Rant: Agendas need to stop before we lose our country and our lives......

What is our world coming to? Here is the thing, I am a Christian.  I have friends who are Buddhist, Jewish, Agnostic.   I don't judge people by the religion they follow for the most part.  I will not post my views on Islam or Sharia law here.  I do not want to become a target or someone who is injured by others based on my feelings for how they treat women or how they view me and anyone who is not Islamic.  That being said, the only time I have ever felt attacked about my religion has been by specific people over specific topics.

For example, I very much believe that any private religious organization should be allowed to display things that reference their religion in a public location if they pay for it.  I would have no problem with a Jewish statue or display, I have enjoyed seeing Kwanzaa displays during Christmas etc.  When I grew up the multiple faiths would display things everywhere and it was nice to see diversity in action living together in harmony.  Then, one day a woman decided that since she was atheist, there should not be a moment of silence in the morning.  And the judges said, "oh if your child feels like they are being forced to pray then no they shouldn't have prayer."  Growing up I went to a public school.  We always had a moment of silence in the am.  For some people it was a time for prayer, for others, it was a time to just center themselves and get ready for the day.  It was a nice thing.  It was turned into something horrible.

Now, religion is under attack.  Since Christians are the largest religious group in the united states they are starting big figuring the smaller ones will fall quicker if we fall.  They started quietly a little thing here and a little thing there.  Religion was taken out of schools and yet public colleges are installing footwashes for Muslims to pray.  Well why can't we pray then?  Accommodations are being made in public schools with high Muslim enrollment to have a room to pray their times during the school day.  No, if a Jewish person, a Buddhist or a Christian can't pray neither can you.  We may not have assigned times to do so, but still prayer is prayer.  We can't have the Jewish prayer books etc or books about Buddhism or Christian topics in school libraries but books about the Muslim tenants are being found in every school library.  It is all or nothing people.  If you are going to allow Muslims to pray then it is time to let everyone pray.

     I have seen where people attend Private Christian college and then ask that they not be able to preach that being gay is a sin.  Here's the deal.  OK so you are a sinner.  If you are OK with who you are then why does it matter.  You sin in other ways too.  I sin.  Daily.  I don't wear white cotton. I love shrimp.  I have many failings as a person.  Just because you don't want it to be a sin doesn't mean in any way that it is not a sin.  And until you sue a Muslim bakery for not making your cake stop suing Christians.  Seriously.  I do have to add that I personally have a number of friends who are gay.  All of them know I am a Christian.  We all sin and we all sin differently. I don't judge them by their lifestyle.  I just know that if someone feels it is against their beliefs to perform a service for you, you just need to move on.  My husband and I were told we couldn't marry at the Catholic church because I am divorced.  Even though we were abstinent before marriage, we were told because we shared the same address, we could not marry in another church.  We didn't get mad.  We just found another church.  That is their beliefs.  That is how they function.  I moved on.  So don't say I don't understand being told your marriage isn't right.

     Now this.  I am so angry that this teacher first of all brings up God, any God, and then requires her students to denounce God or fail.  The fact that the board of ed seems to be like well the principal will handle it is horrible.  They should have immediately been acting on this.  If for no other reason than schools are not supposed to be a place to discuss religion unless you go to a religious school.  This poor little girl who is in 7th grade was attacked by a grown adult over this.  Not OK.  Not only should this teacher no longer teach she should be forced to apologize to these young people she attacked with her words.

    No child should be told that they will fail a class if they don't agree with the teacher.  Period. I pray for this little girl and her classmates who stood in their faith at such a young age.  Most religions believe in a God.  Although we may not believe in the same path to that god or the same guidelines, we believe in a God.  This obviously atheist teacher needs an education in how to be a human.

Visiting the Alabama Gulf Shores - You MUST VISIT The House of Jerky!

     Back in September we were looking through a listing of stores located at the Wharf in Ocean Beach.  The Wharf is a great place to go with your family as it has great places to eat and shop!  It also features a HUGE Ferris Wheel.  (I won't go on it because there is no way I am going that high up in the air).  That being said we had noticed one that intrigued us.  The House of Jerky!  We were like hmmm we need to check it out.  That day we were stumped for time, but this past weekend we finally got down there!  

     Currently it is located just off the roundabout.  If you are coming in past the ferris wheel you would want to go to the right on the roundabout and you would see it on your right and side.  Easy access is street parking or continue past those stores and you can park in the parking garage which allows you to walk through a breezeway just down from the shop.  If you are coming in off the Exspressway bridge you will turn right before you hit the main road and just stay on that road till you come to a T.  Then turn right.  Stay on that road till you come to the roundabout and then follow the roundabout past the main entrance road and go sorta straight from where you came from.  Then same thing road parking or follow to the parking garage at the end of the building.  

