Got Beer?

Before all the holiday hubbub we took a tour of the Joseph James Brewing Company. Based in Henderson, they've grown quite a bit since first getting their start 2006. They bottle at least seven different beers and two sodas. Their keg business is growing and they've recently gained canning capabilities.

We sampled all of the alcohol they had on site. I'm most fond of their lagers, but it's the Tahoe Blue that led me to them and it remains a favorite. We tried some unusual varieties with coconut and pumpkin, and a heavy hand of chocolate. Those were least to our liking. The Weize Guy hefe wasn't a strong crowd pleaser, either. Fox Tail, the Gluten Free beer was better than expected. Not something I'd choose over any of my favorites but it's good to know it gives those with dietary restrictions an option. Nevada Steem, Hop Box IPA and Red Fox aren't typically beers I'd order, but each went down easily.

Tours are held once a month or so. Friend them on facebook for dates. You must RSVP ahead of time, you pay $5 for a glass and then it's all the free samples you can handle. Matt, and the head brewers are friendly and informative. They work hard to keep your glass full and to answer any questions.

A Very Vegas Christmas

Over the holiday weekend, we got over to Bellagio and Ethel M's to enjoy the Christmas decorations. Here's a peek, enjoy.

Year in Review: Travels

At the end of 2010, I suspected we'd have to move in 2011, but I was ok with leaving our home behind because it would provide us with more freedom, and I yearned to travel. Thankfully, we were able to stay put, and I did not let go of my desire to travel. Life is too short, and talk is cheap, I wanted 2011 to be about making things happen. I didn't want to just talk of places I wanted to visit, I wanted to have those experiences, and we did... We covered a lot of ground.

We had traveled to San Diego and Phoenix a few times, San Francisco twice, Chicago, New York and Anaheim. And there was Brian Head, UT, and we even got to New Orleans. We were very fortunate that we were able to travel a great deal. You'd think I might have tired of it, but nope. The more I see, the more I want to experience.

Italy is still my dream trip. It's getting closer to reality. We've saved a nice sum this year, the trip is technically doable in 2012, I just have to find a deal for the right time. I'm working on it. I'm shooting for Spring, so I'll have to figure it out pretty quickly.

We developed a greater appreciation for San Francisco, this year. We just love it there and it's very affordable for us to travel to especially when considering the expense of trips to cities likes NYC and New Orleans. We are anxious to return next month. February, we are looking to escape to San Diego. It's our home away from home. March, we'll head out to Phoenix for Spring Training. And you'll have to stay tuned to see where else we head. Louisville is likely. And we intend on many weekend getaways. We are dying to enjoy more Razor adventures.

Santa Came! Santa Came!

Gosh, Christmas mornings were such an exciting time when we were small. The magic of the holiday is so special. Still, being grown and getting the family together is always nice. I just wish there weren't 1800 miles between us here, and the rest of my family in Chicago.

It sounds like they had a nice holiday, though. Nicky made the "nice list" and Santa brought him guns! His favorite. I asked what kind? "All kinds," he said. Big ones and little ones? "No, just big ones?" He was one happy kid.

We got a later start to our Christmas than friends and family. It's fun being on the west coast, when I got up at 7:30, everyone back east had already shared their holiday cheer and treasures on facebook. It warmed my heart to see all that joy. I prepared a Christmas feast, a bit nontraditional with Gouda stuffed pork chops, but that's how I roll. Mom made her delicious Parmesan salad and snow tunnel cake, and my brother curbed our appetites with deviled eggs. Frank's family joined us for eats and games.

Santa brought me a new lens for my camera so I am excited to get familiar with it. It's a Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX , which is the last one on my wish list. I also received great gifts like beef jerky, gourmet eats, beer and money toward accessories for the Razor. I am very lucky.

Merry Christmas!

May the Christmas season,
fill your home with joy,
your heart with love,
and your life with laughter!

