Category: Fun & Games

Thanksgiving and Party Planning

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Thanksgiving was very low-key this year. We didn’t go to my parents’ or have the kids so it was just Joe and me.

We roasted a Target turkey breast and made all our faves – this super yummy sweet potato recipe I came across a few years ago and make every year without fail, green bean casserole, crescent rolls, suddenly salad (the blt one), stuffing, and scalloped potatos. Along with that we had cottage cheese and cranberry sauce (which I was not digging this year for some reason).

By the time the turkey was done it was 4 pm so we stuffed our faces while watching a movie we rented – Four Christmases (which wasn’t that great).

After dinner was ready I threw a Sara Lee apple pie in the oven and we ate that a few hours later.

Friday morning while I was cleaning out the roasting pan, I discovered the magic of Scotch-Brite sponges. It says they can scratch surfaces so I’ve never bothered with them before even though I owned some that I must have bought years ago.

It was driving me crazy how dirty this pan had gotten with stuff that would not come off so I tried the Scotch-Brite and was amazed how with a little elbow grease I could get it looking like new. Then I read the package and realized I could remove all the burned on gunk from the stove burners too so I tackled that next.

At that point I figured I might as well clean the inside of the oven too which I will admit I’ve never done before. We’ve had the stove for a few years now so you can only imagine how dirty it had gotten. I couldn’t even see inside it through the window anymore! Joe kept trying to tell me all stoves are self-cleaning which, while skeptical, I actually believed.

I had purchased some Oven Off a month ago so I followed the directions and sprayed that in the oven after I had pre-heated it (and subsequently turned off first, of course). Oh what a smell! I had to open the windows to stop us from choking to death. I bet that stuff would make a great weapon against an intruder. Everyone should keep a can of Oven Off by their bedside.

It took me a good three hours to thoroughly clean the oven. The gunk actually came off easily but it took a long time to remove all the Oven Off residue. During that process I touched the oven’s lightbulb with the sponge which caused it to explode. Luckily my head wasn’t in the oven at the time so when the glass came shooting out I wasn’t hit in the face!

What a process! I never anticipated it taking that long, but I’m proud to announce my oven looks brand new now. I never realized you could clean it that well. I stupidly thought once certain stuff got on it that it was impossible to remove. I feel rather silly now, but at least I know better!

Friday afternoon we picked up the kids and had another Thanksgiving dinner with them. I made regular mashed potatos and corn that morning just for them which they loved. I was already tired of hot turkey, so I made a turkey sandwich instead which I got addicted to and ended up having twice a day for the rest of the weekend (including breakfast on Saturday).

We didn’t do any Black Friday shopping unless you count the comforter and knives set I bought online from Carson’s. Oh, and in the afternoon I ran to Target for something for one of the kids (don’t want to say what in case they’ve found this blog). Ok, so I guess I did do some Black Friday shopping but not in the sense that I went out at a ridiculous early hour to battle a sea of crazy people for the latest deal. Target was pretty busy at 4 pm though. I’ve never seen it so crowded and disorganized before.

Saturday we took the kids to the movies. Joe and K saw Twilight New Moon while E and I saw Planet 51. I was rather disappointed in the movie. It wasn’t nearly as good as I was expecting but E liked it so that’s good.

Sunday we did a bunch of shopping in preparation for our annual holiday party which is this Saturday. I consulted last year’s notes and here’s the spread so far:

Dinnerware:

Styrofoam mult-section plates
Red styrofoam bowls
Red plastic cups
Clear plastic silverware

Beverages:

Coke
Pepsi
Diet Pepsi
7-Up
Dr. Pepper
Sunkist
Miller Beer
Mixed drinks to order

Food:

Veggie Tray (Olives, Celery, Carrots, and Cucumber) w/ Ranch Dip
Crackers and Cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack)
Shrimp Cocktail
Italian Stuffed Jalapenos
Totino’s Cheese Pizza Rolls
Chicken Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dressing
Chips w/ Onion Dip
Fritos w/ Onion Dip
Tortilla Chips w/ Salsa
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (Homemade)

