Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Item #2 - Make fun Valentines for friends and make a really yummy Valentine's dinner for two! CHECK!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!  I hope you are celebrating LOVE in some form today!  I got up this morning and had a nice gift waiting for me (more on this later because Brandon really outdid himself this year!) and we had a sweet breakfast together.

Yes, that is right!  We had strawberry shortcakes for breakfast!  I actually intended for us to eat them last night for dessert, but we made a few special Valentine deliveries and our evening just got away from us.  Plus, I kinda like the idea of eating something indulgent for breakfast on Valentine's Day!! 

Speaking of our Valentine deliveries, I made special Valentine treats for a handful of our friends.  It was an experiment, but I think they turned out pretty good!  Behold, my first attempt at making Whoopie Pies!

I used a recipe from Annie Eats, but as you may notice, I didn't attempt to pipe heart shapes...I know my limits! 

They were really fun to make and fairly easy, too!  I did have to make a run to the store because the recipe calls for a significant amount of food coloring, and since I doubled the batch I didn't have enough.

Here they are all assembled and looking quite festive!  Next time, I will add more filling because I don't think I got quite enough, but I was afraid they would seep out the edges and ruin the cute packaging...

 

And here they are, all packaged up and ready to spread some Valentine's Day love! 

 

I mentioned we had planned to eat our shortcakes for our dessert last night because I did make a nice dinner, but due to the Whoopie Pie making, me not having my act together and doing enough ahead of time, a nice visit from my parents, and the treat delivery it wasn't exactly the special dinner I had envisioned.  However, it was tasty!  We had KC Strips with a Balsamic BBQ sauce, PW's Au Gratin Potatoes and Regal Romain Salad.  We even had enough leftovers for each of us to have lunch today, too!

 

Since we are both working today, I planned a low-key dinner of Brandon's favorite -- homemade pizza!  I asked him what he wanted me to make (and told him I'd make anything!) and his request was pizza, so pizza it is!

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a post about my Valentine's Day gift(s)! 
 



The Season of Love

That's right friends, Valentine's Day is just around the corner!  I've always been perplexed by people who do not like to celebrate Valentine's Day because it is the season of love and everyone is loved by someone.  In my opinion, you should not have to obstain from the holiday if you aren't in a romantic relationship.  After all, everyone is loved by their parents or grandparents or best friends or aunts and uncles.  And, who does not want to partake in a holiday where chocolate is the main attraction?!?!

This year, I find myself wanting to decorate for Valentine's Day.  Probably because I've been browsing Etsy a lot and probably because I go to Target at least once a week and see their seasonal displays full of cute Valentines Day decor.  And, after decorating for Christmas this year, I realized I've really been neglecting our buffet, which is practically the focal point of our house.  So, this year I've found some really fun things that I think would be fun and not too over-the-top, dripping in all things hearts and flowers. 

I think this banner would look adorable and fun hanging from the mirror above our buffet.  It is simple and understated, but also a little whimsical.  I could put a couple of red and pink heart candy dishes on the buffet, keep my pink vases where they are and call it good.

I also found this cute picture that could be used all year round.  Again, it is understated but still fun and it adds a splash of color not typically found in the V-Day color scheme.  Not sure where I would put this in my house, but I think it is cute!

Last but not least, I saw these pillows and absolutely fell in love!  Maybe it is our new found love for Scrabble (thanks to the iPod app Words With Friends), but I really want to buy these!!!  It would even be fun to have our initials or our last name (if it wasn't so long!).  And, they might even look cute on our bed when during the "off season" of love!  Honey, if you're reading this, these pillows would be a great Valentine's Day gift...hint hint :)

So, these are a few of my favorite Valentine's Day decor items right now.  If I actually follow through and do some decorating, I'll be sure to post pics!