Date Night
Family Friendly Bowling Alley (Easley, SC)
Over the past few months we have gone to Rock Springs Impact Center Bowling Alley several times. We have gone for part of a date night, when my parents were in town visiting and when the kids were home for Spring Break. The bowling alley is open throughout the week. There are days when it is only $3 per person / game, including rental shoes. If you need some munchies when you are there they have a concession stand that serves a variety of snacks and drinks.
We typically go in the evenings after dinner on a week night because it fits easier into our schedule. It is a nice family activity for a reasonable price. I can’t say that I will win a bowling game any time soon, but I do have fun. If you are looking for a good activity in Easley you should check it out.
Oasis Cedar Creek Cabin (Cleveland, GA)
Beautiful with the wood, large windows, and open floor plan!
My husband and I recently had a weekend away in Cleveland, Georgia while the girls were on a school field trip to Charleston, SC. The Oasis Cabin we stayed in was beautiful! It was in a great location with the peacefulness of the woods and mountains while conveniently located near Helen, Georgia if you wanted to go out to dinner or exploring. We ate at the Cowboys & Angels restaurant while in Helen which was very good. It was a much needed weekend away together.
The cabin was perfect and furnished with a lot of fun extras. It had simple yet beautiful decorations, not the typical “bears, fish, and other cabin decor”. The bath robes were very comfortable and we enjoyed playing several rounds of pool together. We played board games, ate out on the deck, and relaxed together. We could occasionally hear the construction workers who were building a couple of the surrounding cabins, but nothing too distracting.
There were some cleaning issues that we had with the cabin, but after emailing Cedar Creek Cabins with the information we originally felt like it was worth visiting Cedar Creek Cabins again to see if the experience is better. Now we are not sure if we will visit any of their cabins in the future.
We are still very thankful for a special weekend together. We went home refreshed and relaxed! Just wish the people taking care of the cabins followed through with their promises and that the cabins were cleaned better.
View from the pool table – looking towards the kitchen and bedroom areasPROS:
- Gorgeous cabin with a spacious floor plan, huge windows and a lot of nice features
- Pool Table & Board Games
- Fairly Private Back Deck
- Charcoal Grill
- Coffee Machine was really nice + they left a few coffee K-Cups to use as well as a re-usable one if you brought your own ground coffee
- Washer & Dryer
- Blender – wasn’t aware of this one prior to arriving, but we love smoothies
- Plenty of Storage for Food & Snacks in the cupboards
- Comfortable King Size Bed
- Super Soft Bath Robes
- Automatic Recliners in the Couch
- Fireplace
- Jacuzzi Bathtub the huge tub that was really comfortable, does take awhile to fill up though!
- Large Walk-in Dual Shower
- Hot Tub on Deck nice, but needed more chlorine had a mildew growing in it by the second night so we did not get into it again after that night
- 2 TV’s – one over the fireplace and the other by the bed & jacuzzi tub
- Nest Thermometer was easy to use
- Landscaping looked freshly done and really nice (new mulch)
- Nice Loveseat Wicker Furniture on the Deck could sit or lay down on it. We played games on the deck, ate snacks, and relaxed
- Small Community Playground – it was small and a little faded, but was a nice touch for any families coming to visit with small kids.
- Nice neighborhood – We felt safe enough to walk through the neighborhood and found several other families doing the same as well.
Super soft bathrobes!CONS:
- Check the Dishes prior to using! We found a lot of dirty dishes that had been put away, possibly from the previous renters, but most of them should have been noticed by the cleaning staff. For example – Several of the knives in the knife rack on the counter were very dirty with chunks of food on them. Multiple items (plates and cups) in the cupboards had food chunks on them and the bowls had liquid in them. If you opened the silverware drawer it was obvious by just looking that the silverware was not cleaned prior to being put back into the drawer. After pulling out several dirty items we ended up washing everything before using it. Thankfully we brought extra dishwasher soap and a bunch of disposable items because we ended up running all the silverware and a bunch of dishes through the dishwasher prior to leaving. If you are going to require guests to wash the dishes prior to checking out then the housekeeping staff really should do a quality inspection of the dishes when cleaning the cabin to make sure that they are actually clean prior to the next guests arrival. Honestly, it was gross and would have been an easy thing to correct while housekeeping was already in the cabin cleaning. We realize that it was most likely the previous guests that put dirty utensils, pots & pans, and serving items back in the cupboard, however, it was pretty obvious just by glancing that the dishes were put away dirty especially when opening the silverware drawer or pulling a plate out of the cupboard or a bowl with standing water in it. No one wants to wash dirty dishes from the previous guests in a cabin while on their vacation.