I hope that is enough. I wasn’t planning on baking cupcakes or a pie because I noticed they weren’t eaten last time. I do plan on getting tons of celery, though, because we actually ran out last year. I “make” good celery. How is that even possible, you ask? Well, I cut very thin strips which I think makes it easier to eat. There’s nothing I hate more than a huge piece of celery with a little dip on it. You can’t double-dip at a party so there’s a better dip to veggie ratio if you make the veggie pieces smaller. Yes, there is a method to my madness.

GlowGolf

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We took the kids to Stratford mall today to try the new glow in the dark miniature golf called GlowGolf. At $30 for four of us (3 adults, 1 child) it was a bit pricey, but it does include 54 holes (there are two 18-hole courses so you get to play one twice) which do not have to all be played immediately. They will stamp your hand if you want to go shopping or grab something to eat and come back.

GlowGolf

I do have a complaint about the place – there’s a small area in the front where they have a few booths which encourages parents to sit there while their kids play. Not so bad if the kids are old enough to behave themselves, but certainly not for a five and six year old like the siblings left to their own devices who kept getting in our way. God forbid someone look after their own children in a public place!

Another annoyance was the mom with her two pre-teen sons who kept blazing through the hole behind us and then practically standing on top of us obviously impatient while we were trying to putt. Finally they got tired of waiting (no WAY was I rushing through for their sake) and skipped a hole so they could play ahead of us.

Seriously, I’ve never understood the people who pay good money to play miniature golf and then rush through each hole as if it’s a race to the finish. I’d like my money to last. Call me crazy.

In any case, the place is ok but I doubt we’ll go back. People are just way too annoying, and that was at noon on a Wednesday. I’d hate to see the place on a weekend.

Indiana Beach

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Yesterday was our annual visit to Indiana Beach. We mixed things up this year by choosing a weekday which was a good move since even though they waived the admission (normally $2.50), they raised the wristband prices from $23 to $27, but we had a BOGO (buy one get one free) coupon valid Mon-Thur for the combo ride/waterpark pass which is $30. The coupon was only valid for one wristband, but they also have the same BOGO promotion if you bring in any Coke product so we only paid for two wristbands but got four. We didn’t use the waterpark portion of the wristband but overall between the free parking and admission, it was still cheaper than last year.

We got there around 2 pm and the free parking lot was pretty dead. I guess Mondays are good days as it was less crowded than when we’ve gotten there first thing on a Saturday. Plus the weather was beautiful – only 78 and a bit cloudy so we weren’t sitting in the sun all day.

Amazingly, E went on three roller coasters with Joe. He’s become quite the adrenaline junkie. I think his recent visit to Great America with his school’s band might have started that. And they say peer pressure is a bad thing. ;)

He even went on the Falling Star which used to be my favorite ride when I was a kid. Alas, my stomach hurt yesterday so I barely went on any rides at all. But I got my tacos that I talk about every year (and who even have an entry over at Yelp!), so I can’t complain. And if you follow me on Twitter you’ll see that I was posting tweets while the kids were on the rides. I think they went on the swings at least eight times each. It’s by far their favorite ride.

We left the park a little after 8 pm and got home around 9:30 pm our time (the park is in the Eastern time zone). Everyone had a sandwich and then retired to their respective rooms to watch tv. I managed to get in an episode of my new favorite show, The Big Bang Theory, before passing out on the couch. All in all, a pretty good day.

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During the ride to the park we were Googling info on Indiana Beach and I found out why they painted the skyride last year and raised prices – they are under new management as of February 2008. It’s kind of sad – the same family owned and operated the park since its inception in 1926. Luckily the management change hasn’t affected the quality of the park. In fact, it seems less run-down than before. I also noticed the ride operators seem more attentive to everyone’s safety, so as far as I’m concerned the increase in prices is worth it.

