Vacation Idea: Good things in Huntsville ALabama

Hello everybody!

Summer is almost over and I was going through some of the pleasant moments of the past months and it occurred to me that I have no shared with you my day trip to 'Sweet Home Alabama'!
 I visited Hunstville Alabama for the first time back in March and my time there was very pleasant and refreshing!

 If you are like most people you are probably thinking "what is there to do in Alabama?"
Well I am glad you asked because I am about to show you!
Ooooh let me tell you, I got to see the country side I have never seen and I also got to see that Alabama is not all that country after all! That is if you go where I am heading!!!

The road trip was peaceful....

We passed by the bridge below, within an hour and half of leaving Chattanooga, TN. I believe it's around Bridgeport AL.

We passed in front of some of the greenest and largest pastures I had ever seen.

Welcome into the countryside!!!

We knew we were  finally in Hunstville when we passed by the Space Center above! It's the first thing on my list of thing to visit when we return to Huntsville.

Ok, less than two hours after leaving the house:

• Here we are:    Bridge Towne Center Hunstville Alabama, my chosen destination for our first trip to Alabama. Since I was in charge of planning this day trip we will see if it met my criteria for
•  A fun place
• A place that would offer good options as far eating is concerned,
•  Be kids and family friendly
• A place to get some kind of exercise
• A place to enjoy the outdoors....
• a place with lots of stores to shop around

I took tons of pictures and I will share quite a few amount with you....

 Follow me through the Bridge Town Center

&

 enjoy yourself!



Bridge Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama.





Bridge Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama.

 

We are passing by most stores pretty quickly because the kids are more interested in getting to the canal!Pretty soon we will be on the water!!! Before we get to the canal, we are passing stores like Bebe, Chicos, Antrophology, there's a DSW somewhere around.  The most impressive store to me was Anthropology. The design of the facade was stunning but there were too many people walking around for me to take a picture. Every corner of the inside left me excited....it had so many cute things, refreshing layout, and their candles smelled so good! It's an exceptional store! There are many upscale stores around so as you can see it's a place for fashionistas...

But honestly, I was not visiting the Bridge Towne Center for the shops I was visiting it for the outdoors...



A peek at the Canal@ Bridge Twone Center, Hunstville Alabama,





Bridge Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama,



In case you are getting hungry, you will see below a few options to satisfy your appetite....

.

beautiful cherry blossom trees @ Bridge Town Center, Hunstville AL, Spring 2011.

My mom and I, as true gardeners, were constantly admiring the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom!



Bridge Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama Spring 2011



Frozen Yogurts are a very healthy alternative to ice cream and my calories conscious mom ordered from Orange Tree a frozen yogurt  she was very pleased with...

Orange Tree @ Bridge Town Center Huntsville Alabama

Moving along...

NOW...heading to the canal...something truly cool to do for outdoors lovers...
My kids noticed the fish in the water and were busy feeding the catfish while we were purchasing our tickets for....



The kids had fun feeding the catfish



The canal @ Bridge Street Town center Huntsville Alabama.

Who would have expected a little touch of Venice right here in Huntsville Alabama?



 Our cruise on the canal begins with some interesting Captains...

 Humm... it's not Venice but it's still nice isn't it?

The canal @ Bridge Street Town Center, Hunstville Alabama



 



The canal @ Bridge Street Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama

 



The canal @ Bridge Town Center, Hunstville Alabama, a peek at the rocket from the Space center

 




The Westin Hotel @ Bridge Street Towne Center, Hunstville Alabama

  



On the canal@ Bridge Street Towne Center, Huntsville Alabama

  






Bridge Street Towne Center, Huntsville Alabama

 





The Melting Pot restaurant, view from the Canal @ Bridge Street Towne Center Hunstville AL

  

 Returning on dry land with one purpose in mind....

GOT To EAT!!!!
 We were told by the young man assisting us  at the dock that Connors has some delicious shrimps and that the Vodoo shrimps were so good that they can't be described...you just have to taste and see for yourself....Humm I was intrigued so we are heading to Connors...

