Walking Art

 

Last year I went to this event and my daughter really enjoyed it so it only seemed fitting to attend this again this year.  This is the seventh year the Chrysler Museum has had this event.  The event is open to the public and includes free admission.  The Chrysler Museum offers several family friendly and kid focused events throughout the year.

  For this event Halloween the Chrysler Way brings their art alive.  Through the museum various works of art are presented in a walking, talking presentation of the works of art displayed on the wall.  The kids are encouraged to wonder around the museum and find the works of art in a fun scavenger hunt game.

  Nothing is better than watching your kids figure out the walking individuals from the works of art.  They had fun getting autographs, identifying which picture the moving art came from and even stumbling on them near their pictures.

 

  This hopefully becomes a yearly tradition as some of the characters changed from last year.  Except we did recognize One from last year.

2014

2015

Check out their website for hours and directions!
http://www.chrysler.org

Rate your service (Yelp review)

  I am a Yelper.  You know one of those  behind the scene people that post their opinions on what she ate, where she went, how service was and of course posting photos along the way.

  A few weeks a good the food review group I referred to had a meet up at a local restaurant/brewery.

It was my first time hanging out with the group.  When you attend these functions you are privileged to a little swag.

At this particular function we knew in advance what we were eating too.

A meal description was sent to all attendees: 

House Baked Jalapeño Cornbread with Bacon Jam

Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings

Homemade Chips with Gouda Cream

 She-Crab Soup

and Grilled Chicken Avocado Rolls

and one tasting of Home Republic beer.

  Our job if we choose to accept it was to mingle with other Yelpers and get to know new people as well as sample the food, interact with the staff and observe the surroundings.

   This was a great night by all the food was great. (Avocado rolls were my favorite)  The staff was very attentive, the restaurant itself was a good size restaurant and you could see the brewery from the seating area.  Modern decor, chalkboards on the wall listing the nightly specials, table, bar seating as well as outside!  A bonus for this restaurant is the location.  It is about a block away from the beach and has free garage parking for your patronage! (Hard to find by the beach)

  This group is open for anyone to join and state your views of various places.  It doesn't need to be places you eat, you can review the zoo, local parks, even auto shops.  It's a place to write your opinion on the service, share great pictures and encourage or promote businesses.  Not all experiences, food or service is excellent and those are listed too.  

  Even if you don't join feel free to check out what's a great place to eat in your area and if your favorite place is listed as less than favorable give a review and put the story straight!

1+1 math fun

  I don't post alot of what we are learning or working on but occasionally share some pictures of our day.  Today I am dedicating this post to Math.

  No matter how good or bad you are with numbers.  No matter if math is your least favorite class from school.  Math is in everything we do and is vital to our daily functions.  You need math when you make a purchase, sew clothes, buy a couch and need to fit it in you door or installing wall to wall carpet.

  You have to know numbers to tell the time, read a date on the calendar, count your money, for your clothing or shoe size. Its in your address and phone number. You also use it in cooking or baking.

  Math as much as I hate to admit it we need you.  So math lessons are an important part of our daily lessons.  We embrace math in all its glory everyday.

We are currently working on some of these math areas.
               
                     Telling  time.

                     Adding.

Money identification.

I am homeschooling my youngest daughter. She is not recognized as such because she is a newly turned 5 year old.  She is working on a mix of kindergarten and 1st grade work.  

In addition to hands on learning we use workbooks, computer programs, make crafts and take field trips.  We cook in the kitchen, have physical education and play music.

Everyday is full of new adventures.  All days are not always good.  Sometimes we don't accomplish as much as other days.  while some days fly right by.  It is a struggle but it is nice to have the ability to teach my child.  It feels enormously great to know I am responsible for what she has learned so far.

Meal plan 10/26-10/30

  Back again for a new week of meals.  I pull my recipes off the Internet from various sites for my dinners.  This helps me try new things , builds my culinary skills, helps to showcases many people who share their recipes, and provides you with new options without looking to far.

