Edible Plants Class

On Saturday, I took an edible plants class in Montgomery, TX at Deer Lake Lodge and Spa with Foraging Texas.  First, I had no idea that there was a fancy spa in Montgomery.  It was a beautiful location with lots of nice buildings to relax in. (Deer Lake, if you see this, please consider bringing me to the spa and I will feature you on my blog as part of my bucket list)


 I have wanted to take an edible plants class because one day there might be zombies walking around and we can't get food.  I will be able to live off the land but y'all will be sad.  :) 

The class was from 9AM to 1PM so there was a bit of a chill in the air at the beginning.  We started in a building close to the pool and learned the basics of foraging.  He also showed us several books that he recommends if we want to get serious about foraging. I have his book, the Idiot’s Guide to Foraging but haven’t gotten a chance to read it as much as I wanted to.

This is the one I want next!

Mark taught us four rules of foraging:

• Respect the law-Did you know it is illegal to take anything out of local or state parks?  There is a fine of $500 EACH ITEM you take.  So say you took pecans from a state park, if you get caught you can be fined for each pecan, and that could be hundreds!
• Respect the land-leave it better than you find it.  If you dig a hole, make sure to fill it before you leave.  Take any trash too.
• Respect the plant-Bring sharp tools to remove the section of plant.  If you cut a small section, the plant heals faster than if you tear it going all the way down.  There is lots of fungi just waiting to get into the plants and if there is a big tear, the plant can’t heal as quickly and is more susceptible to disease.
• Respect yourself-Make sure you verify the plant is edible before you eat something.  Look for 5 things that match up to be sure you have identified it correctly. On mushrooms, be sure to identify about 8-10 things to be sure.

We started with the plants along the pathways near the pool and then worked our way to the woods. 

At one point, my A.D.D. got the better of me and I walked away from the group to look at the pond.  I saw some fish while I was close to the pond, but then walked back.  A few minutes later, I went back and noticed a white rock close to the edge. After inspecting it a little closer, it turns out it was an alligator!!!  Oh my.  I ran back to the group and suggested we move.  Everyone was apparently fascinated though and went to take a look.  We think the alligator was either being super still or in a mini hibernation since it was not fully covered with mud and muck.

• We learned that the Crepe Myrtles are like cinnamon in controlling blood sugar levels.

• Turks Cap leaves can be cooked and they taste like spinach.

• Reishi Mushrooms are the best medicinal mushroom and 2 commercial cancer medications use reishi mushrooms in the ingredients. 

• Pine tree leaves (which are everywhere here!) have a ton of Vitamin C and pound for pound they have as much as lemons and oranges.  Vitamin C is essential for the body but the body doesn’t hold on to it so you need a source every day.

• Magnolia tree leaves are made into a tea in China that has cancer fighting properties.  The tea tastes similar to ginseng.

He also talked about Lions Mane Mushroom and Hericium Mushrooms that taste like lobster and help with dementia.  We didn’t see that mushroom, he only told us about it along with a semi-local mushroom farm called Indian Creek Mushroom Farm.

Shiner Beer Tour in Shiner, TX

Years ago, when I was running the Texas Independence Relay a few years ago, we passed by the Shiner Brewery in Shiner, TX.  I had heard they had a race that they sponsor (5K and Half Marathon) but I just wanted to take a tour of the facility.  I had some time off this week so I went to the tour on Monday.

Shiner, TX is about 2 hours from Houston and the drive was pretty much straight down I-10 until you get to one spot where you turn left.  The tour starts and ends in the gift shop on the property where you can buy all sorts of fun Shiner merchandise. 

The tour is free and they give you 4 free drink tokens.  They have several varieties of beer you can choose from and even have strawberry lemonade for those who don't drink.  The first round I chose a cream beer and the next time I had the lemonade.  I gave my one token to someone since I wasn't going to use it and also kept one to make an ornament out of for my Christmas tree.

We went on a tour the factory and it was so interesting!  I believe they said they make 500,000 bottles in ONE DAY!!  Crazy.  The factory is 24 hours M-F and everyone is off on the weekends.  The tour guide said it was a great company to work for and they had hardly any turnover because people like it so much. 