MAACO Bowl

We were fortunate to receive club seats for yesterday's MAACO Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Frank has been a BSU fan for sometime, he loves the way they play the game. They always pull out some of the craziest and most unexpected plays. They did not disappoint going against ASU. I enjoy watching Boise State even though I've never been a big NCAA football fan, mainly because of the BCS. You know what that stands for right? Being Constantly Snubbed. I dislike the ranks, I much prefer a true champion. If college football implemented a bracket system like they have for basketball I'd be all about it. December Madness, can you imagine?

Anyway, back to the game. We were able to park in the VIP lot. Getting in and out of the stadium couldn't have been easier.



The sun was setting when we got to our seats. They were great by the way. In the club house, there was a nice spread of eats and non-alcoholic drinks were complimentary. Beer and cocktails were half-price. Inside seating filled up quickly because it was mighty chilly in the desert last night. We snacked and then took our seats outside, and waited for the game to get started.





I love it when they bring out the field sized flag for sporting events. Fighter jets flew over after the National Anthem.



Frank was thrilled that this was the first sporting event he was able to place bets while attending the game.



Boise wasted no time getting this Bowl started. How long before the first touchdown? 14 seconds. Yep, that's right. And the rest of the game was non-stop action... from BSU's end zone to end zone touchdowns and interceptions, to ASU;s missed field goal attempt and a pointless touchdown. All in all, it was a good, good, night. A profitable one, too. Frank snagged two out of three bets, that pointless touchdown cost him second half BSU -7. Still, he netted a nice sum.

Kicked Up Party Nuts

Need a last minute gift or appetizer?

Here's an idea from The Sriracha Cookbook. I made these "Kicked Up Party Nuts" Sunday while I was whipping up batches of cookies. The nuts come together quickly, the finished product is pretty sweet. Next time, I'll bump up the sriracha and cut back on sugars so that peppery heat can shine.

1 lb Salted Mixed Nuts
1 Egg White
1 tsp Water
1 Tbsp Sriracha
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 c Packed Light Brown Sugar
1 tsp Fresh Rosemary

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Add nuts to a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients together in a small bowl. Combine, and spread out in single layer across a lined cookie sheet. Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Buffet to Bellagio

The family got together for one last meal before my dad, Amy and Nicky went back to Chicago. We had a voucher for two free dinners and 50% off on others. Seven of us ate for $60 or something close to there. It was a deal!

I haven't been to the Rio buffet in several years, it's been remodeled since my last visit. The selection is still huge. There are all your usual buffet offerings plus quite a few made to order Asian stations. We tried the stir-fry and soup, I had Pho. It was like a Campbell's soup version, but I give them props for offering it. Mexican choices were what I like best of all the offerings. The whole family was able to get enough to eat, but some had difficulty finding items they really enjoyed.

I still think M Resort is the best choice off-strip, but it would've cost us at least double to go there (thank you, discounts!). However, when full-price is considered M Resort is my pick - hands down.

Switching gears....

December 1, Frank and I had dinner at Circo inside Bellagio. We've been several times before and it never disappoints so it was Frank's pick to celebrate his 32nd birthday. The restaurant was very crowded for a Thursday night - I was happy to see it - and server didn't skip a beat. Again, service, food and the view was stellar. It remains our favorite restaurant in the valley.





We tried two new dishes: Caprese Risotto and Duck Panzotti, and we split and order of Egi's Ravioli, because it's irresistable. And we each had our own Tiramisu for dessert. The Caprese Risotto was a Chef Selection it's not served regularly, but it should be. It was scrumptious! The Panzotti was brilliantly prepared, but the fantastic Egi's Ravioli outshined it.

Garbage!

Last night, Frank and I watched the season finale of Dexter. It's been a horrible season and the finale was no better. It was complete garbage. I'm so disappointed. I cannot believe this crap came from the same people that bought us the Trinity Killer. The show jumped the shark this season, and they've renewed the show for two more seasons, why?

Freeze! Hands Up in the Air!

Wave them around like you just don't care, because it's time to celebrate.

