Over The Top Mommy

Knott’s Scary Farm 2014: All of the Frightening Details! #ScaryFarm

August 7, 2014 / Knott's

It’s only August and here I am, already getting excited for Halloween! I was ecstatic to be invited to Knott’s Media Preview where they released all of the exciting details for Knott’s Scary Farm this year! Luckily some of my friends there with me to hold my hand though, because I was kind of scared and everywhere I turned, there were monsters and zombies!

As the fog rolled into the already-dark theater we were all seated in, the lights went all the way out and screaming began. Most of the screams were excited Scary Farm fans, but I think I also heard a few REAL blood curdling screams too. I didn’t dare investigate to see where those were coming from though!

Thank goodness @socalpocketmemories was there to keep me safe in the dark! I was so scared!

The announcements started out with news about the return of the one and only, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark! Elvira will be making appearances in her show, Elvira’s Big Top, every night of Knott’s Scary Farm this year in the Charles M. Schultz Theater.

Elvira is truly timeless! (photo credit: Knott’s)

This year, Elvira will also have her own Boo-tique and guests who spend over $50 in her Boo-tique will have an opportunity to meet Elvira! Check out some of the merchandise! I already see some things I NEED from Elvira’s Boo-tique! (photo credit: Knott’s)

Wow, you can shop AND have a chance to meet her? That sounds like a win-win!

(photo credit: Knott’s)

I grew up watching Elvira! If you could see her in person you would totally understand why I was fangirling that night! The lady looks amazing from every angle and I swear she doesn’t need to lie about her age because clearly she’s only 29!

As soon as Elvira exited the stage, I heard a loud gunshot and looked to see the Sheriff was in town to announce that The Hanging would also be back this year for Knott’s Scary Farm!

Yep, you can witness it over in Calico Square! Did you know that you can even vote for WHO they hang in Calico Square? Just click here to vote! (I, myself, am voting for Justin Bieber!)

I wouldn’t want to get on these guys’ bad side! (photo credit: Knott’s)

Next came all of the news about which mazes and Scare Zones would be back for the 2014 season.

Here’s a list of the mazes that are returning this year and where they’ll be located:

Dominion of the Damned will be adjacent to GhostRider
Forevermore will be at the Mystery Lodge Entrance
Gunslinger’s Grave will be adjacent to Silver Bullet
Black Magic will be near Xcelerator
Trick or Treat will be adjacent to GhostRider
Pinocchio Unstrung will be inside Wilderness Dance Hall
The Witch’s Keep (Calico Mine Ride)

The 4 Monster Scare Zones you can find in the park this season are:

Ghost Town in Old West Ghost Town®
CarnEVIL at The Boardwalk
Fiesta De Los Muertos in Fiesta Village
Gypsy Camp in the GhostRider Area

These are some of the monsters you’ll encounter in the Scare Zones! I can barely make eye contact with these pics!

(photo credit: Knott’s)

Everyone was just DYING to hear about the new additions to Knott’s Scary Farm this year! Here’s what they’re adding:

Voodoo will be adjacent to GhostRider
The Tooth Fairy will be adjacent to GhostRider
TRAPPED: Lock and Key inside Boardwalk Ballroom (Reservation & additional fee required. Click here for more info)
Special Ops: Infected will be throughout Camp Snoopy’s six acres

The final announcement was the BIGGEST and BEST one of all!

Even with all of that exciting news about the horrific additions to Scary Farm this year, there was one more HUGE announcement to make and we were all made to wait in suspense….until finally they shared what the biggest news by far was…this year for Knott’s Season Passholders, a special unlimited Knott’s Scary Farm pass is available for purchase online for only $65 (plus applicable taxes and fees)!

That means you can go as many nights as you wish and there are NO blackout dates! Wow, talk about a pass holder perk! These special tickets are on sale now through August 17th. If there are any left, they will go on sale to the general public on August 18 for $75 (plus applicable taxes and fees). This announcement pretty much brought the house down with excitement that night! I’m SURE all of the pass holders who were there went home and bought their Knott’s Scary Farm pass! (if they didn’t do it right then and there from their smartphones!)

