I'm hoping to work my way up to something like this for my sister's tossing bouquet at her aquamarine wedding:
I'm linking up HERE. :)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Springtime Button Bouquet
I've seen these button bouquets EVERYWHERE and wanted to try my hand at one. I decided to make a mini one, but I still have nowhere to put it...maybe I'll make a trip to the Dollar Tree later to find a small white vase or candle holder or teacup or something. Or maybe I'll put them in salt shakers like the tutorial HERE. Maybe a perfume bottle? The bottom of a spray bottle? Suggestions? Anyway, they are SO cute and SO easy and SO colorful and fun. :) But don't take my word for it...
I used a lot of the package...maybe 400-ish buttons. (I saved some for another spring project I'm working on.) But my bouquet is REALLY tightly packed, yours doesn't have to be. As you can see, I also added a few beads on top of some buttons just to give it a little something different. If I had vintage buttons around, I'd do something more eclectic, but for now, this is perfect for welcoming spring! We don't have a lot of places to put decorations, really. :)
I'm hoping to work my way up to something like this for my sister's tossing bouquet at her aquamarine wedding:
I'm hoping to work my way up to something like this for my sister's tossing bouquet at her aquamarine wedding:
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Black Bean Burgers
We love our black beans around here, and I finally got around to trying out a black bean burger recipe. I'm trying to create vegetarian meals at least once a week, for money and health reasons, but they usually seem to boil down to something with black beans. Anyway, I found this recipe and read all the comments that said how to make it better, and I tried just about all of them. Tweaking for a little "kick" and all, they turned out pretty awesome! I kinda want to try actually grilling the huge "burgers" on our indoor grill next time and see how they hold up then. Some people had problems with them falling apart, and others didn't...I didn't have any problems with these. We actually made them into mini burgers, and served them up on dinner rolls (try Hawaiian rolls!) with sliced cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and ketchup. SOOOOO GOOD. So I'm sharing my recipe with you. Keep in mind that the spices can change as much as you want, and I eyeballed them so it's not an exact science. :)
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (VERY important to do this well, because otherwise they fall apart)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 egg (subst. an extra Tbsp olive oil if making a vegan recipe)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. bread crumbs
***
1. In a food processor, pulse the onion and clove of garlic until well pulsed. (If you don't have one, either mince them very finely or, like I did, just throw them in with the other stuff in a blender.)
2. Add about 3/4 of the beans, oil, lemon juice, and all spices and herbs, blending until well mushed. :)
3. Transfer everything to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the rest of the black beans and the bread crumbs, mixing well until a firm "meaty" consistency (add more bread crumbs as necessary to get rid of the pastiness).
4. Freeze mixture for about 5-10 minutes (while I did this, I chopped up all my toppings and displayed them prettily on a plate, 'cause I hate wasting time).
5. Heat up and spray or butter grill, griddle (what I used this time around), or pan. Form bean mixture into patties, then immediately cook the patties. (On the griddle, at about 350 degrees, it took about 15 minutes to nicely brown them...I'd heard that the insides were a little mushy, and that was true, but as long as the outsides are really crispy it isn't noticeable with everything on it).
(Makes about 5-6 large burgers or 15 mini burgers.)
That's it! Serve hot and enjoy!
Linking up HERE.
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (VERY important to do this well, because otherwise they fall apart)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 egg (subst. an extra Tbsp olive oil if making a vegan recipe)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 c. bread crumbs
***
1. In a food processor, pulse the onion and clove of garlic until well pulsed. (If you don't have one, either mince them very finely or, like I did, just throw them in with the other stuff in a blender.)
2. Add about 3/4 of the beans, oil, lemon juice, and all spices and herbs, blending until well mushed. :)
3. Transfer everything to a large mixing bowl, and stir in the rest of the black beans and the bread crumbs, mixing well until a firm "meaty" consistency (add more bread crumbs as necessary to get rid of the pastiness).