They showed us some cool souvenirs and memorabilia that they have received.  This chair was carved from a single tree and given to them as a gift.

In one section they were working on the "Holiday Cheer" blend.  They get orders 1 month in advance and rotate what blends they bottle depending on demand.  The tour guide said that sometimes they do a different blend during the day and evening.

It was a really cool tour and I'm glad I was able to go!  I would highly recommend the tour, even if it's just to get your drink on. :)

Vegas, Part 2

Saturday was like a 10 AM wakeup.  We were all exhausted from the night before and we didn't need to be anywhere until 3 PM.  Some of us went to get Starbucks and pizza, others stayed sleeping.  We are old ladies, people!

At 2:30 we left to walk to Planet Hollywood for our Stripper 101 class. This class was AWESOME!  I loved it.  We learned how to do a strip tease/lap dance plus we worked the pole.  So fun.  Our instructor was an ex-stripper in LA and Vegas and she showed us some moves and even taught us how to hustle for more $$.  We were clearly there as a joke class, but she made it interesting and gave us useful tips to do for our man. :)  At the end of the class she showed us some upside down acrobatic pole tricks that had us all in shock at how good she was!  I didn't realize how athletic strippers need to be.

We could all take pictures at the end, just not during class for privacy of everyone.

We even each got our own Stripper license. :)  My stage name is Ruby, by the way.  We could choose whatever stage name we wanted and if we needed help, there was a list to choose from.

After the class we went back to the hotel to change for dinner, zip-lining and Chippendale's.  Saturday was a packed day!  We got dressed (we wore the shirts my sister made) and I even wore false eyelashes for the first time ever!!!!!  I really look like my mom in this picture.

We decided to go to Downtown Vegas' Container Park area for dinner.  Container Park is an area that is made up entirely of shipping containers as the buildings.  It has restaurants and shops that you can visit and even has a huge playground for the kiddos.  We all went down the slides at the park after dinner.  It is only about a 3-5 minute walk from Container Park to the entrance to Downtown Vegas' Freemont Street.

The zipline we did was called, Slotzilla.  You can go during the day or the evening, but we chose the evening to zip past all the lights that are blinking everywhere!  We got our ziplining wristbands and went up the steps at our designated time.  We got fitted for harnesses and walked a zillion stairs to the platform.  There was a huge crowd there and it turns out it was for a Chevelle concert.  I didn't know who they were, but apparently they were a big deal.

They hooked us up to the wire and had us walk down some stairs and sit back into the harness.  They said, "Have fun" and let us go.  We made it to the concert and the crowd cheered for us as we zipped by.  So cool.  Only 6 of us (out of 7) did the zipline, the 7th person took pictures (she's afraid of heights).

After ziplining we had to book it to the Rio for the Chippendale's performance.  We made it on time and were seated in the back (the balcony-which isn't really a balcony, it's just the back row). We had free tickets so we couldn't really complain where we were seated.  The seats were still good and we could see everything.  I think we were loud enough and clapping a lot so we got moved up to the front of the room to some vacant seats!!!

Amber got to go onstage (not saying what she did *wink) and we all cheered for her.

I love Chippendale's because it was more of a show vs just strippers.  I mean, I feel so dirty holding dollar bills making them work for it.  Having tickets and dance routines classed it up a little bit.

At the end they told us to take a selfie and post it with #Chippendales and one of us would be chosen as the winner.   Can anyone guess who was the winner....ME!!!!!  I won a poster, a blinky light up necklace thing, a compact (I think, I haven't opened it yet), and lanyard.  I gave the poster back to the gift shop because, honestly, what am I going to do with a Chippendale's poster?  Calendar, maybe, but not a poster.  Sorry guys.

We wanted to take the shuttle to the Flamingo from the Rio but the shuttle driver was rude so we took a Lyft. They had given us a $10 play match (play $10 and get $10) so three of us played my $10 and agreed to split whatever we won.  Clarissa suggested we play the $20 on "ODD" since there were an odd number of us.  We doubled our $$ so we came out with $40.  I took my original $10 back, we used $10 for the Lyft ride, and we split the other $20.  Easy $30!!

Ever since seeing that movie, Big, I wanted to get my fortune out of one of those Zoltar "fortune telling" machines.  We saw one at The Rio on the same floor as Chippendale's and three of us got our "fortune".  Mine was all about travel.  Hmm.  I love travel!!