     You can easily see the store by the hanging sign as you are walking towards it or by the big House of Jerky wood sign over the entrance. And when you get inside you are in for a treat.  The owner works his shop almost every day they are open except a couple where he has someone cover for his shop so he too can have a day off.  The owner is very friendly and always has some samples available.  Usually a beef sample.  The fish samples are not usually available because they do smell very fishy!

    He offers an amazing variety of jerky.  You can get: Beef, Buffalo, Pork, Turkey, Pineapple (yeah who knew!), Alligator, Mako Shark, Salmon, Python, Elk, Venison, Wild Boar, Rabbit, and Kangaroo. He also features Biltong which is South African Beef Jerky.  You really can try it all here!  The packages range anywhere from 8.99 to $20.  You can also get mutlipacks in the store that will offer you a great variety at a discounted price!

     We purchased Python in a bag, Mako Shark in a bag, Terriyaki Buffalo in a bag and Black Pepper Kangaroo in a bag, we also got Hot and Spicy Gator in a stick, Wild Boar in a stick and Hotter than Hell Elk Stick.  The sticks run about $3.  So if you are only a little adventurous you still can try some amazing stuff!  The jerky is not hard.  It is a nice easily eaten jerky.  They use a smoke to jerky the meat instead of an air dry method.  So it does make it chewable.  So often you buy a jerky and it is just rock hard and you have to like suck on it or break a tooth to eat it.  Not the jerky from that store.  They also have other items in the store like travel mugs, Kangaroo skin hats and Salt Water Taffy  

     We really enjoyed talking to the owner while we shopped.  He is very sweet.  I had such a good time hearing about the different types of jerky and how he picks where he orders from and how they make the jerky.  He also really liked explaining the flavors and textures of the jerky he didn't have available for testing.  He also asked questions to help match you with a jerky you may really enjoy.  For example, he has a ghost pepper jerky.  It is a sneaky spice.  It will sneak right up on you and then doesn't go away.  I am personally a Ghost Pepper lover when it comes to seasonings.  We didn't get it this time but we live here so there is always time.

     

      We really loved this little store.  It was a lot of fun to visit.  The jerky is really delish and I know you will find a favorite for sure!  I have listed how you too can check out the House of Jerky in person or you can order online!  Let them know the Southern Yankee Blogger sent you!  He always like to know where his customers come from.

You can find them on Facebook here.  

Not visiting the area or visited and want more?  You can buy online here.

Arctic Water Wars Water Balloons

     I know that it is winter.  And really people are not checking out water balloons for the most part.  But I really wanted to tell you about the fun we had with the ArcticTM water balloons.  I got them for a discounted price on Amazon through a review offer, however when I went to the website to do my review on how much we had fun and how great these autofill balloons were, the item was gone on Amazon. I really hope they bring it back.  It doesn't say why it is not on sale any longer it just gives me a page error.  Makes me sad.

     The colors are purple and blue.  They are on 2 sets of easy fill straws each. You put a little water in the bottom of a plastic bin, rest these in there and turn on your hose.  They self seal.  We had a few fatalaties but overall these stayed together more than other brands we have tried.  The kids had a ton of fun.

Keep your eyes open I hope these come back!

Time for a little Doctor in the house.....

First.....lets start with some mood music.......who doesn't love Doctorin' the Tardis;

And now....the goodies!

Some of these are new and some are not but when you are a Whovian they are all precious!  First..lets start at the bottom... SOCKS!

Oh there is NOTHING better than Dr Who socks!  I sincerely adore these socks!  They are knee socks which normally is not my thing but its ok I will deal because they are Dr. Who.  I love that one has a Tardis...one is a Tardis...one has lots of Daleks and one just has the DW symbol.  They each have their own little personalities.  I adore them all. I have seen a couple of these in other stores for more than what they go for on amazon but sometimes the convenience of having them right there is worth the extra few bucks.They come in a two pack with 2 different designs for 13.95.  Great deal if you ask me personally plus instead of getting one pair for $10 or $12 you are getting 2 pair for $14. LOVE THESE. They are really good quality.  As always I am supplying an amazon link below to the product.  I did purchase these from amazon from this same seller I am posting below.

