New Jersey Adventures Part 4

  This post will conclude my final adventures in New Jersey participating in their lighthouse challenge.  New Jersey holds this challenge yearly  and although it's been taken over by a different organization has run for 15 years.  I highly recommend joining it next year as it offers not only tours of ALL the NJ lighthouses and safety stations but also provides a great scenic tour of the state.

  You are given the weekend to visit 11 lighthouses across the state both inland and coastal as well as a museum and life saving stations.  You are able to tour the surrounding grounds, climb and tour some lighthouses as well as take advantage of night climbs.  At each stop you are able to chat with a historian or just visit the the structure.  I learned a few things about all the structures that made the tour neat!

  We had started our tour on the west side and then crossed over and south for our tour. So the remaining part of our tour was the coast on the east and down north.  We planned on finishing the challenge and catching the ferry across to Delaware.

  Stone Harbor was our next stop after Ocean City.  Here we visited Tatham Life-Saving Station.

Beautiful painting, beautiful station, beautiful scenery.

Next we crossed over to East Point Lighthouse in Heislerville.  It proved to be a nice drive away from the beach and highway.  We were able to enjoy the fall foliage.   This lighthouse is also under construction/reconstruction.  

steps 40

  This was a beautiful building.  Old whitewashed brick.  The inside was under renovations  so although we were able to go in we were not able to go further than then the two rooms in the front of the building.

  We zipped back across the state to North Wildwood.  Here we visit the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse.

   This visit was quick as we were trying to make the last ferry homebound and we still had one more place to see.  At this location we also received a stamp for the Delaware Bay Lighthouse.  You are able to have a virtual tour of this lighthouse.

  Cape May lighthouse located in Lower Township, New Jersey was the last lighthouse we saw on our challenge.  This beautiful structure standing so tall and so superior was a great way to end.

steps 199

The finishers were allowed to climb this lighthouse without paying the fee but, we were short on time, of course I still had the boot on and it was a long day.  So I wasn't able to but if we go back I will climb this one for sure.

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These were for the finishers at this location.  I love it and it's something I won't loose and can keep out as a unique trophy and conversation piece.

Thank you New Jersey I had a great time and look forward to visiting again!

Post op night

  A few weeks ago I shared with you my first mammogram experience.   Veterans Day November 11, 2015 a little less than 2 months before my 40th birthday.  40 the year the doctors want you to get your mammograms.

  I asked to go sooner for a number of reasons. Lol, the first one was not because my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago or that my grandmother whom died when I was a small child had it too or even that my father past a few years ago with cancer.

  Nope, it was because my insurance was paid up and I wouldn't have to spend money.  Stupid or smart of me I am not sure but either way I received a repeat mammogram followed by an ultrasound.  I then got a consult with a very witty doctor whom who put me right at ease.  Whom I am meeting again at 0630 tomorrow.

  Tomorrow I am having a minor surgery.  Call it a biopsy, call it surgery either way I will be asleep for a procedure that will be extracting a piece of me to further examine.
  I am not telling you my business to make you feel sorry for me or my family but for you yourself to be aware of your own health.  Check yourself and have you doctor check you. Get your mammograms on schedule or sooner if you can.

  Thank you for reading! All positive thoughts are appreciated!

Weekly recap

  Well last week was a bad week.  All the hard work I put into my weekly meal plan fell through.  I wasn't able to make any of it.   This week due to my surgery tomorrow is a fend for yourself week.

  I hope while I'm recouping that I can at least finish one book.

  My numbers are increasing slowly on my other social platforms which is great.  Jump over to my instagram account and see some of my pictures of what we are up to.  My IG account is meanroel.


I actually will be posting my video of my mail haul today to get that out the way for a stress free week.


Have a great weekend everyone!   We will hopefully pick back up to a nice normal week next week!

7th Day of Elf

  A peaceful nights sleep was maybe to deep of a sleep.

I think I even went to bed early last night. So that led to more peace and quiet in the house for a longer period of time.  It's early so let me turn the light on and see what I'm really seeing.

Oh yeah now with the light on it paints a brighter picture. My tree is clearly laying down.  Why is my tree tipped over?  We don't have a cat.  No earthquakes in my part of the world! What happened to my tree?

As I look closer I see my little friend.  

Always smiling.  Always looking as if he says "Who me, I didn't do it or what happened here."

Day 6 The Elf

There's something about an elf as a houseguest. Nothing is ever boring or at least some of the time. Your always on the lookout. Not sure if he made you a pie or is going to throw it at you. We have tried our best to provide him with good accommodations and to make him happy but I have read so many horror stories about his cousins I am always on edge.

  Today I am happy to say that what he gave us was a beautiful creation.

 You know the saying no snowflake is the same. Well neither are 10!

 Thank you for redecorating the room! You did a great job maybe next time you could pick up after yourself.

  I must say however whenever I see you so close to the proximity of an act of love from you I can't help but almost hear you say, "Who me, I didn't do it, or would you look at that."  ( As if you had nothing to do with it but merely sat there and watched.

Tea for two

 

I have seen Matcha Tea everywhere. But have yet to taste it.  I even saw a recipe the other day for Matcha Tea sugar cookies. Matcha Tea is a finely ground powder specially grown and processed green tea.  So the sugar cookies in saw were green in color and it had nothing to do with food coloring or frosting.

  The tea comes with instructions and I even received a followup of tea recipes in my email.  There was emphasis put on the possible flavor.  Comments have been made about the flavor.  Suggestions of adding honey or a sweetner to enhance it is strongly encouraged.

  The container provided different dose measurements.  I tried the 1/2 tsp portion and will try the 3/4 tsp.  With the portion I took I drank some with just the tea then added honey.  The tea alone was not that bitter or bad tasting.  I could have drank it without anything.  After adding honey to it; the flavor was sweeter but still had the same green tea flavor base.

  I did wisk it up with a kitchen wisk as I don't have a Chasen.

  I have read that using this utensil makes a better froth and makes the tea taste better.  I guess I will not worry about it at the moment as I was fine with the tea as it was.  I did however chose to not whisk traditionally but placed the whisk in between my hands and rubbed the whisk shafts in between it.  Think of hand warming motion.  

Overall my opinion on Matcha Green Tea is definitely favorable.  Not only was I pleased with the taste it has many benefits as a tea.  Matcha Tea is a cancer fighter, fat burner and much more.

I was provided this product for my honest review and all opinions are my own. 

Day 5 The Elf

  So I had stayed up late last night.  I have a lot on my mind and am having trouble sleeping.  However lucky for me by 3 I was tired enough to finally make my way upstairs.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

  I see that Elf is making himself at home and has decided to take up getting acquainted with the other toys.

Although from his vantage point I'm not sure he was shaking hands with the monkey.

Kind of looks to me like a plan of attack.  You know how you get off the bus and unknowingly get bombarded with snowballs before you can even make one.  Before you even know what hit you.

What is that on your lap?

Oh, dear it looks like you ran out of snowballs and I came upstairs at the right time!  

Not nice Elf!  You are a guest in our house and I expect you to behave just like everyone else.  Which means if you want to throw snowballs at anyone you need to give them a heads up!