Dazzle Dogs restaurant in Lawrenceville, GA #Dazzledogs

David and I found the funnest, most unique place to eat a few months ago!

Dazzle Dogs is tucked next to a gas station on Braselton Highway in Lawrenceville, Ga.  It's a small place, and you'll want to either order ahead by phone, or be ok with waiting.  You will wait for a while! But trust us, the food is worth the wait!

They have some really cool gourmet hot dog options here.  My favorite is the St. Bernard - a hot dog with chili, cheese and fritos!  The Georgia Bulldog is topped with pulled pork, coleslaw and barbeque sauce.  Yum!  The fries are hand cut and absolutely delicious!  They also make hamburgers, hoagies and Philly cheesesteaks, plus wings.

St. Bernard Dog 

But the real claim to fame at Dazzle Dogs are the Dazzle shakes.  They are massive, completely overflowing with the most amazing treats.  David got the Oreo Dazzle Shake and oh. my. goodness! It's $11.99 and you will agree it's worth every penny.  They come in plastic cups so you can take it to go if you need to.  (You will!)

This oreo shake also has mini oreos embedded in frosting covered with oreo crumbs on the rim of the cup, oreos, marshmallows, a big slice of oreo cheesecake AND behind that, a giant Oreo ice cream sandwich.  Plus an oreo milkshake under it all!! 

We took a few pics - but you've GOT to check them out for yourself!! Like I said, be prepared to wait.  We waited over 30 minutes for our fries and hot dog, and almost an hour for the milkshake.  But we knew from reviews that there would be a wait, so we were prepared for it! I said it before, but it really is worth waiting for - delish, unique food will be your reward!

Go here to see the menu and ways you can customize the Dazzle shakes!

Dazzle Dogs is located at 1925 Braselton Highway in Lawrenceville, Ga.  They are open every day except Sunday.  You can find them on Facebook (@Dazzle Dogs restaurant)  and Instagram (@DogDazzle)

If you have been, share your experience in the comments below!!

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle Giveaway and Back to School Drive! #MTFAN *ended*

Medieval Times Atlanta Castle ~ Family 4 pack GIVEAWAY! 

photo credit ~ Medieval Times Atlanta

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament’s Atlanta Castle is dedicated to “Chivalry in Action” and in honor of this philanthropic mission, they need our help for their largest-ever back to school drive.

For the first time ever, they will be providing 750 book bags to 15 pre-selected Atlanta-Area Schools!

So how can you help?  If you are local you can drop off new school supplies at their Sugarloaf Mills location - 5900 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville GA 30043

Now through July 28th, guests who donate at least one unused school supply per ticket when visiting the Atlanta castle will receive up to $22.00 off their adult-priced tickets. Guest must show proof of donated items upon arrival at the Box Office.  Such a great way to help local kids be prepared for back to school! #ChivalryinAction

Want to win a family 4 pack of your own to visit Medieval Times Atlanta?  

Enter via rafflecopter below!! 

The person who will be donating the most supplies to this awesome back to school drive wins the family 4 pack of tickets!! Woohoo! (Minimum of 1 supply per person/ticket)

To be eligible you must be local to Atlanta, and be able to visit Medieval Times by July 28, 2019.  I will notify the winner on the 24th and you have 24 hours to confirm that you can attend.  Of course, you will need to take your school supply donation when you visit MT, too! You'll get a fun night out, and local kids will get much-needed school supplies! 

I'll be attending Medieval Times with my friend Dana and our daughters next week.  Follow me on IG, FB and Twitter to watch all the fun!! I've got some awesome school supplies to donate, too! 

Comments are not working for some reason, so please enter via Rafflecopter and I will pick a winner from there - so sorry for the issues blogger is having! 

Travel - Things to do in the Outer Banks!

After spending a long weekend in the picturesque villages along the Outer Banks, I can't believe it took me this long to visit!  Yes, it is a 10-hour drive from the north side of metro Atlanta, but it is truly worth every minute it takes to get there!  We only went for 4 nights but we should have stayed at least a full week - there was so much more to see!

On our first day, we went to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, which is located on Roanoke Island, in Manteo.  It was about a 15-minute drive from Kill Devil Hills. 

Earthen walls are all that remain of Fort Raleigh

Fort Raleigh is where the Lost Colony was last seen.  If you don't know this story, it is fascinating.  And over 400 years later, it is still America's longest unsolved mystery. 

