Pages

Rollerama {and a bunch of unrelated stuff}

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
IMG_0550
{Iphone photo}


As a marriage and parenting coach, I am always telling my clients how important it is to "date your mate."  With the busy schedules of a teen, a tween and a kindergartner it is a challenge for me to follow my own advice sometimes.

Anyway, last week was a blue one for me.  I am feeling so very lost.  I have perspective and realize my problems are small but nonetheless, they felt very overwhelming last week.  Dave saw me crying one day and realized we needed a date night ASAP!  So when Dave asked me where I wanted to go for dinner, I said..."I don't want to just go to dinner. I want to go do something fun! I want to laugh."  He said, "like what?"  I immediately said, "Rollerskating!"

Well, Dave had never roller-skated or rollerbladed in his whole life.  He had never been on wheels. Ever.  But my sweet husband tracked down a roller rink about 40 minutes from our house and we went roller skating!!!  We I had so much fun!  I was very shaky at first.  But all those Friday nights at the Rollerama in Bucks County, PA came rushing back to me.  Seriously, I spent a lot of time roller skating in my tween years.  

Dave and I really did have a great time.  It was just what we needed. He did great too. He did not fall once. I have a few seconds of video from my phone but I don't think he wants me to post it even though he looks awesome! In fact, I am going to try to come up with some more "fun" dates for us.  Let me know in the comments any fun date ideas you have.

On Sunday we went to the BEST Superbowl party!!!   Our friends have recently built the MOST amazing Mies van der Rohe style house.  It is huge.  It is stunningly gorgeous.  They had the most food I have ever seen anywhere from sliders and wings to steak and shrimp.  There was a fabulous frozen margarita machine and just about anything else you might have wanted.  The kids had a blast too.

IMG_0555
{Kate just before we left for the party (outfit Zulily).
I just got instagram but have NO clue how to use it!}

I curled my hair for the party ( who knew it would match Madonna's?)...

DSC_5854

DSC_5853
Great tutorial for curling hair here.  This is a darling blog too.

IMG_0563

(an I phone snap at the party. My I-phone stinks. It is old.)

I was outside by the fire and the outdoor kitchen watching with my friends on the big scren.  My kids were in that room beyond the glass.  A HUGE media room with a movie screen, a flat screen, a pool table, a shuffleboard table, and a fireplace.  It was perfect!


I know a lot of people did not like Madonna's half time show but I did.  I was taken back to the 80's driving around in my shiny red pinto listening to her!  I LOVED Madonna's music when I was in high school and college.  And I can tell you this.  There were about 100 people at this party and the only time everyone was staring at the multiple screens was when Madonna was on.  People were mesmerized.

Okay so back to my hair.  It is getting so long and it looks awful down.  So, I have been trying new things.  Here is the messy sock bun.  Yup there is a sock in there.  Tutorial here and here.
(This one was the first one I did but I have gotten much better at it)

DSC_5537

DSC_5536

I am getting my hair hi-lighted on Thursday and I might cut it shorter too.  What do you think? I wear it up or curled everyday.

We are hosting an early Valentine's dinner party Saturday night for four couple friends at our house. I am really excited.  We have not had a formal dinner party in a long time. I am in the process of menu planning. Any suggestions?

I might make this centerpiece.  I am not sure I love it.  It might be too cutesy for me. What do you think?

p_BKS043067

And I cannot remember where I got this image below but doesn't this look like a yummy comfort dessert?  If anyone knows the source or recipe, let me know, please:)

cupcake_treat-1638

See, I told you this post was all over the place!  Okay, here is what I want to know:

Any fun date ideas?  (keep it clean people.  This is a g rated blog)

Any menu suggestions?

What should I do with my hair?

What do you think of that centerpiece?

Okay, that is all for now:)

33 comments:

  1. Fun date idea: Well to kick off VALENTINE WEEKEND, my husband and I are getting together w/3 other couples on Friday and heading to a concert. Then on Saturday, My husband and I will participate in The NewlyWed type game hosted by a local church. The winning couple wins a night stay at The Elegante plus dinner at a very nice Italian *Note-we won this game back in 1998 we were had been married 12yrs then. Here we are now married 25 1/2yrs and hoping we win again!! I can remember laughing so hard at the answers of each of the couples including ourselves (all were married about the same number of years). Its a good way to reconnect and even laugh at yourself. Especially when they asked my questions "to estimate how many pairs of shoes I had in my closet". He gave some a HUGE number and I can remember the audience LAUGHING hysterically and....*hiding my face in shame* he answered CORRECTLY!! I'm looking forward to this weekend it has been WAY past time that we had a date night!!

    Menu suggestion: You are so talented in this area, I can't even give a suggestion!! You always come up with a winner!!

    Your hair: I'm going with your suggestion. Cut/Highlight! I'm a short hair girl, so I sway to anything that suggest CUTTING!!

    Centerpiece: LOVE!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I LOVE that you knew you needed to laugh on your date!! I am always looking to add more "silly" to my life!

    I suggest Beef Tenderloin (or Wellington) for dinner.

    And the centerpiece is cute, but I think you always do nice centerpieces!

