So we need a new pepper grinder (or for you more cultural folks out there, a peppermill). Apparently dropping your old pepper grinder repeatedly on the floor will only get you so far. I love fresh pepper and actually put a ton on before I even taste my food. Yeah, bad habit I know. So I’ve been suffering for the past few weeks as our grinder is “in a better place” now. I still need to buy a nice salt/pepper set I guess, but I just came across the coolest pepper grinder ever and had to buy it before it sold out.

Feast your eyes on the Star Wars R2-D2 Peppermill from ThinkGeek. Yep, you just twist the little guy’s head and out comes your freshly ground pepper (peppercorns not included of course). I swear, Japan has the coolest stuff on the planet.

COUPON TIME:

Couldn’t snag any working ThinkGeek coupons at the moment (they do run them semi-regularly), but here are some great coupons for other geek/electronic-type merchants:
$10 off online orders over $100 at Brookstone.com
Use promotion code AF1FEB.
Valid through: February 29, 2008
Not valid in retail stores. Minimum purchase does not include tax, shipping and gift wrapping. Coupon cannot be used toward the purchase of Sony, Bose or Tempur-Pedic products, gift cards, or with any other offers or discounts. Not valid on prior sales or repurchase of returned merchandise.

$25 off online orders over $250 at Brookstone.com
Use promotion code AF2FEB.
Valid through: February 29, 2008
Not valid in retail stores. Minimum purchase does not include tax, shipping and gift wrapping. Coupon cannot be used toward the purchase of Sony, Bose or Tempur-Pedic products, gift cards, or with any other offers or discounts. Not valid on prior sales or repurchase of returned merchandise.

$20 off a purchase of $100+ online at The Sharper Image
Use the above link to activate the coupon.
Discount will appear as an Adjusted Price (in red) at the end of checkout.
Valid through: January 31, 2008
Valid online only. Cannot be combined with other coupons.

5% off online orders at 6ave.com
Use coupon code AFL5.
Online only. Excludes: Apple, Bose, Samsung, Velodyne, and Control 4 Products.

10% off your purchase at Computer Geeks
Use coupon code ultimatecoupons.
Valid through: March 1, 2009
Not valid for products marked “GEEK Special”. Must pay with a Visa or MasterCard. Discount may be relected in item prices rather than a single discount deducted from your subtotal. Cannot be combined with other discount/promo codes.

Sure there are plenty of Valentine’s Day Coupons and Deals going on, but I thought I’d share a few neat V-Day neat contests going on right now.

Jo of LifeWithHeathens and Black Belt Mama of BBM Reviews are each giving away 3 boxes of personalized Fruit-Roll-Ups snacks. These are actually really neat, as you can put any message you want on them, pick the colors, etc. Perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day, especially if you have kids. And the neat thing about each of these ladies’ contests is in order to enter, you just need to write (either in a comment, on your own blog or via e-mail) about the sweetest valentine you have ever sent or received.

While not nearly as sweet (but way more expensive), Teleflora is holding a Diamonds and Roses Sweepstakes where you can win a pair of $50,00 diamond earrings or one of 1,000 diamond necklaces.

Carnival Cruises is running a Read My Valentine Contest where you can share your greatest love story for a chance to win a 4 Day Caribbean Cruise.

Good Luck to everyone if you’re entering any of these, and if you’re running a contest of your own, let me know and I’ll add it to the list!

I had a pretty good childhood growing up. I’ll admit it. My mom baked us zillions of cookies all the time. Dad had a great job. We were always fed, clothed and had more toys then some local toy stores. I always thought we were extremely average, though looking back now I think I could replace that word with “fortunate.” Still, I never miss a chance to tell my mom how deprived we were as kids. Shocking as this may be, my mom never made us Rice Krispies Treats. GASP!

Last night I was talking to my mom on the phone and mentioned this. She basically confirmed it by saying she “might” have made it once with us. But that didn’t sound very reassuring to me. So based on my horribly deprived childhood and the fact that I saw neat activity in a National Geographic for Kids magazine, I set out to have a great bonding/cooking experience with my kids. But that soon turned into me flying solo in a kitchen.

