In my family, one way we celebrate birthdays is by going out to dinner. And as the birthday girl or boy, you got to pick the restaurant. Red Lobster was a popular choice in my family: good food, reasonably priced and the best cheddar biscuits.
As Lucas and I were walking through Walmart one day (we try not to do this very often but needed to purchase a gift that was there), I stopped dead in my tracks. A box of Red Lobster biscuit mix was staring me down. I had no idea this existed! I picked up a box to see if they are as good as the real deal at the restaurant. I baked them up for the New Year's Eve shindig we were attending. Everyone was impressed that they tasted pretty darn good. Thank you Red Lobster for spreading
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Billy, Bobby, Lucy, Lilly, Tommy, Timmy, Katie, Kelly… I’m sure the list of people you are buying gifts for is almost as long as Santa Claus’. It’s easy to get caught up in what type of toy Tyler will like and what pants Patsy will want. I’m guilty myself. As I’m contemplating which gifts everyone will like best, it’s very obvious to me that no one on my Christmas List needs anything. I’m sure you’re thinking that what they need is not the purpose of giving a gift but rather what they want.
I consider myself a practical gift giver. I don’t like spending money, so giving you a gift you won’t like or don’t need is hard for me. I do get joy out of giving something useful though – whether it’s a movie you love or a set of tools. Part of that is to giving to people who do need things. One of the organizations I volunteer for, Everybody Wins! Iowa, partnered with Barnes and Noble to receive a portion of every customer’s bill who mentioned them at the cash register for one day. The organization improves children literacy through caring mentors. They even give the kids, which often are part of low-income families, a gift of three books at Christmas. My student loved his and asked me how I knew exactly what he wanted. I stopped by the store during the book fair and picked out a few things for those on my list and helped give the gift of reading to children in central Iowa. Another organization I donated to is the Urbandale Public Library. They are doing a fundraising campaign to better serve their community. As someone who is there a lot checking out books, audio books, CDs, movies and TV shows and using their Internet, it only made sense I support them financially. Libraries are a key necessity to any community, and I’m glad my small donation will join a bunch of other donations to make a positive impact in my community. There are so many wonderful ways to give to those who need things. I plan on giving in more ways throughout this season and the entire year. As I finish up buying Christmas gifts, I stopped by Allspice in the East Village to pick up some spices and rubs for my sister and brother-in-law. While I've never tasted any of there spices, they look amazing, can't be bought in Chicago (where they live), and are original. With so many to choose from, I based my decision on what they like to eat. That led me to go with the Thai rub, Cheddarhead, wasabi, and Gusto Pizza Co. pizza seasoning blend. Hope they like em!
Real or fake? No, I'm not talking about plastic surgery here people. I'm talking about Christmas trees. It's our first Christmas as a married couple, and we just can't agree on getting a real tree or a fake tree. Knowing what you know about Lucas and me, you may think you know which one is on which end of the argument here. It may surprise you though that I want a real tree and Lucas wants a fake tree. He's says a real one is too much work because we don't own a truck to haul it, we live on the third story, the pine needles will make a mess and no one will even see it besides us. He says once we get a house and host Christmas, we can start getting real trees. Since that will most likely be next year, I don't see the point to invest $50-$100 into a fake tree we will only use this year. Our final decision? No tree at all.
We still decided to head out to pick up some stockings and other smaller decorations. I've yet to get my own grown-up stocking. Growing up, us three kids had the same matching stockings since I can remember. It's about time for an upgrade! Luckily, there aren't real or fake stockings so Lucas and I had a much easier time coming to a consensus on those. We got classic red knit ones with our first initials on them (so Santa knows which one to put all the chocolate in and which one to load up with fishing lures). Roaming through the holiday aisles, of course, what did we come across? A fake tree -- a really small fake tree. We almost got it when we saw these cool (fake) pre-lit snowy trees with no leaves. I liked this idea because it's a little funky and contemporary but still a tree, and we can still use it next year to decorate one room while we have our real tree in another room. So while we both compromised, there's one thing I'm not getting much say in: Lucas' Green Bay Packers ornament. It's the only ornament he has or cares to hang up. As a Chicagoan, this is hard to allow. But since the Packers are having a terrible year, I figure it's the least I could do. P.S. Yes, that is a little light up dog on the table. His name is Simon. Who doesn't enjoy a good old fashion promenade? I mean, in this day and age it's quite difficult to find a proper promenade. Keeping that in mind, I think the annual East Village Promenade Friday night was a great event. (I actually covered it last year when I was reporting for ABC5, but as you should know by now, things I do for work do not count as a first time.)