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVE your hair -- both up and down! If only I had such nice hair!!

    Sorry no date ideas -- i'm really boring.

    Centerpiece is so cute -- go for it and that dessert -- share the recipe if you have it -- looks yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think your hair would look FABULOUS in a long-ish inverted bob with a side bang (kind of like when Jessica Simpson and Reese Witherspoon had bobs). It would be long enough for you to pull back or pin back on busy days, too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Date night ideas: ice-skating (we don't have roller skating anywhere around), laser tag, mini golf, fishing, cosmic bowling, ??? Geez- I'm thinking I may need date night suggestions too. I can't really think any other than the average.

    Menu- I LOVE steak tips monterey with a mushroom burgandy sauce. You could do rosemary garlic mashed potatoes on the side. Yummy!!

    Hair- I ADORE your hair blonde and short. My husband LOVES long hair, so I'm trying to grow mine out for him, but it's driving me nuts. I really am just dying to chop it all off again!

    Centerpiece- I'm actually more of a fan for the more traditional centerpieces. I'm not diggin' the heart shape. :/

    And if you find that desert recipe, just pass it my way please! haha!

    Happy Tuesday!! xoxo!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love, LOVE going Two-Stepping with my hubby! That is how we met... at a country-western bar in Dallas :) It's still my very favorite way to have fun - just me and my man. And very romantic too, if your guy doesn't step on your toes ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rollerama!! OMG! I went there too every Friday night! Jam On It!
    haha! I glad you had a good time!

    ReplyDelete
  8. One of my favorite dates is going to Dave and Buster's- its an arcade that has adult only nights, a bar and a great buffet. I've gone several times on double dates and it was such a blast playing arcade games, ski ball, etc. They even have all those fun/cheesy prizes you can buy with the tickets you win. They have locations in most big cities so hopefully there's one near you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, I lived in Bucks County, PA, too. Never knew you did! I moved away when I was little but we had a little farm there (just a farm for kids to have fun with animals...we had 48 pets...my brother wanted to become a vet one day so my parents set him up).
    Hope there are lots of fun date night ideas. I think roller skating was a great idea. Ice Skating, bowling, ballroom dancing class, or playing a sport together each week would be fun. We used to do community ed classes together from volleyball, to dancing, to woodworking and had a blast. We even built our own coffee table. That was a long, long time ago. We haven't had all that many dates in recent years and are trying to work on that. I can't wait to hear others' suggestions.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My husband and I have been in the rut of only going to dinner for date night, but now we are going to start eating according to The Daniel Plan and don't want to mess with eating out. So, we came up with some fun date night ideas over the weekend.

    Mini golf
    go carts (we live near Branson so go cart tracks are everywhere)
    driving range
    batting cages
    bowling

    Driving around the country and finding old barns, etc... to photograph

    Geo caching
    walking trails


    Love your hair!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love your hair! I tried to go blonde once ( actually...was blonde for many years) but it just didn't work on me since I was going from dark brown to blonde, sniff sniff :)


    For our date nights we normally will go to dinner somewhere then depending on the mood a movie, shopping or a show. In the summer time, I"m a sucker for fair's and water slides! There is a waterpark about 30 minutes from my house that I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Although, we generally are the only adults ( well, that we notice) there without kids, but we don't care! :) You can generally find me in the wave pool...The only adult with a bunch of kids screaming and laughing at getting tossed around by the waves:)
    I keep thinking about the day we bring Madeline home and how much fun I'm going to have taking her there:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Have you ever tried bangs??? I saw Reese Witherspoon talking about her new do, and that might be really cute with hair up or down...just a thought!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ok here goes, Kim.
    Fun date - for us it would be either going to a good jazz/comedy club or heading up to the North of Scotland and go ski-ing.
    Hair - I liked your hair in that recent photo you posted where you were dancing/smooching with Dave and you kids caught in to camera...I think it was New Year 2011? It was a little shorter and quite straight?
    Setting - for me, traditional girl that I am, I would go with simple red roses for a Valentines Dinner
    Menu - Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding with all the trimmings and def that pudding you posted!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. kim, you are so funny! your hair always looks cute so i think you are going in the right direction! I need mine hilighted soon for spring, too! i am not married, nor have i dated in a LONG time...but, i saw this cute idea somewhere. basically you do a progressive dinner at different restaraunts you like...start w/ drinks at your fave spot for a cocktail, then appetizers, dinner, and desert all at different places. i just thought it sounded like a cute idea to prolong the typical dinner date and give you time w/ each other to talk. can't wait to see pics of your v-day dinner. i'm always inspired by your decor. ( i like the heeart roses...)
    amy

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love your hair, up and I love it with curl! Your Roller Derby Date sounded like so much fun...I love golfing with my guy...a piano bar is fun and singing along. Enjoy your dinner party!