The key is using cookie cutters to cut out shapes. So my 4 year old picked out a bunch of cookie cutters then quickly vanished to see what Diego was doing on TV. I followed the easy directions on the box and yes, actually used the microwave directions rather then the old fashioned stove top. Butter and marshmallows melted no problem and I stirred that sticky mix. Then I added food coloring. The picture used pink and red (it was for heart-shaped treats in honor of Valentine’s Day). I added green, which looked kinda nasty, so then I mixed in red. Which made things worse. Now I had a green and red sticky mess. Sigh.

Then I spread the mixture out on wax paper, slapped in the cookie cutters like a puzzle and put the whole thing in the fridge to cool. In hindsight, I probably should’ve used the cookie cutters to cut out shapes, rather then keep them set in the treats like a mold. The end results were, well, tasty but let’s say a little visually challenging.

Here’s the first batch which consisted of an elephant, duck, bird and snake. See if you can match the treat to the cookie cutter!

A close-up of the first few abominations:

The second batch (a seahorse, dinosaur and turtle)
came out a bit better and should be easier to see the matches.

Ready for their close-up:

So have I learned anything from this ordeal? Yes. My mother really should’ve made us Rice Krispies Treats a lot more when I was a kid…

COUPON TIME:

Too bad I can’t find any coupons for the Culinary Institute, ’cause I certainly could use them myself! So here’s a few cooking ones instead:

$10 off a purchase of $75 or more at Cooking.com
Use the above link to get the coupon code and terms of the offer.
Valid through: June 30, 2008

$15 off a purchase of $100 or more at Cooking.com
Use the above link to get the coupon code and terms of the offer.
Valid through: December 31, 2008

Flat $4.95 Shipping on any online order at CHEFS
Use the above link to activate the Promotional Code.
Valid through: February 3, 2008 11:59pm MT
Valid online only for $4.95 shipping within the continental United States. Does not apply to previous orders. Items with additional postage and handling, items shipped directly from the manufacturer (listed as “AP” beneath the item price), express delivery orders, and gift cards do not qualify for discounted shipping. Not valid with any other offers.

Last night I went out with a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in quite some time and finally got to see Cloverfield. I’m a fan of J.J. Abrams (creator of Alias and Lost), and especially of movies that take chances and do things a bit differently. If you’re unfamiliar with the film, the short version is that it’s a “realistic” look at what would happen today if a Godzilla-like monster suddenly showed up and wreaked havoc in Manhattan. But the entire film is told through the point of a hand held video cam from somebody filming the whole ordeal. Yeah, pretty similar in style to the Blair Witch Project.

Overall I liked the flick, despite one really annoying character and one really stupid Hollywood-ish scene near the end. But I’m not writing a review here. Instead, I’ll mention that right in front of us in the theater was a dad with his two daughters. Young daughters. One was maybe 10 and the other was the tiniest li’l gal who I’m gonna ballpark guess was all of 7, maybe 8 if you push it. Now this film is rated PG-13. And actually except for a few scant scenes wasn’t really too bloody or gory. It’s a lot of shaky movements, lots of screaming, and lots of death and destruction. I’m far from a prude or an old fart, but is that just a little too young for kids to go see a scary horror film?

I know, kids today are growing up faster then the previous generation and are more desensitized to all that sex and violence stuff. Heck, my 8-year-old nephew’s favorite video game is the fighting-heavy teenage-approved Super Smash Brothers. The funny thing is, the two girls barely made a peep and most likely were bored out of their skulls for most of the flick. When it was over they got up and left with their dad. No crying. No screaming. Almost yawning, I’d say. So clearly they weren’t scared. But is that a good thing? A bad thing?

I’m not passing judgment here at all, just curious what all you parents out there think. I know my 2 year old gets scared during the Castle episode of “Blue’s Room” and my 4 year old runs out of the room during the Lava episode of “The Backyardigans.” So yeah, they’re definitely way too young to be watching something like Cloverfield. Heh. That’s a given. My take of it all, though, is that only you can know your kids. Some can handle the violence and the action. Some will be scared. If they’ve been exposed to some of it already (look at SpongeBob SquarePants), they may be fine watching something like the latest Star Wars movies. If they run to the hills at SpongeBob, maybe they’re not quite ready for such violent movies or shows. Then again, it could just be specific to one type of show, and they’ll be fine with something else. After all, I’m terrified of the Teletubbies…

COUPON TIME:

I couldn’t find any monster-killing coupons at all this time of year, so instead here are a few kid-related ones for shows/networks more age appropriate:

