This is date number two of the 12 Dates of Christmas. Neither of us had ever assembled a gingerbread house before, and both of us had visions of it ending in a heaping pile of gingerbread and tears. Thankfully it didn’t turn out that bad, and we might even do it again next Christmas.

SHE SAID:

For years I have avoided making a gingerbread house. I would sidestep the displays in the grocery stores and scoff at the advertisements that promised family fun. Knowing how impatient I can get if something tedious and time consuming doesn’t work out (remember the model car post?) I figured I would do everyone involved a favour and steer clear of the little homes of sugary delights.

The thing I thought would send me over the edge was how to get the walls of the house to stay up. What I didn’t know was that some kits that you can buy (like ours) have little grooves that you fit the house into to help support it. Plus, I didn’t realize how thick the icing was. Problem solved!

Once the walls were up, it was time to get creative with the candies. I loved having the kit because everything we needed was included in the box. The only thing I was disappointed with was the fact that you couldn’t make it look as good as the gingerbread house on the box because it didn’t come with the fancy icing bag tips you can use to make nicer designs.

Now that I’m over my gingerbread house qualms, I’m thinking I might get a little crazy next year and maybe try to make one without a kit. I haven’t mentioned this to Brad yet, though, so don’t hold me to it. He may have a few reservations.

HE SAID:

Most parents buy their son some LEGO at some point in his life. This is usually met with excitement and happiness. These kids dream of building exactly what is shown on the box, and then taking it apart and building something totally different. The parents beam with pride when their child shows them what they’ve built with the LEGO, and all live happily ever after….this is not my story.

My parents did buy me LEGO at some point, but happiness on my part did not follow. I opened the box, emptied out all the pieces, read the instructions, and began to build. The first few pieces were always fun and easy to assemble. Then came that first vital piece that would make or break the construction. Emphasis on break. My LEGO dreams always ended in a pile of pieces while I contemplated throwing the whole box right across the room.

Now, 20 years later, I still fear activities that hinge on construction. So I was naturally terrified to put together a gingerbread house. It seemed like a slightly more delicious version of my LEGO nightmare all over again.

Thankfully my fears were totally unneeded. The gingerbread house came together relatively easily. We ran into some issues due to the frosting that holds everything together not drying fast enough, but there really were no major catastrophes to report. One of the biggest problems we encountered was one side of the roof kept sliding down. While trying to get it back in place, one of the walls of the house started to cave in. Luckily we got it all under control and nobody raged as a result.

This could be an interesting date depending on how long you’ve known the person you are with. It’s a good test to see how well you communicate and work together. More importantly, it’s a great way to expose the hidden rage that resides in you or your partner. Trust me, if there’s anything bubbling beneath the surface, it will show itself before the gingerbread house is complete. For us it would have been fine no matter how it turned out. If I had smashed the house like I did with my LEGO as a kid, it wouldn’t have shattered our relationship. However, if it was a first date, my luck might not be so good.

(Click here to see our Christmas Giveaway)

]]> http://thingstodofortwo.com/12-dates-of-christmas-gingerbread-house/feed/ 5 http://thingstodofortwo.com/arcade/ http://thingstodofortwo.com/arcade/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:57:39 +0000 Brad http://thingstodofortwo.com/?p=481

This is the first of hopefully many posts based on a reader’s suggestion. alaModest on Twitter suggested we go to the arcade. We thought that was a great idea so we filled our pockets with tokens, checked our maturity at the door and had some good old fashioned fun.

SHE SAID:

Believe it or not, this was my first arcade experience. In the past, I must admit I scoffed at arcades thinking they were childish and a big waste of money. This may still be true, but I no longer scoff. I now salute the flashing lights and loud noises for providing us with so much fun while we waited for our movie one day.

Since arcades only exist within movie theatres where we live (that we know of), it was a convenient and very entertaining way to pass the time while we waited for our movie to open. I think I might have enjoyed the arcade more than the movie that day. There was something about the carnival type atmosphere that made me feel like a kid again. Had there been cotton candy I probably would have bought some.

I found the shooting games to be the most fun, even though I apparently have really bad aim. The basketball throw was also a fun two player games as we frantically threw half deflated balls into the net. The lack of tokens that are supposed to shoot out at the end of the game tells me we’re also not so good at basketball (surprise, surprise). Regardless, we had a blast.

