Category Archives local event

Shrinky Dink Memories

Dear NHL and JSL,

The other day we went to the craft event at our library. I had heard that it was going to be something very different for the two of you. It was not new to me. No, Shrinky Dinks were part of my childhood. Yes, I remember making countless Shrinky Dinks with kids and later jewelry items.

When we got there the two of you had NO idea what I was talking about. You heard that it was time to draw on this strange paper, but never knew how special it truly was.

NHL, you decided to do a windmill first. Then, I drew you a big circle to fill in with something special to you. You drew the Tree of Life from Animal Kingdom. Sad to say that your first Tree of Life had a Shrinky Dink melt down and would not flatten back out. The librarian was nice and suggested that you try again, so you did.

NHL concentrates 

JSL, you saw a ship and immediately declared that it was a pirate ship. I helped you to trace that so you could color it in. Then you took random colors for a modern creation in a circle.

  JSL Colors in his ship

Here are your final items. Each circle was a pendant and the other made into a magnet.

Shrinky Dink Fun

We all had such a fun time that I knew we had to find more Shrinky Dinks to make at home. So while at Michaels the other day, I bought this to test out:

Shrinky Dinks fun for home

I can not wait to have more Shrinky Dink adventures with the two of you.

Love,

Mommy

    _______________________________________

If you want to participate in Dear Kid Saturday, head on over to Cutest Kid Ever by clicking on the button below.

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Kid<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />
Saturday

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ZooKeeper Screening for Capital District

The summer is here and there is a constant stream of movies starting in the theaters. I have noticed a lot of them are geared for families with younger children. One of the movies coming out next Friday, July 8, 2011 is ZooKeeper featuring Kevin James.

Here is a trailer about the movie:

More about the movie from the PR agency:

In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship – animal style. The film also stars Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb and features the voices of Cher, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, and Sylvester Stallone.

Rated PG for some rude and suggestive humor, and language.

If you live in the Capital District area and would like the opportunity to go to a screening of ZooKeeper, here is your chance. The first 40 people to go to GOFOBO.com will receive the opportunity for two people to go to a screening at Colonie Center on July 6, 2011. Here is the information that you will need. Remember these passes will go quickly, so do not wait too long.

GOFOBO - ZooKeeper

If you get the tickets and go, please let me know. We may also attend. I would also love to know what you think after seeing the movie. I have a feeling this will be a movie that both of my boys will enjoy

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: I was asked by the PR company from ZooKeeper to share this opportunity with my local readers. I received no compensation for doing so. I was told that I could print passes for my family and we hope to attend the screening as well.

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House of BBQ Event

The warm weather seems to be here. Thanks to this, people across the country will be getting their grills ready for some BBQ fun. Last Thursday evening, I was invited by Price Chopper to attend their House of BBQ cooking event sponsored by Certified Angus Beef. This event was right after Price Chopper announced the new voices of their House of BBQ commercials to replace the much loved Melvin Sparks after he passed away. Allan Harris and Lynn Sterling, two nationally known musical artists, will now be seen in the ads like this one below.

That’s right, we were not cooking Thursday night, we were learning about grilling. So with the catchy tune in my head, I made my way to The Century House in Latham, NY for the House of BBQ fun. Oh an FYI, this was not a blogger event. This is one of the cooking classes that Price Chopper sponsors throughout the year for members of the community to attend.

At our seats, we were given a bag of goodies. The recipes being prepared, some tip sheets, and extras were inside for everyone in attendance.

House of BBQ Goodies

When it was time to begin, we decided to use the hashtag #HouseofBBQ on Twitter to live Tweet what we were learning.

First up was Chef Mike Tracy from Price Chopper. Sorry about the photo quality, the lighting at The Century House was tricky to work with.

Chef Mike

Chef Mike was filling in for Executive Chef Dave Hamlin. He prepared the following items:

  • Grilled Carrots with a Maple Cumin Glaze
  • Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
  • Grilled Corn on the Cob With Spring Herb Butter
    Chef Mike really helped to explain that you should not be afraid of grilling vegetables. He did admit that corn on the cob grilled is not his favorite since it does not look too great when finished.

