Samplesource.com ~ Great chance to try before you buy!!

Have you signed up for samplesource.com? I got all of these in my October box!

It's awesome to get these every month!! Sign up on their site and you will get a heads up when there are new products to choose from, and you just add them to your box. 

I also got a free coupon for a bag of potatoes (up to $7.99 value!) and one for $2 off of the Persil detergent. Not a bad mail day!!

Dazzle Dogs restaurant in Lawrenceville, GA #Dazzledogs

David and I found the funnest, most unique place to eat a few months ago!

Dazzle Dogs is tucked next to a gas station on Braselton Highway in Lawrenceville, Ga.  It's a small place, and you'll want to either order ahead by phone, or be ok with waiting.  You will wait for a while! But trust us, the food is worth the wait!

They have some really cool gourmet hot dog options here.  My favorite is the St. Bernard - a hot dog with chili, cheese and fritos!  The Georgia Bulldog is topped with pulled pork, coleslaw and barbeque sauce.  Yum!  The fries are hand cut and absolutely delicious!  They also make hamburgers, hoagies and Philly cheesesteaks, plus wings.

St. Bernard Dog 

But the real claim to fame at Dazzle Dogs are the Dazzle shakes.  They are massive, completely overflowing with the most amazing treats.  David got the Oreo Dazzle Shake and oh. my. goodness! It's $11.99 and you will agree it's worth every penny.  They come in plastic cups so you can take it to go if you need to.  (You will!)

This oreo shake also has mini oreos embedded in frosting covered with oreo crumbs on the rim of the cup, oreos, marshmallows, a big slice of oreo cheesecake AND behind that, a giant Oreo ice cream sandwich.  Plus an oreo milkshake under it all!! 

We took a few pics - but you've GOT to check them out for yourself!! Like I said, be prepared to wait.  We waited over 30 minutes for our fries and hot dog, and almost an hour for the milkshake.  But we knew from reviews that there would be a wait, so we were prepared for it! I said it before, but it really is worth waiting for - delish, unique food will be your reward!

Go here to see the menu and ways you can customize the Dazzle shakes!

Dazzle Dogs is located at 1925 Braselton Highway in Lawrenceville, Ga.  They are open every day except Sunday.  You can find them on Facebook (@Dazzle Dogs restaurant)  and Instagram (@DogDazzle)

If you have been, share your experience in the comments below!!

Canvas Factory Giveaway!! *ended*

I love taking pictures.  I have so many prints that are waiting to go into scrapbooks.  But some of my favorites get put into frames so I can enjoy them daily.  I also love to have my favorite shots turned into canvas prints.  There is something special about turning your 4x6 photo into a beautiful canvas for your wall.

So....I'm excited to be working with Canvas Factory for another giveaway!

Their website makes it so easy to order your canvas.  Just pick the size you want, upload your photo (from your laptop, phone, Insta, FB, Dropbox or Flickr) and voila - you'll have your beautiful, high-quality canvas in days! The process couldn't get any easier.

The canvas on the bottom normally hangs in my son's room, but I moved it here to show both canvases. 

Close up of the latest canvas on the bottom! 

The two canvases in my pictures are both from Canvas Factory.  The top one is my kids on my daughter's graduation day.  The one resting on the mantle is the latest one I've ordered.  It is of my son and two great friends he met at the Duke TIP summer program last year.  I had to cover the girls' faces since I don't have permission to share them with the world, but you can still see the fantastic quality of the print.  The photo that was used for the canvas was taken on my iPhone, no fancy camera or anything!

I love the quality of my Canvas Factory canvases, and the care they take in shipping them.  It was packaged so carefully and I received it in perfect condition.

Canvas Factory is giving one of my readers their own canvas, too! Just enter through Rafflecopter below and stay tuned to see who wins!!
(I have a new IG so be sure to follow the new one as one of your entries, too!)

Thanks for stopping by!

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle Giveaway and Back to School Drive! #MTFAN *ended*

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle ~ Family 4 pack GIVEAWAY! 

photo credit ~ Medieval Times Atlanta

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament’s Atlanta Castle is dedicated to “Chivalry in Action” and in honor of this philanthropic mission, they need our help for their largest-ever back to school drive.

For the first time ever, they will be providing 750 book bags to 15 pre-selected Atlanta-Area Schools!

