Category: Food

Taste of Wheaton

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After yesterday’s gloominess today was a ray of sunshine, literally. It was in the mid 70’s and other than how windy it’s been, it’s been a perfect day. At 1 pm we headed over to the Taste of Wheaton. We like going just to people watch, which is basically what we did for an hour and a half. We sat on one of the many benches near their stage, listened to music, and observed. We usually don’t buy any food because there’s not much to choose from considering it’s called the TASTE of Wheaton. Also, it’s bad enough the food is overpriced, but what really gets me is it isn’t anything exciting either. Plus more than a handful of booths were empty. Did the vendor just not show up or are they against working on Sundays like Chik Fil A? In any case, we left because I was getting hungry and wanted to go home and make lunch.

On the way back we stopped at Dunkin Donuts to try their iced green tea. I’m still not even sure they gave me green tea since it tasted like regular tea to me. I got it unsweetened, though, so maybe it’s harder to tell the difference between them. I’d like to try their peach iced tea at some point. I had forgotten it wasn’t just iced coffee that’s $1 from 2-4 pm. Oh, and I’m still nursing my Almond Joy iced coffee from Friday. The ice takes days to melt if you stick it in the fridge.

Cable & Internet

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We ran into a little snafu dealing with WOW so we’re not getting their services for the time being. We called Comcast today, however, to cancel our cable service. Once the rep realized I was serious (I also mentioned we’d be dropping the internet service soon), she gave us an offer that we couldn’t refuse – internet at the same speed we have now and digital economy basic cable for $60 per month for the next 12 months. Internet by itself? $80 per month. Yep, it costs more to NOT have cable. Crazy, huh?

We disconnected the DVR and brought it to the Xfinity store to swap it for a regular cable box. Their stores aim for an Apple Store vibe which is nice.

Xfinity Store

Waiting over 20 minutes just to swap equipment? Not so much.

Once we got home I checked our new channel lineup and it’s barely more than the local channels, plus a few cable channels like the Food and Cartoon Networks, and Comedy Central. No more FX or TBS though.

The great part is that we cut our bill by $50 per month which isn’t chump change. Once we get our DIY home security set up we’ll disconnect that and save an additional $40 per month.

On the way home we stopped at Dunkin Donuts because I wanted to try their new Almond Joy flavored iced coffee and get my free donut for National Donut Day. Why I didn’t ask for decaf is beyond me. Even though I only drank half my coffee I feel terrible. I should know better.

I Ate Too Much This Weekend & Hung Out With My Brother

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Friday morning we HAD to stop at Target after the movie to take advantage of the junk food that was on sale. Seriously, the healthiest thing in our cart was the non-artificially sweetened ketchup! Doritos were $1.50 and there were cupcake flavored Oreos on clearance. It’s no wonder I can’t lose weight! Joe works out like a fiend so he can’t go hog wild on the weekends and he’s still lean and muscular. I hate that.

After dropping the groceries off at home we decided to catch a matinee showing of Angry Birds. I was really looking forward to seeing it but it was just ok. It’s funny how the two movies I was looking forward to were just average but I really enjoyed the one Joe wanted to see (Captain America Civil War). I guess I should let him choose all the movies from now on.

After putzing around the house a bit we headed to Hickory Hills to meet up with E and his girlfriend to have dinner. We’ve been trying to find places that have Groupons since I can get Groupon Bucks from our Discover card cash back. That way very little is spent out of pocket. We got a $40 Groupon for The Sock Bar and Grill so our bill was only $1.58; with tip our total OOP was $10. Not too shabby for four people to eat and Joe to drink a few beers. We probably spent closer to $20 though – since E was running late Joe and I played two games of darts while we waited. It brought back memories to when we first starting hanging out and would play darts fairly regularly at two specific sports bars. After dinner E and his girlfriend played a game of darts as well which we paid for and Joe had one last beer (which was only $1.50).

Saturday morning we got up early (6:30) and rode our bikes over to Camera Park and did a few laps. In total it was only 5 miles which is not much for Joe but was enough for me as I get used to biking. There’s a pond at the park that is full of wildlife. I stopped to rest while Joe did an additional loop and I spotted ducks, two egrets, and lots of songbirds. I think there was even a beaver dam. I plan to go back there soon with my camera.

Later Saturday morning we went to the JustPlay! festival in Carol Stream and walked around. Most of what they have is geared toward kids although there was a zip line that looked interesting but the line was too long and I’m afraid of heights so we decided to skip it. After tiring of all the people watching we headed to Walmart for a few things.

Back at home we were just lounging around enjoying the breeze from having all the windows open when my brother (B) texted to ask what we had going on. I invited him over and after some back and forth discussing specifics he eventually arrived at 4 pm. We played bags for awhile, mostly while Joe was picking up a deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s. We still had the $25 bonus certificate from December which is only good through June so might as well.

After dinner and chatting we watched a comedy special on Amazon Prime and Joe was falling asleep so he went up to bed. B and I stayed up to watch another special until I found myself dozing on the couch. It was midnight by that point. B decided to spend the night and we went to bed.