4. Freeze mixture for about 5-10 minutes (while I did this, I chopped up all my toppings and displayed them prettily on a plate, 'cause I hate wasting time).
5. Heat up and spray or butter grill, griddle (what I used this time around), or pan. Form bean mixture into patties, then immediately cook the patties. (On the griddle, at about 350 degrees, it took about 15 minutes to nicely brown them...I'd heard that the insides were a little mushy, and that was true, but as long as the outsides are really crispy it isn't noticeable with everything on it).
(Makes about 5-6 large burgers or 15 mini burgers.)
That's it! Serve hot and enjoy!
Linking up HERE.
Spring has (almost) sprung!
Nice weather this time of year always gets me excited for just a few weeks from now, when springtime starts. I'm in the middle of a few spring projects, but I thought I'd share what I have so far. :)
Our kitchen table...it's small, so I used only a quarter of each of 6 different spring-colored bandannas to make the table runner (easy sewing project #1!). Add a vase of a few springy gerberas, and our table is quite ready for the new season!
(Haha, yes...even my pill box matches.) Soon enough I will make button-over napkin holders with some of the bandanna scraps. How cute would THAT be? :)
I also got to make a few little bead bugs...they're kinda adorable, especially the beatle babies! (I got the idea from FamilyFun online, although I had to tweak the bugs a little because of the beads I had at home. SUPER EASY and fun project, even for kids. :)
I dotted the bugs around the flowers on the table and they keep me company for our breakfasts and lunches.
More to come! I'm linking up here--go check out everyone's favorite awesome crafts and recipes from the week!
Our kitchen table...it's small, so I used only a quarter of each of 6 different spring-colored bandannas to make the table runner (easy sewing project #1!). Add a vase of a few springy gerberas, and our table is quite ready for the new season!
(Haha, yes...even my pill box matches.) Soon enough I will make button-over napkin holders with some of the bandanna scraps. How cute would THAT be? :)
I also got to make a few little bead bugs...they're kinda adorable, especially the beatle babies! (I got the idea from FamilyFun online, although I had to tweak the bugs a little because of the beads I had at home. SUPER EASY and fun project, even for kids. :)
I dotted the bugs around the flowers on the table and they keep me company for our breakfasts and lunches.
More to come! I'm linking up here--go check out everyone's favorite awesome crafts and recipes from the week!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Girls' WEEKEND Out!
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| It was more fun than it looks here. :) |
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| Dinner at "da OG" (Olive Garden) with the heated windows. :) |
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| The birthday girl, Cerene! |
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| I taught Caida how to turn pretzels into letters during the car trip... |
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| ...and she loved it! She spelled love, cat, and blue all on her own. :) |
We also got to swim and work out a little bit.
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| Kiddie-sized chaises. :) |
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| Caida started off kinda scared of the water--last summer it took her FOREVER to get comfy in a pool and she eventually learned to keep herself afloat, but this year we had to start all over again. But she is a BRAVE little girl, and before we knew it she was jumping in the water, going under water, and swimming all by herself! |
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| One, two, three... |
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| ...DUNK! |
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| Cerene working out. |
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| Charissa working out. |
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| Mom working out. |
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| Me working out. |
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| Caida working out. |
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| Caida working out more...she was the only one not completely worn out after all that working out! |
It was a really fun weekend and WAY too short! I'm already looking forward to the next getaway...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Look what I found!
I've been cleaning out old memory cards, and I found some real *gems*...
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| How adorable is THIS? |
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| My sister's old puppy, Colbert. Look how small he was! |
Yeah, I've got a soft spot for puppies. :) I also cleaned out enough space to start taking pictures again...so here are some random pics from yesterday.
