Valentine Ideas

With Valentine's Day coming up I thought I'd share a few things I've found recently to add some fun touches of love to the day...

I recently found a site called The Dating Divas. This site is dedicated to ideas for dating your spouse. There are lots of fun ideas for dates and little gifts. This is definitely worth checking out. I'll admit that my husband and I need to work on this...we are fortunate in that we see each other a lot more than most couples because he works from home almost every day. But rarely do we set aside time to go out without the kids and really focus on each other.  Gotta work on this...



Here is a great Valentine's printable from Kristin at Simply Klassic Home. I love this one and used it last year on a table in my entryway.


We Love Being Moms posted 14 Days of Valentines for Kids...really cute little treats that would be fun to do for kids. 
 


Pinterest is full of cute ideas for Valentines for kids to hand out at school.  This is one of my favorites...

Source: batemanbuzz.blogspot.com via Jennifer (HomeMatters) on Pinterest



There won't be a special date night or anything for us on Valentine's Day. I'll be shuttling my daughter to and from dance class, there will be homework and a quick family dinner...just like any other Tuesday evening in our home. Date night will have to wait for another day.

But I'll be sure to have a few fun treats for the family to show my love :)

So, do you have anything special planned for Valentine's Day?

Making Christmas Memories

Making family memories is important to me.  I especially enjoy it at Christmas time, which has always been a favorite for me.  Although big exciting things can make for great memories, I think it tends to be the little things that stick with us. 

My daughter shared something with me the other day that just made me smile.  She said, "Mom, do you know what I really love to do sometimes during Christmas?  I love it when it's dark except for the Christmas tree lights and we snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie together.  I feel all happy and safe." 

See, it's the little things.


photo credit

So, this season we'll definitely have a few movie nights all snuggled together watching a Christmas classic.  Last year we introduced our kids to A Christmas Story.  That's definitely a classic and favorite in our home.

I'm also looking forward to riding around town looking at all the pretty Christmas lights, reading Christmas stories with the kids and baking cookies. 

What kinds of memory-making activities are you looking forward to?

"Tastes Like Thanksgiving" Casserole

For some reason I've thought about Thanksgiving several times recently.  More specifically, I've thought about the food at Thanksgiving. 



Photo Credit


So when I ran across this recipe I knew I wanted to give it a try.  I can't remember exactly where I found it on a message board so thanks to whoever it was that unknowingly shared this with me :)

It was easy to make and it did remind me of a Thanksgiving dinner, especially when paired with some cranberries and veggies.  I prefer the real thing but this definitely satisfied me until November 24th rolls around. (sorry for the lack of a photo...completely forgot to take one!)

"Tastes Like Thanksgiving" Casserole

3 cups cooked chicken
1 box of stuffing mix
1 can chicken broth
3 Tbs. butter
1 1/3 cups milk
1 can cream of chicken soup

Put the chicken in the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. 
In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Add the chicken broth and stir in the stuffing mix.
Set aside while you mix the milk and cream soup together in a separate bowl. Pour the milk/soup mixture over the chicken.
Top with the stuffing mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour.