Sick of dealing with misleading ads...

I have recently begun my quest for finding the perfect Spring/Summer getaway. And, as many of you that already know me, I am always on the lookout for a good deal. As the search begins for a rental unit, I usually start with VRBO.com. I've always had good luck in finding some really nice places at good rates, and I love the fact that you can see photos of the exact unit your are checking on. Not to mention, you get to deal with the owners directly....well, most of the time. After all, isn't that what VRBO stands for - Vacation Rentals By Owner?

Anyway, I was able to find several units (34 to be exact) that had a great rate, unfortunately by a rental company. I do not like dealing with rental companies since they have so many added on fees, etc. So, I see that this one unit is listed for $495 plus taxes and fees. So I call the company, since they will not return any of my email's requesting a quote. So, I speak to this lady today that tells me that the particular unit I am asking about rents for $1295 a week PLUS taxes and fees. I ask her to look it up on VRBO and explain why the rate has jumped from $495 to almost tripled. She states it says under the rates that "rates are subject to change without notice". I guess that means that even though the page said it had been updated that very day, you can put whatever price you want to get someone to call long distance, only to be mislead. I mean, I could understand if it hadn't been updated for the next year or something, but to list a low price just in the hopes that someone will "bite" is so dishonest. I was furious! I fired off 2 letters, one to the company in particular, and one to VRBO to let them know what kind of company is using their site.

My main argument is....if you are not held responsible for what you post, heck, I could post I have a studio apartment in a secluded, wooded area with wildlife around and great views to rent out for a $1 a week. Then when you call, you find out that it's my son's playhouse in the back yard next to the dog's pen, with a view of my vegetable garden. And, oh, that $1 a week is now $100 a week!

I know, I need to get off my soapbox, take a deep breath and realize that there are some very dishonest people out there. But, when are these people going to be called on it and held responsible for their actions? When a company prints the wrong price on a product, what happens? Can they just decide once you get up to the register that they are going to charge you triple instead of the price printed?

Even though I have had a very bad experience with this one particular company, I will continue to use VRBO. There are some very nice and reasonable people out there. I don't want the bad ones to overshadow the good ones. But, I will definitely put this "lemon of a company" on my naughty list. Someone has to speak up.

Merry Christmas....and a "Love Letter"

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I sit here, tired from all the unwrapping of presents, full of all the wonderful food, happy from all the time spent with family. This is the time of year I cherish...experiencing Christmas through my son's eyes, everything so new and exciting. I'm worn out, but full of joy. As I sat here at my computer, going through all the emails and well wishes from friends near and far, I came across my daily devotional that I receive from Kevin's homeschool curriculum publishers, Alpha Omega. I thought it would be fitting to share this with you, even if you do not homeschool, this is a wonderful message. Enjoy, and Merry CHRISTmas!

A Love Letter
December 25, 2009

I see you sitting there tired, worn out, and empty. Another year of homeschooling has used you up. You feel helpless like a baby. That's OK. I know all about being a baby. I was born one for you many years ago. I know the ache you feel to be held and loved, and that is why I came. I knew you would be sitting there in the future, praying and asking me to hold you, and I am dear one. Let me give you a special Christmas gift of love, as I breathe new life into the very center of your soul.

Do you know that I think of you every moment of every day? I watch you patiently homeschool the children I gave you, and I know how badly you feel when you fail and lose your temper. I forgive you, my child, just as you forgive your children when they make a mistake. "It's OK. We'll try again," you say to them, and I'm telling you the same thing, too. I'm so proud of you and how you've followed me when I asked you to teach your children about me at home. Your sacrifice says that you love me. I know all about that, too. I left everything that was mine when I came from heaven. I know how you feel when the Father asks so much of you.

Look at me, my child. You may feel beat up, but do you know that you are still beautiful? I see that smile. Yes, you're still as beautiful as the day I created you. I love who you are, and I'm whispering your name. Can you hear me? Remember my child that this is not your home. You really belong here with me in heaven. But I want you where you are now to love this family I gave you. Don't give up. I want you to trust me. I won't let you down. Every promise I've made is true, and someday I'm coming back for you. But for now, rest in my love, and tonight and even tomorrow when you wake up, I'll be here watching over you. I love you. Merry Christmas.

"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:14-15a).

Jesus, thank You for the best Christmas gift I could ever receive — Your forgiveness and love. My heart sings with praise to You for understanding my every need. I love You, Jesus, and offer You my life again to use however You choose. In Your name I pray, Amen.

It's been a rough couple of weeks....

Well, I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have some very good excuses. First, my mom had surgery on her neck, so I was trying to help out as much as possible. On the same day as her surgery, Ken and I were at the doctor's office having a needle biopsy and ultrasound on his neck. Thankfully, the mass they found was a benign cyst. So, nothing left to do on that except wait 6 months and have it measured to see if it has grown. If so, removal of his right thyroid is a must. Last but not least, my step-grandfather passed away. We buried him this last Saturday. He was an unbelievable man, just a generally happy man. May he have the best Christmas possible, celebrating with Christ our Lord! He will be missed though )<;

So, now to the present. Kevin's been sick, but now he is well and anxiously awaiting Christmas to rip open all his presents. This time of year is always so crazy, but with the added "adventures", it really makes you appreciate family.

