Hallmark At Blissdom #11: Discussing Kids Encouragement With Becky From TheVioletFig.com

Yes, I am aware that my hair looks ridiculous...I'm also aware that I look horrible...close your eyes and hear my encouraging words!

Georgia Aquarium

Right now the Georgia Aquarium has a new exhibit called Planet Shark.  The Aquarium invited local bloggers for a visit today, so I jumped at the chance.  I randomly asked a friend who I haven't seen since high school and to my surprise, he also jumped at the chance.  So, not only did I get to go to the awesome Georgia Aquarium, I got to spend it with an old friend, who I had a blast with! I'm the Amazon woman on the right!  Ha!

If you have never visited the Georgia Aquarium, it is a must-do for visits to Atlanta.  Try to get there early.  We arrived at 10 and the crowds were thin.  By the time we left at 1pm, the lines were huge! This was the first time I had ever been without my kids.  It was a whole different experience.  I had just visited with my students on a field trip, but it was very nice being with a friend and not having to keep an eye on the little ones. 

 One of my favorite things is the jellyfish.  They are so beautiful and peaceful.  They draw you in and make you want to touch them!  It reminds me of the vampires in the Twilight series- everything about them is made to attract their prey! 

I loved these eels- they looked like little, smiling old men with no teeth!

Here are a few more beautiful fish from the day!

Now, on to the Planet Shark exhibit! 

Unfortunately, you can't take pictures in the exhibit....but they gave the bloggers exclusive photos to share!

Here are just a few of the many shark jaws on display.

This room was very interesting as it focused on China's use of shark fin for medicinal purposes.  The bag of fins in the middle of the bottom shelf looked just like potato chips!  The cans in the middle row are actually cans of shark fin soup!

On the left is a life sized replica of a shark- there were many more. The Mako shark was quite impressive.

In the exhibit, I learned a lot about sharks.  Here are some facts about sharks that I found interesting.

Did you know...

• Sharks can be found in every ocean in the world and in some rivers as well.

• A shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone.  This is why teeth are the only part of a shark that can become fossils.

• Sharks have an amazing sense of smell.  It is believed that sharks are able to detect scents as weak as one part per million, miles away from the source.

The exhibit also focuses on shark attacks...which are disgusting!  There were graphic photos and videos....but it also focused on the infrequency of shark attacks and how movies like JAWS have been very damaging to the species.  Here are some interesting facts about shark attacks.

Did you know...

• in the USA you are over 200 times more likely to be killed by a deer than a shark?

• you are nearly 30 times more likely to be killed in a train crash than by a shark?

• you are 700 times more likely to be killed in a plane crash than by a shark?

• you are 10 times more likely to be killed in a sand-hole collapse at the beach than to even see an Oceanic Whitetip shark – let alone be attacked by one?

• you are more than 80 times more likely to be killed by a dog than bitten by a Tiger Shark?

• you are more than 100,000 times more likely to be injured by fireworks than bitten by any shark?

• even though the Grey Nurse Shark looks dangerous, it feeds almost exclusively on fish and small sharks?  Almost all of the attacks from these sharks on humans have been provoked!

If you plan on going to the Georgia Aquarium before March 14, 2010, here is a $2 coupon for the Planet Shark exhibit that you can use for up to 4 people. 

Stay connected with Planet Shark on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date with the latest news, info, discounts and interact with us.

                Facebook: http://facebook.com/PlanetSharkATL

                Twitter: http://twitter.com/Planet_Shark

Stay connected with other events happening with the Georgia Aquarium by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

                Facebook: http://facebook.com/GeorgiaAquarium

                Twitter: http://twitter.com/GeorgiaAquarium

Also, check out the official Planet Shark video on YouTube: 

                YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx6xlLvYG1w

Disclosure: The Georgia Aquarium provided me with two free tickets to the Aquarium and to the Planet Shark exhibit in exchange for this blog posting.  

Snow in Atlanta!

