We Picked Our Own Florida Oranges :)

Showcase of Citrus

          A couple of weeks ago I read about a place where Staci and I could go pick our own Florida oranges.  The weather was nice enough today, so off we went.  I live in Kissimmee, so the trip there was 23 miles, approximately 45-minute drive.  Showcase of Citrus was very easy to find, and well worth the drive for an afternoon of fun.  If you are reading this, I must warn you this post is very picture heavy.  There were just so many things I wanted  to capture on film. 

          The farm was gorgeous, with a definite Florida feel.  There were quite a few activities to do there, more than we were expecting.  We started off exploring the store.  It is all covered, open air, and full of flavor.  Literally LOL the first part we entered had dozens of different types of hot sauces to sample, as well as a nice variety of honey to taste.  I wanted to try so many of the hot sauces but made the mistake of actually trying one.  Oh, my goodness was it HOT!!!  Thankfully the honey was right next to it to help soothe my poor singed taste buds. It was one and done for the hot sauces LOL.

          Off to the other half of the store which was full of BBQ sauces, jams, and salsas. It also had souvenirs, plus a juice bar.  This side of the store is where we got the bags to “mine” gemstones, feed the animals, and our bag to fill up with oranges.  The basic bag for mining was $8 which is what we chose.

          We also got a cup of carrots and cup of corn feed for the animals, they were $3 each.  I wish we had skipped the corn and just got double carrots.  We walked over to the animal area and no animals nearby.  There were a few chickens, but they were in a pen. There was no real way to get them the corn, but we tried. We really wanted to feed the horses the carrots, so we stated walking around the large pen where they were kept.

          It took a bit but finally the emu came over to us. It was funny to look at LOL it liked the corn.  You had to be quick with tossing the feed because it once nipped at Staci when she tried to just drop some. I guess the emu is the scout for the others because after that the small horses came over and ate the carrots. 

 

          We ran out of those too quickly.  We did not have any to offer the kangaroo who ventured over last.  Yep the farm had an emu and a kangaroo LOL.  The orange groves were right next to the animals so off we went to pick our fruit. 

          I made the mistake of letting the sales lady talk me into the $18 medium sized bag LOL It took forever to fill that thing up. I would have been happy with the $11 small size.  Now I have so many oranges I am going to have to learn how to make marmalade LOL.

          Once we had all our fruit picked it was time for me to explore the store. The ladies there were very nice, and they let you sample before buying, which was a good thing. I found out that while good, I did not like the sweet based salsas they offer.  I ended up getting the salsa Verde and the fire roasted salsa.  We also got a spicy sweet BBQ sauce and a vinegar-based BBQ sauce.  It tastes more like a Greek dressing to me. 

          As I mentioned before there were so many picture perfect spots there that I wanted to pose Staci in front of LOL she is not a fan though of taking pictures LOL.  She indulged me for a bit 😊 hence all these pictures.

 

Happy New Year 2019

      Happy New       (healthier) Year

          Day 2 of 2019 and so far, so good.   I worked New Year’s Eve and instead of going to sleep when I got home, I threw on my The Fitness Marshall workout and did low key aerobics for 30 minutes.  Yes, everything with me is low key these days LOL.  This morning I woke up and had every intention of doing nothing, but it was so nice outside I decided to take the puppy for a walk. 

           My brother knows I want to get healthier, so he gave me some advice.  Drink lots of teas and walk at least two miles a day. 

From Amazon

For my birthday he sent me this awesome tea tumbler.  It keeps tea hot for 12 hours, and I mean HOT.  Burned my tongue first time I used it.  It also will keep things ice cold for 24 hours.  Haven’t tested that part out since I drink it too fast. It is usually full of ice tea, which no longer has sugar in it, but Equal, thanks to baby brother LOL. 

today's walk

                    He also had me download Endomondo on my iPhone.  It keeps track of time and distances I walk.  Gives me a little map of the route I took.  This morning I used it for the first time and it said I walked 1.15 miles in 30 minutes 😊 burned 146 calories so that takes care of the coffee I am sipping on as I type LOL.  I was hoping it would have been a longer distance.  I walked all over my neighborhood.  Maybe next time instead of puppy I can take Staci and we can add in the distance to 7 Eleven as well.  She loves the Slurpees 😊 I need to find other places to just go walk that are easy to get to.  I adore walking at Epcot and YIPPEE I get to go back next week.  That walking good for distance and steps, but not for getting heart rate up. 

Allison, Caleb, and Haley aka The Booty Army

          

          This evening I get to finally do the live stream workout with The Fitness Marshall 😊 I am very excited about that.  I cancelled the Universal Yums subscription and bought a membership into The Booty Army LOL much healthier.  Going to try and see if I can get Staci to join me.  Before all of that I am off to Lowes and/or Home Depot.  I caught a bit of Spring Fever while walking and am in hunt of new foliage for the front yard. Not sure if I want flowers or greenery.  I am also wondering if I need to do anything to bring my backyard grass back to life, or if it just will turn green again. Is my first year to see if this happens LOL so now it is off to find better choices to make for the day, so that 2019 is my healthiest year yet 😊  

Merry Christmas 2018

My favorite Christmas pic of Staci circa 2011

Merry Christmas

     This year was definitely a tough one. There were times I felt like everything was going wrong. Lots of times I could only see the bad. Since I am trying to be healthier, I figure it would be good to look at all the good that has happened this year.  So here we go 😊

·        💞Staci and I took our first plane trip to Washington D.C. where we got to hang out with friends and see the National Zoo and The Smithsonian.

·       💞 I got the puppy I have been wanting for so long 😊 My little chihuahua named Honeybee. She is totally adorable and acts completely devoted to me. She is such a treat to come home to. She is always so excited to see me and curl up with me. She makes me feel good.

·       💞 I learned to mow my own lawn LOL I know this sounds silly and not fun.  It is incredibly draining, usually because of the heat, but after it is done, I feel so accomplished.  Owning my own home is the best.  It is something tangible to show I am doing ok 😊 I love getting to decorate it inside and out.  When the flowers start blooming and the grass is thick and green, I can say “I did that”.

·       💞 I got a new to me car LOL it is little and red and very smart. So many gadgets and gizmos that I haven’t figured out yet.

·        💞We got a raise at work to pay for all the decorating I do LOL

·       💞 I got to get annual passes to the Disney Parks and SeaWorld for both my kids and me.

·        💞I got a great visit from my brother, his granddaughter Eva, and our friend Vangie.  We got to go play at Disney together and just reconnect. He and I are closer now.  I learned he likes decorating and cooking even more than me LOL.  I am always picking his brain for recipes to try. Thanks to the above-mentioned car, we talk handsfree whenever we are both traveling somewhere LOL.

·       💞 I got a new kitten 😊 a pretty little calico named Penelope. She is still shy, but every now and then she will cuddle. 

·       💞 All of us are doing well in school. Lee even got his first college degree.  Staci is killing the 4^th grade, and I made the Dean’s List again LOL.

·       💞 My neighborhood is fun. I was hoping to live in a place where holidays were celebrated, and we are. Lots of fun seeing all the decorations at Halloween and Christmas.  I can’t wait to see what this area grows into.

·        💞Best of all for the year is both my kids and I are healthy.  We did not get hit with any major illnesses. They seem happy and enjoying their lives. We have fun together and are close.

So, there are a lot of things that are good that happened this year.  Sometimes when life is hard it is challenging to see the blessings.  It is just a matter of trying to look past the negative to see the positive.  I am going to try and do that more.  I have a nice life and I need to remember that more.  So now I am off to enjoy Christmas with my kids.  We are having a low-key holiday.  No cooking, just a fruit and a veggie tray per kids request.  I did make bacon, eggs, and sausage balls (a family tradition from my Nanny). Now time for presents, coffee, and watching the Disney Christmas Parade.

Build A Bear Bake Shop at the Florida Mall

Build A Bear Bake Shop  

  

          I did not even know these existed a few months ago, but during our last trip to the Build A Bear Workshop Staci noticed this place under construction.  She apparently had been paying close attention to when it was finished and informed me Monday that it was open for business LOL so off we went on Tuesday to check it out.  I was a little leery about going to the mall a week before Christmas, I figured it would be super busy. It wasn’t so bad. There were the last-minute frantic shoppers, but we still managed to find a place to park.  It is easiest to park by the Crayola Experience entrance and walk in.  

          The Bake Shop is to the left, right in front of Build A Bear of course LOL.  It is a small little kiosk set up. It has four tables and a counter for the kids to make their cupcake creations.  For $12 Staci got to choose two cupcakes, two icing colors, and unlimited sprinkles.  She also got to have a drink from their cooler. I tried to get her to choose the strawberry milk, but she wanted this strawberry essence bubble water instead. Big mistake, it tasted yucky ☹ Next time milk or juice.  They really should have plain water as an option. So back to the cupcakes.  The flavor choices were chocolate, vanilla, or confetti.  She picked confetti and vanilla.  She also chose red and blue frosting.  Here I was thinking she would choose Christmas colors LOL instead we got 4th of July.  The frosting is already in little bags to squeeze out. The tip is snipped off, so it comes out in a narrow line to decorate with.  It is just enough to cover both cupcakes. She had fun squishing the frosting out the showering them in sprinkles.  

          That is the real fun. So many sprinkles to choose from.  You get to start out with two choices, but you can trade them as many times as you want. I would have loved to use them all 😊 After she was satisfied with her creations, she decided to eat one.  She said it was yummy of course LOL.  Once she was done, we looked in the ready-made options.  

          They were cute. They had seasonal ones for sale. A chocolate one piled high with a frosting Christmas tree, a reindeer, and a hot chocolate one covered in mini-marshmallows.  I wanted one of each but refrained 😊 There is also a small section where you can buy coffee cups and tumblers, as well as a few baking kits.  It did not take a long time to do all they had to offer, maybe 30-45 minutes.  Then the obligatory visit to Build A Bear where I managed to say now LOL. We have enough as it is.  The experience was fun, but not sure worth $12, maybe $10 would be a better deal. Plus throw in a coupon for the store LOL.

Monday Musings

I Need a Minion

Those little dudes are so awesome.  Most of the time I am very tolerant, quiet, and easy-going person.  I mind my manners both online and off but put me behind the wheel of a car and I become a whole new person, I become Gru LOL.  I have zero tolerance for stupidity on the road LOL. I just want to blow them all up. Florida drivers are notorious for being lousy drivers, so it has become a major issue.  I am even noticing it myself and cringing inside when I get upset.  I do not want Staci viewing me as an angry person, so I am working on that problem.   

Somebody recently posted on Facebook something along the lines of "you can't change how the world acts, but you can change yourself and how you react".  So, I am trying to not yell at the stupid people on the road who can't drive the speed limit, cut me off, or text on their phones while driving. LOL, I think people's license plate should be their phone number, then you could call them and tell them to get off the phone and pay attention to the road. 

So, for now I am trying to be a more tolerant driver, or at least bite my tongue more.   I am also working on how I view situations.   A person really does not know what is going on in another person's life or what they are dealing with.  So being more mindful that while I can't stop them from being stupid, I can at least stop myself from getting overly upset.  All that stress isn't good for me.

Criminal Justice Degree???

Use it or    Lose it  

           My mind that is. The women in my family seem to develop a memory issue as they age, I don’t want that. So, I try and keep my mind active.  I started college when I was 20 years old and have yet to stop LOL.  At first it was to get general education credits while I figured out what I wanted to do in life.  Then it was nursing school to get my BSN degree. That is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in case curious.  After that I started just taking classes that interested me.  

         At one point a few years ago I was in graduate school for a master’s degree in public health.  I finished all the courses, all that was left was an internship and to write a thesis paper.  I could not figure out how I was going to work full time, be a full-time mom, do a full-time internship for 3 months, plus write a 50-page thesis.  So, I never finished degree.  Plus, I could not think of a single topic I liked enough to type 50 pages on LOL I love my kids and I still could not write 50 pages on them.  So, I went back to taking classes that interested me.  

          When Lee started college, I started taking classes with him.  It was a way to bond and do stuff together.  It is fun doing assignments with him. We talked on the way to class, discussed topics together, it is great.  Starting next semester, we no longer get to do that ☹ He will be going to an actual class while I am doing online.  Valencia College won’t let Staci sit in classes quietly LOL I don’t want to hold him back from getting his degree. We just finished this semester, we both got an A in Oceanography and Intro to Criminal Justice.  This qualifies him for an Associate of Arts degree now.  Next semester he starts to focus on his paralegal degree.  He is still mulling over idea of becoming a lawyer 😊 then a Judge, so he can get his goofy mom out of trouble LOL.  

          This criminal justice class though showed me I liked the topic.  So next semester I am taking a criminology class and an ethics in criminal justice class.  Both look to be interesting. Who knows, I might end up with a degree in criminal justice LOL not giving up nursing though.  Perhaps I can find a way to combine them in the future.

I Love the Holiday Season

 Holidays 
          Are fun.  My brother and I grew up with just our mom, I have no idea how she did it. Looking back now, knowing what I do, I am amazed at how well she hid things from us. She loved us 😊 She hid the fact that we were poor. My brother and I did not know that, we were happy. We had what we needed, I never felt that we lacked anything, it was a great childhood.  Plus, we always had the best holidays.  My mom knew how to decorate beautifully.  The Christmas tree was always so gorgeous.  The only thing missing was a house. We always lived in apartments, even once a trailer.  So, when I bought this house last year it was a big thing 😊 I could not wait to decorate it for the holidays.  I thought I was a bit much in the decorating until this neighborhood LOL it is like National Lampoons Christmas around here.  About 70% of the homes in this community are all decorated, and on my street alone I would say 90% decorated. I am not talking just a few lights, I am talking airplanes can see us in the sky LOL it is great.  I thought Halloween was impressive with all the decorations put up by the neighbors. Plus, we had lots of trick or treaters. I was so proud of my new little community. Then Thanksgiving rolled around, and Christmas exploded all over the community.  There are huge blow up characters everywhere, lights strung up on houses, lights projected onto houses, lights in the trees and bushes, grapevine reindeer galore, music playing from décor, plus lots of Disney decorations scattered about.  There is even one house done up in LED lights, I think. They have them programmed for show.  We walked over there and were mesmerized. The front porch was like a projection screen with the lights. They formed realistic animals and a fireplace.  It kept changing to music!!!  It was awesome.   Staci and I watched for about 10 minutes LOL.  I am so happy I was able to buy a home in this community, and even more so that I am on the street that really gets into a holiday 😊 My son is already plotting what to do next year for decorations LOL so if anybody is in the Kissimmee area and wants to see lights or trick or treat next year, let me know and I will give you name of my neighborhood 😊


The video is one I sent my brother to show off my decorations this year :)