Schedule your visit to the site so that you can take part in the Ranger talk.  The Ranger has great information about the history of the Fort and shares some of the possible theories of what happened to the Lost Colony.  You can walk out back and see the ruins of the original earthen walls of the fort.  The Visitor's Center has a wonderful exhibit about the history of the area, as well.  We spent about 2 hours there and enjoyed it so much! 

Down by the water, if you're there during the season, you can watch a live performance of The Lost Colony.  This Friday, May 31, they open for their 82nd season!  I hope to go back in the next year or two and see this! Here's the FB page for the play.

While you're on Manteo, visit the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It's really close to Fort Raleigh.   The prices are affordable, and it's a great aquarium! We really enjoyed the Turtle rescue/hospital area, and the sting ray touch tank!  The jellyfish and sea horses are always my favorites at every aquarium, and this one didn't disappoint!  There are plenty of interactive displays for both little and big kids. 

Outside there is a long pier to walk on, a dinosaur fossil dig, and other cool things to see! A great place to visit for a few hours, for sure!!

I hope you enjoyed these fun things to do! Click the links for pages or websites to get all the information!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let a robot serve you lunch at Big Bang Pizza!

My son just completed his first year of high school, so yesterday we went out to celebrate!

I saw Big Bang Pizza on Good Day Atlanta several months ago, and put it on my list of places to check out.  So glad we did!

Located at 3043 Buford Highway in Brookhaven, the building is in the back of a parking lot, sort of behind another building.  We missed it the first go round and had to u-turn and go back.  When we walked inside, we were greeted by a small robot named Pepper.  She is adorable, and you can choose different things for her to do from the tablet on her chest.  She can tell you a story, dance for you, or even take a selfie with you!

Order at the counter, and then pick a seat and put your number on the table.  A few minutes later, one of the larger server robots will deliver your food on a tray right to your table!

The dining room is large and bright, and they play fun, upbeat music.  If you order a fountain drink, Jones Soda Company sodas will be your choices!  David got Berry Lemonade and I had Root Beer.  For our lunch, I chose the pizza with a side salad, and he just got pizza. 

My pizza had meatballs, pepperoni and green olives and it was so perfect! Crispy crust, just the way I like it.  My side salad was loaded with veggies and had creamy Italian dressing.  David had cheese pizza and proclaimed it to be amazing! 

Before we left, we refilled our drinks and purchased ice pops from a little freezer by the door.  We both got the Oreo pops and oh my goodness were they ever refreshing!  It was a great lunch at a fun little place!! I hope we can go back again this summer!

Travel - Where to eat in the Outer Banks off-season

I've been home from our trip for two weeks now, and my heart still yearns for the beauty of the Outer Banks.  So to help, I'm revisiting our trip here on the blog!

Because we went during the off-season, a lot of places were closed.  But we were able to find some great places while we were there!

My son and I don't eat seafood, but my husband does.  I researched restaurants online before we went so that I could find places that would have food we would all enjoy!

Our first night, we planned to eat at Barefoot Bernie's.  They were PACKED!  So, we went across the street to a little place called Max's Pizza Co.  So glad we decided to try them out!  The owner was so friendly and told us everything is made homemade from scratch.  My husband ordered a calzone, I tried a club panini, and our son had pizza.  It was delicious! And we shared tiramisu for dessert.  Yum!!  Check them out: https://www.maxspizzaobx.com/Home


The next day we were able to visit Barefoot Bernie's. Yay!! It was as good as the reviews I'd read promised!  We started out with a side of crispy onion tanglers. Delish!  For dinner, I had a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich with fries, my son had a chicken sandwich and my husband had the El Chupacabra tacos. The food here was different and tasted fantastic! The menu has lots of fun offerings, sure to please everyone!

Click on pics to see larger image! 

You can find more about Barefoot Bernie's here! (Literally located right across the street from Max's Pizza Co!)  The vibe here was beachy and fun.  We really enjoyed it!

That's all for today!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Check out Medieval Times ATL for Spring Break! #MTFan #MedievalTimesAtlanta

We were able to visit Medieval Times Atlanta on Sunday night for a wonderful show and delicious dinner!  We're so lucky to have Medieval Times here in metro Atlanta - it's a great place for a fun family night out, or to celebrate events or groups!

Haven't been to Medieval Times yet? Oh my goodness!! You need to go!! We like to arrive about 30 minutes before the show starts. When you arrive you'll get cards showing your color for the evening, and crowns for everyone to wear.  You can get your picture taken with the King and Princess, and enjoy drinks for the whole family at the bar.  Then they begin seating guests.  VIP's get seated first - you can upgrade your dinner ticket to several package options.   We were seated after the VIPs, and found we were in the center, red and gold section.  We enjoyed cheering for our knight! It was a great night - ours won the tournament, too!

