SHE SAID:

Going into this movie I had pretty low expectations. The idea of invading people’s dreams and messing with their thoughts seemed a bit too far out there for my liking, but I knew Brad really wanted to see it so I gave it a chance, albeit a very small one.

The first half hour or so of the film lived up to my lowly expectations. As my confusion increased more and more with the plot, I sunk deeper and deeper into my seat, waiting for it to end. A couple factors played into my confusion – one, there is a ridiculous amount of time warping at the beginning and two, I hadn’t read up on the film enough before going. To avoid the latter pitfall, I highly recommend reading a brief synopsis before proceeding to the theatre.

Strangely enough, after the first half hour when Ellen Page walked onto the screen, the plot began to make a little bit of sense to me. Up until that point the acting was all that carried me through. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a convincing major role alongside the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer), Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins).

I would say that maybe this one’s a renter (so that you can rewind during the confusing parts) but the special effects should be seen on the big screen if at all possible. If you can trudge through the first half hour you won’t be disappointed and the ending will leave you satisfied.

HE SAID:

Have you ever been close to falling asleep only to be jolted awake as if you had been shocked by a defibrillator? Or how about waking up from a dream only to find out that it was a dream within a dream? These are only two of the many aspects of dreams that are explored in Christopher Nolan’s new film Inception.

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio, and Halifax’s own Ellen Page in a mind bending heist movie about dreams. If it sounds weird and intriguing, that’s because it is. The basic premise is simple enough. Cobb (played by DiCaprio) has found a way to get inside people’s dreams and extract thoughts that are hidden deep in their subconscious. Things take a turn when he is presented with the challenge of placing a thought in someone’s mind rather than taking it out, i.e. inception.

I won’t bog you down with any more plot description than that. All I can say is I loved every minute of this movie. For all the hype that surrounded Avatar, this movie deserves that and more. The visuals were amazing, and, imagine this, the story was even better.

Unfortunately there was something that I didn’t enjoy about my night at the movies. Thankfully it had nothing to do with the movie itself. We sat towards the end of a row where there were two empty seats next to the aisle and then me. The lights went down, the previews started, then in walks a couple who decide to plunk down right next to me. Maybe I’m weird, but when I have to sit next to strangers in a theatre that isn’t packed full, I try to leave at least one empty seat between us for a personal space buffer zone. Anyway, I figured maybe there were no better seats available so I got over it. That is until the grocery bag FULL of food came out. Oh my sweet stars above…I’m getting anxious just thinking about it. Not only was it a grocery bag full of food, it was full of food in noisy wrappers. They literally ate for two hours straight. They rummaged through the plastic bag a thousand times, opened at least 15 of those mini chip bags, chewed with their mouthes open, and burped out loud, through almost the entire movie, including the quiet parts. I was fit to be tied. As a result, I missed a few chunks of the plot, which is not a good thing in a movie like this. The sad part of the whole thing is that I can’t remember the last time I went to the theatre and something like this didn’t happen. Anyway, that’s the end of my rant.

Despite my surroundings I really enjoyed Inception. It was very complex, but not impossible to follow. If you’re looking for a light hearted movie for a weekend date night, this may not be the best choice. But if you’re looking for something visually amazing that leaves you thinking, this is it.

If you’ve seen Inception, let us know what you thought of it. Also, if you can relate to my experience with noisy theatre neighbours, tell us about that too.

SHE SAID:

Museums are hit and miss with me, but when we found out the Museum of Natural History was opening up again in Halifax we thought we would check it out. I had never been to a natural history museum before so thought it might be fun, or at least something new to try.

I’m not sure why it didn’t register in my brain when I saw the “Venom” exhibit sign, but I didn’t clue into the fact that there would be snakes, otherwise this date would not exist. I’m not sure words can fully describe the paralyzing anxiety that sweeps over my body at the sight of a snake. The worst part was not knowing what was real or fake until it moved. Perhaps the icing on the cake was the fact that the King Cobra was nowhere to be seen in his cage and perhaps had escaped and was lurking around the stuffed pelican exhibit.