10/26 Monday Chicken Pot pie (to include biscuits posted)
http://wholesomemommy.com/deconstructed-chicken-pot-pie/

10/27 Tuesday Gnocchi (meatless meal)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/236824/cheesy-baked-gnocchi/

10/28 Wednesday Shepard's Pie (my recipe which may be very basic)

Ingredient:
ground meat (seasoned and browned)
Mashed potatoes (buttered and prepared)
Cream corn (can)
  After the meat and potatoes are done I layer my pan meat first, followed by corn then spread mashed potatoes on top.  I bake it for 20 minutes. (Sometimes I broil it a bit for some color on the top)

10/29 Thursday Parmesan crusted salmon http://allrecipes.com/recipe/21176/baked-dijon-salmon/

So there it is folks! Two days this week are meatless.  No crockpot either!  This will also be the last week for my pumpkin challenge.  I'll miss that.  Just kidding, I will be eating it I'm sure; just not on a daily basis.

Reflections

  Fall is not over and winter is not close yet.  Hmm, is that like the glass is half full?  I want to take full advantage of the season and live everyday to the fullest.

 

 What my senses love about the fall!

Hearing:  I love to hear the crunch of leaves under my feet!  There is an odd silence in the fall maybe not so odd maybe all the bird I listen are gone!  I like the silence though!

Smell: So many smells in the fall.  I like the air in general I don't know if it's fresh air or dead leaves but there's something about it.  I also love the smell of fireplaces burning.  I don't personally have a fireplace but I enjoy the smell in the air when I'm walking around outside.

Taste:  Of course all things pumpkin and apples are not to bad either.  It's funny to say because I use canned pumpkin so what's the big deal; I could eat that anytime of year but it's not the same.

Sight:  All the leaves are a classic.  It never gets old.  I am not privileged to see the colors changing in VA (my part) as much as I have seen them in upstate NY but if I drive a few hours I catch sight of them.

Touch:  This one is a hard one.  What

touch is different than any other time of year.  I will choose cozy.  I like to be warm.  I love summer because no extra clothes are necessary.  In the fall however I have to regulate my body temperature more.  More sweaters, turtlenecks and sweatshirts.

  I do enjoy fall like any other season.  It is not my favorite but I make do and appreciate some points it brings to me and my environment.

Pumpkin Soup today for day 23 of 30!

  I wonder if I could have lost weight from this challenge if I stuck with a 100% pumpkin diet. I'm talking a whole breakfast, lunch and dinner deal.  I'm talking strictly meals and not desserts?  What are the benefits of pumpkins?  There's got to be something, right?  I will have to look that up.

  Today I was bound and determined to make a savory meal versus a dessert or breakfast item. Haven't I run out of those? What else is left?  Maybe a quiche?

  I have complied a list of a few options I would like to make but otherwise this challenge was not organized.  I just wanted 30 days of pumpkin.  I didn't have a specific item for each day it's just been whatever I made or bought.  It would have maybe took the fun away if I shared a preplanned list for the month.  So instead everyday I ran around figuring out what to do.

  Today just so happens to be soup.  I had an opening for dinner because we are low on leftovers so this provided another alternative.

This was a fast, easy, basic soup.  Although it had some spice added to it; it could be dressed up more to another level if you knew what you were doing.  Not me.  Remember how my ice cream and popsicle turned out?  I however really liked this soup.  It was a creamy soup, and although it tasted very much so like squash (which I like to) it seemed to have lost its pumpkin individuality.  I was amazed at how the texture of the pumpkin changed and it became creamy like soup. No grit, or lumps.

  This will be a nice soup I can make and will have my kids make and note the recipe because it is #1 good for you, #2 a great healthy choice #3 quick and easy soup for them to make #4 it's way better than soups in a can.

Thank you myrecipes; I can always count on you!