We studied the menu for a little while and ...

went for a fully loaded baked potatoe, as our side dish. This is truly a no no if you are counting the calories...but since I rarely order that, and I knew I was going to burn some of those calories I went ahead and indulged.

Here is the loaded baked potatoe...

They provided...

My dear hubby selected some catfish...

 and I went for the Vodoo Shrimps! They were good! Ok, good is an understatement! They were fantastic!





I must tell you, it was a great selection! You all know I love bread right! I was not impressed with the bread at Connors.  The Bone Fish Grill, J.Alexander's restaurant & the Macaroni Grill have some of the best bread to my taste...BUT the shrimp and the catfish were totally worth eating!
Our server informed us that the Chop House is actually a sister restaurant of Connors. Connors specializes in seafood and the Chop House apparently specializes in steaks.

Now more walking around because I need to burn some of those calories ...now you know that no visit in the deep south is complete unless you enjoyed some Bluuuues.....

He insisted that I take a " good picture" of him and his guitar's case once I told him that it was for my blog. He asked me what I was going to do with the pictures when I told him he wanted me to come right in front of him and was glad that I would offer him some free PR...So here we go...our blues musician...

Alabama Blues Man @ Bridge Town center Huntsville ALabama



Alabama Blues man @ Bridge Street Towne Center Hunstville ALabama.





Bridge Street Town center Hunstville Alabama

Monaco Pictures @ Bridge Street Towne Center Hunstville ALabama

Monaco Pictures movie theater @ Bridge Towne Center Huntsville Alabama!

Time to head on home...thanks for the love Hunstville... see you next time...

Passing by the Space center, Huntsville Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama

Alabama



Alabama

That's it for our day trip to Huntsville ALabama! Hope you enjoyed it!

Good things: Words of inspiration...A letter to you....

Hi there,
I don't know what you call this post...Good stuffs, Just goood...
I have had slow day today, dragging my feet, my belly is getting bigger and I am not motivated to exercise and everything seems like...ehhee wait a minute I am NOT here to complain! I am here to share something good...it's not huge. No! I did not win the lottery! (I don't play lottery nor gamble anyway). No! I haven't heard from someone on a distand land...I just...I just read my mails...e-mails....well you might be like..."what's the big deal? We all get mails"... I know...I know we all get emails...
Between the Amazon promotions, blogs subscriptions and some junk mail we receive in our inbox, once in a while we do actually get something worth reading in full. Some messages that have power and healing in their words...



The Title of mine was " DO YOU KNOW"...I am not telling you yet who sent it because you might not even like that person....I am on a mailing list of a certain public figure and yes that person tends to send some pretty inspiring notes at times...but the one today did something to me that made me go like:

Hummm.....(deep breath)
"Thank You Lord" ( three taps on my heart with my right hand)
(Deeep breath and then a smile).

His made mention of a very beautiful song that always has me in tears when I listen to it


Beautiful song right?


This morning my mother called to ask me the recipe of one of my soups. When I hang up with her I smiled and shook my head. Then I remembered that two days ago she came by when we were having breakfast and she asked me to show her how I make my pancakes. My memory took me back to the first time she ate my Shepherd pie when I was in college and how much she likes my chocolate cakes.

Again seems like no big deal except that I was the one child growing up who could care less about cooking and baking. I used to be made fun off each time my family will challenge me to fix something for dinner or bake something. They would purposefully send away for days at a time the private chef and the maid just so that we will be forced to cook. My twin sister showed more interest in baking than I did. All I cared about back then was playing tennis, and just being outdoors. I loved eating (still do) but I had no interest in learning how to cook the things I loved. Funny how things change huh?