Other than the snake run in, I enjoyed our leisurely stroll through the museum. My favourite part, as always, was looking at the really old artifacts uncovered from Acadian villages and beyond. I’m always amazed with how things survive and love imagining the story behind it all. What was the house like that the key opened the door to?What kinds of meals were prepared in that bowl? What could you buy with that money? What kind of dates did people go on then? Did they even go on dates?

Once we had exhausted all of the exhibits, we made our way to the gift shop where there were all kinds of neat books related to Nova Scotian heritage, eco-friendly living, and so on. Brad almost received a new iPad when I dared him to eat the dried worms for sale, but I wasn’t willing to live up to my end of the bargain.

I wouldn’t say a visit to your local museum is for everyone (unless you live in NYC and have the MET in your backyard), especially not a first date. Since, let’s face it, museums can be boring, I would recommend following it up with something more upbeat like mini golf, bowling or a trip to the fair. Though educational dates may seem boring upon first glance, they can actually help you get to know each others’ interests, and, if nothing else, how far your date’s patience can stretch.

HE SAID:

Until this date, my most recent experience at a museum was at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Although I could appreciate many of the things I saw, it was far from the highlight of that trip. I suppose it was partly due to the immense size of that museum and the amount of walking that was required. I had already done so much walking on that trip that my feet were screaming for mercy, so I could not fully enjoy what I was seeing. For that reason I went to our local Museum of Natural History with low expectations of having fun.

Once we paid the wonderfully low admission fee of $5.00 each and were greeted by the friendly staff, we saw the first exhibit. This seemed like the first sign of trouble. There were several glass enclosures with various spiders, insects, and lizards to see. The trouble was we couldn’t tell if some of them were fake or real. I’m pretty sure the spiders and a lizard or two were fake. I thought to myself, “Oh great, a museum full of plastic animals. How fun…” Then we entered the Venom exhibit where we came face to face with very real snakes of all shapes and sizes. This is where the museum quickly became a things to do for one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Susan run away from something so fast. I really enjoyed seeing the snakes, although I was disappointed that I couldn’t find anything in the dark enclosure labelled as King Cobra.

My least favourite part of the museum in New York was walking through room upon room of depictions of animals in their natural habitat, because the animals were all fake. Thankfully our local museum kept those kind of displays to a minimum and showed off much more interactive and educational exhibits.

I think my favourite part of the museum was similar to Susan’s. I loved seeing actual artifacts used by real people hundreds of years ago. The best part was that they told you where in Nova Scotia each piece was found. Growing up I often felt like these sort of things were only found in foreign places, so it was a lot of fun to see it coming from our own back yard. I also enjoyed the rock/fossils section. It brought back memories of how much I loved the Geology portion of my Science classes as a kid.

Is this a good date idea? I really think so. It’s small enough that we didn’t have to commit hours of our day to see every display, but diverse enough to keep our interest the whole way through. We went fairly early on a Saturday, which was perfect. The museum began to flood with children just as we were leaving, so if you want to avoid the crowds, go early. I’m happy to report that my expectations were exceeded and I had a good time. Museums aren’t just for kids, so check out your local museum for some educational fun for two.

SHE SAID:

Every year around this time when summer is on the horizon, I get the itch to plan a vacation. I absolutely LOVE searching out hotels and attractions and planning a whole trip itinerary, even if I don’t have the money to bring it to fruition. Brad is the complete opposite. The man would be perfectly content to have 5 minutes notice to go anywhere in the world.

That being said, it is nice to take an evening to talk and research any and all the places you’ve ever thought of visiting. You may surprise each other with the places you suggest. Keep the list of locations handy to refer back to in the future when you’re getting the itch to get away.

Since we already went on a little winter escape this year, the vacation funds are a little low. However, to keep the hope alive, we decided to make a vacation box where we could throw loose change and make more significant contributions once in a while. Once summer hits, we’ll open the box and see where our savings can take us. Here’s hoping we make it farther than the next town over. I only wish we had started saving sooner…

HE SAID:

Having a place to throw spare change is nothing new for me. Up until now I have always kept it in an empty jam jar tucked away in the closet of my office. I love the feeling of emptying out the jar full of coins and being pleasantly surprised at how much it all adds up to.