So how can you help?  If you are local you can drop off new school supplies at their Sugarloaf Mills location - 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville GA 30043

Now through July 28th, guests who donate at least one unused school supply per ticket when visiting the Atlanta castle will receive up to $22.00 off their adult-priced tickets. Guest must show proof of donated items upon arrival at the Box Office.  Such a great way to help local kids be prepared for back to school! #ChivalryinAction

Want to win a family 4 pack of your own to visit Medieval Times Atlanta?  

Enter via rafflecopter below!! 

The person who will be donating the most supplies to this awesome back to school drive wins the family 4 pack of tickets!! Woohoo! (Minimum of 1 supply per person/ticket)

To be eligible you must be local to Atlanta, and be able to visit Medieval Times by July 28, 2019.  I will notify the winner on the 24th and you have 24 hours to confirm that you can attend.  Of course, you will need to take your school supply donation when you visit MT, too! You'll get a fun night out, and local kids will get much-needed school supplies! 

I'll be attending Medieval Times with my friend Dana and our daughters next week.  Follow me on IG, FB and Twitter to watch all the fun!! I've got some awesome school supplies to donate, too! 

Comments are not working for some reason, so please enter via Rafflecopter and I will pick a winner from there - so sorry for the issues blogger is having! 

Red Oak Lavender Farm ~ Dahlonega, GA

I love using herbs, botanicals and essential oils.  Especially lavender! I have a sleep mist, linen spray, bath salts, bath bombs and more that use this flower's calming fragrance.  It's definitely a favorite scent!

Three years ago, we first heard of Red Oak Lavender Farm.  I took my son to visit in the summer of 2016 and it was all I could have hoped for!  Beautiful gardens with rows of lavender, and the most amazing gift shop with homemade goodies and more!  Spending time out with the lavender is so peaceful and calming! Butterflies are everywhere and there are so many photo opportunities!

We took lots of pictures, and I knew wanted to come back soon.  However, an allergy to bees and other stinging insects made my son nervous to come back - bees are all over the farm, doing their thing!  So I didn't get to visit for a while.

Last summer my friend Katherine visited Atlanta from Houston.  She, like me, loves lavender and other essential oils.  So I knew she would appreciate a visit there.  She traveled with her one year old, and I think he enjoyed it too - lots of room to walk and explore!

This farm is not like the huge ones you see pictured in France or the Pacific Northwest with row after row of lavender.  Georgia does not have the ideal climate for lavender, but these folks have made it possible with a lot of hard work!  They have approximately 2.5 acres of lavender - about 60 rows that are 100 feet long.  They grow over 20 varieties of lavender on the farm.  It's really amazing, considering this plant should not grow here due to our humidity, clay, and other factors.

The family that owns the farm lives in the house attached to the gift shop. Not only do they harvest the lavender to sell, they distill the oil from plants to make pampering treats for you.  There are also culinary treats like Lavender Sugar, Lavender and Pink Himalayan Salt, and Herbs de Provence.  Those busy bees out by the lavender make the most delicious lavender honey.  You can get it fresh from the farm here!

I've purchased linen sprays, lavender-filled bookmarks, bunches of dried lavender, lavender soap, lavender honey, and a few other wonderful gifts there for myself or family/friends. The prices are great and the products are lovely.  Please check it out when you go!

Here it is, summertime again.  I'm ready for another relaxing trip to Red Oak.  I hope you will give them a visit, too!  There is a $5 fee for adults to visit during June, but now that it is July, entry is free!  From my home in NE Gwinnett, it was less than an hour drive to get there.

Check out this video I made on our visit last year!

And here are some of my favorite pictures from both visits...

D back in 2016.  He's grown up since then - now he is tall and skinny! 

Baby Lennox got his picture taken in this adorable butterfly chair last summer.

Sign from 2016 - they grow double that, now! 

Bee Hives!

Parking is in the front yard or along the driveway.  For special events, they offer parking at a neighbor's farm across the street.

Don't forget to visit the gift shop!

It smells so lovely, too - the scent of lavender is everywhere.

Here's what you need to know to plan your visit!

Red Oak Lavender Farm
2882 Red Oak Flats Road
Dahlonega, GA 30533
Phone: 706-974-8230 during business hours
March 1 - December 15 ~ Wednesday - Friday 11 - 3  Saturday 10 - 4
Closed on July 3 & 4, 2019
Email: RedOakLavender@gmail.com

Delicious food from Talmo Market Grill ~ Talmo, GA

A little over a year ago, my sister, mom and I met for lunch.  They asked me to meet them at Talmo Market Grill.  I had no idea where Talmo was, but I agreed!