I was certainly the last one my parents envisionned to see pleasantly married with children and I can tell you they had no hope of me turning into a decent cook let alone one you ask recipes to! Did my family know that I would turn out okay after all and would they have treated me differently if they knew that the daughter who was the worst cook, the messiest ect would be a neat freak and cook for the pleasure of others?
Parents...don't lose hope on your teenagers please...(smiles)

Looking back at the teenager that could not even cook rice, it's just amusing to me that I am sharing recipes with my mom. The same woman who was seriously concern about my future as a good wife and mother.Ha ha ha... so the message I got today hit a core...in a good way.
I am expecting my 4th child and as a stay home mom and a homeschooler, I have never been happier with my choice to be home with my children. I had a good childhood but I am offering my children more than I ever had. I talking about things money can't buy!

The last question in the message made me think about my children and the one I am expecting. I feel so warm just thinking about them and the GOOD they bring in our lives...

So the message I got in my inbox that lead me to write to you today is quoted in full below.

Please Read! Please READ it....when you do...let it open your heart to GOOD Things....

I don't know anything about you reading, but I simply want to say..if someone did not believe in you in the past, don't beat yourself up and look at all those people who have turn their lives around and can do what no one expected them to do. Look at your own victories and personal successes big or small and just smile today and use it as fuel for a better tomorrow.

This morning I was smiling to myself and I realized one thing: I am not afraid of the future because I have overcame the past! Some people have had some scary past, it's a wonder they are still standing! So when you remember how much you went through and how today is so much better than yesterday. It's make you think about one thing! There's no need to be afraid of the future. If God's on your side let's be honest...as long as you stick with HIM...you will keep on making it...

Thanks for reading!
Love you!

                                                   
"On to the reason I'm writing. A few days ago, I was in the car on my way to set when we stopped at a red light.  I looked up from my script and saw a father walking across the street holding his son's hand.  The child couldn't have been more then 2 or 3years old, this kid was giddy with joy.  I watched this man and his son go into the park and start running and playing. The light changed and as we drove away, I turned around in the back seat to watch them until they were out of sight. My eyes filled with water, I thought to myself, this is really a strange reaction. I was thinking, why did I have such a strong emotional reaction to this father and son? It didn't take long for me to realize that it was because I never had those kind of experiences, never knew that kind of unconditional joy, never knew what it felt like to be wanted and adored as a child.
Which made me think of this question. I wonder if the man I called 'Daddy' as a child, knew then what he knows now, would he have treated me any differently? If he had known, the little boy that depended on him for food and shelter would grow up to be a man that he would have to depend on for food and shelter, would he have made different choices? I realized that my emotion to that moment was about this man loving his child in the purest sense. No matter what the future holds for that little boy, he will always have that moment with his daddy loving him, for him.
There is an old song written by the Gaither's called, MARY, DID YOU KNOW? It's a beautiful song asking Mary, the mother of Jesus, the question, "Did you know that her baby boy would come to save the world?" The lyrics go on to ask, "Mary did you know that when you kissed the little baby, you kissed the face of God?"  My favorite lyric is this one, "Mary, did you know that the child that you delivered will soon deliver you?" That last line makes me think of my own mother. Before she died she often said to me that she had no idea that her little baby boy would be able to take care of her the way I did. I get so much joy knowing that I could and I did. That lets me sleep at night.   Mom, I thank you! You helped me be able to do that.  God bless you!
I want to leave you with these questions. It's for every parent, the good and the bad. DO YOU KNOW who is in your house? DO YOU KNOW whom you're raising, and will the child that you delivered, have to deliver you in your old age? Think about it, and know that when you kiss that innocent face of your child, you kiss the face of God.
God Bless, talk soon.
Tyler"

N'na

Is it a boy or a girl! Gender predictions from old wives tales to scientific facts! Really?

In the course of the previous months, I have spent a lot of time reading materials on gender's predictions myths!
 I think that every culture have their own sets of believes in gender predictions and when it comes to certain things I do respect the old wives tales. But with the advancement in science, the ultrasounds technology the old wives tales have either been comfirmed or contradicted! I guess it depends on how good the' old wife' is at telling...Anyway...

