IKEA's Annual Swedish Easter Buffet - tickets available now! #AllYouCanEatATL

IKEA Celebrates Spring with Annual Swedish Easter Buffet

Tickets to Easter Smörgåsbord Available for $16.99 Adults / $4.99 Kids 12 & Under; Discounted Prices for IKEA FAMILY* Members

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (February 22, 2016) – IKEA welcomes everyone to celebrate the dawn of spring with Påskbord, a Swedish smörgåsbord buffet celebrating the Easter holiday. Join IKEA for an all-you-can-eat buffet at stores** across the country on Friday, March 18, 2016.  Guests can enjoy a traditional meal of classic Swedish food offerings, such as Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes, smoked salmon, Swedish ham, and much more at their nearest IKEA Restaurant**. Tickets to the buffet for IKEA FAMILY members cost $12.99 per person or $2.99 for kids 12 and under; for non-IKEA FAMILY members, the cost is $16.99 per person or $4.99 for kids 12 and under.

“Food is a staple for celebrating with family and friends,” said Patricia Meumann, IKEA Food Manager. “In Sweden, Påskbord is a food tradition that brings people together to celebrate spring and the Easter holiday. We look forward to sharing this tradition and our Swedish heritage with our customers.”

The IKEA Påskbord menu*** includes:

First Course
Assorted herring
Gravad lax with mustard sauce
Marinated salmon with mustard sauce
Smoked salmon with horseradish sauce
Poached salmon

Second Course
Assorted Swedish cheeses
Tossed salad
Cucumber salad
Crispbread, crisp rolls, soft bread and thin bread

Third Course
Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes
Jansson’s temptation
Swedish ham
Prinskorv

Desserts & Beverages
Assorted Swedish desserts and cookies
Fountain beverages and hot beverages

Seating is limited, so those who are interested are encouraged to purchase tickets early at their local IKEA store. To locate and contact the nearest IKEA store for more details – including local seating times – visit the “Store Locator” page on www.IKEA-USA.com.

For those who are not able to make it to the event, they can still bring Swedish Easter traditions home! Visit the Swedish Food Market in IKEA U.S. stores to purchase select items from the Påskbord menu, including KÖTTBULLAR Swedish meatballs, or to explore, find and try ingredients for other Swedish recipes, such as  salmon and avocado salad.

SALMON & AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients & Supplies
500g LAX FILÉ salmon fillet
2 avocados
Approx. 5.25 oz. haricots verts
Mixed green salad
1 lime
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Paprika
Chili powder

Directions
Bring 1 quart of lightly salted water to boil. Boil the haricots verts for 2 min., then keep under running water until cool.
Heat a frying pan or grill pan.
Season the defrosted salmon fillets with salt, black pepper, paprika and chili.
Grill each side of the salmon fillets for approx. 1 minute, high heat. Leave to cool.
Turn the beans with the green salad in a bowl and add olive oil, salt and black pepper. Squeeze half a lime in the bowl.
Distribute the contents of the bowl on 4 plates and add pieces of the equivalent of half an avocado to each plate.
Cut salmon fillets into smaller pieces and distribute on the salad on each plate and serve. Add an optional sauce, for example SÅS PEPPARROT horseradish sauce.

*IKEA FAMILY is a benefits program that offers membership perks including special product discounts, sneak previews, free coffee and tea in the IKEA Restaurant, and more.  Consumers can sign up for the free program online or in-store.
**Not available at the IKEA Carson store.
***Menu is subject to change due to product availability.

About IKEA
Since its 1943 founding in Sweden, IKEA has offered home furnishings of good design and function at low prices so the majority of people can afford them. here are currently more than 360 IKEA stores in 47 countries, including 40 in the U.S. IKEA incorporates sustainability into day-to-day business and supports initiatives that benefit children and the environment. For more information see IKEA-USA.com, @IKEAUSANews, @IKEAUSA or IKEAUSA on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest.

Giveaway: The Legend of The Easter Robin ~ children's book

I have the sweetest Easter book to share with y'all today! It is perfect for reading with your little ones, and I think it will make a precious new Easter tradition.  Filled with lovely full color illustrations, I hope you will love it as much as I do.

