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Rumored haunted sites and eerie historical properties are not a hard thing to come by here in the Lone Star State! If you have an interest in the supernatural and don’t have a clue where to start, I’m here to help. Whether you’re looking to learn some local history or stay overnight while getting spooked, we think you’ll find yourself some thrilling haunted adventures no matter where you stay in Texas. I’ve compiled a list the Top 7 Ghost Tours In Texas..I hope ya’ll stop on by and see something spooky!
Granbury, Tx – Granbury Ghosts and Legends Tour – Take an hour-long walking tour around the historic downtown square of Granbury, Texas. Hear the stories of ghosts such as the Lady in Red, the Faceless Girl… maybe even John Wilkes Booth! While in town, make sure to pick up a copy of Haunted Granbury, written by Granbury Ghosts and Legends co-founder Brandy Herr, to read more in-depth stories of the town’s various hauntings, as well as her personal experiences as a ghost hunter!
The Granbury Ghosts and Legends Tour is Every Friday and Saturday night from 7:00 and 9:15. The tour runs $10 per person, $7 children 12 and under.
Austin, Tx – Austin Ghost Tours – Austin Ghost Tours has extensively researched Austin and Texas history so that we may tell the real stories of the people, places and events in Austin’s past. Each tour highlights different haunted areas and tells the ghost stories of the past and present.
Friday Night Tours – Stroll and pause to hear Austin’s perplexing paranormal tales, old and new. Our costumed guide will lead you from Moonshine’s porch, down 5th Street, to the heartbeat of today’s Live Music Capital. Linger inside the Driskill Hotel lobby, but not for too long – or you’ll miss a murderous mystery and Texas’ oldest ghostly history! Bring your camera on this 90-minute tour. You never know who may show up when their stories are told! Voted one of the top 10 ghost tours in the country! Saturday & Sunday tours also available.
Denton, Tx – Make reservations to join Shelly Tucker, “The Ghost Lady,” at Jupiter House Coffee (on the east side of the courthouse square) for a 90 minute haunted history tour at 8:00 p.m. onFriday and Saturday nights throughout the year. “She leads tour groups around dark Downtown weaving a narrative spell that resurrects the past, uncovers buried secrets, and dusts off forgotten mysteries.”
There are so many stories, that Shelly tells different ones each night. On any night you might hear the tales of the ghostly hooligan, the dead Comanche’s bones, the librarian who never “checked out,” or the man who survived the Goliad massacre to die in a suspicious fire. Perhaps you’ll hear tales of Sam Bass and his friend/nemesis Jim Murphy (who some say still haunt the streets of Denton), or the blind sheriff who protects and serves from beyond the grave. Does John Denton’s ghost protect the town that bears his name? Take a tour and find out!
San Antonio, Tx – Alamo City Ghost Tours – Walk along the streets and back alleys of downtown while we bring alive the chilling history and mayhem of San Antonio’s wicked past. You will stand in the very place where men, women and children begged for their lives while having their heads removed for fun and revenge. Feel the energy from those who remain behind today. These spirits remain from heroes and murderers, along with your average man, woman and children, all with the same thing in common: to linger behind in death.
Visit the home of San Antonio’s most gruesome murder. Come along and join us on a journey of spine-tingling stories and ghost hunting in what are considered to be the most haunted areas in San Antonio. We visit San Antonio’s only Haunted Palace. We go to places where people are buried in the floors and entombed in the walls. Visit what is said to be the final resting place for some of the Alamo Defenders.
Galveston, Tx – Ghost Tours of Galveston Island: Dash Beardsley’s Ghost Tours of Galveston: Dash has been in business for nearly 17 years and has gained the undisputed reputation of The Ghost Man of Galveston. Our company has been very open to other ghost tour companies over the years IF their heart has been in the right place sharing in the passion of entertaining and embracing the paranormal world for the sake of those interested.
The ghost tour has all the things you would expect…visions of girls in white Victorian dresses, unrequited love stories and unfinished business. There are even a few vampires stories in there. But it’s also sprinkled with personal anecdotes from Beardsley.
