Rudolph and Vixen

The theme this weekend was Christmas. I spent Saturday morning in the kitchen making some of our favorite traditional fare including sausage balls, peanut butter blossoms, and snickerdoodles. I got a good start on it, but still have peanut butter cups, spinach balls, and hello dollies left to make! Next on my list was wrapping presents. I spent several hours wrapping presents. That is when I realized how blessed our family is and how exciting it will be to bless others this Christmas.

Saturday afternoon, we decided to surprise the children and take them to meet Rudolph and Vixen at the Titanic Museum Attraction. Much to my surprise, the reindeer were "on break" when we got there. There had been so many girls and boys to visit the Reindeer and pet them, that they were exhausted.  However, they perked up when we got there. The boys enjoyed petting them and they wanted to know why Rudolph didn't have a red nose. Rudolph's owner replied that Rudolph's nose will only glow red on Christmas Eve.The Reindeer were like dogs or any other domestic pet. They listened to their owner and did exactly what they were asked to do.

While we were visiting, we decided to take advantage of all of the Christmas decorations by taking pictures of the boys. The museum is decorated to the nines with Edwardian style Christmas decor. It is very beautiful. We got some good shots of the little ones, even though it was painful for them to sit still and smile. Why do they think it is pure torture for us to photograph them? I am convinced that they will appreciate the pictures when they are adults!

I hope that the Titanic Museum Attraction includes the Reindeer event every year as part of their Christmas celebration, as it has become part of our family's Christmas Tradition! For more information on this event and others, go to http://www.titanicbranson.com .

Molly and Carter were spoiled on their 2nd Birthday!

I know two adorable King Charles Spaniels that were fit to be Queens this past Thanksgiving weekend as everyone in Branson, Mo. joined together to wish them a very Happy 2nd Birthday. As usual, at the stroke of noon, they made their way down the promenade with one of their dog handlers, Kelly Riley, and Jaynee, the First Class Maid. They were wheeled down in a baby carriage to their station in front of a gathering crowd. Only this time, they adorned custom made birthday hats.

Not only did Molly and Carter enjoy a birthday cake made with peanut butter, cream cheese, other dog friendly ingredients, but they also received gifts, balloons, and many birthday wishes. Of coarse, my family was on board during their celebration. I even invited my Mom and Dad who sang Happy Birthday and said that Molly and Carter were the cutest dogs they had ever seen and were "so well behaved"!

The dogs are part of the Titanic Museum Attraction's tribute to the ten known dogs that were onboard the Titanic. As part of this tribute, the museum has started a program called Save Our Strays, or S.O.S. which raises money for the local humane society. I believe they have raised over $75,000 so far. What a blessing this is to our community!

If you go on Molly and Carter's web page you can sign up for the dogs to send you a electronic Christmas card. I know my boys are looking forward to receiving it!

Mom Bloggers enjoy Titanic's Christmas Kickoff!

Last Friday night, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. hosted a special MOM BLOGGER event to help the museum kickoff the Christmas in a Winter Wonderland Celebration. Mom Bloggers from Knox News, Knox Moms, and other local Tennessee Moms with noteworthy Blogs attended this private event with their families. The Titanic Museum Attraction's owners John Joslyn and Mary Kellogg-Joslyn wanted to recognize these special women for their continued support of the new museum and wanted the moms and their families to experience this Grand Christmas celebration.

This event proved to be a huge success! I enjoyed meeting all of these amazing women and their families and was privileged to welcome each aboard our ship! All of the Mom bloggers enjoyed a private self-guided tour of the museum to see the ship adorned in Christmas decorations from the Edwardian period. Although the Titanic went down in April 1912, she had many Decembers planned and the museum decorates as a tribute to Her.

At 7:00pm, after each family enjoyed their private tour, we all met in the parking lot for the BIG event. We were joined by Rick Laney of Ackermann PR and many others from local news stations, newspapers, and magazines!  The Christmas Tree, set up in front of the fountains was magnificent. There were gifts stacked up under the bow of the tree which made for a perfect photo opportunity. The affair began with a Christmas ensemble choir, maids handing out candy, the lighting of the tree, and camels with wisemen of coarse! Then, music began to play and we all waited in anticipation for SNOW. Without delay, REAL snow began to fall from the bow of the ship produced from the same machinery that Disney World uses! Children and adults alike loved it. They danced to the music and tried to catch snow flakes on their tongues. Jaynee, our First Class Maid, waved from the BOW of the ship with a beautiful young "maid in training" Madisson and "Polar" the Titanic Bear.