One lady in church told me over three weeks ago that I would have a boy because of the way I carry the baby!
Her daughter glanced at me and threw her guess too. She feels that it's a girl! With the experience her mother has with raising children and grandchildren one could take her mother's observation for a true scientific fact.

Not long after this little episode, I called a friend who was actually thinking about me and planning to give me a call! She's African and when she answered her phone she said  "Umm you are really pregnant and you will get a boy because I was thinking about you!" According to her, when you think of a pregnant woman and she calls or shows up thereafter, it's a sign that she will have a boy.
So those two incidents got me to read more articles on myths related to gender predictions. I will just mention and discuss a few as the list can be pretty lengthy. I am listing below some of the myth and in color blue/pink I am sharing my own 2 cents about those myths...

According to some of the myths I have read, you will get a boy if

• You are carrying it low!

         I think this one and the one below are the two most popular myths. I am a petite woman no matter how I carry it looks low!

• The baby's heart rate is under 140
• You crave for sour  or salty food. This is another popular myth. 
• You are craving for proteins, meat and cheese. Okay I love eggs, omelets...does this count! But I don't crave for them because I'm pregant I have always craved for a good omelet at least once a week! Omelets are comfort foods for me! My older sister had a private chef who used to fix the best omelets when I was a child. So cooking and eating one always remind me of some pleasant mornings back home!
• Your belly looks like a basketball. I think my belly looked like a basketball when I was expecting my first son!
• You did not experience morning sickness in early pregnancy. I have never had morning sickness. Even with my daughter. I have been blessed to never surfer any such discomfort!
• Dad to be is gaining weight too. I have been married 10 years and have two boys and my 6'5 husband is a lean machine! No matter what the gender of the baby we had he has always maintained a healthy weight and really I have complained many many times that it's just not fair that I be the only one putting on the weight!
• You are having headaches. I have had occasional headaches but I am sure they have been due to sleeping after midnight and waking up early in the morning.
• Your pregnancy have you looking better than ever.  For reall? Better than ever? Is that possible?I don't think that they are a lot of women on earth who enjoy any of the changes their bodies go through when they are pregnant unless for the 'organic boob job'. Yes it looks good to have bigger breasts without cosmetic surgery! But how many women think they look better than ever when they are pregnant?
• Your hands are very dry. I love hand moisturizers so don't think I can fairly estimate this one!
• Your urine is a bright yellow in colour! Really no comment here! I don't care to check in the toilet bowl!
• Your legs' hair grow fast after shaving them! Umm I think the rate is same as usual!
• Your nose is spreading. My nose is what ? What does this one mean? I am becoming a mutan too?
If you hang your wedding ring over your belly, it moves in circles (sounds like a magic trick to me I don't even care to try that one)You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived the number is even  (not in the mood to do some math here so forget that one) 

You can guess that the gender predictions for girls would be opposite for the one above
They say that you will have a girl if:

• You carry high. Again I am a petite woman so I don't know what carrying high is supposed to mean!
• The fetal heart rate is above 140.The fetal heart rate at my last two visits have been higher than 140! I made sure to remember that fact just for the sake of the myths
• You crave for sweets.

       I have always enjoyed a delicious Tiramisu or pastry but I am actually craving sweet drinks. For the past months I have had more bottle juices than I had in the last two years. I rarely drank bottle juices and now I seem to craaaave for Grape juice and mint syrup! If tell you we better not run out of grape juice in this house or I will act like an addicted through detox! I have to have some grape juice! So sweet drinks not sweets have been my craving!

• You feel unattractive during your pregnancy! Come on!How many women feel attractive with extra weight on? Not too many! But I do know that some men find pregnant women very sexy because they are carrying life and this alone is beautiful!

So now that I have already done my ultrasound I find it fascinating that they are so many myths, old wives tales, so called scientific facts and superstitions when it comes to predicting the baby's gender!