Houston, Tx – Houston Ghost Tour – Houston Ghost Tour is the premier Ghost Tour company in Houston. Walk through the most haunted cities around Houston, as we share the most gruesome and chilling tales of history in Texas. Join us on our eerie walks through Old Town Spring, Houston, Tomball, and Humble on our Haunted History Tours. Unique and entertaining, you won’t find any other entertainment in town like ours. We offer something different than the mainstream. So hop on our twisted bandwagon, and join us for haunting tales of the Old West. Stories of corruption, gambling, land wars, brothels, mysterious murders, and so much more…
Experience the PARANORMAL with us. Understand the SUPERNATURAL better than you ever have. We are the only ghost tour that will customize to fit what you are looking for from a Ghost Tour adventure. Want more ghosts and paranormal? Want more history and folklore? We customize your tour as you interact with your guide, and create a custom tour just for the group you are in, giving you more or less of what you’re looking for in a Ghost
Dallas, Tx – Ghost Tours of Dallas – Join us as we embark on a 90-minute guided tour of downtown Dallas’ infamous West End Historic District. Learn of the many chilling legends, myths, and ghastly deeds that lie beneath the compelling twists and turns of the District’s dark history.
This acclaimed walking tour is the only tour that gives you access to enter and explore one of Dallas’ oldest and most haunted buildings.
Have you taken a ghost tour before? Did you see anything? I would love to take one some day!

The wait is almost over and one of the most exciting films of the year, Marvel’s ANT-MAN, opens in theatres everywhere this Friday!!! ANT-MAN is a lot of fun for the whole family and connects perfectly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
And because this is too adorable not to share, check out the “Little Ant-Man” video that’s currently becoming a viral sensation!
Like ANT-MAN on Facebook | Twitter | Web
ANT-MAN opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, July 17th!

School is back in session which means lots of Scholastic Book Fair papers coming home! My younger two just love their books and would buy the whole catalog if I let them. I also start thinking about the holidays…I know, I know…too soon, but I always give a book with their pjs on Christmas eve…recently Scholastic sent me this title (which the boys were completely thrilled about…so no holding till Christmas eve), and they are also providing a prize pack for one lucky reader!
by Eric Litwin and Tom Lichtenheld
Meet Groovy Joe, a fun-lovin’, guitar-strummin‘, doggy-ice-cream-eatin‘ pup as he wrangles three hungry dinosaurs and soon has them singing, grooving, and sharing!
Groovy Joe was living the dream.
He had a spoon and tub of doggy ice cream.
And he started to sing:
Love my doggy ice cream! Love my doggy ice cream!
Eric Litwin, author of the bestselling and beloved Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, and bestselling artist Tom Lichtenheld, illustrator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, have created a captivating new canine character who will groove his way into readers’ hearts and have them grooving and giggling all the while. In his debut adventure, Groovy Joe faces three roaring dinosaurs hungry for his doggy ice cream! Oh no! But Joe knows just what to do and soon enough he has them all sharing while moving and singing along.
The kids love this book! They actually walk around the house singing “I love my doggy Ice Cream!” The book is fun, entertaining and teaches the value of sharing.
WIN IT!
One (1) lucky My Sparkling Life reader is going to win a copy of Groovy Joe: Ice Cream & Dinosaurs, a kid’s ukulele & a set of ice cream dishes. This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are 18+ until 12:00 PM EST Oct 15, 2016.
