Paw-fect Valentine's Plans

Only rookies will celebrate Valentine's Day on a Saturday night - instead, consider something fun... and for a great cause - that's happening on Thursday night: Bark & Wine with Your Valentine 2015

Celebrate Valentine's Day with a beer & wine tasting while surrounded by the cutest faces in town! (Bringing a date is completely optional.)

Fine wines, beer, tasty treats and wet puppy kisses await guests at the 10th annual Bark & Wine with Your Valentine. 

This unique, intimate event will be held at the SPCA Curtis Dail Pet Adoption Center in Raleigh on Thursday, February 12 from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Sample 6-8 varieties of wine and and light fare to compliment the flavors for just $30.00 per person of which $5.00 is tax deductible.

Email Vanessa Budnick at vbudnick@spcawake.org or call 919-532-2087 with questions.

Purchase your tickets online at http://www.spcawake.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=113541.

Happy New Year!

Nick and I went to Nashville this past week/weekend for a few days, so I didn't get a chance to wish everyone a Happy New Year's Eve... or even New Year's Day. However, I don't believe January 2nd is too late to start the year off right!

We have dinner at my parents' house every Sunday, so of course tonight we had to have our traditional New Year's dinner: pork, greens, black-eyed peas, potatoes, and cake. Nom, nom, nom - it is by far my favorite meal of the year!

When Nick and I were driving back to Raleigh from Nashville yesterday, we were curious about the tradition behind the New Year's meal and found this great resource on Epicurious (thank you, Google), that I wanted to share: Lucky Foods for the New Year.

Greens and black-eyed peas (or legumes) are symbolic of economic good fortune or wealth, pork symbolizes progress, and so on. Next year, I'm adding wine to the menu since the article covers the superstition of grapes, too!

Welcome to 2011 and best wishes for a wonderful year, y'all!

Holiday Cheer from the RRAR Community Service Committee

(click to view video online)

On the third Tuesday of every month, I have the pleasure of having lunch and planning some great community service projects with one of the most talented, giving, and energized group of professionals in the Triangle: The Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors Community Service Committee.

If you are a local REALTOR(R) (or affiliated member of the RRAR - including mortgage firms, contractors, appraisers, etc.) and want to commit to something in 2011 that will allow you to give more than just a donation, but also your time and personal service to our local community, then please join us at our first meeting in January (Tuesday, January 18, 2011) at the RRAR to learn more about our group and getting involved.

Happy holidays, y'all!

Make a Difference this Holiday Season

Seriously y'all, it takes very little effort to do good things. And hey, you might even get to attend a party and see some folks you love in the process!

Tonight - Thursday, December 2nd, 7:00pm (like head there in the next hour) ;-)
4th Annual Downtown Santa Ball
The Downtowner Magazine is proud to sponsor our Downtown Santa Ball on Thursday, December 2nd, from 7-10pm in order to help children in need and to provide what might be the only gift they receive this holiday season. We’re pleased to have MeetandCompete.com as a co-sponsor for our fourth year. 100% of proceeds and all gifts will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Wake County. The event will be held at the Union Tavern located in the Depot building of the Warehouse District (directions below). Just bring a gift and enjoy amazing Downtown Raleigh and free beer and wine. Support the Union by purchasing other spirits!

Thursday, December 9th, 6:30pm
Jingle Ball 2010
Get your holly on at this year's Jingle Ball... and be sure to get there early. Suz and I got there last year as the food was finished and the open bars dry. So we donated, mingled, and headed over to Landmark for a few drinks. Couldn't complain though, because I was stoked to see the turnout continue to increase for yet another year! I would say that was a mighty successful Thursday night!

Thru December 18th
Donate at ANY local Toys for Tots collection point... get the local details at http://raleigh-nc.toysfortots.org/ or find your own local Toys for Tots details (for all of you non-Raleigh folks) online at toysfortots.org!

All December
Need stocking stuffers or gifts? For just $13.95 you can get a terrific gift and help Soroptimist International of Raleigh, NC with local service projects that benefit women and girls. Auto Bell Car Wash will donate 50% of each Full Service Car Wash coupon purchased. The coupons have NO expiration date and are honored at all 61 locations around the Triangle and the Southeast. To purchase, contact Joyce Rothchild at 919-518-1093 or by email at jrothchild@soroptimistraleigh.org.

Got more locally awesome ideas for me to share? Send 'em on and I'll list in a jiff! Email: ncsulilwolf@gmail.com.

Put the Boys to Work... at Hardly Working

I realize Thanksgiving has just come and gone, but Christmas dinner is right around the corner. I love Andrea Weigl's suggestion of putting the boys to work!