As the snow began to build up on the museum's sidewalk, a fireworks display commenced, filling the sky with radiant colors. This event was done in Grand Scale just like the museum itself. I heard several guests proclaim that the fireworks display was better than anything they had seen during the 4th of July! Our Mom Bloggers and their families loved the experience. Some of their children were interviewed by the media which I believe they viewed as a huge honor.

I would like to personally thank Ali James of Knoxnews.com and Knoxmoms.com. She assisted me in reaching these wonderful moms who represent the families of Eastern Tennessee! Our ship and crew love being nestled in our new home in the Great Smoky Mountains and I would like to encourage all Moms reading my blog to visit the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. this holiday season. It is truly a Family Interactive Experience that you won't want to miss. Although you will not be able to see fireworks, it will snow each and every Friday and Saturday night at 7:00pm from now until January 1, 2011! Traffic is crazy on the Parkway so leave early and I strongly recommend that you pre-purchase your tickets on our website as the museum sells out very quickly each day!


Three Cheers and 1,000 Thank You's to Tennessee's very special MOM Bloggers and their familes!

Happy Birthday Molly and Carter! Thanksgiving Weekend Celebration!

     Molly and Carter are turning 2! The Titanic Museum Attraction is kicking off three days of family festivities in celebration of the ship’s celebrity mascots’ 2^nd birthday, on Thursday, November 25 through Saturday, November 27. We plan to go after our early morning shopping on Friday morning. By noontime, when the dogs make their entrance down past the waterfall in front of the museum and eat doggy birthday cake, we will be waiting, camera in hand. 

    In honor of Molly and Carter's second birthday celebration...you can go to their web page at http://titanicbranson.com/titanic-dogs-photo-contest.php  and register to win a FAMILY PASS to the museum in Branson, Mo., a personalized Molly and Carter gift basket including Molly and Carter exclusive doggie accessories and gifts from their gift shop, and you will get your pet photo published in TAME magazine. They will pick a winner on November 15, 2010!

    I also heard that Jaynee, Titanic's 1st Class Maid personality, was at Tri-Lakes Humane Society in Reeds Spring, Missouri this week delivering pet food! Apparently, the S.O.S. program (Save Our Strays) at the Titanic Museum Attraction has raised $50,000.00. They purchased over 600 pounds of dog and cat food for the humane society and delivered it to the stray dogs and cats that have been rescued and are waiting for adoption. 

Fall Parties in the Ozarks

Do you celebrate Halloween? Or is it a Fall Party that you enjoy? I am conflicted. I attend church regularly and do not agree that we are to celebrate ghosts and goblins. However,  I dressed up every single year of my childhood and my parents decorated the house in spider webs. They played scary music and tried to scare the kids of our neighborhood. Halloween was fun and I never felt ashamed to embrace it, nor do I have any negative memories of the "holiday".

That being said, I am a mother now with two precious boys that go to church. We had a really difficult time picking out costumes this year. See, my 8 year old wanted to be a "Scream" ghost and I wouldn't let him do it. I thought it was too scary and actually came to the realization that Halloween is really strange. What is the point of dressing up scary? Is it a devilish activity? Anyway, he ended up choosing to be a basketball player and my 2 year old chose to be a police officer. Those seem to be good choices of people to celebrate, right? Now we have to decide what activities the boys will participate in.....

On Saturday, we decided to drive up to Springfield to attend the TAME Pets and Pumpkins celebration. They put on this Fall Party to raise awareness and money for the local animal shelter. It was totally geared towards kids and pets. As Chief Purser of the Titanic Museum Attraction, I enjoy these types of fundraisers because at the museum we support the local animal shelters too. In fact, our Titanic mascots, Molly and Carter, the two loveable King Charles Spaniels that parade around the Branson, Mo. museum each day from 9am-5pm have a similar mission. They not only pay tribute to the dogs that were onboard the Titanic, but they also raise money for the humane society and they teach children and adults how to properly care for a pet.

 Old downtown Commercial Street in Springfield was filled with people and pets. We saw dogs, cats, and even a goat!!! all dressed up in costumes. (Notice the boys' costumes. Once the 8 year old got dressed in a basketball outfit, the 2 year old had to follow suit!) There was a giant bouncy slide that the kids enjoyed over and over again. Krispy Kreme had a booth where you could take a plain doughnut, dunk it in chocolate, and then cover it in sprinkles. YUMMY! We even got to roast marshmallows on a fire pit. The event offered many interactive booths for kids to enjoy.

