Have Appetite, Will Travel

Our summer vacation is just around the corner (it's a trip according to my children, because on a vacation you get to just chill out and do nothing, but on a trip you go from can to can't). I've made most all the arrangements (yes, there is a printed itinerary) so I was quite surprised when Kevin said he had a few stops to add.

"Awww, in his newly discovered love of the internet he's found an educational stop I somehow managed to overlook and wants to be sure the kids don't miss it," I thought to myself. "How sweet."

The Food Network magazine, with a mouthwatering burger on the front, he was holding should have been a dead giveaway. The current issue highlights the best burger in each state and I kid you not, he'd calculated our route and checked to see if we'd be near any of the restaurants on our way to DC. He hopes to eat the Down Low Cheeseburger at Holeman & Finch Public House (Atlanta, GA); the Redneck Cheeseburger at Nu-Way Lounge and Restaurant (Spartanburg, SC); the Raleigh Times Burger at the Raleigh Times Bar (Raleigh, NC); Ray's Hellburger's Cheeseburger (Arlington, VA); and the Heart Attack on a Plate at Mother's Federal Hill Grille (Baltimore, MD).

All that beef made my itinerary flow onto page 5...

And the Winner Is...

Not me, not yet anyway. But definitely not from lack of trying.

So, some of you may not know that I love to enter sweepstakes. I'll enter my name for pretty much anything. Right now, I'm trying to win sunflowers for a year, a $5,000 garden makeover, a trip to Albuquerque for a hot air balloon festival, new bathroom fixtures, a Cirque du Soliel package that included tickets to all seven shows playing in Las Vegas and airfare/hotel/spending money, $10,000 for me and $1,000 each for ten of my closets friends (don't start calling me out of the blue...I haven't won yet), any one of 40 trips to Virginia in honor of their 40th something or other, a kitchen technology center, a Broadway Lion King package, and the list goes on.

Most of the time my husband and kids just laugh at me (I must admit creating an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of what sweeps I've entered could be a bit out there), but that stopped when they figured out companies are giving away stuff they'd like, too. Madalyn has me entering (daily) sweepstakes for Demi Lovato concert tickets, a trip to see the Jonas Brothers, a trip to to Disneyland for the royal treatment, and an autographed copy of the Jonas Brothers' new CD (that hasn't even been released yet). Kevin wants a $2,100 gas grill or the tent/sleeping bag giveaway, and Cody would like the me to win the GameStop gift card contest.

Gosh, I sure hope my diligence doesn't pay off all at once 'cause Uncle Sam will come a-knockin' for sure!

Mice & Chickens

There's a Town Mouse, Country Mouse thing going on in our family. You remember, the city mice thought life would be more interesting in the country and the country mice thought they'd like to live in the city. My kids love to visit the country (Elmore County for those of you wondering what they consider the country), although I'm not sure the country mice would want to trade their wide open spaces for our traffic laden roadways.

Nonetheless, Madalyn just loves playing with Sarah's baby chicks. She gets to hold them and enjoys how they'll eat from her hand. Have a look:

Hoarders Anonymous

Hi. My name is Christi and I'm a hoarder. And if you just can't believe that to be true of me, here's proof:

That is only about one-tenth of my collection of toiletries that make their way into my suitcase from hotel bathrooms when I travel. I suppose I should use them instead of buying travel size bottles at the store, but what fun would that be? Kevin suggests I donate some to our friend who has a beautiful cabin in the Smokies that leaves a basketful of these little guys for guests to use. Perhaps one day I'll get to that point, maybe after I complete the 12-step program and all.

On Our Front Porch

The flag of the month isn't quite a flag this month -- it's a windsock of sorts. A little sun for the summer -- as if we need the extra heat.

Only in the South

Say what you may about the South and the heritage of its people, but there are some things that only make sense to and can be appreciated by those of us born and raised here. Like finding a note on your front door from a passerby who stopped to pick a few hydrangeas from the bush in your yard, and leaves a phone number where you can call and tell them its okay to stop by to pick some more. Or getting a phone call from someone who wants to make a recipe you submitted to a local cookbook, but wants to be sure it will feed enough people, so tracks down your number from a friend of a friend of a friend and calls to chat about it.

Only in the south...and proud of it!

SPF 0

Never thought I'd be the sunburned one out of the family since I spent the few hours we sat on the beach under an umbrella, thinking that I'd be protected from the sun. I am lobster red, and I even had the attendant change the position of my umbrella to follow the sun through the sky so I wouldn't get any sun at all (hmmm...then why go to the beach, you're asking...)!

Next time I'll use the new Neutrogena SPF 100+. I'd like to see the sun beat that!