Kimball Farms - Mini-Golf, Ice Cream & Air Hockey, Oh My!!

In the last month, we've made two trips to Kimball Farms.  Our next door neighbors first told us about this magical place a few months ago, and we couldn't wait to go.  What is Kimball Farms, you might ask?  It's acres of fun...that's what it is!  We went to their Westford location (about 50 minutes outside of Boston), which has 2 mini-golf courses, bumper boats, an arcade, petting zoo, batting cages, a par 3 course (they call it "pitch and putt"), a "grill", and massive amounts of homemade ice cream!

The first time we went to Kimball Farms was with our friends Dave and Kirstin.  Their website said everything was open until 10pm, so we decided we had plenty of time to eat dinner at their house before heading to Westford.  When we got there, we saw a sign saying ice cream actually closed at 8:30 that night, so we decided to do that first.  The ice cream servings are HUGE and delicious!  This is a small serving...needless to say, I wasn't able to finish it (but came close!!!).  :)

After eating ice cream, we made our way to the mini-golf counter.  We were met by a few teens who told us they'd stopped letting people play for the evening.  When I asked why, the girl said "We're already not going to leave on time tonight...there are a lot of people playing, so no one else can play."  Since their website didn't say anything about a "last round", and it was just before 9pm (plenty of time for four 30 year olds to play a round of mini-golf), I asked if she'd make an exception and let us play.  We certainly wouldn't be the ones holding things up (can't you tell we're fantastic mini-golfers?).  She just said "No.  We're already going to have to stay late tonight."

Ugh.  I wasn't happy (since we'd driven almost an hour to play mini-golf), but we decided to make the best of it and head to the arcade.  They've got a great arcade with all the classic games we were looking for.  After some ski ball, we decided to pay some two-on-two air hockey.  Everyone left happy, as Trav and Dave won one game, and Kirstin and I won another.  :)

This past Friday, Travis and I went back to Kimball Farms to continue our mini-golf saga, and left REALLY early to make sure we'd have plenty of time.  We had dinner by the farm animals (burgers, fries, and watermelon...perfect for a summer night) and had a great time watching the goats.  Most goats I've seen aren't too keen on being petted all the time - they usually suffer through the petting with the hopes of a "french fry thank you", but these goats LOVED being petted!  Every time someone walked up to the fence, the goats came running and would put their heads up to the fence to graciously accept the happy rubs.  It was very cute.  We even watched one dad pick his kids up by the ankles and dangle them headfirst over the fence so they could pet the goats' heads.  So funny.

After dinner we DID get to play mini-golf, and it was great.  The holes are interesting and well kept, and there are lots of fun things to look at as you go!  I won't tell you who won (since it wasn't me), but we had a fantastic time!

I managed to hit my ball off a rock, over the walkway, and into the woods. Maybe this is why I didn't win. At least it found a friend!

We'll be back soon for more fun.  Kimball Farms was quite a fantastic surprise...I just wish they'd update their hourly information online to reflect what actually occurs.  :)

Weight Loss Update - 31 pounds down!

I know it's been a little while since I've mentioned the diet, but never fear - it's still going strong!  It's now been 3 months since I started tracking what I'm eating and moving more, and I'm happy to say progress is being made!  If you didn't read my last entry, check out my diet game plan here.  The short version is that I started the diet by:

Tracking my meals using loseit.com (EVERY day)
Giving up soda (no caffeine or aspratame)
Drinking lots of water every day
Walking a lot
Following the 80/20 rule

In the first 7 weeks I lost 20 pounds.  Now, three months in, I'm 31 pounds down!  Here's a little of what's been going on:

I've still been tracking all my meals, and I've only gone over my daily calories 5 times these whole 3 months! Basically, if I know i'll be eating a large meal one day, I trim down the others or skip a snack.  I also try to add an extra 30 minutes of exercise that day, to compensate for the extra calories!