- Top rack of the dishwasher was missing the right end cap causing the rack to come off the roller or get stuck in place. Wasn’t a big deal other than it made using the top rack of the dishwasher more difficult to use.
- Bring extra toilet paper! We had 2 partial rolls of toilet paper that was supposed to last for 4 days for 2 people (the one on the roller was almost gone and the one on the back of the toilet was already half used). We ended up getting more toilet paper to get us through the weekend.
- Fireplace thongs would be very helpful when maintaining the fire. Not a huge problem just would make it more convenient for the guests staying in the cabin.
- Basic Cooking Supplies especially if you plan to cook. Maybe we cook more than the average guests or have stayed in cabins with a lot of “extras”. There was no cooking spray, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or pyrex dish or pie plate to cook in. One jelly roll pan and a set of pots & pans was it for baking.
- Ability to be a Gated Community, however, the gate was never locked (even though we were given a gate code) and we were in and out multiple times every day
- Rough Road with a lot of large pot holes the last half mile or so to the entry of the entrance. This is probably more of a county maintenance issue, but visitors need to be aware of the road condition as it is one you’ll want to the cabins so take it slow to avoid potholes.
- Some construction noise. This cabin community was obviously still being built. Several cabins next to us were still being built, overall the noise from construction was minimal (mostly hammers, saws, and normal construction noises). We could hear one of the workers radios playing if we were outside, there were several port-a-potties near our cabin, and they did work on both Saturday and Sunday so there was construction activity even on the weekend.
- No Cabin Signage. Had to call them to figure out which cabin it was because there were no signs and we drove around the entire complex twice. They told us where it was located and said that the construction workers had knocked over the sign and one was on order.
- Need updated directions. Followed the directions exactly, but it appears that they have added more cabins and roads since writing the instructions because they did not lead to the correct cabin.
- High Speed Internet – while they did have internet it did drop a few times or was really slow. It may have been from all the construction around us because we noticed it most on Friday of our stay.
- Landline Phone – while it was nice having the phone in the cabin we got multiple phones call from people trying to solicit money and/or services. After a day we ended up unplugging the phone because the only time it rang was when someone was trying to advertise their services and we had our cell phones that worked decently while at the cabin.
Overall we had a refreshing and relaxing time together. The cabin itself was gorgeous and other than the kitchen the rest of the cabin was fairly clean. The housekeeping not checking the dishes and the property managers failure to follow through with their promises were our biggest disappointments, really all else was minor and expected with a new community.
We contacted the property managers and they were apologetic regarding the dirty items in the cabin. They also offered to give us a discount on our next stay in any of their cabins. We let them know that we were staying at another one of their cabins again in April with our kids. Gave them the dates, the cabin we were staying in and everything, but never heard back from them again regarding the discount.
We held off posting the review because we wanted to give them a second chance prior to posting it. We feel like they dropped the ball in a few ways and not convinced that it would be a company we would use again which is sad because they are within a reasonable driving distance from home making it a convenient weekend place to visit. Plus the cabins could really be a wonderful relaxing and enjoyable place to stay especially if you don’t have to clean up the previous guests messes!
PLEASE for the sake of your future guests make sure that the cabins are cleaned better no one wants to pull out dishes with the last guests food on them AND don’t offer to fix issues or offer a discount on future stays if you do not intend to honor that promise.
View from the kitchen & dining area bedroom, jacuzzi tub, and shower
Relaxing on the deck lounge. Comfortable and relaxing!
Decorations were simple and elegant. Not the typical “cabin” decor which was really nice!
Loved hanging out with my man for the weekend!
Relaxing on the couch in front of the toasty fire!Travel & Vacation: Ice Skating Show
Celebrating with my best friend!
