Category: Movies

Polish Food & Heros

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Saturday evening we met my cousin and her longtime boyfriend at a polish buffet, Warsaw Inn, that my family used to frequent when I was younger. The last time Joe and I had been there was when my youngest brother graduated high school ten years ago. The place hasn’t changed a bit. It got packed quite quickly, but we took our time trying out different foods and just chatting for about two hours. It was really nice because we’ve never really hung out with either of them outside of holiday gatherings or funerals. Now they want to meet up again soon to visit Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. I hear it’s pricey but I’ve been wanting to try it out and Discover card offers a gift card with our cash back rewards so that will make their crazy prices easier to swallow.

After dinner Joe and I went to my parents’ house to visit. We played some board games, and despite making fun of it, I tried a slice of Little Caesars’ Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza that my mom and Brother # 1 had brought back to the house. And it was so good I had a second slice. I guess I was totally wrong judging that pizza before trying it because as disgusting as it looked on the commercials I keep seeing, it was quite tasty.

Sunday morning we headed to an early matinee of Big Hero 6. Lately my favorite movies are animated and this one gets a 5-star rating from me. Stay until after the credits for a bonus scene!

Weekend Shenanigans

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I love that word – shenanigans. Anyway…

Saturday morning I saw my doctor because my equilibrium issues which started back in October still haven’t gone away. I feel off balance like I’m going to tip over to the right and this past week it was worse than ever coupled with ringing in my ears and neck pain. She did note my neck muscles were stiff and recommended I see an ENT (ear, nose, throat) and a neurologist, in that order. Interestingly enough, I was having a little pain in my left ear but she noted my right ear seemed to have fluid in it. Whatever. Monday I’ll make some appointments so they can send me for tests that come back “normal” because no one ever finds an explanation for 99% of the ailments I suffer from. Oh and my blood pressure was “high” which was unusual. It was actually 120/80 which technically is ok but for me that’s high.

Saturday afternoon we attended our association’s first annual block party. I felt bad for forgotting to bring a side dish or dessert like they asked, but there was plenty of food at least. I mostly ate junk because my stomach was bothering me and real food would have set it off again (I know how that sounds but I swear my stomach loves sweets/chips but freaks out when I eat fruits/veggies/meat; just one of the great things about being me). We met one of our neighbors who was asking people to sign a petition to start a community garden. I asked where it would be and he said right next to the pool (like a block from where our unit is) so I signed up. Anything within walking distance I can handle. Had it be off the premises I know my lazy ass would never go there. As it is I probably won’t tend to my crops as often as I should (assuming it gets approved and built).

After picking up the new baby rat we stopped at Sonic to take advantage of their half-price shakes after 8 pm. Well, Joe and E did but milk is enemy #1 to my stomach so I got a small lemonberry slush which was real good. Joe and I shared some popcorn chicken and tator tots as well.

When we got home it was around 9 pm but we decided to watch a movie anyway – Divergent. It was ok. I think the potential was there but there wasn’t enough backstory to satisfy me so I was easily distracted playing with the new rat. I’d have to say that Guardians of the Galaxy, which we saw last weekend, was much better.

This morning we did some shopping and then decided to have an early lunch at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant. We ordered our usual – mongolian beef, kung-pao chicken, and sweet and sour chicken. The latter was overcooked, however, and the chicken inside was hard. We pointed this out and they remade it to perfection. Love that place! I had been craving it for over a week. I struggle over going there because the bill is always around $40 but for as often as we go I need to just calm down about that. I tend to freak out over every cent we spend which is ridiculous when the fact is we are doing fine. That point (my tendency to freak too easily) really hit home yesterday when I was driving home from the doctor and Joe texted me “don’t be mad… spent $60” in regards to his trip to Target to buy E some clothes. Just to be clear, I would have been “upset” if that $60 had been spent on me, so I don’t want anyone thinking it had to do with E in particular. Joe just knows how much I worry about money, which when you think about it is kind of his fault as I never thought that much about it before we got together. In any case, I’m not freaked because I already decided recently that as long as we’re fully funding our retirement accounts and putting something away in savings monthly that it’s ok to spend money and enjoy ourselves. So I’m making progress! :)

The rest of this afternoon was spent cleaning the house and the rat cages. Now I’m going to eat some leftover Chinese food from the Vietnamese place and spend some time with my favorite person in the world.