HE SAID:

I remember as a kid going down to the mall with my friend and going to the arcade. For some reason I remember it being incredibly dark and scary, but I’m pretty sure I had fun at the time. My most significant arcade memory though, is going to the arcade on the ferry when we travelled to Prince Edward Island. I loved when dad would take us there and show off his crazy pinball skills. It was a great way to pass the time on the boat.

Since then, arcades have sort of faded from my thoughts. When I go to the theatre I don’t even think about the fact that there is a room full of fun games off to the side. I guess it’s part of “growing up”.

We threw “growing up” out the window the day we went to the arcade, and it was awesome. I still enjoy the more interactive games like the racing games where you actually sit down inside a fake car, or in this case a fake motorcycle.

It doesn’t take much to burn through five dollars of tokens when there are two of you playing the games. We each played one game separately (I did the motorcycle racing game and she did a deer/moose hunting game), but everything else was very couple friendly. We even tried one of those games where you control the claw that comes down and picks out a stuffed animal. Unfortunately they only give you one try so we failed miserably at it.

I didn’t get to try every game, both because of being too cheap to buy more tokens, and because there were actual kids playing the games. I was hoping to give the Guitar Hero game a try, as well as the pinball machines tucked away in the corner. Maybe next time.

We are definitely going back to the arcade. We’ll probably check out different theatres around town to see what games each one has. It was a lot of fun to do something I haven’t done since I was a kid. This was a great suggestion and I’m glad we did it. If you have any arcade memories from your childhood we’d love to hear about it. Also, if you have any suggestions about things you’d like to see us try, please feel free to email or message us on Twitter and let us know.

(Click here if you can’t see the video of us at the arcade)

If you’re looking to change things up a little bit and you’re tired of the typical “Dinner and a Movie” type of date night, give Breakfast and a Movie a try. We recently went out for a morning date and really enjoyed ourselves.

SHE SAID:

You may remember from our Sunrise post that mornings aren’t exactly the favourite part of my day. However, if you have a full schedule and are trying to find time to spend with the one you love, you make the sacrifice and roll out of bed.

Luckily, we can always get our money’s worth from eating out for breakfast. For some reason we can stuff more into our traps earlier in the day (don’t stomachs shrink overnight?). Because I usually never want to put more energy into breakfast than pouring cereal into a bowl, I love going out and having someone bring delicious, warm food to me. We chose Cora’s for breakfast, where I ordered my favourite 1990’s Harvest (but I substituted yucky raisin brioche with French toast) with scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit sprinkled with icing sugar!

After breakfast we decided to head to the movie theatre. Since we were going to the Matinee it was cheaper and we practically had the theatre to ourselves, so that meant no annoying chair kicking or talking during the movie! As for the movie itself, we went to see Michael Jackson’s This Is It. I enjoyed the movie, but I’d have to say you really have to appreciate his music and enjoy watching how a huge musical production is put together to ensure its two hour runtime.

Breakfast dates are great if you work night shifts or if you have other commitments later in the day or if you need to force yourself to get up early so you get more done later on.

HE SAID:

I think I’m slowly becoming a grumpy old curmudgeon.

Let me explain.

The typical date night includes dinner and a movie. This doesn’t really work for me for several reasons. First, I tend to not enjoy going out to dinner that much because restaurants are more crowded, and I’d rather be home eating a home cooked meal. Second, I’d much rather watch a Blu Ray at home than go to the theatre and listen to other people loudly munching popcorn right behind my head, kicking my seat, and checking their phones every 5 minutes.

See, grumpy old curmudgeon.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m totally a morning person. So taking the dinner and a movie idea and turning it into breakfast and a movie works perfectly for me. The best part about going out to breakfast is that it never feels like a waste of money. We typically can eat everything on our plates, which is something we never manage to do when we go out for dinner. Not only that, we tend to be so full that we don’t eat again until dinner time, so we save money by not eating lunch. It’s fantastic!

One of our favorite places to go for breakfast is Cora’s. We hadn’t been there in several months, so it was a nice treat to go back. I usually go for the Rosemary’s Sunday which is the typical bacon, eggs, toast, and crepe breakfast. This time I went for something a little different. I got the French toast with a mountain of fresh fruit. It was really good. The best part of our breakfast came near the end. If you add an extra dollar to your bill it goes toward the Cora Foundation and they give you a mug. That pretty much made my day.

