Slice of the South

This past week, my co-workers and I threw a surprise "Baby Sprinkle" for my manager. [She was very adamant about the fact that she did NOT want a shower. As marketing/advertising people, we figured out a way around that....it's all in the wording :-)]

We wanted to keep her sprinkle low-key, but seriously...what's a baby sprinkle without cake?!?!
There is a lady in the Columbia area who make delicious cakes (as well as the most FABULOUS petit-a-fours) Her company is Slice of the South. Tamra has made a few cakes for me (birthdays, showers, etc) and she NEVER disappoints! The cake melts in your mouth and the icing tantalizes the taste buds like no other.

At Slice of the South if you give her an idea, she'll take it and run with it. The results are always amazing and completely exceed my expectations. For the "Sprinkle" I told Tamra that I was looking for something around a Noah's Ark theme. The image to the left is the design she came up with. ADORABLE!

Finally (and really, most importantly) the cakes at Slice of the South are totally affordable.

Here are a few more of my favorite Slice of the South Cakes:

Simply amazing stuff. If you're in the Columbia area, I highly recommend Slice of the South for your next event!

Tamra is very good about responding to voicemail and email very quickly. She does also work full-time so you need to get on her schedule as quickly as possible, but I promise you you will not be disappointed when you bite into a Slice of the South!

Geocaching- What is it?

A few weeks ago, I promised to introduce you to the sport of geocaching. Perhaps you've done some research since then and found out a little more on your own. You may have even found your first cache by now. If not, though, here's an intro on Geocaching.

So what IS geocaching?
Basically it’s like a high-tech treasure hunt. I’ve also heard it referred to as “modern-day orienteering.” (Think Boys Scouts and compass.) Basically, someone hides a container with a log and (often times) inexpensive trinkets… said container is called a cache. The use of colored duct tape and/or spray paint ensure that a cache can be hidden basically anywhere.

After hiding the cache, the “hider” uses their GPS to determine the coordinates of longitude and latitude. Those coords are then entered in a web database. While there are many web databases for geocaching, by far the most used is http://www.geocaching.com/.

Other geo-cachers can then log onto the site, perform a search and get the coordinates of all caches hidden nearby. Those coords will then be entered into a GPS and the hunt begins. Once a cache is found, the cacher (finder) will sign the log book with their registered geo-caching alias. If the cache contains trinkets, the cacher can trade out a trinket if he/she chooses to. The understood rule is that if you take a trinket, you put in something to replace it.

Most importantly, remember to sign the long, as that is your proof that you did, indeed find the cache. You will also need to “log your visit” on http://www.geocaching.com/.

What does a cache look like?
Caches can be anything from ammo cans to film canisters, magnetic keyholders and matchstick holders to Tupperware® containers. Anything has the potential to become a chance container. For example, you can take the rounded cap off of a metal fencepost, superglue a pill bottle to the underside of it, add a log, and put it back on the fence post. The fence cap just became your cache location. Caches are truly hidden EVERYWHERE. You probably unknowingly drive past at least 5 in your everyday activities, but as a non-cacher or “muggle” you would never know it.

Stay tuned for the next installment how to become a geocacher!

Disney on Ice

My daughter is 3 years old and while she is a die-hard Dora the Explorer fan, she does enjoy several of the Disney characters as well. So when we learned that Disney on Ice would be performing locally, my husband and I decided to take her.

They were offering an opening night special in which all tickets except floor seats were $12 ea, so this seemed like the perfect time to go. I purchased the Thursday night 7:00 show tickets about a week in advance. Also joing us were our daughter's best friend and her mom. Our seats were very good...we had seats slightly left of center and 12 rows up. The girls had an absolute blast!

This show was definitely worth the price of the tickets. We had great seats, were able to see all the acts clearly and it cost our family of three less than $50 to attend. By far, this show was the only one that we have been to that has kept our daughter's attention the most. She didn't get restless or bored at all during the entire show. The show was approx 2.5 hours with a 15 minute intermission, which made a very late night, but that was the only drawback.

All of the characters that appeared were current. Funny how the movies I grew up watching are still popular, but that's the magic of Disney ;-) The show was very entertaining. We would definitely do this one again!

Geocaching

People who know me or one of the immediate members of my family of 3.25 have heard me talk about geocaching. Geocaching is a recently discovered hobby of my husband’s that my daughter and I have also come to enjoy. Not only is it inexpensive, but it’s a great way for family to get outside, get on the move, and spend time together. With a 3 yr old, geocaching along our road trip routes is a great way to break up the trip, stretch your legs and have a little fun.

We got involved with the sport last July. We were vacationing in Stone Mountain, GA. During breakfast one morning at the hotel, my husband, noticed another guest on the hotel computer looking up something and scribbling numbers on a piece of paper. After the guy left, hubbie went over and viewed the history on the computer, which lead him to geocaching.com. He signed up that day and we’ve been caching ever since. The first cache we ever logged was one that my husband and daughter found while I was at work. And she was hooked too.

Over the next several posts, I'd like to introduce each of you to the sport of Geocaching and challenge you to try it with your family at least once.