15% off your order at Disney Shopping.com
Enter Promotion Code 1899. Click “Submit”.
Valid through: January 27, 2008 11:59pm PT
Valid online only. Not valid on outlet items. Limit one coupon per order. Offer excludes Shipping & Handling charges, gift cards, animation art, Walt Disney Classics Collection, Disney electronics, DVDs, videos, CDs and cassettes, video games, CD-ROMs, You-Design-It merchandise, Wilsons Leather, Disney Couture and Nursery merchandise, books, sing-alongs, read-alongs, pre-sales, gift wrap and gift boxes and items not in stock. If no discountable items are in your cart, nothing will happen when you enter the coupon code. No adjustments to prior purchases. Merchandise must be exchanged for identical item or returned at discounted price with valid packing slip. Not valid on phone orders or purchases from Disney Store outlet or retail locations. Cannot be combined with other coupons.

10% off your online order at Shop PBS
Use promotional code THANKYOU10 at checkout.
Cannot be combined with other offers.

15% off online orders over $75 at All Aboard Toys
Plus Free Shipping!
Use coupon code spring2008.
Not valid on gift wrap, gift certificates or shipping charges. Limit one per customer. Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions.

Save 20% On All Dora The Explorer and Diego Merchandise At Shop.NickJr.com!

Any guy can buy his sweetheart a box of chocolates. But how many guys can offer up chocolate Miis to their gal? Apparently, not too many anymore. These awesome super-limited Chocolate Miis in a Wii-Style box from Paul Pape Designs are already sold out. Sure to melt any Nintendo-couple’s hearts, these limited-edition sets featured chocolate versions of a male and female Mii packaged inside a Wii-shaped box that says “Wii belong together, you and Mii.” Adorable and most likely delicious. Anyone still interested in getting their grubby paws on one of these, though, may still have a chance. ThinkGeek will be selling them starting February 1 (according to Paul’s blog), as they snatched up 500 copies from Paul to sell on their site. Otherwise, you’ll just have to wait until after Valentine’s Day.

And speaking of Valentine’s Day… I just set up a page chock full of Valentine’s Day Coupons! So if you’re looking to buy your sweetheart some chocolates, candy, jewelry or flowers, be sure to take a peek. Or if your significant other is a total tightwad, send him the link so at least he can save some money and thus have no excuse not to lavish you with gifts. ‘Cause after all, you do deserve it!

Valentine’s Day Coupons

I’ll admit it. When Futurama first came on the air, I was soooo excited for it, being a monstrously huge Simpsons fan. But once I actually saw it, I was kind of bored and irritated and thought the whole show seemed way too forced. I watched maybe 4 or 5 episodes and then gave up. My wife, on the other hand, always liked it and will never let me forget that. Because now that it’s been on in reruns incessantly on Cartoon Network (and now Comedy Central), I think I finally get it and I love it. So when the new Futurama movie on DVD just came out, “Bender’s Big Score,” I couldn’t wait to pick it up. We just watched it the other day and while it was great to see the old gang together again, I have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed. If it was just a collection of 3 or 4 separate 22-minute episodes, it would have been great. Instead, they stretch a storyline over an hour and a half or so, giving you lots of boring dead time. Still, I can’t wait for the next one.

And speaking of the Simpsons… I had the pleasure of meeting Simpsons-creator Matt Groening (rhymes with “raining”) about a decade ago. The Simpsons were really hitting on all cylinders and they just started a line of comics with a company called Bongo Comics. I was working our magazine’s booth at the annual San Diego Comic Con and Bongo’s booth was diagonally across from ours. Bongo was actually one of my company contacts for work, meaning I had to talk to them regularly to find out any news, releases, etc. So I already had a relationship with the guys over there and went over from time to time to chat. They told me Matt Groening was actually going to be there signing autographs later and I should hang out. I protested saying it wouldn’t be right, let the fans really do it, etc. And he said, don’t be silly. So I waited on line. And got to meet Matt Groening. And I was quite impressed.

Friendly, personable and a seriously nice guy was not what I expected when I finally got up to him. But not only was Matt signing autographs, he was doing quick sketches. For everybody. And yes, for free. My sister is also a huge Simpsons fan, and her birthday was about two months away, so I thought it’d be an awesome gift to give her an original sketch by Groening. So I told him that and he said, “Okay, what’s her favorite character?” I told him she loves them all, but go ahead and draw Homer. So he did. And then he wrote “Happy Birthday Beth” on it, put the day’s date on it and then signed it. He looked at it, furled his eyebrows and said, “Hmm. That’s not right. I should’ve put her birthday date on it, not today’s date.” I said it was fine, don’t worry. But he refused. He crumpled the paper up and tossed it. Then got started again. He screwed something up that time too and started over a third time, this time getting it perfectly right. I thanked him profusely and went back to my booth to actually get some work done.