We don't get a lot of snow in Georgia.  I've lived here for 20 years and I can count on my fingers how many "big" snows we've ever had.  My definition of a "big" snow is any amount of snow that 1. covers the grass up and 2. you can make a snowman with.  That snowman may be only one foot tall, but if it's still a snowman.  We had one of the biggest snows I've ever seen here last Friday.  It started snowing around 1:30 and didn't stop until after I went to bed.  The kids spent their last night in Georgia playing with friends in the snow.  The plan was to leave first thing Saturday morning to drive down to Florida to visit Dave's parents.  We pushed it back to noon until the roads melted a little and also to let the kids play.  

Bailey made a snow angel.

I marveled at making a foot print in the snow and NOT seeing grass underneath!  We had almost 4 inches!

Jake made a snowman.

.

Then they removed the head and took turns jumping off of him!

While we played, Dexter the cat claimed his spot in front of the fire.

Blissdom 2010 in pictures

It has been three days since I got back from Blissdom and I still can't put into words just how awesome this conference was.  I did a Top Ten Tuesday about my favorite bloggers.  

I have decided just to do a photo recap of the weekend, so here goes nothing.

I met Harry Connick Jr.

 I met Tricia from Once A Month Mom.  I love this girl!

and her sweet baby, Tessa!

I had a makeover from a Cover Girl makeup artist.  My girl was quite rude and told me she didn't have time to do much to me- just put some awful blue eyeshadow on...my girl did 4 girl's makeup during the time Amanda's girl spent on her!

Whatever...I love my head shot!

I spent time with my Sisterchicks: Amanda, Mandi & Staci.  I couldn't have picked better people to go with...except I wish Kristen & Mandy could have come!

I met some bloggy celebrities along the way, like Tip Junkie.

I had my picture taken with a Revolutionary...posing with a Sarah Palin book.  Ha!!

I hung out with the Sisterchicks plus one of the new chickies, Tricia!

I had my picture taken with one of my IRL BFFs Staci and Harry Connick Jr.

I got to hear one of the most beautiful voices ever: Jill from Diaper Diaries, on of my new BBFs.

I got to meet, eat the food cooked by, and pose with George Duran from Ultimate Cake Off on TLC.

I won a lot of things.  I mean a lot.  I know I've talked about how lucky I am before.  I win EVERYTHING! On this trip I won this awesome makeup kit from ELF, a iRobot jacket, a Country Bob's prize pack with cookbook, a Snow White DVD & stuffed animal set, and a Flip Cam from Invisilign.

I met one of my favorite bloggers, Scribbit!  

I found the hatch!

I found triplets!

I got to stay at Opryland hotel...aMAZing! This garden is INSIDE the hotel-

 which is more of a bio-dome than anything!

Did I mention that I heard Harry Connick Jr. sing from just feet away and then got to stand right next to him for a photo op?  Sigh.

Curried Beef & Lentil Stew

Tonight I was in the mood for something hearty, but healthy too.  We're going out of town on Saturday, so I was trying to think of things that we already had.  I remembered that I had a bag of lentils in the pantry.  After doing some googling, I found this recipe for curried beef & lentil stew.  I just had to run into the store to buy some stew meat and a crusty loaf of bread.  I added more lentils and more broth, but other than that, I didn't change it.  It was delicious.  Even my picky hubby loved it.  Here is my version:

CURRIED BEEF AND LENTIL STEW (adapted from Cooking Light)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
3 1/2 cups chopped  spinach
1/2 cup diced carrot

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add beef; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add curry, cumin, and pepper; stir well to coat. Add broth, lentils, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add greens and carrot; simmer 30 minutes or until lamb is tender. Remove from heat.