So why mess with a good thing? Well, I personally believe that a husband and wife should not keep secrets from each other unless Christmas or a birthday is involved. Until recently, I thought my wonderful wife felt the same way. Then she revealed to me that she has been secretly dipping into my jam jar fund in order to buy snacks at work. The nerve! From the ashes of my disappointment in her stealing ways came the idea for a new spare change savings system (say that 5 times fast!), one that we both contribute to but neither of us can dip into until vacation time.

We had some fun making a little cover for the shoebox that is now our Vacation Box. We found pictures of four places we’d like to visit, or in one case revisit, both to inspire us to keep adding to the box, but also to keep from stealing from it. But we didn’t stop there, oh no. Once the cover was on the box, I took some masking tape and taped the you-know-what out of it. There were also holes in the bottom of the box, so I taped those up too so no coins could fall out. There is no way anyone is getting at that money without it being very obvious.

Though this isn’t much of a date idea in itself, it was a lot of fun to put together, and to dream up ideas of where we’d love to go someday. It’s a great way to plan for some fun dates in other parts of the world, whether in a different country, or just a few hours from home.

Date Night stars Steve Carell and Tina Fey as Phil and Claire Foster, a married couple whose relationship has fallen into a predictable, unexciting rut. One night, while trying to spice up the usual date night, they find themselves caught up in some unexpected trouble through a case of mistaken identity. Through a series of hilarious and crazy events, the Fosters learn what is truly important to them, each other.

HE SAID:

When I first heard that Steve Carell and Tina Fey were doing a movie together called Date Night, I got very excited. How could it be anything less than hilarious? Then I saw a trailer and my hopes came crashing down. However, since the very title of the movie fit so well with this blog, I knew I had to check it out for a Movie Monday. Thankfully my disappointment with the trailer was unwarranted.

I found Date Night hilarious and fun from beginning to end. It changes from a comedy based on real, every day situations, into a zany Action/Comedy about half way through. I would have preferred the movie to stay with the low key style of the first half, but I think they pulled it off regardless. I can’t remember laughing this much at movie in a very long time.

A lot of people complain that Steve Carell plays the same character all the time. On the surface that may appear to be true, but being an avid fan of The Office and all things Michael Scott, I can definitely see the uniqueness in the characters he plays. Phil Foster is no Michael Scott. That being said, if you’re a fan of The Office or 30 Rock, the humour in Date Night will likely be right up your alley.

There’s nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable for an hour and a half because you aren’t sure if your date objects to the content of a movie. So if you’re going on a first date with someone, read up on the movie first so that your night won’t be ruined by any surprises.

As the name suggests, Date Night is a great choice for a fun, laugh filled night out with someone special.

He turned the gun sideways! That’s a kill shot! – Phil Foster

SHE SAID:

These days, Brad and I rarely cough up the money to catch a new movie at the theatre. However, we recently cashed in some Air Miles for a few BOGO movie tickets that needed to be spent. Since we both love Steve Carell, his new movie with Tina Fey, Date Night, was an easy choice.

Thankfully, Date Night was not one of those movies where all of the funny scenes are in the trailer. This movie is generously doused with knee slapping funnies throughout its 88 minutes, right through to the very last scene.

Though most couples will have a good chuckle, those who are married or have been together for a while will especially appreciate and relate to the story and its comedy, as a lot of the humour plays on the day to day exchanges between man and wife.

Brad and I aren’t overly prudish when it comes to movie content, but if you refuse to watch anything you couldn’t view with your 5 year old niece, you may want to go refill your popcorn during the club scene or one of the 50 million times Mark Wahlberg has his shirt off.

I’m pretty fussy when it comes to comedies, but Date Night is a definite winner. If money’s tight don’t rush to the theatre, but be sure to rent it when it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray.

For the locals:

- Empire Theatres recently announced their “Reel Deal Tuesdays” discount night. Enjoy a date night of your own for just 5.99 each.

- Costco has an Empire Entertainment Pack. Get two general admission tickets, 2 regular popcorn and 2 soft drinks for $25!