I've started jogging.  I'm REALLY bad at it...but I'm still trying!  Right now I'm doing intervals - running 2 minutes, walking 2 minutes for 20-26 minutes three times a week (in addition to 60 minutes walking).  Hopefully next time I report I'll have extended the run portion.  :)

I hit a plateau.  Like...a 2.5 - 3 week plateau.  I did really well for 2 weeks of the darn thing, staying positive and continuing as a good girl should, but 2.5 weeks in I was about to give up.  It's frustrating not seeing any progress when you're doing everything "right".  Travis was in Vermont at the time, so I finally called him and lost my cool - "This is stupid," "Nothing's working," "I don't want to do this anymore," "This sucks."  Sweet husband turned on the cheerleader role and reminded me that I already have done it, so obviously I can, and that eventually the plateau would end.  Two days later I started making "scale progress" again!

I almost wore holes in the bottoms of my shoes from walking so much, so I got some new shoes last weekend.  I'm still getting used to them, but they are much better than the old ones!

I also got a watch that tracks your steps, distance, heart rate, and calories burned.  Most of these are pretty expensive, but I found one from New Balance at Target last week for $60, so I got it.  I had 3 gift cards I could use, so it only ended up costing $5!  *score*  I was excited to get home and crack it open to start using, until I saw the instructions.  They were folded up into a tiny booklet, but when you unfolded them they were the size of a MAP.  I took one look and knew it was just going to be a frustrating mess, so I decided to wait for Travis to get home for Oregon (another music conference) so he could help me.  When I called him to tell him about the instructions he said "yeah...you should just wait for me to get home."  He really knows me, huh?  :)  I'm excited to get it set up so I can start wearing it, though!

I did another Diet Bet...and won again!  My friend Ann started her own after reading my last weight loss blog, so of course I joined!  I was nervous I wouldn't make my goal with the monster plateau, but eeked out the required 4% in the last few days!  Whew...

That's what's been going on with me.  We'll be going on vacation in a few weeks, so normally I'd be nervous, but this vaca is going to be very active - we're going to the Tetons and Yellowstone, so there will be lots of hiking and exploring!

Do you have any tips for me?  What's worked for you?

Also, I'll be going on vacation later in July and am looking for a few guest bloggers.  If you're interested, send me an email at lalford0609 (at) gmail (dot) com!

Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial

A few weeks ago I went to a Young Women in Digital event in downtown Boston.  The event was called "Cupcakes and Careers"...so how could I not go?  After work, I headed into town and was happy to realize it only took me about 20 minutes to get in AND park, so I was left with some time to kill.  The event was at the Back Bay Social Club on Boylston Street, so I decided to head a little further down and see the Boston Marathon bombing memorial.  Right after the bombings, the community set up a memorial at the main barricade.  Once the street opened backup, they moved the memorial to Copley Square, where it quickly quadrupled in size.

I parked at the Prudential center, so as I made my way to Copley Square, I paused at each of the bombing sites.  This was my first time back on Boylston Street since the bombings, and I was surprised at how chilling everything was.  This street I walked every day the first few years we lived here, forever changed.

The second bombing spot.  Forum still hasn't reopened.

The first bombing site, near the finish line.

First bomb went off in front of Marathon Sports.

Then I made my way to the memorial.  They took the memorial down the day after I visited, so I was lucky to see it.  There must have been thousands of running shoes, hats, signatures on posters, shirts, and wishes for the victims and their families.

Here are a few pictures of the memorial before it was moved to Copley, a week after the bombings.  We walked over one beautiful Sunday after church.  People were all over the Public Garden and the surrounding area, but once we approached the barricade, everyone was silent, paying their respects.  It was eerie to see Boylston street completely empty and both heartbreaking and inspiring to see all the notes and goods people left at the memorial.

Check out some of my other blogs about the 2013 Marathon here - My Thoughts on the Marathon Bombings, the Marathon Benefit Concert, and the first Sox game back after the terrorists were captured...and if you'd like to donate money, check out the One Fund.