Pizza, Lilacs, and Tulips

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Friday we decided to use a gift certificate to get a yummy large deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s. I thought I had good pizza in college when I discovered Gino’s East. Wrong. Then in my early twenties I thought Giordano’s had the deep dish pizza of my dreams. Wrong again. It turns out Lou Malnati’s deep dish is sent straight from heaven. And during the holidays they offer incentives to purchase a gift card as they give you free money. Delicious pizza is great but delicious free pizza is even better. We bought a $100 gift card and in exchange got a free $25 gift certificate good until the end of June. But it’s gone, gone, gone because while their deep dish pizza is awesome, it’s not cheap. A large deep dish pizza with half sausage and butter crust is around $20 plus some because we order an extra helping of their delicious chunky tomato sauce on the side. This would very likely be my preferred last meal if I had to choose one. But I digress. If you’ve never had Lou’s, what the heck are you waiting for?

On Saturday we took E to see Godzilla. Loved it! I especially enjoyed the twist on how Godzilla was portrayed. I’ll say no more so as not to spoil it for anyone. We also watched two other movies over the weekend – Jack Ryan, Shadow Recruit (2 stars) and Robocop (4 stars).

On Sunday we went a little nuts at Target and spent $113.25 on groceries. Well, that’s the value of the groceries we bought. See, they had a spend $50 get $10 off deal going so we strategized and split our purchases up so we could use two coupons. With all the other coupons, Cartwheel discounts, and deals (including the $15 in free gift cards we received), our true out of pocket expense was more like $65. Now our freezer and pantry is full full full, just the way I like it (mostly; sometimes all the stuff makes me a bit anxious). We loaded up on Skinny Cow ice cream since it was a steal and makes for a nice portion-controlled snack (see: fewer calories than a bowl of ice cream).

After dropping off all our goodies at home and putting away the perishables, we packed a lunch and set out for Lilacia Park in Lombard. This time of year is the only time we visit, and for good reason – it is chuck full of sweet-smelling lilac trees and bushes. It was crowded to say the least. It was a beautiful day to enjoy nature and the intoxicating smells of the lilacs. And while that is what the park is known for, I was more excited by the various tulips on display. I’ve never seen so many and so many different shapes and colors. It was an awesome way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Tulips

Lilacs

The rest of the weekend consisted of cleaning the house and cooking good food including this stuffed shells recipe I plan on adding to our regular rotation. I also baked some pumpkin bars that my SIL gave me when she moved out and was clearing out her pantry with the intention of pawning them off on my coworkers since I’m not a fan of pumpkin stuff. I ended up making homemade cream cheese frosting for them that came out amazing. Joe and I loved the combo so there will be no sharing after all, haha!

Christmas Vacation

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This is how I spent our Christmas vacation…

Friday – Spent the entire morning into the afternoon in bed watching TV and surfing online. Did absolutely nothing productive and didn’t feel too guilty about it (maybe just a little).

Saturday – Made a big breakfast, watched TV, went to Dominick’s to see what was left on the shelves (since they are closing all their stores at the end of the year) and purchased 3 cartons of lactose free milk, among other things, for under $1.50 each, got a delicious Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza (as well as a $100 gift card to fund 2014’s pizza cravings since a free $25 gift certificate came with it), rented Red 2 from Redbox (ok, but not as good as the first one), and watched the first three episodes of Firefly (we borrowed the complete series from the library).

Sunday – Watched more episodes of Firefly and in the evening, with hot chocolate in hand, toured the neighborhood looking at Christmas decorations, like the house pictured below.

Decorated House

Monday – Attended my company’s Christmas luncheon at a local steakhouse and had a nice time (four hours just flew by). Said goodbye to Winston. Watched more Firefly.