If you’re looking for a nice evening at home but are bored with the usual routine, why not try an Art Date? You can go all out and buy all the supplies you need to become the next Picasso, or keep it simple and free by using what you already have around the house.

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HE SAID:

I’ve been looking forward to this Art Date for quite a while. Sometimes Susan’s art supplies call my name when I pass by her office. I have successfully resisted the urge to make an absolute mess on the canvas, but I was more than happy to finally try my hand at this painting business.

Before we got out the paint brushes we discussed whether to paint a picture together, or to do two separate paintings. I could not see any possible way that painting on the same canvas together would end well, so we opted to do two small paintings. There’s only room for one in this guy’s creative vision! I kid, I kid.

Since this was my first time painting with proper supplies on a proper canvas, I wanted to do something relatively simple so I wouldn’t get frustrated. I found this image of a Goomba from Super Mario Bros. on my iPhone and used that as a starting point. I’m sure this is considered cheating, but before any paint hit the canvas I drew the outline of the Goomba in pencil. I think that really helped me end up with a decent looking painting. If you’re not that great at painting something right the first time without making mistakes, you might want to try this method.

Once the image was drawn onto the canvas I began painting. I think Susan got a kick out of my lack of technique. I was pretty much just bashing the canvas with a brush full of paint and hoping for the best. After getting a few pointers from my loving wife, my painting started to take shape. I was especially impressed with myself when it came to the mouth of the Goomba. I have to admit it happened by accident, but the way the different shades of brown came together made the mouth look quite realistic, without me just drawing a black line for the mouth.

The problem with using real painting supplies is that it takes forever for the paint to dry, so we weren’t able to finish our paintings in one sitting. I’m really looking forward to our next Art Date when we have the chance to finish our works of art. The pictures you see are just the first stage, so we’ll be sure to post pictures of the final products.

Our Art Date was great fun, and I can’t wait to do it again. Even after buying a few supplies, it was cheaper than most evenings out of the house. I think Susan enjoyed teaching me about painting, and I enjoyed trying something new.

Be sure to properly dispose of any hazardous materials, including old rags that you might have used while painting. You wouldn’t want your house going up in flames for the sake of a fantastic painting of a video game character.

SHE SAID:

A couple of years ago my cute husband bought me everything I needed to try my hand at oil painting after a qualified friend offered to give me lessons. After dishing out more than a Sir Robert Borden (that’s the Canadian equivalent of a Benjamin Franklin, thank you) on arts supplies, plus a really nice easel, I painted for a summer and then it went by the wayside. I do enjoy painting, but I rarely can commit the time it takes for a proper painting session.

Recently we had the time to sit down and unleash our inner Picassos and ended up having a really nice evening. I was a bit concerned that Brad might get frustrated and tear a knife through his canvas, but he ended up painting a really impressive Goomba from Super Mario. I opted for a silhouette painting of Himmery, our mad feline.

To enjoy your own evening of fine art, you’ll need clothes you don’t mind getting paint on, newspapers to spread out, canvases, brushes, something to mix your paint on, such as a plastic cover or old meat tray, and of course, paint. If you decide to paint with oil paints, you will also need a painting medium and a little dish to put that in. We used linseed oil mixed with Taltine (an odorless paint thinner). Be warned that oil paint takes longer to dry, a good week in most cases.

If you’re not up for dishing out a ton of money, you could simply try sketching portraits of one another with charcoal or pencil on sketchbook paper and then frame them with an inexpensive dollar store frame.

If your significant other is art hesitant or not overly creative, it is imperative that you brainstorm idea together instead of just winging it. Brad did a quick search beforehand and I attribute his success to that wholeheartedly. Since we painted with oil paints we couldn’t complete our masterpieces in one session but as soon as they’re perfected we’ll be sure to post them in all their glory.

For the locals: If you want to check out an art gallery but don’t know where to start, here are a few links to help you on your way:

• Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
• Argyle Fine Art
• Page & Strange

Cost – Ranges from FREE to $50 depending if you rent, buy, or go to the library.

