The Cutting Edge

Ice skating is probably not the first thing that comes to your mind when thinking of things to do in Houston.

True, we have 2 indoor rinks year-round: 1 in the center of the Galleria and another near the Target entrance of Memorial City Mall.

But from November through January, we are given the opportunity to embrace the experience of true ice skating outside.

Ok, maybe not true in the sense of a frozen pond, but you get the idea.

The Ice Rink at the Woodlands Town Center is so worth the drive to the Land of Wood. Shopping, food, lights and ice skating!

PARKING
Paid Parking
$5 at the parking lot at Six Pines and Lake Robbins Drive

Free Parking (Except for Saturday, November 21, 2009)
Town Center Garage – located adjacent to The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Six Pines Drive

OPEN DAILY:
November 21, 2009 through January 18, 2010

TICKET PRICES:
Weekdays (Monday – Friday)
$9.50 for 2-hour skate session (includes $2.50 skate rental)
$ 5 for 2-hour skate session for children 5 and under (includes $2.50 skate rental)

Weekends (Saturday – Sunday)
$10.50 for 2-hour skate session (includes $2.50 skate rental)
$6 for 2-hour skate session for children 5 and under (includes $2.50 skate rental)

HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday – Thursday, 3 pm to 9 pm
Friday, 3 pm to 11 pm
Saturday, 10 am to 11 pm
Sunday, Noon to 7 pm

HOLIDAY HOURS:
School Holidays: 11 am to 10 pm
Thanksgiving Day: 1 pm to 9 pm
Christmas Eve: 11 am to 6 pm
Christmas Day: 2 pm to 8 pm
New Years Eve: Noon to 1 am
New Years Day: 11 am to 9 pm

KIDDIE RINK
16' x 16' ice skating area
5 years old and under

They also have daily promotions and a $2 coupon available.

F-R-E-E that spells FREE

Looking for some holiday music to get you in the mood?

Amazon.com is offering a free Christmas song each day until Christmas to download and ITunes has some as well.

Don't shoot the messenger when you hear the Billy Bob Thorton and Lady GaGa songs. DO NOT download those....just take my word. The small snippet alone really made me sad and mad at Amazon and the ding dongs who chose to include those terrible songs. But I do give them snaps for including Jars of Clay, Todd Agnew and Casting Crowns.

Also, if you are not checking Freebies4Mom and Dealicious Mom for their free-stuff updates, you are missing a blessing. I made a calendar through Photoworks and a 10-page flipbook through Snapfish for FREE! It's SO worth it to check out their blogs. They are a wealth of knowledge!

Homemade Down Home

I am a lover of gift markets. I LOVE to see all the creativity that resides right here in H'town.

But sadly, I'm no so crafty.

I can follow directions and sometimes come close to what is the intended ending project, but am not fabulously creative on the front-end.

Looking for some homemade ideas this season?

Check out the links below. They have some pretty fabulous ideas. The blogging world is such a wealth!

14 Simple, Beautiful Homemade Gift Ideas

Handmade Christmas Ideas and DIY

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen

Last Minute Homemade Ideas

Free E-book, Homemade Crafts and Gift Ideas

I'll keep adding as I find more..do you have any to share? My sister made me some kickin' etched glasses one year in animal prints....from what I hear, she used masking tape to tape off the designs and then used etching cream. I think I remember her saying her fingers would never be the same after using an exacto knife to cut out all the cheetah spots. She LOVES me!

They resembled the ones below but were white, not brown.

George Ranch's Cowboy Christmas

The George Ranch Historical Park is offering a chance for you to experience a Cowboy Christmas.

Experience the beauty of the holidays with guided tours of the 1830s Jones Stock Farm and the 1860s Ryon Prairie Home decorated in the spirit of the season. Mingle with Civil War soldiers at the Ryon home and enjoy the taste of years gone by as Chef Nick Castelberg cooks up a delicious historic food selection at both sites. Wrap up the evening's festivities with singing and story-telling around the Oak Grove campfire with the George Ranch cowboys.

In true Texas tradition, Campfire Christmas will be held regardless of the weather.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED.

Adults: $40

Seniors/Children/Groups of 10 or more: $35

Times begin at 6 p.m. and rotate every 30 minutes until 8 p.m.

Special Offer for Corporate Bookings

Campfire Christmas sells out quickly. Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind Texas celebration. Call the George Ranch Historical Park at (281) 343-0218 or e-mail education@georgeranch.org for more information about Campfire Christmas 2009 today!

Interested in a private Campfire Christmas for your group? Call (281) 343-0218 or e-mail education@georgeranch.org for more information.

The Blind Side

My man loves to see movies.

Loves, loves, loves to see movies in the theater on a big screen.

The problem is there is not a terribly large selection of what we both want to see.

The last movie we saw was so awful, I really wanted that 2 hours of my life back.

Truly.

But we saw 2 previews that were promising.

The first was Everybody's Fine and the second was The Blind Side.

We had us a date night last night and went to see The Blind Side.

OH....MY....WORD

I cannot express how amazing this movie was. That 2-hour emotional rollercoaster was quite a ride. And of course...laughter through tears is the best.

I wondered if I would love it as much as I love Remember The Titans.

I did.

This will be another one of those movies that I'll get sucked into watching every time it comes on tv. Heck...I'd go see it again today and again next week. It was just that good.

I SO wanted my kids to see it...but there were parts that would have been just too much for my boys.

I want them to really understand how blessed we are in every way. We want for absolutely nothing.

I want them to know the reason behind why we adopt a family from The Giving Tree. There are great needs in our area.

I want them to know why their school has adopted kiddos from a sister school in CyFair. There are children all over this district that will not eat 3 meals a day during Christmas break because the free/reduced meal option is 2 of the meals they eat each day.

I want them to learn at an early age to look beyond themselves...their lives...their wants.....and see there is lots of opportunities to do a whole lot of good right here in Houston, Texas.

And it made me want to put my hope and efforts in things that are eternal, not things that rust or fade away...now, more than ever.

Go see this movie. I promise you will want to see it again and again.

Want to know more about the Tuohys? Check out the links below.

interview with Sandra Bullock

interview with Leigh Ann Tuohy and another here