We then headed over to the theatre. It was kind of strange being some of the first people there. I was surprised how many people buy popcorn and other treats first thing in the morning. We recently tweeted about a deal with Empire Theatres where you text a certain word to a number they provide and you get a buy one ticket get one free coupon. So after using that coupon, plus the fact that it was an early show, the cost of going to the movies was much lower than usual.

I really had a lot of fun with our morning date. I would do breakfast and a movie again in a heartbeat over dinner and a movie. We got to go out and have a fun time while still having the rest of our day ahead of us. If you’re a morning person then I probably don’t have to sell you on this idea. If you’re not a morning person, take some solace in the fact that half of your morning will be spent in a cozy dark theatre that will be nearly empty. It’s kind of close to being home in bed, right?

If you have any favorite breakfast spots we would love to hear about them. Let us know in the comments.

This is the second of a three part series where we go down memory lane together. The idea behind memory lane is that one person takes the other to one or more places that hold special meaning from their past. It can be anything from an old hang out spot, a school, or anything else. The idea is to learn something new about the person you’re with and to get a new perspective on their life.

SHE SAID:

I never realized how in the country I lived until I met Brad. The first time he drove out to my parent’s place he thought he had crossed a continent to get there. I thought as time passed he would get used to the drive, but he still acts like it’s a day trip, when really it takes 45 minutes to get there. Even though I grew up, as some might say “in the middle of nowhere,” I loved it and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Little did Brad know when he signed up for my memory lane experience, that he would be going even further into the middle of nowhere.

I hadn’t been back to my old high school since I graduated and heard they had built a new one, so I decided to take Brad to see my old school. As we drove I could remember where the bus stopped and pointed out different friends’ houses. My biggest surprise came when we rounded the corner to my old high school and there was no sign it had ever existed. I drove up the driveway to where my school used to sit atop a big hill and found a soccer field in its place. I knew they had built a new one, but I didn’t know the other one had been completely annihilated! All at once I felt sad because my school now only exists in my memories, and old because I’ve lived long enough for this to happen.

I feel like my memory lane experience was a bit of a disaster because it’s hard enough to explain how things used to be when you have an actual physical building to show someone, but it’s near impossible to try to get them to imagine what existed. I tried to make up for the lack of physical artifacts to show Brad by driving him down some back roads but they only served to creep him out even more. If I do this again I’ll be sure to scout out the area beforehand and make sure everything still exists.

If you don’t have time to actually go somewhere like your old high school, grab an old yearbook and experience it that way. It may even be more fun and will definitely save money on gas. You can laugh at all the crazy fashions and quotes people signed on the inside covers and then be thankful you found the person who loves you despite it all.

HE SAID:

I’d like to make a personal admission right off the top. Although I have an appreciation for nature, one of my biggest failings as a husband is my inability to relate to Susan’s connection with the country. We’re not talking about 10 minutes out of the city kind of country. We’re talking about middle of nowhere, complete isolation, no high speed internet (gasp!) type of country. To be clear, I don’t look down my nose at the country or the people who live there, I simply can’t relate. I’m a city boy through and through. I will admit that the first time I drove out to the house Susan grew up in I could not believe how far it was, but I’d like to think I’ve gotten used to it. I enjoy going out there to get away from the noise of the city.

For Susan’s memory lane she decided to take me even further into the country to where she went to school. Despite what she would have you believe, I really did have a fun time. There were some similarities to our days in junior high and high school that we were able to relate with which was nice. I think we both felt a bit of a loss as her school got torn down and mine is now a creepy condemned house of horrors.

She pointed out some of the homes that her friends and schoolmates grew up in, as well as other little memorable spots along the way which was nice. Over the years I’ve become familiar with some of the names of her high school friends so that made it a lot easier to follow along.

I really like the fact that we come from such different backgrounds. I think a lot of people marry someone who they have a lot in common with, but Susan and I couldn’t be any more different if we tried, and I like that. I enjoyed this glimpse into her past even if I won’t ever truly understand what it was like. I think taking each other down memory lane has been a great experience and I would recommend you give it a try.

This is the first of a three part series where we go down memory lane together. The idea behind memory lane is that one person takes the other to one or more places that hold special meaning from their past. It can be anything from an old hang out spot, a school, or anything else. The idea is to learn something new about the person you’re with and to get a new perspective on their life.

HE SAID:

We decided to start this whole memory lane thing with me because experiencing anything from Susan’s childhood would require at least an hour of driving. We didn’t have that kind of time on this particular day, so I went first.