If you’re short on money, time, or both, watching your favourite TV shows on DVD can be a fun way to spend time with another person. Since the initial purchase price may seem steep, you can always rent a disc at a time from Netflix, Zip, or Blockbuster.

HE SAID:

I remember when TV shows first started being released on DVD. I could not understand why someone would buy such a thing. Then I was introduced to a little show called 24 and everything changed. We burned through the first four seasons of 24 embarrassingly quickly so that we could be caught up when the fifth season aired that year.

Since then, we have acquired a healthy collection of our favourite shows on DVD. We have the first five seasons of 24, every season so far of The Office, a few seasons of How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory, and our current work in progress — the cherry on top of our TV collection sunday — the entire series of Full House.

There are two major benefits to owning your favourite TV shows. The first is that I find most shows much more enjoyable simply because of the lack of commercials. Especially for a show like 24 where the suspense and action are what make it exciting, the commercials can really let the air out of a fun episode. The other benefit is that the episodes are short. Even shows that are an hour long when they air with commercials are only about 45 minutes without them. So if you are a busy person and rarely have time to sit down and watch a two hour movie, a (roughly) 22 minute episode of your favourite show is much more manageable.

If you don’t like the idea of having to buy a season of a TV show, you can always rent instead. We use a service called Zip. So far we have only rented movies from them, but they have the option to rent TV shows. The best part is you can keep each disc as long as you want so there is no rush to speed through the shows, plus if you end up not loving the show, you won’t feel like you wasted $40 on something you’ll never watch again.

The key to TV dates is to make sure they don’t replace activities where we interact with each other a little more. It’s true that we watch our favourite shows while eating dinner instead of sitting at the table, but that will change when kids come along. We make sure to spend enough quality time together that it isn’t a replacement for that quality time. We have a lot of fun going through shows and finding favourite episodes to watch again later.

For a fun challenge, see how quickly you can get through a season of your favourite show. Something I’ve always wanted to do is watch an entire season of 24 in one day, since the premise of the show is that it spans a 24 hour period.

Buying or renting your favourite shows is a great option for anyone who wants to save money. Instead of paying a big monthly fee for cable or satellite, get the shows you really love on DVD.

SHE SAID:

As a kid, I never understood why all of the new episodes of my favourite TV shows were on during the school year when homework always competed with free time. On the other hand, reruns dominated the screen when I had copious amounts of time to waste in front of the boob tube during summer break. Thanks to the magic of DVD’s that problem no longer exists.

Now, instead of trying to follow all of our favourite TV shows as they change time slots and compete with day-to-day life, it’s not as big a deal when we miss one. If it’s a show we both love, we just buy the complete season and watch it at our leisure, as quickly or as slowly as we like.

When we bought our first season of The Office to watch over the summer, I wondered if we would ever watch it again. I thought perhaps we had just wasted some money. I was so wrong. Not only did we watch it again, but we now watch an episode every night with our supper. Yes, we eat supper in front of the TV. No, our relationship is not doomed because of it.

I ended up liking this idea so much that I went out on a limb and bought a random TV show for Brad for Christmas last year called Mad Men. We finished the first season in a month and its second season is a good contender for our summer picks.

I really love scouting out new and old TV shows to watch throughout the summer when the airwaves become a little stagnant. It’s a fun little tradition we have going that takes away the summer TV blahs.

We’re always looking for a new series to start watching, so now it’s your turn to tell us what your favourite shows are to watch on DVD. What’s the fastest you’ve ever gone through a whole season? Let us know in the comments!

–UPDATE —

So, we made a glaring oversight when we posted this date idea today. While browsing our local library tonight we happened across the second season of Mad Men on DVD. Of course, how could we have forgotten about the library?? So if you want to save money, don’t rent or buy your favourite show, head to the library and see what’s available.

SHE SAID:

What do you do on a Saturday morning to relax and unwind from the hectic week? Some enjoy a cup of coffee, some watch cartoons, some lay in their bathrobe all day with a good book. All of these are acceptable Saturday morning activities, but for me, going to the farmer’s market is not one of them.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the thought of supporting local farmers and artisans, but my mind cannot deal with the maze of produce stands and hoards of people lined up for Bavarian double smoked bacon at 7am (though it is very tasty).