Does you culture offer a special belief in predicting a baby's gender? What's your old wives' tales?
Do you have any children? Was any myth useful and accurate in predicting the sex of your baby or any baby that have come into your life? If you are expecting please let me know how those predictions play as your find out your baby's gender!

N'na

Good eat:Lemon spice baked fish recipe

Lemon Spice Baked Fish (or Chicken Breast or Salmon or meat of your choice)

w/Green Beans

The recipe and pictures are from a young naturalista by the chosen name of Apple. To read more about her and her healthy choices check my previous post: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-health.html

Now here's the recipe in her own words! Enjoy!

"You will come to see that you can come to achieve this healthy delectable in about 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 Lemon

Whiting Fish (up to 4)

Green Beans (if canned drain before using)

Butter or Margarine or Marinade

Worsctershire Sauce

Cayenne Pepper (spice)

Salt (can use seasoning salt)

Black Pepper

Paprika (spice)

Curry (spice)

Parsley (spice)

Onion salt (not necessary I use it sparingly)

You will also need:

Baking pan

Aluminum Foil

Oven (you can also make this on a grill if it’s too hot for an oven or you just want a slight variation)

Something to flip fish (sturdy spatula)

I also like to use a timer (as to I am very forgetful and don’t want my meal under o over cooked)

Directions:

You can use the ingredients in a way that is most accommodating to your taste buds. I like spiciness and lemoniness (I know that isn’t a real word lol but I likes what I likes) and prepare it so.

                First I make sure my fish is thawed and that my pan has been foiled and that that foil does not have any holes in it because I want my fish to be able to marinate and remain tender amidst  all of the seasonings, lemon, butter and sauce. I then put the fish into the foil, preheat the oven at 350®F and begin to season.

                I like to add the cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt first because I like a certain amount, I don’t want either to drown out the other flavors(and they will, I don’t want it TOO spicy or TOO salty). However, I want to be able to taste the cayenne as my main spice. Therefore, if I put too much I can rinse and reapply. Everything else I use quite sparingly.

I then lightly sprinkle (and I do mean lightly) with the onion salt (again this spice is not necessary) paprika and curry, roughly the same amount. I then generously add parsley flakes (this can either be dry from a spice bottle or freshly cut yourself). Flip the fish over add thin slices of butter (I cannot say an amount because it depends on the amount and size of your fish- use I little more than I did if you are using chicken breast as they are typically thicker than fish) and repeat the seasoning process.

I then cut my lemon (a 65:35 ratio cut) and squeeze lemon juice onto my fish generously (or to your own liking). I then go back to my lemon cut a thin slice and cut that slice in half (using one half of that slice per piece of fish) and lay it directly on top of my fish. Then I cut three thin slices of butter and lay one piece at the top end of my fish and at the bottom end of my fish and then the third directly on top of my lemon slice.

I add my green beans(with chicken breast I prefer spinach) to either side of my fish (not on top) and then add enough Worshctershire sauce (also not on top of fish) so that it lightly coats the bottom (but not so much to where I can’t clearly see the bottom- remember you have already added butter).

Baked fish with green beans

I then close my foil by taking either side, bringing them together and rolling them down so that most of the steam will be locked in (this will also help to seal in the flavor). I let it bake at 350 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes pull it out, open my foil, flip my fish, squeeze a bit more lemon juice onto it, close it back up and then let it bake for another 15 minutes (about 20-25mns for thicker meats like chicken breast). Take it out, let it cool and EAT!

(One last tip: taste your fish after you have removed it from the pan and before you toss the “marinade” so that if you think you want to, which I do, you can pour a little over your fish and beans :D Happy Eating)

And here are some picks of when I baked Chicken Breasts and Spinach:

(My quick tip for the chicken and spinach) Eat the spinach and the chicken in one bite. The moistness of the spinach really helped to combat that dryness of the chicken and just make those seasons pop and the chicken melt in your mouth!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well that was Apple's recipe all in her own words! No editing of my own I just stayed true to my cook of the day! To learn more about Apple please read my previous post: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-health.html

My own feedbacks here, the picture of the chicken looked good and based on the plate with the chicken I would have guessed that the meat looked a little dry! Thankfully she suggested eating the quicken and spinach in one bite. For someone like me there would be 2 issues! I can't stand spinach and I like food moisted! So the spinach would be a a deal breaker for me and I would come up with a nice sauce to eat my baked chichen with. My side dish of choice would have been some " pomme de terre sautee" Sauteed potatoes!