Cardboard figures.  I had to have these.  I did buy these at a store that speciallizes in geek stuff. Since I don't have their permission I can't list their name here...however you can get it there if it is on topic for you to stop in there.  I however currently live about 40 minutes away from one and only if I am in the area do I stop in.  So I am giving you the link below to find this item online if you too have a location issue as well.  Lets be honest same price or cheaper on Amazon and you aren't using gas and time.  Makes sense.  Just saying. Now back to the figures.  The back has a fold out support that allows them to stand.  They are label as Mini but really they aren't. They are pretty decent size and the detail on them is great.  They are tons of fun to display. I had to bring one home for the photo as it sits on my desk at work.  (yes I am that geek at work!)  Anyhow, they are cute.  They do need some space to allow for the back of the stand but you could also just not unfold the base and use a pin to hang them up.  One of my friends actually did a gorgeous frame that she matted around the figure and put things on the mat that was Dr. Who related. It was very sweet.  There are lots you can do with these!

OK so then the figure in the mystery box. Im not going to lie...I was asking the Dr to speak to me and give me #4. I adore #4. Tom is my muse in life.  That was the first Dr I ever saw.  When I was a child, I would stay up at night and take the little rabbit ear black and white TV and turn down the volume and watch Dr. Who.  No one in school knew what I was even talking about.  Now so many of them are like oh I am a Whovian and I am like and if you would have listened to me...you would have been decades ago...gahhh....well I didn't get the 4th Dr.  Butt hat is OK.  I liked this one too.  (Yes I am not really a Capaldi fan...I'm sorry.  I don't know why I just can't get into him at all.)

Last but not least. Make your fridge or other metal area a Tardis.  Get a Tardis police box magnet.  This one is rather smallish about 3 1/2 inches but there is a larger one available at that store within the Topic above....I hope you are getting my reference on this one.  So...needless to say I love mine. I proudly have it on my fridge.  Mine is larger than the one listed on amazon but not by a huge amount and I did pay about 4 times the price of the one listed so....yeah to each their own on preference for size.  The larger one does make it have less space for you to put anything else on your fridge but I don't have small kids that want artwork on the fridge.  So for me it was a non issue.  So if you want Becky's greatest art piece on there and a little Dr who reference the one listed below fits the bill!


GET YOUR SOCKS HERE!
GET YOUR TARDIS COOKIE JAR HERE!
GET YOUR MINI STANDUPS HERE! GET YOUR MYSTERY MINIFIGURE HERE! GET YOUR TARDIS POLICE BOX MAGNET HERE!

REVIEW: Arctic easy fill water balloons..........

     So, it was a beautiful and sunny day here in Alabama so my kids decided it was a good day for a water balloon fight.  Who ever would have thought of doing a water balloon fight in October when I lived up north.  Not this girl for sure.  But yesterday it totally happened.   I had gotten a discount on some water balloons that are on the auto release plastic strings.  I just got them like a week or so ago, but the page seems to have disappeared off of amazon.  Not sure why. 

     They are actually pretty cool.  We had this set and a colorful set that we had purchased.  The Arctic Water Wars balloons came with refills. The colorful set I had to buy refills.  So to me that is a better deal.  I didn't have to buy refills. It is pretty simple at least. You just screw the top onto your hose and turn on the water.  You place the balloons in a bucket or something with water in it so the balloons have a soft place to be when they release. seems simple enough.

    So we went ahead and started filling.  Now, I am not sure if these are a design flaw or manufacturing defect.  We got maybe 50% of the balloons to be usable.  Some had holes in them, some didn't seal with the elastic piece when they released so they had streams of water coming out.  So where we had bought a 300 pack.  About 150 were already loaded and we probably got 70 to 75. 

    This one was one of the better releases.  We got about 28 out of 35 on the strings.  But you can see some of them are very small and are probably the ones that are losing water.  I would say we got about 17 we could use out of this one set that was released.  But they did work as far as the balloons filled very quickly.  If you are someone who doesn't have a ton of time to sit and fill water balloons manually this is a great option if you don't mind having a portion of them not work.  I would say hand filling balloons loses way less balloons than we did on this system.  But, convenience has its costs I guess. 

     Overall the balloons themselves were good.  They broke when they hit someone. And the kids had a blast.  So either way I guess it is still a win just these are a lot more expensive than the self fills from a dollar store or big chain store.  It is fun to try at least once.  I don't know if I would buy them again.  But it was fun for at least one try!

Giving Bloggers and Reviewers a BAD NAME. My take on reviews. Who should and shouldn't be doing it.

