Now that you have had your morning cup or perhaps your vat of coffee for the day, give this fun little test a try.

This morning, after my one and only cup for the day

*drum roll, please*

Extremely High - Excessive Energy, Spastic

That would be 167 clicks in 30 seconds. Not bad at all.

Last night, while I was dead tired, I scored a Very High - Productive Worker, Jittery.

Guess I was a bit hyper.

Go on, go on, and don’t be shy about taking this test.

Um Hello…

Please, please, please

Return my nice warm spring time weather.

Just last week, dh turned on the ac for a few days because the house was becoming stuffy.

Now, I have the windows closed tight and *brace yourself* the heat turned back on.

Today, I had to replace my nice white short sleeved shirt for a long sleeved sweat shirt.

My poor little flowers that I planted last weekend are looking at me a bit cross.

This is so not like South Carolina spring weather.

I’m now waiting again for that nice warm weather that teased us over the past few weeks.

Sigh…

Ding, Ding… Round 2 of making bath bomb cupcakes.

My first batch was okay, just issues with the frosting and I was not going to let it get the best of me (nope, no way).

Dh was going to be home late due to a meeting in Charlotte so this was a great time to make them.

So….late Friday afternoon, I pulled out my bath bomb ingredients, rolled up my sleeves and cleaned off the counter top.

Measured out everything, re-read the directions, fed the kiddos (natives must be satisfied) and began.

Poured in the baking soda, SLS, corn starch and mixed with the whisk.

Mixed my fragrance, sweet almond oil, and colorant by shaking them up, then added it to the dry ingredients.

Now, at some point while I am combining the wet and dry mixtures, I hear Spencer telling me that dh is home.

Huh, what?!

No phone call to say he left early, sure enough in he walks full of goodies from his convention.

Alrighty, say hello and must get back to work.

So, everything is mixed in the bowl and I begin to press the new mixture into the cupcake liners.

Sweet, all six are made, they look great, smell wonderful but then something catches my eye. *the horror*

The measuring cup holding the citric acid is sitting on the counter and it is still full!

Argh!

In all the commotion I forgot to mix it in once I added the dry ingredients.

(Tip: Mix it in last and it will not begin to fizz.)

I’m telling you there is always something afoot when I am working with bath & body products.

I pull out all the cupcake liners and dump those nicely formed bombs back into the bowl and mix in the citric acid.

Pull out more liners, begin to fill them and double to check to make sure all ingredients are used.

On to the icing, which mixed together like a dream, added a smidge more water and shazam! it was time to ice those bath bombs.

The icing went on just as expected and no major issues occurred. *phew*

We have a bunch of those left over candy hearts so I put them to good use.

I scented the bath bombs with pineapple from Aroma Haven.

Mmm….. a yummy, sweet pineapple fragrance.

The boys are happy to have a fizzy, foamy bomb to use in their baths.

I am tickled pink that they came out just right!

Get Ready!

There is another ice cream treat day ahead!

Tomorrow, you can visit any participating Baskin Robins between 5 pm and 10 pm and pay only 31 cents for a small ice cream scoop!

Plus, you be able honor your local fire department.

Read more about it here.

Tonight was 6^th grade awards night Nate.

It was quite a packed house to say the least.

There were awards for most improved (per team – there are 6 teams for 6^th grade), Science Award, Gold & Silver Presidential Awards, Citizenship, Spelling Bee, and a few others.

We knew Nate would receive one for being a participant in the National Geographic Bee held back in February.
He made it to the final round of five out of 45 students!

I was kind of thinking he would have one for being on honor roll but was floored when he was called to receive a Silver Presidential Educational Academic Award. (*thud* I am so proud!)
A sliver award is for maintaining an 84 or above for three marking periods.
You can read more about the award here.

Nate is a quiet, inquisitive young man that just loves to learn and learn and learn.

It is just such a wonderful moment to see your child up on stage receiving an award for all of their hard work. My heart is so full of pride. *sigh*

Congratulations Nate!!

