Just My Rambling

Just before we got snowed in for the Christmas holidays, we went ice-skating in the freezing weather. This outdoor ice-skating rink is only there for the holiday season. They just set up the ice-skating rink in the middle of the park under a tent structure.

It was definitely more fun skating in an outdoor rink than an indoor rink. It was also really beautiful since it had just snowed the previous day.

The little one really enjoyed herself!

Unfortunately a few days after we skated there, there was a mishap. We had a snowstorm and there were just too much snow. That caused the entire tent to collapse. Luckily there were not many people skating since most people were snowed in. Most of them escaped with minor injuries. The ice-skating rink has since reopened but without the tent. It is now an open-air rink.

When I was still in college in the Midwest, my friends and I used to love to go to Branson for weekend trips. We loved going to Silver Dollar City, a unique theme park filled with arts and crafts of the early 1900s. After a day of fun, we would either go for the dinner cruise aboard the Showboat Branson Belle or catch one of the live shows in town. It has been many years since I last visited Branson. I heard that it has changed a lot. I would love to revisit Branson again and check out all the changes for myself.

However this time around, I will definitely not be staying at the cheap hotels like those college days. I think a stay at either the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing or Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel will be very nice. What will we do there? Revisit all my old haunts and of course check out the new attractions. I will love to bring my 4 year old to Silver Dollar City. She will not be old enough for the rides yet but she will love to see all the crafts of the yesteryears.

When we were on our Alaskan cruise last summer, my daughter loved the dinner shows. So a dinner show aboard the Showboat Branson Belle is definitely on the itinerary. We will also plan to attend some live shows as well. Wow, that’s a lot of things to do. I think I will have to start planning my trip soon.

Why oh why is it snowing again?? It has been snowing the whole evening and it’s still coming down hard. If it continues to snow at this rate, they might have to cancel the first day of school tomorrow. Sigh.. I really hope that won’t happen. They had already cancelled the last week of school in December last year due to snow. Although even if they don’t cancel school, I doubt I can drive out of my community since I live in a hilly area. Poor Lil’ C! She will be so disappointed tomorrow. She has been looking forward to seeing her friends at school. I think if we ever move again, we will move to a house on a flat land!!!

It’s finally 12 midnight here. I think we are probably one of the last ones to make it into the new year. I am sitting in front of the TV and watching the fireworks going off at the Space Needle. They are so beautiful. I wish I could be there in person. Next year I want to be at the top of the needle if possible. They usually issue a limited amount of ticket every year to be at the top.

I am still hearing some loud booming sound outside. Someone’s really having fun with fireworks!! Hopefully not too much!!

One of my resolutions this year is to keep my house tidy and clutter-free. That means I will actually need to finish unpacking those boxes that have been sitting in the basement for almost 2 years. Actually it is mostly books and CDs in those boxes. I guess if I haven’t touched them for 2 years, it is probably a good idea to get rid of them and I know just the place to do that. Abundatrade is where I am going to send all my used cds and books and the best part is that I will get new electronics in return for them.

How does Abundatrade work? Well, basically you gather all the CDs, DVDs and books that you would like to trade and check to make sure that they are in good condition. Then enter the UPC of each item into Abundatrade to check the value online. Once that’s done, you just send them off to Abundatrade. You can even request for shipping materials if necessary. Once Abundatrade receives your stuff and approves them, you will receive trade credits. Then you can go shopping for new electronics like iPod, TV, camera and more with those trade credits. If you have insufficient credits for something that you like, you can either make-up the difference by submitting more CDs/DVDs/books or just pay by credit card. I really want an iPod, so I am going to start unpacking those boxes really soon.

It’s the last day of 2008. Do you have any special plans? Going to any countdown parties? I really wish I can be at the Space Needle for the countdown. I remembered I was at Disney World for 2 New Year Countdown and they were a blast! Unfortunately with a way-past-her-bedtime 4 year old and a party-pooper spouse, I will watching the countdown in front of the TV. Oh well, at least I know I will be all cozy & warm. It is pretty cold out there. If you are waiting for the countdown, don’t forget to wait an additional second because this is the leap second year. 

Here’s to another great blogging year ahead. Wishing all of you a very Happy and Blessed New Year!!

Do you still have an analog TV at home? If you do, don’t forget about the February 17, 2009 deadline. After that date, you will not be able to receive free over-the-air programming unless you buy a converter box or subscribe to your local digital cable programming. As for me, I still have an old analog TV at home. Instead of getting a converter box, I think I will take this chance to get rid of that bulky TV and get a plasma TV instead. Then I can mount the TV on the wall. It will be a good time to get rid of those bulky tv stands too. Maybe I will replace it with a nice ottoman for more storage and seating area.

an internet-savvy 4 year old!

Conversation 1:
Lil’ C: Mommy, can you bake some cornbread muffin?
Mommy: But C, I don’t know how to bake cornbread muffin.
Lil’ C: Mommy, it’s very easy. Just go to the internet, type in cornbread muffin and you will see the recipe and all the ingredients you need to make them.
Mommy: *speechless*

Conversation 2:
Lil’ C: Mommy, what does this word mean? (pointing to a word in the book)
Mommy: I don’t know.
Lil’ C: Mommy, just go to your computer and open the dictionary. It will tell you what it means.
Mommy: *speechless*

Ahhhh, the powers of internet to a 4 year old!!! : P Whatever happen to the good old-fashioned recipe book and dictionary???

Can you believe that it is less than a week to 2009? Since I am still stuck at home today, I actually sat down and started planning for next year. The first thing I did was to come up with a new family budget for the next year. There were a few expenses on the budget that I hope to reduce for next year. One of which is to get rid of my current expensive car insurance and get a cheap auto insurance instead. Another area targeted for reduction is definitely eating out. We were eating out way too much this year. I guess I will make a list and start tackling each item at a time. Hopefully by the time I get to the end of list, I will be able to find a huge savings.

According to the news, today is the new Black Friday. A lot of shops are having mega sales in order to make up for low sales this holiday season. It seems everything like engagement rings, TV, laptops are all heavily discounted. Here in the Pacific Northwest, the last 2 weeks were supposed to be the biggest shopping weeks; instead they turned out to be the worst as most people were snowed in. So today shops were opened as early as 5 am hoping to entice shoppers to shop. Unfortunately I am still snowed in today. Hopefully I will be able to get out tomorrow to check out the sales!