Thursday when I serve Thanksgiving dinner to a small group of friends, everyone will contribute. I will bake a pecan pie and a pumpkin cheesecake. My husband will cook leg of lamb on the smoker. (One tip for holiday sanity is cooking the meat outside on the grill, in the smoker or in the deep-fryer. Luckily, many men who like to cook don't mind spending the day outside, drinking a beer and minding the meat.) A friend will make stuffed acorn squash and the homemade noodles that are his family's tradition. A third will clear the table.

She's right - it's not at all an up-hill battle to suggest that the man (and his buddies) hang around outside with beer, a fried turkey, and perhaps even a fire pit.

Just Sayin'...

Miss ya cuz...






Stumbled upon this great memorial written to Henry online:

"I had the honor of going to high school and graduating Garner Senior High with Henry. I joined the Marine Corps a few months ahead and remember the day I hear of his passing. I was so proud when I stumbled upon an article about his Bronze Star. He was an amazing person and truly held up the highest honor and tradition of the Marine Corps. I wear a memorial bracelet in his memory everyday and I am honored to share his story of courage and sacrifice for our nation. Semper Fi Sanchez, always missed but never forgotten." --
Ryan Glenn of Kansas City, MO

And in case anyone needs a reminder of why we have this extended weekend to enjoy:



Just sayin'...

Special Events at the Downtown Raleigh Outdoor Ice Rink

How much fun does Date Night sound?!

Tuesday, December 22: Family Night - Skate with Santa from 5:30 pm-7:30 pm.

Sunday, January 3: Sledding Ramps - Snow My Yard will create a winter wonderland with sledding ramps open from 12 noon-5 pm. This activity is FREE for anyone wearing their ice rink admission wristband. For pictures, visit www.snowmyyard.com.

Thursday, January 7: Date and Skate Night - Make memories in downtown Raleigh. Couples can enjoy "Date Night Specials" at participating downtown restaurants and then simply show their receipt to receive a $4 discount for admission for two to the ice rink. That's only $8 for admission (includes skates) per couple! Free carriage rides will also be available from 6 pm-9 pm for anyone wearing their ice rink admission wristband. Create a special night for that special someone.Visit RaleighWinterfest.com for any other details you might need!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

...but I still don't turn on the holiday music until closer to Christmas, though ;-)

There is a lot of small town and big city stuff to do this weekend - all starting today. I wish they didn't all fall on the same day/time though, because I want to do it all, of course!

TONIGHT - Friday, December 4th

Downtown Garner - Tree Lighting

The Parks and Recreation Department will host its annual tree lighting ceremony on Main Street Friday, Dec. 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This year, the department has expanded the traditional ceremony to include even more entertainment, activities and food, including Dance Explosion, Poplar Springs Church choir, the Garner Senior Center Dancers and carolers from True North Church. A highlight of the evening will be the reading of the classic poem, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

Activities for the kids will begin at 6 p.m. inside Santa’s workshop, which is located inside the Sunny Side II Oyster Bar building. Children will get to make holiday crafts and meet Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

During this event, Main Street will be closed to through traffic between Emory and Purvis Streets. Plenty of public parking is available along parts of Main Street, in the Garner Baseball parking lot, along Pearl Street and at the Pearl Street Building, at Garner Recreational Park and the Garner Senior Center.

Downtown Raleigh - Winterfest Kickoff

Michelle Branch (one of my favorites), will be performing at 6pm and ice skating in our very own outdoor ice skating rink starts right after. Plus, it's First Friday - yay!



Thanks for the video, Tyler! (Click through if you can't see it, blog readers!)

Tomorrow - Saturday, December 5th

Garner Christmas Parade

The holiday celebrations continue Saturday, Dec. 5 with the Garner Christmas Parade, which will begin at 10 a.m.

This year’s parade theme is “Inside Santa’s Workshop.” Tisha Powell, of ABC 11 News, will serve as the parade’s grand marshal. More than 70 participants will take part in the parade and will include area marching bands, floats, emergency vehicles, local merchants and Santa Claus.

This year, the parade will follow a slightly different parade route than that of before. It will begin on Broughton Street and will travel across Garner Road, down Hwy 50 to the corner of Main Street, where it will turn left and proceed until its ends at New Rand Road. This route is somewhat shorter but should allow easier access to and from the area to those viewing the parade.
Garner news and event details are from my friends at GarnerCitizen.com - a great, local paper!

Local Round-Up: Downtown Raleigh Happenings

If you're not a regular reader of some of my favorite Raleigh blogs (RalCon, BeRaleighBlog, NewRaleigh.com, GoGoRaleigh.com, etc.) then some of this just might be new to you!

