Discover a New Town Together

First thing Saturday morning I got all my things together and left Jason with This note, and I headed down to the car.

it says; "It seems it's been too long we've been stuck here in this place,

let's take a little drive and discover a new taste.

before we begin, there are rules you must abide,

No fighting, No phones, you're driving, I'll guide.

Holding hands is a must, I know it's hard to do,

But this is going to be so much fun, I promise you.

So go to the car, I'll meet you outside,

don't take too long, I'll be waiting with a surprise."

(Yes, I made that up, I know it's cheesy, but Jason loved it. Feel free to make up your own poem) 

I made sure to crinkle the paper up and burn the edges for effect. ;)

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Once Jason got to the car I gave him his first surprise, which was a stack of his Cd's (the ones I like) and told him he could listen to his music the whole car ride. :) 

 

 (image)

*this is a great time to burn a cd for your honey, and I would have done just that if he didn't already have ten thousand cds of his own music to choose from!

I had him look at the map again and choose a random place that we have never been.

his choice was; Ojai

 

*even though you might live in the same place you have your whole life i guarantee there are small little places you have never discovered yet, so pull out a map and see whats around you.

*lots of gas stations sell local maps.

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The car ride was a date in itself.  It was fun not knowing what we were going to find when we got there. It could be some way Podunk town, or really ghetto, or super nice... We were Jammin' out to his music and eating this really yummy snack I had prepacked, Peanut Butter Banana Sushi

 

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As soon as we arrived in Ojai it was time for lunch so we found the smallest cafe we could.

It was just as I pictured, Bonnie Lu's Country Cafe

*it's good to support the local cafe's when your visiting their town. plus their food is usually reasonably priced.

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We spent the afternoon getting to know this new area and walking down the streets hand in hand. We found LOTS of Thrift Stores, and lots of interesting people we met and chatted with.

Before the sun set we drove around trying to find the highest point in the town for a good view of the sunset (too bad it was cloudy)  but we did find a great place.

This is where everything I packed before hand comes into play.

I put a country cd in the cd player and it wasn't hard to talk Jason into dancing with me, it took me back to when we were dating, and it was so much fun! I think your attitude is everything so make sure you make dancing sound really fun and act excited,  if you expect your spouse to enjoy doing it with you.

 

 Then we laid out a blanket and had sparkling cider in champagne glasses and sat and talked and cuddled just like the good ole days.

 

Well, your date can pretty much just end here....

When was the last time you "parked"?? ...I'm just saying.... ;)

*every town is going to be different. if you're ever worried about what you will do once you get there, you can always scout out the town online before you go. :)

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 JuSt a Little BiT ExtRa to MaKe yOu LaUgH~~~

 We found an awesome lookout point to take pictures of the town.  It's in this vacant campground area off the main road, and it's just Jason and I.  Well, we get our camera all set up and all the sudden Jason notices this guy totally camped out like 100 feet in front of us. Jason was like, "Kristen, there is this guy camped out, I think he's homeless, we gotta get out of here!"  ...all along the camera is capturing Jason's face. hahaha! PRICELESS!

 

And then again when we had found our final spot to park, Jason thought he heard something in the bushes and turned around really quickly and exclaimed "What was that? I think I heard something!"

 

And this is why I will never go camping with my husband alone, cause he's just as scared as I am! lol LOVE YOU HUNZY!!!!

Later when we were looking back at the pictures we took we were DYING laughing!! These are moments that I'm sure will always make us laugh and we will never forget them.

*If you don't have a camera that takes automatic pictures this is a must! If you have a digital camera chances are you probably have that setting you just haven't figured out how to use it. We have a small tripod (seriously like 5 inches tall, probably cost like $5 on ebay) remembering to use it is the key. Most digital cameras take a tripod.

Goin' To The Movies...

