Sunday, April 23, 2017

FREE Itinerary for a Week in Europe for London, Paris, and Edinburgh (Including a PDF, Cost Breakdown,& links to purchase!)

I am a planner. BIG time. I have no shame in ironing out every minute detail of anything I'm going to do - especially something big and expensive! This Thursday, my boyfriend and I are taking a trip to Europe for about a week and immediately I began planning.

 

And kept planning...


One kind of silly thing I am doing from all this planning though is creating laminated cards of each day's itinerary with hand drawn pictures of the sights. I hope one day my future children will find them and want to take the same trip Mom did and they'll have the exact itinerary down to the tube stops to do it. So, I thought, maybe other people might want something a bit more personalized and free to do the same?! Sure, you can pay to have a travel agent or you can do it yourself. Or you can wing it which can turn out to be a real adventure! But if you're a planner like me, save yourself the time if you like where we're going! I should mention the main reason we planned this trip is all the Harry Potter activities Europe has to offer. And I'm a yuge fan...yuge. So, if Harry Potter isn't your thing, feel free to take it out, however I encourage anyone to visit AND it only takes up a small portion of our trip. We're still visiting all the London sights, Edinburgh sights, and everything in Paris!

Here is the PDF of our itinerary. 
Click on the image to access the printable and editable PDF!
Here is a breakdown of the costs of each item. At the end of each cost is a link to where you can directly purchase the same vouchers or tours we did. Including travel in your cost with advance tickets is a lifesaver and necessity. We've done all the work for you! Please keep in mind that prices for activities and tickets change daily and sales are sometimes running so our cost may be higher or lower than what you see when you book your own trip!

Travel Expenses: All prices listed are the total for ONE PERSON except where noted
Attraction Expenses: All prices listed are the total for ONE PERSON

A couple of things:

  • We used Expedia.com to book our hotel and flight at the same time. I obviously can't guarantee matched prices for those things, however, if you go at certain times you'll get cheaper rates. We're going during spring break, April 1-9 which isn't really considered peak time for London. 
  • The hotel we booked is called Qbic. I immediately fell in love with its modern and quirky mix of modern and minimalism. It's got amazing looking breakfast (will do a follow up post!) and is eco-friendly! Personally, I would recommend this place over a regular hotel because a) it's similar or cheaper in price and b) it's an experience in itself! Check them out at qbic.com
  • We planned our days out based on our flight times and on spacing out heavy walking days with heavy travel days. Feel free to switch things around!
  • Prices of any item listed may change at any time. 
  • Purchasing advance tickets for attractions in France can be finicky. Make sure your bank doesn't have restrictions placed on purchasing out of country items. Also, if you plan on buying advance tickets for the Eiffel Tower, you need to get your tickets waaaaaay in advance. The Summit ticket (travel to all three floors) is booked up until May for us, so we'll have to buy tickets on site. 
  • Again, lots of items on this itinerary are Harry Potter centered. I'm a huge fan and this is a dream come true trip for me. If you aren't keen on the series, substitute in another walking tour or show! Or just go get converted into a Potterhead - it's great. :)
  • If you intend to go to The London Dungeon attraction AS WELL AS The London Eye, Shrek's Adventure, and/or The London Aquarium please note you can buy these attractions in packages and save money. We only went to The London Dungeon but if you have kids and want to work the strip and see all four of those attractions or even just three, they have money saving packages you can purchase here https://www.thedungeons.com/london/en/book-tickets/ticket-prices-and-offers.aspx or in person!
  • We printed out every possible ticket, voucher, confirmation page, hotel itinerary, map, etc. possible for two reasons. 1) I don't believe you should rely solely on your phone for mobile tickets because you're going to be taking pictures and videos left and right. Don't get stuck out and about without your ticket. 2) Several places in London and France require a paper ticket over a mobile ticket. Carry a small, secure backpack or purse and take the day's activities tickets with you just in case.

