The Not So Great Chocolate Race

We had an entire weekend of adventure planned out.  We were heading to Hampton for the night so that I could run in the Great Chocolate Race 10 miler.  We had plans to stay in an awesome hotel, eat our weight in chocolate and then spend the rest of the weekend recovering from that over indulgence.  Mother Nature had other plans.  So the race was postponed.  SIGHHHHHHHHHH.  I cancelled the awesome room, pretended to forget about the chocolate and started working on other plans for the weekend.  I really didn't come up with much but since the next two weekends are going to be busy I figured spending one weekend at home wasn't a bad thing.  I did manage to get a few things done.

We had the youngest daughter's birthday party this weekend.  To prepare for it I worked on a yummy snack to put in her goodie bag. 

Then I found myself with a little extra time on my hands and decided I needed to paint my nails in a sassy red with a little heart to go along with it. 

The last thing I did was work on this cute craft to add to the girl scout Valentine boxes I am working on.  By the time they will get the boxes Valentine's day will be gone.  But I'm betting the girls still love getting them. 

So no grand adventures this weekend.  But still we found a way to be productive.  I'll keep you posted on that Chocolate Race just how much chocolate I'll be eating :-)

Ready for Valentine

You know that with Valentine right around the corner I've been having some fun getting the decorations changed out in the house.  It is certainly time consuming and often ask myself why I put myself through changing out the decorations...but once they are up I complete forget that thought!  Then I go buy more stuff for that holiday :-)

 

I posted about a really fun heart garland made from felt here.

 

 

 

And if you want an easy Valentine treat then check these out.

 

 

You can see some of the decorations from years past here.

 

 

And my cute table setting from a couple years ago

 

 

Looking back at the older pictures just reminded me that I need to pull out those dishes!

 

Hope your week is going well my friends. 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine Goodies

I wanted to make some homemade goodies for Valentine's but was short on time.  I turned to my favorite....Pinterest and my Valentine Board.  I had pinned this idea and decided to give it a try.  You'll need  square pretzels, Hershey Hugs and M&M candies.

Lay out the square pretzels on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Place individual Hershey Hugs on each pretzel. 

Bake for 4-5 minutes at 200 degrees.  The original site recommended just a couple of minutes but my oven must be on the cool side because they took a little longer.

After they have melted down (but before they are totally runny) remove from the oven and place an M&M on each one.  Let them cool and you are set to go.  If you want them to cool faster put the cookie sheet in the fridge for about 10 minutes. 

 Mine are going into jars so that I can give them to parents/family and friends.

Hope your week is going well!  Until next time.....

The Heart Garland

I was looking for something to decorate the mirror in our entry hall for Valentine's Day....but couldn't figure out just the right thing.  So of course I went searching on Google for ideas.  With a few ideas tucked in my hat I went about cutting out dozens of hearts in red, pink and white felt.  Then I had my mom run a basic stitch through them so that they would be connected.  I love how it turned out.



Had to sneak my turquoise door in here
somewhere

The week is gently moving in the right direction.....towards the weekend :)

Do Not Feed the Wildlife

Just when I thought I was back....I had a terrible case of the norovirus.  And let me tell you it's a bad virus to have!  I lost 5 lbs overnight!  Yes I said 5 lbs.  All fluid I can assure you.  I can also assure you BBQ Freetos have the same zesty flavor coming up as they do going down :-/ 

But today I am feeling better.  My stomach is making a lot of noise....it sounds like a bear growling every time I eat.  Thus the "Do not feed the wildlife".....Mark came up with that one :) 

While in re cooperation mode I worked on a few projects that required very little movement.  Thought I would share them with you guys along with a few more pictures of the tree.



The Valentine Card Swag



Just use a window cling and press it to a flat platter



A new Valentine Wreath

The card swag came from an old deck that Emma got her hot little hands on.  She lost a few so the deck was no good.  I found the idea on Pinterest and couldn't wait to try it myself.  I just punched holes in them, strung them on some pretty ribbon and added valentine material strips here and there. 