THE FINE PRINT: ENTERING THIS GIVEAWAY MEANS THAT YOU ACCEPT BOTH MY RULES & DISCLOSURE. I WILL NOTIFY WINNER VIA E-MAIL AND THEY WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO REPLY BEFORE I AM FORCED TO REDRAW WINNERS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. EACH HOUSEHOLD IS ONLY ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS PRIZE VIA BLOG REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS ONCE. ONLY ONE ENTRANT PER MAILING ADDRESS PER GIVEAWAY. IF YOU HAVE WON THE SAME PRIZE ON ANOTHER BLOG, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO WIN IT AGAIN. WINNER IS SUBJECT TO ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION. MANY WILL ENTER, FEW WILL WIN! PLEASE ALLOW 8-12 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY OF PRIZING. MY SPARKLING LIFE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST OR MISDIRECTED PACKAGES. PRIZING & SAMPLES PROVIDED & SHIPPED BY SCHOLASTIC. IN THE RARE OCCASION THAT A PRIZE DOES NOT ARRIVE (WHICH HAS HAPPENED), PLEASE NOTIFY ME.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Okay, so you remember how excited I was last month when we first received our Playmation Repulser Gear after I learned about at D23 Expo? Well, the excitement hasn’t died down any…and now Disney was awesome enough to send me a complimentary Playmation Gamma Gear starter set & Prowler Bot so I can share my experience with you all!! The Gamma Gear was just released into stores yesterday, but I’ve already got a few days of play under my belt so I’m excited to tell you all about it!
If you haven’t read my Repulser Gear review…you can catch up HERE…go ahead, I’ll wait.
Now that you are all caught up…let’s get on to the awesome new Playmation Gamma Gear & Prowler Bot!
Playmation Gamma Gear
The Gamma Gear starter pack comes with two Hulk fists, a power activator and Loki Smart Figure…when you switch on your Gamma Gear, you are taught a few basic moves to get you started: Punch & Ground Slam and will learn other moves, like the Thunder Clap, as you level up your gear. You will also need to power up by pounding your chest and yelling…get ANGRY! Once you start your mission you are transported to Mount Everest to battle Loki. I must say, Loki was difficult for me to defeat the first time. I had a hard time getting the gear to recognize my tsunami move. Each time you level up your powers increase and you get to learn new moves like picking up a tank and throwing it! The boys were getting irritated with me because I was “taking too long” and they wanted their turn at it…lol..but hey I was in the middle of an epic battle, darting and running through the house to avoid getting damage. It’s all in a day’s work here at Avengers Headquarters! They eventually got their turn:
We tried syncing the Gamma Gear and Repulser gear together and it did fine at first, we could battle each other which was pretty cool, but when we tried to go to a mission it froze up and started making some funky sounds so we had to turn both the Gamma Gear and Repulser Gear off, then turn them back on to continue playing. Whether you’re working as a team or battling each other, there is always going to be fun and adventure!
We’ve also had a few minor issues with the gear not picking up the power activator at times…I think they might just be getting low on batteries. Be sure to keep a load of batteries around or try out these recharge packs from PowerA, they really are a life saver when your in full battle mode!
Prowler Bot
The Prowler Bot is a robotic villain from Ultron’s army. It can find and hunt your Avenger Gear with 360-degree movement while taking on dozens of enemy personas and powers with lights and sounds. The Prowler Bot makes gameplay more challenging and unlocks exclusive missions and locations via the AvengersNet app.
The boys like to battle the Prowler Bot. Him moving around makes it more challenging and fun! Just like the power activators you can battle him in “free play” mode (when your in NY City).
Don’t forget to download the AvengersNet App to keep track of your progress, update your gear and download new missions! AvengersNet App for Android does not currently support Gamma Gear, Ultron Smart Figure, or Super Adaptoid Smart Figure. Please check playmation.com/devices for updates.
Playmation is recommended for ages 6 and up. Playmation requires 12 AA batteries that are NOT included.
BUY: Playmation Gamma Gear & Prowler Bot
Connect with Playmation: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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There are plenty of myths about diet and exercise, but one of them that isn’t a myth is that when it comes to weight loss and fitness, diet and exercise come hand in hand. It is more effective to increase your activity and start to each more healthy at the same time than it is to do either alone.
Choose a form of exercise you enjoy. It could be that you like dancing, so you go to a dance fitness class at the gym. Maybe you decide to walk to places you would usually drive to. Whatever you choose to do is better than no exercise at all, however, don’t try to do too much before you are ready as it could overwhelm you.