I really hope at least one person finds this itinerary fun and useful! It's been months of excited planning and I'm 99% sure I didn't forget anything, but please let me know if you think of something else! With this itinerary, you should be able to take the exact trip we are and purchase everything with ease just by following the above information. A personal travel agent service for free! I'll be doing a follow up post when we return with pictures, reviews, and any changes I would suggest. 

If you have any problems or questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them!

With love, Jessica.

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Saturday, March 25, 2017

Recipe: Real Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits

First off, if you haven't been scared away by the title yet, congratulations! When most people hear about chocolate gravy, they think it'll be disgusting, like it's a regular brown or white gravy but with cocoa mixed in. Don't be afraid! It's delicious! It's a sweet, thickened chocolate sauce used in the same way real gravy is: on biscuits! (or sausage, or bacon, or a spoon...)

A quick google search will pull up a good handful of recipes for southern chocolate gravy. But many of these, I've found, are time consuming or laden with extra ingredients. Half the reason chocolate gravy became so predominant in my family was because you didn't need much time or material to make it. Anybody who's made biscuits and gravy from scratch know what a time consuming process that is. So, I'm going to teach you (just like my great-grandma taught my grandma, who taught my grandma, who taught my mom, who taught me) how to make real southern chocolate gravy.

Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 4 tablespoons cocoa
- 8 to 12 oz water (12 for runny, 8 for thick)

What to Do
1. Mix dry ingredients in medium saucepan until combined.
2. Turn heat on medium/high.
3. Slowly pour in water, stirring well to combine.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer, stirring occasionally until desired thickness is acquired.
* It usually doesn't take long after reaching a boil for the gravy to be done.

 There seems to be two methods of eating chocolate gravy and every person clings to their own. One is breaking up your biscuit and pouring the gravy over the top. The other is keeping your biscuits whole and doing the same. I'm a biscuit ripper myself.

My papa also adds butter to his gravy after it's on his plate. Makes it EXTRA rich if you prefer. ;)

That's it! This makes the best tasting and easiest chocolate gravy. This recipe makes any breakfast (or frequently, lunch and dinner) instantly fun! You'll feel like you're eating dessert and who doesn't want that? It's been in my family for generations and is loved by most who try it (except my brother, who I'm disowning for the purposes of this post). So don't be afraid to whip some up and dig in!
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Saturday, November 12, 2016

The Anatomy of a Braves Game Attendee

As you can tell from my bio, I am huge fan of the Atlanta Braves. Win or lose, my favorite thing to do in the summer is pack in as many games as I can to support the best darn team in the South! Okay...maybe not the best right now but good fans stick with it! 

There are two things that come into play when I go to a game.
1) I do NOT do hot.
2) It's always hot in the South.

So, after attending too many a game with my thighs sticking to the seats, sweat collecting in a steamy puddle at my feet, and saying "It's hot" about 937567093 times...I finally mastered a few tricks to beat the heat! And being the good southern woman I am, I'm going to share them with you!

The (Unofficial) Anatomy of a Braves Game Attendee



1) Bring a hand towel. Not only do the seats get wicked hot to the touch, skin on plastic does not bode well in 100 degree heat. A hand towel is the perfect size to place on the edge of your seat to protect your legs and you can use it to dab sweat or even wet with water to cool you off! I figured this one out after countless times of stealing peoples shirts to sit on or padding my chair with napkins. Not a hot look.

2) Bring sunscreen. Okay, blog lady, you're not telling me something new here. I know, I know. But bringing sunscreen is worth mentioning because even the one time you forget, you will remember it forever...or at least your crazy tan lines will. I can't count the times I've shared my sunscreen with kids and babies at a game.

3) Wear sunglasses/a hat. Again, nothing new here, but if you forget them, you'll look ridiculous squinting and shielding your eyes for four innings until the sun dips down behind the stadium. I once got crafty and turned a cardboard drink holder into a visor before I got smart.