The platter....SO EASY.  I bought some cheap window clings for the girls room (cause you know I decorate every room in the house).  As I was walking through the house I glanced up at the kitchen self and boom it hit me....How about that platter up there?  Wonder how this would look?  I think it worked well enough to try it for all my holidays.  WIN!

The wreath....again....super easy.  I grabbed a wire hanger, bent it into a circle (actually I asked Mark to since my tummy was screaming at me) and just tied strips of valentine fabric around it.  See I told you, easy!



My cheap wreath :)



The Valentine Table setting

My mom crocheted the pink
centerpiece eons ago for me



I still have a couple Valentine crafts to finish up.  My mom has to help with a felt heart garland I am making and I have an old table cloth that doesn't fit the new table so can be changed into a tree skirt.  I may or may not get to that this year....either way, no worries. 

Dinner and a massage

Does anyone else feel like Valentine's Day has become a mini Christmas?  With all the gift giving and cards and decorations....I sorta expected a fat man dressed in red and shooting arrows to show up.  Now that I think about it maybe I could of had Mark dress in boxers with hearts and wear a beard and red hat...anyway....what was I saying?  Oh yea....I know I'm guilty of decorating for it but that's what I do for almost all holidays.  But going shopping the night before was like a mad house!  Mark and I are not the kinds to exchange gifts for Valentine.  We rather do something fun and then later just cherish the memory of what we did. 

This year we made reservations at a local eatery for Valentine's Day and then a couples massage the following day (note to self-we should do this EVERY special occasion). We hardly ever splurge on something like a massage so it was our treat to each other  instead of getting a box of chocolates or flowers. 

Dinner was at Hiram Haines' Literary Coffee Shop in Old Towne Petersburg.  I had read about the shop some time ago and then around Christmas found it but still never went in.  Last week before having dinner with a girlfriend I stopped in to see what they had going on.  I found out that not only did they have books and coffee but they also have wine, beer and desserts.  Hello!  Where have I been?  A book store with beer and wine?  My kinda place!  They told me that they are going to be serving foods (sandwiches/entrees) in the near future and that on Valentine's Day they were having a special dinner.  Since we hadn't made any plans I arranged for Grandpa to keep Emma and made our reservations.  I am so glad I did too because it was a great night.




Our table setting.



Another table setting...they had already gone.



They made dinner a very special event.  Fresh roses on all of the tables, a gift at each table for the ladies, candles to light the room and white linen table clothes to make it look all that more special.  Dinner was a slow process with time between courses to sip wine and cuddle with your sweetie.  The food was good...but dessert was down right AWESOME.  Chocolate covered strawberries, a slice of mousse cake, and then a cream puff with chocolate on the outside....and no you didn't pick one....your plate came with all three.  It was AMAZING!  Before leaving we sipped coffee while they wrapped up our roses to take home.  It was a wonderful night with my honey.




OMG!



Such a cozy place.



It's all in the details.



But the fun part was that we carried over the special occasion into the following day.  I had made arrangements to have a couples massage at a Therapeutic Massage.  Also in Old Towne Petersburg, the owner has created this little place that just makes me smile every time I walk in.



Therapeutic Massage.



The kitchen area



Their products.



The couples room.



I love old buildings and I like to support local businesses.  So this fun excursion was a double plus...along with getting totally spoiled.  Who wouldn't love that!    Before we left they asked if we wanted to book our next session....sadly we'll probably wait until another special event to do it.  Ho hum.  But all the fun was certainly the way I want to remember how we spent Valentine's Day in 2012!



Happy Valentines Day

The Valentine Tree! 

I hope everyone is waking up to a beautiful day!  I had fresh coffee on my bedside table when I got up this morning.  I couldn't ask for a better way to start the day....Tonight my sweetie and I are having a dinner for two at Hiram Haines' Coffee House in Old Towne Petersburg.  Tomorrow night we are extending our Valentine's day with a couples massage :)  I am a very happy girl!  Hope the day treats you just as well.