Take the whole family or sneak away for a quiet treat for yourself to your local Ben & Jerry’s. Tomorrow in celebration of serving ice cream for the past thirty years, from noon until 8 PM you can receive a free cone.

mmm... ice cream..

Now, I wonder what flavor I will have.

Off to ponder, this could take some time.

Oh! Check here to find your local Ben & Jerry's.

I'm going to bed a bit early tonight.

I'm actually tired. (I have been really wired lately.)

Please keep the noise down a smidge because I did not blog much today.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Pillow, here I come.

Today we were up and outside early doing some yard work.

We had to go out for some more gas for the tractor and decided to stop in at Home Depot for some flowers. While there I had a brain storm (scary, I know), I thought today would be a great day to drive down to Park Seed.

Everyone agreed to the trip, so we finished up the yard, planted the few flowers that we purchased, cleaned up and headed out.

First stop, Subway for a sandwich to eat on the way down.

A wonderful day for a nice ride and roughly fifty minutes later we had arrived at Park Seed.

Grabbed a pull behind cart and off we went looking, admiring and debating on what we wanted to buy.

We did end up with a few goodies to place around the yard. While looking in the

ir retail shop, I found an item that I hinted would be good for Mother’s Day.

What was it?

A Crocs Kneeler, this was so comfy just like their shoes.

Spencer even had me get down and try it out, I am really happy he did.

After we placed our plants in the car, we decided to take a walk through the flower gardens.

They were just beautiful.

Finally, it was time to head home.

Nate was looking for his Nintendo DS before we started out.

He was looking all over in the car and just could not find it.

I asked if he threw it away, since he threw the trash away from the back seat.

Classic reply from Nate, “Well, there was something red in the bag.”

He wanders over to the trash can, finds the bag and Hey! There it was.

*phew* Nintendo found.

Spencer came running into the house, this morning while I was getting around to go outside.
(If you recall a few weeks ago we spotted this one sitting in the sun.)
He was all excited and told me that we had a baby lizard on the house.
Quickly I found my shoes, and grabbed the camera to snap a picture.
Sure enough, he/she was still there hanging out behind the gutter. *smile*
It looks like we might have a whole family living either in the gutter or under the ground by the gutter.

Ever wonder if your coffee is still hot or did you wait too long and it’s now cold?

You can wonder no more.

This great little mug will let you within some range what the temp is of your drink.

I know it would be perfect for me.

I’m kinda like Goldilocks with my coffee; it has to be just right.

This gem would save my poor tongue from getting burnt when it is too hot.

What a great partner it would make with this mug.

You can purchase the mug here.

This morning, I kept going back into the refrigerator for various items for breakfast and making lunches.

Twice I went inside and poked around, forgetting to pull out what I needed. (I can’t be getting old, now can I?!)

Third time is the charm or so they say.

Back in I stuck my head, thinking and thinking about what I needed. (I'm surprised you did not smell the smoke.)

Autumn (our other dog) wandered in by my leg and looked up at me.

I looked at her and said, “Gee girl, I can’t remember anything today.”

Now, I did not hear Nate walk in behind me.

He decided to chime in and say, “What’s your name, mom.”

Huh?! What do you mean what is my name?

In my head, I’m wondering what in the world he is thinking.

He laughed, smiled and said, “Well, you said you couldn’t remember anything. I thought I would test you.”

Arrgh… kids. *laugh*

Today is just one of those days that I do not want to do anything.

I mean n-o-t-h-i-n-g, I’m totally zapped!

I know I should be painting my cabinet doors (sitting in the garage), straightening up the house, confirming a dental appointment, using the treadmill, posting some items on Ebay, scrubbing the boys bathroom and I just can’t seem to get motivated to get it done.

Sure, I have done a two loads of laundry, put the dishes away, made three lunches, dropped the kiddos off at school, put the trash out for pick up, made the bed, and ordered a new pair of sneakers, posted here but there is still so much more to do.

>heavy sigh<

Ack… guess I should go muster up some energy and get some more items done.

Wish me luck.

It seems that I let the ball drop and did not share it with you. *shuffles foot, sorry*

I mentioned back here, that I purchased a new strap for my new camera.

That is it right above and I love it!