4) Bring a lightweight bag. Braves games are notorious for sending you home with a bunch of crap you didn't arrive with. Programs, free shirts, bobbleheads, souvenir cups, Dippin' Dots Braves helmets...and all of that is in addition to what you bring. So, I suggest a sturdy drawstring bag that you can easily fit everything into. Sure, you might look like a pack mule but it's worth it on your trek back to the car!

5) Know your clothes. If you know you get mad chub rub when you wear short shorts...don't wear them to a game! If you know it get's hotter than an oven under your dress...now isn't the time to bust out that new maxi dress you bought. Bermuda shorts work great for curvier gals (like myself) and also protect your legs from the hot seat in case you forget tip #1! Also, wearing Braves jerseys to the game over a tank top looks cute, it really does. But those things were not meant to be breathable. I almost always end up draping mine over my chair. So, that's your call.

6) Know your seats. My last tip isn't something you can bring, but something you can do ahead of time. When you're buying your game tickets, try to pick seats that are under one of the stadium overhangs, or as close to behind home plate as possible. Especially for day games, the sun is going to be shining directly onto the outfield seats, as well as the upper level seats that aren't protected by an overhang. If you're not fortunate enough to sit at the club level where you have access to the air conditioned hallway, trust me in being picky about your seat location. It can be the difference between sitting in blatant, miserable heat for half the game or enjoying it from the shade with your $12 souvenir coke.

So, those are the tips I try to go by whenever I attend a Braves game. Is there something I missed? Let me know in the comments!
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Harry Potter Silhouette Painting

Happy November Everyone!

I did this painting a bit ago actually but thought, with the holidays coming up, it might be a good gift idea for the special Harry Potter nerd in your life!

I've mentioned before I love DIY's that let me paint...and I may have mentioned I'm ferociously obsessed with my favorite wizarding world. ;) So, this was the perfect blending of my passions and I have to say, I love how it turned out! 

It was pretty simple. I started out by choosing my favorite HP quote that represented what I was going for:
"Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

Next, I posed like the muggle I am with my personal wand straight from Ollivander's.


I don't have a picture of this next step, but I printed my muggleshot (get it? muggleshot? mugshot?) and used an exact-o knife to carefully cut out around my silhouette. I then laid it onto the lower corner of my canvas and traced it with a pencil and painted in the silhouette with black paint. Finally, I added some Potter-esque swirls coming out of my wand in what I hope channels a Patronus, and painted on my quote! Ta-da! 


I don't like my handwriting or spacing but I still love it. 

So, do you think you'll be making your own magical silhouette? Comment your painting below - I think this allows for so much creativity and I'd love to see what you come up with!




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Saturday, June 4, 2016

I bought 2 weeks of groceries while sitting on my couch with Walmart Grocery!

Hi Guys!
Have you heard about Walmart's Grocery option where you can order your groceries online and pick them up at the store for FREE? It's amazing! My roommate and I heard about it and had some questions, but thought "Hey, we'll try it out and if it doesn't work out we won't do it again."

Turns out, this is how we'll be buying our groceries from now on! We already shopped for groceries at Walmart because I believe it's where you can get the most bang for your buck. The downside is I have SUCH a low tolerance for buggy rage, 2 hours of shopping even with a list, or ridiculous check out lines. So, I was quite intrigued by the Walmart Grocery idea. Here's how it went down...

1. We went to the online site: http://grocery.walmart.com

2. Checked our zip code

3. Registered an account

4. Picked our groceries

5. Reserved a time slot

6. And picked them up!

Now, this is where things got impressive. We called the number when we arrived and were promptly greeted by this nice man who gave us our grocery print out and told us to relax in the car!

                                                                                 The print out was nice to have because it showed all of our items, their price, and even showed the temperatures that our groceries were stored in!


When it came to our bread and eggs, he gave them to me up front to hold, also asking us to check that our eggs weren't cracked! Maybe I don't get out much, but this was fancy service to me! 