    ReplyDelete
  17. A sock bun? Really? That is genius! Thanks for sharing.
    Love the centerpiece - I think its darling for a Valentine's dinner. No suggestions regarding menu ideas, except try for something that requires little kitchen time on the day of, so you can enjoy your party too!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Well, my suggestions for date night are already out there, but I'll say them again. BOWLING! Channel your inner redneck, order a pitcher of beer, talk a lot of smack and have a blast. We always do. Country dancing is always fun too and it's a great excuse to get a pair of rocking boots to show off.

    Lisa's about to post a recipe for a ridiculously delicious looking eggplant dish, so be looking for that soon. And that dessert looks fab, if you find the recipe, please post. I'm terrible at centerpieces and hair, so I'll leave those to the experts. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hooray for a fun date night! This post may be helpful:

    http://www.howdoesshe.com/spice-it-up-8-dating-techniques

    ReplyDelete
  20. As I haven't been on a date in ages (I know, so sad), I have no suggestions. If you find a nice single, mid-30s guy, send him the hour and a half down to Beaumont. :)

    But I do have a suggestion for your hair. It looks so cute in the sock bun! I love your bangs. But there's a way to do it even better. When you do the ponytail, put the entire ponytail through the sock and roll it up. Then you don't have to pin the remaining hair. It works so well. I still pin the bun itself because my hair is long, but you don't have the ends sticking out!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I LOVE your sock bun!!! Your hair looks so cute up and it looks great curly, too! I'm loving your fun nail polish colors lately, too. I got the Essie cocktail bling and have been wearing it a bunch. I normally don't wear colored polish cause it chips off, but I find this to last a long time...thanks for the good tips!

    ReplyDelete
  22. go to a drive-in movie!! There are still a few around, in fact there is one in Ennis,Tx. Might be too far a drive for a date though! I've told my husband I want to go there sometime. Our first date was at a drive-in movie.

    ReplyDelete
  23. First, I love Crusher.. what an awesome man to take you skating. he grows on me more every day. you two are so special. Second... cut your hair. I love it short. I like it long, but not every gal can pull off the short look. you own it! Third... lets consult... I'll call you tomororw. I have no fun date ideas. were boring. although I did hear about a rock climbing wall in Houston that is supposed to be fun... I'd end up in the ER. Love you. SAL

    ReplyDelete
  24. You're hair always looks nice at any length but I love the curls. And the sock bun...genius, and so cute. I love that Dave took you roller skating even though he'd never been on skates before!

    Gin =)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Date Nights:
    Fun= Burgers and Bowling.
    Romantic= Fine Dinning and Theatre or Ballet.
    Dance Lessons (learn how to tango, fox trot, etc...)

    Hope that helps a little.

    ReplyDelete
  26. We bought season tickets to the theater one year, which was great because we had a year's worth of date nights. Come to think of it, we should do that again!

    I have the BEST chocolate ganache tart recipe. Perfect for Valentine's Day and not hard to make. Worth every single calorie.

    You are beautiful no matter what you do to your hair but I like it shorter just because you're so petite. My motto is "put it in a pony tail!"

    Might have to try a sock bun! Although my hair is so blasted thick that it might look like a small animal on my head.

    I love the centerpiece and think it's the white tray that makes it look cutesy. If you put it on a piece of wood, or a silver tray, it would tone it down. I also love similar arrangements that are tight roses in a square.

    Longest comment ever!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I second the bowling and drive-in suggestions. One-time dancing lessons are fun, too, if you're the dancing type. Maybe you two would enjoy a cooking class? Laser tag is very "kid" but can be quite fun. I've heard that there is a free open air theater in your city. Do you have brewery tours in your area?

    You look gorgeous with the curls although I really love the bun, too. I would keep it long enough to still put up.

    I think that centerpiece wouldn't be too cutesy as long as it has a lot of good greenery around the edge in a strong dark green.

    How nice to have such a newsy update from you!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Small world - I am in Bucks County :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Don't cut your hair! I looks adorable curled and makes you look younger (not that you look old!). Very cute.

    ReplyDelete
  30. How fun that you and Dave went Rollerskating!!! I spent many nights during my teenage years doing the same thing, except I was one county above you:))

    Your hair really is long right now.... I love the curls and the bun. What did you decide to do with it? We need an "after" photo!!

    Hope all is well and that your fun weekend was enough to help you de-stress a little bit.

    Take Care of yourself.

    xoxo,

    Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sometimes funny dates are the best! Bowling is along those same lines :) you could also do a couples massage or couples mani/pedi (why not?)

    I love the centerpiece, you always have the best taste and ideas!

    And I love your hair long! Curled was so cute and I love the sock bun. Try a braid. Google/YouTube the fishtail braid - really cute!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Late to the party, so I hope your dinner is wonderful. Love the menu you have planned, the shaped flowers are a bit cutesy for me-but would look very impressive.

    I stole an idea from my daughter to go to our local ethnic areas chinatown/little saigon/little ethiopia for a cheap and cheeful meal. its a little further afield than we usually go, but can feel like youre on a mini holiday-wandering the streets and finding delicious food at a tiny place with laminex countertops, a nice break from our usual 'more snobby' dining.

    I am growing my hair and swear by hot rollers if i need to look polished. it is flat and blah without

    happy valentines
    x
    Yve

    http://yveblogs.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your kindness.