About this book:

In the center of the nest lay one perfect egg, the color of a spring sky. The father robin sat on a branch nearby, guarding his family. Tressa spotted raccoon tracks below and a blue jay eyeing the nest. “Gran, how are we going to keep the egg safe?” “We’ll have to leave that one to the Creator,” Gran said. Robins have built a nest on the window ledge at Grandmother’s house! Tressa is thrilled―and concerned. What will happen to the sky-blue egg laid by the mother robin? As more eggs appear, Tressa witnesses the daily drama of the robins’ nest and learns how God cares for all creatures. Besides watching the birds, there are Easter eggs to color. And there is a very special story to hear―a tale of long ago about one small bird with a very big heart. How did the robin get its red breast? Tressa is about to find out as Gran tells her the story of the Easter robin. Brought to life with colorful, tender illustrations, The Legend of the Easter Robin will captivate and teach your child about compassion and faith.

Age Range: 4-8 years
Hardcover; 32 pages
Publish Date: January 26, 2016

Check out the official book trailer here!


I have a copy of this beautiful children's book to give away to one of you! There are several easy entries in my rafflecopter widget to make it easy and fast for you to enter.  Good luck!  (Make sure to complete the mandatory entry - otherwise none of your other entries will count, and I'll have to pick another winner!)  PS: The date in the image at the top of this post is incorrect, contest actually ends 3/3/16!

Georgia Renaissance Festival - 2013

Well, I really wanted to share the pictures I took at the Festival in this review, but I am having issues with my camera!  I wanted to get this up asap so that those interested will still have time to visit before the Festival ends in early June!  So here it is, with a couple pictures from the Festival's site & FB page.  If I am able to retrieve the photos from my camera, I will update this with them later....

The Georgia Renaissance Festival is open Saturdays & Sundays (plus Memorial Day!) now through June 2, 2013.  Hours are 10:30 am to 6:00 pm.   Click here for directions!  Ticket information is here. Parking is FREE! Wear your walking shoes - the Festival grounds are situated on 32 acres!

Next weekend is Mother's Day & Sweet Treat Weekend:
On Mother’s Day, Moms can shop, feast and be honored on her special day!  On Sunday, the first 100 Moms through the gate will receive complimentary flowers!  Also check out the Royal Cupcake Wars Competition! 

May 18 & 19 is Arrrgh!! It's Pirates Weekend!
Scalawags and swashbucklers abound for a Pirate Hijinks Adventure!
For our Knights and Ladies on Bikes, show your motorcycle license at the box office and get $4.00 off adult tickets! (limit 2 purchases per license)

We went on opening day this year, and traffic was pretty heavy on the road leading to the Festival.  We were happy that there was no wait at the ticket area - we got inside the Festival grounds very quickly!  There is so much to see - it really feels like you have stepped back in time!   We saw knights, maidens, jesters, royalty and many other characters from the past.  It was really cool for David to see all these folks!  There were cool men on stilts that he just loved watching!  Once inside we walked back a bit and found a little stand that was offering free archery lessons. David loved giving that a try!   A little farther back he decided to try the Jacob's Ladder challenge.  We saw two tiny tots win money, but David didn't make it all the way up!  

There are games EVERYWHERE! Some of the things my son & husband tried:  Knife throwing, Star throwing,  Vegetable Justice (throw tomatoes at a heckler!), and the Test of Strength! They had a blast! David also did a few rides: the Corkscrew Slide, the Maze, and Junior Jousting! The rides & games cost between $1 and $5. There are ATM's on site, in case you need more cash!

David also enjoyed the kids area.  It has face painting, crafts, a fun playground, and juggling classes! There is also a petting zoo!

Some of the unique food items found at the Festival included fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, mac n cheese on a stick, Scotch eggs, and conch fritters, root beer floats, and apple dumpling sundaes!  We got smoothies and frozen lemonade to keep us cooled off.

Did you know that there are 150 shows EVERY day at the Festival?! I had no idea! Our favorite show this year was Adam Crack - Fire Whip Show.  Holding 7 Guinness World Records, including the most bullwhips cracks in one minute (253!)  and the fastest whip (10 targets in 4.53 seconds!) - you will be amazed at Adam & his whip!!

We always plan to see the Joust but have never been in that area at show time.  One day, we will see it!  We also liked Barely Balanced and also the Mud Show! There is so much to choose from entertainment-wise!  Here is the schedule for the shows at the Festival....

