Rayovac Six Flags Ticket Giveaway!

Thanks to Rayovac we have a great Giveaway - a set of (4) Tickets to Six Flags!

Rayovac Battery powers your life! Okay, I'll say Rayovac powers our lives! Really, I have loved all of the combinations of batteries they have available. Rayovac "Lasts as Long ... and Costs Less!"

Our all time favorite is the Recharger that holds AA, AAA, C, D Batteries! How about that! They have high performance eco-friendly Hearing Aid Batteries!

Rayovac Alkaline Batteries power your daily needs like toys, games and flashlights! They have their own amazing Flashlights for your Camping and other needs.

Then they have Heavy Duty batteries for things like clocks, radios, all the low drain devices.

You can always follow Rayovac's Facebook Fan Friday Fun! They have Giveaways every Friday! :)

Now you can enter to Win and let Rayovac Power your trip to Six Flags! i.e. (4) Tickets to Six Flags! Please only enter if you are able to visit a Six Flags with the Tickets!

Enter to Win:

1) "Like" Rayovac on Facebook;
2) "Like" Carolina Mama on Facebook;
3) Follow @Rayovac_Battery on Twitter;
4) Follow @CarolinaMama on Twitter;
5) Tweet link to this Giveaway!
6) Share link on your Facebook or blog;
7) Comment below what battery you use the most.

Leave a comment for each step completed 1-7. Contest open until July 5th at 8pm. US Residents. Good luck!

My favorite batteries are AA and AAA! I live by them in my Camera and Flip!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

*This post is written as a Rayovac Power Blogger. Rayovac gave me the Six Flags Tickets to use as I see fit. This post was my idea! I would love for more folks to learn how awesome Rayovac is because of this Giveaway. :)

High Hampton Inn North Carolina Memorial Day Family Celebration

This past Memorial Day was quite likely one of our family favorites! We were invited to the amazing High Hampton Inn Resort in beautiful Cashiers, North Carolina.

See how beautiful everything is on this property! Here is the Lodge! It is incredible!

What an outlandish experience for all of us! This Resort is an all-invlusive destination for your family. The General Manager Clifford Meads gave us our own tour of the property and let us know all of the fun we could get into while visiting! Talk about a warm, Southern Welcome! Thank you Clifford! He and Mountain Man could have talked for hours. And hiked this mountain too! It is an option! We hiked - just not this mountain! Maybe next year!

This was perfect for our active family. There is so much to do at High Hampton Inn!

Plan on a couple of posts here about it because I want you to really get the full effect! :)

Also, this is the most relaxing place to be. You are on top of a gorgeous mountain. And the High Hampton owns 1,400 acres of incredible property. So you are secluded and surrounded by the beautiful North Carolina mountains. There are gorgeous waterfalls near by! We know, we went!

The night we arrived, it was late because we could not resist driving right up after my husband got off of work for the long weekend. Our directions were easy and right on, as we got higher up the mountain - bye-bye GPS - so I made a phone call to the front desk.

We were in great hands. They walked us through the mountain and stayed on the phone right until we arrived at the front of the Lodge! Love this! Felt like family right away!

Then, this young, blonde athletic fellow, full of energy, who became our friend, Casey! He greeted us unloaded ALL of our bags! And took them up two flights of stairs into the Lodge! Our room was lovely!

We slept like a dream on the comfortable beds. It was so quiet and again, peaceful here! We slept with our windows open. What a wonderful start to a fabulous family get away to a magical location.

Breakfast was a feast! This is just me, I LOVED that I could not smell an inkling of cooking in our lodge suite! Really! And yet, just a short flight of stairs down to an amazing resort dining hall there awaited incredible meals!

Boulder Mountain Man got up early and caught the most beautiful pictures in the morning....

Our first breakfast was so memorable that first morning. And it included hot tea for the Tigers! Look how the loved it! We all loved it because it was perfection: hot breakfast, lots of fruit, yogurts, hot cereals, egg, juice, and so much more. The boys loved the pasteries. :)

Remember I said there are a million things to do?! While we were full of energy from the amazing all-you-can-eat breakfast, we took off for private Fly Fishing Lessons by Alex Bell FlyFishing! Stay tuned for the Fly Fishing Report next!!! .... someone caught something! :)

See you soon!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Deer in the Hallway of a Church :)

You cannot make these things up! Here is a great video that Fox News picked up "Deer in the Hallway of Colonial Baptist Church!" :) Apparently this Raleigh, North Carolina deer wanted to have a prayer meeting! What a sketch!

Fox News even interviewed the Mom and Son who were caught in front of the deer! Talk about one exciting basketball camp!

"Talk about bring them in! What about "they came breaking in!"