 
Finally, he explained to us what our substitutions were (something we knew was a possibility), of which there was only one. I ordered a pound of brussel sprouts and they were substituted for a generic brand (PictSweet) of the same amount. I loved that it was clear what was substituted. No guesswork!


 Before we left, we also got a reusable bag of goodies! I was SO impressed by this point! It included a sample of Aveeno shampoo and conditioner, a small bottle of Palmolive dish soap, a goodnessknows bar, and a pamphlet explaining the products! 


The last thing that was a bonus was that our bill ended up costing about $10 less than the online quote. How it works is after you choose all your groceries, they quote you a price for the total. It can vary for two reasons. 1) They might have to substitute one or several items with a different brand or quantity. 2) Some items you can't choose an exact quantity. The first reason I have zero issue with. The second reason was a little weird to me. For example, we wanted 1 lb of beef stew meat. Our only option was to choose 1-3 lbs at $5 a pound. I'm not sure of the process they use to figure out what amount you get, but this was the only product that had this limitation. And because we only got about 1 lb of meat after all, our bill was $10 cheaper than quoted! Nice!

Again, I don't know about you, but this was sooooo much easier than going grocery shopping! We got to sit on our couch and comfortably pick out what we needed, checking recipes with ease for missing ingredients, and all without dodging slow movers, long lines, or buying a bunch of tasty looking crap we don't need. We never even had to get out of the car!

So, all in all, I give Walmart Grocery a 10/10 and will definitely be using this FREE service exclusively for groceries in the future! I highly recommend you give it a shot! I am not being endorsed for this post. All opinions are my own. 


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Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Plexus: Going Pink


PLEXUS. 
I'm sure you've heard about it from someone; a co-worker, avid Facebook group request-maker, friend, etc. The "pink drink" has been popping up everywhere leaving many (including myself) to quickly discount it as just another weight loss fad. Just like ItWorks, or Shakeology, or Advocare, or the million other popular programs lately. So, what do I do when I get invited to a Plexus information party? I attend, get my free sample, take notes, and begin my skeptical journey...

First, let me give you some background on what Plexus is in case you don't know. At its core, Plexus is an all-natural supplement program developed to get your body systems back on track. It is NOT first and foremost a weight loss program. Weight loss has just been an often reported positive outcome of using the program. Its base product is called Triplex (more on that later) with the option of adding in other supplements for weight loss, vitamins, or pain relief.

This concept is what initially led me to go forward with trying it - an easy to use program that makes your system healthy again with great benefits. This is important to me because, having gone through anxiety, depression, and a panic disorder I know just how important it is to help your body maintain homeostasis in all of its systems. If one messes up, so follows the rest. That's the Plexus concept. Boost one thing and you get a domino effect on the rest.

So, I started with Triplex. Triplex consists of Plexus Slim, BioCleanse, and ProBio5. I'll give you the gist of each but going to a Plexus informational meeting is really your best bet for learning the most about the product line. Not endorsing it, just saying it's a LOT of good info!




  • Plexus Slim, or the infamous "Pink Drink" is the star of the trio - a pink powder you mix into 12-20 ounces of water and drink 1-3 times a day, ideally before a meal. It's designed to help you lose weight by managing cravings. Again, it's all natural, sweetened with stevia, and is non-thermogenic meaning it doesn't have stimulants that heat the body up to boost weight loss. This is important for me with handling my anxiety because any stressors on my system do not go unnoticed. 
  • Next is BioCleanse, a capsule taken to help "energize" your digestive system. Its main ingredient is magnesium, which the body constantly needs for many reasons such as energy production and detoxification. 
  • To round out the Triplex, there's ProBio5. As the name suggests, it's a dietary probiotic. Probiotics help with EVERYTHING but mainly keeping a healthy, active gut with good bacteria and enzymes. 
Pre-Plexus: It's important to note my jumping off point here. This is a list of issues I struggle with on a daily basis that I am curious to see if Plexus helps at all. 
-migraines
-sleepiness/no energy
-menstrual/abdominal cramps
-anxiety/depression
-IBS
-acid reflux
-gastritis
-joint pain

Here's my journey so far.

