Tasting New Foods In 2025

I'm always thrilled when new foods come out. They're always fun to try. Some of them are delicious...others are...well, not so great. 

Here are some recent finds:

At Walmart, I came across these Butterbeer Fudge Stripes. I admit, I am not into Harry Potter, but I do like butterbeer. These are pretty good. The original is better, but this a fun swap!

Are you a fan of Friends! I found this at Walmart--I admit, I did not try these only because I've never been a fan of lattes. But I loved the packaging and I am a huge fan of the show.

Minions are pretty cute & I am a sucker for anything with sprinkles, so I picked up these Sprinkle Blast cookies. They are delicious but beware, you'll eat more than you intend! 

I'll be honest, for a second I forgot who Post Malone was, but then I realized he was the man with all the tattoos and was like, oh right. I always like trying new Oreos so I picked these up. They are a bit too salty for me, so I wouldn't get them again, but if you like Post Malone, the cookies have fun shapes on them. I actually preferred the cookie flavor to the creme, which is unusual for me:

I know this is a drink, but I had to pick up the new Orange Cream Zero Sugar Coke. It comes in regular as well if zero sugar isn't for you. It sort of tasted like a creamsicle. I liked it, but I wouldn't buy a 12 pack. It's something I'd have now and again. 

Like Fun Dip? Skittles has their own version. I'm an adult, and I still enjoy candy like this. It's a nice add to an Easter basket:

Finally, I'm a sucker for Reese's Peanut Butter cups so I was excited when I saw these. They are delicious and are basically like the regular Peanut Butter cups, but with colorful sprinkles:

Will you be trying any of these?

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to be excited that Tommy is coming home this weekend. It's his birthday on Sunday!

.....to be taking Tommy to Texas Roadhouse for his birthday. It's one of his fave spots to eat. 

.....to be picking Tommy up a chocolate bundt cake from HEB for his birthday. It's his favorite. 

.....to plan on watching the Oscars this weekend. I hope celebrities continue to speak out about all the nonsense going on in Washington. Some people say celebrities should just stick with acting, but nope, I love when they use their platform to vocalize their thoughts. 

.....to be heading to Paris during Spring Break! We booked with EF Tours--we've done other trips with them before. Some spots we're visiting is the Louvre, Versailles, and Disneyland Paris. 

.......to love the new birthday cake churros from Taco Bell. They are served warm and stuffed with birthday cake frosting. I don't know how long they'll be available so hurry & try them!

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Eating At The Dragonfly Inn In Stars Hollow

If you've seen Gilmore Girls, you know the Dragonfly Inn is the gorgeous spot that Lorelai and Sookie opened. When we did the Warner Brother Studio Tour, we got to actually dine inside. They had the town of Stars Hollow set up for their Holidays Made Here event. 

They had tea and various tea services available. Even if you've never seen the show, this was still a nice spot to enjoy a snack and tea:

We opted for The Nutcracker Sweet Plate:

The tea was tasty and it was a pretty set up in side:

Oh, and they had a screen used oven that was in Lorelai's kitchen in the first few seasons set out:

In another area it was set up like Emily and Richard's dining room with familiar portraits hanging on the walls:

Remember the giant portrait of Richard from A Year In The Life?

And the painting of Rory reading? "Now I've seen everything."

I can just hear the la la las when we saw the family picture:

It was a cool area to explore. And the plate we got was delicious. We were fans of the scones. 

If there is another Holidays Made Here event we will certainly return. 

If you've never seen Gilmore Girls, it's currently on Netflix and Hulu! 

The Beatles Booth At Bob's Big Boy

Did you know The Beatles visited Bob's Big Boy when they played a concert in California. The story goes that they wanted to experience an American diner during their US Summer Tour in 1965. So Paul, George, Ringo, and John walked into Bob's Big Boy and sat in a booth. 

This booth.

It's celebrated with a plaque. Apparently people have stolen this plaque many times so new ones have to be made. 

It was always occupied when we visited Bob's Big Boy so we didn't technically dine in the spot. It's a first come, first served booth. 

But we were in the booth beside it and then the people left so we scurried over for photos. It didn't seem like the people who dined even know the booth they were in. Hello? The BEATLES SAT WHERE YOU SAT! HOW CAN YOU EAT YOUR PANCAKES SO CALMLY?

Anyway. We were thrilled. As you can see. 

So if you're ever in Burbank and are fans of The Beatles, you can request this booth:

Yes, some customers were looking at us weird as we snapped photos. They must not have known the awesome history. 

What is your favorite Beatles song? I have so many. Hey Jude. Let It Be. Here Comes The Sun. Help. Blackbird. 

It goes on and on. 

Are you fans of The Beatles?

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to not be pleased that it's going to get cold again this week. The weather has been up and down in Texas. One day it's in the 70s, the next day it's in the 40s. Not fun. And my body is confused.

....to be happy that Tommy was able to visit over the weekend from college. Sadly, his college still had classes on President's Day, but Natalie's High School was off. 

......to be re-reading The Testaments, which is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. The final season finally releases on Hulu in April. The book sort of goes over what all will be happening. And yes, Hulu is about to green light a show also titled The Testaments so the story of Gilead will continue. The book is told in 3 different voices: Agnes (June's daughter Hannah), Aunt Lydia (who is realizing Gilead isn't what she thought it was), and Daisy (I won't give away who she is.) You can buy the book here. 

