Sweet Treat

These brownies are making my mouth water.  These brownies are super easy to make but I hear that the fudgier the brownie, the easier they are to cut out.

Click here for heart brownie instructions.

Forgot to make a reservation?

Forget to make a dinner reservation?  Or maybe you haven't planned a Valentine's day date yet ??(remember you only have 2 days!!)  A lot of restaurants are already completely full so what are you going to do?  Call the restaurant of your choice and ask if they could make a meal for  pick-up.  Then eat it outside in front of an amazing view (you might need to bundle up)  or if it's just too cold where you live, maybe just in the front seat of your car.  Or you could eat it at your own kitchen table (just make sure your kids are gone and you don't turn on the TV and you light lots and lots of candles).

Picture from A Perfect Favor

Ahhhhhhh!

Assuming your sweetheart has a desk or a nightstand, a current framed photo of the two of you would be a thoughtful Valentine's gift.  Seriously when is the last time you actually printed one of those things out (probably not since your wedding!).  You can upload a photo right to Walgreens or Bartells and they will even print it out FOR YOU!  I'm going to bet that you can even buy a frame at the store when you pick up the print.  For a personal touch add a sweet message on the picture with a permenant marker.  This is a VERY thoughtful gift that takes almost no thought- perfect for the Valentine challenged husband or the average busy juggling a couple kids wife.

Making memories

I to this day have never been in a photobooth with a boy .  .  . a couple of bestfriends but never a boy.  Bro - isn't it about time we did this?  Click on this link to find an old photobooth near you.

Photo found on Thethinkingblog

Shoot the Messenger

I came across the wonderful Valentine idea on O Happy Day's blog.  The short of it is this:

"the idea : !shoot the messenger!

/perhaps you would smile if you found out that someone baked a cake for you and then smashed it in their face ...in your honor. thats how this whole thing got started:)

if you have someone that you would like to send a special valentine to, just send me their name and an optional short+sweet message, and Ill be your messenger. 

//the essence of these valentines is gestural. its about ACTION ACTION ! each valentine is a shiny and new idea that will be done in your valentines name, and your valentines name only, and documented throughout the process. i then print it, wrap it all up in a red envelope,  and send to off you!"

Click here for the website for info and more pictures.

OR .  .  . you could make one yourself!

Special Date

For a very special date, return to the place where it all began. Where ever you sealed the deal (marriage or proposal) , at a church, temple, garden or a beach, take a picnic or flowers and dessert and sit where you can see it. It doesn't have to be the exact location especially if you've moved since then but someplace that is similar. Then eat your lovely meal and reminisce about that day and every year since you've been married. If you really want to get into it, write some vows or a poem or just let them know how special they are to you.

Bring Sexy Back

Frederick's of Hollywood is a great place for some sexy new lingerie w/out feeling like you're breaking the bank for something you're only going to wear for a few minutes. They also carry plus sizes. This store always has AMAZING SALES!

Click here for online store. Have fun! ;)

#137 of 1001 Ways to be Romantic by Gregory Godek

"Breakfast in bed is 'nice' -but rather common, don't you think?" said one couple in (my) romance class. "We think the class would be interested in one of our favorite pastimes: Dinner in bed!"

Is your lady a chocolate lover?

I have always been disgusted with men who think that a box of chocolates and a little stuffed animal is a permissible gesture of love. To me it screams- "I put off something I've known has been coming for months and so fortunately the drugstore opened in time this morning for you to think I put a lot of thought into my gift." We, women are not deceived! Has anyone had those chocolates before? The assorted ones in the yellow or red box with a rose imprinted on the front- that taste so waxy that for all you know they could have been sitting on the shelf since Valentine's day 1983.

Well, yesterday while I was window shopping at U-Village (the only thing I can afford to do there) and happened to wonder into Fran's Chocolates. The chocolate aroma overwhelmed my senses and I entered a highly euphoric wonderland! I ordered the dark hot cocoa (the best I've EVER had) and the hazelnut crunch chocolate truffle plus they threw in a complementary bittersweet truffle with a flick of gold paint the top. I now understand why chocolate considered an aphrodisiac, and I happy to say that if my husband ever got me Fran's chocolates for Valentine's, Anniversary or Mother's day it would exceed all of my expectations!!! or even if he just got me one for the heck of it, he would be well rewarded. :) So find a specialty Chocolate store near you.

The Best Valentine's Day Ever!!

I wanted so badly to tell my husband my heart's desire for Valentine's Day. But what I wanted even more was for him to come up with something thoughtful on his own...even if it was free! I wanted to know that he thought of something that I would especially like. So Valentine's Day came and went and he kept telling me, "I have something planned for next Saturday - a surprise that will be really fun!" In my head I'm thinking, fun for me or fun for you? He threw some deceptive clues my way in order to throw me off track (which totally worked). Saturday came and he finally revealed that a massage therapist would be coming over to give me a one hour massage. He would take our daughter and be gone during the time. What a shocker! Because this was my heart's desire! A massage to ease the discomforts of my pregnancy. I had dropped a lot of hints about this previous to Valentine's Day and I thought they had fallen on deaf ears. I was so pleased and felt so loved that my husband heard me and planned this special day for me.

Romance Package

My friend gave this to me as a bridal shower gift but I think it could apply to any special or ordinary occasion:

A flower vase (can get at local thriftstore) containing:
*tea lights
*fake flower petals (available a lot of places)
*A label or tag that reads:
"Romance Package- To create a romantic mood, spread flower petals generously over bed. Tea lights add intimate lighting & create a setting fit for a night of loving" or anything you choose but make it romantic.

