Wednesday, November 26, 2014

A bowl of bacon, my take on Thanksgiving sales, and peeing on sticks.

1. Besides U.S. Thanksgiving, it's also National Game and Puzzle Week...what game have you played most recently, and who were you with? Have you worked a puzzle of any kind in the past week?
Blokus.  We love this game, and if it weren't for the fact that I'm carting our luggage around NYC today in the rain/snow, I'd be bringing it with us. We splurged on it while in Seattle ($27 for a board game!?), and haven't pulled the trigger since. Board games have gotten way expensive in the recent years. 
2. What is one place you were thankful for this year?
Emergency room. I've gone there a few times, and each time I'm glad we have a place to go when we have something go wrong. Don't know what I'd do had I just needed to 'make it through the night' to wait for the shared doctor with the rest of  my neighborhood in the morning.

3. Take a nap, watch football, go for an after dinner walk, or hit the stores...which ONE is on your must-do list for Thanksgiving day? For those of you playing along who aren't in the US, answer as it relates to any big holiday meal.
Hit the stores. We don't buy Christmas gifts though, opting instead for more expensive items that we hope to get on sale. 2 years ago we bought our TV for $200, and last year we bought winter coats. This year, we don't really need anything but I know we will be picking up some holiday decorations.

4. Besides Thanksgiving, what's your favorite home cooked meal?
Wedding chicken. I sent this recipe to our caterers for our reception, and it was amazing. And, since it came from Internet, I can recreate it.  Check out the "stuffed chicken breast with parmesan and basil filling" recipe at www.dishingthedivine.com
credit: http://www.dishingthedivine.com
5. What product from an infomercial would you most like to own?
NOT the Aeroknife. I hate that thing. It scorned me. But, the As Seen on TV Perfect Bacon Bowl does seem ridiculously wonderful. A bowl made of bacon. I didn't know I wanted one until I saw it existed.

6. Christmas shopping? Have you begun? Finished? Will you shop on Black Friday? How do you feel about stores opening on Thanksgiving Day? What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?
I'm done with gifts for the women, but not with the men. Tom needs to help out here, since I've no clue about what men really want. As for stores being open on Thanksgiving Day, I'm not going to be up in arms about it. My mother is working Thanksgiving, and we plan on having dinner Saturday. Being a nurse, she's never been guaranteed ANY holiday off, and I grew up understanding this. If you take a job working in retail, this shouldn't be a shock and will likely be an expected job duty.

Black Friday hasn't always been popular either. Wiki states that the term was 'coined' in Philadelphia in 1961, where a public relations newsletter from 1961 stated "Resulting traffic jams are an irksome problem to the police and, in Philadelphia, it became customary for officers to refer to the post-Thanksgiving days as Black Friday and Black Saturday. Hardly a stimulus for good business.." But people got over it. They just didn't drive or go to the stores/downtown on that day to avoid the crowds. Since the whole 'stores open on Thanksgiving' controversy only began 3 years ago, we haven't grown accustomed to it just yet. Give it time, and we'll adjust. Capitalism isn't a beast anyone can tame.

7. What are you most grateful for that adds beauty to your everyday life?
Makeup. which is shocking to even write (I should've answered this question with family, right?) I never wore it much until after college, I'm only now getting used to the idea of lipstick vs. chapstick. Contouring and makeup brushes are still new concepts to me, but I'm making great strides, thanks to YouTube. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Certain things, like implantation-type cramps last Tuesday and Wednesday, sore breasts (and an "oversensitive nose" as mentioned by my sister) suggest that I might be pregnant, but none of my tests have come back positive yet.
And then this week, I began having monumental breakouts on my chin, cheeks and even a few on my forearm. The last time this happened was when I had miscarried the second time and my hormone levels couldn't figure out where they wanted to stay. And, as I had written in March on this very subject, I will quote myself here: "my skin is just on a angry woman hormonal rampage". Only swap out the "angry woman" with "angsty teenager" since it's not yet to the level of my January breakouts.

So tell me...

Any boardgames that you'd recommend? What do men in your family like for gifts? 
And why are pregnancy tests so expensive?


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14 comments:

  1. I've never heard of Blokus but I'll have to be on the lookout. That chicken looks delicious, and I'll def be coming back to attempt that one in the near future! That's neat that you were able to send it to your caterer for them to use.
    As for the last part...yikes I hate the 2 week wait and all the symptoms that may or may not be. Know them far too well. I'll be praying for you, especially that your mind doesn't go too crazy with fears and doubts. Funny that's the same prayer I need right now! Love you Farin girl...hang in there and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

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    1. Thank you, appreciate the prayers. And I believe it- I'll be praying for you as well. Happy Thanksgiving :)

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  2. I hope your breakout has a happy result. I do recommend polysporin for the breakouts. Happy thanksgiving!

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    1. I had been putting neosporin on them to help them heal, but polysporin sounds like a better fit. Thanks!

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  3. Hey there, nice to meet you. Hope you find out that your breakouts are wonderful.

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    1. Thank you for this kind reply :) Happy Thanksgiving!

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  4. I do hope your breakout is a sign of happy news to come! We like Rummikub, Racko, Apples to Apples, and my new favorite (inexpensive and portable!) Farkle. Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. I've heard of all but Farkle, which looks like Yahtzee. Thanks for the suggestions :)

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  5. Wedding chicken looks fantastic! I make an easy version my melting a little aloutte cheese in a pan with white wine and then pouring it over sautéed chicken. I'm sure it's not as good, but it's quick :)

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    1. That sounds delicious, actually :) And props for using a fancy cheese, parm is always my go-to choice haha.

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  6. Great idea about getting makeup tips from YouTube.
    I didn't start wearing makeup til I hit 50.
    Always having youthful looking skin.
    So I need some tips, badly.

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    1. I just google what I'm looking for, and oftentimes there are related ones on the right sidebar that keep me clicking to the next one. Amazing what YouTube can teach us.

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  7. I have played Blokus, but not for a long time. I need to get a copy. Besides hormones, the thing that wreaks havoc with skin the most is dairy. Am I mixing two posts here? I pinned that wonderful (and dairy) stuffed chicken recipe. I've made that in a way, only putting the chicken in the CrockPot and then pouring everything else (mixed) on top and slow cooking. But this looks MUCH prettier and something a little nicer to serve guests. Good luck with the shopping. No ideas here.

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    1. I love dairy, as that recipe suggests. It wouldn't be shocking if that would help, but my face has recently cleared right up, so definitely hormones.And you might be mixing posts, the most recent hodge I've done is #7 :)

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