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.

Cost – $5.00 – $10.00 depending on what you choose to include in your time capsule.

Creating a time capsule is a great way to reflect on the good things from the past, and prepare for the future. We put together a time capsule for less than $5 by mostly using things around the house. If you’re looking for something to do without spending much money, this might be just what you’re looking for.

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SHE SAID:

From time to time it’s fun to imagine what the future might hold. When I was 16 and tried to think of where my life would be in 10 years I probably couldn’t think of much more than having a university degree and being married. There’s a lot of talk when you’re graduating and going to university about your future, but once you hit your late 20’s there’s not so much of that.

Creating a time capsule was a great motivational tool to keep us thinking about what we want for our future and how we’re going to get there. Now that I’m 26 and look ahead another 10 years I feel like I know what I want for my family and myself better than when I was 16. I used to have a tendency to think that once I reached 25 that life’s excitement was over and there were no more huge milestones to reach, but now I realize that was crazy talk. When I think ahead 10 years at the thoughts of being 36 I don’t feel as panicked as I used to. Instead, I think of all the things we have to look forward to like trips, children, and other new experiences.

Though the thoughts of creating a time capsule may be appealing, it’s not something you can easily put together in a short time span. If you want to make it good and worth opening in 10 years, you’ll have to put in lots of thought and preparation. It might be useful to spend one afternoon just brainstorming ideas and then another afternoon cold be spent gathering materials and assembling the actual time capsule. You could probably even stretch it into 3 dates if you wanted to put more thought into the appearance of your time capsule than just a cardboard box like ours.

HE SAID:

We recently spent some time purging our basement. It’s an unfinished basement, so we’ve been using it mainly for storage. At first it was just a few items sitting down there in the dark, but over the past few years it has grown a little messier than we like.

In the process of this cleaning spree we came across a lot of things that we put in boxes 3 and a half years ago when we left our separate homes and got married. I found old pictures from my childhood, old school books, awards from piano recitals, etc. It was a lot of fun to look through everything, so I can’t wait to break open our time capsule in ten years and look through it.

We started by adding things about our culture that might make us laugh in ten years like a magazine that showcases how people dress in 2010, some flyers with the current gadgets and gizmos, a list of current gas prices, among other things.

We also added some more personal items. We both made a “Favourites” list of our top 5 movies, tv shows, and musicians that we like right now. I can’t wait to see how my taste in movies and music changes over the course of ten years. We then made up separate ten year plans. We wrote down where we want to be in 2020, what our hopes and dreams are, you get the idea.

One fun item we threw into the time capsule is a USB thumb drive. It wasn’t included because we think it’s cutting edge technology or anything. Instead we filled it with pictures. I threw in screen shots from various websites like CNN, CBC, the current Billboard music charts, movies that are playing at Empire Theatres, as well as pictures of the car we drive and the house we live in. I’m sure those will be fun to look back on in ten years. Here’s hoping I’ll actually be able to use a USB device in ten years.

Once everything was together, we put it all in a cardboard box. We then labelled it and sealed it tight with packing tape. Since we just purged out our basement, we have a nice little empty spot underneath the stairs, so that’s where the box will sit until we move.

Of course if you make your own time capsule it doesn’t have to be set aside for ten years. We simply decided to wait that long to make the impact bigger when we open it. If you do decide to make one, make sure to include things that showcase current technology, trends, and costs of living. Don’t forget to include a few personal items as well. We included a funny pen that Susan bought when she first started teaching, my little Batman and Batmobile toys, and a souvenir from a trip to PEI where we held hands and got them dipped in wax.

I think we did a good mix of things that will make us remember this time period, as well as things that will bring back good personal memories. Making a time capsule can be a lot of fun. Don’t be afraid to take your time with it. Everyone’s time capsule will be different, so don’t feel too pressured to include anything that we did. If you’ve ever put a time capsule together before we’d love to hear about it. If you haven’t, go ahead and give it a try!

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.

With visions of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory dancing through our heads, we visited our local comic book stores for the first time. Though we aren’t comic book collectors by any means, we did find plenty of things to enjoy at both Strange Adventures and Quantum Frontier. The question is, does going to a comic book store make for a fun afternoon for two?

