I had never been to New Orleans before this past weekend.  I’ve been across this country from New York to California, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota and so many more states, so I have experienced a lot of this country.

I have one main observation about New Orleans.

The people there are the nicest ANYWHERE.

For our Bloggers on Bourbon event, Trisha and Leah put together a great itinerary of things for us to do, not only to help us all get to know each other and to have a good time, but also to experience the culture that is New Orleans.  But they didn’t do it alone.  They had a number of wonderful sponsors who made this trip possible, and all for a $50 registration fee.

One of the things we got to do was a Haunted History Ghost Tour sponsored by Lingerie.com (you can follow them on Twitter @lingerieDOTcom).

This was SO MUCH FUN.  Our tour guide was amazing.  She was a wealth of knowledge about the history of the area and presented the stories in a way that really made it spooky yet interesting.

Leah and Trisha looked gorgeous in their corsets and the ghost tour was one of the highlights of the trip for me.  We walked around the New Orleans French Quarter with our guide who was so interesting to listen to, plus we got to spend time with each other chatting and getting to know one another.

(photos courtesy of MomDot, Bookieboo and me)

For a list of all the posts related to the Bloggers on Bourbon event from all of those who attended, check out this post on MomDot: Bloggers on Bourbon Linky.

In 2 years.

Today I turned 38 29.

I’d like to believe that like wine, we get better with age.

When I was in New Orleans at Bloggers on Bourbon, I had a palm reading done in Jackson Square.  In front of the Cathedral.  Yeah.  Kind of odd but I went for it anyway.

I honestly could have listened to this guy talk about me all day.  He hit some of it right on, other stuff was just sort of a shot in the dark, but it was fun.  He told me that I’m very intuitive and that I am going to be wealthy.  Very wealthy.  I really, really liked that guy.

So, as I get another year closer to 40, I’m just gonna sit here quietly and wait for the money to roll in…that’s how it works right?

Seriously though, I don’t feel 2 years away from 40.  I remember teasing my friend Lori to NO END when she turned 30, now I’m almost 40.  At least she’ll always be older than me.

And when anyone asks, regardless of what the toothless old guy said, I’ll forever be 29. I think my “iceman” shades from Sunglass Warehouse help me pull it off too!

Another one of those not-so-wordless…

My trip to New Orleans for the Bloggers on Bourbon event was from Thursday to Sunday.  I arrived Thursday evening and returned home on Sunday evening.  On Friday, the official first day of the event, we had dinner at Besh Steakhouse inside the Harrah’s Casino.  This dinner was provided for us by Harrah’s New Orleans and I have to admit it was MY FAVORITE meal the entire time I was there.  My steak entree was simply heavenly and the macaroni and cheese was like nothing I’ve ever tasted before.  But the meat pies they had for the appetizer were SUPERB.  I dream about them now.  They also had the best White Zinfandel; I had three glasses of it.  Plus, the service was fantastic as was the restaurant itself.

You can follow Harrah’s on Twitter: @HarrahsNOLA or Facebook: HarrahsNewOrleans.  I definitely recommend you check out Besh and Harrah’s when you are in New Orleans.

Thank you Harrah’s for treating us so well, providing such great food, and even giving us $10 to try our luck at the slots!

For a list of all the posts related to the Bloggers on Bourbon event from all of those who attended, check out this post on MomDot: Bloggers on Bourbon Linky.

I spent some time yesterday uploading my photos from Bloggers On Bourbon, putting up my first post about the event and looking at other people’s photos.  At one point I ended up looking at the Flickr Photostream from last year at this time at Blogher.  I knew I had lost a lot of weight since then, but I didn’t realize the physical difference.

I mean, I knew I had dropped 3-4 clothing sizes so far.  I knew I had lost weight.  But I hadn’t looked at my “before” picture in a long time.

I’ve still got a little ways to go, but this has totally inspired me to get to my goal.