I am ALL for creative dating....less "dinner & a movie"....and MORE unique dating experiences!!  BUT - there are just SOME movies that you MUST watch on the "big screen."  {Clear throat} Ummm....Avatar.....for one!!  We LOVED that movie and we were so glad we splurged and saw it in the theater! 

But who says you can't throw a little "extra" into that date as well??  I'm a huge fan of the website Executive Homemaker and I first saw this idea on there.

When the next BIG movie comes out that you and your honey can't wait to go see...try this quick & easy idea!!  Create a "movie ticket" earlier in the week and place it on his pillow...it will definitely get him even MORE excited to watch it with his honey!! 

I created mine in Microsoft Word....so you can easily download it and change the info and the movie. Just go to the website of the movie you are wanting to see, right-click on the picture/image you want, and paste it into the word document I created.  (Don't forget to delete the Avatar picture first...)  There are TWO tickets on the download...'cuz YOU need one, too!!  Enjoy!

Click HERE for the download!

P.S. Click on the gray "download" button on the left and not the green one on the right....after you click on "HERE"...

Love Story: Bridget & Justin

The divas decided early on that we didn’t want our blog to just be about creative dates. We had a bigger vision than that… Of course, we wanted a place where we could get LOTS and LOTS of creative dating ideas, but we also wanted a resource where we could share and learn about other ideas that related to being in a successful relationship. Such as…marriage tips, fun gift ideas for him or something he did, success stories, great marriage books we’ve found, and basically anything that is contributing to keeping the love alive with our eternal companions.

Now…those love stories have to start SOMEWHERE!! I absolutely love hearing how people met and started down the path that led to marriage…so I am SUPER excited about the “How Two People Fell In Love…” section of our blog! We will be sharing one of our love stories with each other and all of our FABULOUS readers once a month….starting with BRIDGET!! Enjoy!

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Bridget & Justin

Justin and I met through friends in Oct. 2003. We had both just gotten out of serious relationships. We weren't really expecting things to go anywhere. On our first date we went to a haunted house and had a blast, we had so much in common. We started spending all our free time together. We hit a little rocky point when we both decided to see what else was out there. Well, it only took one date each to realize that sometimes things are just meant to be. We dated for a year and a half, and then in June 2005, Justin proposed. He put the ring in a fortune cookie (pretty creative). We were married late August 2005.  It was a beautiful wedding and I could not have been happier.  Four and half years and two beautiful little girls later we are still blissfully married, most days haha.  I love Justin with all my heart.  It is crazy how things work out in life and that you can truly feel like you were meant for each other.

All I Really Need To Know About Love… I Learned In Kindergarten!

All the fundamental things in life are taught in kindergarten. It is the simple things in life that bring the greatest measure of happiness. As I was reading through this poem, I thought each item was essential to a happy life and a happy marriage! Check it out…

Most of what I really need

To know about how to live

And what to do and how to be

I learned in kindergarten.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life -

Learn some and think some

And draw and paint and sing and dance

And play and work everyday some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world,

Watch out for traffic,

Hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

--by Robert Fulghum

So, in the spirit of kindergarten, my date is outlined by an ABC checklist. The 26 different letter activities vary from kite flying to having an indoor picnic! My husband and I enjoyed a date that focused on the simplicity of childhood adventures!

Here is a step by step guide to our ABC date...

Step One: Write your man a note! In the note, remember the basics. Simply ask your honey to go on a date with you. My note said, “Dear Jared, Will you go on a date with me?” Check yes or no. I left it on his pillow and he answered with a check next to yes! I enjoyed actually writing a note! It has been a long time since I had handwritten a note!

Step Two: I created the ABC's to our date checklist! While we were on the date, we had to accomplish an activity for each letter of the alphabet. Some things take literally half a second!

Click here for the printable ABC checklist:

Step Three: With my checklist in hand, my husband and I headed to the nearest park. While at the park, we flew a kite. We flew the kite for about thirty minutes and basically laughed the whole time! It was a ton of fun! It reminded us both of being a kid again. I forgot to take my camera to the park, so Jared is holding the awesome kite we used! The Dollar Tree has TONS of kites right now. You can get two kites for one dollar. If you are a more serious kite individual, COSTCO has basically the coolest kites on the planet.