I could get past that, though, if it weren’t for the disorganized maze of a layout that is our local farmer’s market. I can’t stand that all of the produce people aren’t together in one spot and the bakery people in another. It drives me nuts to pay 2 dollars for a tomato at one stand and then happen upon a tomato for 1 dollar further along the maze. Can I afford the extra dollar? Yes. Do I want to pay the extra dollar? Not really. I will gladly spend more money on a bunch of carrots at the market knowing there’s a cheaper version at the grocery store, but if there are three farmers at the market, heaven knows the farmer with the cheaper tomato is getting my business. End rant.

My saving grace was the German Bakery and its honey almond apricot croissant with icing sugar on top. It was by far one of my best uses of a Toonie in a while. I have no idea where it’s located amidst the chaos, but I do remember stairs nearby leading upward. I also found some really delicious honey apricot bread, but again, have no idea who makes it or where it exists. Once I had those two things in my possession I bolted and went home to continue my more familiar, less chaotic version of a pleasant Saturday morning.

HE SAID:

I, like Susan, have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the farmer’s market. It’s a wonderful and romantic idea (not in the Valentine’s Day sense) in theory, but it never fully lives up to my expectations.

You see, I am a morning person. I enjoy getting up early and getting out of the house while most people are still sleeping away the day. However, I am not a crowd person, and it seems like I can never get to the market early enough to beat the crowds.

So lets break down this love/hate relationship:

LOVE:

1.) I love the idea behind the market. The thought of a leisurely walk on an early Saturday morning perusing local goods is very appealing to me.

2.) Most of what is being sold looks very interesting, whether it’s food, clothing, or anything else.

3.) I love where our local market is located. Winding through the various nooks and crannies of the market is a lot of fun. It makes me feel like I’m in a Hobbit house or something, I love it. There are lots of interesting things to look at.

4.) Despite the busyness of the market, we were able to stop and check out one booth in particular that grabbed our attention. It was shared by Geordan Moore of Who Stole My Bike and Anna Stowe of Good Day Studio. They sell some locally made, unique looking t-shirts. There were plenty of interesting designs to choose from, and I was very tempted to buy one

5.) I love hearing random musicians playing their instruments throughout the market. I could sit and listen to some of them all morning. I especially enjoyed the people playing something other than acoustic guitar, like the guy playing his accordion, or the girl playing a ukelele. This is easily my favourite part of the whole experience.

HATE:

1.) I really, truly cannot deal with the crowds of people. I’m sure some people love it, but I don’t. I always felt like I couldn’t stop to check anything out because I might get trampled. I wish I could have found a nice open area to sit down, have a coffee, and people watch. I’d be all for the crowds if I could just watch them instead of being in them.

As you can see my loves outweigh my hates, but unfortunately it’s still just not for me. That said, if you’re a morning person who isn’t bothered by crowds, your local market would likely be right up your alley. I know the fresh food alone is worth it for a lot of people so don’t let our dislikes keep you from checking out the market. Every time I go I see people who are genuinely having a great time, and I like that. It’s also a great date idea if you’re looking for an excuse to hold that special someone’s hand and not let go. You know, so they don’t get lost in the crowd or anything…

Cost – Using items you probably already have in your kitchen, it’s free!

Have you ever had a craving for ice cream while spending an evening at home, only to find your empty freezer staring back at you? Well, if you have a few basic food items in your cupboards, and 10 minutes to spare, you can make homemade ice cream.

SHE SAID:

To me, ice cream is a major food group. I will indulge in its creamy goodness any time of the year, rain or shine, heat or cold. It can be a costly comfort food when you go for the good stuff, so I was really excited when I found out I could make it in a bag for a fraction of the cost.

The process was easy enough, with just 5 items needed from the kitchen. A special note to those of you who have never frozen ice before (I’m looking at you, love bug), it actually takes longer than half an hour. Perhaps our half frozen ice cubes played a factor in the crumbly consistency of our final product. That, or the fact that we used 1% milk instead of whole milk. Either way, the end result was hardly worth the 10 minutes of intense, frigid shaking. Winter gloves are highly recommended.