Turns out that Talmo is not that far from my neck of the woods in NE Gwinnett county.  It's a sleepy little place that feels like the middle of nowhere, yet it only takes me about 20 minutes to get there.

Located across the street from the railroad tracks, you can either park in the small parking area, or over by the tracks.  Get there early - this is a small place and you might have to wait on a table otherwise!

The food here is simple and delicious - burgers rule the menu, (hand formed and made with grass-fed TALMO RANCH beef) but they also offer other items like chicken salad, pimento cheese, BLTs, Frito pie, or salads.  Sides include fries, potato salad, pasta salad or chili.

For dessert, there are daily specials, plus shakes, floats and rice krispie treats.

There are a few tables at the front of the restaurant, where you will place your order.  There are more in the back room, down the hall.   The building is older, and the decor is vintage to match.  It's such a comfy, cozy place to eat!

I've had a burger there, which was delicious.  The chicken salad has become my favorite thing, though!  The fries are freshly cut, hot and so good!  My sister has had salads and a burger there and they were both great.  My mom loves the burgers, too.

We shared a dessert on one visit, I think it was a cherry turnover ala mode.  It was perfect!!

Burger with pimento cheese - yum!! 

my sister's salad - she topped it with a burger patty

They also offer breakfast and it's as good as you'd imagine!! Biscuits are huge and filled with eggs, bacon or sausage - the perfect start to your day.  We got there when they opened and that was a great time to be there - it was filling up by the time we left! 

the back dining room 

Order at the front counter 

Check this board for dessert options and daily specials! 

Talmo Market Grill is located at 558 Main St. Talmo, Georgia and their hours are 7 am to 2 pm, every day but Sunday. (Closed on Sunday!)  UPDATE:  They are closed the week of July 4th, 2019! Reopening on July 8

Check out their Facebook page here!

Have you been to Talmo Market Grill?  Tell me what your favorite thing is there!

A little taste of Hawaii in Georgia - Truett's Luau Chick-fil-A

The kids and I have taken so many day trips around Georgia over the years. I have thousands of pictures on my laptop, so I'm going to work hard to get these here on the blog this summer!

One of our favorite discoveries was Truett's Luau in Fayetteville!  It was opened by Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy in 2013, when he was 92.  This was his last project, and he put his heart and soul into it! He handpicked most every piece of decor, and he tested menu items as they were developed so that he could be sure a little bit of Hawaii was brought to Fayetteville, Georgia through the menu at this restaurant.

At 8000 square feet, this is a MASSIVE Chick-fil-A!  And it's beautiful - inside and out.   There are tropical plants, beautiful furniture, even ukeleles to take and play at your table!  This is the coolest place to spend time with your family, enjoying amazing food and a fun, family-friendly atmosphere.

Choose to eat in the fast food dining room on your left, which is like any Chick-fil-A, or choose table service in the beautiful dining room to your right! We've only eaten in the table service side, which is pictured above.  It's bright, airy and absolutely lovely in there! Some of the tables are made of the most beautiful wood, as shown in the last picture.  That picnic-style table with benches is huge!

The menu has your favorite CFA items, but it also offers amazing Hawaiian specialties.   Appetizers include Calamari, Hawaiian Pork Nachos, and Tropical Nuggets (in an awesome sweet chili sauce!)

Appetizer Sampler with Lava Rocks, Sweet Potato Waffle Fries and Tropical Nuggets 

Hawaiian Pork Nachos 

For your entree, you can try a Kalua Pork plate, Mahi Mahi, Maui Shrimp or even Teriyaki Chicken!

They even have a burger!! The Luau burger is topped with fresh pineapple, bacon and colby jack cheese on a King's Hawaiian bun. Yum!! Or try an Awapui BBQ chicken sandwich or a Kalua pork sandwich.  So many choices!

Sides include Asian pasta salad, sweet potato waffle fries (my favorite!), pineapple fried rice, and stir-fried vegetables.  They also have the usual CFA salads, plus a Hula chicken noodle bowl.

Desserts here are something special.   Try a Frosted Pineapple (similar to the Frosted Lemonade, but with pineapple juice), or a Pineapple Macadamia milkshake.  Or the King's Hawaiian Bread Pudding, Skillet Cookie or Lava Cake.  Deliciousness!