It was such an exciting night of announcements and now I’m just counting the days down until Knott’s Scary Farm starts on September 25th! Are YOU brave enough to partake in all the fun? I sure hope so!

For additional information about Knott’s Scary Farm and to purchase event tickets, click here.

Connect with Knott’s on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!

DISCLAIMER: The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with GigaSavvy, for whom I create original editorial content.

Fresh Market Opens in Laguna Hills

August 4, 2014 / Lifestyle, Orange County, Uncategorized

Disclosure: We were invited for a preview tour of Fresh Market. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

There’s a new Fresh Market in town in Laguna Hills! It’s one of the first businesses open in The Village at Nellie Gail Ranch, which is a retail center that’s been newly renovated.

We had the opportunity to grab a sneak peek inside of the newest Fresh Market location, the night before it opened to the public. It was so exciting to watch all that was going on behind the scenes for their grand opening. Everywhere we turned there were people stocking the shelves and aisles for the big day!

Right when you walk through the front door of Fresh Market your eyes are drawn towards all of the color in their produce section and you’re soothed by the classical music playing. Their produce sections seems to make up about 1/3 of the store and offers fruits and veggies that are fresh, locally grown and ready to serve at your table. When I say “local” I mean grown within 100 miles if it’s labeled “local” and within 300 miles if it’s labeled “regional”. I like having fruit that is ready to be eaten and not something sitting on the counter for a few days to ripen. I also like that they offer a variety of fruit and veggies that are cut and freshly packed on site. They’re perfect as after school grab n’ go snacks for my daughter.

The bakery department in Fresh Market appeared to have many empty baskets because they were all waiting to be filled with freshly baked goods.

We learned that many items are baked on a daily basis for the next morning, with the bakers coming in at 9pm to bake for the next morning. It’s an around-the-clock effort over there to provide the freshest for the customers. There are lots of other yummy items to choose from in the bakery department, aside from just bread.

We got to enjoy samples of a delicious Blackened Steak recipe prepared by one of the chefs from Chefs USA.

Did you know that Fresh Market features an extensive collection of recipes on their website . They also hosts in-store chef-led demos of some of their recipes for customers to watch and be able to taste. I can’t wait for the next one!

They have an unbelievable selection of cheeses!

She’s a girl after my own heart…she loves cheese too!

As we got to browse the store on our own, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Ok literally on the candy aisle I did! How can you NOT be mesmerized by a rainbow of colored candies?

Their aisles had so many wonderful products on the shelves, as did the refrigerated section. Fresh Market carries their own brand, as well as some other hand-picked brands.

You can even “build your own 6-pack” at Fresh Market. Just choose any 6 beers and make one!

The concept behind Fresh Market is similar to that of a European market, where you are stopping by 3-4 times per week to shop for that day’s meals. I especially love that idea because often times I am a day-by-day planner. I also get a little weird about my food being in my fridge for too long, so knowing that what I’m stopping by to pick up is fresh, gives me that peace of mind. If you don’t have time to stop by the actual store, they also offer home delivery through their site with online ordering!

If you haven’t stopped by a Fresh Market, you should do so soon. Click here for a location near you.

Connect with Fresh Market on Facebook and Twitter!

The Day We Personally Welcomed Fresh Brothers Pizza to Orange County!

August 4, 2014 / Food, OC Events, Restaurant Reviews, SoCal Life

Disclosure: We were invited to Fresh Brothers to sample menu items in exchange for a review. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions are my own.

When I heard that Fresh Brothers was coming to Orange County, I immediately did a Happy Dance and couldn’t wait for the grand opening celebration!

Our family enjoyed a sampling of some of their most popular menu items. I think it should be mandatory for every guest to start out with an order of Fresh Knots! Their menu describes Fresh Knots as “garlic bread tied in tasty knots, dusted with parmesan and served with a side of pizza sauce“. These were so amazing. Seriously!

