nothing says we respect our native culture
like an Indian eating an ice cream cone

The tall clown smoking a fatty? That's Tiny.
Let me know if you need his beeper number.

BF's Monday Mystery Photo- Don't be shy..take a guess where we are

You know you've seen these dresses before....where are we now?

The Circus is in Town! Oh no, wait - It's just the new JCrew catalog

Fashion Friday faux pas -

Remember when JCrew was cool? Apparently they have just gone and lost their minds.

Visual proof below....

~Davina

"Hang on, let me just get my glitter sweat pants on." 

In the name of the father and the son...
and the skinny tie.

"Sorry I'm late. The lights in my house didn't work
and I just threw together an outfit in the dark.
Is the whistle on the purse too much?"