When I got back home to NY I got that picture professionally framed and held on to it for a month or so until my sister’s birthday. She was quite surprised to say the least.

COUPON TIME:

As luck would have it, there are a few really good coupons/deals out there right now for TV shows on DVDs. I’m actually going to go take advantage of the DeepDiscount offer I think to snag some of my favorite shows like The Tick!

Buy 1 Get 1 Free select TV Box Sets at DeepDiscount.com
Use the above link to view available DVDs.
In your shopping cart, enter promotional code BOGOANCBAY.
Valid through: January 30, 2008 11:59pm CT

10% off online orders at Time Life
In your shopping cart, enter coupon code AFLOVE.
Valid through: February 29, 2008 11:59pm ET
This offer does not apply to Introductory and Preview Offers. One promotional code per customer. Cannot be used in combination with any other offer, prior purchases, or gift certificates. US, APO and FPO customers only.

25% off one item at Barnes & Noble
Valid online only. Use coupon code D8H8E4H.
Valid through: January 27, 2008 11:59pm PT
Discount will be applied to the most expensive eligible item in your order. Excludes: pre-orders, Barnes & Noble Memberships, Gift Cards, online Gift Certificates, gift-wrapping, textbooks, shipping or handling expenses or products provided via Barnes & Noble BookQuest LLC (e.g. used books, PC and video games, etc.). Cannot be combined with any other coupon or discount.

Twice in my life I’ve had a beard. No, scratch that. Thrice. But only two were by choice. See, the first time was back in high school when I caught the chicken pox and couldn’t shave for months, so I came back to school with this spotty, scraggly beard. Yeah, that was fun. But the other two times, were all me.

First was when I did my 6-week backpacking trip in Europe right after college. I started shaving and then about halfway through was just annoyed, so I stopped and came home with a full beard, mostly just to see how my friends and family would react. I think a day or two later I shaved that mess down to a goatee and kept that for a few months before finally losing it.

The last time I had a beard was all due to a bet. I worked with a lot of young guys pretty much fresh out of college and the whole place was practically one big frat house, with loud music always blaring, the place was a pigsty and practical jokes ran rampant. So somehow one day we came up with the idea for a “beard off.” The rules were simple. Everyone who wants to enter comes in that morning clean shaven. At the end of 2 months, whoever has the best beard wins. A judge of female employees would decide the winner on that fateful day.

Now, it’s not like my relatives are in ZZ Top or anything, but I have a fairly thick 5 o’clock shadow and can get some good stubble growth after a day or two. So I entered eagerly and frankly, it was hardly any competition. One guy was a blonde and had the lightest splotchiest beard come in. Another guy, my bud Dan, well, I don’t think he has any hair follicles on his face to be honest. No joke, but about a week into the competition we went up to him and said, “Did you drop out? We thought you were gonna enter?” He look confused, stroked his chin and said, “I’m totally in. Look at this growth?” He had maybe 2 hairs on his chin. Poor Dan. Then there was Mike, my first roommate and the hairiest guy I have ever met. To steal a line from Princess Leia (Geek alert!), it was like living with a walking carpet. I knew Mike would give me trouble. And he did. It was a real hair for hair battle… until, fate intervened. Or make that old age. Mike’s grandmother (or great aunt perhaps) passed away about 6 weeks into the competition. Mike being the good son that he is, knew his mom wouldn’t want him looking all disheveled at the funeral, so he shaved for it. Which meant he had all of 2 weeks to regrow it and get back into the competition. I’ll be honest and say, he came pretty darn close in that short amount of time, but yours truly was declared the first and only winner of the infamous Beard Off.

I don’t hate having a beard, I just find it itchy and uncomfortable in the summer when it’s hot. Plus, I’m terrible at grooming it and keeping it in check. I’ll have to try to dig up a photo somewhere if anyone’s interested. And I have no clue what made me think of beard’s today but there’s your first look into the Historical Facial Adventures of Andrew.