So big news lately in the last day or so, Amazon is suing specific reviewers.  Personally I think it is about time.  Now one thing I desperately want to say is just because a reviewer has a lot of 5 or 4 star reviews does NOT mean they are lying which is what a lot of the news channels are saying.  There are a lot of reviewers like me. 

If there is an item i really really want. For example, we wanted an Android box to be able to watch movies etc.  They were retailing anywhere between $250 and $500 each.  It really wasn't in our budget.  So, I saw it come across open reviews.  It was a discounted price for review of about half price.  So yes a discount.  NOT FREE.  I want to stress a lot of reviewers don't get their items for free they get a discount.  anywhere from 10% off to 90% off and on occasion free.  I will tell you right now the only things I have gotten for free were vitamin supplement things and some essential oils.  Like 2 of them.  Everything else pretty much I have paid at least a dollar for.

Some reviewers who really want an item but can't afford it will reach out to sellers and say listen read my reviews.  Tell me if you think you could offer me a discount on this product in exchange for my review.  I have done it.  There is a bag I really wanted that was Dr. Who.  It was like $40 when I sent the request.  It went on sale for 25.  I got $5 off of it on sale by asking for the discount.  I have a very high reviewer ranking (top 5,000).  He agreed.  I also purchased something from his store that was not on sale (a mousepad for my daughter) partially because my daughter would love it and because the sale price was listed when I got my $5 off and I felt like it was already on sale.  I wanted to make it even.  Not every reviewer is out to get something for nothing.

I do hear bloggers on group sites or reviewers say well I work hard to do my blog and my reviews.  Well I do too but, to limit myself from getting a discount on a product I am already going to buy...just to get it for free because I won't pay to do reviews is ridiculous.  I will pay for an item I was already going to buy at a discount price to be able to still get the item.  For example.  I wanted to get my daughter one of those 3D pens for christmas.  At $100 I was on the edge of no.  But I usually get my kids inexpensive gifts and then one big gift each.  Then It came across my offers at a discount price that I could afford about $60.  So I jumped on it.  Later an offer for 50% off the refills.  So I grabbed a refill too.  Something I had planned on buying but had not gotten around to it.

Not all reviewers are people who are out for a buck.  I have seen people talk about people who will get a discount approved and then use it over and over.  Most sellers have figured this out and will make their code only good for one use instead of giving everyone the same code.  This left people who could use the product from being able to get it at the discount because one person bought the entire stock out.  I have seen people posting that someone is selling items we have seen people reviewing on auction sites.  They don't list the site but, I am sure we can all figure out the popular ones.  It makes me really mad.

I think about a friend of mine who I suggested should start reviewing.  She is a single mom on a budget and needs the discounts when offered on baby clothes or diapers wipes etc.  I think about people like her and people like me.  We have had a rough year.  When we finally get our heads almost above water..I change jobs and get a start date delay of a month.  Being able to be a reviewer has saved our christmas. I am very thankful for that.  However, I will also add, these people amazon is suing definitely deserve it.  I was not ever afraid of my name being on there because yes I have received a bunch of items at a discount but, I have used them all or have reviewed them honestly.

I will never buy anything I don't need, I will never sell an item I have received for review. For example, I got a phone case that should have fit my sons phone based on the description. I think it was valued at $7 was on sale for $5 and I got it for $2.99.  It didn't fit and so I put out an APB to my friends does anyone have that model phone that could use a cover.  One of my friends happened to have one.  So I gave it to her.  yes I paid $3 for it. I could have asked her to reimburse me, but I didn't.  I received a discount.  I did my review based on seeing if it fit her phone.  I always do reviews for the items I purchased. I am always honest.  If it works and is a good quality but could be improved I do leave it in there as well.  If I say we loved it trust me we did.

If you still see the reviewers review on Amazon today or later, you will know that these people are NOT the ones lying about the products.  You may see five star reviews along with 2 star reviews.  Sometimes the issue is the person who reviewed it. Sometimes the issue is a product issue the seller has fixed after a bunch of bad reviews.  Sometimes a few people got a faulty product.  There are lots of reasons why there could be a difference in reviews.  Some people just have really high standards that most sellers can't meet.  You have seen them in the store or if you have ever worked customer service I am sure you have spoken to them.  How the potato wasn't the right color.  They exist everywhere.  Be mindful of who you read reviews from.

In the case of being completely open.  Here is my reviewer profile: here.  I get emails often from sellers asking me to review a product at a discounted price sometimes free.  I have turned down more free products than I can list because I am not willing to take it, or I am not interested nor could I use the product.  Like Iphone 6 cases.  No one in my house has an Iphone 6. i have never nor will I accept a review for something that I am offered that I can't use.  Just makes no sense.  I can't honestly review something I have no use for.  Just common logic.