Loving our time together on the cruise! Thankful for a time to celebrate! We had a great day on the ship watching the ice skating show, going to various activities, getting a massage, and so much more!
Watching the ice skating show aboard the ship!
A lot of interesting costumes and neat performances during the show!
Thankful for a time to get away and spend together!
Fun characters. Jake and I went ice skating, but we did have any fancy moves or costumes!The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Beautiful Roatan, Honduras
Jake and I in Roatan, HondurasVisiting beautiful Roatan, Honduras! It was a sunny day in Roatan and we did probably one of my favorite ocean activities so far – Snuba! I LOVED it!!!! We were able to go down 25 feet and explore the bottom of the ocean. The ocean ecosystem was fascinating! All the sea grass, fish, coral, sand, and everything moving smoothly and peacefully in the ocean was simply AMAZING! I would do it again in a heartbeat! We were each hooked to an oxygen tank and could go down to 25 feet without needing to come up for air. Snuba is kind of a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving! If you have a chance to try it do it. It was much more gorgeous then even the pictures reflect!
Watching the sunrise as we arrive in Honduras!
Ready to explore this beautiful place!
One of us has small feet and had to wear the kid fins…..can you guess who, ha!?
Beautiful place! Definitely want to go to do Snuba again sometime!The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Cruising the Gulf of Mexico
15 years and counting!We cruised the Gulf of Mexico on our 2nd day of our 15th Anniversary Celebration! We woke up to a beautiful sunrise, explored the ship, played card games on the balcony, tested our surf boarding skills, tried a round of Bingo, took a nap, ate amazing food, saw a gorgeous sunset, went to shows and more fun. Thankfully I married a man that not only loves me, but has a large amount of patience!!! It was our first formal diner night and I “attempted to do a new hairstyle” (let’s just say it didn’t turn out great after over an hour working on it so I went back to my usual style for that night).
Loved having a balcony!
My bingo partner! He was a good one and was only 1 away from winning a free cruise! Thankful for the extra time with this man!
Hanging out on the ship for the evening with this awesome man! He looked amazing!
We enjoyed watching both the sunrises and sunsets from the balcony. Gorgeous and peaceful!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family, ways we relax, and tips on how to make trips more enjoyable. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Gift Giving: Give the Gift of Amazon Prime
The Valentine Holiday will be here soon, at the end of this week in fact! So EXCITING! If you are still looking for the perfect gift for someone on your list you can give the gift of Amazon Prime. This gift is perfect for anyone (men, women, kids, college students, couples, and more) on your gift list! You can now give the gift of Amazon Prime Membership.
Gift of Amazon Prime includes:
- FREE Two-Day Shipping on millions of items (no minimum order size)
- Unlimited, ad-free access to over a million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Video
- Free unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive
- Read free books each month through Kindle First and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
Amazon will send your recipient their gift on the day you choose along with the redemption instructions. The gift recipient can begin their Prime Membership immediately. If the recipient currently has a Prime Membership they can exchange their gift for an Amazon.com Gift Card.
The Amazon Prime Membership is perfect for any family and friends that enjoy online shopping. They will get FREE Shipping and many other perks with their membership. It is a great gift that could be used for as a Holiday, wedding, birthday, anniversary gifts, and more!
Olive Garden Teams Up With My Gym for 2nd Annual Parents’ Night Out!
On Friday, Feb. 20, Olive Garden will break down the barriers to date night for parents through a national partnership with My Gym. Olive Garden will cover the cost for kids to have a fun-filled evening at My Gym while parents enjoy an affordable Four Course Festa Italiana dinner as part of its second annual Parents’ Night Out.
A recent survey found that the overall cost, including childcare and dining, combined with lack of trustworthy child supervision are the largest barriers to date night for nearly 75 percent of parents.* Parents’ Night Out is designed to solve this dilemma. Parents can enjoy quality time over an affordable and delicious meal at Olive Garden while their kids are entertained with games and activities in a safe environment.
Couples can participate in Parents’ Night Out by contacting their nearest My Gym location to confirm participation, obtain event details and register. Space is limited to approximately 30 kids at each of the 148 participating My Gym locations in the U.S. and Canada, and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis (deposit required).