A few of my co-workers and I did dinner at The Continental and then strolled around the quaint shopping district. The Christmas lights, street performers and free cookies and wine put me in the holiday spirit. We popped into the shop called AllSpice which I'd never been in before. Wow! It's a cook's dream. Stacks and stacks of spices, rubs, and mixes plus three rows of flavored olive oils and vinegars. Each one had a little spout so you could taste before buying. What a great idea! Shots of olive oil on me! After the shopping, we went to check out the new(er) "barcade" called Up Down, which was formerly The Underground. It was so packed of hipsters I didn't know what to do. I was afraid this army of 22-year-olds with dark-framed glasses, plaid shirts and greasy hair would pounce at the first sign of an arcade game breaking. We stayed just long enough to use the one-stall bathroom which was disgusting. Our next stop was Quinton's. One of the bartenders there was super great and made me hot chocolate with Bailey's. Our third and final stop of the night was Lime Lounge. It was also my first time there. I walked it and was very surprised. It was very dimly lit with some great colored lights. It definitely lived up to it's name. It has a lounge-like feeling with a touch of swankiness. The DJ and bartenders were awesome, and it wasn't overflowing with hipsters. We had a great time dancing the night away and never had to wait more than 4 minutes for a drink. I don't have to think very hard to realize how blessed I am. One way I try to give back is at least once (hopefully twice) a year I make a donation to a local thrift store. In high school, my friends and I would wander through the Salvation Army looking for random amazing items. We'd always end the hunt with a purchase. I hope I can give some other people an inexpensive way to stay somewhat fashionable or get a professional look. Now that I'm no longer on TV I don't need 25 blazers. After 5 years with me, I hope they find a good home with someone else.
Today was my first time donating at the ENCORE Thrift Store in Urbandale on Merle Hay Road just north of Meredith. It opened in May and is run by Hope Ministries. It looks like a very nice facility. When I have time, I'll have to go in the store side to check out the merchandise. I held of as long as I could, but it just didn't make any sense to keep avoiding it. For the more serious cycling types, there are special cycling shoes and pedals you can use to improve your riding. Lucas has a pair Shimano clip-in shoes for his specialty pedals on his road bike. Since I am riding his road bike for my upcoming triathlon, I figured I needed a pair of shoes too.
We stopped over at Bike World in Urbandale to check out the selection. Two pairs were priced at $250 and were immediately crossed off my list. So I tried on two other pairs. The Pearl didn't fit my foot correctly thanks to my bigger arch and general foot size. The Shimano fit very well and could accommodate my arch with its three straps; the Pearl only had two straps. Right after purchasing them for $115 plus the $35 cleats to clip-in to the pedal, I went for a ride. I spent about 5 minutes in the parking lot practicing clipping in and out of the pedals. You have to twist your heal to the outside to unlock the cleat. It's not super easy so I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable before speeding off. Fortunately, I didn't need to unclip for the entire 12.5 mi ride. Within minutes, I could tell the difference in my riding. These shoes allow you to go faster than when you're just wearing tennis shoes because you can use the push down and pull up motion on the pedals. I was able to maintain about 2-3 mph faster than I usually do. In a race, that will make a difference. Now all I need is my very own road bike... and the $1000 or so to buy one. Donations welcome! Celine is our new 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Her shimmering navy blue exterior, long lines, and sharp black and camel interior make for one sleek ride. Unfortunately, the two vehicles Lucas and I have been driving are older and repairs keep coming up. Instead of continuing to dump money into them we decided to trade one in to buy something new. It's amazing how little vehicles are worth once they get older than five years. We picked the Sonata based on safety, affordability, style, and fuel efficiency. Her estimated mileage is 28 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. That is more than double what Lucas could get on his truck. So while the monthly payment is a little higher, the gas bills will be cut in half - saving us money overall. Who doesn't love a good thrift store? Especially with Macklemore's hit single "Thrift Shop," I bet everyone can fess up to shopping at a Good Will or a Salvation Army. Today I visited the Bargain Basket in the East Village for the first time. The shop is run by the Junior League of Des Moines. There was some nice stuff in there. From men and women's clothing and shoes to baby clothes. If you're in the mood to search for a come up, this could be your place.
The moment Lucas woke up today he wanted to know what was for breakfast. When I said pancakes, he replied banana pancakes. I've never had banana pancakes before. He couldn't believe this and insisted he cook me some. I tried a bite and decided they're not for me. I like bananas, but the consistency and texture some times gets to me. So putting them in pancake form didn't have much of a shot to win me over, but as you might have guessed by now, I'm always up for trying something new. We needed to run to Hobby Lobby and living in the Ingersoll district we're pretty much right in between Merle Hay and Southridge. We decided to head down to Southridge just to find Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays. Oh well, we decided to check out the mall. Neither of us had been there since the major renovation turned it into more of a strip mall. It's got some new stores and looks much better. Unfortunately, it still wasn't busy. Maybe once Marshall's opens and the faux-ice skating rink open up more people will head that way. Slowly but surely I am eating my way around the metro. After shopping we decided on sushi. I'd never been to Sakura Sushi in West Des Moines on Grand and Railroad and figured now's a good time. Bam! Awesome sushi. My former boss said how much he loved it there, and I concur. This is a picture of the Dynamite. The Cruncy 2-1, Philadelphia and Spicy Tuna all get our seal of approval. The fried calamari is great too, but you only get 6 pieces for $6. Not sure that was worth it. I'll be back to try more!
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