HE SAID:

My first experience at a comic book store happened when we were in New York a few years ago. I had nightmares of large, bespectacled, balding men in black trench coats quietly flipping the pages of comic books as they judged me from afar for not belonging in their store. In fact, the only comic books I ever read growing up were of the Archie variety, so I didn’t have high hopes for that particular outing.

While my expectations were low, my actual experience was quite fun. Not only did they have the expected comic books, but their shelves were also lined with lots of different TV and movie related products. They had everything from miniature Lego-like figures of the cast of 24, to a “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” toy.

Also, there were no large, bespectacled, balding men in black trench coats judging me from afar. They were judging me from about a foot and a half away…. I kid, I kid!

So when Susan suggested we check out our local comic book store (yes, you read that right), I was actually pretty excited. We knew of two comic book stores in the Halifax area, Strange Adventures and Quantum Frontier, so we checked them both out.

First up was Strange Adventures. Though it feels somewhat cave-like, it is overflowing with geeky goodness. From action figures, to t-shirts, to graphic novels, you name it and they have it. I was especially excited by their board game selection. There were a few I had played before (like Carcassonne and Risk) but many that I had never heard of.

Next we went to Quantum Frontier. It has a completely different feel than Strange Adventures. It is much more open, and bright – a more typical business space. It felt like they had less product to browse than Strange Adventures, but that could have simply been a result of the layout of the room.

I really enjoyed looking through the display cases of action figures, the geeky t-shirts, and all the other products at both stores. It helped that Susan seemed genuinely interested in it all. I had fun telling her who the different super heroes were, what the symbols on the clothing stood for, etc.

Is going to a comic book store the best date idea ever? Maybe not. If you don’t know Star Wars from Star Trek, or Carcassonne from Settlers of Catan, it might not be up your alley. Then again, sometimes it’s fun to try something you wouldn’t normally do. We enjoyed ourselves, but it didn’t take long for us to go through both stores. So if you decide to check out your local comic book store you should probably include other plans in your day.

In conclusion, I have a quick piece of advice for the guys who are reading this blog post:

Do not, I repeat DO NOT surprise the special lady in your life with an afternoon at a comic book store. Make sure she is on board 100% before you step through that door. If you do not heed my advice your outing will surely go down in flames.

SHE SAID:

I’m not a die hard comic book collector and I probably couldn’t name more than 10 comic book series, but I do appreciate the art. I was only ever into Archie as a kid and would often beg my mother to buy me the Double Digests on display in the grocery line.

When I suggested going for a little outing to our local comic book stores, it was mostly because they do tend to have cool little figurines and unique gifts you can buy for your comic book loving friends. Since Brad’s birthday is coming up in April I thought I would go to get any possible birthday gift ideas.

Out of the two stores we went to in Halifax (Strange Adventures on Sackville Street and Quantum Frontier on Robie Street) Strange Adventures definitely had more selection, but I liked the layout of Quantum Frontier better because it seemed more organized and less cramped. Both places have good selections of t-shirts, figurines and, of course, comic books.

If you’re indifferent to comic books it might be worth it to plan to go somewhere afterwards that you enjoy to balance out the fun. On the other hand, if you’re both really into comics, you could create your own story using your own photos and one of the multiple comic creator software programs, such as Comic Life, and give it as a gift. Comic Life offers a 30 day free trial, can be used on a PC or a Mac and is super easy to use.

Finally, if you’re still leery of stepping foot inside a comic book store, if you wait until May 1st, you can take part in Free Comic Book Day. You check out all the fun products and maybe even get something for free.

What do you think, are we crazy for going to a comic book store as a thing to do for two? Or do you think it could be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon? Let us know in the comments.

Update – We have a winner!

Thank you for all the entries and wonderful comments for this giveaway. We’ve really enjoyed reading all your stories about your best & worst Valentine’s Day.

The randomly chosen winner is (drumroll please….) @Toaster4JC!

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to enter the giveaway and we hope you continue to enjoy Things To Do For Two.