First up, we're getting an outdoor ice skating rink!

Outdoor Ice Rink Coming Downtown this Winter

"This year, December 4th will not only mark the lighting of the downtown Christmas tree, but will also welcome the opening of a downtown outdoor skating rink as part of “Winter Fest”.

The rink is going to be part of the new City Plaza, and will be nestled between the Bank of America building and where the delayed Charter Square will go.

Tickets will be a very reasonable $6, which includes skate rentals."

www.RaleighWinterfest.com
Wow - I'm absolutely wow-ed by this. Can't wait to check it out! Here's hoping NEB (the loving nickname given to Nick by my sorority sisters, for "No Expression Boy" - they consider it a feat to capture him smiling on camera) doesn't need stitches in his chin after... like the last time we went ice skating!


Next, we're also getting WiFi!
Downtown Raleigh Getting Wifi on October 23rd

"As speculated last week and promised back in March, Downtown Raleigh will indeed be getting Free Wireless Internet access on October 23rd, just in time for Raleigh Wide Open and Cherry Bounce."
Woohoo! Say hello to working via laptop on your favorite patio (or rooftop) come spring!

A Different Green Post

Here's a totally different green post for you - as in St. Patty's green!

I enjoy the holiday and the debauchery that goes along with it, but I've been consistently sick the last few weeks so I didn't do too much... well, other than celebrate my younger sister's 21st birthday (which by the way, still blows my mind that it's now legal for her to shop at the ABC store). I'll have to dedicate a separate post to that momentous occasion later.

However, just because the parties from last weekend and Tuesday have passed... there's more this weekend since last weekend had a bit (downpour) of rain.

Raleigh's St. Patrick's parade is today at noon - Downtown.

For those of you who are thrilled by the idea of Irish-themed events all year long... I guess this is my Merry March Christmas gift for you - a website and email list devoted to those local event (RaleighStPats.org).

A Holiday Favorite

Elf Yourself is one of my favorite holiday promotions. They really kicked it up a notch this year with the addition of download for $4.99 and merchandise!

Didn't know Delta could do cartwheels, huh? Ever think you'd see Tank two-step (or - ahem - four-step)?

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Enjoy and go Elf Yourself, too!

PS - Click through if it doesn't automatically show up in Google Reader... some videos and flash animations don't!

Some Good {Green} Tips from My City

I love Raleigh - email Chris Riley to subscribe to the weekly enewsletter.

City of Raleigh Urges Residents to Reduce Waste During the Holidays
On average, Raleigh residents produce about 3,000 tons of garbage each week. That number jumps dramatically to 3,750 tons per week during the holiday period, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

To reduce the amount of waste taken to the landfill, the City of Raleigh Solid Waste Services (SWS) Department and the City’s curbside recycling program, Raleigh Recycling, are encouraging residents to follow holiday waste reduction tips. SWS and Raleigh Recycling have joined other agencies in issuing these tips so everyone can enjoy a “Green” Christmas. Actually many of the tips can be used throughout the year, not just the holidays.

The holiday waste reduction tips are thorough and cover a variety of topics. These include holiday decorations, parties, holiday food, holiday cards, gift wrapping, enviro-shopping, gift giving, green gift ideas, gifts of time, gifts of charity, gifts for grandparents, homemade gifts, homemade gifts/non-homemade gifts made from reused materials and decorations, zero budget gifts, mailing packages, changing gift giving traditions, and energy savings.

To view all of the holiday waste reduction tips offered by SWS and Raleigh Recycling, visit the City of Raleigh’s website at www.raleighnc.gov.

Here are a few of the tips:
* Decorate your home, tree and centerpiece with
holly, cedar, berries, cranberries, popcorn, fruits and nuts, all of which can be composted or used for bird food after use;

* To add a special touch to your decorating consider using memorabilia such as a child's first shoe or teething ring, old jewelry, mementos from vacations, small stuffed animals and toys, holiday card ornaments, miniature toy cars, cookie cutters, dressed up dolls, or edible cookie ornaments;

* Email holiday party invitations making it clear that the invitation is in lieu of a traditional card;

* Eliminate disposal plates, cups and napkins from your holiday party. Instead, use “real” dishes and cloth napkins that can be washed and reused. Everyone loves hanging around the kitchen so make cleaning up part of the party;

* Give home-baked goodies in reusable holiday tins;

* Recycle all beverage and food cans and bottles from your holiday gathering;