We also enjoyed the lively music of The Rogues, who were special guests that weekend.

The shops at the Renaissance Festival are awesome.  You can buy so much great stuff there.  We came home with herbs, tea, flavored honey sticks, a wooden dagger and shield for David, and pocket knives for both my husband and David.  If we'd had the money, I would have spent so much more! :)

Here is a listing of all of the shops at the Renaissance Festival.  There are also Artisan Demonstrations!

We enjoyed a wonderful, busy day at the Festival.   We can't wait til next year!   Please make plans to visit this gem of a Festival;  we are so lucky to have it come here to Atlanta!!   To keep up with all the promotions and fun of the festival, like them on Facebook!

Disclaimer: The Georgia Renaissance Festival provided me with two passes to the Festival so I could attend the Festival and review it here on the blog.  No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are my own! 


       

Titanic Iceberg Hunt ~ Atlantic Station 4/13/13

Atlanta friends, looking for something fun to do next weekend (April 13)? Check out this interactive scavenger hunt - 10 prizes (vouchers for 2 free tix to Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.) will be hidden in mini-icebergs!  Sounds like mucho fun!

WHO:             Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

WHAT:           Titanic, the world’s largest and most iconic Ship, sank on April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg. With 2013 as the 101-year anniversary, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is hosting an iceberg hunt around Atlantic Station. Participants will gather in Atlantic Station’s Central Park to hunt for ten mini-icebergs containing vouchers for two free tickets to the exhibition. 

 Clues will be Tweeted throughout the hunt via @RMS_Titanic_Inc with the hashtag #iceberghunt.    Visitors can also enjoy a live ice-sculpting demonstration, as a giant iceberg forms right before their eyes. Don't worry, if you aren’t able to find the icebergs, you can still purchase tickets at the Exhibition Box office, online at www.TitanicAtlanta.com or by calling 866-866-8265.

WHEN:           April 13, 1:00-3:00 p.m.

WHERE:         Atlantic Station – Central Park

                        18^th Street Northwest

                        Atlanta, GA 30363

                         

WEBSITE:      www.TitanicAtlanta.com 

Spring FUN Break at Stone Mountain Park!

Stone Mountain Park , Georgia’s No. 1 attraction, extends its Spring FUN Break event to two weeks of family-friendly shows and entertaining attractions to accommodate metro Atlanta school Spring Break calendars.

Spring FUN Break (SFB) begins the adventure with Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – The 4-D Experience. The 12-minute sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth engages guests through a 3-D film featuring spectacular 4-D special effects. Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) partners with his mom's husband (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) on a mission to find his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is thought to be missing on a mythical island. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they embark on an amazing voyage and find incredible beauty amidst grave danger.

Another new beginning at SFB is the opening of Campfire Grill. Half dining experience and half adventure, Campfire Grill embarks guests onto a camping trip where diners can hear the rustle of the woodland creatures, spot the soft glow of fireflies and almost feel the warmth from the campfire effects. At Campfire Grill, tables are called campsites, guests are campers and servers are camp counselors. “Campers” are tempted with signature menu items such as Campfire Skewers, Coca-Cola®Infused Ribs and warm Brownie S’Mores. The littlest campers can explore the paw prints on the tables and floors and create their own animal track crayon rubbings.

Returning to SFB is the popular Wildlife Wonders’ Animal Babies show. From a baby otter to kangaroo and bunnies, animal experts immerse guests in an educational and interactive animal encounter. After the show, kids can ask the animal experts questions and even touch some of the animals.

The Wake the Bear improv show also returns to SFB. Families in the audience steer the on-stage action when campers return to base camp only to realize it has become a favorite napping spot for a bear. The campers recruit the audience to help them drive the bear away and regain their campsite.

Plus, kids won’t want to miss April Fool’s Wacky Wonderland. The Easter Bunny and the April Fool teamed up to offer a dance party, crafts and other spring-time activities. The Easter Bunny will make appearances during the full two weeks of the SFB event. Also, younger spring breakers will love to clap and laugh along with a fearless adventurer as he tells of the remarkable expeditions during Adventure Tales storytelling.

