6537. Make milkshakes

 Trying to come up with things to put on your Christmas list is always a challenge. I've had a milkshake maker on my Amazon wish list for years. Since I didn't know what else to put on our combine list, I brought the idea up to the hubby. I showed him a picture and he said okay. I don't think he really expected to me to put it on the list or to actually get one. 

We got a Hamilton Beach Classic Drink Maker from my parents for Christmas. It is about $40 on Amazon and comes with the metal mixing cup. Now we just needed ice cream. Besides the cup, everything else is plastic which is kind of disappointing.

After purchasing some vanilla ice cream for the hubby, we decided to make milkshakes one night. The hubby was in charge of making them. It was essentially 3 or so scoops of ice cream, some milk, and splash of vanilla. 

The Classic Drink Maker worked very well for his vanilla shake. He got the consistency he liked (runny) by moving the mixing cup around as it mixed. 

My chocolate brownie shake turned out pretty good as well. The mixing head doesn't break up the chunks of brownie very well so they sink to the bottom of the glass. I ended up spooning that out since my metal straws didn't suck them up either. 

The next time we had shakes, I had a Dr. Pepper Cherry Shake. Instead of using milk, I used Cherry Dr. Pepper and added Maraschino cherries as well. It was AMAZING. The only thing I would do different would be either to chop up the cherries into tiny pieces so they get sucked up in the straw or just use the cherry juice in addition to the Dr. Pepper. The hubby was skeptical but once I told him I loved it, he wasn't so skeptical about my creation.

I also tried to do a mint shake but the hubby put way too much milk in it and it was literally thicker milk and had no mint taste whatsoever. I did not have mint extract in the house so that probably didn't help. Next time I will try it with the mint extraction and less milk.

We do need to get some actual old fashion milk shake glasses. The coke glass and pint glasses we've been using work in a pinch but the taller milkshake glasses would make them even better.

The milkshake maker has become a very useful gift. I don't know why I didn't ask for it sooner. It saves us a trip to Culvers or DQ just for a shake when the hubby wants one and nothing beats a good homemade shake with real ice cream.

Quarantine Adventures: Virtual Sunset at Stonehenge

 Go to Stonehenge might be on the bucket list (#17) but due to budget and pandemic constraints that is not happening any time soon. However, watch the sunset or sunrise at Stonehenge at the solstice is not on the bucket list. I have no idea it was supposed to be really neat and line up perfectly. Good thing Facebook enlightened me of this and allowed me to watch in real time.

The English Heritage Facebook page was livestreaming the sunset on December 20th and the Sunrise on December 21st. With the time difference, the sunset was around 10 am Wisconsin time on Sunday but the sunrise was at like 2 am Monday morning. There was no way I was going to watch a virtual sunrise in the middle of the night. 

The virtual sunset, like any sunset, was a lot of nothing but watching the sun dip lower in the sky. I am not sure what the fuss about sunsets and sunrises (even moonrises and moonsets) is but they do generate some pretty pictures. I don't usually have the patience to sit around and watch the sun sink lower in the sky.. and I didn't today either. Luckily being virtual I could multitask.

The way the sun lined up with the stones at Stonehenge was impressive. I kind of see what the fuss is about Stonehenge and the Solstice. 

I'm glad it worked that I saw the sunset but if it didn't, I probably won't have been upset. It was cool to see but I think in person it would have been even better albeit a whole lot colder.  

5010. See the lights on Candy Cane Lane in West Allis

 After we went to the lights in Miller Valley, we headed over to Candy Cane Lane in West Allis. I have been to Candy Cane Lane since my freshman year of college when I went with Mary and Scott. We are talking over 20 years. 

Candy Cane Lane is roughly a 4 block area in West Allis where every house is decked out in Christmas lights. It is between 92nd and 96th Streets and Montana and Oklahoma Avenues. The route is marked by trees covered with white and red plastic to look like candy canes. 

Traffic on the weekend to turn in on one of the main streets can be backed up quite a ways. Locals know the back ways into Candy Cane Lane which is what we did. You can also park and walk the entire route which probably allows you to get better pictures since you aren't dealing with cars coming in the other direction.

Back in 1998, most houses had either those plastic light up figures or wooden cut out characters with a spot light. The lights were mainly colored with bigger bulbs. 

This year there are many inflatable characters, white lights, Star Wars, and more elaborate displays. There is still colored lights and wooden cut outs. There is definitely something for everyone.

Stacy and I joked about there being a special company where you can customize the Christmas inflatables. We saw a taco truck decked out for Christmas and a VW Van decked out for Christmas.

Candy Cane Lane runs through December 27th so if you are looking something to do, go check it out. I would think during the week would be less busy than during the week. 

5012. See the Lights in the Miller Valley

 When the line was uber-long to get in the Botanical Gardens to see the lights, we headed to Miller Valley to see the lights. Since it was also on the bucket list, I was good with the change of plans. 

Things you should know.

1. The entire valley is not covered in lights. It is literally one hill side and a house.

2. It is best to park across the street from the lights to see them better.

3. It is a dancing light display with only 1 or 2 songs. You may not be able to find the radio station in your car. 

Like I said it is a dancing light display that was well done. Even the lights on the house dance.