Cooking Class at 51 Lincoln - 5 Pasta Sauces!

Last weekend, I took a cooking class at one of our favorite restaurants, 51 Lincoln in Newton, MA.  The title of course sold me immediately: "Five Minute Pasta Sauces".  They have a whole series of classes that have included Breakfasts, Homemade Pasta, Canning, and Butchering (just to name a few).  The courses run from 9am-12pm and take place in the restaurant's kitchen.

I arrived at the restaurant a little before 9 and immediately made my way to the kitchen, where I found a station set up for each person in the class.  As everyone filed in, we started the class with some knife skills.  This class we focused on dicing onions, mincing and slicing garlic, and cutting herbs so they don't bruise.  We all chopped away, actually preparing the ingredients we'd use in our pasta sauces.  We also practiced "flipping" the contents in the pan using kernels of corn.  After spilling corn all over the kitchen, we quickly mastered the "push, pull" motion that would allow us to stir our pasta sauces without using a spoon.

The instructor had prepared some paperwork with information about each of the five sauces we were going to make, along with the recipes.  The sauces we made were Marinara, Puttanesca, Butter & Cheese, Meuniere, and Alfredo.  Today I'll share the Puttanesca and Meuniere sauce recipes with you, so make sure you check back for the other three later!

It was amazing to watch her make each of these sauce.  You always think you can never make something as fantastic as what you're served in a restaurant like 51 Lincoln, but NOW I can...and in about the same time as it takes to brew a pot of coffee.

Then it was our turn!  We each grabbed a frying pan, claimed our burner on their massive stove top, and got to cookin!  Only one person burned something out of all 6 of us, which I thought was pretty good for some first timers cookin' fast.  Here are a few of my creations!

Once one of us would finish a recipe, we'd transfer it into a large bowl with the like recipes.  When everyone was done in the kitchen, we moved to the bar to relax and enjoy a spread featuring all of all our hard work!  It was the perfect way to end a fun morning.

The important thing with these sauces is to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to add.  Since the sauces take such a short amount of time to cook these, you won't have time to stop and chop!

As promised, here are two of the recipes from the day.

Puttanesca Sauce
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
3 anchovy filets
1/4 cup white wine
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes (drain and reserve juice)
1/2 cup pitted black olives (preferably oil-cured)
2 Tablespoons capers
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooked pasta of choice

Directions
1.  Place a medium pan over high heat.  Add oil, turn down to medium.
2.  Add anchovies and garlic, and cook until garlic is golden brown.
3.  Add olives and capers, cook for a few seconds and de-glaze with white wine.
4.  Add tomatoes and 1 Tablespoon of the reserved juice.  Cook on medium-high for a couple of minutes
5.  Add pasta and toss, adding more tomato juice if needed.  Finish with parsley, chili flakes, and a drizzle of evoo.

Meuniere Sauce
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  Heat up a medium pan over medium-low heat.
2.  Add butter and cook until it begins to brown.
3.  Take off the heat and swirl in lemon juice and parsley.
4.  Serve over fish, chicken, or toss with pasta.

It was seriously some of the most fun I've had in a long time.  The instructor was friendly and a fantastic teacher - encouraging and clear...just what we needed.

If you live in the Boston area, check out 51 Lincoln's cooking class schedule to see if there's a class you'd like to take.  I hear there will be several more added in the next few weeks!  I'll DEFINITELY be going back!

I Cut Off All My Hair and Donated It

I've been pulling my hair back in a bun every day for a long as I can remember (or at least as long as it was up to me how I wore my hair).  I'd get a hair cut ever 4-5 months to take care of some of the weight, but the style didn't matter too much to me since as soon as I left the chair it would be right back up!  I'm not against my hair being down...I would just rather sleep the extra 30 minutes instead of spending it blow drying my hair.

