Impress Her By Cooking

Funny Family Photos

Posted in: In The Know
Tags: funny family photos, holidays, memories

With 2011 coming to a close, it’s the perfect time to dig out those old family photos and reminisce on all the great memories you’ve made over the years. While re-living the fun times, you’re sure to come across a photo or two that will give you a good laugh, and when you do, we’d love for you to share them with us!

Did your ‘80s hairstyle fail to stand the test of time? Does your super-chic Christmas sweater look slightly less chic than you remember? Here are a few gems that we came across, feel free to post your own in the comment section below or on our Facebook page.

Happy Holidays!

Employee Spotlight: Shirley Hulin

Posted in: Ambassadors
Tags: employee spotlight, conference planner, the woodlands resort, shirley hulin

In 1979, Shirley Hulin joined The Woodlands Resort team as a file clerk where she proudly worked on the loading dock in her “business suit, high heels, and all!”

Shirley has worked in many different departments over the years including purchasing, food and beverage, catering and sales. Knowing the resort inside and out helps Shirley in her current position as Conference Planner.

As a Conference Planner, Shirley’s top priority is to “make each guest feel as though they’re the only one at the resort.”

During her 32 years, Shirley has seen the resort grow and expand rapidly and loves seeing the constant improvement – most notably the guest rooms and meeting facilities.

Shirley has also met (and had her photo snapped!) with quite a few celebrity guests over the years including President Ford, Phyllis Diller, Bob Hope, James Garner, Fred McMurray and Willie Nelson.

Despite meeting big-name guests, Shirley’s favorite part about working at the resort is the relationships she has established with fellow employees.

At The Woodlands Resort, we believe our employees are one of our greatest assets and we are proud to have many long-term employees, including Shirley, on our team.

After 32 years of hard work and dedication, Shirley is retiring from The Resort. The good news? Living just 5 minutes away we know we’ll see her friendly face often and look forward to her stopping by for a quick “hello.”

Thank you, Shirley for 32 wonderful years!
 

Winter-Proof Your Skin

Posted in: In The Know
Tags: the woodlands resort spa, beauty tips, spa discount

The weather outside might be frightful, but that doesn’t mean your skin has to be! Try these simple home remedies for beautiful, glowing skin all winter long.

Skip Long Soaks – A long, steamy bath or shower may soothe sore legs from holiday shopping, but they can also dry out your skin. The solution? Take shorter showers with warm water and pat your skin dry, don’t rub. If your skin is already dry and itchy, add a bit of oatmeal or baking soda to your bathwater for some quick, all-natural relief.

Moisturize Early and Often – Applying moisturize frequently will keep your skin soft and glowing all winter long. Always moisturize immediately after washing your face or bathing for best results.

Bring on the Balm – There’s nothing worse than dry, chapped lips. Banish chapping by protecting and moisturizing your lips with an SPF 15 lip balm and reapply throughout the day. Lips already chapped? Apply a dab of petroleum jelly to your lips before you go to bed.

Opt for Oil – In winter, thicker, oil-based moisturizers do a better job than water-based formulas. The added oils help replenish the moisture that winter strips away.

Soothe Tired Eyes – The delicate skin under your eyes can be easily irritated in winter, especially if you’re tired or stressed. To reduce dark circles, make two tea bags, (preferably green) and while hot - be careful! - rest on your eyes for 15-20 minutes.

Get a jump-start on your winter skin regimen with a visit to The Spa at The Woodlands Resort and receive a special holiday treat – a complimentary lip or eye treatment with any facial through December 31.

For a complete list of spa treatments, click here.
 

Skincare tips courtesy of Elle.com

Hall of Fame

Posted in: In The Know
Tags: the woodlands, award, employees, hall of fame

Doesn’t it feel great to get a pat on the back or hear someone say, “good job!” Thanks to our dedicated team of professionals and friendly staff, we have been inducted into Meeting & Conventions Magazine’s Gold Award Hall of Fame.

We were honored with this distinction after winning the publication’s prestigious Gold Key Award for the twelfth consecutive year. Winners are nominated and selected by the readers of Meetings & Conventions - professional meeting and event planners - who base their votes on strict criteria including overall professionalism and quality of the resort.

Since opening, our quality service, friendly staff and enhanced meeting services have been our trademark.

