Well… I’m back. Did you  miss me?

Wait…. did you even notice that I was gone? Never mind… don’t answer that one.

Last week I spent a wonderful two days with my daughter on Mackinac Island for her 4th grade class trip. For me (and probably her) it was a trip of a lifetime because as many times as I’ve been to the island I’ve never had the opportunity to actually stay on the island and it has been something that I’ve always wanted to do.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit the great state of Michigan I highly recommend taking the time to visit Mackinac Island. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit and full of history.

The Grand Hotel

The Grand Hotel is the biggest, most beautiful (and most expensive place on the island) hotel with a strict dress code! The swimming pool at the stately Grand Hotel was built expressly for the 1946 Esther Williams film This Time for Keeps who happened to be an Olympic swimmer. Also, the Grand Hotel was the setting for the 1979 love story movie Somewhere in Time starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves.

I have yet to even step foot on the front porch of that place, but it is a dream that I will one day be able to stay there. For now though I can look from afar, snap pictures, and dream of what it is like on the inside.

Our trip included so many things to do and see! The first night there we biked the entire perimeter of the island on bikes that we rented… 8.2 miles total! I’ll be honest… it didn’t seem like it was that far because the road was flat pretty much the entire time. Of course we had to stop a few times when we found something that caught our interest… kind of like the small cave that Lauren is standing in.

We spent some time in one of two butterfly houses on the island. There are hundreds of butterflies there from around the world and the perfect opportunity to pause and take some pictures up close of the butterflies… that is when they held still long enough. I wasn’t able to get a picture of the large blue ones that were flying around us though… it was almost as big as the palm of my hand and a beautiful bright blue with black markings on it.

Arch Rock

One of my favorite locations on the island is Arch Rock. It’s a huge arch carved into the rock surrounding the edge of the hill. On a clear sunny day the water is crystal clear close to the shore and a shimmering blue the further out you look and if you’re lucky you can see fish swimming in the water.

This was one of the places that I really wanted to visit again while we were there and share it with my daughter. I knew that it would be one of the highlights of the trip and I was right.. she thought that it was really cool! Score one for mom!

So here are a few fun facts about Mackinac Island.

• Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw) owes its name to the Anishinaabe-Ojibwe Native American tribes, who called it Michilimackinac, or “Land of the Great Turtle.”
• The island located between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, 7 miles east of the Mackinac Bridge, in Lake Huron. It is home to 500-600 year-round residents. Yes, they stay there even in the winter when the lakes have frozen over.
• Mackinac Island prohibits all motorized vehicles (except for emergency and government vehicles) and is home to M-185, the nation’s only state highway that prohibits motorized vehicles. I’ve only ever seen one vehicle on the island and that was the ambulance and it was parking near the medical center.
• The island has over 68 different kinds of lilacs on it and one lilac tree that has been estimated to be 200 – 300 years old by experts.

I’m pretty sure that the class trip was one that the kids won’t forget for many years to come! I know that I won’t.

Have you taken a memorable trip with one of your kids as part of a class trip?

This week we are excited to bring you another great Michigan based business for our My Michigan Memory series! And she is offering an incredible prize for you all to try and win!

Studio Jewel is our featured business and you can win $75 to spend on anything that you like in her Etsy store!

All you have to do is link up your blog in the linky tool below and then enter your info into the Rafflecopter form. You’ll get 10 points just for linking a blog post you’ve written about Michigan. If you are not a blogger, you can still enter to win, just follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form.

Lisa Lehmann is the incredible woman behind Studio Jewel and in addition to being an artist she is also a mom who splits her days between creating beautiful jewelry for men and women and homeschooling her children in the Grand Rapids area.

Perfect for an anniversary

All of Lisa’s jewelry is 100% hand made and they’re all one of a kind jewelry featuring gems, recycled silver, wire, gold, and leather. They’re nothing short of beautiful…. modern…. and unique. You will definitely find something that you want when your browse her shop.

This is one of my favorites!

You can also contact Lisa to create something that is truly unique… something that is totally customized by you.

You can find Lisa all over the internet too! She has a great blog that is full of information on jewelry, life, and so much more!

