Posts Tagged ‘thanksgiving’

Seasonal shift

laelene Posted in video blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 November 2015
0

With the days getting cooler and shorter, we’re on the brink of the holidays. Some things I enjoy most from this change are the festive lights that start popping up everywhere, the rain that will eventually turn to snow, and the potential deals to be had! Here are some videos showing a few of those experiences…

twinkling tree holiday lights from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

snowfall in reston town center from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

There’s something very exciting about the first snowfall of the season. It starts a new era.

target black friday time lapse from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Last year was the first time we did Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving night! And the first time I took advantage of Black Friday deals in years. Or maybe ever.

Black Friday (on Thanksgiving) for a First-Timer

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
27 November 2014
0

My family isn’t big on shopping and my mom’s great at getting deals unrelated to the craze of this time of year. Growing up, we never did Black Friday (who wants to wake up that early?) and we enjoyed a much more chill holiday weekend. However, in recent years with retailers opening Thanksgiving night, it’s become something that I actually considered doing. Lining up at 5 pm at night is far easier than crawling up at 2 in the morning to get in line by 3. This year, Panda and I decided the one item we’d look for is a TV. We had never really gotten a TV since moving to the condo, so we had this giant living room area and no screen to match. What we’ve had is a 24″ that came free with the couch set. Not nearly the size you need when you’re sitting a good 10 feet away.

This morning, the ads came and we confirmed what we wanted: a 48″ Westinghouse at Target. With doors opening at 6, we decided to get into line around 5.

line outside target store thanksgiving night for target black friday store opening sale

It got pretty cold in line, but it definitely could have been worse.

target crackers with deal coupons inside

I’m not sure Americans know what crackers are, but the Brits certainly would!

westinghouse 48 inch tv on sale for black friday at target

Snagged that and went to check out!

broken brand new westinghouse tv screen

Not what we wanted to see upon turning it on.

westinghouse 48 inch tv being exchanged for in-stock 50 inch at target

Of course they were out of stock when we went to exchange it, but we were able to get the 50″ instead.

brand new 50 inch tv versus small 24 inch old one

Now that’s more like it… the old TV was sooo small.

It turned out to be quite the adventure and required another trip to Target. At first, the manager seemed reluctant to give us an exchange for a similar product without charging us the difference (which sort of defeats the purpose of the Black Friday deal, don’t you think?). Luckily, when we found the same brand with a slightly larger screen, she was willing to let the extra $100 price difference slide and gave us an even exchange. At least we got an extra 2 inches for all that hassle!

Home for Thanksgiving!

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
28 November 2013
2

Happy Turkey Day! I’m thankful to be home. 🙂

It was a strange feeling yesterday to show up to work with half the office out, then work a short day. I left around 4:30 and ended up taking a nap when I got home. I woke up about two hours later and tried to get some work done. Between attempting to blog, chatting with Panda, and getting distracted by the news, I had a busy night. Before I knew it, the night had passed me by and Panda was settling in for some shuteye before our flight. I kept working and at 3:30 I decided that it wasn’t worth it to try to sleep, so I took a shower and started to get ready. I pretty much had nothing to pack since I’ve got everything I need at home, so I decided to treat myself by bringing my sherpa blanket with me. Panda got up at 4:50 and we were outside by 5:15, right as the taxi showed up.

flying over colorado mountains covered in snow

Hello somewhere in Colorado.

As soon as we got on the plane, I settled in with my blankets and drifted off to sleep. When I awoke, I felt like we should be nearly there, but it was only 10:30 EST… we were flying over Colorado with two more hours to go. This is the first time I’ve actually felt hot on a plane ride, so I’m definitely going to try to bring my blanket with me for all future travel purposes, if there’s room. I hate having cold feet! After playing some games on my phone and catching a few more Zs, we started our descent. We arrived a good half hour early and got picked up by our respective families. My mom and cousin came to get me since my dad’s back is not doing so well. It was great to see my family again and I had a good time catching up with my dad. Soon after, I got a chance to do what I’ve been missing for months: play with Missy! She’s my baby and loves me the most – probably because I’m the only one who scratches her neck, rubs her face, and lets her sit/sleep on me all she wants. I took some time to go through my things at home to prepare items to move. Tons of memories to come! It’s weird being home; I feel different out here. It’s like my life out here is completely separate from that of my life out east. It’s surreal being back and I hope to really relax during this time. 🙂 And now I’ll some of my day in pictures…

cat sitting on sofa back

I got home to find a sleepy, confused Molly. “Who are you again?”

cat playing under person's legs staring out

Missy ran in and out of my legs for awhile as we played in the yard.

cat laying on person's arm sleeping

Pretty soon, she found her way to my lap and took a nap.

cat sleeping on person's chest

Eventually I went up to my room and Missy decided to join me for a nap.

thanksgiving turkey fresh out of oven

It’s turkey time! My mom made a delicious turkey.

collage of thanksgiving meal laid out and dishes with food

We always have a Chinese American turkey day, with turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, and random Chinese vegetable dishes.

cat sitting on person's lap at dinner table

Whenever I’m eating, Missy likes to come sit on my lap. I then end up sitting there for hours because I don’t want to move her.

scratching cat's chin

Missy loooves being scratched – under the chin, behind the ears, along the neck, on her back… it’s all good!

cat sneaking a taste of thanksgiving turkey

She’s a naughty girl who likes to sneak a taste of our food! I eventually had to hide the turkey in the oven.

cat sniffing pineapple and rubbing teeth on leaves

She loves to use pineapples as an after dinner mint/floss. Gotta keep that breath fresh!

Homegrown Collective October 2013 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
13 November 2013
0

I’ve had this Homegrown Collective GREENBOX for a week or so but hadn’t gotten around to taking pictures! Finally, this morning I braved the cold porch and got these shots. I’m looking forward to trying these fun projects, which are very well-themed for the cooler seasons.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

contents of the homegrown collective october 2013 box with harvest feast theme

homegrown collective october 2013 preserving & preparing the harvest feast box info sheets on the inner lid in plastic sleeve

Project #1, antioxidants & superfoods: Ok, so technically this isn’t a project and they just tell you about the benefits of cinnamon, ginger, and cranberries, which were some of the featured items in this month’s box. I think it would have been nice if they had included some simple suggestions for how to incorporate these into your diet for those health benefits mentioned.

the homegrown collective october 2013 antioxidants & superfoods info card

Learn about what makes these food items so fabulous!

the homegrown collective october 2013 products for antioxidants & superfoods

I wonder if you can make something tasty with all three of these…

Project #2, gourd candle making: How fun! I love candles even if I don’t actually burn them very often. The concept of a gourd as the container is really cool and unique. I can be confident nobody else will have one quite like mine. 🙂

the homegrown collective october 2013 project gourd candle making info card

What a fun way to make a unique candle.

the homegrown collective october 2013 products for gourd candle making

Looks like fun – can’t wait to try it!

Project #3, water bath canning: I’ve never tried canning before, so this is perfect. I like pretty much anything that involves a mason jar these days (I know, it’s a silly criteria). I don’t usually eat cranberries but I’m definitely looking forward to contributing them to the Thanksgiving gathering this year!

the homegrown collective october 2013 project water bath canning info card

Gonna try my hand at canning, how cool!

the homegrown collective october 2013 products for water bath canning

Seems like quite an interesting process. Hope it tastes yummy!

the homegrown collective october 2013 project food preservation 101 info card

And some information about preserving and canning your own food.

Do you receive The Homegrown Collective too? What do you think about the projects this time?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

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