After the show we went back and did some other "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" stuff.  Sunday was spent cleaning up all the crepe paper, popping balloons, and eating the last of the jell-o shots.


Sunday
Four of them left at 9:30 AM and three of us stayed behind until our flights.  I was the only one that was leaving that evening, the other two girls were staying an additional night.  I just walked the strip and hung out the next day until my flight time.  Before I left the Flamingo, I put $10 in a slot machine and I lost money down to $4 but I did it one more time and won $17 something.  I tried one more time and lost down to $16.05 and then cashed out.  I figured $6 in winnings was better than none.  I knew I wanted to play Roulette so I found a table and played a few times.  I won all the way up to $27 and used that money to have lunch at the Flamingo Hotel buffet (not worth it).

My flight left at 7:55 PM and I got home right as the shootings (or just after) were happening.  That is the closest I have ever been (or ever hope to be) to a terrorist event.  The other girls in our group that stayed behind were in the hotel before the shootings happened and had no idea anything was happening until the next morning when they woke up to our texts.

Vegas, Baby!

First, I want to say that I am so sad about the events that happened in Vegas this weekend.  It is so sad that there are sickos in the world that hurt innocent people based on their own head issues.  I am trying really not let this be the bad experience to my trip, but it made the trip end on a sad note. I received lots of calls and texts from friends and family that knew I was there this weekend and who wanted to make sure I was OK. I flew out at 8 PM, Vegas time, and the events didn't happen til 10:00ish.  There were two women in our group (out of 7) who stayed that night and we couldn't get a hold of them, but luckily they were just sleeping and had no idea what had happened.

This is as close to a national tragedy that I have ever been, or ever hope to be.  I can't keep from watching all the news broadcasts and internet stories because I was almost in the general area.  I know if I would have stayed another night there (like two girls from our group did), I would have made my way to the Mirage Casino to watch the volcano explode, then head to the Bellagio to watch the fountains and go further down the strip towards that direction. I know this because I was thinking that on Sunday afternoon when I was getting ready to leave the strip to head to the airport.  It was, "If my plane wasn't leaving until late I would..." sort of thoughts and I know I would have been in the general area, not necessarily at the concert though.  I don't know, but this has really gotten into my brain and makes me not want to go anywhere in large crowds or take my niece/nephews there either.  I know that is letting the enemy win, but I can't help it.
____

On Friday I woke up bright and early to get dressed and head to the Hobby Airport for my Southwest Airlines flight (I love Southwest!).  I made it to Vegas about 9:30 AM and met Clarissa in baggage claim. We couldn't check in until 1 PM so we dropped off our bag, ate a nice Brunch at Hexx and walked the Strip.

This was basically Clarissa to get us free Chippendale's tickets. LMAO.

We checked in and were walking to the elevators and a guy at a desk stopped us what we were there for and we told him a bachelorette party.  He asked if we wanted free show tickets and my mind instantly flew to timeshares.  Yep, it was a timeshare presentation but there were free Chippendale's tickets on the line...we quickly signed up!  Haha.  Actually Clarissa is the only one who went because we were running out of time and had to get the room decorated.  She didn't want to go by herself but since it was a 2 hour presentation, we didn't have time for us both to go. I just told her what the standard procedure was and how to say no.  If you can stay strong and keep repeating the no, you will get your "reward" of whatever you choose.  It turns out the presentation lasted about 3 hours and she got there about 30 minutes before everyone else did.  If you ask Clarissa, she will tell you that three hours was worth it!

Meanwhile, I decorated the room with all the crafts that we made.  I waited to do the streamers because Clarissa wanted to help decorate too.  I blew up balloons, set out the shirts and the rest of hte crafts for each person in their own pile.  It turned out super cute!!

Amber had her own little chair for her stuff.