Of course she’s on Twitter and Facebook too and then the best part is her Etsy shop.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Recently, I read Where She Went by Gayle Forman and I have to say that I read it all in one day. I can’t remember the last time I did that! But once in a while there is a story that grabs you and pulls you in so fully that you simply cannot put the book down. You just read and read until you finally find yourself at the end of the book… and well past your bedtime. Where She Went is one of those books.

The story is the much anticipated sequel to If I Stay, Adam and Mia’s love story. But this time the story is told from Adam’s point of view. The story follows his journey in a series of flashbacks with Mia and without, his struggle with his band, and who they are. Most importantly the anger that Adam is dealing with over Mia’s quick dismissal of him while she was away at college.

It was by chance that the two of them met up again and finally had the conversations that they never had.

One of my favorite lines for book is this:

“You know. I thought about that a lot these last couple of years,” she said in a chocked voice. “About who was there for you. Who held your hand while you grieved for all that you’d lost?”

This is a story of love lost and found. One that will have you smiling one moment and in tears another. One that you simply won’t be able to put down once you start it.

If you would like to join the conversation over at BlogHer we’d love to have you!

You can follow the author, Gayle Forman on Twitter, on Facebook, or on her blog.

This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.

Today my oldest daughter drove her first car home.

Today I smiled as she got out of her car and fondly remembered myself at the same age.

Today I wondered where the time has gone.

Where did this baby go?

Where did those chubby cheeks and baby smiles go?

How did we get to 16?

I look at this little face and wonder where the time has gone. I know that it didn’t just fly by while I was sleeping because I have so many wonderful memories, so many pictures, and so much love to have missed any of it.

My hope for her is that she knows how much I love her.

My hope is that she knows how incredibly proud I am of her and all that she has accomplished.

My hope is that every dream she has comes true.

But for all my love & pride in her I have fear.

I’m afraid of her growing up and not needing me anymore.

I’m afraid of her going away to college.

I’m afraid that I won’t be able to help her when she fails at something.

Look at her….

Isn’t she beautiful?

I think she is…. but the again I’m biased.

In my heart I know that all will work out perfectly, but sometimes it’s hard to not wish for more time with that chubby cheeked baby.

It’s no secret that I like to eat but one of my favorite foods is cereal and I add granola into the cereal category. It’s such a portable snack… you can take the entire bag with you and and munch on it as you go, mix it in with some yogurt, or even put in a bowl with some milk.

Recently I was sent some granola from Nature’s Hand, the French Vanilla Almond and Cinnamon Apple and within minutes of getting the package in the mail they were open and my daughter and I were sampling them. Both of us had our favorites and thankfully they were different so we didn’t have to share anymore!

Nature's Hand Granola - Apple Cinnamon

What I really like about this granola is that is 100% natural and there are no artificial colors or flavors; no preservatives; no sodium; and no trans fats. It’s mande with roasted oats & wheat, nuts, seeds, and sweetened with honey and caramelized brown sugar. Of course all natural dried fruits!

Nature's Hand Granola - French Vanilla Almond

Really the only bad thing that I could find about this granola is that it’s not low calorie (about 120 calories for 1/4 cup). It’s really hard to just stick with  1/4 cup of that stuff but you can use in many recipes including cookies, pie crusts, and smoothies.

Would you like to try Nature’s Hand granola? If so, then you’re in luck because I am giving away two packages of your choice (Sorry… U.S. only).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. Thoughts are my own. All prizing for MSM giveaways is handled by a third party unless otherwise noted. For this reason prize fulfillment can take up to 90 days after the winners information is received.

I’m not here today.

I’m at Erin Margolin’s place sharing a bit about my writer’s roots in my guest post, all it takes is a spark!

Writing
noun

1. The activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text.
2. The activity or occupation of composing text for publication: “she made a decent living from writing”.

With that definition I am a writer. You are a writer. We are all writers to some extent, right? Of course some are better than others and then there are those who rise above all others and are simply amazing.

Want to read more? Head over here!

Comments are off today and I’d love it if you’d leave some love at Erin’s place.