Susan is pretty familiar with most of the spots that hold any kind of meaning to me as a kid. My parents still live in the house I grew up in, so she has seen all the neighbourhood spots where I used to play and go to school. I didn’t always go to school down the street though. From grade 4 to 10 I went to a school that was quite a good distance from home. So I thought it would be fun to take her to the school I went to and tell her some stories about what it was like.

If you’re looking for a way to feel older than you are (note the sarcasm…) then take some time to go somewhere you haven’t been in years. Driving to my old school made me feel both like I had been there yesterday, and that it had been 100 years at the same time. I remembered almost every turn in the road, every corner store, and even the smells in the air. However, the area has developed quite a bit which made certain parts of the drive almost unrecognizable.

It’s kind of sad to see a place you spent a lot of time at as a kid all run down. I remember that particular school building as always being pretty creepy, but it was always kept up nicely. Now the windows are boarded up (well, most of them), the playground is overgrown, and the walls are covered in spray paint. Just pulling in the parking lot brought back vivid memories of lining up outside the side door waiting to go into the school, or playing outside during recess.

Since taking Susan to my old school brought back so many memories, I was able to share a lot of details about my childhood that I would likely have otherwise forgotten. I am sad that the building has essentially fallen apart, but I’ll always remember that place in a positive light. Of course, now whenever I think of it I’ll always remember us screaming in fear as we drove around the back of the building and saw an open window.

If you have a spot that meant something to you growing up, take a little trip and share it with someone. You’ll be surprised at the detail of your memories, and maybe even create some new ones along the way.

SHE SAID:

I didn’t meet Brad until the year he graduated high school, so I haven’t visited many of the places he frequented on a daily basis as a child. Oddly enough, I have visited more places in New Brunswick, where he lived until he was six. Of the places I have revisited with him, I quite enjoyed seeing the various landmarks from his life before me. That is, until our most recent walk down memory lane.

Brad decided it would be fun if we took a drive to his old elementary school, which has since been closed. I knew in advance that the school was no longer in operation, but I didn’t realize the building was pretty much condemned. Since Brad went to a private school for a large portion of his education, I had images of driving up to a slightly aged and neglected, but otherwise stately building, something reminiscent of Roman architecture. What we drove up to was more like the ruins of Hiroshima.

Considering how much my heart rate rose just from the creepy overgrown playground and being in such an isolated location, I’m not sure how the drive around back didn’t send me into cardiac arrest. Initially, it sounded like an innocent enough suggestion. Why not get the grand tour, right? However, as we turned the corner onto the remains of what used to be a paved driveway, I knew I was in for it.

Picture a dark and narrow pathway with the actual building on your left and creepy pine trees next to a cliff on your right. As we were nearing the end of this pathway, to our left, next to the former teacher parking area, was a pitch-dark open basement window. Its glass had long since been kicked out and plastic flapped along its wooden frame. We both screamed in horror as I locked the doors and Brad motioned for me to take a picture. Take a picture?! The worst part was that in order to get out of there we had to turn around and drive past it again. Thankfully we managed to escape any axe murders or fire-breathing dragons that may have been lurking in the basement.

For those of you considering taking your significant other for a walk down memory lane, be sure your location isn’t the perfect setting for a Stephen King novel. That being said, I will admit it was kind of fun to scare ourselves into a feverish sweat. It was scary at the time, but I can look back on it now and chuckle.

One of our favorite fall activities is pumpkin carving. This year we thought it would be fun to both carve part of the same pumpkin. Though there were a few mishaps along the way, it was a lot of fun.

SHE SAID:

I think this was my most enjoyable pumpkin carving experience yet and I think I know why. For starters, my design (our logo) wasn’t too complicated with crazy precision cuts and detail (although Brad almost gave the boy a uni-leg). I’ve always wanted to carve one of those advanced portraits that require fancy pumpkin carving kits, but I’m not convinced I have the patience or time for that. On a side note, has anyone ever used one of those kits? Are they worth the investment?

Since I didn’t carve a very detailed design, I wasn’t sitting on our living room floor for hours on end, with my hips seizing and ready to snap. I decided to carve the girl part of the logo and Brad carved the boy, so it only took me about 15 minutes. Before we carved anything, Brad printed off a large version of the stick figures in our logo. Then I drew them onto the pumpkin with a marker as a basic guide. I had a lot of fun carving our pumpkin this year and I’m really happy to be displaying it on our front step.

