FAQ: What is Hang Out Night?

I post about hang out night a lot and I frequently get questions about it. Today, I am going to spend some time answering those questions, in the order of frequency.

What is "hang out night"?
Hang out night is where we get together with friends and family and hang out. For awhile we called it "game night" but we don't always play games and it turned into "hang out night" instead.

Here are Sky and my kids playing a video game.

When is hang out night?
Every week (with a few exceptions. For example: when people are sick.) It's on Friday or Saturday nights, depending on everyone's work schedule. And sometimes it's both Friday and Saturday nights. This last weekend, it was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. That's why I like to post hang out night and fun things to do on Friday.

How do you organize hang out night?
I am more laid back about it. I wait and see who shows up. Sometimes people call and say they'll be in town. Sometimes we call and see who is coming over to visit and play games/ watch a movie/ wrestle/ work on a blog post/ eat/ whatever... and an occasional trip to the ER because we get rowdy. 

And if no one shows up, I head down to my friend's apartment for a good old fashioned "Stitch and Bitch" session where we crochet or knit while gabbing away. Or give manicures and pedicures...

Or a lovely spa...

What do you do during a hang out?
Goof off, sit and chat, drink (the adults, not the kids!), have ice cream (the adults, not the k... oh, wait), play games, watch a movie, walk to the store for a drink and a smoothie, shoot the breeze

Credit: Bob Downs, evilcrayon.com

What games do you play?

Here is a picture I took of all my games. These aren't all the games we play because other people bring over their games. I even numbered them to tell you what they are! And I am adding some other games that aren't pictured.

Some links below send you to Amazon, or other links.

1. Card games. Like, blackjack, kid-friendly poker, nerts, card tricks, rummy and other fun card games (click to go to a site for card games).
2. Backgammon.
3. Cribbage .
4. Pac-Man. The Atari game (yes, we have an Atari!) and the card game for kids.
5. Yahtzee.
6. Pente.
7. Monopoly City.
8. Cards Against Humanity. (NOT KID FRIENDLY! This is for after the kids are sleeping.)
9. Quelf Board Game.
10. Phase 10 .
11. Mad Libs , the card game and the game from the pad.
12. Chess or checkers.
13. Another backgammon game.
14. Dominoes.
15. Made the Terracotta Flower Pot Candle space Heater. (Not a game, but it was in the picture and we did this during hang out night)
16. Hide and Go Seek in the dark.
17. Apples to Apples.
18. Fluxx .
19. Video games on Atari, Nintendo 64, Commodore, Xbox, PlayStation, and computer.
20. Emergency Room visits. While it's not a game, some of our rowdiness lands us in the ER and we make the best of it.

    

    Don't snort kool-aid, no matter how cool they say it will be!
21. Dye our hair... sorry, Zack... I love this picture!

What is Hide and Go Seek in the dark, you weirdos!?

OMG! It's so much fun! Here is what you do...

• Gather all your crazy friends!
• Pick a "seeker".
• Turn off the lights. All the lights. And cover the windows. Unplug the coffee pot or anything with a light on it. NO CELL PHONES! That's cheating! Remove glow-in-the-dark nail polish.
• The seeker counts out loud while everyone else hides.
• Once time is up, the seeker wanders through the dark searching for everyone. Once tagged, you are found! 
• The best part is, if your friends are like me and can't see in the dark, it's MUCH harder to play. 
• The downside is, my brother can see in the dark. Poo.

And yes, we are weirdos!

That sounds like fun! Can I come over?

Uuuuh, suuure? Call first, my house is guarded by attack cats.

"I will act sweet... then attack your face."

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MAILBAG: Blogging for the unskilled people

Here is a question I received this week on creating and running a blog: 

Hola! I was curious to know if setting up a weblog such your own is hard to do for unskilled people? I have been hoping to set up my own blog for a while now but have been turned off mainly because I've always believed it demanded tons of work. What do you think?-Anonymous

 I don't think it's that hard to set up and run a blog. Here is a Wiki How on How to Create a Blogger Blog.If you like YouTube, here is a five-minute video on how to create your Blogger Blog. 

As for the amount of work a blog takes, it depends on how much time you have to dedicate to blogging. I found that Problogger has great articles on blogging, blogging income and everything else to do with blogging. 

If you are new to Blogging, I highly suggest his book "Problogger's Guide to Your First Week of Blogging" Click here to view more details. This book will help you (from Problogger's site)

·       Learn foundational brainstorming techniques.
·       Create a content plan—and content, of course!
·       Build a social media presence.
·       Create practical quality assurance tools.
·       Set up a publishing process.
·       Master the components of a blog post.
·       Develop your blog’s ongoing strategy.

I personally love blogging! If I don't have time, I don't blog. Some months are harder than others are and I have to focus my time elsewhere. However, eventually, I would love to be a full time blogger with my blog making enough income to make ends meet. Until then, it's a hobby I completely enjoy in my free time!

Don't give up too quickly. Every hobby needs time to learn and explore. Blogging isn't any different. It can be pretty fun! I have been blogging since March 2003 and enjoy it quite a lot!

Happy Blogging,

Dotchi

FAQ: Where is the share button?

From an anonymous comment:

 "...where can I find share btn? (P.S. Don't think I'm blind)"

No, anonymous reader, you are not blind. I had a share button and apparently blogger ate my code. I fixed it by adding a new share button. Just above the posts is a line of little icons. Click on those and you can share this blog (or the individual posts) on numerous social websites. I added all of them that were available.

If you don't see one that you use, shoot me an email  and let me know which one you would like added and I will try to find a button for it.

Also, at the end of each post are icons for blog this, twitter, facebook, email this post and Google+ for sharing each post. Just click on the icons to share.