I made a door sign for both doors and throughout the weekend you could hear people talking about our sign and our bachelorette party.  One day we were all in the hallway when another group came by and said, "Hey it's Amber's bachelorette party crew.  Which one of you is Amber?"  haha.  I'm glad the whole floor new us. :)

That night one of the girls in our group was able to get us free club entrance with a table and bottle service.  Now, I had NO IDEA how expensive that was but let me tell you, WOW!  To get it in was about $50-$100 each person and the table itself was $5,000.  Yes, you read the number of zeros correctly.  The club was a beautiful spot on the rooftop of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Casino.  You had to go up stairs through a big room and up an elevator to get to the nightclub.  It was so pretty being that high up and seeing all the Strip lights.

The table came with a free bottle of Vodka + mixers so we all had a few drinks.  We inquired how much another bottle was, but it turns out bottle service is VERY pricey.  I'm talking about $495 for a bottle of Tito's Vodka.  I couldn't believe it and wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen the menu.  Here's a pic if you don't believe me.  WTF?!?!?!?!

We danced for a while and then left to go back to the hotel to change shoes.  Some people went back out and others (like me!) fell asleep.  I figured I made my appearance (and even danced) at a club so I did my bachelorette party duties.

Part Two is coming up including all of the Saturday festivities!  Saturday was SO FUN!!

Four Friends Tea Room Pearland

I went to lunch with my friend Tracey a few weeks ago and we went to the cutest tea room in Pearland, Four Friends Tea Room.  The menu selection was excellent and I have been wanting to go back there every since!

Tracy is actually hosting her daughters baby shower there and I thought that is a perfect location!

The restaurant is in what looks like an old home and converted into a restaurant.  You walk in and there is a little waiting area and also a small gift shop to purchase gifts or your favorite teas.

There is even a doll high chair and doll outfits!  Too cute.

I had the sampler platter that included sandwiches,pasta salad and the most amazing bread pudding EVER!!  OMG, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I don't like hot drinks in general so I just got some iced tea that was delicious.  

  

Seriously, go there if you can!  The hours are on the website and I would for sure recommend going.  Try and get there early because it gets pretty busy and the parking lot (which is super small) fills up quickly.

LumiSnow, Dallas

I follow a lady on Instagram whose husband opened a dessert restaurant in Dallas called, LumiSnow.  It is a shaved ice cream dessert restaurant, kind of like shaved ice, but with ice cream and crazy toppings. 

After my conference I went to dinner with my friends Clarissa and Chelsea. I haven’t seen Chelsea since New Year’s a few years ago so I wanted to catch up with her about her new baby!!!  We stopped for pizza first and then Clarissa and I went for ice cream.

I mean, look at these flavors!  I got s’mores and Clarissa got Circus.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it was delicious.  The place was packed but it did take a while to have the desserts come out.  I guess it’s a lengthy process, but we seriously waited for 40 minutes.  So be prepared to spend some time there.

The Secret, A Treasure Hunt

So, I’m obsessed with a treasure hunt!  In 1982 Byron Preiss published a booked called, The Secret.  No, not the Secret where you wish for a million dollars and it comes true, it’s a treasure hunting book.  He buried 12 cache’s in 12 different major cities throughout North America in 1981. Inside the cache is one ceramic key that can be turned in for a real jewel that is/was in a safety deposit box in NYC.  One was found in Chicago in 1983 and the other was found in Cleveland in 2004. Unfortunately, Byron Preiss died in 2005 and didn’t tell anyone where the jewels were.  He used to respond to treasure seekers with clues or to tell them they are on the right track, but now he’s gone and there isn’t anyone to do that.

To date, only 2 of the 12 have been found.  Some people say that you can only find the cache and not receive the jewels and others have said that his widow said you can still receive the jewels.  I guess we won’t know until someone finds the next cache!

Guess where one of the 12 is hidden?!?!?!  That’s right, Houston, TX!!!  There is one  picture and one verse that goes with each treasure.  You can’t use a metal detector because the key the cache is a ceramic box inside a plexi-glass box.  You might be able to use a ground penetrating radar, but even that may not be possible.

This is the picture that is associated with Houston.  Well, they think this is it because it has all the clues of Houston.  The book just gives you 12 verses and 12 pictures but doesn’t tell you which goes to which.  A few of the images/verse combos are controversial and they don’t know which city they are for sure in.  Most of the pictures have latitude/longitude coordinates, but a few don’t. 