If you’re new to pumpkin carving, here are a few tips to help you on your way:

• Carve a hole in the top that’s big enough to allow easy scooping out of the pumpkin guts. Don’t forget to cut on an angle so the top has something to sit on.
• Scoop out the guts with a spoon and roast the seeds if desired
• Draw on the pumpkin or use a template and punch the design onto your pumpkin with a tack or nail.
• Only make flesh wounds your first time around the design to avoid making too big of a gouge, then go back around to make deeper cuts.
• Instead of trying to push out one massive piece, if your design allows, cut the larger section up into smaller chunks to push through.

HE SAID:

Pumpkin carving wasn’t really a tradition in our house growing up. I’m not sure why, but we just never really cared to do it every year. I think it’s safe to say it’s a tradition for Susan and I though, since we’ve carved a pumpkin every year since we got married.

Due to time constraints, we decided to do the initial gutting of the pumpkin and the carving on separate nights. This might not have been the best idea as our pumpkins are already beginning to go mushy on the bottom. Carving pumpkins doesn’t require much set up, just spread out some garbage bags or newspaper, grab a spoon and a few different size knives and you’re ready to go.

Those of you who have been reading Things To Do For Two for a while will remember in our post about the Cold Stone Creamery that I mentioned how I really don’t like it when my food gets mashed together. Well, I have another small “thing” (some people might call it an “issue”…) I need to confess to you. I really don’t like getting my hands dirty. I’ve been this way since I was little. I distinctly remember on the drive home from school one day as a kid, I looked over at the kid next to me who had food all over his fingers. He didn’t even care. He just sat there like it was no big deal. Even now just thinking about it gets me anxious. So you can imagine how much I love shoving my hand inside a freshly cut pumpkin and scooping out the seeds…

Moving on.

If you are looking for a design to carve into your pumpkin, try to stay away from anything with small round corners, or any other intricate details. Since we just carved our logo into one of our pumpkins, it was fairly easy. Susan carved the girl half and I carved the boy half. There was only one emergency in the process. On the very last part of the pumpkin to be carved, I was supposed to leave a thin piece to separate the legs of my half. Well, in trying to pull out a chunk of leg I almost snapped off that piece which would have resulted in a dude with an abnormally long torso. Thankfully we were able to salvage it and it actually turned out quite nice.

Other than having to shove my hand into a nasty pumpkin, the only other down side was that my wrist felt like it was going to snap by the end of the carving. I’m sure that’s not normal, so don’t worry about it when you carve yours.
I’m sure most of you have tried this before. But for anyone who hasn’t, it’s a lot of fun. Last year I carved the Batman symbol into my pumpkin, which I was quite proud of. If you have any pumpkin carving stories we would love to hear them. Also, if you want to send us pictures of your carved pumpkins we could make a gallery to share them with everyone. If you are still looking for ideas of what to carve, check out this website for lots of great ideas. By the way, we still have one pumpkin left to carve so if you have any requests please let us know.

Cost – Free!

SHE SAID:

I must have been half asleep when I agreed to watch a sunrise, because normally I would not voluntarily wake up before the break of dawn on a weekend. I find if I can force myself to break the sleep barrier, I’m actually quite happy I woke up early, but that barrier is not easily broken.

If you share in the same disdain for all things morning related, a hot, caffeine enriched drink is a key ingredient for you. We went the cheapy way and made our own tea in traveler mugs, but if that’s a deal breaker for you, there’s sure to be enough change under the sofa cushions to grab a cup at your local coffee shop.

I have a beautiful drive to work every morning and wanted Brad to experience it as well, but somehow we hit the road too early (6:30am) and out drove the sunrise. So, we went for plan B and headed to Lawrencetown Beach. In hindsight, this should have been our original plan because the sunrise against the waves was spectacular. However, when we were planning this I was secretly trying to avoid the beach because I find it particularly eerie in the dark.

Since we were originally planning to stay in the car and be driving as the sun rose, I didn’t dress very warmly. When we arrived at the beach and saw how beautiful it was I couldn’t resist getting out of the car to take a few photos, which don’t do the sunrise justice at all. Within a few minutes I thought my finger had frozen to the shutter button and regretfully got back into the car. I’m thinking a snowsuit and a thermal blanket would be best for the next visit, or maybe just visiting during a warmer season.