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| Obi got her stretching and kisses in at the same time...smart girl! |
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| My new hair. :) |
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Updates :)
Just a quick note. We're still here, alive and kickin' (barely!). I hate February--it's only 28 days, but it is the LONGEST month ever! This year was no exception. Paul has been sick the whole month, and I only barely manage to stave it off (sore throat every morning and SUPER TIRED all the time). He's worried he's got walking peumonia again, so Monday if his cough hasn't gotten any better he's going to a clinic. Our car, which we just got back at the end of January, wound up having a huge crack in the radiator, so three weeks and $400 later we have a car that mostly works again! A blizzard, teasing spring weather, then snow again have my seasonal depression kicking in full time. It didn't help when we had our furnace break on us and it took the management over a week to fix it. My niece's epilepsy treatments aren't working so well yet, but it does take a few weeks for medicines to kick in. It turns out that the emergency medication she has for sleeping prohibits her from that diet I mentioned earlier, although I'm not too crazy about the side effects her medicine has on her (I won't even go into it, it breaks my heart to talk about that little girl struggling so much!). I took a little break from the photography class because my subject (Paul) has been so sick.
But that's enough complaining. In the meantime, I keep myself busy (though maybe not busy enough)...I got my teaching license (finally!) so I'm working on getting my portfolio together and preparing for interviews for the next school year. We're trying to find a new apartment to move into (we're sick of being toyed with by our management), maybe here or maybe in Chicago, depending on whether or not Paul can find work (he's sick of that, too). I've been planning for spring and crafting a bit, especially digital scrapping. I got excited about Project 365 a little too late, so instead of taking pictures I came up with all my layouts for next year. Yes, that's 52 (plus a cover and an extra page for New Year's Eve) pages, all with different layouts and colors and I'm in love with it and can't wait to use it in 2012. If I could legally share them with you, I totally would, but I'm a little fuzzy about how that works. :) I've been able to babysit a bit for Tanner (my nephew) when either he's sick or the daycare is closed. I've also been watching the Cosby Show (curse whoever came up with Netflix instant streaming, it's TOO EASY to have it playing all day long while I craft). I have NOT been cleaning like I should, but I've been cooking up a storm. :) I have a long to-do list of important things that I promise I WILL one day get around to. But right now, I'm just mostly daydreaming and planning for the future. Obi and I have been getting along really well lately, I don't really know what's changed but lately I just find her antics adorable instead of annoying and it's been much easier to keep my temper in check with her. In fact, she's enjoying a peanut butter jar right now as a treat for being so good. She's such a person. It shows in her personality more and more every day. We're both getting fatter and waiting for the weather to warm up a bit to resume our long daily walks. I think that's about it...I'll post pictures and get on with the fun stuff soon!
But that's enough complaining. In the meantime, I keep myself busy (though maybe not busy enough)...I got my teaching license (finally!) so I'm working on getting my portfolio together and preparing for interviews for the next school year. We're trying to find a new apartment to move into (we're sick of being toyed with by our management), maybe here or maybe in Chicago, depending on whether or not Paul can find work (he's sick of that, too). I've been planning for spring and crafting a bit, especially digital scrapping. I got excited about Project 365 a little too late, so instead of taking pictures I came up with all my layouts for next year. Yes, that's 52 (plus a cover and an extra page for New Year's Eve) pages, all with different layouts and colors and I'm in love with it and can't wait to use it in 2012. If I could legally share them with you, I totally would, but I'm a little fuzzy about how that works. :) I've been able to babysit a bit for Tanner (my nephew) when either he's sick or the daycare is closed. I've also been watching the Cosby Show (curse whoever came up with Netflix instant streaming, it's TOO EASY to have it playing all day long while I craft). I have NOT been cleaning like I should, but I've been cooking up a storm. :) I have a long to-do list of important things that I promise I WILL one day get around to. But right now, I'm just mostly daydreaming and planning for the future. Obi and I have been getting along really well lately, I don't really know what's changed but lately I just find her antics adorable instead of annoying and it's been much easier to keep my temper in check with her. In fact, she's enjoying a peanut butter jar right now as a treat for being so good. She's such a person. It shows in her personality more and more every day. We're both getting fatter and waiting for the weather to warm up a bit to resume our long daily walks. I think that's about it...I'll post pictures and get on with the fun stuff soon!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
The perfect biscuits, every time
I like biscuits. I like bread in general! But dense, moist, flaky biscuits are for sure a favorite. Even better is when you can find a breakfast recipe around here that is egg-free. Even BETTER if it's easy AND versatile.
