Frankenmuth, Michigan for a girls away~

I am so behind on Blogging and I am incredibly sorry for that. This past weekend my friend Colleen and I headed to Frankenmuth, Michigan. It's a place Colleen has always wanted to check out because it has one of the largest Christmas stories in North America. She asked if i'd like to go sometime and I said "sure", sounds like fun to me!!

So off we went, its a 3.5hr drive. We were too early to check into the hotel so we decided to head straight for the Bronner's Christmas Store.

It was truly like something I have never seen before. IT was huge!!! I honestly felt like we were walking through the elfs workshop in the North Pole. AMAZING! They were playing Christmas music the whole time, which I have to admit got on my nerves a little. I'm a big Halloween girl...that's my thing. Listening to Christmas music in September was a little..shall I say....weird. It was like, I wanted to get excited for Christmas, but we still have the air conditioner on at home so it seemed unrealistic. Overall though, it was beautiful and it did bring a sense of Christmas spirit.

Everywhere we went there was Christmas everything....there was a Christmas bulb for everyone!
It was overwhelming, so much to see....so many decorations.

 

It wasn't that busy when we were there, that was nice. I am sure when the season gets closer this place is crazy. There were a couple bus tours there, elderly woman enjoying the scenery.

Everywhere we turned there was more and more Christmas. I would definitely recommend that if you like Christmas and you are looking for the perfect Christmas ornament or decorataion...go visit Bronner's in Frankenmuth, Michigan. You will not be disappointed.

We headed over to our hotel and checked in, then we went to dinner. Apparently Frankenmuth is known for its Beer and Chicken. The whole little town was much like a "Little Germany". Very Cool, there were some beer brewery's, and restaurants totally catered to chicken. We settled on this one restaurant called Zehnder's which is world famous. It was quite the experience, the food was soooo good. Portion sizes were huge, and the staff was dressed in old German costumes. If you look close enough you can see the waitress dressed in her serving attire. 

It was a three course meal, and it was also all you can eat. The first sitting they bring, all the food in the above picture. Soup, breads, dips and coleslaw. It was delicious, seriously after a long drive, trouble at the border we needed something good to end our day.

 

I ordered a Peach Mojito...which I didn't fancy but finished about half of it.

 

Ok check out the above picture, simply amazing, This is the second sitting, fried chicken which I have to say was really really good, mashed potatoes that were creamy and whipped to perfection, dressing, gravy, green beans and some sort of pasta. OMG....SOOOOO GOOD!!! I can't express enough that if you ever visit Michigan, stopping into Frankenmuth and having some chicken in Zehnder's is probably a very good decision.

Lastly we had dessert, really neither of us could eat it. We just ordered it to get the picture and Colleen tasted it. I can't remember if or what the other dessert options were.

We decided to walk around after that dinner, we had to walk it off. So we ventured out onto the street and into the cutest little shops. There was lots of shopping options, cute little hidden gems. Lots of souvenir  kind of shops. This little town was full of life, tourists lined the lively streets. Residents out with their guitars, small home grown bands bellowing out old tunes sure enough to bring memories to the food coma induced people leaving the restaurants. IT was wonderful, weather was perfect and Colleen and I had such a nice time going in and out of these shops.

Here are some night time shots I took, just too show you the area. It was very German looking, very little traffic but lots of people enjoying the night.

Little selfie with an old friend...

Isn't it cute, dimly lit streets with benches so you can rest your legs when things become exhausting.

Beautiful little water fountain....

The next day we headed over to another kind of shopping centre. This spot was much like a little village on its own. It was a town, all on its own filled with once again cute little shops for tourists pleasure.

This little treasure is called Frankenmuth's River Place, another German themed shopping centre. Many stores for the residents of Frankenmuth as well as the many visitors. Zaks Fudge, Funky Skunk, Yankee Candles,Tervis, The Popcorn Wagon, Humor Us, Exist Clothing, SugarHigh Bakery, SugarRush Sweets and Treats, Jerky Joint, The Enchanted Forest, Hello Cats and Dogs and many many other spots. Those are just a few of the ones we checked out.

 

The picture below was the cupcake store we stopped in, we both picked one out for the drive home. It was delicious, not better than Tiny Cakes here in Cambridge but it was pretty good!