However, I was expecting the entire Miller Valley to be lit up. I was disappointed in the lack of lights. Despite the lack of lights and high expectations, it was a very good show. I liked how they kept cars moving by limiting the number of songs.

Even though we couldn't tune into the exact station, any upbeat Christmas music fits well with the dancing lights.

If you live in the Milwaukee area, I would suggest checking out the lights. They are on through December 27th from 6-10 pm. 

Quarantine Adventures: Aunt Amy's Science Camp

 My brother asked if I would watch my nephew while they went Christmas shopping. I said I would. There was one small problem with this.. I have nothing for a 9 year old boy to do for a couple of hours and he doesn't have any sort of "screen" to keep him occupied for that long. I was going to steal my brother's Legos when we were home a few weeks ago but decided we could do science experiments instead. My nephew likes science and I figured this would be a good way to kill some time.

After scouring Pinterest for ideas, I made a list of possible activities we could do. I wasn't sure what he was interested in more: Science or Engineering.

We did the following activities

Suck an egg in a bottle -- EPIC FAIL! The egg never was sucked into the bottle. I think our egg was too cold and the bottle too big. We used an quart milk bottle. I hard-boiled the egg the day before and stored it in the fridge. I think there was too much oxygen left when the flame when out in the bottle cause the egg to drop in the bottle. We will try this again another day with a smaller bottle and a warmer egg.

Lemon Volcanoes -- 

We sliced lemons in half and poked holes in them.

Then we sprinkled with baking soda and dish soap. 

We added extra lemon juice to speed up the process.

They were cool but kind of messy. J had fun pouring on the lemon juice. Not a big hit but fun enough.

Rain Clouds

This was a quick activity before lunch. Just food coloring and shaving cream. It kept J occupied for a bit.

Balloon Darts

This was the big winner of the day. I literally stacked a couple cups and J tried to knock them down by shooting an inflated balloon at it the stack. He never quite aimed right but it was fun trying.

Bottle Rockets

Another winner of the day. We filled a water bottle 1/3 of the way with vinegar, dropped a packet of baking soda in it, and stuck a cork in it. The bottle took off like a rocket when the baking soda and vinegar reacted. This is definitely an outdoor activity. J was so excited by this one, he had to show the hubby.

Inflating Balloons

J was not as impressed with this one as he was with the rockets. This was another baking soda and vinegar activity. You filled a balloon with baking soda and a water bottle with vinegar. Stick the balloon on the rim of the bottle and watch the balloon inflate.

Catapults

I found many different versions of this. I was excited to try making catapults. However, they weren't very good. Nothing flew very far but J had fun trying. 

Pencil Baggies

This activity J found in his science experiment book he brought with.

You literally fill a ziplock bag with water. Go outside and stick pencils through the bag. The water will not leak. This is a great hot summer day activity. J was impressed that it did not leak and it was fun to let the water out when we were done. 

Note: It doesn't ruin your good colored pencils :)

Balloon Rocket

This was a last minute add since we had time. We tied a piece of yarn to a chair. Then we added a straw before trying the yarn to another chair. Then we taped an inflated balloon to the straw and let go. It was fun but the string could have been longer.

It was a fun day of science fun. J couldn't stop talking about everything we did when he parents came to pick him up. Aunt Amy Science Camp for the win. Sometimes kids just need to do fun things that don't require screens and they will talk about it for ages.

458. Make jam

 When we were helping Janis make pickles, she asked if we wanted to help make pepper jam. I've never made jam but always wanted to. I would have preferred to make like raspberry jam but jam is jam. 

I've never made jam because of the quantity of jam produced. If I wanted to make jam, I would only want a jar or two but jam making produces many jars of jam. I could probably give them away but to be all the material to make jam would not worth the expense in my opinion. I am not a jam eater anyways.

Pepper jam is made from red, green, and jalapeno peppers. Janis actually had all the peppers chopped up and frozen ahead of time. That saved a lot of time. You want your peppers in small pieces so dices them in the food processor works great.

In a large pot, mix the peppers, apple cider vinegar and pectin. Bring to a boil and add sugar. Then boil for 2-3 minutes.

Then you need to fill the jars. An ice cream scoop works great because the mixture will be liquidy. You want that liquid. It helps set the jam since it is full of sugar and pectin.

After filling, wiping off the jars, and sealing the jars, the get water processed for 15 minutes. Set a timer. You do not want to forget how long they have been in the water. Once they are done in the bath, let them cool and mature for about two weeks before enjoying.

Besides chopping all the peppers and processing, the pepper jam is relatively quick to make. Since only a few jars can fit in the water bath at time, processing can take forever since they have to process for 15 minutes. It is a great time to drink wine and catch up with your fellow jam makers. Flying solo.. grab a cup of your favorite beverage and read a book.

It might be a while before I sample the pepper jam. I am not a big fan of peppers and the hubby won't touch them at all. I am thinking to gift some of them. I will eventually try it. I can not sample my morning's work.