Our server was so much fun.  Her name was Chelsea and she was a hoot! She started out by filling our drinks.  You choose from Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sweet Tea, Unsweet Tea or Water.  (Or you can order a drink from the bar!)  Then she served us soup, followed by garlic bread, roasted chicken, potatoes and corn on the cob.  Dessert was a lemon pound cake, served with coffee.   If your family doesn't like eating with their hands, be sure to pack some plastic cutlery!! And don't forget to tip your server appropriately- they work hard taking care of guests during the show!  You'll have the chance to purchase your photo with the King, plus banners, light-up swords and such, and banners while you eat dinner.

A toast from the King!

The show was spectacular, as always! The knights put on quite a show.  The horses are beautiful and magnificent to watch.  The Falcon was awesome too.  My 13-year-old always loves visiting Medieval Times because of the adventurous, action-packed show the knights provide!  Despite the fact that he's been several times before, he's always amazed by the skill shown by the knights as they joust and sword fight.   It's fun for kids of all ages, and parents will be entertained, as well.

We had several younger kids seated around on this visit, and it was so much fun to watch them enjoying the show for the first time - the wonder and joy in their eyes is wonderful to behold!  Hang out after the show and you can meet the knights, get photos with them, and they'll even sign your crown or banner!

There's a great gift shop you can check out before or after the show, too.  Lots of fun souvenirs to choose from.

Are you planning to stay in town for Spring Break?  Medieval Times would love to have you and your family join them for dinner and a show in the Castle!  They are offering discounted tickets to my readers - You can get Adult tickets for $37.95, and Kids & Students get in for $29.95 with code SB17BLOG.

Visit their site to get your tickets now, and enjoy Spring Break at Medieval Times Atlanta!

Have you been to Medieval Times before?  What did you think? Leave a comment below this post and let us know your thoughts!




We were hosted by Medieval Times for dinner - no other compensation was received.  All opinions in this review are my own! 

Giveaway: I'm Going to Give You a Bear Hug #BearHugs #FlyBy

I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug!, written by bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney, is a playful and comforting bedtime book that imagines all the wonderful ways a child might give and receive a hug.

Whether it’s a big bear, gasp for air, knock over a chair hug or a wet and drippy, slimy, slippy fish hug, children will giggle their way through all the imaginative examples. Cooney’s sweet and simple rhymes encourage playful interaction between parent and child and ultimately help them wind down before they snuggle into bed and drift off to sleep.

I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug is a sweet, loving bedtime story book that is also sure to become a Valentine’s Day favorite for little ones who enjoy celebrating a day full of hugs and kisses from loved ones. I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug will be available in hardcover for $16.99 in retail stores nationwide.

This book is adorable.  I loved the illustratons showing all different types of hugs!  It's fun, silly, and sweet.  The pictures are precious and complement the silly rhymes and will prepare your kiddos for bedtime and sweet dreams.

About the Author: Caroline B. Cooney was born in New York, grew up in Connecticut, and now lives in South Carolina. Caroline is the author of 90 Young Adult novels in many genres, and her books have sold over fifteen million copies. I’m Going to Give You a Bear Hug is her first picture book. It’s based on a verse she wrote for her own children, Louisa, Sayre and Harold, who are grown now.

About the Illustrator: Tim Warnes has been illustrating children's books for twenty years. He lives in Dorset, England, with his wife, children's illustrator Jane Chapman, and their two sons. When he's not drawing little critters, Tim loves to write, watch birds and play his banjo.  Visit Tim at www.ChapmanandWarnes.com

Zonderkidz™, the children’s division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. As the leader in Christian children's communications, it creates products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 14. Zonderkidz is also publisher of the NIrV (New International Reader’s Version) Bible translation, the third grade reading level edition of the NIV. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Zondervan is a world-leading Bible publisher and provider of Christian communications. Zondervan, as part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., delivers transformational Christian experiences through its bestselling Bibles, books, curriculum, academic resources and digital products. The Company’s products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Zondervan offices are located in Grand Rapids, MI. For additional information, please visit www.zondervan.com.

Want to win a copy of this for your family?  Enter through my rafflecopter widget below!

Chef Mickey's Buffet Review - Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World

On our recent trip to Walt Disney World, one of the places we wanted to try was Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary.  So many times on the monorail, we've zipped through this beautiful hotel and glimpsed Chef Mickey's down below.  So we wanted to experience it for ourselves!  Back in June, I was able to get a 9:15 pm reservation for our first night at Disney. Because yes - you have to make reservations that far ahead!! But it was oh so worth it!