It is super long, and now I can let it go across my body and have it lay near my waist.

If you are in the market for a new camera strap or would just like a new one, I highly recommend vmjess on Etsy.

I just spotted this one on her site..oooo.

So, Spencer and I were sitting back, enjoying watching some cartoons together and relaxing this afternoon.

Yes, I still watch cartoons and proud of it. *grin*

He was eating a cherry Airhead, giggling, and then tells me his one tooth was hurting. I inquired if it was loose at all and he nodded his head up and down.

We sat there talking and him chomping away on his airhead.

He then decided to try a watermelon candy and the next think I know he is saying, "Uh Mom."

I looked at him, then his hand where I saw his candy with a white pearly tooth sticking up.

*sigh*

Looks like the tooth fairy will be visiting tonight.

Guess if you are ever stumped on how to remove a stubborn tooth, pick up a pack of Airheads and give one a try.

What a neat idea, dissolving paper soap.

They are a nice alternative to using anti-bacterial gel and it can really dry out your skin after prolonged use.

Great for when you use a restroom while being out and there is no soap or you just don’t want to touch the dispenser. *Ick*

These are a great item to take along when you travel.

Check them out here.

(Thanks to X-treme geek for the picture.)

With the rain we have been having on and off this spring, many of the Saturday soccer games have been cancelled. *bummer*
Not to give up hope, they were rescheduled and it was game time tonight under the lights!
It was a beautiful night for a game
After another loss this past Saturday, the team was ready to play! *go team*
They started off really strong, working the ball up and down the field, and scoring the first goal!
They kept it up until the last three minutes of the game, then they lost the lead and their spirit.
The team has lost majority of their games and they came so close tonight to winning.
I must say that it was a tough loss for all.
There are three more games left; our fingers are crossed that the remainder of the year ends on a happy note.
Go Jets!




I really like this tree that is right behind the soccer fields.

I love hummus.

We will buy it every so often as something different to have in the house.

I knew it was easy to create but could never locate the tahini paste.

About two months ago, we found finally the paste. *hurray!*

I made a batch using a recipe that I discovered online, it was good, but I have to admit that I added way too much garlic. Now some of you may be gasping, shaking your head and asking how could she even think that way. *raises hand* I love garlic, grew up eating it for as long as I can recall, but this time it was knock your socks off too much.

Today, I decided to try my hand at another batch. Went looking for the recipe and it was no where to be found, do I look it up again or wing it?

Ah, let’s wing it today!

Gathered up all my ingredients, pulled out the old blender and I was ready to go.

Oh, yeah, I also grabbed a piece of paper to write down my recipe, something that I think about after I am done.

I did not add many spices, due to my poor tummy. *frown*

I mixed it all up and I have to admit it is really good.

It is nice, creamy and smooth. The last batch that I made was a bit lumpy.

My recipe is below and feels free to add any spices you would like to it.

Enjoy!

Ingredients are in the blender just waiting to have a spin.

I noticed while snapping the picture that I forgot the tahini paste, good thing I took the picture.

It was a somewhat rainy morning today and Spencer had his soccer game.

Nate was not enjoying the fact that he was getting wet.

He was trying every thing to keep himself dry.

First he just scrunched down a little under the umbrella to keep the rain away.

Then a few minutes later, the rain coming down a bit harder and I notice him attempting to tuck his feet under himself.

I just began to chuckle to myself.

I look over again and sure enough he was able to tuck them underneath himself.

A look of surprise washes over my face.

I wanted to snap a picture of him from the front but I had to work in stealth mode if I wanted any pictures. (Warning: Pre-teens are not fond of having mom snap their picture.)

Note: He was able to keep a bit of the rain off of him.

Spencer called this creation his boxing glove.

I pick up the boys from school every day, Spencer is first and then Nate at the middle school.

Spencer tends to have his snack while we drive over to the other school and wait just shy of thirty minutes. Now, in the time we will tackle his homework so that he is done or just about by the time we arrive home.

Spencer’s snack lately has included a Babybel cheese, he loves to play with wax wrapper while we wait and do his homework.