Now onto our next adventure....planning another family trip! You know me, I love the planning. Now if only I can find some unbelievable deals. Maybe someone can pay me to go to the beach (<: Oh, if only....

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas! Remember....the reason for the season and every day throughout the year....Christ!

I'm BAAAAACK...and Recipe #A18 Pumpkin Bread

Well, I know it's been a while since my last post. Between weekend outings and soccer games, my weeks have been quite full. I did, however, want to take some time out before working on my next post "Day 3 of Disney Trip" to share my recipe for Pumpkin Bread. I made some of this the other day, half the recipe in an 8x8 loaf pan and the other as muffins. Man, is this bread good. Not only good, but of course free from all Kevin's allergies....which also means no cholesterol and less on fat and calories. It also makes the house smell so festive....Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons nutmeg
3 cups sugar
1 ½ cup canned pumpkin
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons water, 4 tablespoons oil, 4 teaspoons baking
powder*

Topping
2 tablespoons soy butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

*Combine the water, oil and baking powder in a small bowl until powder dissolves and ingredients fizz. Set aside.

Grease and flour 2 - 9” loaf pans. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Add canned pumpkin, oil, water and egg substitute. Mix only until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before removing from pans, cool on wire rack. While loaves are warm, brush with melted soy butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Makes 2 – 9” loaves

Disney - Day 2 at Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge

OK, so Day 2 started off nice and early. We waited forever in the bus line to go to the Magic Kingdom before opting out and hitching a ride to Epcot. We needed to get some autographs for Kevin's book and they are always at the Character Spot. So we headed to Epcot and got some great pictures and autographs.

Here's our favorite Disney character....Donald...

Of course, Mickey was there too...

And if Mickey's there, then so is Minnie...

Don't you love the way Pluto signs a book...

So, as soon as we had gotten all the autographs (Goofy wasn't there), we boarded the monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. Kevin loved riding the monorail...

As soon as you walked into the Magic Kingdom, you could tell that it was Fall. The had all the areas decorated for the Halloween shows. I wanted to get some of the picture windows that were decorated, but with the streets so crowded and we were constantly on the go, I didn't. Maybe next year...

As you can see over the castle, there was a huge chance of rain. Of course, we didn't mind that at all. It was so hot, something around 95 degrees....probably closer to 100 with the heat index. So, once it did start to rain, boy did it feel good...

This was the Move It, Shake It Celebrate It Street Party. So cool....

Waiting in line to ride Pirates of the Caribbean (I was looking for Johnny Depp)...

Splash Mountain....great way to cool off....

This is the Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade. We were dripping with sweat, but Kevin had a blast. We even had dancers stop in the middle of the parade and wish Ken and I a happy anniversary. They really make you feel special...

Here is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Kevin loved it and so did we...

It's a small world ride. I remember riding this when I was 13...

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride. It was nice just to sit back, relax and be in the shade for a while...

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh....

The Haunted Mansion. Ken and I loved this ride, Kevin didn't really care for it much (I think it scared him). I wanted to ride it at the Halloween party, but I ended up sick and didn't feel like it. Just my luck, huh?

It was getting late and we had reservations for dinner in another resort. So, as we were leaving, I caught a glimpse of the Castle at night....kind of spooky....

So, we climbed aboard a boat and rode over to the Wilderness Lodge. Let me tell you, if we could afford it, this is the place we'd stay. You feel like you are in some national park out west...

Tonight, dinner was at the Whispering Canyon. Chef Eddie was incredible! He made Kevin feel so great and really put our worries to ease. During dinner, they also announced that it was our anniversary, had us stand up and everyone yell "congratulations", and then surprised us with 2 glasses of champagne on the house. Oh, and the food was great too! We will definitely eat here again, probably a couple of times during the next stay.

Well, that was the end of our second day at Disney. By day 2, this is already one of the best trips we had ever been on. Too bad you just can't live IN Disney. Spending all day acting like a kid, playing, relaxing, eating....sounds pretty good to me. Well, better catch a ride back to the Sports Resort and get some rest. Until the next day...

Disney...Day 1 at Epcot

Well, we've been back for more than a few weeks and I'm just now getting my pics downloaded. I am going to try to post a new day of our trip at least a few times a week, time permitting.

What a great trip! Ken and I agreed that this is the best trip we have ever been on. We are planning, economy permitting, that we will make this a yearly thing. I wish we were heading back this weekend. We were so worn out, but it was well worth it.

Here is a pic of our resort, All Star Sports Resort. It was a value resort, but still very nice. Had tons to do there, including several pools, playgrounds, play areas for the kids (and adults), an arcade, a huge restaurant/eatery, and a nice shop. We may try to move up to a moderate resort next time. The rooms will be bigger and the beds go from doubles up to queens. Also, the only other downside to a value resort.....crowds. I heard someone say that all of the All Star resorts were sold out. This in the last week of September, which is supposed to be Disney's slowest time.