Step Four: We decided to head back to our house because it started to get dark. Beforehand, I had laid out a blanket in our family room and had things set up for an indoor picnic.

Step Five: We love pizza. So, together we made our favorite homemade pepperoni and cheese pizza. We also had milk and apple slices (enjoying being a kid again). The picnic in the house added a little variety to our usual home dining experience! Afterwards, we enjoyed a favorite treat…the COOKIE MONSTER! The cookie monster consists of a large cookie (you buy cookie dough, place it on a cookie sheet and make one giant cookie), vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and caramel! What kid does not love the cookie monster? The picture doesn't truly show the tastiness of this delicious treat!

Step Six: After dessert, we went back to kindergarten for a minute and drew pictures of each other using crayons! It was fun to take the time to study my husband’s face! Our portraits highlighted our favorite things about each other. I love my honey’s sky blue eyes! My favorite part of this activity was staring at each other while laughing and talking. With two little ones, I rarely get to stop and study my husband for a long period of time.

Step Seven: We then played Twister! Have you ever played this with your spouse? Wow, the fun of a cheap game.

Step Eight: The last part of our date consisted of dancing to “our song” and talking.

Step Nine: Last, but not least...a favorite thing of kindergartners and adults alike…go take a nap! :) After this last step, all 26 items of the ABC checklist should be completed!!

Our date was a lot of fun. Simple, but fun. We enjoyed checking things off on the ABC checklist. The date took around 2 1/2 hours. I hope you enjoy this date as much as we did. Who doesn't enjoy being a kid again? This date gives you the perfect excuse!!

The ol' Hijack & Kidnap Date

Yes! I hijacked my sweetie’s car and kidnapped him!

The Scheme

You gotta get him outta the house on a NEARBY errand. I mentioned I needed one little thing before our date and asked my honey to go to the grocery store for me – then you quickly follow him there, and once he goes inside for the errand, you run over to his car, hop inside and… WAIT.

*the errand should be QUICK one – we don’t want you falling asleep while on the lookout!*

*Variation: Another idea is to show up to and kidnap him from wherever – from work would be a fun surprise or simply leave your honey a personalized ransom note to find when he gets home. It could read that you have ‘X’ for him, and he must do ‘Y’ in order to get it, and you’ll meet him at ‘Z’ to get started!

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The Note

I prepared the following warning note for him and sent it with him in an envelope with instruction to open it in the checkout line (just so he would have a little suspense and not punch me in the face when he hears me in the backseat! Okay, maybe that’s a bit overdramatic, but I wanted him to become curious and aware…) Here's my note. Also I have yet to buy photoshop - forgive me! - so as you can see, mine is totally simple. I just printed this page and glued it on a black piece of paper to give it a black ‘frame.’

So anyway – by this time when your honey jumps in the car and probably looks around, you’re already surprising him with a big smooch or else he’s screaming while you cover his eyes and say ‘guess who?’ (Just kidding, don’t freak him out too much!) But be sure to make it clear that he’s in for some FUN and you’re taking him as your love hostage on a date beginning NOW!

Oh yeah, one little detail…

You're gonna wanna slap some cuffs on your love hostage. The catch?

He’s gonna be handcuffed to you!

If you don’t already own a pair of handcuffs, you can usually pick up a cheap pair for a couple dollars at the Dollar Store or Walmart.
P.S. You’re going to want to cuff HIS RIGHT hand to your left if he’s driving and then sit as close as possible in the car so your honey can still drive safely.

I noticed this was a FABULOUS way to keep us holding hands! Remember how long you would hold hands before you were married?? Yeah, me too. I was surprised at how often I went to let go out of convenience, but of course, couldn’t… kind of an eye opener!