He has made quite a few interesting items during that wait time.

Let’s see he has made an airplane, ship, sub, shark fin, a ball, and a few others. Today, he made a boxing glove.

He has really impressed me with his creativity and imagination.

I’m looking forward to seeing what other items he will create.

I treated myself to some jelly beans today.

mm…jelly beans.

Especially when they are Jelly Belly jelly beans, Oh Yum!

Why did I need a treat?!

I went to the doctors, I just love going to the doctors. (too bad you are not able to hear the sarcasm in my voice). Actually, I have found a new family doctor that I really like. *shocking, I know*
She is helping me with my migraines and actually, I think there might be some hope at the end of the tunnel. *throws some confetti*

So, I left her office with a clean bill of health and some various items to try to help me get a grasp on my headaches.

We needed some fruit so I stopped in the grocery store.

While shopping, I noticed this great little stand of jelly beans.

Who can resist a jelly bean?

I certainly can’t resist their sweet call.

You can try all you want but those fun colors and the taste that you will be greeted with when you chew one. I knew that this was a good teat for me and not too many calories.

I wanted bubble gum flavored ones but they did not have them anymore. *sniff*

Hum.. what was I in the mood for?

I decided on Strawberry, Watermelon, Peach and Dr. Pepper. I had never had the peach flavored ones and I was treated to a wonderful surprise. Those peach little gems are outstanding.

Needless to say, I was a happy camper today between the doctor visit and my jelly beans.

Today was the big day.

I had decided two weeks ago to cut my hair short (no more flip flopping for me).

I had been growing my hair out for over a year, you see I have worn my hair short for years and thought I would just grow it out. I was able get over that awkward in between stage and let it grow down to my shoulders.*gasp*

It was styled in a long bobish style, and then five weeks ago I had it cut to a chin length wedge style bob. (This was my first baby step in going back to short hair.)

Not bad but it just was not doing anything for me. I was frustrated and really despised my hair. I realized that it was time to chop it off!

Armed with pictures from the internet and a magazine full of ideas, I was ready to go short!

My stylist and I looked over my pictures and decided on a cute short style and I still have some bangs. *smile*

I was a bit nervous about what my style would look like but had full faith in my stylist. The first few snips were well, nerve racking. Seeing all those long locks tumble to the floor, made me ask, “what was I thinking?!” NO, no I was not going to go there in my head (sometimes it is an easy place to go); I just want my hair short. I was gripping the handles on the chair pretty hard (not white knuckles but kinda close) as I saw the style take shape, I began to relax and just go with it.

One hour later, I left one thrilled woman! My hair is short, really cute and just perfect.

My hair just feels better and I feel better.

Oh.. what was that you said?

Where is my picture?

Um….yeah, I really dislike having my picture taken. (Blame my dad for that issue.)

So, you will have to wait a bit longer to see who I am. (Just keeping you on your toes.) *wink*

I love sugar scrubs and enjoy a good salt scrub. This scrub is the perfect mix of both!

One recipe that I found a few years ago is from Ponte Verda Soaps and I still use it today. It is easy to make, leaves your skin so clean and simple enough to swap oils.

I base my recipe off of this one (from PVS) and have never been disappointed.

Nate loves to use it on his arms and will ask from time to time to make him some. J

I love it because the ingredients do not settle out and leave all the oil at the top that needs to be mixed in. Eew!

I do not use all coconut oil, instead I use various oils. (I think the next batch I make I will use coconut oil and see what it feels like.)

Today, I used a mix of Shea Butter Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and a bit of Meadowfoam Oil.

All the ingredients are mixed and are now ready to be placed in a jar, very simple and easy!

The fragrance oil was Grapefruit Lily from Bramble Berry and it is one of my all time favorites. It is the perfect mix of floral and grapefruit, so uplifting and refreshing. Ahh!

I was going to use a citrus fragrance for Nate’s but he decided at the very last minute he wanted a clean scent. I decided to use Soapy Clean also from Bramble Berry, what a great clean fragrance.

This is the recipe from Ponte Verda Soap if you are interested.