***
Here is the basic recipe:
3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. liquid (milk, water, etc...see below)
1/4 c. liquid fat (melted butter, vegetable oil, etc...see below)
With oiled hands, shape loaf into a ball and bake on a clean cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. (OR, if making large drop biscuits, only cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until outside edges are lightly browned.)
***
For biscuits-and-gravy, I'd make the liquid milk (or water, if there's a dairy allergy) and use melted margarine or vegetable oil as liquid fat.
I haven't made that yet, though...but here are some of the DELICIOUS variations I've tried so far:
SWEET biscuits: use water as the liquid, melted butter as the liquid fat, add about 1/4 c. honey and cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice to taste. When you take it out of the oven, drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon on it. I made this for primary last week and our kids called it "rock bread," (because of its looks, not its texture) and they LOVED it!
FRUITY biscuits/scones: use orange juice as the liquid and vegetable oil as the liquid fat. Add a bag (or about 1 1/2 c.) dried berries (I used the berry mix from Aldi's, which had strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and cherries, and it was SOOOOOOOOO good!) and, if you want, a little honey to taste. The orange is super subtle, and we loved cooked craisins around here. :)
SAVORY TOMATO-BASIL biscuits: Use tomato juice (like V8) as the liquid and olive oil as the liquid fat, add 1 Tbsp. oregano to batter, and sprinkle entire loaf with rosemary and thyme. I just made this for a side to our spaghetti dinner for tonight, and it smells SOOOOOO AMAZING. I hope it tastes just as good!
Like I said, these turn out dense and delicious, every time. I L.O.V.E. simple recipes that I can remember, and especially those like this one that can be varied for lots of other meals/flavors. Try it out! And if you come up with a new variation, let me know!
***
Here is the basic recipe:
3 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. liquid (milk, water, etc...see below)
1/4 c. liquid fat (melted butter, vegetable oil, etc...see below)
With oiled hands, shape loaf into a ball and bake on a clean cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. (OR, if making large drop biscuits, only cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until outside edges are lightly browned.)
***
For biscuits-and-gravy, I'd make the liquid milk (or water, if there's a dairy allergy) and use melted margarine or vegetable oil as liquid fat.
I haven't made that yet, though...but here are some of the DELICIOUS variations I've tried so far:
SWEET biscuits: use water as the liquid, melted butter as the liquid fat, add about 1/4 c. honey and cinnamon and/or pumpkin pie spice to taste. When you take it out of the oven, drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon on it. I made this for primary last week and our kids called it "rock bread," (because of its looks, not its texture) and they LOVED it!
FRUITY biscuits/scones: use orange juice as the liquid and vegetable oil as the liquid fat. Add a bag (or about 1 1/2 c.) dried berries (I used the berry mix from Aldi's, which had strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and cherries, and it was SOOOOOOOOO good!) and, if you want, a little honey to taste. The orange is super subtle, and we loved cooked craisins around here. :)
SAVORY TOMATO-BASIL biscuits: Use tomato juice (like V8) as the liquid and olive oil as the liquid fat, add 1 Tbsp. oregano to batter, and sprinkle entire loaf with rosemary and thyme. I just made this for a side to our spaghetti dinner for tonight, and it smells SOOOOOO AMAZING. I hope it tastes just as good!
Like I said, these turn out dense and delicious, every time. I L.O.V.E. simple recipes that I can remember, and especially those like this one that can be varied for lots of other meals/flavors. Try it out! And if you come up with a new variation, let me know!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
A few Valentine's Crafts...
