Wine Freeze recipe

We like to go to Johns Pass when we are in Florida. It's a really neat fishing village. It has all kinds of cool shops where you can find more than the typical Florida souvenirs. There are also a lot of restaurants. Noah loves going to Bubba Gump which is a Forrest Gump themed restaurant. We also really like The Friendly Fisherman. There's also a wine shop. I am not a huge drinker so I occasionally enjoy a wine freeze. They are cheap and delicious. We have also gone to the actual  winery that makes the wine they sell. A cup of Wine Freeze is cheap but to make it t home is expensive. It's expensive if you buy the set of mix and wine. It's like $40 a set. It's also really hard to find. Flying with bottles in your suitcase is nerve wracking. If your luggage is thrown the wrong way forget about it. 

I decided to create my own version of Wine Freezes which are great on a hot day or when you want to pretend like you are at the beach. It's really simple too. 

1/2 cup of Strawberry Wine or Moscato Wine
1/2 cup Strawberry daiquiri mix
Ice to fill the blender. 

Put the ice in the blender until smooth. 

You can also do this with any flavored drink mixer. It's best if it's thicker though. 

Throw in a little paper umbrella and enjoy. Remember to drink responsibly. 

Sand dollar wreath

 

My family has found many sand dollars through out the years. We used to vacation in Florida a lot. We would go on shelling trips. A shelling trip is a boat ride to an island where there are a lot of great shells. A couple times we have come home with bags of sand dollars. You have to often bleach them to make them white. Most sand dollars aren't white from the beginning. They are dead of course so bleaching them also helps with the smell. I love making crafts out of shells so I decided to make a simple sand dollar wreath.

You can either find them or buy them. All of the sand dollars I used we found. We don't like to buy shells unless they are not in the area. I have purchased star fish in the past. I buy them from The Shell Shop in St. Pete Beach. You can order them online too. They have an amazing selection. 

Here's how to make a simple sand dollar wreath:

1 wooden wreath from the dollar store

10 sand dollars or enough to go all the way around. 

Glue gun

Embellishments. I used a starfish I bought for a dollar. 

Place the sand dollars around the wreath and carefully hot glue them on. Over lapping them looks really neat. 

Once dried add your embellishments with hot glue. 

Attach a ribbon or a piece of cord and voila! 

Help support Team Hope Walk

The Huntington's Disease Society of America's (HDSA) Indiana Chapter will be hosting the Team Hope Walk - Central Indiana, on Saturday, September 16th at 10:00 AM, at Mulberry Fields, in Zionsville, IN.

Team Hope is HDSA’s largest national grassroots fundraising event, which takes place in over 100 cities across the U.S. and has raised more than $24 million for Huntington's disease since its inception in 2007. Thousands of families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and communities walk together each year to support HDSA’s mission to improve the lives of people affected by Huntington's disease and their families. 

Huntington’s disease is a fatal genetic disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain that is described as having ALS, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease all at once. Today, there are approximately 41,000 symptomatic Americans and more than 200,000 at risk of inheriting the disease.

“While HD might be rare, there are other families and friends here to support you within your very own community,” said Camille Colletti, HDSA’s Upper Great Lakes Regional Development Officer. “With laughter, smiles, and a day of fun; our Team Hope events bring us all together to embrace our challenges, because Family is Everything.” 

As someone who has seen the effects of Huntington’s Disease in Multiple people, it is one of the most heartbreaking things to watch your loved ones lose mobility, and their memories and thoughts as time goes by. 

One of the people was this beautiful woman who I loved with all my heart. I referred to her as my other mother. They never had children. She was struggling with Huntington’s Disease but she was the sweetest and always upbeat regardless of how she was feeling. Her faith was everything to her. She always had a smile on her face and a warm hug for a friend. She was always such a joy and grateful for every day she was alive. She loved to play piano and loved music. She sadly passed away. I will always remember her persistence and her determination and her love for everyone. 

Did you know that Every child of a parent with HD has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the expanded gene that causes the disease. If the child has not inherited this expanded gene, he or she will never develop the disease and cannot pass it on to their children.

Huntington’s Disease is both physical, neurological and cognitive.  Some of the symptoms of Huntington’s Disease:

• Movement problems lead to activity limitations and falls in persons with Huntington’s disease.
• Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
• Akinesia (delayed start of movement)
• Uncoordinated movement
• Motor impersistence (inability to sustain a movement like holding a cup in the hand without dropping it)
• Difficulty with rapidly alternating movements (turning the palm of the hand face up then face down rapidly)
• Difficulties performing sequences of movements (getting out of bed, standing up from a chair).
• They can struggle with thinking clearly
• Often have memory issues and forgetting things in day to day life. 
• Multitasking 
• As the disease progresses, they will start having a lot more memory loss and experience dementia. 

I feel like Huntington’s Disease, is one of those that not many people knows about. It’s such a hard thing for the patient and for their family and friends. I would love for you to please donate.