* Buy the highest content post-consumer recycled holiday greeting cards that you can find. These cards are becoming easier to find in stores. Look for the recycling symbol inside a circle or a statement that says the cards are made from recycled paper;

* Reuse wrapping and ribbon when possible or purchase gift bags that can be reused as an alternative;

* Call the toll-free phone numbers on unwanted holiday catalogs and have your name taken off their mailing lists;

* Give non-materialistic “green” gifts that do not require wrapping, such as gift certificates for massages, restaurants, cooking classes, sailing lessons, etc. Experiences are remembered long after other presents wear out;

* Help someone recycle by buying a can-crusher, recycling or compost bin, or a tote cart to help get the bin to the curb;

* Prepare homemade soups or dinners that can be frozen for future use;

* Give away --- not throw away --- the last great book you bought. Give it to someone who enjoys your taste and later the two of you can talk about it;

* Save gift boxes, bows and ribbon for use next holiday season; and,

* Start off 2009 by making waste reduction your No. 1 New Year’s resolution. Commit to purchasing longer lasting products, such as compact florescent light bulbs and rechargeable batteries. You will save money and have less trash to discard.And the next headline from this week's eNews:City to Recycle Discarded Christmas Trees
What’s an easy and environmentally friendly way to get rid of your Christmas tree following the holidays? Raleigh residents should place their discarded trees at the curb with regular yard waste on their scheduled collection day.
...
All natural Christmas trees collected by the City’s Solid Waste Services Department, including those taken to the Yard Waste Center, are recycled into wood chips and mulch. These products are sold to the general public at the Yard Waste Center, which can be reached at 250-2728.Can you believe how much our waste increases during this short time period?

P.D.C. - Amra's

Just after writing this post about how Red Hat was making a very festive (and pretty. darn. classy.) move with their holiday party, check out this email I just got from the Amra's family:

A gift for you, Happy Holidays from Amra's

Lisa,

This is Samson. Amra's is sponsoring Samson on behalf of our Amra's guests. Samson is a Rottweiler-Shepherd mix that is in foster care through Best Friend Pet Adoption. Our sponsorship will help cover the cost of his food and medical expenses for the next six months. Although we hope that he'll have a permanent home and family before then.

The holidays are here and for most this means a time of giving—finding those perfect gifts for friends and family as well as giving to charities, financially or donating your time.During these economic times many charities have experienced sharp drops in donations. One way to still be able to donate to your favorite charity and give a meaningful gift is by sponsoring. Click here or visit BFPA online at http://cts.vresp.com/c/?Amras/48f55554e7/64adddf889/6912f621d2 to see the 48 cats and 37 dogs available for sponsorship through BFPA. Just click the "View Cats/Dogs to Sponsor" button, click on their name to learn more about them and click the "Sponsor" button located in their profile.You can dedicate your sponsorship to someone, with your dedication text appearing on their profile. BFPA will also send an acknowledgement on your behalf via email or snail mail.
Happy Holidays,
Brian, Alex and Rommie Amra
amrasraleigh.com
919-828-8488They sure know how to win MY heart! Just look at that sweeeeeet face!

Adrianne and Joey - go get him for Sweetie! Then she'll have a Tank of her own :-)

Best Holiday Party EVER

This seems like it'll be a hoot. Well worth a Saturday night in Downtown just to see this for yourself.

The Official Santa Rampage
Who can argue with a hundred Santas?

Time and Place: Saturday, December 6, 2008 at 8:00pm - Raleigh, NC
Street: Glenwood South

Dress in a Santa Suit. Go bar hopping. Spread cheer. BE 21 OR OVER.

Wear a Santa suit!!! Bring prezzies or little gifts if you want to. Bring cash for bar tabs. Santa does not pay cover. The more the merrier. Ho ho ho!

Santa apparel is mandatory. A Santa hat is not enough. Get a Santa suit. Make a Santa suit. Steal a Santa suit. Buy a Santa suit. If you don't have any money, be creative. If you don't have any creativity, slap yourself three times and ask your mom to help you. Glue cotton balls to red long johns. Already have a Santa suit? Make a spare so Santa can assimilate strangers.

Pay your own damn bar tab.

The answer to important questions that may arise:
Q: Who's in charge?
A: "Santa"

Q: What organization are you with?
A: "Santa"

Q: What are you protesting?
A: "Shitty holiday parties"

Q: How did you get here?
A: "A sleigh and eight tiny reindeer"

Q: Where are you going?
A: "I'm only allowed to tell you if you dress like Santa"Here's the facebook invite and a great New Raleigh article (with video). Put it on your calendar!

skirt!: Presents for the Pantry

Congrats to skirt! After Work for raising almost $500 at their November event for Triangle Family Services with their silent auction of tree skirts!