If you need a reward like I do for getting up early on a weekend, going out for breakfast afterward is the perfect finale for your early morning date. We went to Kempster’s in Halifax afterward because I was craving their delicious blueberry pancakes and I was not disappointed.

I’m really glad I agreed to this date for several reasons. Not only did I get to see a breathtaking sunrise, but more importantly I also got to spend some quality time with Brad amidst the busyness of life. Plus, since I was up so early that day I got way more work accomplished than normal and even got to nap in the afternoon. We enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it again. If you’ve done this before or do so in the future, let us know of any other great spots to check out a sunrise from.

HE SAID:

Susan and I are an “opposites attract” type of couple. Never is that more evident than early in the morning. I love getting up really early, especially on a cool fall day. I have learned over our few short years together that she doesn’t necessarily share in my love of early mornings to put it lightly.

I know you’re probably thinking that you get up early every day and head off to work as the sun is coming up. Why would you get up on a weekend to see the same thing. You would be right. However, this is something entirely different.

After driving out towards Porter’s Lake, Susan decided we had left too early to see the sunrise the way she does throughout the week. We took the next exit and drove around randomly before deciding to just drive to Lawrencetown Beach. As soon as we rounded the corner and saw the huge waves I knew we had come to the right place. The water seemed to almost be glowing in the little bit of light that was beginning to show. I was really surprised at how big the waves were. We sat on the big rocks that are normally a good distance away from the water, but we had to run out of the way of the waves a few times. There were also a few (crazy) surfers out. I don’t know how they do it because I was frozen with a jacket and a sweater on.

If you want to try this out there are few things to keep in mind. One is that it takes a while for the sun to come up. From the moment you begin to see light on the horizon to the time it feels like the sunrise is over it can be about an hour. Also, if your local sunrise time is 7:00 am for example, that’s the time that it’s pretty much over with. You’ll want to be at your location by 6:30 at the latest. Check this website out for your local sunrise time.

It sounds cheesy to drive to the beach and watch the sun come up, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s not like in the movies (at least for us) where you sit there hand in hand while the orchestra music swells up as the sun fills the sky with bright colours. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We walked around and explored the area, enjoyed the company of a few nature photographers and other morning people, and just had a fun time. Of course, you don’t have to go to the beach. Just go to your favorite spot and enjoy. If you’re not a morning person, then pump the caffeine into your system and get out there. If you’re like me and enjoy getting up early then you shouldn’t need much prompting to give it a shot.

Cost - It’s totally up to you. If you decide to just play the game then it’s free!

If you are looking for a fun little indoor activity on a chilly day, try a book hunt. You go to a local book store with someone, split up, and with a time limit you try to pick out a book that the other person might like. Then you meet up and reveal your choices to one another. We gave it a shot, and although we didn’t stick to our own rules we really enjoyed it.

SHE SAID:

One of my favorite places to shop for gifts is at a bookstore. So when Brad suggested we go on a book hunt for each other I was in.

Chapters is a lot of real estate to cover in a short time frame so I chose the top three sections I thought I might find something he enjoyed. I also tried to think of any recent conversations we had about his latest interests, curiosities, etc. I tend to be a tad indecisive, and coupling that with a time crunch spells disaster, so it’s no wonder I ended up coming back to the meeting spot with more than one book. Three to be exact.

I found the hunt for the books and the big reveal to be very exciting, but no so much the deciding what book to keep. This is why I recommend sticking to only bringing one book back to your partner. Giving yourself more time to hunt for books may help with this. Brad gave me 15 minutes, without a watch, in a store with many shopping distractions, to find an awesome gift. I recommend a good half hour, but don’t take so long that you have to put an announcement over the PA for a lost partner.

Brad’s first picks for me were massive novels, which I would have loved were it July and I had endless hours to read at the beach. However, it’s October and I need magazine type texts to flip through at my leisure.

The second attempt was very successful. Option #1 was a massive book of nothing but lists. Option #2 was a tip book on how to buy yourself more time (was that a hint?) and Option #3 (my favorite!) was a quick decorating book for people on the go. In the end, my frugal and practical side won out and I didn’t end up getting a book that Brad had picked out for me (sorry love bug!) but a book I needed for school. If nothing else, Brad has some great ideas for Christmas….

HE SAID:

After almost three and a half years of marriage we finally put all of our knowledge about each other to the test. We went to Chapters, split up, and took 15 minutes to pick out three books that we thought the other might like.