Tuesday (Christmas Eve) – Baked an awesome chocolate pecan pie and made Oreo cookie balls, both of which were taken to my parents’ house to celebrate Christmas Eve. E was with us and we did our annual Crazy BINGO even though it was more like Crazy UNO. Joe ended up winning the “big” prize of $20. Also, one of my gag gifts, a gingerbread picture frame ornament containing a photo of poop was a big hit with Brother # 1. He ended up buying it off E for $3. We also surprised my parents with a new large widescreen monitor for their computer so they can read their emails better. We stayed until just after 11 pm and finally got home and to bed after 1 am.

Today (Christmas) – Decided to go see a movie instead of sitting around the house and feeling let down about the holiday since we had exchanged gifts on Tuesday. We chose Anchorman 2. We chose poorly. It was one of the worst movies we’ve seen in a very long time. There was hardly any funny scenes and it was just a major disappointment. I cannot believe it has a 75% positive rating online. It should have never been made. Came home, ate Chinese food for lunch, which we ordered and picked up yesterday since, despite everyone’s belief that Chinese restaurants are open on Christmas, none of the ones in the area I called yesterday were planning on being open. Finished watching Firefly. A few friends are in love with this series, and while I did enjoy it, I didn’t think it was all that. It was rather weird how other than the whole spaceship stuff it was mostly like a western. That being said, I do plan on getting my hands on the follow-up movie, Serenity, soon.

Presents – This year we gave each other a budget of $100 for gifts. I got Joe some running gloves and a hat, socks (albeit the wrong kind because I’m a moron), some coffee syrup, weights, a guitar tab book, and Rocksmith 2014 for the PS3. He gave me some Cuddl Duds (long underwear), a collapsible multi-disc light reflector, a wireless bluetooth speaker (the sound is quite impressive), and some nail polish I’ve been wanting. We also bought each other candy stocking stuffers like we do every year.

I feel conflicted about going back to work tomorrow. On one hand I’m getting rather bored being at home, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I enjoy working. At least it’s only two days this week. I normally have Fridays off but figured I’d go in so I’ll get paid for four days but only have to work two.

4-Day Weekend

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Joe took Friday and Monday off so we could enjoy a four-day weekend together (I always have one because I work Tue-Thu).

Friday we headed over to IKEA to enjoy a cheap breakfast and ended up buying a roasting pan for the huge 19 lb. turkey I got on sale at Jewel earlier in the week (only 49 cents per pound without any coupons or minimum purchases). We also went to the Brunswick Zone nearby to play a few games (air hockey and skeeball) before heading over to Whole Foods to get some vanilla beans since I’m making my own vanilla extract.

We had lunch at our favorite Vietnamese place before grabbing a movie from Redbox (The To Do List which wasn’t that great) for later in the evening.

Once we got home I started working on making some Magic Cookie Bars when Brother #2 called asking if we wanted to hang out since he had just gotten off work nearby. I said sure, and he was over about a half hour later.

We ended up going to Target to buy some frozen pizzas and appetizers (their Market Pantry honey BBQ boneless wings were really good) for dinner which we ate while watching the aforementioned mediocre movie.

Saturday morning we headed over to Kohl’s so Joe could look for running shoes. He found a nice pair for $45 before discount; they were $30 after using a $10 coupon from Discover and a 20% friends and family coupon.

We also went to Meijer to look for biscuits & gravy fixings and I found an inexpensive food processor there. I’ve been wanting one for awhile, but since I don’t have the need for one too often, I didn’t want to spend much. They had a nice Hamilton Beach 8-cup processor on sale for $25 so I had to get it!

We also snagged another Redbox movie – The Purge which was pretty decent.

Sunday we used the new food processor to make homemade hash browns along with biscuits and gravy after an unsuccessful trip to Walmart in search of running pants for Joe and fleece Cuddl Duds leggings for yours truly (they’re selling for only $10 so of course they were out of stock as they normally sell for $28). We rented another movie, Planes, which wasn’t that great. I also made spreadable butter at half the cost of the store bought variety by following these directions. I’ve made it in the past using canola oil but didn’t like the taste as much.

We didn’t do much today other than return the movie since it was snowing. Staying cuddled under the electric blanket on the couch and watching tv was fine by me. Only two days of work this week and we get another four days off together!