Top Ten Tuesday: Bloggers I Met at Blissdom 2010

1. Tricia from Once a Month Mom- I was excited to meet Tricia before coming to Blissdom, but mostly along the lines of I enjoy the once a month cooking - this isn’t a real person but a business, yada yada yada.  Boy was I wrong. Not only did I enjoy meeting her, but I hung out with her all weekend.  She is one of the honorary Sisterchicks, for sure!  I loved her baby-wearing self!
2. Jill from Diaper Diaries- This is someone who I did not read before Blissdom, but will now!  She’s beautiful, hilarious, is an amazing....I mean amazing singer, has a great hubby and a super good baby boy.  She is another honorary Sisterchick.
3. Scribbit- OMG, I met SCRIBBIT....and she was just a normal lady who made me feel better about not really having a niche.  
4. MckMama- This is also someone I did not read before Blissdom, but WOW- what a story!  Her journey was just heart wrenching and she did a great job as one of the closing speakers. If you don't know her story- get on over there!
5. Kristina from TNLocavore.  We found out during Twitter dialogue that we had some things in common, so I was excited to meet her.  When we met, we also realized that we are both crazy cat ladies, although she has infinitely more cats than I do.  We took our pic with a Revolutionary!
6. Jessie at Vanderbilt Wife- another honorary Sisterchick- such a sweetie.
7. Bookieboo- she has lost 170 lbs!  That's inspiring!  We sung karaoke together with Busy Dad ...Baby Got Back...my standard karaoke song.
8. Domestic Debacle- she is my fashion guru! I am so ready to go shopping with her! 
9. Kevin Carrol- he was our key note speaker- amazing.  What an inspiring man!
10. Harry Connick Jr. Wait...he's not a blogger...but I did meet him...and hug him. 

Will I meet you there next year?  Oh yes, I will be back!

Hop on over to OhAmanda.com for some more Top Ten Tuesdays!

Top Ten Tuesday- Getting Ready for Blissdom

I leave for Blissdom in two days...that means I only have two days to finish getting ready for my trip! What better way to get ready than with a list...especially since I am NOT an organized girl.

1. Spray Tan- Today I have a woman coming to my house to give me a spray tan. I won this from a local spa for coming to their open house. I am very excited, but also nervous. I have never gotten a spray tan before and I don't know what to expect. I really don't want to look like a cheese doodle!

2. Haircut- I had an appointment to have my hair cut by my favorite stylist Naomi over at Salon Three-13 on Saturday, but I cancelled it because I'm trying to get it a little longer...now I'm having major reservations. My hair is not doing what I want it to. Hopefully my sisterchick Amanda can help me out since hers has been longer than mine for a while and we share stylists.

3. Laptop- Obviously, since it's a blogging conference, I need to bring my laptop. That's not a problem- I just have to remember my cord! Also, I don't have a laptop case. We haven't had our mac long and the case I use for my work computer is too small. Not sure if I'll have time to get one before then...

4. Camera- I need to make sure I not only have my camera (which I keep in my purse at all times) but also my camera charger! There is nothing worse than a dead camera!

5. Vado- I won a pocket video camera last year and I have only used it a handful of times. I can't wait to get some use out of it at Blissdom!

6. Medications- I won't forget to take my regular meds, but I need to make sure not to forget to bring my Vertigo meds...just in case. I haven't had vertigo in a few weeks, but it came back today- I woke up totally stuffed up, so it must be related. Frustrating

7. Harry Connick Jr. CDs- I can't forget to bring my Harry CDs for him to sign. My very favorite cd of his is Blue Light, Red Light- This was my first introduction to Harry and has remained my favorite. I listened to it over and over again in high school. Years ago, I sold most of my CDs- I had them on my itunes, so I didn't save the hard copy. Now I wish I had my favorite so I could have him sign it. Have I mentioned that I adore Harry Connick Jr?

8. Flat Iron- This is a piece of a equipment I will be lost without. I have a side tail in my hair....and my long sideburns that REQUIRE a flat iron or they become a weird, curly, taily mess.

Don't be afraid... my tail does NOT look like the following, which would be classified as a "rat tail".

Shudder....................

9. Cookies- we need some road trip food, so I plan to bake some yummy thumbprint sugar cookies with raspberry jam for the ride with Amanda, Staci & Mandi! I couldn't think of three better roomies!

10. Ipod & Docking Station- I've had my ipod for a while and I've had my docking station for a while- it's more like a boom box, if you catch my drift. It finally has stopped charging- it still plays, but that's it. So, I put it in my newly finished basement and bought a new one...the i-Home H16 is also an alarm clock- my kids got them for Christmas and they love it. I love waking up to music, but hate it when it is a loud song or talk radio, so it's nice to get to pick what you wake up to. I woke up to Aqualung this morning!

Hopefully I will remember everything for Blissdom, especially since tonight is LOST and that is certainly on my mind! Hop on over to OhAmanda.com to check out the other Top Ten Tuesdays!