We tried The Greek Town Special Salad next which is made with romaine, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, cucumber, pepperoncini, red onions and tomatoes.

I can never get enough feta cheese. I loved the light dressing on this salad too. All of the salads on their menu are handmade, hand chopped and hand tossed. They offer a ton of different ones on the menu and also give guests the option of creating their own salad.

An order of the Meatball Sliders arrived at our table next. They’re served on King’s Hawaiian rolls and topped with mozzarella cheese and pizza sauce. Emi especially LOVED these. If a kid likes something, you know it’s great!

Did I mention that all of the appetizers on their menu are baked and never fried? I like that. I especially liked knowing that the entire order of buffalo wings I devoured, weren’t fried. The sauce was Roasted Garlic BBQ and SO tasty! They have 6 different kinds of sauces to choose from for their buffalo wings, including traditional hot sauce.

I couldn’t stop dipping mine in the blue cheese dressing.

The grand finale of our meal was our delicious pizza! It was a delicious thin crust cheese and pepperoni pizza and it was beautiful. I say WAS because we ate the entire thing! By the way, they have gluten-free and vegan options!

The grand opening celebration of Fresh Brothers’ first Orange County location in Newport Beach had a bunch of fun activities for kids to do. There was face painting, temporary tattoos, pizza dough and cookie cutters to play with, and kids could even make their own pizzas!

It’s also fun just to play with pizza dough and cookie cutters!

Emi was so excited to make her own pizza. Being the artist that she is, she chose to make a perfectly symmetrical pizza with cheese, olives, and pineapple! She was so excited to see her pizza when it came out of the oven!

What a fun thing for kids to do!

Not only is the food at Fresh Brothers delicious, but I love the feeling you get when you’re there. It’s a family run business and you can chat with any of the family members that happen to be at the location and hear about the story of how Fresh Brothers came to be. I think the entire family was present at the grand opening celebration and just watching the way they worked together and reached out to every guest was heartwarming.

I’m so happy we have a Fresh Brothers Pizza near us now! If you haven’t checked them out yet, you need to.

To find a Fresh Brothers location, click here.

Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram too!

Help Me Find This Couple from Disney’s 24-Hour Event! They Got Engaged! #RockYourDisneySide

August 4, 2014 / Disney, Lifestyle, Social Media, Uncategorized

I was just going through my pictures from Disney’s Rock Your Disney Side 24-hour event back in May, when I came across some that I totally forgot about. As Emi and I were walking around that day, I had my camera out and ready to snap pics. Just as we approached Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, there were a bunch of people standing around and I witnessed the end of an engagement! This adorable couple, dressed as Belle and Beast, was in the center of the crowd. I knew something special was happening so I started snapping pics. Emi totally missed it but I got a few. They seemed very shy and although the PhotoPass people took some pics, I think it was just really quick and then they were done. I never got to chase after them to tell them I caught a few of the pics because I felt like I’d be interrupting their moment. I know that no one else caught these other pictures of them though and looking at them again, I see that it was “Belle’s” birthday! (her name is Yela) I’m guessing he arranged Photopass to snap a castle pic for them, letting her believe it was just for her birthday and then broke out a ring! That’s my best guess, but I’m a total fantasizer! I believe in fairytales! Regardless of the real details, I know that they’d want these pictures, because I know I would if it were me, so I’m determined to find them, so I can give them the pictures! I was tearing up adding these to this post. I think you’ll tear up too! Just look….

This one chokes me up BIG TIME! I think the shock and excitement just settled in here!

I love her backpack! It’s him!

As I stood there in shock, they just walked away. I was too frozen to bother them in the middle of their moment!

So… I’m going to rely on social media to help me find Belle and Beast…because I know how powerful social media can be! I also know that if I had gotten engaged like this, I’d want these pictures for my own keepsakes. Sorry guys but I think this guy just set the bar really high!