I’m not sure what made me buy this bag of candy. Perhaps it was my curiourity of how or why they would make a nice piece of yummy licorice into a sour candy.

As you know, I am not a big fan of anything really sour so this again was stepping outside the bounds for me. (Which does tend to keep me on my toes.)

The boys were really not interested in trying them at all. Gosh, it was like a bad re-run! *giggle*

So, I opened up the bag and pulled out a handful. Interesting, looks like licorice but had all sorts of sugar on top (to add that extra punch you would soon have) and bold colors.

Decisions, decisions...

Which one to try first?!

I went with the green apple. It was a nice tart green apple, sneaks up on you at the end.

Next up was the Cherry, it was not an overly strong cherry flavor but it did make my mouth water a bit.

Could not stop there I had to try the blue raspberry, instant >pucker<, and a few extra swallows. To me, this was is the tartest.

Last up, was the strawberry and I was not impressed with this one. The flavor was to *me* a bit off and not much tartness.

The boys have tried them and are enjoying them ever so slowly. I don’t think they are a hit with them, if they were the bag would be gone by now.

They are not super shockingly sour like many other candies out on the market. If you like to have a little bit of tartness then give them a try.

They are unique and fun to try but I’m not convinced that licorice should be sour.

Now how cute is this?

Cake vases that will help you create a really fancy cake for half the price.

What an easy way to create a fun, cheerful cake in really no time at all.

Use it on a premade cake; just add the flowers and you have a stunning cake!

Check out Gooseberry Patch if you are interested.

You will receive three toppers so you can fit any size cake, great deal!

Dunkin Donuts is offering a sweet treat tomorrow in honor of tax day.

Simply purchase any size coffee and receive a free donut!

Mmmm… donut….

To read the facts, simply click here.

If you recall from last week, I was a bit disappointed that my large bleeding heart plant was not up.

I pretty much wrote it off but I noticed that it was back!

Yup, I am now quite happy and content.

The boys and I were pulling weeds today.

Yeah, I know just a bucket full of fun. *not*

I have this area behind the house that has for the ten years driven me crazy.

This year I am determined to get it cleared out and mulched in.

As the boys are helping me today, Nate decided to take a well deserved break. (Just his fifth break in ten minutes). He is standing on the corner when he yelled out, “Hey, he’s back, the lizard is back.”

Spencer throws the rake down and rushes over to see.

He was totally amazed that he (or she) has grown so much.

I place my weeds in the bucket and walk over to check it out.

Yep, the little lizard was hiding under the gutter.

I quietly went inside the house to grab the camera so I would not disturb our little friend.

These little lizards are so neat, and I look forward to seeing them every year.

Last year, we had three around the house.

What kind of lizard is it? A Green Anole

Saturday started off so nicely and then it sort of went down hill from there.

We wanted to do something fun this weekend, so it was decided to go mining. The question was where – North Carolina or Georgia. After poking around online, taking some recommendations from a friend and then finally just deciding, we were off to North Carolina. It is was pouring when we left the house but as we headed up to the mountains all we had were some clouds to deal with.

We were heading towards Rutherfordton, NC, and we were full of excitement.

The boys love to go gem mining, we have done twice before but this time we were going with the hope to find gold! There are quite a few gold mines and gem mines all over the area in North Carolina.

Finally, after an hour and forty minutes we were in Rutherfordton, now to find a mine. We drove through town (which was really quaint) to see where the mines were located. Once found, we opted to head back to town and grab something to eat. The food we had from Legal Grounds was so yummy and the building inside was so cool!

Once we were fed, off we went for a day of mining at The Lucky Strike Mine.

We purchased our bag of ore (gem bag for me), had a quick lesson on how to pan and then we were on our own. Nate (Mr. no patience) had all the patience in the world to find gold and wouldn’t you know he was the one to find it first! Steve (a local gentleman) who was at the mine was giving Nate all these wonderful pointers on what to do.

<--This is Steve helping Nate place his gold into a bottle.