Joining the Gold Award Hall of Fame affirms our hard work and dedication, and we couldn’t be more proud of our entire staff for this amazing achievement.

-- Tory Enriquez, Director of Sales & Marketing

Seasonal Crafts for Kids

Posted in: In The Know
Tags: christmas, holiday crafts, kid-friendly activities

With just a little holiday magic, kids can turn an ordinary pine cone into a decorative centerpiece.

Craft a special Christmas with your family with these kid-friendly craft projects.

Puffy the Pine Cone Christmas Tree
Courtesy of BusyBeeKidsCrafts.com; Ages 3+

Supplies Needed
Pine Cone
Rice
Green food coloring
Zip-lock baggie
Wax paper
Glue
Craft stick or anything that will spread glue
Paper plate or bowl
Embellishments to decorate your tree (we suggest metallic pipe cleaners, pom poms, and sequins)

Directions
1. In a zip-lock bag mix 1 cup of rice, 1 teaspoon of water and 6-10 drops of food coloring. Seal the bag and squish the bag around until all the rice is coated. If you want your rice more a deeper green just add more food coloring, or don't put in any water at all (1 cup of rice will cover a giant pine cone, with some left over). Lay the rice on a sheet of wax paper to dry (it should dry very quickly).

2. Spread glue all over your pine cone. Use a craft stick to spread the glue.

3. Hold your pine cone over a paper plate or bowl and sprinkle rice all over the gluey pine cone. Press the rice down with your fingers or craft stick so that it sticks really well! Shake off the excess into the bowl. Continue spreading glue in sections until all the pine cone is covered. Shake your pine cone well into the bowl to get rid of any loose rice.

4. Now it's time to decorate your tree. We wrapped shiny pipe cleaners around for garland, glue on sequins for ornaments, or you can use paper, foam, pom poms, even buttons, be creative!

Tip: If your pine cone does not stand up on its own just cut a small piece off a paper tube and place your pine cone inside (it will just look like the trunk).

Paper Plate Snowman
Courtesy of EnchantedLearning.com; Ages 6+

Supplies Needed
2 white paper plates
Construction paper (black, red) or wrapping paper
An orange pipe cleaner
A short length of yarn or ribbon
Hole punch
Marker or crayons
Scissors
Glue
Optional: googly eyes, large buttons

Directions
1. On one of the paper plates, cut off the outer rim, making a smaller plate.

2. Punch a hole near the rim on both places

3. Tie the two plates together using the yarn or ribbon

4. On black construction paper, draw and then cut out a top hat and two boots. On colored construction paper (or gift wrap paper), draw and then cut out two mittens

5. Glue the hat, boots and mittens on the snowman

6. Either glue on googly eyes or draw eyes. Draw a mouth. For the nose, cut a short length from an orange pipe cleaner. Stick the pipe cleaner through the plate to secure it (if the plate is too tough, make a tiny hole with the tip of the scissors)

7. For the buttons, you can cut out shapes from construction paper, use round stickers, glue on real buttons, or simply draw them

You now have a cute snowman decoration to put on a door or hang in a window!

For other fun holiday craft ideas, click here.

Christmas Day Champagne Brunch

Posted in: Great Gatherings
Tags: hotel, champagne brunch, christmas, 2011

Make holiday memories at The Woodlands Resort on Sunday, December 25, 2011 during our annual Christmas Day Champagne Brunch featuring live music, bottomless champagne and an extravagant display of traditional holiday dishes.

The Resort’s culinary team has created an extravagant spread of seasonal, culinary delights including Rotisserie Turkey, Roasted Prime Rib, Bone-In Southern Cured Ham and side dishes such as White Cheddar Au Gratin Potatoes and Maple Butternut Squash. Guests will also enjoy made-to-order omelets, Belgian Waffles, Eggs Benedict and a variety of other traditional breakfast favorites.

Families will enjoy the natural setting overlooking Lake Harrison while listening to live music by Daniel Blanchard and sipping champagne or mimosas.

Seatings are from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. in The Glass and The Woodlands Dining Room. Pricing is $52 per adult, $22 for children 6-12 and $15 for children 2-5; pricing excludes tax and gratuity.

Reservations are required by calling The Woodlands Resort at (281) 364-6323.