A couple great resources:  PBWorks Wiki and Quest4Treasure Forum (HUGE backlog of info dating way back)

This is the verse associated with Houston: 

Fortress north
Cold as glass
Friendship south
Take your task
To the number
Nine eight two
Through the wood
No lion fears
In the sky the water veers
Small of scale
Step across
Perspective should not be lost
In the center of four alike
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower of delight
Falls gently
In December night
Looking back from treasure ground
There's the spout!
A whistle sounds.

I have used this forum and this Wiki to help point towards clues!!  The people that post are really good and most have been working on the puzzle for years.  Good luck to whoever goes looking for it!  I am also interested in the New Orleans one since that is within a short driving distance too.

Sew Something I Can Wear

http://sewhouston.com/

A while ago (#badblogger) I went to a kimono robe making class at Sew Houston.  I had so much fun and can’t wait to go back to sew another project. I was looking at my bucket list back in November/December and trying to figure out what items I can do in 2017 and saw “sew something I can wear” on it.  I googled sewing classes Houston and Sew Houston popped up.  Wouldn’t you know it, a sewing class for a kimono robe was scheduled for February.  Sold!  I had to provide my own fabric and ribbon-which was great because I could get what I wanted!  I actually picked out my fabric when I went on my camping trip a while ago.

Anyway, Yolanda is great.  She keeps the classes small so you can actually learn while sewing, not just watch someone or get lost and not be able to finish your project.  There were three of us in our class, but I believe a fourth person did not show up.

We set out our fabric on the table and cut out the fabric.  She had a super simple pattern that we were able to follow.  My fabric kept bunching up and since the class was so small; she was able to notice right away and fix the problem, which was that I needed a different foot to grasp the fabric.

The robe turned out great!  I love the fabric and how well the robe fits me.  If you are needing/wanting to sew something, consider going to Sew Houston.  She offers one-on-one tutorials as well as classes.  She also has a “get to know your sewing machine” private tutorial if you bought or were given a new sewing machine.  Pretty cool.

Chappell Hill Lavender Farm

This weekend, after my Blue Bell 10K race, I stopped by Chappell Hill Lavender Farm since it was so close to Brenham.  Do you know what that means?!?!?!?!  Bucket list item #2 done this weekend.

The drive in any part of that area is just beautiful.  I love Texas in general but the Brenham area with all of the bluebonnets and rolling hills is so amazing. 

Chappell Hill Lavender Farm is beautiful too.  There is a small pond with a gazebo, a field of lavender bushes, a small orchard of various trees/plants (not sure what), miniature goats, and a gift shop.  I went to the gift shop first and looked around.  I bought some lavender bug spray and some lavender essential oils.  I also had the BEST (OMG) ice cream, blueberry and lavender.  I want some more!  There are a ton of products in the gift shop ranging from gifts to home items. 

Afterwards I walked the lavender fields and saw firsthand what it looks like.  It is green I guess until it is ready to be harvested because it for sure wasn’t purple!  They are having a festival in May that would be interesting to attend.  The lavender will probably be ready to be harvested then.

After spending too much (I wanted it ALL) in the gift shop, I went to the gazebo by the pond and had a conversation with God.  That area of Texas just causes you to be so thankful for all of the blessings he has given you in your life.

Check them out! 

Visiting Waco, TX

My final destination for the weekend, Dinosaur Valley State Park, is 3.5 hours from Houston and you need to travel through Waco to get there.  I was reviewing the map and my bucket list when I realized that Jacob's Ladder was in Waco, too.  Perfect!  I can do that while passing through.

My GPS took me to the park easily and the signs inside the park led me directly to Jacob's Ladder.  Jacob's Ladder was originally an actual ladder but was replaced with  88 zig-zaging steps to the top of a steep hill.  It was just as hard going down as it was going up.  My thighs got a workout that day!

After Jacob's Ladder I had lunch at the Mad Hasher, which is a "hash" inspired food truck.  Mine was a potato hash with eggs (not plant based!), pico, assorted veggies, feta (??), and a creamy sauce.  It was so good and I highly recommend stopping by if they are open when you visit.  They were parked at a food truck area with several other trucks near the college, I believe.

After filling my belly it was off to the Waco Mammoth National Monument to see some still in the ground mammoth bones!  At first I was not really feeling this place but I figured that I  had some time to kill before I needed to leave and it might be cool. Let me tell you, it was one of the coolest things I have seen.