Spencer was next to find a tiny piece. The two boys were going strong for pretty much the whole day finding little pieces of gold. DH and I decided to work as a team. He was in charge of swishing and dumping, while I was the one to do a double take and suck out any pieces seen. It simply worked better this way, I did not have the patience it took to sit there and swish properly. I enjoyed working with the gem dirt. *smile*

<--- Spencer getting ready to do some panning.

Towards the end of the day DH found a really nice tiny nugget of gold, too cool!

I had found some Citrine, Garnets, and Amethysts. Looks like I need to take out the boys little tumbler and see what they look like cleaned up a bit.

It was late (around 4) and we decided to head home. Go to the car, open up the doors, place key in ignition, DH tries to start the car and nothing. He tried again, nothing on top of that we can’t get the key out. Great…over an hour from home, in the mountains, and the car would not start. There is a clicking from under the hood, we have some guys try to give us a jump and of course that did not work. *sigh*

Thank goodness for AAA!

Dh & Nate climb up the hill from where we are to get signal for the cell phone. Spencer and I stick with the car and I keep trying to get the key out. They return with news that a tow truck will be coming in a bit over an hour and Mr. D (a friend) was on his way to help us out.
The two truck came down and they began to check out the car. They found that the battery terminal was broken off and battery acid was all over the inside of the engine.

The thought was that if we replace the battery it should be alright; first the guys had to take it back to their shop.

The car was loaded onto the flat bed and we piled into Mr. C’s car. Off we went, another fifteen minutes up the road to the shop. Once there, we were told to go grab some dinner while they unload the car and looked at it. Right as dinner was served the phone rang, and we were told it was the battery; we just needed to pick one up. Quickly we ate, picked up a battery and zipped back to the garage. They placed the battery in and she started right up! Woo-hoo, we could finally get home to the dogs. I was pretty sure they were sitting by the door with their little legs triple crossed wondering where we were.

Mr. C showed us a way home that would cut some time off, which was really wonderful It has been a long time since we were out on country roads, and needing to watch for deer. (Not that we live in a huge city or anything. We have turkeys that come through now and again.) Anyway, we were zipping along and the next thing I see is a deer charging down a side of a hill. That’s it, I thought to myself. He is going to hit us and it will be in the back by the kids. Instead of saying, “deer!” I simply screamed. If DH would have hit the brakes or slowed down, we would have had an issue. Our trip home just zipped along after that and finally, we were on the highway heading home.

We rolled into the driveway at 10:30pm, tired, frazzled and thrilled to have found some gold.

Just wait until you hear what we did today and what happened.

I swear there is never a dull moment in this house.

All I will say is that I am quite happy that I am home and can't wait to call it a day!

(I know I said I would post this yesterday but I was KO’d by a killer migraine in the afternoon. Sorry)

What a wonderful day!!
I was up bright and early.. yeah, 4:30am to be exact. Lol..

The rest of the family was up and we were out of the house by 7:25am. (Not too bad, a smidge late though).

Stopped off at Mc Donald’s for a drive thru breakfast run- that ended up taking a few extra minutes off our time (can you say s-l-o-w).

Finally, we were on the road heading for a day of fun.

Zipping along on the highway, time just seemed to zip by really fast.

We did have to make a rest stop, which I was hoping that we would not have to do. Time was of the essence at this point in the trip. It was 9:09am and we had to be there by 10, it would be close.

Traffic was normal heading into Atlanta, a few congested areas but overall, not too bad.

*phew*

We were able to slice and dice our way through the cars and manage to get over three lanes from the HOV lane. *props to dh!*

Found our way to the parking lot, pull up, grab ticket, park then fast walk over to the World of Coca-Cola Museum. We made it and we had nine minutes to spare!

Went through security and we were finally on our way through the museum. Once inside you are greeted by these huge Coke bottles from around the world. You are greeted and asked to enter a room where you are surrounded by memorabilia, learn where others are visiting from and get a bit of background about the drink. You are asked to find out where the items around you are from in the world and just take it all in. Then off you go to watch a short animated movie that will look familiar to you. They have taken the ever popular Happy Factory commercial and increased the length just a bit. If you want to watch it here is the clicky for it at YouTube (it's safe). As a side note, the some voices are of actual employees.