We’ll definitely be going again on a weekday to save money and not have to wait in long lines. We might only have a few years left before the kids would rather go to Great America anyway.

Charlotte Sometimes

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Well, as usual I’ve neglected my blog. It’s not that nothing has been going on – more like too much has been going on and I’ve been too tired to sit down and write about it. Let’s see …

Friday night (the 3rd) we went to a pool party where most of the men proceeded to get drunk. One lit firecrackers from his butt (no joke) and some of them decided to strip down to their skivvies and jump in the pool, proving that alcohol does warm the blood as it was not terribly warm outside by that point. There was more than one beer run made (with a designated driver, of course) and the girls, who weren’t drinking at all, made a run for marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate and made s’mores on the host’s cool fire pit.

Saturday (the 4th) we were up bright and early to head to Darien to see Joe’s son’s in the annual 4th of July parade (he plays bass drum in the band). It was rainy and cool so it was not the best time ever, unfortunately. After the parade we took the kids back to our place for a bit before heading over to my parents’ to hang out, eat, and play games. Then we headed back toward the kids’ neighborhood to check out the fireworks before going our separate ways.

The rest of the week fly by in the blur thanks to lots going on at work and having two rats who desperately want to run around the house for at least an hour every night. Templeton is definitely the naughty one – he’s obsessed with climbing over the gate that is preventing him from getting behind the couch so that he can crawl under it. No matter how many times I pick him up and try to distract him, he runs right back over there. So we took some empty boxes and Joe made a barrier with them. They are too tall for either of the rats to climb over and once we get the entire living area surrounded by our homemade gates, we will even be able to let Oreo run around (separately, since the rats could harm her) without fear of her getting under the couch or behind the furniture.

Earlier in the week we got a shipment of painted lady caterpillars in the mail (care of a kit we bought) and as of this morning all five of them have formed a chrysalis and will soon become butterflies. I’ve wanted to do this for years as it’s a very interesting process to watch. Too bad once they are butterflies they will only live two weeks. We’ll probably keep them for just a day or two and then release them so they can enjoy their short little lives.

Today I awoke to a welcome surprise – a notice from AT&T that my iPhone has shipped. I couldn’t be more excited! I was really starting to worry I wouldn’t get it before the 20th when the kids are coming to stay for a week (and I’ve got a few days off). We’re going to Indiana Beach one of those days and since both kids love riding the swings over and over I’ll now have something to entertain me.

The kids are with us this weekend so we might be heading to the pool later on once my brother gets here. Joe and I went to the pool last Sunday and I got burned even though I put on sunscreen. We’ve lived here nearly five years and I think that’s the first time I’ve actually gone in the pool. I’ve been poolside a few times but I don’t think I’ve ever gone in before because I was heavier and felt uncomfortable being half naked in front of other people.

Downloaded apps: 57 and counting
Current phrase: “My iPhone is coming!!! Woohoo!”

Frozen tires and Bingo

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Friday after warming up my car in my employer’s parking lot, I backed out of my spot and realized something was not quite right. I pulled into a different spot and checked the car, only to find that one of my tires had frozen flat! I have never seen anything like it.

I immediately called Joe who luckily doesn’t work very far from me and hadn’t left work yet. I headed back into my building to wait for him where one of the women joked that she wouldn’t trust her husband to change a flat. My husband is actually quite good at it and it wasn’t terribly long before the spare was on my car and I was able to drive home.

Unfortunately it did prevent us from meeting up with our friends for dinner as planned, but we were still able to make it to Bingo, so it could have been worse. Joe won a game, but just like the last time he won, had to split the pot with more than one person so we didn’t make much moolah unlike one of our friends who has won too big pots to date. And I swear if I hear said friend say, “don’t hate the player, hate the game” one more time, I’m going to hurt the player! ;)