COUPON TIME:

So what coupons go with a Beard Off? Well I could go the wussy route and offer some Beauty Coupons, but that’s not what beards are all about. Beards are about ruggedness and manliness and drinking beer and talking about the Chicago Bears. So here are a few coupons for Outdoor Recreation stores!

$10 off your order of $100 or more at Brigade Quartermasters
Enter special offer code LS12100 at checkout, and hit the “ADD OFFER TO MY CART” button. Cannot be combined with any offer.

10% off all regular priced items
5% off all sale items at Moosejaw
Enter coupon code MOOSE during checkout.
Some brands excluded. Cannot be combined with any other coupons.

10% off orders over $100 at Overton’s
Use promotional code VTENOFF.
Valid through: January 21, 2008 11:59pm ET
Minimum purchase amount excludes shipping, handling, additional freight, and taxes. Discount only applies to merchandise. This offer cannot be combined with any other offers or used to purchase gift certificates. N adjustments of previous purchases. Not valid for Quixtar or eBay customers. Excludes Excludes Liquid Force items.

15% off your order at DunhamsSports.com
Eligible items will have the following note on their product page: “Receive 15% off your entire order”
Use the above link to activate the coupon. If there’s a problem, enter promotion/discount code DUN_AFF15 at checkout.
Valid through: January 31, 2008 11:59pm ET
Valid for in-stock merchandise only. Maximum discount of $200 per billing address. Offer Excludes: Electronics, Bauer, Bowflex, Callaway, Coleman Boats, Columbia, DeMarini, Easton, Fitness Quest, Footjoy, Future Beach, Horizon, Kettler, K-Swiss, Leisure Life, Louisville, Louisville Slugger, Mongoose, Nike, Nike Golf, Pelican, Titleist, Under Armour, Worth, Cobra, Garmin, Magellan, Minolta, Mission, Motorola, Razors, Rollerblade, Salomon, World Industries, CCM, Jugs, Atec, Spira and select other items. If the coupon doesn’t seem to work on an item, the brand is probably excluded. Discount does not apply to gift cards, gift certificates, taxes, shipping and handling charges, gift wrapping and similar charges. Cannot be combined with any other promotional offer nor is this offer valid on previous purchases.

I enjoy milk in my coffee. Not a lot, just a little. Enough to take the initial bitterness out I guess. Call me a wuss. It’s okay, I can take it. I also like milk in cereal whenever I have it. You really cannot beat the greenish purple milk left at the bottom of your bowl when you’ve finished off the last bit of Fruity Pebbles, can you?

And while I’ve never actually met a real, life milkman, it is kind of a comforting thought to think back to those “simpler” times when he’d come to your door every day or week (How often did he come back then? People drank a lot of milk didn’t they?). But now the art of the milkman is dead. Which oddly enough, brings us to this week’s Flashback video which for some reason always brings a smile to face. It’s a rough, unpolished sound with juvenile lyrics and a dopey video to go with it. Perfectly ’80s if you ask me.

The Dead Milkmen - Punk Rock Girl

COUPON TIME:

Just because the milkmen were dead don’t expect me to find some funeral coupons. That’s actually kind of sick. But I will offer up some food/meal delivery coupons!

55% off The Ideal Gift Collection at OmahaSteaks.com
Plus a FREE 10-Piece Cutlery Set and 6 FREE Omaha Steaks Burgers!
Use the above link to activate the offer.
Valid through: January 31, 2008

Free Delivery on your first online order of $50+ at Safeway
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY.
Use promotion code EASY7.
Valid for new online customers of Vons/Safeway only. $50 minimum excludes tax and delivery fee. Valid online only.

$10 off orders of $50 or more at Peapod.com
NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY
Use the above link to get the promotional code.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved playing board games. I spent many summers growing up playing everything from Monopoly to Dungeon Dice to Risk. Thankfully my neighborhood friends (Gary especially) were really into it too. Gary had two older brothers who also dug games, so his basement was literally like a Museum of Modern (and Ancient) Board Games. I swear he had the original game version of The Price is Right. It wasn’t even a board, just a small box with cards. All I remember is you’d have to guess the price of a new car, which was valued at like $3,500 I think. Yeah, game show games were awesome too, particuarly Family Feud. I remember sticking the cards in and sliding the little panels off to the side to reveal the answers beneath.