But, the best part of our experience was when we saw Jaynee, our first class Titanic maid at this TAME event! It is always a pleasure to run into her and you will never believe what she was doing when we walked up. She was meeting a dog attendee at the event that was dressed just like her! Jaynee, you know you are a star when even local pets dress as you do. What a compliment! And, it is such a pleasure to realize that there are other Titanic Fans out there that want to help us remember and celebrate the lives of the passengers of the R.M.S. Titanic. 

Jaynee, the biggest animal lover that I know of, was there to help educate pet lovers on proper care for pets and to encourage our Springfield neighbors to come down to Branson, Mo. and meet Molly and Carter. Guests enjoyed meeting her and showing off their pets, who all wanted to "bond" with Jaynee.

We had a great time! This event's turnout was huge. TAME must have done some great marketing to receive such a big crowd of pet lovers. We will definitely plan to attend next years' Pets and Pumpkins event. Maybe the Titanic Museum gift shop will start carrying Jaynee costumes for dogs? They have a great dog section offering Titanic dog merchandise, compliments of Molly and Carter. Pet lovers always enjoy shopping the Titanic gift shop for Titanic doggy merchandise. If you haven't visited the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo., you should plan to come before Christmas. You will find some really great Christmas ideas and I heard that Santa and His Reindeer will be coming back this year. Check it out...http://www.titanicbranson.com

Titanic Sponsors Branson PM MOPS

I have been a member of MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers since my oldest was 2. He is now 8, so I guess that means I have been in MOPS for 6 years in several different towns. This year and last, I have been a member of the Branson, Mo. PM MOPS organization. http://bransonmops.com/index.htm Branson PM MOPS meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month in the evenings from 6:00-8:30 at First Baptist Church in Branson, MO. Childcare is provided through our MOPPETS program, where children will be taught age appropraite curriculum, have snack, play with other children their age and get tender loving care from the childcare workers. In the meantime, we fellowship with other moms, listen to a speaker, create a craft and enjoy dinner (without cleaning up messes). My youngest is a Kindergartner and MOPS will allow mothers to stay in the organization if your children are up to Kindergarten age. I decided for my last year of MOPS, I would really try to step it up and make a difference within the organization.

This fall, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo. agreed to sponsor our program. http://titanicbranson.com This is so exciting because through their sponsorship, we are able to provide child care to our children while we are in our meetings, we provide diapers and gifts to expecting MOMS, and we are able to minister to the local women's shelters in our area. To honor the Titanic for their sponsorship, we invited them to our October meeting this past Tuesday night.


You know the 1st Class Maid Jaynee, that you have seen on billboards, television, and at the museum? She came dressed in her 1st Class Maid outfit. We all enjoyed her so much. She went into all of the children's classrooms and gave them bookmarks with Molly and Carter on them and taught the children to bow and curtsie. I was amazed when a little girl came up to her and said, "It's me Hannah. Do you remember?" Jaynee didn't skip a beat! She said, Of coarse I remember you. I met you at the public library. You have a cat that had kittens. How are you?" The little girl was beaming and I was so impressed that Jaynee, who travels throughout Missouri and Tennessee speaking with new children every week, remembered one little girl in Branson, Mo!      

Not only did Jaynee interact with the children, she also was invited to talk to us MOMS in our meeting. She spoke of the Mothers that were onboard the Titanic and how their protective instinct must have been on overdrive during that fateful night. She also had a drawing and gave away a family pass to the Titanic Musuem Attraction. This was a huge hit with the MOPS moms! We were honored that Jaynee and the Titanic Museum Attraction would take time out to acknowledge our group. I think we will plan a MOPS group to the museum sometime during their Christmas Event!

Every year, the Titanic Museum Attraction has been visited by Santa and His Reindeer. This Christmas entourage is coming back this year and it is such a great opportunity for MOMS to bring their children to the museum and take holiday photos with Santa and REAL Reindeer! http://titanicbranson.com/titanic_news.php#santa The entire museum will be decorated in holiday flair. The Grand Staircase, the centerpiece for this outstanding museum, will be adorned "to the nines" with Christmas trees, lights, and garland. I can't wait to take my family to see it.

Titanic's 3rd Annual Woodcarving Event, a Huge Success!

This past weekend, my husband and I took the boys to Titanic's 3rd Annual Woodcarving event. We went last year too, so the boys were excited to see some new animal carvings. First of all, October weather in Branson, Mo. is perfect. It was warm and sunny on Saturday; ideal for this outdoor event. When we arrived, men and women from ALL OVER the COUNTRY were actively carving very LARGE stumps of wood with chain saws and chisels. There were wood chips flying.