The fish and lemons look yummy right? It's hard to go wrong with butter and lemon and you can easily fix a lemon butter sauce to be a great addition on the other sides  that might accompany your fish/meat.

So what do you think? What's your favorite baked fish recipe?

N'na

Good health and choices from a natural's perspective

Eating healthy is becoming more an more important to some people and it doesn't matter what age we are or what culture we belong too, it's just smart to eat healthy and make other healthy choices. Today I wanted to share a recipe by a friend who goes by the name of Apple! She's a natural and one of her favorite thing to cook/eat is a baked fish dish that she concocted the first time she decided to bake some fish! Below are a  few pictures of her fave homemade "Lemon spice baked fish" and more about her. In my next post I share more about her recipe: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-eatlemon-spice-baked-fish-recipe.html

Apple's Bio in her own words:
"I am a 21 year old undergrad student who is currently working on a bachelor in psychology and associates in biology and sociology. I love to play piano, create artwork, being generally creative and then seeing how they turn out, and then organizing cultural events and dance routines with my roommate/school sistahs.

I have, since I was in middle school, always been interested in healthy living and like to eat healthy and exercise, and my taste buds actually quite like healthy foods. I am not a chef I am simply observant and willing to be my own test dummy when it comes to food. I often start with a bunch of guessing what might taste nice with what and then try to take notes JUST IN CASE it actually turns out tasty lol.

I have, since I was in middle school, always been interested in healthy living and like to eat healthy and exercise, and my taste buds actually quite like healthy foods. I am not a chef I am simply observant and willing to be my own test dummy when it comes to food. I often start with a bunch of guessing what might taste nice with what and then try to take notes JUST IN CASE it actually turns out tasty lol.

I like this recipe because I really like fish, and seafood in general. I also really like citrus and to be able to taste the seasonings working with the fish and the lemon juice. However, being that I am black the people around me don’t often bake their meats but I really like to figure out ways to eat meat without having to fry it. I also really like to taste seasoning because I have a sensitive palate so that is another reason I prefer for my meat to not be smothered in grease. Now mind you I do like my fried chicken haha but I just prefer to not fry (not to mention I have always been cautious of grease popping because it gets me every time).

I don’t have a special diet, just try to be healthy and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables  because I like a lot of junk type foods haha, mainly potato chips and ice cream, every here and there I get a special craving for something more pastry like. However I am blessed to be a mesomorph, which is a body type. A person with a mesomorph body type can easily gain muscle but can also easily gain fat so I generally weigh about the same weight, within 15lbs, since I was a freshman in high school. I usually either am gaining muscle and loosing fat or losing muscle and gaining fat, I may also be a bit of ectomorph because I usually only gain a certain amount of fat.

Although I prefer to exercise regularly college and work get busy and life gets you distracted, hence the weight fluctuation, but in general I am a healthy person who tries to appreciate my body and treat it right so that it will treat me right. Other than that I like all types of exercise, although I rarely if ever weight train. My favorite forms of exercising are yoga, Pilates, and dancing.

I recommend the same thing everybody recommends which is to try to maintain a high fiber but balanced diet, because even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, for instance oil.

Good luck to everyone on their Healthy Habits Journey !"

Like Apple, I too love fish and seafood and I love dancing. I do not pratice yoga per say but do enjoy stretching daily. The recipe to Apple's favorite creation will be shared in my next post! http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-eatlemon-spice-baked-fish-recipe.html Stay tuned and have a great week-end!

N'na