I love food. A lot.

Especially comfort food & sweets. But it’s those things that caused me to gain so much extra weight and not lose it so easily. That is the past though! If you didn’t know I joined up with over 30 other amazing women in a weight loss competition organized by Wendy from Wendy Will Blog.

I have a goal weight, but really it’s more about how my clothing looks and feels and of course the size. I don’t want to be shopping on the edge of the plus size department because while some of the clothes are cute there simply are not as many options as there are in other departments.

That’s why…

I am proud to say that since last week I have lost 3 lbs! It’s such an amazing feeling to step on that scale and actually see progress. It makes it all worth it and encourages me to keep on trying and working towards my goal. The first few weeks I simply started by watching what I was eating and tracking calories and this week starting on Sunday I added in exercise each day. Bike riding on Sunday, 30 Day Shred on Monday, and an almost 2 mile walk with my son in the stroller on Tuesday! I’m sore but I feel great!

Because I’ve been cutting out breads, flours, and sugar I’ve had this a major craving for bread so I gave in… I made some banana bread. Whole wheat banana bread!

I was skeptical at first because I didn’t think that it would be very good… to dry or dense considering that it was made with whole wheat flour. I was surprised because it turned out better than any other bread that I’ve ever made! It was delicious, moist, and amazing beyond words.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 splenda – or sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup eggbeaters – or 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup hot water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F .
2. In a large bowl, beat oil and honey together. Add eggs, and mix well. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour and salt. Add baking soda to hot water, stir to mix, and then add to batter. Blend in chopped nuts. Spread batter into a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing.

The best part about this bread other than the flavor is the calories in it! One piece is only 105 calories!

How to curb your sweet tooth or carb cravings while dieting?

As always I’m linking up with Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies for Wordful Wednesday!

We’re excited to announce our first giveaway for our My Michigan Memory series: A 4-pack of tickets to either the Henry Ford Museum or Greenfield Village (entrance to the Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition exhibit sold separately), which is up to a $96 value. How fun is that?!

All you have to do is link up your Michigan-related blog post in the linky tool below and then enter your info into the Rafflecopter form. You’ll get 10 points just for linking a blog post you’ve written about Michigan. If you’re not a blogger, you can still enter to win, just follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form.

The Henry Ford complex is a top tourist destination for Michigan

So what is the Henry Ford all about?

The Henry Ford (THF) complex, located in Dearborn, Mich., is one of our state’s most beloved tourist attractions – and for plenty of good reasons.

The complex is home to FIVE destinations in one, including: Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, the Benson Ford Research Center and the Henry Ford IMAX Theatre for the latest feature-length and documentary-style films.

Henry Ford Museum showcases the American ideas and innovations, which have fired our imaginations and changed our lives. Here, visitors explore the first 40 years of flight in the “Heroes of Sky” exhibit and walk past awe-inspiring vehicles in “Driving America” including Henry Ford’s first automobile, the Quadricycle. “With Liberty and Justice For All” showcases American freedom and features an amazing array of artifacts representing powerful change agents such as the bus on which Rosa Parks took a stand for Civil Rights, the camp bed George Washington used during his tour of Revolutionary War sites and the chair in which Abraham Lincoln was sitting the night he was shot.

The presidential limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated is just one of many attractions visitors can see at The Henry Ford Museum

Another of the complex’s summertime favorites is Greenfield Village. Visitors are welcome to experience more than 300 years of American history through 83 authentic, historic structures, four living history farms, and nationally-renowned artists creating one-of-a-kind 19th- and 20th-century pieces in pottery, tin and glass. Filled with amazing authentic structures such as the Wright brothers’ cycle shop, Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park Laboratories and George Washington Carver’s memorial cabin.

Greenfield Village is a favorite stop for many Michigan residents during summer

Check out the month-by-month calendar for the latest events. A sampling of upcoming events include the Ragtime Street Fair, Old Car Festival, the Salute to America concert with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and fireworks display, and historic baseball games, following rules from 1867.

Additionally, if you’d like to win tickets to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Henry Ford Museum, be sure to like THF’s Facebook page for weekly giveaways.