You have always seen pictures of fossils on TV or maybe fossilized rocks but these were actual bones that are still partially in the ground on a real live excavation site.  I LOVED it.  The tickets are only $5 and it is well worth the $$.

They take you to the actual dig site where some college kids back in the 70's thought they found a cow leg bone but it turned out to be a mammoth femur bone I think.  They turned it over to Baylor where they knew a paleontologist and they started excavating the site not too long after.

The area was a narrow strip of land between two rivers at one time and a flash flood came and wiped out about 20+ mammoths that were part of a nursery herd.  They figured out what had happened because the bones were sticking straight up as if they were caught in the mud when a flash flood came along.  They said that some of the mothers were even holding the babies in their tusks out of the water to try and save them when they died. ;(

These two were interesting!  They think they might had been in the mating process (not at that exact moment).  They also know that this male had been in a fight a few years earlier because of some extra calcium building up on one of his ribs.  

They have found a ton of bone sites, even on layered on top of each other spanning years.  So the area must have been known for flash flooding because they would dig a little further down and find more, like the mud created layer upon layer of accidental cemeteries.

This is a real life example of the size of the mammoth from back then!!

There are  more animals that they found in there including a camel and a sabor tooth tiger.  They believe there was a tiger cub den that collapsed at one time in the area.  So interesting!

The building itself is on the actual dig site and can move to protect more fossils as they unearth them and can be expanded as the dig site uncovers more.

So, Central Texas is full of pre-historic animals between this site and Dinosaur Valley State Park. I can only imagine what they will uncover in the area next!  For $5, it is well worth the hour you will spend there.  Go visit it!!

Texas Bridge Series Kick-off Party

Last night I went to the Running Alliance Sports, Texas Bridge Series Kick-off party at On the Run Clear Lake.  The event started at 6 pm and included a group run with borrowed shoes, giveaways (socks!), raffles, and more.  I got there about 5:45 pm and it was already packed. 

I tried on some Asaics shoes that they were letting everyone borrow for the group run, but I knew I wanted to get fitted for shoes that night with one of the staff.  There were a few vendors there including Feetures socks!

 

New socks!! 

I received a raffle ticket because I was signed up for the Texas Bridge Series already.  It turns out that the raffle ticket was an awesome because I won a free Nathan’s waterbottle!!!!

Since the place was packed, I waited until they did a group run and the majority of the people were gone before I got fitted for shoes.  When you are just starting to run, always, always, always get fitted for shoes because you can really hurt yourself without the proper shoe.  I used to just go by how cute the colors were, but I learned my lesson.  It’s free and it doesn’t take long. 

They had me try on 3 pairs of shoes to see which one fit the best.  My shoe fitter (didn’t get her name!) said that you shouldn’t feel the shoe at all.   The first pair I could feel the left part on my back heel and she said those won’t work because they are too far back.  The 2^nd pair weren’t wide enough so those were out too.  The third pair (I’m like Goldie Locks) I could not feel at all but I wasn’t too crazy about the color (gray) but she said they come in LIME GREEN!!

Hopefully you know me well enough to know the deep down significance of lime green in my life.

After I got my shoes I headed over to the social at Sherlock’s Pub that was happening across the street.  My aunt Laura was supposed to come with me (she’s signed up for the race too) but she ended up doing something else that night so I was on my own.  I can talk to anyone and promptly made 6 new friends to hang out with that didn’t come with anyone else either.  I tend to get a big group of singles together when I go places.  I enjoy talking and I’m not going to let the fact that I’m alone keep me from doing that! Haha.  The rest of the night was spent talking about running and trying to win raffles.  Someone else in my new friend group won a free pair of shoes from On the Run!

It was a great evening and I’m really excited about the races.  Hopefully my new kicks are just what the doctor ordered and my foot will be ok.  Wish me luck!

 

This year's medals!

p.s.  If you want to sign up for the races you have until July 31^st (which is THIS WEEKEND) to sign up before the price increase.  $130 for three race, four medals, and tons of race swag is an AMAZING PRICE!!  Snag it now. 

This year's 4th medal if you complete ALL THREE of the races.