The Enchanted Forest was a cute store, here is a little sample of the fairy garden that has become quite the deal. I thought about doing one, but I think i'd get bored quickly and give up. Then i'd have to listen to Paul complain about the money I wasted on my garden. lol

The Popcorn Wagon was a lot like Kernals. I bought some Dill Pickle popcorn and a Chicago Mix one to bring home to the family. I would recommend the Dill Pickle, it is by far my favorite and everyone who has tired it loves it!

In the middle of the shopping centre they have something that I haven't seen before. CORN HOLE!!! YES, how cool is that? Paul would be in all his glory....what a great idea that is for husbands, kids or couples who need to take a break while shopping.

Well in a nutshell my friends, that was our little get-away~

I want to thank Colleen for inviting me, I really needed some time away. It was perfect, close enough to drive but far enough away it still felt like a mini-vay-cay.

I have to say we both felt this place would make a great girls weekend away, its something we'll have to look at for the future. I know my girlfriends would enjoy!

Good night and god bless my lovelies~

My walk is like a Fairytale~

It was about 4 weeks ago, before Kailey left for school. I asked Kailey to walk the pup's with me. She obliged, and off we went on our usual route. In the fall during our walk things change, with the acorns falling onto the sidewalk and the little "Cherrybombs" I call them also fall from the trees. Miss Ella finds herself in a whole new world. So as we are walking, I explained to Kailey that we have a routine during our walks and it goes like this....

Our first stop is a tree that houses these cherry like seeds. In the fall they drop from the tree and Miss Ella loves to grab one, drop it in front of you so that you can kick it and then chase the thing down the road just to do it all over again~
Can you see the little red cherry seed there, she waits and waits until I kick it....

Then we chase it.

After about 6 kicks and 6 chases, I conveniently kick it onto the street where she can't go get it. Then I tell her how sorry I am...what a silly mommy...its all gone Ella Bean....

and then she is sad~

 

But then we come upon the acorn tree, its a couple blocks from the "Cherry Bombs". The same rules apply here. She picks an acorn that she likes, drops it infront of my feet and I must kick it so that we can chase it...and do it all over again. We go a little longer with the acorn she gets about 10 kicks, and 10 chases. 

 See the little acorn there, she wags her tail in excitement, looks up at me with those cute little puppy dog eyes and there it is...mommy has to play. So the same thing happens there, I "accidently" kick that little acorn into the street where Ella Bean cannot go and get it. Poor Baby Ella....such a mean mommy~

 

Above she is chasing her acorn....

Well my friends its not over yet. Once we get past the acorn trail, we go down our "Apple Alley". Its an alley way I typically call Vampire Alley cause at night time its so scary and it reminds me of a scene from Twilight.

Ella starts pulling on the leash about a good block away from Apple Alley because this one is her favorite of all. She picks an apple that's on the ground, drops it at our feet and we kick it. She chases it all the way down the road. When Paul walks with me he does this duty and I can trail behind with the two slow pokes.

Here we go, running to chase the apple down the Alley way..

Once we start too get to close to the sewer, Ella realizes she is going to lose her apple. This is where she takes her apple and tries to get away on someone's lawn.

You can see her below, she knows we are close so she lies down in the grass with her apple.

 

Lol...here she is, refusing to come to mommy. She has that darn apple in her mouth, and will not budge. No way will she give it up...

So you can see the sewer in the top left hand corner there, and Ella is hiding with her apple behind the green box there on someone's lawn. We are getting so close to it, she hates to let it go...

Poor baby Ella must part with her apple. Once we get to the sewer, we push it down and you can hear it splash when it hits the water. It doesn't take her long to recover and we continue on our walk. By this point we are almost home.

 

As you can see, I could probably write a children's book about our walks with the dogs. Its quite the adventure. Every evening/day its the same thing....the walks change every season. But each one we find new fun things that keep our walks exciting. This little girl has added so much fun to our lives. Tonight Braden came with me to walk them, it was funny. He got to witness first hand how crazy Ella is.

Well my lovelies, I am off..so until tomorrow good night and god bless~

100 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter~ #87 Don't Gossip, except withme. I love that shit.