Or, at least, it was. In my continuous effort to catch up I wanted to share about the party we threw for Nicky's 5th birthday. The boy has been all about police for a couple years now. Cops is one of his favorite shows. Now, he's also into everything military. He'll be thrilled that he'll be able to dress in camo head to toe after opening his Christmas gifts, but his birthday was all police themed.

We filled up on donuts on a stick and hero sandwiches, and all the kids got these goody bags. Each one had a badge, hat and note pad for writing tickets, mini wooly willy's for police sketch and for the babies I had rubber duckies in police uniform.





We played games like "red light, green light", "cop, cop, robber", shooting practice and pin the tail on the donkey. Had I been thinking, I should've done pin the badge on the officer or something along those lines. It was all good fun, I also had a pinata for the kids filled with candy, tattoos and slinkys. We had the kids hunt for the pinata before stringing it up. We gave them clues to solve the crime of the candy caper.



Everyone was under suspicion including the birthday boy and his buddy, Gavyn.



Without kiddos of my own, it was great fun having the opportunity to plan a kid's party. It was even better to celebrate a birthday with my favorite boy.

Stop and Smell the Roses

On Black Friday I avoided the crowds and shopping chaos. Instead, Nicky, my dad and I stopped to smell the roses.





It was better than any bargain.

Hey, Stranger!

So, I suck. I thought I'd figure out how to better juggle my time by now, but work is just crazy. I am enjoying the challenge, though. Once I adjust to the learning curve and adapt to a new schedule I'll find my ebb and flow. After, the holidays are behind us, it'll be less chaotic, too.

I'm happy that I've managed to get my decorations up, Christmas cards sent, shopping done and presents wrapped. I'd like to get some holiday baking done, maybe I'll squeeze it in this weekend?

This past weekend we ran off to Laughlin, my mom and Mike joined us. It was nice to getaway, even if it was for a few hours. We had fun showing them around.

The best news of late is I'm finally out of the boot. It's been four months since I injured my ankle, it's about time it's feeling better. I still have some achiness, but the pain is minimal. Swelling hasn't been much of an issue. I do worry it may swell now that it's not immobilized but I'm hopeful I'm past that hurdle. I need to work to build strength. That's my focus now. My goal is to be back to normal by our trip to San Francisco next month.

I recently had blood work done, and it shows I'm low on Vitamin D. I'm going to start a daily vitamin and calcium citrate, with any luck that'll help speed up the healing process. If not, it should at least mean stronger bones. I've also been told to keep hydrated because I'm prone to gout or kidney stones. Otherwise, I was pleased to hear I'm very healthy. I have no signs of diabetes and my cholesterol is low and my HDL is high. Once I shed the pounds I've gained over the last four months. I should be in tip top shape. The past week I've loosely followed the 17 Day Diet for new ideas to jump start my metabolism, I've lost three pounds. Considering, I can't exercise I was thrilled with the results. I'll continue to use it as a guideline as I continue my weightloss journey. At least until I can get back to my tried and true method of eating less and moving more.

That's the gist of happenings of late. I hope to be back with more tales from the last month sooner, than later.

November Concerts

November was such a busy month for me, I think it'll take most of December for me to catch up. I did want to share about to concerts I saw last month.

First, was the Dirty Heads at House of Blues, Mandalay Bay. It was my third time seeing them this year. It wasn't my favorite performance, but it was the first indoors. They headlined, and Wallpaper opened for them since Gym Class Heroes cancelled their leg of the tour. Wallpaper was not my style of music, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

This was my first show at the House of Blues, I've only seen comedy acts previously. It's not the best venue, but I like that you can see the stage from almost anywhere. We caught the show from the side of the stage near the bar. I would've liked to have been front and center like previous shows but it was a risk I couldn't take with my ankle. The show was standing room only unless you bought VIP tickets that offered bar or bench seating. Frank asked a security guard if there was a place I could sit while Wallpaper was on stage. She was mean nasty bitch. She questioned why one would go to a show knowing they had a broken foot? Frank and her had a few exchanges before he stormed off in disgust. What set him off? He asked, "well, what about those in disabled or in wheel chairs?" Her reply? "They have their seat!" Totally uncalled for. We returned back to our spot on the side of the stage. There was no security there, Frank asked him about a seat for me. A couple seconds later, he appeared with a bar stool. We thanked him profusely. I was able to sit and conserve my energy for the main act. Dirty Heads did not disappoint. This was one of their last stops on the tour so we got to hear a couple new songs that we hadn't seen earlier when the tour was just starting out.