Here's our room....RM 7121

Some of the cute towel designs left for us daily...

Our bathroom (done in sports wallpaper)...

Kevin doing his happy dance. If you know my child, he does this dance when words are just not enough to explain his happiness...

Ken and I had been buying Disney stuff for several months to put in a bag and hide in the room as a surprise for Kevin's first trip there. He was so excited...

This is the play area right outside our room. Kevin had a blast climbing on all the X's and O's....

The huge helmets, Coke cups, footballs and surfboards were amazing....

So, we drove half way the day before, which allowed us to arrive at Disney before 3pm. We were all so excited that once we got unpacked, we hit Epcot. We had dinner reservations that night at Teppan Edo in the Japanese section of The World. So, we decided, we would just go there and spend the rest of the day. What a blast! I remember going to Epcot when I was around 13, but I don't remember it being this fun. We started out at Spaceship Earth. The lines were only around 10 minute waits, so it was wonderful.

Kevin was happy we finally get to ride some rides...

Ken and I were happy that we were finally able to get to Disney....

This was one of Kevin's favorite rides, The Seas with Nemo...we rode it 3 times....

This is the aquarium that you get to walk around after your ride on Nemo...

Kevin found some bunnies....they were everywhere in Epcot...

A view across the lake in Epcot to The World....

Kevin's first meal in a restaurant....EVER! We ate at Teppan Edo. It's like a Kanpii type restaurant where they cooked the food at your table. Disney is great on dealing with food allergies. This made our trip even more special (and I didn't have to cook)...

Here's Ken wearing Kevin's chef's hat the restaurant gave him for his birthday. Ken forgot his glasses in the room, so not only was it dark outside, but with the hat he looks like he's had too much to drink....but he didn't...

After dinner, the park was closed, so there were no people around. We were able to walk around The World showcase and enjoy the evening. Here is a shot of the Earth as we were leaving...

This was a great day! Next up...Day 2 at the Magic Kingdom!

Food Allergy Camp and Recipe #A17 Corn Fritters

Busy Busy Busy....that's how our life has been the past couple of weeks. We knew September was going to be rushed, but boy has things flown by. It seems like yesterday we had 108 days till the Disney trip....now we are down to 7 days! Not only that, but Food Allergy Camp has come and gone. We had a wonderful time, but are so sad that it will be another year before we can hopefully attend again. After the photos, I have posted a great recipe....Corn Fritters! I love corn fritters....well, any fritter will do. But these are so good....and better for you than the original (<:

As for camp, what a great time. The theme this weekend was Pirates and Princess. We got to see a lot of our friends from last year, and we made many more new friends. We also got to go fishing and they had an unbelievable Treasure Hunt for the kids. Of course, we adults had just as great of a time. The camp staff spread gold and silver coins all throughout the camp area in the grass, along with gold and silver painted rocks. We all ran around like mad finding these things and putting them in our bags. Then Kevin got to take his loot to a "bank" and trade it in for play money. Then, with the play money, he got to walk around a little "town" and spend it. He got tons of toys (5 Ty Beanie Babies, squirt guns, Frisbees, 3 Bug's Life stuffed animals, bubble guns, etc. ), he could get his fortune read, tattoos, soak a counselor, etc. It was so much fun. Most of us spent the whole next day looking for more coins in the grass! That seemed to be more fun than anything. I had such a great time walking around with a group of young kids, pointing out loot and watching them run screaming towards it. But not only was the activities a blast, but the food....wonderful! The staff really took extra precautions to make sure that we all had ingredient labels, no cross contamination, and tons of options for various allergies. Ken and I were so stuffed by Sunday! Here's some photos of our weekend...

There was bowling...

fishing...

boating....

dancing....

great food....

face and body painting at the treasure hunt....

swimming....

and all the loot that Kevin got from the treasure hunt...

It was a great time!

Kevin has his first soccer game tomorrow. He missed last week due to camp, and he'll miss the next 2 following due to Disney. Hopefully the weather will hold out and we can get in one game at least. He's so excited. I'll try to post pictures as soon as possible.

Here is the recipe....

Corn Fritters

½ cup bread flour
½ cup self-rising flour
2 tbls soy milk
1 tbls melted soy butter
¼ cup cream style corn
2 tbls sugar
1 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoons baking
powder*
½ tsp baking powder
Cooking oil

Preheat oil in heavy saucepan or fryer to 350.

*Combine the water, oil and baking powder in a small bowl until powder dissolves and ingredients fizz. Set aside.
Mix soy milk, water-oil-baking powder mixture, soy butter, and corn. Stir in dry ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful into hot oil, fry until golden brown.

Makes 12 fritters

I may not have time to post next week. Since we leave on Friday the 25th for out trip, I will be very busy this week washing and packing. I will, however, post as soon as we get back from our trip, including pictures....lots and lots of pictures. Until then, have a great weekend!