#87 Don't gossip. Except with me, I love that sh*t~

Well we all know everyone gossips. Thank god you are truly not one to cause drama or even gossip for that matter. Trying to get any information out of you is like pulling teeth. In all honesty, I appreciate that and I find it refreshing.
However as you grow, and you become a young woman in this knifing, jealous, backstabbing, judgmental ridiculously competitive world always remember as the saying goes "Don't shit where you eat."
I don't have to worry about you, you have always been a good friend. People can trust you and I admire that. BUT when you have some gossip that you really really want too share with someone...pick me!! lol...I love it!
Always be true to yourself, never discuss something that you know for sure is not true. Be cautious of who you share your information with, sadly in todays world not many can be trusted.
If you find yourself with information that someone has confided in you, but it is tearing you up inside and you yourself need to talk about. Find someone who can be trusted, and maybe someone not close to the other person. Do not be judgemental when talking about your "gossip", and always remember if you don't walk a mile in their shoes you have no business making assumptions on their choices.
Choose one person who you can tell anything....someone who won't think unkindly of you for needing to declutter your thoughts even when its about someone else.
Never be malicious, vindictive or angry at someone. Simply listen. Lend an ear, but if at anytime you find yourself overwhelmed by someone else's drama or gossip...pull away. Don't let anyone disrupt or taint your own life, if their gossip is causing you harm let them go. Friends don't do that too friends~
I love you my Freckled Fox, I love the young woman you are and I am more excited to know the beautiful woman you will grow into~

To my lovelies, good night and god bless xo

Red lobster biscuits and fall things..

Good evening my friends, this past Sunday I made some delicious seafood pasta and we tried these Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits. My neighbour had been at Costco and texted me to see if we'd like a box of them to try. I was all about it, and said "Yes Please". I couldn't wait to try them, and to be completely honest with you...they are AMAZING! They truly do taste just like the ones you get at the restaurant. SO GOOD! I will definitely be buying these again, and they are so easy to make. You only need to add 1/2 cup of old cheddar cheese and 2/3 cup (I think?) of cold water. Stir it up until moistened and then bake. Once baked you melt butter and add the seasonings, mix and then generously lather each biscuit with the buttery goodness. Thank you neighbour for introducing us to this wonderful delicatessen. :)

 

Here they are finished and ready to be eaten....didn't take long for these to be passed around the table and devoured within minutes.

When I first bought my fall candles from Bath & Body Works the weather had changed and it became incredibly hot out. I was so disappointed...look at the names on these candles. Sweater Weather and Autumn, I couldn't wait to burn these but it didn't feel right doing that when the temperature outside was over 30 degree's. This week has been a different story, its been wonderful having these scents tour through my home.

Its beginning to look a little howl'ish here at the Martz home. Last Halloween party Paul and I were trying to find a way to light up our home without turning on any lights. SO we added some orange string lights to shelves around the house. It looks really cool late at night while watching a movie with the lights out. I love Halloween its by far my favorite time of year!!

Just an added bit of sparkle to my shelf, can you tell they are those are ghost lights? I'm getting so excited to decorate for Halloween...eeeeek.

Well my lovelies, this is it. My Monday Menu is basically the Red Lobster Biscuits. I will come up with something better for next week with a bit more work on my behalf.

I'm wishing you all a wonderful day, so until tomorrow good night and god bless xo

New York City, The Home Alone Tour~ #Throwback Thursday

This was Christmas 2004, we decided to pack up and take the kids to New York City. This trip was honestly one of my all time favorite ones. We loaded up the van, and drove 9 hours to NYC, at Christmas time. We called it the Home Alone Tour, cause our kids loved that movie. They were dying to see the ever famous Radio City Christmas tree that's featured in the Home Alone movie.

It was so cold, but we had a plan of action and we went forward. At that time Braden was still small enough we could transfer him easily, and he used a manual wheelchair at that time. When you have a manual chair there is usually less problems with accessibility. Its lighter and easier to lift up stairs, buses or even taxis. I miss those days...how convenient it was to use one.

 

These pictures are not the best, I apologize for that. I had to take pictures of my photo album that I had scrapbooked.

We visited the Empire state building. It was such a great experience. When we entered the building we were ushered to a private area where they checked our bags out. It was post 9/11 and security was rightfully still up front and centre. We then had our very own attendant who stayed with us on the elevator, all the way up to the outdoor viewing level. The assistance was amazing, they took very good care of us. I think its just protocol with wheelchairs, it easier for them to help out anyone who needs assistance.