Warmly, Carolina Mama

My Life...!

My Life...! Here we are at the park and I glanced down and saw this snippet - reminds me of my favorite things and my life. Basketball, at the park with my husband and kids! Starbucks, my delight. My new Vera Bradley, my love of Mom Fashion! ;)

And a clear blue sky! Life is good and I am thankful!!

Notes from the Cove - The Cove Billy Graham Training Center

As you know we adored our get away and "Evening at the Cove with Shaun Groves!"
I also wanted to let you know about the awesome blog "Notes from The Cove!" on the Cove site. They feature some amazing Speakers, Pastors, Authors and Lay-Leaders.

Here is another Video I did and I am so pleased that the Audio from YouTube that is certified had a version of "Amazing Grace!" How perfect is that!

Remember to check out the Cove and BGEA: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association where there is "Always Good News!"

And may the Lord Bless you! If you have questions about Christianity and how to have your own relationship with Christ please see "Do You Know Him?" and "How to Have Peace with God!"

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Kate Middleton Mascara! Friday MomFashion: Revita Lash Mascara

Welcome to Kate Middleton Mascara on Friday Mom Fashion!

Even in today's news, Kate Middleton's make up is making the news!

Check out this item in the Beauty and Fashion aisle. Enter RevitaLash®!

She was such a stunning Bride! And now all the rage is about one of her favorite things - her Mascara! RevitaLash®

So I was delighted to receive the RevitaLash Conditioner, Volumizing Mascara and Primer!

RevitaLash® was developed by Michael Brinkenhoff, M.D. as a special gift for his wife, Gayle, while she was recovering from metastatic breast cancer treatments. Intensive chemotherapy had damaged Gayle’s once-beautiful eyelashes, leaving them fragile, sparse and thin. Based upon his knowledge and experience as a practicing ophthalmologist for over 25 years, Dr. Brinkenhoff believed that he could develop a formula that would give Gayle’s eyelashes the look of renewed health, strength and beauty.

This is a great mascara for me because super lush lashes are not my gift. :) Enter RevitaLash Mascara! And I love how this looks! I used the RevitaLash Primer and then the lovely Mascara. I am in process with the Conditioner and love that my lashes can get thicker! :)

Check me out :) and not the lines I'm saying. :)

Are you trying out Kate Middleton's makeup?! :) Have you tried RevitaLash? What is your go-to Mascara?!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

The Cove at the Billy Graham Training Center Asheville, North Carolina

Come away for a quiet respite...peace.

Welcome to the lovely

The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove,

Asheville, North Carolina

The Cove is this kind of place where peace, quiet and respite from the everyday abound. We visited this Spring and it was an abundance of nature, beauty and grace.

Boulder Mountain Man and I attended an The Cove An Evening at the Cove featuring the amazing and outstanding Shaun Groves of Compassion International. And check out the his guitar sitting waiting.

"Come for an evening of inspiration as gifted artists tune your heart to the work of God’s Spirit."

We had a very warm Welcome from the Staff and the beauty of the property. The entire property is beautiful and immaculately cared for so it is very peaceful

Here is our room! It is so wonderfully quiet and clean and neat.

Great temperatures and an awesome view of the woods.

You may request a room with a balcony.

Look at the beds! The beds were very comfortable and had lots of pillows! :)

Bathroom had a shower and tub with plenty of toiletries and towels, lighting and cute decor.

Refreshment Center on each floor! :) Love this! You can see my sweet husband having ice water first thing! We drink lots of water and it was nice to have ice water readily available. Also, there were soft drinks and coffee, tea and hot cocoa with condiments available all day and night.

This is so handy because this center is right by the fire place and deck and community living room.

We met some wonderful people here. It is also a great place for quiet time as well.

Then we went to the dining room and had an exquisite gourmet dinner! Here is Mrs. Ruth Graham!
She was next to The Reverend Billy Graham. It was nice to see their portraits as we entered
the Training Center.

For posterity, we took one in the Great Room where the Grahams photos hang. :)

The amazing Dining experience. We met some neat folks at our table for dinner.
See, Shaun Groves in the background!

There he is... pensive...ready to perform that evening.

We had frozen yogurt that was perfect AND Cafe au Lait which is abundant and tasty!

My impromptu video while rocking in the rocking chairs on the great deck at the Training Center!

Boulder Mountain Man and I had a grand time!

Visit the Cove.org and be refreshed in body, mind and spirit in this true heaven on earth!

Have you visited the Cove? What is your getaway for spiritual respite?

Warmly, Carolina Mama

*This trip and my work for the Cove is sponsored by the Billy Graham Training Center the Cove. My passion for this ministry and this place is from the Lord.

Summer Bicycle Safety

Happy Summer!