Prescription for love

Get an empty bottle of prescription pills. Fill it with green M&Ms. Create a custom label, something like this:

PATIENT: (your pet name for your lover)
MEDICATION: LIBIDO LIBERATOR- EXTRA STRENGTH!
SIDE EFFECTS: LOVE SICKNESS & HOT FLASHES.
DOSAGE: A HANDFUL OR TWO.
REFILLS: SEE PRESCRIBING PHYSICIAN ONLY!
PHYSICIAN: DOCTOR OF LOVE, (your name)

Additional idea: Convince a local pharmacist to dispense one of these creations to your lover! (taken from "1001 ways to be Romantic" by Gregory Godek)

Kailey, I couldn't help but think of you when I read this. :)

For Valentine's day take a big bag of M&Ms and put the contents into a Victoria's Secret bag. Then put lingerie into the empty M&M bag. For kicks make him open the Vicky's bag first!

Experimental College

So Century Ballroom was a good way to bet bitten by the dancing bug, but I want to learn more without making a major commitment. The Experimental College offers all types of classes in a wide range of subjects: Dancing, Arts & Crafts, Finance, Culinary Arts, Yoga etc. Most of the classes are on UW campus, but you do not have to be a student, although you do get a discount if you are. The classes are often in the evening or on a Saturday, and they vary on how many times the class meets, some meet just once, others 4 etc. Bob and I are going to take a Salsa class that meets four times and it costs $54 per person. I'm excited about it, this guarantees us 4 weeks of consistent dating, and if you break down the cost over 4 weeks, it isn't that bad of a price for a date. I'm taking a drawing class right now through EC, and I really enjoy it, but we'll see how the dancing class goes :)

Here is the link for the EC main page
http://depts.washington.edu/asuwxpcl/

Check with a local college near you, most of these offer beginning Ballroom/Salsa classes.

Fun Valentines Gift

I am going to be out of town for Valentines this year, so I came up with a fun gift to be delivered to Rob on Valentines Day. I had so much fun putting it together, I thought I'd share in case anyone else wants to make one, too! Minus the tacky red bow, I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Here is the recipe:

From Dollar Tree (on Aurora and about 140th, in the same parking lot as Burger King)

• bucket or basket
• shrink wrap with pull-bow
• tissue paper
• yummy treats
• fun Valentines goodies
• a romantic card

From Walgreens/Target:

• Lucky Lovers Message Dice (had to spice it up somehow)
• his favorite foods - for Rob it includes Wheat Thins & Tostitos salsa
• a $1 stuffed animal - he will appreciate it just because it's out of the norm

I also went to Half-Price Books on Roosevelt and got a Jackie Chan VHS from their Clearance section -- everything in that section is $1-2 and they have a huge variety of books, movies, etc. (turn left as soon as you go in) Lastly, I included a Half-Price gift card since the poor guy is going to be bored while I'm gone. :)

You could do this very cheap and personalize it with some fun things. Plus you get to keep the cute container! ;)

Shhhhh.................don't tell Rob! It's a surprise!!

Here is a close-up:

Set the night to music!

One of David and I's favorite things is to listen to music. Our poor computer's hard drive gets pushed to the max sometimes with the amount of music we store there. We listen to all different genres, from classical to rap occasionally. I always think to myself ooh I would love to share that song with David, but at the risk of him thinking I am more of a dork then he already does I keep the song to myself. Well no longer, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching; we normally spend it at home, make a fancy dinner after the kids are in bed and have some fattening sinfully delicious dessert. Well this year I am going to kick it up a notch and add a CD of all the different songs that remind me of why I married the wonderful guy that I did and that will be my gift to him this year. Not terribly expensive, a tad time consuming but worth it I think

Hobby kit

1001 ways to be Romantic by Gregory J.P. Godek

In my recent travels to exotic Ogden,Utah, I picked up this #1 national bestseller at Costco ($9.99 in UT). I've barely begun flipping through the pages and already this book is truly genius! I dare you to flip to a page and not find a good date or love idea! I will be posting some of the sentiments from this book but I recommend you all go and attain a copy of your own!

Nothing says "I love you" like . . .

Valentine's day is just around the corner. To the husbands who eye the teddy bear at the gas station, please don't do it. This is a shout out to post all of your Valentine ideas!

*Breakfast in bed or at a restaurant
*Gift certificate for a massage or manicure
*Make a candlelit dinner (a great store for gourmet ready made dinners is Pasta & Co at University Village and on top of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, and in Bellevue and Redmond, Washington.)
*Rent an old romantic movie (ie. Pillowtalk- any other suggestions?)
*Re-create your first date

**Create a CD of all your favorite love songs (Jules)

Ah, finally, progress!

*"Be on the move. Instead of staying at one restaurant for a whole evening, plan a progressive dinner: have appetizers at one place, then move somewhere else for dinner and to a third place for dessert. Just be sure to scout out spots that aren't too far from one another; you don't want to feel like you spent most of the night in the car. If your stops are within walking distance of each other, all the better."

I remember as a teenager doing this same concept for a church activity, except going from house to house. Some good areas that come to mind for this in Seattle are: Fremont, Wallingford on 45th, Downtown, Broadway, and the new Bellevue Lincoln Square (adjacent to Bellevue Square mall).

*"10 Creative Dates," by Madeline Thomas