Weekly meal re-cap

  I can say my meals went fantastic this week.  I followed the plan each day.

Monday was corned beef and potatoes compliments of the crockpot.  Don't you love to set it and forget it.

 Tuesday was lasagna.  Even though I used cottage cheese and was going to add spinach it was a filling meal.

 Next up was copy cat Zuppa Tuscana soup.  My husband really enjoys this soup when we go to Olive Garden and actually honestly likes when make this one as well.

 Lastly, to end the week even though it was Thursday was our meatless meal.  It was black bean burgers.  No burger meal is complete without fries so I paired my burger with eggplant fries.  This was a big hit with my teen.  I was quite pleased with the results if this meal.

Friday the kitchen is open but it's a self serve deal.  All leftovers are fair game what little there were.  Of course pizza is always optional as well.

Did you see what my pumpkin consumption was for the week?  I made pumpkin cakes and pumpkin crepes in addition to a milkshake from Burger King and ice cream!

Stay tune for next week to see what's on the menu.  

A Customer Service Decline

  Remember when you went out to dinner and had great service.  You were seated at a table.  Drink orders taken then brought back.  Appetizer and entrees orders taken and brought to the table in a timely manner.

   One restaurant we have gone too has new computers on the tables.  We have gone a few times so I am used to seeing it.  You can order your meals, play games or trivia on these tablet like devices.  It never found it impersonal as I didn't pay much attention to it until it has showed up in a bother restaurant.  First at Chili's now at Olive Garden.

We ate out the other night at Olive Garden and the devices were there.  One table I observed a child playing on it ( I was told as I was seated games were unlimited for $1.99)the whole duration I was there.  Another table that was sat after me immediately passed it over to their toddler.  

My waiter instructed us when we ordered that we needed to put our kids meal request in the system. But he was standing there and just took all our other orders!  He preceded to attempt to use the machine but failed horribly.  So he took pen to paper and went back to old school order taking to complete our order.

At the end of our meal we again were directed to the device to pay our bill.  That didn't work our well again.  With a swipe of the card and no response we still handed over the card to be ran through the original register.  

Bottom line is what is the point of these devices?  To speed the process up? To entertain people young and old which leads to happier patrons overall?  To free up waitstaff to do their job more quickly and efficient?  To make things less personal between a restaurant, the waitstaff and their customers?

I personally as a customer like the interaction.  People need to talk.  Some of us have special requests, our kids certainly don't need to be trained to play games (for entertainment or shushed up) at the table, are we tipping for half the service if we are placing our order on a computer making us do half the work?  

I hope this is just a phase and the devices will go away.  Bring back the waitstaff so that we can chat.

This Pudding is All Mine (Kozy Shack's Pudding review)

  One day I was minding my own business completing surveys for various campaigns when I was granted a pudding campaign.  I love pudding.  Ate various kinds growing up.  I prefer the instant cold over the hot cooked one.  But nothing beats a pudding cup.

  The portability of a pudding cup alone makes it a great thing.  You can pack it in lunches, eat it at a picnic, in a car, or at home!  However those were the other pudding cups.  I received the privilege of tasting Kozy Shack's Indulgent Recipe puddings and my life has changed.

  These are a grown up pudding. Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Truffle, Salted Caramel and Dark Chocolate.  These are sophisticated puddings that children would only gobble down without appreciating each bite. One after the other.  A slow bite, savoring each bite like it is the last is how this pudding should be consumed.

  The first one I ate was upstairs away from the children.  After that first one I have not looked back.  I don't know what my favorite is but I don't need to choose.  I can eat any one I want when I want.

  I urge you know to run out and grab a couple packages why because one only has 4 in it.  That will not even get you through the week.  These puddings are truly decadent and us adults need something of our own too!

All opinions in this review are my own.  I was given coupons to purchase these puddings.  My own negative opinion is they could be a little bigger! How about an adult size version of these puddings?

