Pirates of the Caribbean ~ On Stranger Tides ~ with a Giveaway!

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that the latest installment in DIsney's Pirates of the Caribbean series is opening on May 20th. Johnny Depp returns to the role that seems to be custom made for him as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides." I am so excited for this movie to come out. When the first movie, "The Curse of the Black Pearl" came out, my kids were much younger and didn't appreciate the ghost pirates so much. Now the whole family is excited to see what is going to happen next. I am excited to see if Penelope Cruz holds her own with Depp, (I think she is more than up to that challenge!)


I don't do a lot of giveaways but I have so many friends who LOVE the Pirates movies that I couldn't pass this one up. The prizes are an adult "On Stranger Tides" T-shirt (size s-m-l or xl), a black bandanna and two temporary tattoos. 







Entry is going to be EASY. To enter this giveaway, add one comment below in "pirate speak." Throw in a few Arrrghs and Mateys and you are entered once in the giveaway. The winner will be announced here, on the blog, on Tuesday May 17th at noon.


You want to enter more than once? Here's how, follow this blog either by email subscription, RSS feed or Google Friend Connect, leave another comment telling me that you are following. One more entry can be had by following me on Twitter @amymchodges, and be sure to leave a comment here. Oh, and these extra entries have to be in "pirate speak" too! Have fun and good luck!


**Giveaway is closed!**


And the winner is: um, let me see, Bradley Coxe! That quote truly deserves to win, Arrrgh

National Mom's Nite Out in Raleigh, North Carolina

Everyone likes to get away for a bit, don't they? Growing up in southeastern North Carolina a "quick getaway" usually meant a night or a weekend in Raleigh. There were always events (the State Fair, the Christmas Show and Parade, college football games) and the shopping was always better in a bigger city. Wilmington, my hometown, has grown, but Raleigh is still bigger and has the attraction of different shops and nightlife. I was thrilled to be invited by the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau to attend National Mom's Nite Out last week.

Molly Gold of Go Mom worked with Ryan Smith of the Convention and Visitor's Bureau to put on a phenomenal event.


We met at the beautiful Solas Raleigh Lounge. Solas has a restaurant, lounge, and a rooftop bar. The lounge was beautiful. It was the perfect setting for our gathering. There was a separate room set up as a mini salon run by Primp. You could have your nails done, hair styled, eyelashes and eyebrows, make-up, and chair massages.


We had wonderful food and a great cocktail concocted by the always fabulous Ilina Ewen. It was delicious and refreshing. The recipe was posted on Dirt and Noise as a part of Ilina's 5 O'clock Fridays series. I suggest you check it out, you will be buying ginger vodka before you know it!


The Raleigh area has an amazing group of women who are involved in social media. I am always thrilled to be in their presence. To the left is Fadra Nally of All Things Fadra and she is moving soon but hopefully our paths will continue to cross. Erin Lane not only has a beautiful blog, she just had a beautiful baby six weeks ago! She looked so amazing, I'm not sure I was showering regularly six weeks after childbirth.

There were so many great women and we were treated to such a fun night out. There were a few other women who drove from out of town to attend Mom's Nite Out. We were treated to a night at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. The Marriott is right next to Crabtree Valley Mall (GREAT shopping) but even better it is right next to the Container Store (one of my favorite stores EVER!) After a great night's sleep I drove back to Wilmington. It takes a little less than two hours down the interstate. As I drove, listening to my own music with no one to complain, I thought about how fun it was to get away for a night. Even though Wilmington has great restaurants and shopping now, there is something different and special about going out of town. Now I think I need to plan a little getaway to Raleigh with my husband!

The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau provided a lovely experience at Mom's Nite Out and graciously provided a hotel room for me. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

A Population Explosion ~ My Not So Wordless Wednesday

A couple of weeks ago I posted a Wordless Wednesday about the new goslings. Then we went out of town for two weeks. Those geese grow very quickly.


even geese have an awkward stage


Sadly, nature had run its course and the family of seven goslings was down to five. But never fear, for while we were away, this family wandered up.


they have seven babies


We have NO IDEA where this little group was nesting. We try very hard to discourage them because the geese imprint with the place of their birth. It isn't a very big pond and we have so many geese now that think of it as home. The amount of goose poop in the pastures is ridiculous. When the geese produce more poop than the horses, you know you have a problem.
We reconciled ourselves to having two goose families this year. Then a couple of days ago my daughter said she thought she had seen another family. I thought she had to be mistaken, but...


another family, this one with four goslings


This group had to have been in the woods nearby because these babies were brand new. We will have to come up with some new methods to discourage them next year but for now we will try to watch after them. You just cannot deny their cuteness.







Oh, and I think this guy is just here for the fish!