So there is my rant, selfish people who won't really use it shouldn't review it.  Period.  People who will pick apart anything and everything should not be reviewing items.  Great items get passed up because they didn't like the shade of blue so the whole thing sucked for them.  The people who should review are honest people like my reviewer friends who genuinely will use the products and will review honestly.  Yes they may give a lot of 4 and 5 stars because they already were looking for that item.  And as a note, some sellers can delete your low rating review when you get a discount.  I have 2 right now that keep getting deleted from my bad reviews.  So don't assume someone hasn't done a bad review.  If they gave a discount, some sellers can delete those.  So it isn't all the reviewers.  Just saying. 

Looking for a Fun Family Vacation?

     Whether you are in the market for a Timeshare or not I have a trip for you!  Recently on a trip to Orlando to see some visiting friends, we decided to check out a timeshare company we had heard about.  Now, we have been in the market for one for a while but wasn't sure where we wanted to get one or what the pricing would be.

     The ones we looked at were 2 bedrooms.  Obviously they will run differently depending on where you get your timeshare and which specific location within that area you choose one.  So the company we finally decided to go with is Westgate. We went with them for a few reasons.  #1 - They have some great convenient locations.  #2 their price was about $9,000 less than the other company I had been looking at.  #3 It is yours.  You own it.  In your will you will need to leave it to someone it is transferrable at death.  You can purchase a vacation time for your family for generations to come!

     The photos you are seeing throughout this blog post are photos of the location that we chose to purchase ours from.  It is beautiful and almost in the parking lot of Universal Studios.  You can pretty much walk to the gate!  Wet and Wild is also right there!  The locations also offer shuttle services to the other parks in the area!  Also most locations offer water parks of some sort or pools.  You also have fully equipped kitchens and children s activities for your relaxation days.  There is also an onsite gym with top of the line equipment!

     One thing we noticed is that these locations are very high end.  Nothing is done half way on these.  It is just really well done.  You feel like a celebrity when you enter.  Everyone is very friendly and can answer any questions you have.  Most locations also have onsite stores in case you forgot a toothbrush or need medicine or sunscreen.  You really never have to leave your location!  They have amazing dining options right on site.

     One thing about vacations is food prices.  Because you don't have to fight or pay for parking at the parks, you have the option of making breakfast in your room and then going to the park.  Hop the bus back to your suite at lunch and relaxing a bit while you enjoy lunch and then go back.  You really never have to be $10 for a nasty hamburger again!  There are tons of grocery stores within a short drive or you can bring a cooler full of your favorite food with you if you drive to your vacation!  We like to grocery shop when we get there and try stuff that maybe we don't have locally.

     Another great thing about owning your timeshare is that you always have a place to stay.  Now with Westgate there is a great benefit.  If you don't want to use your timeshare or if you do the flex plan like we did, or if you already used your timeshare but want another vacation.  You can get a discounted rate at lots of other places!  You can also get discounts on cruises!  Who can say no to a cruise at a discount!  I am really happy with our choice and we can't wait for our first stay at OUR timeshare.  Orlando here we come for a WEEK! (Plus we got a bonus week so looks like 2 weeks in 2016!

     Now for the fun part.  Even if you don't want to get a timeshare I can offer you a GREAT FUN long weekend with your family.  You can choose Orlando, FL-, Las Vegas, NV, Myrtle Beach, SC, Branson, MO, Gatlinburg, TN, Park City (Utah), Williamsburg, VA or Miami, FL.  $99 for 4 days and 3 nights!  They will ask you to attend a showing of their units and information on the location but you don't HAVE to go.  All you have to do is either call 888-608-9570 or go to www.WestgateReservations.com/OHO and give them this reference number 71545965130.  They will set you up at any of those locations for any 4 day 3 night stay.

     Now you can get larger than a single room.  If you upgrade to multiple bedrooms etc.  They can give you those prices I believe it goes up about $100 for each additional bedroom but I am not positive on that one.  I am soo excited to offer this to you guys because family time is so very important!  So don't miss out and be sure to pass this discount on to your friends.  Don't pay $1000 just for your hotel.  (yes i have priced some of these places for hotels)  And hey when you go to the let me show you how our timeshare works they give you a free breakfast!  And you can get a free breakfast get the info and then tell them you are not interested.  But you will have the info for when you are. I am so excited for you to try this out!  I hope to see lots of photos in the comments from YOUR 4 day 3 night vacation discount!