We spent our first afternoon here at the Magic Kingdom, then went back to the hotel to shower and change for dinner.  We decided to drive to the hotel and parked there before taking the elevator up to the restaurant.   We got to the hostess stand right at 9:15.

They gave us a pager, and we waited in the lobby for about 10 minutes to be seated - they had a photographer available for pictures, too.

We had a wonderful waiter named Glen who told us about the buffet and took our drink orders.
The main buffet had salads, breads, and lots of entrees and sides.  My choices were sloppy joes without the bun, polenta, green beans with a dab of butter, short ribs, grilled chicken with a little honey mustard, and some carved turkey breast.  There was also some salad under the ribs, ha!

My son chose chicken, chicken nuggets, bread, and macaroni and cheese.  We thought everything was really good.  Our waiter was great about removing empty plates and refilling our drinks before we had to ask.

He noticed we had our birthday buttons on (I got them at the check-in desk at Pop Century), and surprised us with a birthday card signed by all of the characters, plus a cupcake to share!

And speaking of characters:

Dessert was awesome - they had so many things to choose from!  I didn't take pictures of all the options.  David had ice cream with candy on top.  I chose these three mini desserts!  The key lime tart was my favorite!

The restaurant has plenty of room, and the decor is bright and fun.  After dinner we walked around the hotel a bit and looked at this huge Frozen gingerbread castle!  The Christmas decorations were beautiful.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had the free dining plan, so we had a free table service meal for each day of our stay. So this meal only cost us the 20% tip we left!  Without the dining plan, our dinner would have cost $106.50!  I highly recommend the dining plan if you want to have lots of character meals!

We truly enjoyed this restaurant and the character interactions.  It was a lot of fun and we'll definitely be back next time we visit The Magic Kingdom!  Here is a link to the menu if you want to see more of what they offer!

Stay tuned for more Disney posts coming soon!

Save $100 on family-friendly Hawaii vacations with Pleasant Holidays - USFG's new travel partner!

I am so excited! I just learned that US Family Guide has partnered with Pleasant Holidays, a leading provider of package vacations. They're based in the U.S. and have great deals on family vacations worldwide - Hawaii, contiguous United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Costa Rica, Europe, Tahiti, Fiji and more. They can also book complete cruise vacations with airfare, onboard accommodations, and pre- and post-cruise hotel stays for vacations where everyone can relax and enjoy.

Pleasant Holidays is new to US Family Guide, but has been partnering with hotels and resorts for more than 55 years to get great offers you cannot book anywhere else. When you're planning to explore close to home or farther afield, make them your one-stop-shop for everything you need: flights, accommodations, car rentals, ground transfers, exciting activities and tours, and travel protection coverage to protect your travel investment (because if parenthood has taught us one thing, it's to expect the unexpected). And unlike some other online travel providers, they have in-destination customer assistance should you need it.

They've currently got a great deal on Hawaii vacations that saves you $100 per booking. Select from 26 hotels and resorts on the four most popular islands: Oahu, Maui, Kauai and island of Hawaii. Explore the exciting sights of Oahu, including world-famous Waikiki Beach and historic Pearl Harbor. Watch the sun rise from the slopes of a dormant volcano on Maui. Snorkel, hike, kayak, surf, experience Polynesian culture and more. This deal is valid on new vacations booked by 10/30/16 for select travel through 6/30/17 that include roundtrip airfare from the continental United States and a stay of five nights or longer at a participating hotel or resort. The $100 savings is per booking and taken at time of booking - no waiting! For more information or reservations visit www.PleasantHolidays.com, call 1-800-837-5154 or contact your travel agent.

Be sure to keep an eye on my blog! I'll be sharing more great deals for memorable family vacations from Pleasant Holidays soon!

Giveaway & Review: We The People Fight Tyranny Game

Hey y'all!

Hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend.  We had my daughter and son-in-law over for a cookout.  After we ate lunch, my daughter, son and I played a super-fun new game that I received to review last week!

We opened the box and set up the board - it's BIG!  There are several different types of cards and several decks of trivia cards as well. (more about these cards below) We started by reading the instructions and picking our colored pawns for playing.  Then David (he was the Game Czar!) chose identity cards for each of us. These cards determine each player's occupation, salary, family members and vehicle for the game.  I was not too happy with my card - he got me good!

We love a good board game and this one didn't disappoint! We laughed a lot during the game, and had a great time playing.  I was surprised that I knew a good number of the trivia questions (but not always the ones I got on my turn, ha ha!)  I think our game took about an hour to play before Katie was declared the winner. David came in second place and Mom came in last - wahh!