I enjoyed seeing the creativity. It is so neat to see an artist look at a giant stump and be inspired to turn it into a bear with detailed features. The carvers used torches to burn sections of the wood, which I thought was a very neat technique that gave depth and definition to their pieces.

Jaynee, Titanic's 1st Class Maid Personality from the television commercials, billboards, and print was present at the event. It is always a pleasure to see her. As you can see from the video, she picked out her favorite woodcarving, but it was too big and heavy for Jaynee to move on her own. Molly and Carter made an appearance to greet guests, and of coarse were bum rushed by all of the children. They were cute and well behaved as usual.

In my opinion, the most exciting part of this event was the auction held at 2pm each day. On Saturday, the auction started with a bear in a log. So cute. I couldn't believe how cheap these wood carvings were selling for. There were some GREAT deals happening. I wanted to bid on the Sea Turtles that were absolutely gorgeous, but I don't have any place to display them right now. Next year!

As each item sold, the LOGHOGGERS TEAM was kind enough to load the piece into the buyers car/truck. These works of art are super heavy, so that was a nice service. Anyway, we enjoyed it and are planning to purchase a big item next year.

Homeschool Days at the Titanic Museum Attraction

Hi friends.

Did you know that the Titanic Museum Attraction has an education program for students? They offer a scavenger hunt that you can download from the website http://www.titanicattraction.com/titanic-education-guide.php to bring with you on your "Titanic Search for Knowledge" student adventure.

I have had quite a few requests in the last year for information on Titanic's Homeschool program. Now is your chance to take your homeschool groups to the Titanic Museum Attraction. The entire month of October 2010, the Titanic is offering a special group rate of $7, which includes tax. They do have select dates for this program, so reserve your group quickly. For further inquiries, please call 800-381-7670.

It has been almost 100 years since the tragedy struck. It is more than just the account of perhaps the most memorable maritime catastrophe of the 20th century. Titanic is a lasting symbol of the great age of immigration that brought the hopes and dreams of many people to our shores.

 The Titanic Museum Attraction wants to promote the awareness and knowledge of the world's diverse cultures by recreating actual rooms of the Titanic and by displaying actual objects that bring to life individuals and events that have had a significant impact on human history. It is their desire to present the Titanic story in a historically accurate and reverent manner and to inspire further study and research into this event.
 

 Throughout the school year, you can link the Titanic experience to your curriculum and reinforce your students' skills and help them develop proficiencies in areas beyond history.

The Results are in....Titanic's Chili Cookoff-A Huge Success

The competition was fierce and the weather was beautiful this past Saturday at the 1st Annual Titanic Firehouse Chili Cookoff in Branson, Mo. When we arrived, we could smell the chili cooking. Of course, we had to stop at a fire truck for pictures. Branson's team had polished up one of their trucks for display at the event. It was great to see so many fire fighters from all over Southwest Missouri and Northern Arkansas joining together for such a great cause.

By 10:30am, each firehouse competitor had already assembled their concoctions and now the giant pots of chili were simmering until judging time at 2:00pm. Speaking of judges, the Titanic Museum had quite the line up of experts....Ron Kittleman, official in-house chili professional for 99 HIT FM
KADI was one of the judges (see above).  And it was an honor to meet Judge #2, American Culinary Federation and Executive Chef Nathan Read. Chef Nathan is the head chef of Level 2 Steak House. If you've been there, then you know how qualified he is to judge anything food related! Last, but certainly not least, was Garrett Anderson. He had won a Titanic Museum Attraction facebook contest to become one of the judges and was a previous chili cookoff winner himself.

As guests, we were able to go to each firehouse booth and sample their chili recipes. There was a people's choice award, so we got to decide which booth's chili was our favorite. It was so difficult. I was impressed because every chili recipe was completely different! The boys enjoyed meeting Sparky the fire dog and going through a fire safety trailer for kids. They also enjoyed eating and there was plenty of options. The Lions Club had a food trailer there selling frito pie, nachos, cheeseburgers, etc; everything kid friendly. My favorite chili was that of Valley Park Fire District in Fenton, Mo. They were raising money for the Boys and Girls Club and their chili was outstanding. I found out later that they put pumpkin in their chili. How unusual, but it worked!  I got a kick out of their t-shirts.