For more information, visit THF’s website or Twitter page too!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Normally on Friday I write a bit of fiction and link up with Write on Edge but for some reason I just didn’t feel like writing this week so I didn’t. I took the evening off and did nothing in particular.

But I didn’t want to leave this place all empty on Friday and decided to look back at the week and review it because it was a pretty eventful week!

On Tuesday the My Michigan Memory meme was started! I’m really excited about this and hope that everyone decides to join Lauren and I in this venture. The great part about this is that you don’t have to live in Michigan! Maybe you took a trip here once, drove through the state on your way elsewhere, or maybe you just want to plan a trip to check out some of the great places here. No matter what you can write a blog post and link up with us! Of course while you’re at it you can win some awesome prizes from Michigan businesses!

Wednesday I shared my giveaway for a beautiful necklace from Lauren Nicole Gifts! You have plenty of time to enter too! Denise makes hand stamped jewelry that is one of a kind and perfect for Mother’s Day (hint…hint), birthdays, or for no reason at all! I know that I love the necklace that I have from her collection of aluminum jewelry.

And Monday… well that is the most important day of the week for this week because it’s the day that I got serious about my weight. I joined up with Wendy from Wendy Will Blog for a weight loss competition!

For the longest time I didn’t think about my weight or what I ate because I was always thin and I never gained weight. After I had my first baby the weight came off but as the years passed I gained more weight and it became more and more difficult to keep the weight off. Now I’m at a point where I look in the mirror and barely recognize the person looking back at me. I often wonder how I ended up where I am and where all this extra weight came from. Oh yea… my bad eating habits.

This is where the brave part comes in… I am going to share with you my weight.

Scary... huh?

I took a picture for the weight loss competition using both my scale at home (top) and the one at work (bottom) just for comparison. I think that the one at home likes me better, but the one at work is probably more accurate because when I was at the doctors office a couple months ago their scale said 207. So that means since I’ve started watching what I eat(about 3 wks ago) I’ve lost four pounds and yesterday the scale at work said 201 and today it said 199. So that means that this week, since getting serious about it, I’ve lost 4 more pounds!

Here I am… at my current weight on Monday. And yes, I am in the bathroom at work because I didn’t have time to get a picture of myself while at home. You get the idea though, right?

I think that joining up with a group will be helpful because we’re all in it together and for the same end goals. Lose some weight and get in better shape!

Are you ready for Mother’s Day? Have you started dropping hints about what you want? Did you pick out that perfect gift for your mom yet? Well it doesn’t matter what your answer is really because you are going to want to take some time and look at the great pieces of jewelry that you can find at Lauren Nicole Gifts. They’re beautiful and best of all they’re handmade which makes each piece unique and special. And because of that no two pieces are ever alike…. and that will make them all the more special to your mom, sister, or even yourself.

Lauren Nicole Gifts recently added a new line of jewelry using aluminum and pewter. Both of them are beautiful, strong, lead free, less expensive than silver, and one of a kind. I have the hand stamped aluminum name swirl necklace with my all four of my kids names on it and I can’t believe how many people noticed it so quickly. Everyone commented on how different was, that they liked it, and of course wanted to know where I got it from!

I love this necklace! Even after wearing it several times with lotion and/or perfume on it hasn’t discolored or have a smudged to look to it that sometimes happens with my jewelry.

Now you have the opportunity to win your very own personalized aluminum name swirl necklace or the aluminum name heart swirl necklace for yourself or someone special!

I am going to make this so easy that you will want to enter!

Go to the Lauren Nicole Gifts, take a look around, and then come back here and tell me what your favorite item(s) are! Simple as that!

If you want a couple extra entries do any of the following and leave me a comment that you did.

Like Lauren Nicole Gifts on Facebook.

Follow Lauren Nicole Gifts on Twitter.

Subscribe to With Just a Bit of Magic via RSS or email (leave your email address).

The giveaway will end on May 11th at midnight at which time a winner will be selected using random.org. The winner will be notified and have 24 hours to respond.

I was provide with a necklace from Lauren Nicole Gifts to review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.