Our second show was a treat because my cousin plays bass for two bands and they left the midwest to tour the east and west coasts. On my coast they played Tempe, Vegas, San Diego, the Viper Room in LA last friday Friday and Slim's in San Francisco on Saturday. While, here, they performed at Hard Rock Cafe on the strip.







We got to the venue early and had a chance to chat with Kevin. His band Strange Arrangement played first, the music was from there latest album, Polygraph, so I was unfamiliar. It's good stuff, though, check it out. It's also been nominated for Homegrown Music Network's best studio album of the year. You can vote here. Dexterous Roy did a DJ set in between shows. That was the first I've seen a DJ with a drummer, it was neat. Then, Digital Tape Machine joined them. Kevin is in that band, too. It's a side project of Umphries Mcgee, which is a pretty popular midwest band. They sell out in Chicago every time they play.

We left just before midnight. I was too sleepy to stay and we both had to be up early. Digital Tape Machine was still on stage, my brother stayed until the end, he said they finished their set at 12:30. That Hard Rock Cafe is a very cool venue, I'd definitely see another show there. I love that they pump the music through the entire building, you can hear it in the bathrooms and walking along the strip. At this show, they had a wide variety of bottled craft beers for $5. I took a liking to Shiner 102. It was great to enjoy a good beer while taking in the show.

Taking a Bite of Dirt

I'm pretty sure I mentioned before that I never made it out for the deals offered on Black Friday. I was too tired so I stayed home and spent additional time with Nicky and my dad. I slept in my warm bed, while my mom and siblings shopped until they dropped. The decision to stay home was easily made after perusing the sale ads, the only item to make my wish list was the Shark mop. The Kindle caught my eye, but $79? I can get that price every day on Amazon.

I gave my sister cash for the mop, and asked her to buy it if she could get her hands on one. When I woke Friday morning there was the Shark. I guess it was no trouble at all. Considering they even snagged mom a 46" LCD TV for less than $300. That took much patience and persistence on my brother's behalf, he camped out for a couple hours before the doors opened. Anyway, back to the Shark. It stayed in its box until Sunday.



My house was long overdue for a deep cleaning, there was no better time to try it out. Assembly was a breeze. There is a note about homes with hard water, deposits can build up so distilled water is recommended. Fortunately, I keep it on hand to maintain Frank's humidor. The reservoir doesn't take much water. That's one complaint, I had to refill a few times to finish the floors. However, I'd guess this size is adequate for average size spaces.

My lower level consists of the laundry room, kitchen, dining room, family room, bathroom, and bedroom. All of these rooms are tiled. The sunroom was an addition and there is pergo flooring in there. Mop and bucket washing is time consuming, back breaking and just plain exhausting. I was ready for a short cut.

The Shark mop S3505 heats up quickly. Less than minute and it'll be nice and steamy. Cleaning goes quickly. The pad is fairly large and the mop makes large strokes. For tough spots, you can pump the handle for a steam surge. This works well for sticky spots that dirt loves to cling to. Two microfiber cloths are included. I needed both to clean my floors. They are easy to put on and take off. You toss the soiled pads in the wash to clean for their next use. I doubt they have a long life. I've already ordered additional cloths from Amazon.

The mop cleans without any chemicals. This is particularly nice for me because I'm allergic to Phenol which is in most household cleaners. The less I come in contact with it, the more my skin thanks me. It was great to do without the redness and dry hands I usually experience after mopping the floor.

The Shark has earned its place in my bag of (cleaning) tricks right next to my carpet steamer, vinegar, CLR, Bleach, Shout gel, SOS Pads and Magic Erasers. Armed with those tools my laundry and home can be squeaky clean with ease.