Go ahead and put their December event on your calendar now and bring some friends - it'll be a fabulous time:

Wear your favorite holiday skirt and bring your non-perishable food items to 518 West Italian Café on December 16th for skirt!’s holiday bash!

$5 naughtinis and nice-tinis will be available, and at the end of the night we’ll tally up sales and find out if skirt! readers are naughty or nice...The food drive benefits the Inter-faith Food Shuttle - a GREAT local organization!

Tasty Thanksgiving Treats

My college pals and I had the 2nd annual weekend-before-Thanksgiving-shindig-celebration this past weekend and apparently, these drinks were well enjoyed.... especially by the pilot - a new addition to the party this year thanks to Matt and Amanda.

Spiked Apple Cider
Buttered Spiked Cider

Big hugs and kisses to Joseph for orchestrating this whole thing for two years in a row and to Adrianne for cleaning up after all of us (apple pie shots and all)!

Apple Pie shots (Joey adds whipped cream, too)
Hot Apple pie cocktails

I feel like the latter of the last two suggestions would be a good one to add to the line-up in the future. Maybe in place of the apple pie shots that can go dangerously wrong if you let Joey sprinkle too much ground cinnamon in your mouth (see last year's extremely attractive photographs - below - for example)?

Gobble 'til ya wobble, y'all!

Holiday TV

Even though we have a bunch of these on good ol' VHS (and some of the newer on DVD) at Mom and Dad's, there's just something about catching your favorites on TV.

Many thanks to my Aunt Deborah for this great link to pretty much any and all holiday programming you could want to catch on TV.

Christmas 2008 Holiday Movies, Specials, Favorites
http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/christmas/whats-on-tv.htmPS - I'm still trying to delay the onset of the holidays a bit, but a lot of these will be airing this quickly-approaching Thanksgiving holiday week/end!

Santa Paws!

It's baaaaack!

Treat your dog to Santa Paws, the Triangle's Original Holiday Photo Event with Pets!

Visit the SPCA of Wake County online to make your reservation online.

Holiday Cards

I've been doing some (ok, a lot) of research as to the pricing of holiday cards. I'm personally geared toward the nice 4''x8'' that you mail in envelopes.

Know what I've found? There is a crap ton of variation in pricing.

Here's the best deal I've found so far:

Holiday 4'' x 8'' cards at VistaPrint.com
50 prints for $11.99 (with envelopes included) is around $0.25/card. Not $1.50/card like I've seen some crazy companies charging.

I was a little wary of the $20 additional charge for envelopes when the envelopes are noted as included here when I was doing the instant quote service, then I realized you just have to go back and change the envelope selection to the free choice (tricky tricky).

The only thing that sucks is the shipping and processing fee and lead-time.
Shipping and Processing Costs:
Rush - $25.19 - 3 Business Days
Priority - $13.15 - 7 Days
Standard - $9.15 - 14 Days
Slow - $5.45 - 21 DaysCall me crazy, but that seems like a really long print delay. Maybe they're just THAT busy. You'll definitely have to plan ahead to if you want to be able to mail them before New Years and not double the cost of your cards with shipping fees!

In all honesty, they seem to be the cheapest for any type of printing (business cards, etc.) I'm ever doing anyway.

I'll be sure to update as this search goes on and post some results later down this holiday road.

PS - Their customer service is very helpful by phone, too.

PS#2 - Walgreens is also a good choice at $9.99 for sets of 20 that you can pick up at the store (ie: no shipping costs), about $0.50/each. I don't think you can create your own design though... you may be restricted to their templates. I'm getting really creative (thanks to iStockPhoto.com and Adobe Photoshop CS3) and making our own design.

PS#3 - Vista Print is offering "Get 50% OFF Holiday Cards offer ends 11/16/2008" currently... now that's a REALLY good deal.

Have a Holly Raleigh Christmas

I'm no kind of in the holiday spirit yet, but one of my fabulous sorority sisters is helping to coordinate this for her agency, so I wanted to make sure everyone has a chance to put this on their calendars (it's also on my google calendar!):

(official site)Supporting Events
November 6th, 7-10pm
CD Release Party
Hear the music at Tir Na Nog
Please join us for great music, food, prizes and the big guy...Santa!
218 S Blount St, Raleigh NC
www.tirnanogirishpub.com

November 22, 12-5pm
The Shops at Seaboard Station - Open House
Get started on your holiday shopping an pick up a copy of the CD!
121 Seaboard Dr, Raleigh NC
www.seaboardstationshops.com