….gets blogged about.

I’m still recovering from my weekend (I arrived Thursday, came home Sunday evening) at the Bloggers on Bourbon event in New Orleans, but I wanted to give you all a sneak peak.  Trisha took this picture of me on our way to Dickie Brennans.   The serious look on my face is because I was hoping to make it to the restaurant without getting blisters or falling down. I live in flip-flops and even low heels made me all wobbly, and the uneven streets didn’t help.

Oh and by-the-way, Blondie helped me pick out my shades.

More to come….lots more.

(thank you OpenSky and Collective Bias for the dinner at Dickie Brennans – Ted Rubin and John Andrews are AWESOME)

(also, check out more posts from all the Bloggers on Bourbon attendees over on MomDot)

It’s summer and I love ice cream, almost as much as pizza.  I haven’t met an ice cream I didn’t like.  But it definitely isn’t generally diet friendly.  High in fat and calories, it can sabotage even the most careful dieters plans to lose weight.  But Breyers has a solution for those of us who love ice cream but not the calories.  Breyers NEW Smooth & Dreamy Ice Cream Bars & Sandwiches are delicious, decadent and only 160 calories or less per bar.

I say “woo-hoo”.

Check out this list of flavors:

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches
• Chocolate Caramel Brownie Sandwiches
• Vanilla Fudge Brownie Sandwiches
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Bars
• Vanilla Caramel Chip Bars
• Triple Chocolate Chip Bars

Bars and Sandwiches that are so delicious and indulgent, you’ll be amazed that they have less fat and calories than regular ice cream bars and sandwiches. That’s right, flash that big happy smile because we’re bringing back the joy!

We tried the Chocolate Chip cookie Dough Sandwiches.  They came out to only 3 Weight Watchers points each and both my son and I agreed they tasted like cookie dough.  Yum!  They really seemed like an indulgent treat that I didn’t have to feel guilty about.

ENTER TO WIN A BOX OF NEW BREYERS SMOOTH & DREAMY ICE CREAM BARS OR SANDWICHES

First prize: one winner will receive three full value coupons they can redeem for a free box of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy 6 ct. carton (max. value $6 ea, expire 11/29/2010)

Second prize: one winner will receive two full value coupons they can redeem for a free box of Breyers Smooth & Dreamy 6 ct. carton (max. value $6 ea, expire 11/29/2010)

How to enter:

• Leave a comment here telling me one of your favorite ice cream flavors or types.  You can leave as many comments (UNLIMITED) as you would like, so long as you give a different answer each time.
• In addition to that, you may Tweet about this giveaway (include the link in your Tweet) and UNLIMITED number of times.

Leave a separate comment for EACH extra entry including links to Tweets as appropriate.

Giveaway ends on August 2, 2010 at noon CST and is open to the USA.

Winner will be selected from all eligible entries using Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email but must respond within 48 hours.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Breyers and received products necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

My daughter has used a night light attached to her crib since I can remember.  It projects an image onto the ceiling, has faint music and helps lull her to sleep.  She often turns it on in the middle of the night and manages to put herself back to sleep before it shuts itself off.  It has been a great tool for us for bedtime for her.  But, like all things, it’s time is coming to an end.  First of all, it takes 4 ‘D’ batteries at least every other week.  Second, the straps that attach it to the crib have broken and will not hold up much longer.  Third, she will probably be ready for a regular bed soon and we will be forced to lose the machine anyway.

So, when I was offered an opportunity to review the new ChuChi Night Light from Banana Design Labs I was intrigued by the possibility that it might be able to replace Abby’s crib machine.

Scary monsters have just left the building.

ChuChi are nocturnal creatures from far northern Siberia They sleep during the day and are awake at night, so they can catch and eat monsters.

They have a special light in their heads. You can travel with one of them thought a dark hallway, or just light-up your room. They also have a warm glowing heartbeat light, that beats in an organic and changing pattern. You can’t resist getting sleepy with this relaxing ambient heartbeat.