......to have checked out the Disney Princess collection at Bath & Body Works. Sadly, most of the stuff I wanted was gone, but I did get some hand sanitizers. I am after the Cinderella and Belle sanitizer holder. The princesses features at Belle, Moana, Ariel, Jasmine, & Tiana. I hope Rapunzel is included in the future. 

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Eating At Bob's Big Boy In Burbank

We love diners! Especially ones that have been open for years. 

Bob's Big Boy has been around since the 1949. In fact, they're the ones who invented the double decker hamburger. McDonald's claims they created it as the Big Mac, but nope, Bob's Big Boy was first.

There aren't a lot of locations left, sadly, but there is one in Burbank, California. It was walking distance to our hotel The Tangerine so we decided to stop in. 

First of all, check out the retro vibes out front:

And here is their mascot. You might recognize him from Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. Dr. Evil escapes in his butt at the end of the movie.

Many celebrities have eaten at Bob's Big Boy. They have pictures on the wall on some famous folks who have dined. These include The Beatles, Mickey Rooney, and many others:

A movie was even filmed inside. It was called Heat. I haven't seen it but it starred Val Kilmer and Robert DeNiro. There were photos of the scene:

Here's the set up inside:

We were led back to a table and given the menu. You can check out the menu here:

Of course I had to try the Double Deck Hamburger, and yes, it was delicious. They also had flavor shots, so I had a Diet Cherry Coke. My daughter had a Chocolate Cake and it wasted like a tootsie roll:

For dessert we had to get the Famous Fudge Cake and yeah, it was devoured in minutes:

We liked our visit so much that we went again for breakfast. I got the fried French Toast and, I mean, look. Obviously they were delicious:

And then we actually went AGAIN the day we left Burbank. So we stopped in a total of 3 times and each time was a fantastic experience. They even have a small merch area set up so we got some t-shirts and other Bob's Big Boy souvenirs. 

Yes, the next time we're in Burbank, we'll return to Bob's Big Boy. We need to check them out on a Friday night--apparently they have Classic Car Shows in the parking lot. 

Have you ever been to a Bob's Big Boy?

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.....to have not watched the Super Bowl but heard all about it. I guess Drake was not having a good day after the Half Time performance. 

.....to be amused that people are leaving out that Trump was also booed at the Super Bowl, plus flipped off. But he just likes to point out that it was Taylor Swift who was booed. Sure, dude. Delusions. 

.....to be waiting for the day after Valentine's Day to get a box of chocolates. There's always so many left and 50% off sounds nicer to me. 

.....to think it's cute that Natalie made this sign for her boyfriend to ask him to be her Valentine. (He said yes! And he had asked her to be HIS Valentine with a stuffed whale and hand drawn comic about sealife.) 

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Pickleball Paddles From Diadem Sports Review

Pickleball is growing in popularity. I've played it once and I was terrible at it. Terrible. I have no coordination. But it was still fun. 

If you play, Diadem Sports has a bunch of paddles and other items needed for the sport. Diadem Sports was created to develop the most innovative and high-quality products. Their team is made up of former collegiate and professional players so they know what they are doing. 

We were sent these gorgeous paddles:

This is the beautiful Rush paddle and as you can see, it spreads awareness for Breast Cancer. I love a company that supports a wonderful cause. 

We were also sent the Warrior paddle, which had an excellent grip to it:

Don't forget the actual pickleballs to go with the paddles! These were tested in extreme conditions so you know they'll work well.

Everything worked fabulously! 

If you need anything related to Pickleball, check out Diadem Sports. If Pickleball isn't for you, they also have tennis gear. 

Have you ever played Pickleball?

To learn more about Diadem Sports, check them out at the following:

their website

Instagram 

Facebook

YouTube

Unique & Affordable Valentine's Day Gifts

I am all about unique. And weird. Maybe because I am weird. Valentine's Day is approaching and sure the typical flowers & chocolates work--but I like to go outside the box. Plus, you can get the same chocolates for 50% off a day later, and I like to save, so I'd rather buy them then. 

If you're looking for unique Valentine's Day gift ideas, I have some! 

Pickleball Paddles & Balls. Know someone who loves pickleball? Surprise them with a paddle from Diadem Sports. They have so many options to choose from. If they don't need a paddle, there is other gear, plus apparel, accessories, and bags, plus more! If pickleball isn't their thing, there is tennis gear as well! I love how well made everything is, plus I'm all for a paddle that spreads awareness. 

Garden Flags. I always like to put flags in my front yard. I recently bought this one as I believe you should always read banned books. Some of the books that have been banned are ridiculous. 

Water Bottle Stickers. Etsy has so many of these! I had to get this one from my daughter. It's from one of her fave movies La La Land. But if your Valentine has a TV show or movie they absolutely love, check out Etsy! 

Gone With The Wind magazine. I absolutely love Gone With The Wind. I imagine you know people in your life who adore it as well. This magazine has behind the scenes stories and other facts about the movie. This is currently on sale for less than $10! 

An opinionated sweatshirt. The world is a crazy place at the moment. If your Valentine is feeling helples, well, remind them that they can show their distaste with the clothes they wear. I've received so many compliments on this one. 

The Notebook Little People set. So many love this movie and will probably be watching it for Valentine's Day. Why not surprise them with this Little People set? If The Notebook isn't for you, there are many other sets available from The Office, Barbie Movie, Elton John, etc..you'll be sure to find a set your Valentine will like!

Is there anything here you think your Valentine's would like? Or heck, if you're single, treat yourself! 

(Get this ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins!)