First of all I should say that we bent the rules quite a bit on this one. I think the idea is to each pick out one book, and no matter what ends up getting picked, you have to buy it. We decided not only to pick out more than one book each, but to do two rounds of picks. We also went in with a budget in mind, but that didn’t last long as I am horrible at looking at prices when I shop for Susan.

I went into this feeling quite confident that I could pick out the perfect book on the first try. Then I got knee deep in choices and realized it was going to be harder than I thought. Do I go for a novel, or more information oriented book? While Susan (of course) took the more logical route of picking from what she thought was my top three favorite sections, I went the more frantic, running up and down the aisles in a panic route. In the first round I decided to pick out some novels. I knew that she doesn’t have the time to read one right now, but I figured it would be nice to have one to look forward to reading when some free time shows up. So in the second round I think I found some better choices for her.

I have to say, I was quite surprised by the books she picked out for me. I was expecting more random choices, books that I had never heard of before. Instead she went pretty safe and picked books I had either looked at before, or books by authors that I enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the books she picked out, I was just surprised.

We decided in the end not to buy any of the books we picked out for each other for two reasons. The first was because we both threw our original budget out the window. The second was that we decided the fun was in the hunt itself plus the reveal, not in the purchasing.

I had so much fun with this one and I can’t wait to try it again. It’s kind of like Christmas with more instant gratification. With a Christmas gift you often have to wait weeks or days, if not months, before you can see the reaction of the person you bought the gift for. With this you get to see the reaction almost immediately, plus you don’t even have to buy anything to have fun. I really got a kick out of watching Susan’s reactions to the books I picked for her and wanted to keep picking more, but we ran out of time.

So what are you waiting for? Go out to a local book store with someone and try this game. It’s a lot of fun, and the cost is totally up to you.

Fall festivals can be a lot of fun for two. They are a great excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the cool air and the fall colours. The Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay was something new to us. As we mentioned in our last post, we’ve gone to see the pumpkin people for the past three years, but we weren’t sure how these scarecrows would compare. So we jumped in the car on a sunny Saturday and drove to Mahone Bay to take a look.

HE SAID:

I tend to be the kind of person who enjoys traditions. I didn’t grow up in a family that had very many traditions, but for some reason I really enjoy them. I love the fact that every October we go get our pumpkins and our pumpkin fudge from the same spot and then go drive around and look at the pumpkin people. It’s just what we do. So when Susan suggested the Scarecrow Festival, I have to admit I was worried that:

a) it would mess up our pumpkin traditions (not good people, not good) or

b) it wouldn’t measure up to greatness that is the pumpkin people

Well, I’m pleased to report that I was wrong on both counts.

The Scarecrow Festival has a totally different feel than the Kentville Harvest Festival, largely because of how the towns are laid out. Going to see the pumpkin people involves driving along and enjoying the scenery while getting out to look around every now and then, while the Scarecrow Festival involves more walking, exploring, and bumping into people you know on Twitter.

I wasn’t expecting the scarecrows to be done up in such detail. Most of the celebrity scarecrows were easily recognizable, and even the more random ones were done very nicely. I think my favorite was the vampire one, at least I think it was a vampire. It just seemed so odd to see all these nice happy looking scarecrows and then over near the water is a vampire chasing down some innocent bystander scarecrows.

The other great thing about the festival was all the nice little shops along the way. Every shop is different from the next and they all have something worth looking at. One shop even had cookies and coffee available for it’s shoppers which I thought was really great. Some of the other activities going on were an antique fair, an old fashioned pie baking contest, and at night there is a “magical pumpkin path” which features a display of carved pumpkins that are lit up.

I had a really great time at the Scarecrow Festival and will definitely go back next year. If you are looking for something fun to do for two, do a little research to see if there are any fall festivals going on in your area. It’s a great way to get out and enjoy the fall weather together.

SHE SAID:

When I first heard about the Great Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay, I knew we had to go check it out. I was a little worried it might be kind of lame, but it proved to be quite enjoyable.

When I think of scarecrows I think of the ones my Grandmother used to craft out of a broomstick, an old flannel shirt and aluminum pie plates. The scarecrows of Mahone Bay are of another class altogether. For one, they actually have faces and some of them are even famous. Some stand alone, while others are grouped with fellow politicians or musicians.