Stone Mountain Park’s Adventure Pass guarantees a full day of fun with access to all of the Spring FUN Break activities plus all of Stone Mountain Park’s attractions such as the new Journey 2: The Mysterious Island – The 4-D Experience, Geyser Towers®, Sky Hike®, the Summit Skyride, the Great Locomotive Chase Adventure Golf, The Great Barn®, Scenic Railroad, the Antebellum Plantation & Farmyard and Memorial Hall Museum. Families may conclude the day with the Lasershow Spectacular in Mountainvision®. The Lasershow will be featured nightly during Spring FUN Break, March 30 - April 13 at 8:30 p.m.

Stone Mountain Park offers a variety of value-priced options for families to enjoy the park and the special SFB activities.

Adventure Pass

$28 Adults/$22 Children 3-11 (tax not included)

Includes all of the SFB activities and other popular attractions such as the new Journey 2: The

Mysterious Island – The 4-D Experience, Geyser Towers®, Sky Hike®, the Summit Skyride, the

Great Locomotive Chase Adventure Golf, The Great Barn®, Scenic Railroad, the Antebellum

Plantation & Farmyard and Memorial Hall Museum.

Mountain Membership Annual Pass

$56 Adults /$44 Children 3-11 (tax not included)

Pays for itself in two visits. An annual pass lets families come again and again throughout the

year to take advantage of the park’s attractions, special events and exclusive discounts.

Family Value Pass

$125 for a family of four (tax not included).

Saves families 30 percent. Sold exclusively online, pass includes Adventure Passes, meal tickets

and complimentary cups with unlimited refills all day.

Families may also enjoy great vacation and staycation accommodations right inside the Park at two Marriott hotels. Family Escape Packages, beginning at $189 a night, include a one-night stay at the Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort or Stone Mountain Inn, 2-day Adventure Passes and breakfast.

Listed in Frommer’s 500 Places to Visit with Your Kids Before They Grow Up and cited by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as one of “35 Natural Wonders in Georgia You Must See”, Stone Mountain Park is located 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. To get to the park, take I-285 to Exit 39B, Hwy. 78 East. Stone Mountain Park is Exit 8 on Hwy. 78. More information on Spring FUN Break, Stone Mountain Park attractions and hours of operation is available at www.stonemountainpark.com or by calling 770-498-5690.

Sounds like a blast, doesn't it!! Hope to see you there over Spring Break!! 

Aimee

Chick Fil A Kids Meal Giveaway & Old School Fun Widget!

Hey guys!!

Check out this very fun widget from Chick Fil A!  You can:

• Take a spin with their fun activities! Spin the wheel to get an endless amount of Old School Fun and games for the entire family! You’re just a spin away from creating awesome family memories!

• Take the Old School Fun Quiz! Are you a disco-dynamo or the bomb dot com? Take the throwback quiz to reminisce about the pop culture icons of your era!

This app gives you some great ideas for getting your family active in the great outdoors.  Super Fun!  Chick Fil A will give one of my readers a three pack of FREE kids meals ~ yay!  I love giving David Chick Fil A  ~ they offer several nutritious & tasty choices with the kids meals, and the food is always fresh and delicious! My picky son loves Chick Fil A Kids meals!

Use Rafflecopter widget below to enter this awesome giveaway!! (Click the read more link, then log in to Rafflecopter with Facebook or email.  Next,  follow the directions to enter.  I will draw my winner from the Rafflecopter comments after verifying you left a blog comment!)

On Day 4 of our juice fast!

Just a quick check in ~  We're on day 4 now.  I am feeling a little better, the hunger is not nearly as bad now! I've lost 7 lbs,  too!  That is enough to keep me motivated.  I will probably be eating either fresh fruit or a small salad a couple times a week just to help with the hunger.  Our favorite juices are the fruits - not a big fan of the spinach, cuke or kale - but trying to get that in at least once a day.  Our favorite is watermelon juice with a little carrot juice - yum!   Oh, and Katie weighed herself yesterday, she had lost 3 lbs! 

So things are going well - it's just really hard to rid yourself of the feeling/habit that you have to "EAT" 3 times a day.  Not to mention the mindless snacking, or tasting I would do making the kids' dinner just a week or two ago!  I am going to buy some chicken today and make David some baked chicken nuggets I can keep in the freezer to heat up a few times a week.  He also has had a quesadilla for dinner, and last night RR picked up Chick Fil A for him, so that has helped me not have to mess with food too much!  Easy meals for him make it easier for me to not feel any temptation!