Do you know them? If not, please help spread the word!

Now let’s sing it….”Tale as old as time...”

Blaze Pizza is Now Open in The Shops at Mission Viejo!

August 1, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!

I think I’ll start off this post with the dessert first! I like to do that!

This is the s’more pie at Blaze Pizza! It’s the perfect beginning (or ending if you’re traditional) to any meal! We have been waiting months for Blaze Pizza to open in our mall and had already previewed their menu online. That’s when I knew I was destined for this dessert. It’s quite a yummy s’more pie and they stick it next to the pizza oven so that it warms up just right, to where the marshmallow melts.

Blaze Pizza is a great addition to The Shops at Mission Viejo food court area. They label themselves as “Fast Fire’d” pizza but by no means are they a “traditional” fast food, food court option! So fresh and so yum!

Check out the crowd that came out to celebrate their grand opening!

Did I also mention that all of these people were waiting in line for their free pizza to celebrate the grand opening?

Their menu has quite a few salads and numerous options for pizzas. Each pizza is made-to-order as you let them know what you’d like. I like that they offer options for people with dietary restrictions. It’s sometimes difficult for families to find a restaurant to dine at together, when they have one or more family members with special dietary needs and/or food allergies. Check out their menu allergen Info here. No matter what your dietary needs, they’ve got your covered.

I am so happy that Blaze Pizza has finally opened up in “my mall”!

Welcome to The Shops at Mission Viejo, Blaze!

Connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter too!

Blue C Sushi in Newport Beach! Get There!

July 30, 2014 / Food, Let's Eat!, Restaurant Reviews

When my friend Melodi from Eat Drink OC called and invited me out for a night of fun at the newest location of Blue C Sushi in Newport Beach, I was quick to accept the invite! I LOVE sushi and I’d heard from a couple of other friends that I needed to check out Blue C. They offer kaiten sushi which translates as “go around sushi”. There’s a conveyor belt set up within reach of guests so they can then grab food to eatndirectly off of it at any time.

The decor of this place is so fun. The atmosphere is even more fun! When we walked in, I immediately spotted the magnetic wall. I KNEW it was somewhere I’d need to return with my daughter so she could draw pictures to put them on the magnetic wall. I’m guessing she’ll also probably end up playing with the wall magnets.

How fun do these giant magnets look ?

You can’t help but become almost instantly mesmerized by the conveyor belt and the colors of the plates! Each one has a description of what’s on the plate and its ingredients. There are even some plates with gluten-free and vegan options. The plates are color coded to tell you how each one is priced, which makes it very simple.

There’s also an extensive menu of drinks, appetizers, and other items, such as hand-rolled sushi made to order and some of the chef’s favorites. If you’re curious about the freshness of the items on the conveyor belt, Blue C Sushi actually uses an electronic sensor system on the revolving plates to monitor how long they’ve been rotating. They take pride in serving the freshest sushi, so you’ll never be served sushi that’s been on there longer than 45 minutes.

This is about as fresh as you can get for sushi! (We named him Sebastian the Shrimp!)

The chefs’ area in the center of the restaurant allows for the sushi chefs to monitor every table and interact with guests. If you’d like them to walk you through the chef’s offerings and specialty items, you can press the blue button. They’ll also address any of your ordering needs at that time.

We had the best time chatting with “Joe” that night. He’s one of Blue C’s main sushi chefs and I loved that he greeted each of us with a little gift, our own personal blue ninja. Joe likes to keep these ninjas on hand for the younger visitors, but on this particular occasion we were the exception to the rule.

He might be tiny but my ninja means business!

When we sat down at our table, I was immediately mesmerized by the conveyor belt and all of the food going by on it. Not only is there sushi on the conveyor belt, but I also spotted some fresh fruit, edamame and other appetizers, and even desserts pass by us!

Desserts passing me by on the conveyor belt! Come back, cupcake!

Our server, Matt, was so much fun! I think you HAVE TO BE fun to work at Blue C! He got each of us started with a cocktail.