We of course went to Macy's and did some shopping. If you have never been to NYC at Christmas time then my friends you are missing out. I would recommend everyone takes some time at Christmas to check out the Macy's department store windows.

Below we took pictures with some singing elves. Apparently we didn't wait to sit on Santa's knee, we probably gave them the choice and they chose not to wait.

My picture taking skills back then were certainly not the best....but you can see below is Macy's.

Here we are on a tour bus that we did inorder to check out much of the city. Its a double decker bus, and the top level is open. Its such a nice place to sit and see the city and all the beautiful parts of it. It was cold, I remember that. Paul carried Braden up top there so he could experience it too.

Here is me and Kailey, enjoying each district. I think the reason this was one of our favorite vacations was because we had no agenda. We have been fortunate enough to travel frequently with our kids. Some holidays more challenging than others, but this one I think was the first one where the kids seemed older. We didn't need to worry about bedtimes, temper tantrums or medical treatments. It was a stable time, life was good. We could relax with the kids, room service was lovely and they could entertain themselves in the room when we were just needing some chill time. We could all watch the same movie, no more PG rated  or cartoon movies. High action films made everyone happy. Our kids always got along for the most part and enjoyed eachothers company. There wasn't too many disagreements back then, we had our stressor's as everyone does. But for the most part this trip was what everyone had wanted. We made it special, really focusing on the Home Alone movie and sight seeing.

Well my lovelies, this is my Throwback Thursday. Hope you enjoyed and I hope you are all doing well. So, until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Wednesdays Ramblings~

YWell my friends, I don't have a whole lot too share today. Braden and I had a very busy afternoon, we had some frustrating moments but managed to be very productive. One bad situation turned into 2 good ones.
I pulled my fall/Autumn decorations out this evening. Hoping to get some stuff out tomorrow and make this house more fall'ish.

I started this new book, its a Heathers Choice. Its Called "This is Happy" and its by Camilla Gibb.

Its a memoir about a woman's long desire for family. She struggles in childhood as her parents divorce, her father has mental health issues, her brother becomes an addict and her mother seems to be emotionally vacant. Her family is broken, but eventually they are reunited with the birth of a child. I am at that point right now, so I'm just beginning to understand the significance of the birth of her daughter. I am really enjoying this book, as I am trying to write a memoir as well its a great way to see how she has pulled it together.  There are so many single lines throughout this book where i can relate, and that is why I think I'm enjoying this book so much. I didn't want this post to become a book report. The line below, resonated deeply within me.

 

I can not begin to tell you how many times in my life, I have said these exact words. I have pulled myself up from the depths of my very own dreaded thoughts. Moments in my life where I truly believed I could not handle what was happening. Instants that twinkled in my life, with so much worry and fear it paralyzed me. A time when my only choice was to Stand up, Stand the fuck up.

Have you ever had a time in life when you were placed in a situation similar to this?

I have had a few. One that was probably the most significant was when I was 22 years old, and it was Day 3 after my accident. Braden was still on life support, he was still not breathing independently and they still had him in an induced coma. We had previously been given some "good" news around Braden's injury. The doctors at the Cambridge Hospital had said he did not break his neck in the trauma. They had said it looked like he may have some permanent damage in his left arm due to the car seat strap. Paul and I had for a few days mourned the loss of the function in his left arm. Crying over the fact that he would never be able to play baseball, or even possibly hockey. Those important dreams we have for our children the day they are born. I remember being completely devastated over that diagnosis...little did I know what was about to be discovered.

A few days after that initial assessment, we had a meeting with most of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at MacMaster University Medical Centre. Paul and I were very young, new parents and so very intimidated by all these professional intensivists. Four ICU trauma doctors as well as other ICU staff attended the meeting as well as the necessary resources for Paul and I incase we needed some form of security or comfort after we were delivered the first blow~

I really wish I would have documented these moments, I didn't even think of it. Having to write down the events of my day to share with anyone was certainly not on my agenda. Back then we were completely present, our minds, souls and body never left that point in time. Never once did we think of updating our facebook statuses, instagraming an up to date photo of our hospital room or Braden's current health state. There were no Twitter posts to think of, no hashtags, no snapchat story of Braden's recovery. It was all about Braden, in that instant we were more concerned about him. I say this frequently, and I am not judging anyone's choice to share their life on line. I just couldn't imagine having those options during a time that my whole attention needed to be put on our situation.