To help parents make the most of their evening, Olive Garden is offering its first-ever Four Course Festa Italiana starting at $12.99, featuring unlimited breadsticks and choice of homemade soup or famous house salad, and choice of small plate, entrée and decadent Dolcini mini dessert.
For more about the great deals at Olive Garden, visit www.olivegarden.com or connect with Olive Garden on social media atFacebook.com/OliveGarden, Twitter.com/OliveGarden and Instagram.com/OliveGarden.
Mom & Daughter Date Night at Hearts of Clay
Brina working on her new plate!
Earlier this year I took the girls to Hearts of Clay to make their first pottery creations. We were super excited when we got the call from Hearts of Clay saying that the items were ready to pick up, however, one of the pieces had broken (Brina’s big flower plate). They were very sweet and offered to let her create another plate if she wanted to come in and do it. Although, she was sad about the broken plate that she had worked so hard on she was a good sport and felt a lot better knowing she could create another one. We made it into a Mom-Daughter Date Night and had a great time being creative together. Thankful for Hearts of Clay and their kindness in letting her come make a new plate. We had a wonderful time and look forward to another fun activity at Hearts of Clay in the future.
Brina’s new plate! She made the plate beautiful, but simple this time around. Instead of a flower she chose a square shape. Her colors are very similar to the last one she created.
We also picked up the pieces that were done from the previous visit to Hearts of Clay! They turned out really well! Glad the girls enjoyed this fun adventure!
All the pieces that survived the first fun creative evening at Hearts of Clay. Karlie’s is the rocket plate and the goat! Brina’s is the purple heart, black lab, giraffe, and cat (whose tail fell off).
Karlie was so thrilled “Oreo” the goat came out well.
Karlie loves space so her rocket, stars, and planet plate was a perfect display of something she enjoys! She was pleased with how it turned out!
We are looking forward to seeing how this Brina’s recent plate turned out along with her other little creations she made with the extra clay. We met up with Jake and Karlie after finishing up at Hearts of Clay and the four of us went out to dinner together. It was nice to spend a little one-on-one time with Brina as well as a relaxing rest of the evening with the family.
Weekend Getaway!
Beautiful Day for a road trip with my Handsome Man!
Jake and I were able to getaway for a weekend while the girls were at church camp! It was nice to spend some time relaxing together. We were able to chat and have some one-on-one time without any interruptions for a solid weekend. One of the best parts about where we went is that no cell phones, email, or internet work so there were less distractions! We even had our first couples massage which was so very relaxing!
Drinking my morning coffee while Jake makes breakfast! I am so spoiled. Grateful for a husband that cooks!
My date for the weekend! Love you Babycake!
We rarely take pictures together so we snapped one after our couples massage at the Old Red Bridge in Hot Springs, NC!
Our home away from home for the weekend!
We went to the Hot Springs Log Cabins, it was so nice and peaceful in the rocker on the front porch. The only thing you could hear were the birds!
We know how to bring in the summer and celebrate! It’s going to be a busy one so having a weekend together was a true treat! It was awesome to truly get away from it all! Thankful for opportunities to spend with him. He truly is my best friend and the love of my life. I am blessed!
Date Night with My Sweet Girl
My sweet date tonight wanted to eat at McDonald’s.
Last weekend I was able to go on a date night with my sweet Brina Bee! She was very specific about what she wanted to do that night so I went along with her date night plan. First, she wanted to go to the Goodwill Clearance Center, walk through a craft store, browse through used book store, and eat at McDonald’s. We had a blast going through the bins at the Goodwill store looking for treasures. Her big find was a cute FurReal pet dog (new it retails for about $90) and we paid between $1 to $2 for it (the goodwill clearance store charges by the pound). All it needed was a good cleaning and some fresh batteries. She was so excited!
It was a lot of fun walking, talking, exploring, and eating dinner with my sweet Brina. Love my time with her, listening to her talk, and watching her get excited. She is a real sweetheart. I didn’t take any pictures of us shopping, walking, and exploring because the only time we stopped moving was when we finally sat down to eat at McDonald’s! She kept us going. We packed a lot of fun into one evening. Love you Brina!
Love listening to her tell stories, laugh, and have fun together!
Thankful for extra time with my sweet B!