Mine was a beautiful blue one in a martini glass!

Before I knew it, the eating began! All I know is we started with some Spicy Edamame and the rest was history!

We were so lucky to be able to try quite a few of Joe’s own personal creations. He took so much time to describe each one that he’d made for us and even whipped up a few of his own personal favorites. The sushi was so fresh and I felt like I couldn’t stop myself from gorging! I’m pretty sure I ate my weight in fish!

Joe came out and actually sat with us at our table for a little while. We chatted with him about his background in the food industry and he gave us a deeper insight into the history of Blue C Sushi. Not only is he great at what he does, he also seems very passionate about it. I think that’s really important.

These clams were so delicious! Chef Joe made them especially for us!

As if we weren’t already stuffed, Joe insisted we also have dessert! Good thing I have a “dessert compartment” from when I was younger that always allows me to have room for it! Dessert arrived at our table, an incredible tempura brownie with ice cream and some shaved! Whoa! We were ready to eat it but first I stopped to take a selfie with Chef Joe!

This tempura brownie was to die for! Seriously, you NEED to try one when you go there!

The shaved ice was served with fresh fruit and topped with coconut milk! It was really yummy!

We had such a great experience at Blue C Sushi! It was a lot of fun to really get to know the staff working that night and it felt like we had our own personal chef. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially families with kids.

If you end up going soon, could you please call and invite me though? I’m totally ready to go back!

To locate a Blue C Sushi near you, click here! Connect with Blue C Sushi on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Summer Fun at the Sizzix 1950s Sock Hop! #Sizzix1950s

July 27, 2014 / Crafts & DIY, Uncategorized

I was so excited to receive an invitation for a an evening of Sizzix fun with some of my bloggy friends at the Ellison Headquarters. The event was a 1950s Sock Hop and they requested we come dressed for the occasions. I love any excuse to dress up in a costume. Normally I’m a poodle skirt kind of girl, but for this occasion I chose petal pushers and a t-shirt/sweater combo. I also felt it was necessary to pick out some faux cat eye glasses to wear.

I know they didn’t take selfies in the 1950s before going to a Sock Hop, but I decided to!

When I arrived at the Sock Hop there were a couple of classic cars on site and everyone was dressed so cute! They made adorable name tags for each of us using Sizzix. There was a root beer tasting table set up with 4 different kinds of root beers for guests to try. I just love 1950s nostalgia.

I love the name tags they made using Sizzix! Can you spot mine?

The guys from Burger Monster were on hand, grilling up BBQ’d burgers for dinner. They made each burger to order. I was adventurous with the avocado. In 1950s terms, their food was “swell”! Their burgers are actually WAY yummier than just swell though!

NOM NOM NOM!

A little while later we got to head inside the Sizzix studio. They gave us time to browse the studio and there was SO MUCH to see in there! The Sizzix team had transformed an entire corner of the room to look like a 1950s Soda Fountain, using Sizzix collections. There were also centerpieces and place settings for a 1950s party that actually made me want to throw a Sock Hop party just because!

Such adorable creations make me want to throw a party NOW!

We got to meet Jen Long, the designer of the Sizzix 1950s line and listen to her speak about her inspiration for these designs and how she created them. It was so exciting to hear about how she developed this collection.

Seriously, how adorable is she?

She also showed us her actual sketchbook, which was a collection of sketches that she has done over the years. Jen is an amazing artist and I was wow-ed by her talent!

Each of the tables we were seated at had Big Shots to work with and supplies for a “Make and Take”. We got to make an adorable retro camera card that looks like this one!

I loved all of the papers they chose for the project and it was fun to get to emboss a couple of the pieces, using the Big Shot! If you’ve never made a Sizzix Sandwich, you need to. That’s what they call it when you’re prepping paper to go into the Big Shot machine. Watch this video of ME making one!