We were living in a time, when updating, journaling or documenting wasn't a thought.

So when I say I wish I would have documented more, I mean I wish I had of logged information more frequently. I have some notes, but everything I try to remember is strictly from my memories.

There we were sitting around an oblong table. Florescent lighting, the room was behind the nursing station. I felt so important having the opportunity to walk behind those desks. It was the making of a new home, no boundaries, new family. They had opened their home to us, we were now part of them. Paul and I sat beside one another, quietly waiting for them to speak. Dr. Malcomson was the one who headed the information, everyone sat so still. He informed us that Braden had a complete transection of the Spinal Cord. He had said it was the worst possible outcome of any injury. He would never walk again, breath again on his own and they were not sure what damage may have been done to his brain.

Shock, disbelief.....Pain~

I looked around the table waiting for someone to add something to this devastating blow. To my surprise the only thing I saw was a room full of sobbing doctors. Tears.

It has been 20 years since that day, and looking at those doctors today I see how much they have aged. They too were so young and I often wonder what else has crossed their paths over these daunting years.

I remember crying, not understanding them. I felt they were telling me his life was over....I even asked them "Do you think we will have to take him off life support?". He still hadn't woke up from the accident, but remember they had him in an induced coma.

I couldn't believe my baby might die, I had an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. It was the worst moment in my life.

One doctor spoke up and said "Let's wait and see how he responds too you when we wake him up, that will tell us were to go from here".

Each one of them left the room that day, one at a time. Being a nurse today, and having lived through this experience. I know, for sure that night each one of them went home a changed person. I wonder at times what each one of them did when they went home. How did they cope? What did they do at the end of that day to unwind? Did they talk to their families about us, or did they hold it in?

They gave us our privacy, they told us to take our time. We had one other person with us, and I distinctively remember I wanted them to leave. I wanted some time with Paul, and I knew the minute I left that room....my whole world would never be the same. From here on in...I had no control and I was scared as hell.

This was my first moment...it was right here, in that second before I stood up from that chair. My mind raced, my heart beat, breathing slowed, exhausted from the pain.

But I said to myself....

"Stand Up, I willed myself. Stand. The Fuck. Up"

 

Old Window Frames in Dorm Rooms

One of the most exciting parts of a child living in a dorm is obviously getting the opportunity to decorate it! We wanted to come up with a creative way to decorate with pictures. I had this old window frame in our garage, and searched around to find a way to incorporate the frame and the pictures.

Paul went out and bought some chicken coop wire, and Kailey and I had bought some cute little clothes pins from Michaels.

Above is Paul stapling the wire to the window.

You can see him hanging it the day we moved her in, and I  have to say it looked really cool. Just above is a somewhat finished product. She added her pictures but wants to add some decorative lighting. It looks great, we were pretty proud of ourselves!!
Well my friends, I am trying to get a dorm room post ready. I have pictures, but she isn't completely finished her side of the room. I think I am going to have to go ahead and do it anyway....god knows when she'll get her lights up.
I hope everyone is doing well, so until tomorrow good night and god bless~

Mondays Menu...Homemade chicken noodles soup for the roomies~

Kailey came home this Saturday, she just needed a breather I think. It was Frosh week at Guelph University and I know she had a really good time. Coming home was what she needed. Mom had the chance to spoil her, dad shared in the Saturday night shenanigans, dad fixed a few broken items. She had some time with her brother, and snuggled her puppies. It was so nice to have her back, even for a couple nights. Although she was only gone a week before she came back, I still wanted too see her. Not sure when she's coming back again, I think she's up for some fun this coming weekend.

Unfortunately she came home this weekend not feeling well, both her and her room mate are sick. On Sunday I made a chicken dinner, and with the left over meat I made some homemade chicken noodle soup.

I sent some back to school for her as well as her roommate. I hope it helps them both feel better. There's nothing like warm soup when you're not feeling well. I also made some double chocolate chip cookies. I know they will appreciate that, especially with late night school work.
Well my lovelies, its late and I am tired. Off to bed, hoping all is well with you. Until tomorrow my friends, good night and god bless~