I like to joke and say that my blog is a mini version of "Our State" magazine when it comes to food and travel. The glossy, monthly publication is the king of magazines in North Carolina. It shares the best in food and travel, and puts the spotlight on North Carolina's people.  I was honored to be invited to the April release party for the 2013 Food Issue at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill,...

The calendar says Spring, but it has been cold, and very rainy in Raleigh.  As I type this little blog update for you, Baby Diva has pinkeye, and a sinus infection. But, she still wants to play in the rain. Spring Showers! I have very little time to write this week with a child home with me. Beginning Thursday, our school system is on Spring Break for 10 days. That means two kids with...

This one is a Giveaway for the Skimbaco Man in your Life!  (And you can keep, I mean borrow the Nikon Digital Camera ) I know you must have a Skimbaco man in your life, even if it is your own brother, or Dad. I'm so excited to host my first giveaway in partnership with Skimbaco Lifestyle.  We are celebrating of 5 months of Skimbaco Man at the magazine.  If you...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I wanted to take a few minutes to catch you up on life in North Carolina this week. Do you use Instagram? Katja, my editor, made this graphic for my "7 reasons why I travel with my Intel Tablet" post on Skimbaco Lifestyle. She's a wiz at making graphics, and at Instagram. She's writing an Instagram book, and was recently featured by Fodor's as a travel account to...

I have a surprise for my local followers today. I am giving away a $100 Gift Certificate to Mia Francesca Trattoria in North Hills. I tried the Northern Italian restaurant for the first time a few weekends ago, and it was good. Of course, it is good, or else I wouldn't be giving away this great gift certificate.  I don't recommend a restaurant to anyone unless I would go back myself.  And...

I did something really fun this week. Wilkinson Supply Company in Raleigh invited me to their kitchen showroom to make some St. Patrick's Day treats that they pinned for their Pinterest-to-Plate series. While there, they interviewed me about some of my favorite things to do in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Easy St. Patrick's Day Treats At first, I was nervous about cooking in front of...

Happy Friday! I am really looking forward to this weekend.  I'm trying a new restaurant in town on Saturday which anytime I have a dinner reservation penciled on my calendar, makes me a happy girl. It's Spring Break at NC State so we're taking our kids with us because our sitters are off enjoying life.  Honestly, it's more enjoyable when we dine sans kids, but Mia Francesca Trattoria at...

I didn’t think I would have to add “Keep your pants on” when I addressed my daughter before she left my sight, but that was before last month. My 3-year-old managed to pull her pants down in my son’s post-basketball practice team huddle. Oh, yes!  And might I add underwear and all. It’s our fault. We should not have allowed her to be part of the huddle, but it was just one of those...

Are you saying that in your house if you own a tablet? We’re the owners of a new tablet courtesy of Intel, and for my work on Skimbaco.  I've not been able to get it away from my kids long enough for my own personal use very often.  My kids using the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 We own the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, and it operates on a Windows 8 system.  It is powered by Intel.  And...

Spring is around the corner, but I'm sure we'll have a few more cold days in March so I'm not finished cooking hearty meals yet.  I'm like a bear in the winter. I like to hibernate, and I tend to cook comfort food, which is not good for the waist-line.  Think crock pot stews, chicken pot pie, and hearty dishes with pasta.  I have found a wonderful hearty, and easy weeknight meal....