Of the thirty or so we saw, my favourite was the Michael Jackson scarecrow outside of Sea Witch Cottage. The designer captured him perfectly in scarecrow form, complete with black shoes, white socks and mangled nose. Thriller was even playing in the background. Oh, sweet, straw-stuffed Michael.

If you’re thinking of going next year, I would consider going early. We got there around 10 am and it was a nice leisurely walk, but by the time we were ready to leave 2 hours later, the sidewalks were packed and traffic was crawling. We didn’t get to check out everything that was going on during the Scarecrow Festival, but I’ll be sure to check out the Magical Pumpkin Path for pumpkin carving inspiration.

If I had to choose one season to live in for the rest of my life, it would be autumn. I love when the summer humidity finally leaves and is replaced by the crisp, frosty air. I love pulling out my sweaters, scarves and fall coat and dressing in layers. Since these lovely conditions only last so long before winter punches us in the face, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather forecast and create a day around the symbolic fall vegetable – the pumpkin.

SHE SAID:

After my sister told me about some pumpkin pancakes she saw advertised during her latest vacation to the States, I was determined to start my day with these. Unfortunately, the trend has not caught on yet (that I could find) in the Halifax area. I could have attempted making them using one of the numerous recipes online, but that could have created two possible ugly scenarios: 1) choosing a bad recipe and making crap pancakes and 2) having to make breakfast – bleck!

Even though there are stores 5 minutes away that sell pumpkins, we like to go to Hennigar’s in Wolfville. If you’re into ripping your own pumpkin out of the ground, the Stirling Fruit Farms just before Hennigar’s lets you indulge in such experiences.

Though Brad loves sorting through the gourds and pumpkins, I go to Hennigar’s mainly for the delicious pumpkin fudge! I discovered this decadent treat a couple of years ago and have been back to buy it every fall since then. Personally, I think it is equal in greatness to pumpkin pie, if not better. They had a “Buy 1lb, get a ½ lb free” deal going on, so I was able to get even more…to share with friends and family of course.

Brad and I also usually buy a new Christmas ornament at Hennigar’s while we’re out getting our pumpkins. We must have come too early this year because the trees that normally house these weren’t set up yet. Oh well, an excuse for another outing!

Once we had selected the pumpkins for our carvings this year (more on that in a later post), there was one more thing to check out – the pumpkin people! Every October the town of Kentville has a Harvest Festival, where businesses and residents alike create pumpkin people displays. This year’s theme celebrates the winter Olympics. We suggest going towards the end of October to see the complete display.

Though we were kind of bummed out by the few pumpkin people displays and no ornaments at Hennigar’s, we made the best of it and had a fun pumpkin day nonetheless.

HE SAID:

What do you get when you have pumpkins, pumpkin spice latte’s, pumpkin fudge, and pumpkin people? You guessed it, Pumpkin Day! In the three years we have been married, this annual day trip has become one of my favorite traditions.

The drive down to get our pumpkin was fantastic. The fall colours were amazing so there was no shortage of beautiful scenery. Mixing the perfect fall day with a pumpkin spice latte was a really great choice since there’s not too many things I like more than a cool, early morning with a hot drink.

Our destination was Hennigar’s. Sure we could be more adventurous and get our pumpkin from a pumpkin patch, but I like that everything we want is right there. Hennigar’s is always full of people since there is a market there where you can buy fresh veggies and lots of other things. Once we picked up our pumpkin fudge we headed into the green house to pick out our pumpkins.

You know that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where they trudge through the snow until they find the perfect Christmas tree as a chorus of angels sing and a light from heaven guides them to the right one? Well for me, picking out a pumpkin at Hennigar’s is just like that. Minus the snow…and the Christmas trees…and the angelic choir….and the heavenly lights. So maybe it’s not quite the same, but it is in my head. I love walking by the rows of pumpkins over and over until I find the one with the perfect size and shape. I think I found the perfect one this year if I do say so myself.

Once we loaded our pumpkins into the car we headed out to see the pumpkin people (technically it’s the Kentville Harvest Festival). I remember three years ago when I first saw them. I thought it was the creepiest thing I had ever seen. Now I love it. Unfortunately there weren’t as many up as usual since we went a little early, but there’s still lots of time left for anyone who still wants to go visit.

So that was pumpkin day. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday in the fall. We also went to the Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay on the same day, but we’ll tell you about that later this week. What are some of your favorite fall traditions? If you’ve ever done a pumpkin day we would love to hear about it.