Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’
Posted by Lorin Drinkard / Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Jammin’ tunes? Good. Ice skating? Great. Wearing a Halloween costume while skating to some of your fave songs? Even better.
Winter fun is on the way. /Photo courtesy Shutterstock/Lana K
For a rock and roll good time on the ice, lace up your skates and head to Mt. Vernon RECenter on Friday, October 28 for the return of their annual themed skate night. $10 covers skate rentals and two hours of fun around the rink, awesome overhead soundtrack included. They’ll start renting skates at 8:15 p.m. so get there early to grab your size.
If you’ve ever wanted to glide around while dressed up your favorite Jersey Shore character, this is the time and place to do it. Snooki + ice skates = a hauntingly great idea. Who knows, there may even be some fist pumping opportunities.
Mt. Vernon RECenter
2017 Belle View Blvd
Alexandria, VA
703-768-3224
Time: 8:45 – 10:30 p.m.
Cost: $10
- Lorin Drinkard
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
It’s almost October and Halloween will be here sooner than you know it. I have seen pumpkins and mums for sale, but hesitate to buy either because the pumpkins are sure to rot and the mums are sure to die. Maybe in a week or two I will start my Halloween preparations. But for now, I am content to just start thinking about Halloween.
One of the things I look forward to at Halloween is baking and decorating cookies. I have a traditional pumpkin cookie cutter and use different icings, glitter, sugars, and candies to decorate them all differently.
You can make your own cookies with your kids at Market Salamander in Middleburg on Halloween. Pastry Chef Jason Reaves will lead costumed children in the Kids Halloween Spooky Cookie Fest. Adults can enjoy happy hour in the downstairs cafe while the children make their very own spooky cookies before trick or treating. Sounds like a great treat to me.
If you are hosting a party, my favorite place to buy holiday items is Grandin Road. Grandin Road has unique decorating items for holidays and even traditional items for your kitchen year-round. Last year for my Halloween party, I bought the Mad Scientist Wine Labels and they were a huge hit.
(Image: Grandin Road)
This Pumpkin Beverage Tub looks perfect for sodas, bottled water, and most importantly- beer.
(Image: Grandin Road)
If you think you can get away with using a store-bought veggie tray as party food, please don’t. Just check out Our Best Bites and start cooking. Our Best Bites is a blog that has a ton of ideas for Halloween projects such as candy corn pizza and spider web dip.
There are some other blogs out there that have great ideas too, such as My Wooden Spoon. These Mummy Dogs look too cute to eat.
(Image: My Wooden Spoon)
Halloween may be a few weeks away, but if you start planning early, the day will turn out to be scary–but only in the good way.
-Liz Stevenson
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, March 8th, 2010
Call me old-fashioned, but when I eagerly opened my Christmas gift one year from a then-boyfriend, I expected the present to carry a certain WOW! factor. I never expected to see a skimpy thong, thigh highs and a see-through bra adorned with sequins and tassels. I wouldn’t even wear that for Halloween. And how was I supposed to explain that gift to my parents?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about sexy lingerie, but this was just plain tasteless. It would be one thing to receive this for Valentine’s Day, but Christmas? OK, so I tried it on. It was quite a workout to get into this little number, believe me. After staring in the mirror, I slipped into a pair of heels and pretended I was an exotic dancer. Unfortunately, he forgot to get me the pole.
He knew I wasn’t crazy about the gift by the surprised look on my face. I was really miffed because I had invested considerable time, thought and money in selecting his leather jacket for Christmas. Looking back, I should have simply told him how I felt.
Gift giving is not always easy, especially in a new relationship, but we have so many excellent choices for shopping in NoVA—Tysons Galleria, Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets, Pentagon City Mall, Reston Town Center and trendy boutiques.
Have you ever received something that was just plain awful? Did you tell the person? Did you return it, or did you keep it and pretend that you liked it?
–Katie
Go on, vent about it. It’ll make you feel better. Post a comment, or email me at littleredbook@northernvirginiamag.com.
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, October 30th, 2009
Stay safe out there this weekend.
–Warren
Jump Start Your Halloween at Evening Star Cafe
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Though the official holiday is Saturday, for partygoers Halloween is basically here tomorrow for all intents and purposes when the five o’clock whistle blows (Hopefully you’ve found something to tempt your palate and your trickster spirit in our Halloween Guide. )
If you simply can’t wait until Saturday, take your costume out for a spin at Evening Star Cafe where Halloween has its own eve. Groove to a ghoulish beat in the upstairs lounge with a live DJ and see who can garner the title of “Best Costume.”
–Amy Loeffler
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Photo: marchofdimes.com
I was prepared to be a real aguafiestas (translation: party pooper) to the inimitable Mr. Rojas and his online chat buddy today. If you caught the yummy online discussion with Buzz Bakery’s Josh Short about Halloween treats (and if you have a sweet tooth like me) no doubt you’re ready for the treat extravaganza of the holiday to commence, and no amount of pumpkin bread or pennies in a sandwich bag will ever substitute for a festively decorated cupcake or neatly wrapped candy bar on Halloween.
I am happy to report, however, that after speaking with Michelle Berman, R.D. in Vienna, denying your kids (and yourself) treats is not a strategy she recommends.
Even at-risk kids with weight or nutrition issues who have sugar triggers should not be denied. Restricting the amount of candy is a much better option; otherwise, Berman cautions, you are sending a mixed message. “You’re saying, ‘We want you to feel normal but we don’t want you to eat candy like your friends and your siblings.’”
This is not to say you should let your kids have free reign of the candy jar. Berman suggests rationing portions and warns under no circumstances should your kids keep the candy stash in their room. For example, perhaps Halloween night let them eat as much as they want and then throw away the remaining candy, or parcel out a few pieces each night for a week. The idea is not to let kids gorge themselves on candy from now until Thanksgiving.
One way to avoid candy aisle overload in the first place is to de-emphasize candy consumption and Trick-or-Treating. “Don’t make candy the centerpiece of the holiday,” advises Berman. “Halloween is a lot more than just candy. I would encourage families to have parties (see video below for party ideas) where kids could bake fun things and have activities to go to like bobbing for apples or drinking hot cider. Stress the whole experience of the fun of Halloween.”
So, what do you do should you have a veritable pirate’s booty of Snicker’s Bars, Hershey’s Kisses, Smarties and other confectionery goodies left over from a long night of Trick-or-Treating? Go for the bottom line, encourages Berman. That’s right, the wallet.
“Make a deal with your kids and exchange five pieces of candy for money, or a sticker or something fun that they’ll really enjoy.”
–Amy Loeffler
Video: Youtube]
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, September 10th, 2009
What is wrong with people?!?!?!
–Warren