Day 22 Pumpkin Crepes

  Bonjour everyone!  I have told you before I have no problem waking up and making breakfast.  I kinda of like to cook and bake.  Breakfast and dessert are my favorite meals!  Can dessert be a meal?  If its fruit based and healthy; can it be a meal?  I did mention last night how the pumpkin challenge was ending and we were running out of breakfast ideas.  We have done oatmeal, pancakes, waffles and doughnuts.  Then that light bulb said what about crepes?

  Crepes it is!  So today we have pumpkins + crepes!  I had a lot of apprehension about this as I thought crepes were hard to make.  I had never made them before.  Never even thought about making them because I didn't have a fancy Crepe pan, didn't know there was an easy enough recipe, and wasn't sure I would like them.

  This recipe was straight forward and easy to interpret! I was swirling my batter in the frying pan and it was obviously working. The original creator of the recipe even let you know the mix would be runny.

  

I am so in love with this recipe as I was able to step out of my comfort zone and successfully make something I have never done before.  This doesn't compare to changing the flavor of an item.  This is a major event.  This is up there with amazing accomplishments like when I made butter and mayonnaise.  

This is a keeper!  I cant wait to use this in our breakfast line up.  With this as my base I will change the filling now.  Stay tune for those meals!

  It was amazing to see this perfect little she'll form.  Follow the directions (and I usually do but I still thought crepes were hard, were above me to make) 30 seconds to a minute then flip.  

  The cream inside I did change a little.  Of course since I didn't plan too far ahead I got to work with cream cheese that was not pliable from room temperature but we made do.  I didn't use as much as the filling recipe requested and I didn't have any whopping cream but I did add some powder sugar, 3 tablespoons of pumpkin a small chunk of cream cheese and pumpkin spice.  I didn't have enough filling for all the crepes I made.  But that is fine we will fill them with goodness tomorrow.  We were all able to have one as a sample and at this point that was nice enough.  The filling was delicious! Cream cheese added to anything (even without the whip cream) is a great ingredient.

This fabulous Crepe recipe came from simplisticallyliving.

Pumpkin recipe enclosed for Day 21 pumpkinchallenge

  The pumpkin challenge is still around.  Day 21 is done and over.  I have only a few days left but can say this was a great journey.  No, I didn't make something everyday but it was my game and my rules so I get to make the exceptions.  Besides the homemade outweighs the store/restaurant items!

  Today's recipe was found on a pumpkin dedicated board on my pinterest.  Check out what else in have pinned by selecting the tab on the side.  I have a wide range of boards from fashion, to recipes, to homeschool lessons, to crafts, science and DIY projects.

  Todays pumpkin cake was super easy.  I like that I got to pull out some ramekins.   I bought 4 (need 2 more) awhile ago and only use them randomly.  So when I pull them out it makes the occasion feel extra special.  Besides everyone loves to have their own cake and some of us need a little bit of portion control.  A ramekin guarantee one slice (basically) and not a piece more.

  The recipe was originally made to make 2 ramekins but ramekins do come in different sizes and I have never been one to get an exact count to compare with what the recipe states.  So I present you 3 cakes. (Still an issue for 6 people to get a sample of however)  But never fear we made do and we will keep this recipe to make again and doubling it will not be a problem.

Of course when you make it in a ramekin depending on the size it really looks just like a cupcake.  But that's ok because this little cake was delicious.  I did leave off the topping and used all purpose flour for the whole thing but this was a great, moist tasting cake.  Again the smell coming out of my oven was divine. I wish I could capture that and share it with you.

Thank you howsweeteats. This recipe was delicious!

NJ Adventures in Lighthouses Part 1

  A couple of months ago I had come across a flier in my truck about a challenge.  A lighthouse challenge.  Actually my son was playing with it and when he was done he gave it to me.  Right then and there I had decided I was going on this trip!  My family was welcome to come with me but I was definitely going.