Squeeze ChuChi’s hand to turn it On and Off. Squeeze it again to switch between the “night-light” and soothing “ambient hearbeat.” ChuChi are Nocturnal, so you can only see their glow at night or in a dark room.

The ChuChi is a plushie night-light designed to be the “perfect companion for anyone a little scared of the dark or lonely when their parents aren’t around.”  ChuChi’s have a built-in night-light but also have an ambient red glowing heartbeat lantern in their chest too.

Along with her crib machine, Abby also has a bunny (named Bunny) that she sleeps with.  It’s an ordinary bunny, but she adores it.  Because of this, I knew we had to be careful about the way we introduced ChuChi to her.  I actually did it during the day so she had time to get attached to it and play with it for awhile before bed.  The first time she saw it, she was intrigued.  Pressing the hand and watching the lights, over and over and over again.  Then she went on to touch the hair and said “ChuChi has hair” and then proceeded to hug it.

That night for bed, of course she wanted her ChuChi there with her.  Then she didn’t.  Then she did.  Then she didn’t.  Then she did.  Tonight ChuChi joined her in bed without any reconsideration and I left the room while she continued to stare at ChuChi’s glowing body and talk to him.  Don’t get me wrong, ChuChi has not yet earned the rank that Bunny has in her life, but in 2 days she has accepted him, and hopefully, eventually we can remove the crib machine and ChuChi will serve as an immediate replacement.

ChuChi is very very soft, and is fairly plain in appearance.  It is rather flat which I thought was odd at first but I realized that it is flat for a reason – so that the lights shine through on BOTH sides.  So no matter which way the child is holding ChuChi, they still get the benefit of the night-light.  And ChuChi turns off after 3 minutes to save battery life!  I can’t tell what size batteries ChuChi takes (there appears to be a velcro slot on the back of it where you access them and I haven’t opened it yet) but based upon the size and weight they certainly are much smaller than “D” size.

I would like to see the package marked with what kind of battery it takes, so I don’t have to open the thing up to find out.  I want to buy some before I need them.  The only other thing we would change is that my daughter has a requested a “pink” one.  She still wants the natural colored one but has asked for “another ChuChi that is pink.”  Maybe she’d settle for one with pink hair!

You can purchase a ChuChi online at Amazon.com or find a local store that carries them.

We live in a semi-rural area and I like it that way.  Yes, you see some ODD things that in many ways would be considered backwards, tacky or just plain hillbilly.   But I’ll take a hillbilly over a gang-banger any day of the week.

Since our little town is surrounded by farms, we have some local farmers that have stands where they sell fruits and vegetables, and we have one that we love particularly because of their corn on the cob.

So.

Usually my husband goes there, but yesterday I went because he was making dinner and the corn we had gotten from the grocery store was rotten.  I took my daughter with me and we braved the heat to go buy corn.

Sitting under the shade of the make-shift shelter, I spotted an old dude sitting in a chair next to a playpen with a baby in it, and two other people puttering around.  As we made our way to the corn, “old dude” started talking to Abby and she went over to look at the baby.  He asked her what her name was and then started to tell us a story about his “best girlfriend” who was 8 years named Abigail who left him and moved to Florida.

There were some serious Forrest Gump moments for a few seconds as he talked.

Then I noticed it.

One tooth.

This guy appeared to have no teeth except for ONE on the bottom.

So I’m sure that even though I tried as hard as I could NOT to stare, I was staring right at it while he talked.

I managed to start working my way out of the place (I had managed to pay while he was talking), and then he said something that  explained why he had no teeth.  Because some woman had clearly knocked them all out.

He said “she’s so cute, you are lucky, is she your grand-daughter?”

Huh, hey what?

GRAND-DAUGHTER?

Seriously?

That dude is lucky I didn’t knock out that last tooth.