We got so into board games that we started making tournaments and all sorts of crazy rules. Usually it revolved around Monopoly. Yeah, I’m sure most people have done the “earn $500 if you roll double sixes” rule. But we also did the “any fees to the bank go into the Free Parking space” and anyone who landed there got it. But one summer we got really bored, er, board. So we set up 3 Monopoly boards side by side. Normal rules (plus the 2 I just mentioned) applied, except when you landed on Free Parking, you jumped to the Free Parking space on the next board, and it’d loop around. So if you got to a board real early, you could totally buy up a ton of property. That “game” lasted 9 1/2 days I believe. Sadly, I don’t even remember who won.

Nowadays I’m really glad to see my kids getting into games. Not just because it’s fun and a great exercise for them, but I’ll admit it… I’m getting to play some games I never played before (shockingly I never played Trouble as a kid). Sure my kids are a long way from playing Risk or even Stratego, but the fact that my 4 year old can handle playing Monopoly Jr. gives me a real good Clue that Life is gonna be one big PayDay of games soon. (Ouch. Sorry!)

COUPON TIME:

No witty coupon connection here. This one’s just a straight shot at some good deals on toys and games.

15% off online orders over $75 at All Aboard Toys
Plus Free Shipping!
Use coupon code spring2008
Not valid on gift wrap, gift certificates or shipping charges. Limit one per customer. Cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions.

15% off any size order at Bits and Pieces
Use coupon code W702090.
Valid through: January 31, 2008
Cannot be combined with any other offers. Discount does not apply to purchase of gift certificates or previous purchases.

$5 off a purchase of $40 or more at eToys
In your shopping cart, click on the “Apply Coupon or Certificate” button and enter code ETNLTR.
$40 minimum excludes video game consoles, gift cards, shipping and taxes. Not valid on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with any other coupon.

$5 off an order of $50 or more at Highlights.com
Use the above link to activate the coupon.

I still have a few assorted memes and awards to post about, but this latest one is a bit time sensitive as it relates to the New Year’s Holiday. And seeing as how it’s only about 2 weeks into January, I better do this one now before I blink and it’s suddenly June or something.

Anyways, the lovely, talented and tag-happy Tish just tagged me with this meme about New Year’s good luck traditions.

Rule: Copy the person and persons’ names that sent it to you and add your own at the bottom of the list. It really helps to build community.

*My mom used to collect some coins and when the new year comes she put the coins in a bowl and shake it to create sounds. She said its good luck for money throughout the year. And also wearing dotted dresses on new year don’t know why. CC/chalyza/keep

*My old folks always told us to avoid spending money on new years day. They said, once you spend on the first day of the year, you like to spend the rest of the year. Behind d Scenes of ME/ Retchel’s Pure Life/ A little bit of me

*I grew up believing that if you have some money on your pocket (whatever you’re wearing) come New Year’s eve it will ensure steady flow of income throughout the year. The other belief is that the main door of the house should be wide open come New Year’s eve so that good luck will be ushered in. Juliana of MY WORLD and JULIANA’S LAIR.

*I don’t know if what I am about to write is a new year’s tradition or not. In my place, most people will ‘jump’ into the sea or take a shower as soon as the clock strikes to 12 in New Year’s Eve to get rid of all the bad lucks in the previous year. ;D ~ CHOC MINT GIRL~

*Like most other East Tennesseans, I always have a side of blackeyed peas with my dinner on New Year’s Day. - Tish of The Kat House

*To be honest, I never even heard of people having good luck traditions on New Year’s. These all sound pretty neat to me (except for that blackeyed peas thing…). But growing up we definitely had a New Year’s tradition. We’d spend every New Year’s as a family with my mom’s college roommate and her family (she also had 2 kids just about our age). We’d alternate houses each year, and spend the night. The big traditions were always playing board games like Trivial Pursuit (adults and kids together) and then cooking some crazy fun or elaborate dinner (like paella, lobsters, fondue). On New Year’s Day itself, we’d watch some college football and usually drive around to see what stores, if any, were open. Andrew of Everybody Loves Coupons

To continue the New Year’s meme tradition, I’m now tagging the following:
Christy (Do Canadians have crazy traditions?)
Loretta (I can’t even imagine, but I’m sure there’s loads of laughs),
Lis (just to tick her off, plus she’s overseas so she must have crazy traditions) and
Little Dough Girl (who probably doesn’t even do memes, but I don’t care, I’m just glad to have found an old online friend via her blog).