This is definitely doable, people! I had my doubts on day 1, but a juicing fast has been easier than I thought.  Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead was such an inspiration!   One thing I learned - I won't do a huge produce buy again - I'm still trying to finish juicing all that!  Once our Vitamix arrives, it will be easier, but our current juicer is so difficult to clean, and I have to do everything in SMALL batches when I use it.  So I am juicing for about 1 1/2 hours a day, but it  still takes forever to get through our purchases from Saturday night! (For example - 3 small bunches of spinach took me 40 minutes!) Can't wait to get our Vitamix!

Hope y'all are having a great week!! 

PS ~ Is the pollen bad where you are?  It SUCKS here!! I'm taking Claritin-D but it is not helping much! 

Don't forget to follow our juicing journey on our juicing page ~ see link at the top of the blog, or here!

Spring is coming to Atlanta!!!

I had to take a few pictures while I was out and about today! Even though the mornings have been chilly, our daytime hours have been so lovely! The Bradford Pear trees are blooming and it's just beautiful! Rain is coming back in tonight and tomorrow, then some cooler weather.  But I have hope that true Spring is just around the corner.....

Bradford Pear trees in the backyard

Spring looks amazing in Georgia! Bradford Pears in bloom everywhere!

Sweet country road near our house ~ again, Bradford Pears are gorgeous!

It's beginning to feel like Spring here, so I'm decorating like it is!

I've been stalking the glassware aisle at the local Goodwill and I finally found what I was looking for ~ another cheese board & glass dome set! I ADORE these!! I've found a couple of the glass domes by themselves, so this was a treasure! And it was so big ~ much bigger than the last one I found there, and only $4.94.   Time for another Goodwill Trash to Treasure makeover!  I needed something lighter-colored, so I bought some antique white spray paint at Wal-mart and got to work!

Before - just your average cheese board & dome....kind of scratched up too....

Here's how it looks now ~ I added some robins egg/nest vase filler I got at Target with my free Rx gift cards

but it's only $3.99 so I'd have gotten it even without the free gift card! 

It turned out to be so cute and exactly what I had in mind -a perfect centerpiece for the kitchen table! (please excuse the tablecloth - haven't gotten my Spring one on there yet!)

I even repurposed some tree branches from this Christmas project!  I really love the simplicity of this ~ isn't it sweet?! And the color - so nice, such a bright change from winter's darker shades.

Afterwards, I had so many pieces of the filler items leftover in the box that I spruced up my dollar store hurricanes with them, too! I am still looking for the perfect ribbon to tie around the base of each of them.

I'm ready for Spring to hurry up and get here!

Linking up with:

How I freaked out my kids on April Fool's Day

SO glad to see the sunshine again!! We've had SO much rain the last couple months! Today is bright and beautiful ~ the sky is gorgeous, everything is feeling spring-y outside, and my heart is happy!

I'm trying to get ready for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow ~ the kids are going to complain, but I am making a faux shepherd's pie for supper, plus a green punch to drink, and Lucky Charms cupcakes for dessert! The next project I'm working on is April Fool's Day. My poor kids - I always try to trick them! This year I'm doing a pet theme. Dinner will be a variety of weird appetizers, including dip served in a (new!) doggie bowl, with bone shaped crackers for dipping! Dessert will be that really gross cake in a (new!) litter box, complete with "litter" on top and a few tootsie rolls for effect. Again, my poor kids!

** update** here are some pics. We just used regular crackers for the dip, but the kids were so freaked out by my kitty litter cake!!**





Holidays are so much fun, and I'm realizing every day how truly short time with our kids is. My daughter is almost 16, and I swear just last year she was in elementary school! It's flying by, and I don't want to miss a minute of the next few years with her still here at home! And my little guy is 6, but he loves all my holiday stuff!

Coupon update: Very happy with our coupon savings from yesterday & today! For 2 weeks of groceries: Publix: spent $29, saved $29; Kroger: spent $139, saved $93.01, CVS: spent $26, saved $16 in coupons & got $9 back in extra care bucks. Our grocery budget is $100/week - I came in a bit under this time! :o)

Enjoy your day, I hope it is sunny for you, too!!