Up until a couple of weeks ago I had three vacuums.  Three.  And they all work.  And they were all expensive, one costing over $1,000.  So when I was approached by Eureka to review a Walmart exclusive $90 vacuum, my initial reaction was “do I really NEED another vacuum  especially when I have the best of the best?”  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that need wasn’t necessarily as important as my curiosity about how a $90 vacuum stacks up against the rest.  And not only for my own personal curiosity, but for those of you who can’t afford a vacuum that costs $500 or more.

The Eureka Clean Living Vacuum is an upright vacuum designed to reduce allergens.

Item Description

The Eureka Clean Living Bagless Upright (3281AZ) is ideal for reducing allergens in the home. Experience a cleaner way to live with On-Guard Antimicrobial, Whirlwind Cyclonic Technology and HEPA Filtration.

• On-Guard Antimicrobial Bristles – Protects brushroll bristles from odors caused by bacteria.
• Whirlwind Cyclonic Technology – Maintains suction power longer with Whirlwind Cyclonic Technology.
• HEPA Filtration – Captures 99.97% of dust and allergens for a cleaner home.
• Telescopic Comfort-Grip ‘OH’ Handle – Reduces strain and offers a comfortable clean with adjustable height for each user.
• Stair & Upholstery Brush – Removes dust, dirt and pet dander from upholstery backs and stair risers.
• Washable Hypoallergenic Dust Cup Filter – Save money and lessen waste by reusing the allergen-reducing filter.
• Flip-Bottom Dust Cup – Remove dust and dirt easily in one no-hassle quick flip.
• 15″ Wide Cleaning Path – Clean floors faster with an extra-wide cleaning path.
• On-Board Tools – Clean hard-to-reach areas with dusting brush and upholstery nozzle.
• 12 Amps of Power.

My initial impression of this vacuum is extremely positive.  It’s not perfect, but it does the most important thing very well – it cleans the carpet with very powerful suction.  I was blown away by the amount of dirt and hair this vacuum picked up and how it made it look like brand new with fancy model home streaks.  It is heavy to move around, but on the positive side, when you turn it on, it actually feels somewhat self-propelled making it very easy to vacuum.

What I liked about the Eureka Clean Living Vacuum:

• The powerful suction and excellent cleaning ability was at least equal to the expensive vacuums I currently own.
• I prefer a bagless vacuum, and the canister on the Eureka Clean Living is extremely easy to remove, empty and replace quickly back onto the vacuum.   It also seems larger and appears to hold more than my other bagless vacuum.   Also, I did not experience any dust flying into the air when I emptied the canister, which is a big plus, especially for a vacuum designed to reduce allergens.
• The cord is 30 feet long, allowing me to reach my entire main floor from a single outlet.
• The vacuum head height is adjustable for different carpet thicknesses and has a setting for hard floors.  I love that I can set the height higher in order to vacuum my area rugs without risking them being sucked up into the vacuum.
• All the attachments fit ON the vacuum.  A couple of my expensive vacuums have loose attachments that don’t fit on the vacuum so I have to find a place to keep them – inevitably losing them.

What I didn’t like or what needs improvement about the Eureka Clean Living Vacuum:

• The cord keeper doesn’t seem to be big enough to accommodate the cord unless you wrap it really, really tight.
• When you are rolling the vacuum (say to put it away) and tilt it back on the wheels, you can only give it a slight tilt for the wheels to roll smoothly.  If you tilt it back too far it doesn’t seem to want to roll.

Overall, this seems like a solid machine for the money, and I’d highly recommend it as a reasonable alternative to higher priced vacuums.  The real test will be in a few months or a year if it still has the same powerful suction and cleaning power as it does today, but my initial impressions are very positive.  And to that the HEPA filtration, and the extra features like the adjustable handle, and I really do like this vacuum.

You can purchase this vacuum online at Walmart.com for $89.96 or check your local store for availability.