Do any of you crafty people find that you get really inspired AFTER a holiday has ended? Maybe I'm just strange, but this is quite often the case for me. Not only are a lot of decorations and such 50%-80% off at Hobby Lobby (SCORE), but I see blog and facebook posts detailing the festivities of the day and I think, "I should have done that." Well, true to form, here are some Valentine's Day crafts I made today. I went ahead and put them up, since Paul and I ARE celebrating Valentine's all month long (yeah, still catching up on the countdown, etc.!). And next year, maybe I'll be inspired to take down our Christmas stuff sooner so that I can look at these pretties a little longer. :)
The first was inspired by my friend Joni. (Click HERE to SEE what she did!) She had hung ornaments on her blinds for a festive no-curtain look during the holidays, and I really liked it. So, for V-Day, I made tiny no-sew heart-shaped pillows (I used a hot glue gun and 4 different kinds of fabric and ribbons). I also used some velcro (hot glued, of course) on the ribbon so I could use it again and again. Since I don't yet sew, this was a nice afternoon project for me. I love that you can use hot glue instead of thread in so many home projects. Although, I have to admit, some of the hearts turned out kinda lopsided. :) But I think it adds to the charm...I think they look really cute hanging on our blinds!
The second "craft" was really me wanting to preserve a beautiful Valentine's Day card that my grandparents sent to us. A cheap wooden board, some paint, and some Mod Podge, and we were good to go! My only regret is that I put Mod Podge on top while the bottom was still wet because I was impatient, and it buckled a bit. Live and learn. Still looks cute, though, right? I hot glued a little ribbon on the back so I could hang it if I wanted...but for now, its home is the music stand.
This was a cute idea inspired by something I found online (check it out HERE). The original looks way more put together, of course. :) But I still like mine. I painted the hearts white, then painted a thin layer of red and when it dried I sanded it down. Meanwhile, I traced and cut out my fabric and ironed on the lettering, then when everything was ready I ModPodged the fabric onto the wood (yes, you can do that, and if the fabric is porous enough you don't even need to put a coat on top!). A few buttons, ribbons, and hot glue sticks later...
Also, yesterday I made a regular old dinner but I decorated the table the way I wanted to for Valentine's, including this fake rose that Paul gave me on our first Valentine's together...
and YUMMY chocolate chunk muffins for dessert.
Now I'm on to looking for cute St. Patty's Day crafts and decor. It's always something. :)
I'm also hoping to link up every Friday HERE...so check out other crafts from other regular people just like you and me. :)
The first was inspired by my friend Joni. (Click HERE to SEE what she did!) She had hung ornaments on her blinds for a festive no-curtain look during the holidays, and I really liked it. So, for V-Day, I made tiny no-sew heart-shaped pillows (I used a hot glue gun and 4 different kinds of fabric and ribbons). I also used some velcro (hot glued, of course) on the ribbon so I could use it again and again. Since I don't yet sew, this was a nice afternoon project for me. I love that you can use hot glue instead of thread in so many home projects. Although, I have to admit, some of the hearts turned out kinda lopsided. :) But I think it adds to the charm...I think they look really cute hanging on our blinds!
The second "craft" was really me wanting to preserve a beautiful Valentine's Day card that my grandparents sent to us. A cheap wooden board, some paint, and some Mod Podge, and we were good to go! My only regret is that I put Mod Podge on top while the bottom was still wet because I was impatient, and it buckled a bit. Live and learn. Still looks cute, though, right? I hot glued a little ribbon on the back so I could hang it if I wanted...but for now, its home is the music stand.
This was a cute idea inspired by something I found online (check it out HERE). The original looks way more put together, of course. :) But I still like mine. I painted the hearts white, then painted a thin layer of red and when it dried I sanded it down. Meanwhile, I traced and cut out my fabric and ironed on the lettering, then when everything was ready I ModPodged the fabric onto the wood (yes, you can do that, and if the fabric is porous enough you don't even need to put a coat on top!). A few buttons, ribbons, and hot glue sticks later...
Also, yesterday I made a regular old dinner but I decorated the table the way I wanted to for Valentine's, including this fake rose that Paul gave me on our first Valentine's together...