Hope you are as excited about Summertime as we are! We love the outdoors. That's no surprise to you. We bicycle a lot even in the Summer.

We're joining BabyCenter's BigDay Out June 25th!

Because we love Bicycling, I've written 7 Tips for Bicycle Safety! on the BabyCenter Blog Momformation! Let me know what you think.

Did I leave anything out? Have a fun and safe time outside!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Cars 2 Media Screening Raleigh

Greetings from Disney's Cars 2 Raleigh Screening!

For starters, notice my boys in this picture, yes, they made sure to find their Cars Tees and Disney! :) Love that!

This weekend we were so excited to join in on the Cars 2 Media Screening Raleigh at the lovely Marbles Kids Museum IMAX Raleigh!

It was great to take the family and view the screening with other North Carolina Mom Bloggers! Our boys grew up with Cars! so we were thrilled to check out Cars 2. They are 10 years old now so they loved Cars 2. There was a lot going on in the movie. Personally, I loved "the world tour" and France in particular. Otherwise, due to the action, I'd rate this Movie P-G.

All of the Raleigh Moms agreed it was better suited for older kids. Mine! :) So I was fortunate. I felt like at 10, they were the perfect age to take it all in. All the other Moms had younger children, that Cars is more suited for so if you're like us and they grew up with Cars. They grow up with the rating.

Anyway, here's the trailer that starts the movie... check it out.

If you'd like a really in depth Review from an awesome Blogger friend, Katja of Skimbaco take a read of her review and enjoy!

Are you going to Cars 2?

Warmly, Carolina Mama

National Box Tops University 2011 With General Mills

This past week I was delighted to attend the National Box Tops University at General Mills World Headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota! What fun!

Okay, having never been to Minnesota, I didn't know what to expect. It's June, so I gladly accepted feeling safe from snow drifts and avalanches! :)

Seriously, the General Mills Box Tops Team was phenomenal. They are an outstanding group. We were so thrilled to check out Lake Minnetonka via a chartered Dinner Cruise just for us.

Here I interview Sara Weis of Marketing at General Mills on Box Tops for Education:

The views were spectacular. I was taken aback by the lush, green surroundings. We had great Mom Bloggers, and General Mills and PR staff to enjoy the evening with and great food. Did I say the weather was perfect! Here's my live video of us cruising!

Top Things I Learned at Box Tops University 2011:

First of all I learned that Box Tops have earned schools $59 Million Dollars in the last year! Phenomenal!

Hanes4Education.com gives a Box Top for each Tee Shirt ordered for Field Day, Field Trips, etc. for schools.

Green Giant FRESH PRODUCE is now partnered for Box Tops for Schools! :) Yes, Broccoli and Cauliflower and Green Beans and Lettuce count towards your Box Tops!

ALL Betty Crocker Baking Items have Box Tops now!!

Knew this and want to share it: Box Tops Partner with HomeSchools TOO! Check form to attach. Both of our Co-Ops this year collected Box Tops! :) It works!

Meeting other MomBloggers with like interests is a whole lot of fun!

Boise Paper and Avery are partners this year and our Favorite filter, Brita partners with Box Tops!

Here are pictures of the great time we had!

Loved touring the General Mills World Headquarters Photography Studio!

My Titanic!... on Lake Minnetonka! :)

Hanes 4 Education brought down the house with their Tee Shirt Launch!

Here we are telling the world "Box Tops '4' Education!" :)

Loved working with Ana a fellow Hanes Comfort Crew friend!

Our Princess Dream Cruise for the night! Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota!

I am happy on the water!

Does your school participate in Box Tops each year?!

Warmly, Carolina Mama

*Thank you General Mills for inviting and sponsoring me to this event! I love and participate in the Box Tops programs with my children each year because I love it!

Our Father's Day 2011

Father's Day is a wonderful time! I love reflecting on the amazing men in our family I am thankful for my sweet husband and friend. He is custom made for these boys. He spends so much of his time with us because he wants to and I know we're spoiled.

Our day looked like this: Lots of hugs!

Little lunch for Daddy!

More Hugs!

Meet the parents! :)

Wants his own picture with Daddy!

Me too!

Posterity!

Love this! So much here! xo

Warmly, Carolina Mama

Happy Father's Day to My Boulder Mountain Man

Happy Father's Day to my Boulder Mountain Man!

We've been doing this parenting thing for 11 years now! So thankful for so many thinks about you!

Love!

They swim in the freezing mountain lake together.

Our sons are blessed to have such a great man in their lives. He has ALWAYS taken part in everything they do thus we do! Thank you for leading us! We dedicate Santus Real's "Lead Me!" to you!

They love to work with Daddy....