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With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, we thought it would be fun to do another giveaway. We realize that a lot of people have strong opinions on Valentine’s Day. Some people hate it, some people love it, some people think it is just an excuse for Hallmark to suck money out of our wallets. Regardless, we think you’ll enjoy this giveaway. It’s a gift basket full of coffee related goodness from the good people at Perks Coffee. It includes a travel mug, a t-shirt, a few different types of coffee, some Gold and Specialty Club cards, some heart shaped chocolates, and more.

If you’re looking for a nice gift to give on Valentine’s Day for that coffee lover in your life, this fits the bill nicely. Or if you prefer, you can keep it all for yourself. We won’t judge you.

Here are the details of the giveaway

The Prize: 1 Gift Basket courtesy of Perks Coffee

How to Enter:

1) Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/thingstodofor2 and send out a tweet that says (without the quotes):

“Win a Valentine’s Day gift basket from @thingstodofor2 and Perks Coffee. Pls RT. Details here: http://bit.ly/chjWAX”

2) Leave a comment on this post telling us about your best or your worst Valentine’s Day experience.

You can enter the giveaway through Twitter or by leaving a comment, or you can do both and get two entries. If you do both, please include your Twitter name in your comment so we can keep track of everything.

Fine Print: Contest closes Thursday, February 11th at 2pm ADT and is open to Canadian and U.S. readers. If you are chosen as a winner we will message you to find out your shipping address. You then have 72 hours to respond to our message.

Cost – Free!

The annual Holiday Parade of Lights is the official start of the holiday season in Halifax. Every year thousands of people gather along the city streets to watch the floats go by. It’s a great chance to get outside and spend some time with each other.

SHE SAID:

Every year I plan on attending our local Holiday Parade of Lights and every year I swear I’ll never go again. This year I think I mean it. The parade this year was just plain weird. There were massive five-minute breaks in between floats and at least half the floats had nothing to do with the holidays. At some points it felt more like a Mardi Gras parade than Christmas parade.

That’s not to say every Christmas parade is a waste of time. If you don’t mind bundling up, fighting traffic and heading out into crowds of people, parades are for you. If you haven’t been to a parade since you believed in Santa Claus and want to give it another try, mind the following tips:

• Leave early enough so that you can park and walk before they close the streets off. We arrived 30 minutes before the parade started and that was cutting it close. To eliminate traffic stress, leave an hour and a half before the parade starts.
• Bring a chair and/or blanket. Cold sidewalk + lack of movement = parade anger.
• Bring or buy a hot drink to avoid the aforementioned parade anger.
• Plan to go out for appetizers or dessert afterward to avoid sitting in traffic as everyone tries to head home.

HE SAID:

When I was younger, I may or may not have watched a show called MAD TV (…don’t judge me!). On said show, there was a sketch called “Lowered Expectations” about a dating service for people who are REALLY having trouble finding love. I don’t remember if the sketches were actually funny or not, but the jingle has planted itself firmly inside my brain, only showing itself when I’m in a situation that calls for, you guessed it, lowered expectations.

A few years ago we had the opportunity to go to Disney during the holidays. One of the highlights of that trip was the parade/fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom. It was one of the most well done events I have ever seen. It oozed so much happiness and Christmas cheer that even the Grinch would have loved it.

When I go to a parade now I try to push aside those memories because there’s just no way our city will be able to put on such a spectacle. That said, I had fun at this year’s Holiday Parade of Lights. I dressed in so many layers I could barely move, got freezing cold regardless, grumbled about the huge empty spots in the parade, but I’ll probably bundle up and do the exact same thing next year.

I love seeing the huge crowds lining the streets as they await a glimpse of Santa. I love the floats with live bands playing Christmas songs. I love the kids in the parade who get distracted and fall behind their group. Most of all, I love hanging out with Susan and the friends we go along with. That’s really what it’s all about.

The best part of the night was when the parade was finished and we tried to get out of the parking garage. It was like we were in a demented disaster movie. We were shuffling along up a creepy staircase packed with people trying to escape impending doom, I mean, get to their cars. After realizing that none of the cars had moved an inch in a half hour, we ditched the car and went out for nachos.

Local holiday parades may not have the glitz and glamour of Disney, but they are still worth it. They bring everyone together, even just for a little while, and they kick off the Christmas season. I’ll definitely be going again next year.

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.