We can't wait to play again - it was so much fun and the trivia questions are great! We all learned things while playing this game.  Some of the questions we encountered were about religion, historical events and figures, Supreme Court cases, and the Constitution.

Oh, and the "Social Justice" cards are hilarious! They show you how ridiculous an intrusive government is to our society, and teach players about modern day tyranny.  The "Disappoint Big Brother" cards represent ways "We the People" can restore America.  This game WILL spark conversations about our government and changes that are needed!  My kids and I already talk about that often, but the game really encourages discussion!

If you homeschool, this makes a great history resource.  Heck, even if you DON'T homeschool, it's great!  It's meant for 3 - 8 players, and ages 15 and up.  David is 12 and he surprised me with how many trivia questions he could answer.  So I think some younger kids would do just fine playing this game!  Oh, and another great thing - this game is MADE IN THE USA!

Visit the website to learn more about the game, or to purchase your own copy!

I am so excited that the game designers are sponsoring a giveaway of We The People Fight Tyranny. This giveaway has a retail value of $56.99 but they are going to send one of my readers a FREE game!  Isn't that awesome? 

All you have to do is enter through my rafflecopter widget below.  Make sure you complete the mandatory entries (one of which includes leaving a comment below this post) so your bonus entries will count!  Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Travel - Our fun trip to West Volusia County, Florida! #WestVolusiaFL #VisitWestVolusia #LoveFL

It's been several weeks since we got home, but I'm still dreaming of all the beautiful places we saw on our trip.

One highlight was the amazing Florida Cheese Festival in historic downtown DeLand.  This was the first annual Florida Cheese Festival, so keep an eye on the calendar  and on the website to see when next year's will be. It's so worth the drive from N. Georgia to spend a weekend there!

Click on picture to see larger version!

Just imagine: Cheese, beer, cheese, wine, cheese, cheese, music, Florida!  The delicious cheese samples were from all around the world: Switzerland, Germany, England, Spain, Italy, and Norway, to name a few of the countries represented.  All of our samples were served with crackers.  My favorites included the classic sharp cheddar pimento cheese, emmentaler cut swiss, brie and creamy havarti.  YUM!  

We did have a little rain and wind at the beginning, but it soon cleared up and we were able to visit each of the tents that lined the street.  Each tent represented a country and offered their samples.  We bought some chocolate dipped strawberries from a scout troop that had a tent there. They had a wine garden, bar truck and beer available, too. And even live music.  Plus, you are just a few steps away from many restaurants and shops in downtown DeLand, so you can really make a day of it! Just keep your festival wristband on and you can come back to the festival after you eat and shop downtown!

We went to nearby Daytona Beach after we enjoyed the Festival for a while.  It's a short drive away. Then we drove north on A1A to look at some of the pretty little beach towns.  I love that area! The surf was really high that day; they had the red warning flags out, so no swimming.  We just walked on the beach and took lots of pictures!

One thing we didn't have time to do during our visit was the Persimmon Hollow Quest in downtown DeLand.  It sounds like so much fun, and we'll make sure to do this on our next trip.  You follow a series of clues through downtown DeLand.  There are also GPS coordinates given if you'd rather do this as a geocache search.   The clues are fun to decipher, but also educational! For example, did you know that DeLand was originally called Persimmon Hollow because of all the persimmon trees that were there?  This treasure hunt will be fun for the entire family!

Also on my list for our next visit: The Museum of Art - DeLand, the Stetson Mansion and the DeBary Hall Historic Site.  Those are all part of the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor in West Volusia County.  There are plenty of other museums and historical sites, plus parks, trails and the Lyonia Environmental Center and Preserve. So much to do in West Volusia county!

Ready to go to pack your bags and head to West Volusia to check out all the parks, springs and fun things to do?  Start by ordering your free copy of their Visitor's Guide.   Then visit the West Volusia Tourism Bureau site for much more information about planning your visit!

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter - you will find out all the latest news there.  And mark your calendar and join the West Volusia Tourism Bureau at 9 pm on May 31 for a Twitter party!

It's such a great place to get outdoors and explore Florida.  And it's affordable, too! A vacation to DeLand, Deltona or DeBary won't break the bank, but it will provide fantastic memories and beautiful places for your family to enjoy.


Our thanks again to the West Volusia Tourism Bureau for hosting us on our fantastic 3 night/4 day trip last month.  We had such an amazing time exploring a beautiful part of Florida!  All opinions about the trip here on my blog are my own.