Day 1: I started slow with just the pink drink today. I took it about an hour after waking up and ate about an hour after that. It tasted GREAT! I was weary of the fruity taste being too much on an empty morning stomach - several of my gastro issues force me to be very careful with my morning choices. It was great tasting and I enjoyed sipping until it was gone. No aftertaste. I had no notable differences today.

Day 2: I drank Slim about 45 minutes before eating breakfast. Again, I didn't notice any particular differences today. Something to note is I had terrible acid reflux on Day 1, so it overshadowed most of my senses.
Day 3-4: I took a break because I ended up getting very sick from my GERD. Drinking liquids on an empty stomach makes it much worse so I took a break these days.
Day 5: I skipped Slim again today but introduced one ProBio5 after lunch. 
Day 6-8: In all honesty, I just fell off the bandwagon these three days. I took a Plexus hiatus because I just plum forgot.
Day 9: Back to Slim! I drank the slim with my breakfast today instead of half an hour prior and it made a huge difference by not drinking it on an empty stomach.

Day 10-20: Big chunk of time there, I know! But what's good is that I went full on Plexus Triplex nuts for the past week and a half. I bought a cheap pill organizer and put one BioCleanse in the AM and one ProBio5 in the PM. Every morning, I drink a packet of slim with breakfast and take a BioCleanse. At night, I take a ProBio5. I understand this is different from the suggested use but it works best for my memory and stomach issues. BUT WAIT...HERE'S THE THINGS I'VE NOTICED THIS WEEK!!!!
1. I am falling asleep sooner, quicker, and easier. Let me preface this by saying sleep has NEVER in my life come easy to me. Ever. Perhaps as an infant, but that ended as soon as I left diapers. Which makes me want to believe that Plexus is helping me use more energy efficiently during the day and regulating my system so that when it comes time for bed, I'm now ready to sleep by 9 or 10 (before it was 1 or 2 am!) and I no longer lay in bed for hours-I drift right to sleep. I will say that my quality of sleep hasn't changed much yet but I'm hoping to see improvement here as well.
2. I'm starting to have less cravings!!! I've noticed that I'm not as hungry as often as I normally am. When I eat, I get full before finishing my entire meal whereas I would normally eat everything on my plate. I'm not sure I can say my sweet tooth has gone down, but more important to me is that how often I find myself wanting to eat has gone down. It's not as much of a thought anymore! How great is it to not always be thinking about when you're going to eat next?!
3. I'm starting to have more consistent bowel movements. Yes...I'm talking to you about poop. But Plexus might as well be synonymous with poop because so many of us suffer from bad guts that healthy pooping is often a top benefit from doing Plexus! So, with my myriad of gastro issues, I've been all over the place but mostly, I have VERY frequent BM's that are mainly diarrhea or non-solid. (Yuck, right? But hang in there, there's worse things in life than crap!) Over this week, my number of trips to the bathroom have gone down I'd say by about half, and about half or more of those movements have been solid! Hooray for healthy pooping! It's cause for celebration in my house.

I have to say I haven't experienced any negative side effects yet. Change is slowly coming about, but in a positive direction so I intend to keep up with my daily regime and make changes as needed. A huge disclaimer is that I am not being endorsed to make this post-this is all my personal experience and honest opinions. I obviously have an issue with consistency so your starting experience might be even better! So hopefully, this answers some questions you might have and gives you an insight on a completely normal person's experience with starting Plexus. I'll continue to post updates on my journey and we'll see where it takes me!

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Sunday, November 29, 2015

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Printable & Highlight-able Schedule!

Hooray! It's almost time for ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas movie countdown! Starting December 1st! While other channels play some awesome Christmas movies, ABC family is my go to for having something to watch every night. And if you're like me, you have to follow the schedule and plan out what you can fit in! So, I made myself a crude printout of their schedule that I could highlight and hang and thought I'd share it for anyone that wants to do the same!