I'm also hoping to link up every Friday HERE...so check out other crafts from other regular people just like you and me. :)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A Clue
I love finding new things to do with old things. It's a favorite. I got inspired today for what our FHE activity will be on Monday. I'll give you a clue...we'll be using two of these (because I happened to have two of them lying around after my PILGRIM HATS):
I'll give you another hint: as of right now, at least, there will be no flowers involved, real or otherwise.
The answer will be revealed on Monday!
(I'm also thinking I might have to start a list of awesome things to do with pots like this, a la my 10 Things to do with Wooden Cubes, so if you have suggestions or guesses, add a comment!)
The answer will be revealed on Monday!
(I'm also thinking I might have to start a list of awesome things to do with pots like this, a la my 10 Things to do with Wooden Cubes, so if you have suggestions or guesses, add a comment!)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
This pretty much sums up my feelings about this holiday (and every holiday, apparently...although that's a relatively recent development):
But for you non-scroogey (?) Valentines out there, hope your day was magical, anyway. :)
We don't really exchange gifts for Valentine's Day (we're gift enough, hello!), but it's not so much a rule as it is a habit. Maybe someday we'll give gifts, but for now I'm more about making memories. We've both been sick enough lately that the Valentine's Day countdown has been postponed (we're starting up with day 5 tomorrow) and that just means we get to hold on to Valentine's Day a little longer, right? We do try to do something nice. I think eventually I'd like to get to the point where we're organized enough for us to take turns each year planning the big day. I sort of had vague plans in my head, but Paul made a suggestion today, and I was in the mood to let him lead this time around. :) He took me out to Basil Thai (one of our favorite places, we went there a lot when we were dating and we don't go there nearly enough anymore...gotta keep them in business!). Seriously, just look at this food and tell me you're not salivating:
I'M salivating just looking at this again! So while we mostly just laid around and watched TV (like every other day he's off work), it was nice to get out of the house for a bit and not have to make any dinner. We went to his work and I got to meet some people there while he had his mandatory drug test. We went out to eat, and that's a real treat for me. Oh, and when we went to Walmart to buy him a razor he let me buy (and then proceed to eat) a box of chocolates. With daisies on the front of the box, not roses. That's love. :)
Regardless of whether or not today was memorable or exciting or romantic, it was a day with my husband, my eternal Valentine, without whom I would be lost and lonely. In my book, that makes it a good day.
But for you non-scroogey (?) Valentines out there, hope your day was magical, anyway. :)
We don't really exchange gifts for Valentine's Day (we're gift enough, hello!), but it's not so much a rule as it is a habit. Maybe someday we'll give gifts, but for now I'm more about making memories. We've both been sick enough lately that the Valentine's Day countdown has been postponed (we're starting up with day 5 tomorrow) and that just means we get to hold on to Valentine's Day a little longer, right? We do try to do something nice. I think eventually I'd like to get to the point where we're organized enough for us to take turns each year planning the big day. I sort of had vague plans in my head, but Paul made a suggestion today, and I was in the mood to let him lead this time around. :) He took me out to Basil Thai (one of our favorite places, we went there a lot when we were dating and we don't go there nearly enough anymore...gotta keep them in business!). Seriously, just look at this food and tell me you're not salivating:
 |
| Pad Thai |
 |
| Chicken Satay (Paul's favorite) |
 |
| And MY favorite--curry pineapple fried rice! |
I'M salivating just looking at this again! So while we mostly just laid around and watched TV (like every other day he's off work), it was nice to get out of the house for a bit and not have to make any dinner. We went to his work and I got to meet some people there while he had his mandatory drug test. We went out to eat, and that's a real treat for me. Oh, and when we went to Walmart to buy him a razor he let me buy (and then proceed to eat) a box of chocolates. With daisies on the front of the box, not roses. That's love. :)
Regardless of whether or not today was memorable or exciting or romantic, it was a day with my husband, my eternal Valentine, without whom I would be lost and lonely. In my book, that makes it a good day.
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