A Pinterest recipe has finally failed me. I decided to try these egg muffin cups, and while the end result taste-wise wasn’t bad, trying to clean the muffin pan was a huge task I never want to take on again. And yes, I did use cooking spray, but the eggs got stuck anyway. I filled the pan with water and that did nothing to unstick the eggs. I even ran the pan through the dish washer, but I still had to scrub it like mad to get the eggs off. Never again! I will just make regular scrambled eggs and freeze them so I can take them to work in the morning (trying to cut down my carb intake a little to lose weight).
Category: Food
Staycation Days 1-6
Staycation Day 1 (Friday July 17)
Cleaned the house, basically, while Joe was at work.
Staycation Day 2 (Saturday July 18)
Joe and I hit the local theater in our mall to see a matinee of Trainwreck starring Amy Schumer & Bill Hader. While it was a bit long for a comedy (2 hours), I thought it was pretty good. Afterwards we headed to a different mall so I could check JCPenney for jeans and swimwear, but first we stopped at a place called Moochies for lunch. It wasn’t all that, although their greek fries, covered in feta, were very good. Our mall shopping trip was a complete bust and we left empty-handed. UPS delivered my new camera while we were out so I charged the battery and set up wifi & ability to transfer photos from the camera to my iPhone which will make posting to social media on our vacation possible. Technically you can post from the camera directly to Facebook and YouTube but it’s cumbersome trying to type out a caption.
Staycation Day 3 (Sunday July 19)
We visited Cosley zoo in the morning to test my new camera.
It’s pretty decent. It’s really hard not to compare it to the results I could get from my SLR which isn’t fair to a point and shoot model. Pros: zoom is magnificent, shutter speed is impressive, and you can shoot HD video in any camera mode which is a plus. Cons: battery life is crap, there are limited aperture settings so you don’t get that lovely blurred background, and the camera kept changing the exposure on me (although I’ve since learned by reading the manual how to lock that moving forward).
After the zoo we went to Walmart for a few things and bought this cute beach bag for $5.
It will come in handy on our day trip to Indiana Beach.
We also decided to grab Chipotle for lunch. Normally we eat there but it was rather busy so we decided to take it home. That turned out to be a good thing since five minutes after getting home E was dropped off by his mom (he’s supposed to text Joe when he’s on his way, but he didn’t do that until he was more than halfway to the house and we had zero idea what time she was planning on dropping him off). Since he hadn’t eaten lunch, he made himself a sandwich and we had grilled hamburgers for dinner.
Staycation Day 4 (Monday July 20)
We headed to the mall to see Inside Out. Was I the only one who balled their eyes out during this movie? Damn Pixar really pulls at one’s heartstrings! It was a great movie, as most Pixar films are. After the movie we went to Round1 to play ping-pong for an hour. It was only $5.25 which was even less than the pricing on their website. I’m so out of shape because my calves were sore the next day. We had Portillo’s for lunch and I made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.
Staycation Day 5 (Tuesday July 21)
The boys wanted to see a Milwaukee Brewers game so I purchased tickets on Stubhub Monday evening for a Tuesday night game. We decided to head up to Milwaukee at noon (arriving at 2 pm) to visit their zoo first.
I was originally going to bring my SLR but didn’t relish the idea of carrying my camera and lenses into Miller Park, or leaving them in the car, so I decided to bring my new camera instead. It performed pretty well, although, like always, it was a disappointment compared to my SLR (do I sound like a broken record or what). That being said, one cool feature is that you can change the aspect ratio of the photos. I’ve gotten so used to my SLR 3:2 ratio that I was thrilled to learn I can do the same on the new camera, even though I do give up two megapixels to do so, effectively changing my 16mp camera to a 14mp one.
I also tested the new crossbody bag I purchased from ebags earlier in the week. I do like it, although I find it a bit uncomforable to wear across my chest due to how thick and unpadded the strap is. I swear, I cannot find the perfect bag. This one gets so close other than the strap. It is a good size, although a bit heavy even when empty.
Getting to the zoo at 2 pm was quite odd. We’re used to getting there when they first open and leaving around noon. The parking lot was full, but not overflowing, and most of the exhibits were not that busy so it was nice. The only downside to arriving so late is the ridiculous amount of fingerprints on all the exhibit glass. I couldn’t find a smudge-free spot in order to get a shot of the lions. By the time we made it to the Great Apes most of them were nowhere to be found. The exhibit buildings close at 4:45 pm but it seems like they take the animals off exhibit closer to 4:30 unless there was some other reason all the gorillas were MIA.
My camera’s battery died just before we were done seeing everything so I’m definitely going to need to buy a spare battery for our trip to Disney. I hope two batteries will be sufficient for a full day of fun. I don’t plan on hiding behind the camera the entire trip but it would be pretty fun to put together a nice video montage of the parks.
Staycation Day 6 (Wednesday July 22)
We originally planned to visit the arboretum to check out the new LEGO exhibit and then get lunch from our favorite BBQ place, Smoque, but E was not feeling well. His sinuses have been bothering him since Sunday and today his throat was hurting too, so Joe took him to immediate care. He tested negative for strep throat but was diagnosed with a sinus infection. He’s allergic to all but the strongest antibiotics which they didn’t think he should use for just a sinus infection, so he basically has to treat the symptoms and let the infection run its course. He’s taking Pseudoephedrine and Flonase and resting. We suggested pushing back our Indiana Beach trip to Friday but he really wants to still go tomorrow so we’ll see if that ends up working out.
Weekend Stuffs
Friday I met up with my friend for lunch at Portillo’s where I chose to get the chicken and fruit salad from Barnelli’s. It was so fresh and delicious, I was impressed! I hate that the salad is seasonal since it’s so delicious.