A few years ago, I decided I should do some good with my hair since it's hidden every day, so I started growing it out all year so I could cut it off and donate it!  March 2012 was my first time donating my hair - I had 12 inches to donate!  I was planning on donating to Locks of Love, because it was the only hair donation company I knew of, until a friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook letting me know about Pantene Great Lengths.  His sister had lost all of her hair when she was young and had cancer, so his family did a lot of research about hair donation companies.  They found out Locks of Love sells a good bit of their "unusable hair" to companies who then use it to make wigs (doesn't sound too unusable to me), and made $1.9 million from hair sales from 2001-2006 -  so there's a good chance your hair may not be used.

As I did research on Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, I knew it was the one I wanted to go with.  Another nice thing about Beautiful Lengths is that you only have to cut 8" to donate - far less than the other programs out there.  Check out their requirements to see if you're eligible to donate.  I can't imagine an easier thing to do that would mean SO much to someone battling cancer.

Ann and I got haircuts together and both cut a LOT of hair off.  I think I freaked my stylist out when I told her the main thing (besides making sure there is enough to donate) is that I HAVE to be able to still pull it up once it's cut.  Last time I donated, it took a month before I could get it all back.  She was also pretty amazed at how quickly my hair grows.  We figured out it grew over 12" in 16 months (apparently the average is 1/2 inch per month).  Here's the before and after!

Easy Flower Cupcakes

Happy Friday!  Today I had the pleasure of guest posting over at DIY by Design.  Judy's blog is one of the first I started following when I began blogging 10 months ago, so I was excited to have the opportunity to share a cupcake how-to while she's on vacation!

If you're new here, I hope you'll become a follower and stick around!

Follow Much Ado on Bloglovin...
...or Facebook...
...or Pinterest...
...or on Twitter...
...or your favorite reader!

It's been a HOT week here in Boston - it finally feels like summer!  To celebrate, I decided to put together a simple summery flower tutorial.  There's no need for lots of "cake gear" or previous experience for this cute  flower.  It just boils down to 5 dots and a swirl!

Make several different colors of icing and you'll end up with a colorful bouquet of flowers at the end - perfect!

Check out the complete how-to here!

Interested in other cake tutorials?  Check out some of my other designs here, here, here, here, and here!

Thanks again, Judy, for letting me crash your blog!

Garlic Shrimp Kabobs

Last weekend we had our friends Emily and Jason over for dinner.  We hadn't grilled out this season yet (I know...so bad), so we were excited to fire up the grill and hang out outside for a while.  Toby also enjoyed the time outside with everyone.  He's such a good grillin' dog.  (Insert hotdog/grill joke here...I know you wanna...)

We decided to do the first grilled meal right, so we went for surf & turf.  I love the Honey Lime Shrimp I make, but didn't think that would pair well with steak and potatoes, so this time I decided to go garlic.  They were perfect - easy to make and are bursting with flavor.  Add some smokey flavor from the coals on a grill and they're out of this world.  Just look at these babies!

Ingredients
1 pound shrimp
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon melted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 large cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Directions
Mix olive oil, butter, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.  Peel and wash shrimp, then add them to the bowl and marinade.   Cover, and refrigerate for 2-5 hours.

At this point, you can either cook them in a frying pan, or do what we did and skewer them for kabobs.  If you're using wooden skewers, you'll need to soak them in water first so they don't catch on fire.  I filled a cookie sheet with water and submerged the sticks for 15 minutes.

Then skewer 5-6 shrimp per stick.

Lay the kabobs on the grill over simmering coals and cook a few minutes per side, until shrimp turn pink.  You can spoon some of the marinade on the shrimp while they're cooking, but be careful because it'll make the coals flame up!  Then carefully flip shrimp and finish cooking!

Follow Much Ado About Somethin on Facebook 

for fantastic recipes, cake how-to's, and diy projects!

These were the surf half of our surf & turf dinner...and really made the meal.  Give 'em a try next time you heat up the grill!