Sunday I was up at 6:30 again and after realizing I wasn’t going to be able to sleep any longer I played on my phone for awhile and then worked out on the elliptical for 45 minutes. B finally got up around 9:30 am and we all had breakfast while discussing what to do on such a beautiful day. We decided on visiting Northside Park in Wheaton because they have a zip line there. Unfortunately there were a ton of kids using it so we just walked around the paths there. We spotted an Eastern Kingbird (which I’ve never seen before and was only able to identify thanks to my trusty Merlin Bird ID app) and a Baltimore Oriole. We also saw some very small, yet very loud, frogs in one of the water logged areas. The park was looking real good and with all that wildlife I’m itching to go back with my camera.

After the park we went to Bulldog Ale House to take advtange of their 39¢ wings on Sundays. I always get the garlic parmesean. Joe got sweet chili and B got savory boubon and garlic parm. B also ordered some warm soft pretzels as an appetizer to share because he treated us to lunch which was real nice and appreciated.

We didn’t do much after lunch but hang out at the house. B and I played a game on the PS3 which I had borrowed from the library – The LEGO Movie Videogame – which was really cute. It’s not quite as fun to play as other LEGO games I’ve played but I liked how it follows the movie plot as it progresses. I don’t think B enjoyed it as much since he hasn’t seen the movie.

B took off at 6 pm and we spent the rest of the evening watching shows off the DVR since it’s going away on Tuesday. I was so sleepy that I went to bed at 9:30 even though it took me awhile to actually fall asleep. That happens a lot – I will be falling asleep on the couch but when I get upstairs I lay in bed awhile. Weird.

A Lovely Friday

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This morning I fixed myself a glass of iced green tea with lemonade to sip on while we visited some garage sales. I enjoy hunting for bargains even though I rarely buy anything, and today was no exception.

It was one of those beautiful weather days where just driving around with the windows open made me feel so happy. I imagine it’s what retirement would be like. At one point we made a pit-stop at Starbucks and hung out there for awhile while Joe nursed a vanilla latte. We also split one of their breakfast sandwiches even though I wouldn’t recommend them. We have a ton of credit on our card, though, and there was a coupon, so I didn’t feel too guilty.

I think I prefer estate sales to garage sales because I enjoy seeing the inside of other people’s homes. We went to one today where I got total house envy. The place was huge and had a beautiful bright kitchen with a breakfast nook to die for. There was also an awesome deck off the kitchen. Sigh.

A little after lunchtime we went to Costco where we bought some LED light bulbs. ComEd keeps telling me we use more energy than all our neighbors and it’s driving me crazy because I don’t know why that would be. Maybe replacing some bulbs will help. Fridays are great days for free samples too. Between them and the $1.50 hot dogs in their cafe I’m feeling pretty full still. I was really craving Thai food but that would have set us back $20-$25 whereas our Costco lunch was $3.23!

We did some shopping at Target as well where we picked up our favorite new salsa – Jack’s Special Salsa. We got hooked on it when Costco was selling it but they switched out the medium one we like with the cantina style which isn’t nearly as good. I Googled it and learned Target carries it which made us both very happy. Sure, it’s $3.99 for 16 oz which is a third the size that Costco sold for only $4.99 but what can you do? I hope Costco switches back to it at some point.

It’s supposed to be only 55° plus cloudy and windy tomorrow so I plan to do some stuff around the house I’ve been meaning to get done. We will be making a trip to the library in the morning, however, because Joe is giving blood.

Weekend Recap: 4/29-5/02

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Friday we decided to see Keanu so we headed to the mall to catch the first showing of the day. We ran into friends of ours there so we briefly caught up and then made our way over to the theater. Besides us there was only four other people in the auditorium which was nice.

I’ve been excited about the movie ever since it was announced, so it pains me to say that while it was still more entertaining than many of the comedies I’ve seen, overall I was disappointed. I sincerely doubt it will garner multiple subsequent views. I remember turning to Joe halfway through and saying, “this isn’t nearly as funny as I thought it would be.” I expected more from Key & Peele – their sketches were always on point and they’re hilarious in interviews – and this movie failed to meet my expectations. The kitten in the movie was absolutely adorable, however!

Saturday and Sunday were lazy days since it was cold and rainy out. We literally didn’t leave the house two days in a row. I still worked out on the elliptical both days, though. I also read a book and watched two seasons of Burning Love on Hulu. Saturday morning I watched a live stream of Brother #2’s graduation at UIC Pavillion. It started at noon and didn’t end until 3:30 pm because it was multiple schools’ graduating classes in one big event. My other brother and I chatted online from our respective homes while watching the “action”.

It was good to get out this morning (Monday) even if it was only to grocery shop. We hit the produce market, Aldi, Walmart, and Costco with a stop at the library in between.

At home I attempted to replicate Starbucks’ shaken green ice tea with lemonade. At first I was disappointed with the results, but after some Googling to see how other people made theirs, I added some simple syrup and then it tasted almost identical to the official one. I’m so excited because it’s way cheaper to make my own. Right now I’m using the Teavana Jade Citrus Green Tea (which is what Starbucks uses) with Country Time lemonade. I brewed the tea extra strength, poured it into a shaker, added ice and the powdered lemonade mix and shook it up. I will add the simple syrup to the shaker next time as well. I need to limit myself to only 1-2 glasses of it a week because of the calories. It’s so good, though!