Items prepared by Chef Mike

Next was Chef Michael Ollier from Certified Angus Beef. Chef Michael was tossing jokes out the entire time and keeping everyone on their toes. He was fantastic to watch and listen to. He made learning about different cuts of meats fun and enjoyable. Even this girl, who can not buy Certified Angus Beef (not kosher), knows this meat is the real deal. While Chef Michael showed us different cuts of meat, we referenced the chart below. Then, he demonstrated some grilling techniques and took questions from the audience.

Learning About Beef Cuts

When it was time to try some of the foods that were prepared, I had my camera out snapping shots. Chef Michael joked and asked if I was a blogger or something. Of course, I told him I was and had been live Tweeting the event with my friends. Yes, we even got some of Chef Michael’s jokes in there. You can also read more about the different cuts of beef that he talked about on the #HouseofBBQ hashtag on Twitter.

Chef Michael Ollier from Certified Angus Beef

The final person to present to the group was Chef David Robinson. Chef David is the brilliant man behind Eat Your Mistakes. He has a video cooking series that shows people how to cook and eat your mistakes in the process. Chef David was high energy and talked about his recent trip to Las Vegas where he took local supplies from the Capital District to cook for dignitaries. Yes, I am the blogger that was taking photos of photos.

Chef David Robinson

Chef David was showing us how to prepare some delicious goodies to end a grilling feast. He made Mom’s Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies (YUM!) and Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Both of these items were fantastic and will be made and utilized for different events. I will admit, I have been craving more of the cookies since this event. I have seen Chef David on television before, but now his blog is in my feed reader to catch when it is updated.

When all was said and done, we were able to go to the back of the room to make a plate and try all of the foods that were prepared. Here is my plate and later on when Chef David delivered cookies fresh from the oven. Yes, being at the end of the line paid off since they ran out of cookies – so gooey fresh ones were a short baking cycle away.

Delicious items at House of BBQ event

Have you been to a Price Chopper cooking class? Please let me know if you have. I would love to know more about your experience. For those not in the area, what do you love to grill in the summer?

Thank you again to Price Chopper, Certified Angus Beef, The Century House, Chef Mike Tracy, Chef Michael Ollier, Chef David Robinson, and my blogging buddies for an amazing evening. I know I am looking forward to hearing when the next cooking/baking/grilling event will be held.

TheAngelForever

Disclosure: Price Chopper invited me to be a part of this event. I did not pay for this, nor was I paid to go. I was not asked to blog about this, but wanted to share my experience with my readers. The opinions expressed in this are my own. I was not compensated, but did receive the items shown above and a coupon for Price Chopper cereal after completing a survey about the event.

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KidFunPlaza Summer Expo and Tech Valley Tweetup

What are you doing on Saturday, April 16?

KFP Techy Valley

If you live in the Capital District area, I hope you will be heading to Colonie Center to join me at the KidsFunPlaza first ever event for the community. This Saturday we will be hosting the KidsFunPlaza Summer Expo. Summer is coming quickly. This is the perfect time and place to come with your family to investigate all of the options for this summer.

More about the Summer Expo:

Who: Representatives from a wide variety of local camps including

  • Residential Camps
  • Day Camps
  • Athlete Summer Programs
  • Teen Adventure Programs
  • Public and Private School Camps
  • County Offerings
  • Language Camps

What: Event for the entire family to learn more about summer offerings in the Capital District/Tech Valley region. Other items include

    Here are my boys with the Smile Monster and participating in a demo with Jodie Fitz last weekend:

Smile Monster and Jodie Fitz

When: April 16, 2011 10 am to 7 pm

Where: Colonie Center

How and Why: Lots of hard work with local camps and programs to provide YOU with great information and fun.

More about the Tech Valley Blogger Tweet up:

The #TechValley blogger Tweetup will be from 6 pm to 7pm. There will be a blog panel including:

Once the panel is finished, everyone in attendance will have a chance to sign up to do a 30-second commercial about your business/blog. After this there will be time to network with other bloggers while enjoying some refreshments.

Oh, one other little thing. . . there are also some amazing prizes that you could win. KidsFunPlaza will be giving away an iPad2 and a conference pass to Blog World Expo 2011 in NYC. Be sure to enter today to be eligible.

So, will I see you Saturday? Let me know and we will try to catch up.

TheAngelForever

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