Make sure you are never hungry
A diet plan that leaves you hungry will never work because you will end up caving in and eating something you are not ‘supposed’ to, to rid you of your hunger pains. Not only will you be more likely to give up on your diet if you feel hungry, but you will also be more irritable and unable to concentrate properly. If you want a diet plan, it is better to choose one that allows you to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables so that you do not feel hungry during the day. Foods full of fibre can also help you to feel full, and if you use a smaller plate, you will start serving yourself smaller portions.
Do not ban yourself from eating foods that you love. Stopping yourself from eating them will make you want them more, and there is no harm in treating yourself now and then.
Plan your meals
Having a plan for what you are going to eat in the week will reduce the temptation of a last-minute decision to eat something unhealthy that you bought from the shops. It will also allow you to keep track of what you are eating, and you can make sure that you are not eating as much unhealthy and processed foods. You should also stop buying junk food to have at home, stock up on alternative snacks instead because if you do not have junk food at home, it will reduce any temptation to eat it. Soon you’ll find yourself reaching for the healthy snacks.
Professional help
If you find that you are struggling to lose weight through diet and exercise, then you might have to consider weight loss surgery. If you book an appointment with a bariatric surgeon, they will be able to talk you through the options that might work best for you and explain to you how it would help you through your weight loss journey.

This post may contain affiliate links which fund the My Sparkling Life blog.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This travel was #Hosted which means The company who sponsored it compensated me via all expenses paid trip, cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
In this week’s COCO post, we are going to take a closer look at Alebrijes & two characters Pepita & Dante. If you’ve never heard the name Alebrije, don’t feel alone. I had never heard of them prior to this press event.
During our Pixar Coco Press Event in San Fransisco, we learned so much about how Pixar’s’ animated movies come together. The team does so much research to learn about their characters behaviors, movements, and even legends that inspire them. Some of the Coco characters were inspired by legends & myth of the Alebrije.
Fun Fact: An Alebrije is an art form created by Pedro Linares dreams. He created these brightly colored imaginary creatures, that later on became part of Mexican folk art sculptures. The creatures are created by combining different animal body parts and colors.
In Disney•Pixar’s new animated film COCO Pepita is an Alebrije & is a mixture of various animals such as an eagle, lizard, ram, & tiger.
Fun Fact: Although Alebrijes are part of Mexican culture, they are not necessarily associated with Dia de Los Muertos. Pixar wanted to include the Alebrijes in COCO to be spirit guides for The Land of the Dead.
In Disney Pixar’s COCO we meet Dante pretty early on. Dante is Miguel’s faithful companion. Dante’s look was inspired by the Mexican Hairless Dog, or Xoloitzcuintli. One of the world’s oldest and rarest dogs, Xoloitzcuintli (Xolo) originated in Mexico during the Aztec Empire. In fact, their name is derived from the name of the Aztec Indian god, Xolotl, and itzcuintli, the Aztec word for “dog.”
Fun Fact: Xolo’s are known for “healing powers” because of the warmth of their skin.
Pixar has the privilege of using previous animated movies in their designs…In Coco, they used characters such as the dogs in Up and even Hanks tentacles from Finding Dory to create Dantes tongue designs.
Lee wanted Dante to appear more cartoony and wanted to push the animation.
“The idea with Dante is the lights are on, but nobody’s home.”
While there learning about the Alebrije, Alonso Martinez shared his own personal collection with us that includes Alebrijes of different sizes shapes and colors…I had my own favorite, as did most of us…and gave us a very special opportunity to paint our very own Pepita Alebrije!
Fun Fact: The Alebrije’s were made just for our group, there were many at Pixar that wanted one for themselves but was turned down.
Being able to sit down with the creators and learn all about the creative thought process and design is such a privilege. I’m so happy that I get to share this with you!
Had you ever heard of an Alebrije before?
About Disney•Pixar’s COCO:
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history.