Though the final product would make Ben and Jerry shudder, I didn’t really care because we didn’t waste a bunch of time and money trying it out. We may even try it again with some whole milk and fully frozen ice cubes.

HE SAID:

There are two major issues that come up for us a lot when we decide to spend an evening at home.

1. The need to do something, but not knowing what to do.

2. The need for snack food…RIGHT NOW!

Making homemade ice cream solves both of those problems at the same time. It gives you something to do without requiring much preparation time, as well as it provides snack food in the end.

Making homemade ice cream should be easy, even for those (like myself) who are a little less savvy in the kitchen. You simply combine milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and any other items you want to add for special flavours (i.e. chocolate chips) into a sealable plastic bag. You then place that bag into a bigger bag filled with ice cubes and salt. Seal the second bag and shake it like a polaroid picture! Wait….is it still cool to use that expression? Seriously, you need to shake it for a good ten minutes. You’ll notice the ice cream starts to harden around the five minute mark.

I was amused but slightly disappointed in how our ice cream turned out. It ended up looking like frozen popcorn. The flavour was surprisingly good, but definitely not up to par with the more expensive stuff you can get at the grocery store. It sort of tasted like a more watered down version of normal vanilla ice cream.

Though I wasn’t totally satisfied with our icy creation, it was a blast. It was fast, easy to make, and very cheap. For those reasons, I can forgive it for not tasting rich and creamy. I’m still impressed though at just how simple it is to make something that closely resembles ice cream. Who knew shaking milk, sugar, and vanilla against some ice cubes would turn into this little treat? It’s SCIENCE!

If you’re at home tonight and are looking for something fun to try, this might be up your alley. Don’t expect the world’s best ice cream to emerge from that plastic bag, but be proud of your cold creation. If you’ve ever made homemade ice cream before, or if you decide to make it after reading this, we’d love to hear about it. Send us an email, or leave a comment and tell us what you think!

How To Make Homemade Ice Cream:

Place 2 trays of ice cubes & 6 tbsp of salt in a large plastic bag

In a smaller bag mix:

1/2 cup of milk

1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Place the smaller bag inside the bigger bag, seal it tight and shake well for 10 minutes.

Welcome to our very first Movie Monday. The idea behind it is simple. We want to help you with those movie date nights where you feel overwhelmed by all the choices out there. At least once a month we’ll recommend a movie that we think fits the bill for an enjoyable evening at home. As always, let us know what you think of Movie Monday, and of the movies we recommend. Enjoy!

SHE SAID:

Spanglish is one of the few movies that I can watch once a month and never grow sick of. I love the plot, the characters, the actors, and the ending. It’s not an easy movie to classify because while it’s funny, it’s not a comedy and while it has dramatic moments, it’s definitely not an intense movie. It’s simply a breath of fresh air.

Some may be drawn to it for Adam Sandler, but be warned, it is not your typical Adam Sandler movie. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though. I personally think this is Adam Sandler’s best movie. It was refreshing to see him in a more low key role where he doesn’t dominate the screen.

I think the thing I love most about Spanglish is its message. It provides quite the perspective on modern America and the busy lives we lead. It forces you to re-examine your priorities and urges you to hold close those you love.

This is the perfect movie to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon with the curtains drawn and a fondue at your side. Oh, and your husband too!

HE SAID:

At first glance, Spanglish didn’t seem like the type of movie I would enjoy. If you were to pass by the DVD at your local movie store, you might tag it as a cookie cutter romantic comedy. Thankfully that assumption is quite far from the truth.

Spanglish is about a woman named Flor who comes from Mexico to America with her daughter in hopes of a better life. She ends up being a housekeeper for a very well off family. The movie centres around her struggle to adapt to living in America without abandoning her own cultural upbringing and values.

Some of my favourite movies are simply about normal people in slightly abnormal situations. So I think the best compliment I can give Spanglish is that everything in the movie seemed real. I was pulled in by the characters, even the one I didn’t like, and was made to believe in what was going on.