Friday night Joe, E, and I went to Sonic for drinks. They got shakes since they’re half price after 8 pm. I ended up getting the lemon berry slush which isn’t quite as good as the lemon berry cream slush but taking a few sips of Joe’s vanilla shake and then my slush rectified that without consuming too much ice cream so I wouldn’t get sick.
Saturday morning we tried out a new-to-us theater to see Minions, which we enjoyed. The theater is in the mall less than ten minutes from us but we never go there because ticket prices used to be high. On Friday my friend mentioned that tickets were only $5 there now so I did some investigating and they’re actually $4.50 every day before 5pm. Our regular theater was $5.50 until recently when they reduced it to $5, no doubt to compete with the other theaters in the area. The new theater has larger reclining seats but no points system to earn free movies so we’ll probably alternate between the two.
After the movie on Saturday I returned one of the super duper comfy bras I bought at Kohls because it wasn’t being so comfy after all even though the other one, same exact style, is fine. Go figure. We also bought two t-shirts – one for E and one for my brother which I know he’ll love. I’m saving it for Christmas. We made a trip to Costco for a cheap lunch and some groceries, and then stopped at Half Price Books since we had 40% off coupons. E got two cds and a Pokemon game guide, I got a collapsible fabric cube, and Joe got Jenga and Mario Kart DS.
We also watched two movies Saturday evening – Nightcrawler and Earth to Echo, neither of which were all that great, particularly the latter one.
Sunday we went grocery shopping to prepare for our friend’s annual BBQ. In addition to cookies (which we didn’t end up putting out since they had a huge cookie tray already), we brought the makings for s’mores (as did another friend who playfully berated me for not telling her even though I bring them every year), strawberry jello shots, and a new creamy pasta salad I decided to try. I wasn’t too impressed with the salad, and it was a bit stressful getting everything together before meeting up with our friends at 3 pm for lunch at a restaurant before heading to the BBQ, so I won’t be doing that again. I noticed that they barely had any chips there so I plan to bring a bunch of bags next year instead.
We didn’t go in the pool because it’s usually full of teenagers/young twenty-year-olds, but this year it was mostly kids. My friend has a hot tub now too and I was kicking myself for not bringing my suit. Next year I’m bringing it!
At 9:15 pm we walked over to the park to catch the fireworks show which was even better than it was last year. We ended up leaving the party sometime between midnight and 1 am.
We were up pretty early today because we had an appointment with a lawyer to discuss putting together a living trust. Afterwards we had breakfast at Chick-fil-a, stopped at the library and Target, and later tried a new Chinese restaurant a coworker recommended since my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the whole world suddenly closed. Unfortunately the Chinese place wasn’t anything special so the search continues. We also spent a little time at the pool. Now I’m doing laundry and wishing I had another four days off work.
Festival Saturday
We woke up to overcast skies this morning and checked the forecast which was calling for rain. This was a real bummer because we had plans to go to the Pride of the Fox Riverfest in St. Charles. We decided to hedge our bets anyway and drove down. We wanted to try a new restaurant for breakfast called Abby’s Breakfast & Lunch. We very rarely eat out for breakfast but I’m glad we tried this place because our waiter was great and the food was delicious. I had their Hawaiian Eggs Benedict which is the best eggs benedict I’ve ever eaten. Everything about them was perfect.
The accompanying hash browns were lightly seasoned which really made them taste better than pretty much any other hashbrowns I’ve had. Needless to say, I enjoyed the meal immensely and wasn’t too upset about the resulting $38 bill (in addition to our entrees, that included Joe’s $8 bloody mary and $2.50 for coffee, plus tax and tip).
After filling our bellies we walked around the festival grounds and quickly got sweaty. The forecast was for the mid 60’s but it felt more like the 80’s! And it wasn’t overcast anymore which made the heat and humidity even more intense. I bought a little $5 necklace to show my Blackhawks love since I don’t own any t-shirts.
One company was giving out waterguns so we had some fun shooting each other.
It felt good too since it was so hot!
After the fest we headed over to Kohls (a different one than we shopped at last weekend). I wanted to see if they had the black river sandals I had ordered. When mine were delivered I noticed a spot on the sandals that wasn’t as smooth as the rest of the shoe. It doesn’t affect their fit, but I’m rather picky and while it’s not a deal breaker, I’d prefer to have a better-made pair. Unfortunately, there weren’t any in my size so I’ll just deal with the ones I have. It’s not like anyone is going to notice (except me).
I couldn’t resist trying on some clothes and shoes, though, and ended up getting a strapless bra ($8) which will be great now that I’ve been looking at summer dresses. I also got these super cute fuscia sandals for under $20 (regularly $60) with my 15% off coupon. They are so comfy!
I guess I lied before about not spending any more money. I’m trying not to go overboard, though. I did end up ordering a bunch of bras from Hanes last weekend but I haven’t gotten them yet. I hope they all fit nicely because my total was $57 for 6 bras (3 regular, 2 sports, and 1 strapless). That’s a great deal if they end up fitting. If not, I will need to take them back to the Hanes outlet to avoid paying shipping.
Pre-Memorial Day Celebrations
Yesterday we went over to my parents for dinner and games. It was rainy so no outdoor activities were had. My mom had mostly Chinese food, so I brought my homemade fried rice and some pot-stickers we had picked up from Costco earlier that day. I wasn’t sure if we’d like them since they were made with chicken and not a brand we had ever tried before, but they came out awesome. And the bag is huge and resealable, so we’ll be enjoying more for some time to come.
No one except Joe and I wanted to play Taboo, so we played Aggravation and then Cards Against Humanity. Joe ordered a big box of blank playing cards and made up some new questions and answers which helped to keep the game fresh, although truth be told, I’m getting kind of sick of the game. I think I’ll leave it at home next time we visit.