We were fortunate enough to see Jaynee, 1st Class Maid of the Titanic and taste her chili. Delicious. It had curry in it and was on the sweeter side. Very unusual, but we all loved it. She knows everything about the Titanic. She and a "Coal Shoveler"  educated the crowd on what it was like to keep the fires going on the mighty Titanic. I was amazed at the prize monies too. This was a big time event. Jaynee explained that the monies raised from the People's Choice Award, would go to the S.O.S. program, "Save Our Strays," that Molly and Carter started in honor of the Dogs that were onboard the Titanic. I believe they raised almost $500 at this event.

Hunter saw his Kindergarten teacher at the event so he was "stoked". Her husband is a fire fighter for the Branson fire department. I took a picture of them on a 1960's??? fire truck that was on display.

 Around 2pm, the judges were presented with ALL of the wonderful chili recipes to try. They took their jobs very seriously as they judged each competitors' chili based on taste, consistency, smell, color, etc.

The winners were as follows:
1st place winner $3,000 (going to St. Louis Burn Camp) -Strafford Fire Department

2nd Place Winner $2,000 & Best Booth Award $100 (going to Boys and Girls Club) -Valley Park Fire District in Fenton, Mo.

3rd Place Winner $1,000 (going to MDA) -Branson Fire & Rescue

People's Choice Award $100 Mountain View Fire Department
Participation Award -Southern Stone County Fire Protection Department Auxilary

And as you can see from some of these pictures, Molly and Carter were present. This is always a hit for my boys. These King Charles Spaniels are part of a tribute to the dogs that were onboard the Titanic. I think they were really enjoying the weather. They hung out so that we could all pet them and take pictures.

All in all, we had a great time at the 1st Annual Titanic Firehouse Chili cookoff. Our bellies were full when we finally decided to head home. It is so nice to be a part of a community that cares and is willing to sacrifice their time to raise money for charity. A Special Thank You to the Titanic Museum Attraction and all of the Southwest Missouri and Northern Arkansas Firefighter Competitors! http://www.titanicattraction.com

Recommended Reading for Children-2 Heartwarming Stories about the Titanic

I want to tell you all about 2 wonderful childrens books that have recently been in the press and have really complimented what the Titanic Museum Attraction aims to accomplish for all children through the museums.


Titanicat is a wonderful childrens book that was written by Marty Crisp and published by Sleeping Bear Press, June 5, 2008. Titanicat is based on the true story of the ship's cat of the doomed Titanic. There was a young sailor named Jim Mulholland who befriended a cat that was traveling on the Titanic with her litter of kittens. He ends up being saved by the cat as it gets off of the ship with all but one of its kittens and then Jim decides to bring the last kitten to its mother. The young sailor learns later that because he rescued the last kitten of the litter off of the Titanic, he actually escaped his own demise.  The illustrations in this book are magnificent and perfect for any child in grades 1-4.

This book has been selected by the state of Missouri and the state of Tennessee as recommended reading for all schools. This selection is a very high honor to any book, and we are proud that it features the Titanic story in such an engaging way. You can purchase your copy today by visiting the Titanic Museum Attraction's online store at http://www.titanicbranson.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=29&products_id=125. 

The other book that I have to mention was written by a 4th grade student at Northview Primary School in Kodak, Tennessee. Nine year old Luke Copas visited the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn earlier this summer with his Mom and Dad. See...Luke is an avid reader and loves reading about history; one of his favorite subjects is the Titanic. Luke knows so much information about the Titanic that he decided to write a book about it. When he visited the museum, he presented the book to Mary Kellogg-Joslyn, co-owner of the museum. She was so impressed with his writing and enthusiasm that she decided to help Luke get his book published.

Last week on September 16, 2010, in the library at  Northview Primary School, Mary Kellogg-Joslyn and 1st Class Maid Jaynee presented Luke with his very first copy of Facts For Kids About the Titanic by Luke Copas. The WBIR news story can be found at http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=134540&catid=8 ! Luke spent all day on Saturday at the museum signing copies of his new book and he has now been inspired to write a second book involving facts for adults. The Titanic Museum Attraction will have the book for sale in their store at the museum in Pigeon Forge, Tn and I hope that we can also include his book in our website store.

If you have any questions about how to get your hands on these two publications, send me a message or call our museum at 1-800-381-7670. Enjoy! I would love to hear your reviews!

2nd Annual Titanic Woodcarving Event

Last year, I went to the 2nd Annual Woodcarving Event in Titanic's parking lot. I was amazed that someone could take a log and a chainsaw and actually make beautiful pieces of art. I took lots of pictures and wanted to share them with you. By the way, the boys loved seeing these MANLY men carving wood. It was definitely a hit with everyone in my family.