I only have one complaint about this movie. Tea Leoni’s character is like fingernails on a chalkboard throughout the whole movie to me. She is over the top, obnoxious, and irritating, which is a stark contrast to Adam Sandler’s calm, cool, and collected character. In the end I think that balance between the two characters helps make the movie special, but if the rest of the movie wasn’t so good, her character would have the potential to ruin it for me.

Spanglish covers a lot of ground. It’s funny, heart warming, and tear inducing at various times. Though it runs longer than your typical hour and a half movie (131 min.) it is worth taking the time to watch. So next time you’re looking for a movie to enjoy at home with that special someone (or even by yourself), check out Spanglish.

Cost – FREE!

Everyone likes to dream about their future, and we’re no different. We love to dream about the kind of house we’ll live in some day. So we decided to put on our grown-up hats and go to some open houses. Though we were anxious at first, we had nothing to lose since the whole afternoon didn’t cost a penny.

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SHE SAID:

When I was a little kid I loved looking at floor plans and attempting to design my dream home with Lego. I relished in the task of laying the foundations of the mansion that I believed would one day be my safe haven. I no longer want a mansion, but I still quite enjoy roaming through the homes of others if for nothing more than simple inspiration.

Before this outing I had been to a few open houses with people actually capable of buying a nice house and loved it. Since we were with other people it was easy to slip off and explore the house while they did the talking.

Heading out on your own is a whole other ball game, which is why I was a bit anxious going into it. What if they looked down their noses at us and hammered us with questions? What if they laughed in our faces? Thankfully none of these things happened.

It was a bit awkward at times, but I don’t think it had anything to do with us specifically. It’s just the nature of the situation. You arrive at someone’s house and there’s someone else there trying to sell you something that you know you’re not necessarily interested in buying but have to act like you are. I find that nerve wracking, so I usually dart from the main entrance and leave Brad to bold face lie to all of the realtors.

All awkwardness aside, it was a fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. We managed to see 5 houses in the run of 2 hours. I quite enjoyed seeing what’s out there in various price ranges for different areas. It really gave us a feel for what type of space we want in the future to suit our needs and what style house we like. Some homes were in dire need of upgrading while others showed beautifully and even inspired décor and paint ideas – I think I see home reno projects in our future for March Break!

HE SAID:

This past Sunday was the perfect day to get out of the house as it was one of the first spring-like days here in Nova Scotia. As we headed out the door, Susan began to panic. She was frantically telling me that I had to do the talking, and obsessing over how we both look way too young to be home buyers. I assured her that everything would be fine.

We walked into the first house and the awkwardness began. We were the only ones looking through the house, so it was just us and the real estate agent. Oh boy… As we began walking through the house, I felt as though she could hear every word we were saying. It was like being in a library where no one is saying a word, just silently going about their business. That was us. After looking through the house, we bolted as quickly as possible to avoid any personal questions.

As it turned out, we were the only ones looking through almost every house we went to. However, we really got a good feel for how each real estate agent does things. One guy gave out cookies, while one lady was super friendly and fun to talk to. As we saw more houses we got more and more comfortable talking to the agents and answering their questions.

Despite the anxiety from having to bluff my way through a few conversations, I had a lot of fun going through open houses. We got a much better sense of what you get for certain price ranges, as well as a better feel for what we do and don’t want in a home. It’s a totally different experience than looking through pictures of houses on MLS, which we do all the time. At each open house we got a sheet with all the information about the house. So when we got home we had fun as we each ordered them from favourite to least favourite. We had quite similar reactions to the houses, which hopefully means it won’t be too hard to agree on what we want in a house when the time comes for us to buy a house.

Before we left the house, Susan looked up the addresses to several open houses online. I fully intended to randomly drive around the neighbourhood until I saw an open house sign. So depending on your spontaneity level, you can try either one of those methods.

I really enjoyed going to open houses. It was tough to work up the confidence at first, but after a few tries we started to get the hang of it. If you’re looking for something fun to do on a Sunday afternoon, give open houses a try. For some added fun, dress up nicely, go through some super expensive homes, and pretend you can actually afford it. You’ll have fun, dream a little, and best of all spend nothing.