Outside, the curb appeal is just as great as the decor inside!  Lush greenery, rocks, plus the typical landscaping care that is evident at all Chick-fil-A's make this place look beautiful.

I've gone with my kids, and I've also taken my sweet friend Katherine when she visited from Texas.  The service is perfect and the food is like nothing I've ever had in Georgia.  It's a long drive from NE Gwinnett, but it is surely worth the stressful Atlanta traffic - I promise!  I can't wait til our next visit!

Some of our favorite choices here are the pork nachos, tropical nuggets, teriyaki chicken, those delicious sweet potato waffle fries, and the frosted pineapple!!  Everything we have tried is delicious and freshly cooked to order.  If you have time to make that drive, you've absolutely GOT to give Truett's Luau a try!!

Their address is: 600 West Lanier Ave., Suite 103
Fayetteville, GA 30214
(770) 461-5828

The website is here.  You can see the menu items here!
Thanks for stopping by!


Have you been to Truett's Luau?  If so, what did you think?  What is your favorite item on the menu?

Travel - Things to do in the Outer Banks!

After spending a long weekend in the picturesque villages along the Outer Banks, I can't believe it took me this long to visit!  Yes, it is a 10-hour drive from the north side of metro Atlanta, but it is truly worth every minute it takes to get there!  We only went for 4 nights but we should have stayed at least a full week - there was so much more to see!

On our first day, we went to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, which is located on Roanoke Island, in Manteo.  It was about a 15-minute drive from Kill Devil Hills. 

Earthen walls are all that remain of Fort Raleigh

Fort Raleigh is where the Lost Colony was last seen.  If you don't know this story, it is fascinating.  And over 400 years later, it is still America's longest unsolved mystery. 

Schedule your visit to the site so that you can take part in the Ranger talk.  The Ranger has great information about the history of the Fort and shares some of the possible theories of what happened to the Lost Colony.  You can walk out back and see the ruins of the original earthen walls of the fort.  The Visitor's Center has a wonderful exhibit about the history of the area, as well.  We spent about 2 hours there and enjoyed it so much! 

Down by the water, if you're there during the season, you can watch a live performance of The Lost Colony.  This Friday, May 31, they open for their 82nd season!  I hope to go back in the next year or two and see this! Here's the FB page for the play.

While you're on Manteo, visit the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It's really close to Fort Raleigh.   The prices are affordable, and it's a great aquarium! We really enjoyed the Turtle rescue/hospital area, and the sting ray touch tank!  The jellyfish and sea horses are always my favorites at every aquarium, and this one didn't disappoint!  There are plenty of interactive displays for both little and big kids. 

Outside there is a long pier to walk on, a dinosaur fossil dig, and other cool things to see! A great place to visit for a few hours, for sure!!

I hope you enjoyed these fun things to do! Click the links for pages or websites to get all the information!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let a robot serve you lunch at Big Bang Pizza!

My son just completed his first year of high school, so yesterday we went out to celebrate!

I saw Big Bang Pizza on Good Day Atlanta several months ago, and put it on my list of places to check out.  So glad we did!

Located at 3043 Buford Highway in Brookhaven, the building is in the back of a parking lot, sort of behind another building.  We missed it the first go round and had to u-turn and go back.  When we walked inside, we were greeted by a small robot named Pepper.  She is adorable, and you can choose different things for her to do from the tablet on her chest.  She can tell you a story, dance for you, or even take a selfie with you!

Order at the counter, and then pick a seat and put your number on the table.  A few minutes later, one of the larger server robots will deliver your food on a tray right to your table!

The dining room is large and bright, and they play fun, upbeat music.  If you order a fountain drink, Jones Soda Company sodas will be your choices!  David got Berry Lemonade and I had Root Beer.  For our lunch, I chose the pizza with a side salad, and he just got pizza. 

My pizza had meatballs, pepperoni and green olives and it was so perfect! Crispy crust, just the way I like it.  My side salad was loaded with veggies and had creamy Italian dressing.  David had cheese pizza and proclaimed it to be amazing! 

Before we left, we refilled our drinks and purchased ice pops from a little freezer by the door.  We both got the Oreo pops and oh my goodness were they ever refreshing!  It was a great lunch at a fun little place!! I hope we can go back again this summer!