We watched the movie Secret Formula in the 4-D Theater. The seats moved around, blasts of air came at you and yes, even some water from time to time. It was a really cool experience! (I will admit to sitting in the seats that did not move-was not too sure how I would react with my motion sickness.)

<--- They even had a Charlie Brown & Snoopy sign!

The museum is filled with coke products from various time periods, fun interaction portions sprinkled throughout, and plenty of information. The Olympic torches were really neat; I had always thought they were the same boy, was I wrong! There was a wall full of various types of pins collected/traded from the Atlanta games. The kids and dh were driven to get to the tasting room; they wanted to sample all the various Coke products (many not available in the US). The first soda I tried was a green apple flavored soda from Japan, did not really like that one. Off we went to the taste station from Africa, sad to nothing there that I really enjoyed. I zipped over to Europe and tried the Beverly that was recommended to us when we entered the tour. Yeah, I

have to say you MUST try that one, you just must. *shudder* Then we were off to Latin America to try a few flavors before we darted off to have a glass of the true Coca-Cola.

So what were my favorite flavors?

• Bitter Lemon (England – I really wish we had this one here in the US)
• Peach Tea (France)
• Mango Tea (can’t remember the country)

Spencer trying out something from the Africa taste area. He did like one from this station, not sure which one.







Oh! There was also a chocolate flavored soda from Ecuador, which was really interesting. I could see myself drinking all the time but a snip now and then would be nice. It is really interesting to see what the rest of the world drinks.

When you have had your fill of Coke products, done with the museum, you are treated to a glass bottle of soda as your souvenir (these are the ones you watched being bottled). What a fun and cool museum. We checked out the Coke store and purchased a few small items, of which are these cool bottles the boys decorated.

Next up the Georgia Aquarium!

Wow.. this place is huge!

The set up is easy to follow and you can bop around to other exhibits if you notice others are quite crowded.

Nate made a bee line for the tidal touch pool to touch the Sting Rays. He was quite impressed at how soft they were, totally not what he expected. Spencer was a bit reserved, he was afraid of a tail coming up at him. The sharks they had there kept zipping by Nate. His fingers were in just waiting for one to come near him but they would go right around. Needless to say he was disappointed over not being able to touch one. They tried touching some shrimp but they kept scuttling away, lol.

The one item I had wanted to see was the Beluga Whales. I was not disappointed. Nico was the Beluga we saw during our visit. He is simply beautiful.

If you look close enough, it looks like Nico is smiling. ------>

We saw the Sea Otters, Jelly Fish, Sea Turtles, HUGE Cat Fish, Whale Sharks, Penguins (love penguins), and all types of fish.

<--These Japanese Spider Crabs just creeped me out. No flash area but the picture does capture their size.

At one point you enter a large room and are totally in awe at what is in front of you. A whole wall tank, I mean this thing is absolutely huge. You can see the various sharks, sting rays, all types of fish, it is so magnificent. The aquarium was a big hit, our tummies were growling for our picnic lunch so we were ready to head to the car.

We had a picnic lunch heading home (needed to get a jump on the commute traffic) and decided to stop off at a Mayfield milk plant for an ice cream break on the way home. This was the perfect way to end the day. The weather was absolutely beautiful, we could not have asked for a better day!

I have placed quite a few of my pictures in this link to Flickr if you would like to view them.
It was a fabulous day and both museums are a must see if you are ever in Atlanta. You will not be disappointed in the least.

These are two bottles the Nate and Spencer wrapped at the World of Coke Museum.

Needing some help with your Spring yard work?

You might want to check their references, just to be safe.

I can hear your feet tapping impatiently wondering about the trip to Atlanta yesterday.

Trust me, I have not forgotten.

I promise to have the follow up done tomorrow.

Last night, even though we were home in the early afternoon, I was bushed.

It was nice and sunny outside today, which meant some yard work had to be done.

Spencer had soccer practice, then off to the library and before you know it the day is over.

My fingers are working overtime tonight to get a Flicker badge together with a good portion of the pictures I took. (I was snap happy!)

So, you will have to wait just a few short hours until I get back and give you the write up.