  You have no idea how excited I got the closer the date got.  I looked at different hotels in different locations, plotted point of entry into the state, contacted area bloggers, used social media for current local activities and even daydreamed a little.
 The day before finally arrived and I had been tossing around times to leave and when I would arrive and finally decided 2 am it was.  2 am would get me there at 8 am after a 6+ hour trip. Perfect for seeing plenty of lighthouses on day one! Well after going to bed late, I did wake up at 2 and left at about 3 by the time everyone else was dressed, dog walked, rabbit fed, car packed, windows and door locked and breakfast and lunch packed.  Funny how an hour passed with all that.

  It was a nice trip there even better when the daylight appeared.  We were able to see an array of fall leaves in full color.  The closer we got to NJ we were impressed with various bridges and crossed the Delaware river (my oldest is a history buff).

We crossed into New Jersey and after a quick pit stop We decided to go to the two lighthouse stations on the southern west side.  These were a couple off the beaten track compared to the coast where a majority of them were.

First stop was Finns Point Lighthouse. This is not your vision of a lighthouse.

steps: 119

We travel to its location inland.  It was used to guide ships from the Delaware Bay into the Delaware River.  This lighthouse is made of iron!

Second stop down the street also located fairly inland is Tinicum Lighthouse.

steps:112

  Another unique lighthouse.  Which is great because it shows the variety and style compared to what we are used to.  This lighthouse has a fixed red light!

  After these lighthouse it was nice to see the true traditional lighthouse as well.  My eyes were opened on this trip of the style, shape, color and height of lighthouses.

  Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse still operating in the U.S. today.

steps:104

Sandy Hook in itself provided an interesting drive to its location.  To get to this lighthouse we went through the gates of a national park and drove onto historic Fort Hancock!

    This is just a taste of our trip.  Follow along for more lighthouse pictures as we spent the weekend in NJ and stopped at 13 various places along the way!

Reviewsio: a review group

  I am excited to tell you of this new group I just joined.  You know I have been reviewing products and I share them with you on my you-tube channel as well as a few on here.  Well I am excited with joining this new group as it will provide me with more opportunities to review products as well as more exposure.

  It is hard to find a good review group.  Some groups have a pick me type of order, some allow you to select one or two products at a time, another group started me at the bottom with the lower priced products for a period of time and this group like a few others lets you shop around.  You select items you are interested in reviewing and await a code to be emailed to you.  This code applies the discount upon checkout on Amazon.  What you pay depends on the product you select.  You also do not pay shipping as long as you are a Prime member. 

  Feel free to check this group out with my referral https://reviewsio.com/register?mref=Meanroel.  Let me know what product you got and how you liked it.

Packing light: 1 bag 6 people

  Recently we went away for the weekend.  We are a family of 6 with a small yet large enough for us SUV.

However if you want to pack baggage and people you need to get creative.  I reflect on the fun my husband had with packing for our camping trip and I would rather avoid that organized kaos.

  For the camping trip we had that tray attached to the hitch for necessities as well as a bag strapped to the top of the car.  We didn't need that for a weekend getaway but we still needed to bring items for our trip.

  Family of 6 and 1 bag.  Can you do that?  How is that possible?  Well not including the little bag that held our toiletries it wasn't that hard. With a little guidance everyone followed my directions and it worked.

  Each person was to have 1 pair of pants, socks, underwear, pajama bottoms and 1 shirt.  We would already have on our sneakers.  The trick was to wear the shirt we wore one day to bed that night.  This eliminates a pj shirt.  Next carefully rolled up clothes helps greatly in getting clothes in one bag.

  So technically we had two bags but I think we could have put them in that one bag too but it was easier to just throw all of that in one bag.  Easier to grab out and definitely easier to contain.

  Try it next time.  If you don't need to take everything don't.  One pair of shoes

for walking, one shirt worn for the night. Of course your wearing your coat or sweatshirt as well.

  Pack light so you have room to move comfortably in your truck and more room for souvenirs!