At the end of the night, the Sizzix team sent each one of us home with a TON of swag which included some retro candy! I couldn’t believe it when they said we’d each get our own Big Shot to take home! They also gave us some of the die cuts and embossing folders from the collection to use with it! It felt like Christmas for a crafter like me!

Hanging with @Munchies_Mama, @jmdenouden & @LifeWithLovebug!

What a fun night getting to hang out with some of my crafty blogger friends and meeting the rockstars behind Sizzix. I couldn’t wait to get home to play with my new crafty toys! I knew Emi would be excited to try out the Big Shot too!

To learn more about Sizzix and see all of their awesome products, click here!

Make Your Own Photo Booth With the Help of Oriental Trading Company

July 22, 2014 / Celebrations, Crafts & DIY, Uncategorized

Disclosure: I was provided with products by Oriental Trading Company, in order to conduct this review. No other type of compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own.

In our family, we love to throw parties for every occasion. Parties for holidays, birthday parties, parties for award shows, even season premiere nights of our favorite TV shows! We’ll throw a party for any occasion! We also love to have fun with photo booth, which is a highlight at our parties. It’s really pretty simple to create your own photo booth corner to capture some unique photo memories. We had fun creating a photo booth for a “Surf’s Up” party we recently threw, using items we found on the Oriental Trading Company site. I’m going to show you how easy it is to make your own photo booth.

Choose a great spot to set up your photo booth

When you look for a spot to set up your photo booth area, remember to always pick somewhere with plenty of room for guests to be silly when they’re posing for pictures. Also, choose a location with good lighting. We usually set up our photo booth area outside because, for me, the natural lighting is much easier to work with than inside the house and you don’t usually need to worry about a flash.

Choose a photo booth background. Designate an area.

It’s really important that you choose a background for your photo booth area and designate an area at your party for your fun. We have used our wooden fence as a background for ours before. If you want a patterned background it’s easy to create by purchasing 1-2 yards of fabric and stapling it around a giant piece of cardboard or wood for guests to pose in front of. For this particular occasion, we ordered a stand-up surfboard from Oriental Trading Company that matched our theme. For some of the photos we stood it in front of a textured wall outside in our driveway. For other photos, I used a hot pink shower curtain that was hanging on a garment rack. Whatever background you choose, just make sure it’s a little taller than your tallest guest.

Designate a photographer

It’s much easier to designate someone as the official photo booth photographer for your party. It’s also better if YOU, the hostess, are not that person. I love that my BFFs step up to help me with this every time we have a party. They know how important photos are to me and they also know that I’m always so busy running around. Taking over this duty for me is something HUGE and I’m always appreciative of them. By the way, you’ll also have guests taking selfies in your photo booth with their own phones.

Have Photo Booth Props for guests

Having fun photo booth props is a NECESSITY for your photo booth! It’s actually THE most important part. You can sometimes find things around your house to use like hats, parts of old Halloween costumes, feather boas, glasses, etc., but there are also other important props that you should always have available. I found awesome photo props on sticks on the Oriental Trading Company site. I chose some lips, glasses and mustaches. Mustaches look great on everyone and they seem to be a popular choice with everyone! I like to stick all of the props into a mason jar so guests can just grab one or two that they like. In addition to photo props on sticks, I also found these oversized luau picture frame cutouts on their site. So cute!

Now that our party is over, we like to keep the jar of photo booth props on the counter so we can grab them whenever we need them to strike a pose and snap a pic! It’s just what we do around here!

And seriously, how cute are my models in these pics?

Meet Fish, Shoe, Oilcan and Sparky from THE BOXTROLLS!

July 21, 2014 / Entertainment, Movies

As September gets closer, I am getting more excited about the upcoming movie “THE BOXTROLLS”! It’s being made by the creators of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” and Emi and I loved both of those movies. Have you taken a peek at the trailer for the movie yet?

THE BOXTROLLS tells the story of a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised an orphaned human boy , Eggs. THE BOXTROLLS features the voices of Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead-Wright and Tracy Morgan.