Just click the link below each picture to access the printable PDF and highlight all the great movies you intend to binge watch! For instance, you could do like me and highlight How the Grinch Stole Christmas every single day it comes on. No shame here. 

Also, ABC has been getting a lot of flack this year for their lineup. People are particularly upset over selections such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Toy Story movies, and showing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on Christmas. Well, if you follow this blog or know me at all, you know what I think about that last one ;). But all I have to say is it seems they're trying to include a few younger audience movies that aren't particularly Christmas themed but still in the spirit (IMO). Toy Story = Hello. TOYS.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory = ITS A MOVIE ABOUT CHOCOLATE
As for Harry Potter on Christmas, they show the Christmas (yes, my fellow Christians, HP says CHRISTMAS with their CHRISTMAS dinner and CHRISTMAS presents...sheesh) scenes in this movie and hey, ABC is known for its HP marathons so why not throw the one with a Christmas scene in? Let's just all be thankful that ABC exists, mmkay? 

Enjoy!


December 1st - December 5th


December 5th Continued - December 10th


December 10th Continued - December 15th


December 15th Continued - December 21st


December 21st Continued - December 25th







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Friday, November 27, 2015

Christmas 2015 Planner Pages - 22 pages for FREE!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

I've recently received some feedback on my Mini Binder Christmas Planner and have done some work to add two more pages AND now every page in the planner is available in full size! If you don't yet have a mini binder (a half page sized binder available at most places where office supplies is sold) check out this post on how to make your own! If you don't have the original mini-binder Christmas Planner pages, go here! 

Below, you will find links to the PDF's for the two new mini-binder sized Christmas Planner pages, and every single Christmas Planner page in full 8.5 X 11 size! Great for those who want a bit more writing room.

Also, a note on printing the mini sized pages. You may need to change the page size before you print, if your computer doesn't do it for you when you access the PDF. Simply go to File -> Page Setup or File -> Print and change the page size from there. You need to change the page size to 5.5 by 8.5 (or it may show up as 5.50 by 8.50). This is simply a regular sheet of printer paper cut in half. I suggest buying a pack of printer paper and taking it to your local office supplies store and asking them to cut the entire stack in half. They have a cutting machine that does it all at one time and they even box it up for you! 

Also, ONLY for the mini pages, if you have a handheld single hole puncher, I included black dots on the margin where you should hole punch. If you're printing the full size pages, the template pictures below show the black hole dots, but they are not included on the PDF's. A regular three hole punch will work on the full size pages only. 

Another good tip I got from a commentor is to print double sided! More bang for your buck because you don't waste paper!

Simply click the link below each template to access the PDF!

First, the two NEW Mini-Binder Christmas Planner Pages

Who doesn't love a good Christmas morning breakfast? Plan it out with this page!
Mini-Binder Christmas Breakfast Planner

Get organized on your kids' stockings with this stocking stuffer page!
Mini-Binder Stocking Stuffer Planner

And for those of you wanting to go big this year, here is all 22 Christmas Planner pages in full page size!

Black Friday Full Size

Charity Full Size

Child Gift List Full Size

Christmas Breakfast Planner Full Size

Christmas Eve Dinner Full Size

Christmas Day Dinner Full Size

December 2015 Calendar Full Size

Elf on the Shelf Ideas Full Size

Family Gift Planner Full Size

Friends Gift Planner Full Size

Game Planner Full Size

Basic Gift Ideas List Full Size

Gifts Budget List Full Size

In-Laws Gift Planner Full Size

Notes Page Full Size

Parents Gift Planner Full Size

Generic Recipient Gift List Full Size

Secret Santa Planner Full Size

Significant Other Gift Planner Full Size

Stocking Stuffers Planner Full Size

Supplies List Full Size

Christmas Traditions List Full Size

If you have ideas for more pages or if you need help with anything, please feel free to leave a comment below! I love comments!

~ Jessica



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