If you run into any problems, just let me know.

FAQ: Mailbag! Backgrounds part 2

This is part 2 of the original post Where do you get your background?

You'll notice that my background isn't in the images selection for the blogger template designer. That is because I get my background lay out from The Cutest Blog on the Block. They have different backgrounds for Twitter, Wordpress, Myspace and Blogger.

How to find your background

At the top of the Cutest Blog on the Block page, scroll over "backgrounds" and then choose "Blogger". It will open a page for the Blogger backgrounds. You can browse around the different categories (on the right hand side, scroll down a little). They have backgrounds for 3-column lay out, Black and white, etc.

Once you find the background you like, click on it. I'll use the Fluorescent Grunge Glam background as the example.

Scroll down to the code section where it says "copy and paste this code". Highlight the whole code, right click and pick "copy". 

Open your Blog Design Tab

Now go back to your blog dashboard. Click on the blog you want to have the background displayed and click the "design" tab. 

This will take you to a page that shows your pages lay out, with header, footer, posts and the sidebar items. 

Adding your background

Wherever you want, click "add gadget". A box will pop up to choose the gadget you want. Scroll down to find "HTML/javascript" and click on that. 

A new box will open with a title and content box. Paste your code in the content box and then click "save". 

Now open your blog page and marvel at its beauty :)

Tip for Blogger Backgrounds

Once you have added your cute background, you may want to go to the template designer link on the design page and remove the background image. This will help your blog load faster.

If you need any help or have any questions, email me.

FAQ: Mailbag! Where do you get your background?

I found this email in my inbox this morning

I can't figure out how to get a multi colored back ground like you have on your blog.  I dislike my blog background somewhat, it's boring. 

Oh I know what you mean! The backgrounds that come with the blogger templates can be exciting and colorful but for the most part, I want something cute and different. Here is how you change your background.

Getting to the template designer
Go to your blogger dashboard. Near your blogs name there is a link for "design". When you click on it you will be taken to a page that shows the lay out of your blog.

Near the top (but below the "posting", "comments", "settings", etc tabs) will be a link for "template designer". Click on that.

This takes you to the template designer where you see your blog on the bottom half of the page and all the options you can change on the top half.

Changing your background image
The second link down on the top half (on the left) is "background". Click on that.

There will be a box next to it that shows your background image. You can click on it to change your background. There are a ton of background images to choose from. Then you choose to change the color theme to match your background picture on the same "background" option.

Read Part 2 of Backgrounds to see how to get a cute background for your blog.

FAQ How did you find out you are gluten intolerant?

Since I started posting recipes for gluten free foods, I have had a lot of people ask me how I found out I am gluten intolerant.

It all started a week after my birthday in 2010 when I got my MRT results back. I had already consulted with a GI specialist who wanted to run a test to see if I have Celiac sprue AKA Celiac disease. My test results listed 47 food allergies. Wheat was one of my worst reactions. The dietitian I was very helpful in helping me figure out what I CAN eat, offered a few recipes, helped me find creamer for my coffee (since I already know I am lactose intolerant) and helped me search for breads I can eat too. She was awesome!

Spelt, Kamut, Rye, Oats and Barley were on my lists of non-allergy foods. For the most part, in the beginning I ate a lot of fresh veggies, salads, some fruits and vegetable soups. One day I made a veggie soup with Barley and later that day my stomach hurt a little. That night my abdomen hurt so bad I cried, I became quite bloated and I ended up having horrible diarrhea. I chalked it up to having accidentally adding something to the soup that I am allergic to. I went over all the ingredients and couldn't find anything. I was stumped and just brushed it off as a stomach bug and went on with life.

For breakfast, I found that oats are very cheap so I started buying some cheap oats and started having the same symptoms. I eventually just quit eating oats and figured I had developed an allergy to them. I sulked for a bit and then remembered that I had made some dessert type thing with a bag of gluten free oat flour and I had no symptoms when I ate them. I also did fine eating the instant oatmeal mixes by Glutenfreeda.

The next trip to Washington to the dietitian went well. I found some spelt bread that was store bought and had nothing I was allergic to in it. I was so excited that I made myself four pizza sandwiches in the early morning hours, crawled into bed for a little sleep and left for home early in the morning.

By the time I had made it to Snoqualmie Pass, I seriously thought of finding a hospital. My gut hurt so bad it felt like someone was running a grappling hook through my intestines and every joint in my body ached. I felt like crap and I ended up stopping at every rest area and nearly every exit from Bremerton to Spokane. When I finally made it home, I was miserable for a few days and had migraines for the next week. I was sure it was the spelt bread and just threw it away even though it didn't have anything I was allergic to.

I started thinking about what the GI doctor said about celiac sprue and did a little research on what foods on the list that I can eat have gluten. I crossed them off and vowed never to eat them again. The pain wasn't worth it!

The next appointment I talked to the dietitian about my symptoms and how the GI specialist wanted to test me for celiac sprue. Living 500 miles away from my doctors, I just didn't get around to making the appointment because I couldn't get my dietitian and GI appointments on the same week. She explained that it is very possible that I am gluten intolerant.

She highly suggested the test if I wanted it but said that if I avoid gluten before the test, I could come back with a false negative result. She said if I was going to take the test then to eat something with gluten before hand, I think she said the week before? It might have been a few days. OR I could just avoid all gluten since I am obviously gluten intolerant, at the least. (Note: There is such a thing as non-celiac gluten intolerance). I really wanted the celiac test done but I just couldn't bring myself to putting myself in intense pain for a test. So, I opted to just avoid gluten.

Eventually, I would love to have the test done and some day I might actually go through it. But for now, I am very content just avoiding gluten products and not torturing myself.