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Next, without telling my honey our destination, I ‘ordered’ him turn by turn down the road until

we pulled up in front of his favorite Chinese take out restaurant.

I wanted to cater to my hubby’s tastes for dinner – try to pick a place HE would most likely choose… it’s the little kindnesses that mean the most! Then take your little bad selves inside - still handcuffed together - to get your dinner TO GO.

*Variation: OR you can easily have a picnic style lunch/dinner of your choice already packed in the car with you.

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Next, you’ve gotta take your victim back to your hideout to eat. I choose an empty field not too far from our house. Once again I directed him where to drive, and we just pulled in to the field a little ways off the road and ominously called it “the middle of nowhere.”

*This might be a different place for everyone. I planned to eat in the car because I could easily fold down the seats and make it our hideout that way. Other options could be going back to your house where you’ve set up “make shift” eating arrangements in a hiding area such as sitting on a soft blanket in the basement where you’re “out of sight” or in a blanket hideout fort in the family room - whatever your imagination can come up with!

So dinner was kinda hard being handcuffed, and we took them off after the first few minutes.

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At the end of the meal, I handed him his fortune cookie and said,

“What do you want your future to hold?”

Take this perfect opportunity to say,

“I love you and here’s my undivided attention. What can I do now or over time to help make your dreams/goal come true, BAAABY!?”

And then we had one of those REAL discussions that bring good things. What? That’s so boring you say? No way! Every marriage needs the partnership to nourish each other’s individual goals. Will your hubby be surprised that you want to proactively work on something to make him happy? My husband LOVES it when I do this because he shoots for the stars! This is an activity you won’t forget if you take it seriously, and I have found this very rewarding in my marriage. For example, some of the goals we have successfully helped each other accomplish are a few years ago, together (but mostly me) we developed a better budget to slowly save and allow him to go on a guided hunt he had wanted to take for his whole life (granted it was well over a year later, but we made it happen because of a dedicated talk like this!) And one for me is since December he’s given me the extra help I needed with the kids to make it possible for me to go to the gym 3 - 4 times a week. Woot woot!! It is so healthy for my mama-sanity (let alone for fitness!) I want to always be one of those wives who helps make my husband’s dreams come true and I'm pretty sure all you DIVAS feel the same!

Afterwards, go ahead and head home...

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The Ransom

This is the part where your honey gets a chance to earn his freedom back (but as you’ll see, if you rig the activity to slightly be in your favor, you can still keep playing him as your hostage until you get home, which can have benefits… if you know what I mean…) So I decided to have a little shooting competition with nerf guns to see which one of us could hit the bulls eye more times. I tried to make it sound like it flowed with the kidnapping theme - weapons! My advantage though? Take a look at his target:

and here's HIS target next to MINE
(Any weapon that shoots will do - the Dollar Store here also sells a variety of little toy guns or else Target offers a tiny single shooter for as low as $3.99 - or you can even shoot rubber bands off your hands like a gun.)

To make the big target, I just used the brightest poster board I could find, cut a large circle from random 12x12 black scrapbooking paper I had lying around, and made one ring of color around the black bulls eye with marker and crayon. For the small target, I used a half sheet of regular copy paper and highlighters and a sharpie for the bulls eye. I know… my stuff is primitive, but c'mon, I've got 3 kids!

Of course, we got into it and ended up just shooting mostly at my target, but he did get a good laugh when I showed him his target!

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The Finale

Time for some lovin! Afterall, he’s been through a kidnapping today, you wooped his booty at target practice, and he needs a little TLC don’t ya think? I put the handcuffs back on him (just him, not me this time) and led him upstairs. I’ll let the rest be left unsaid except for a suggestion that if you have an outfit or anything similar to this:

It wouldn’t hurt the fun factor to put them on!

The Valentine Date

Yeah....so...umm...I TOTALLY would have had this posted earlier but...

.......The Bachelor was on............and I, of course, HAD to watch it!!

Gotta root for my girl, Tenley!!

Anyway - I had a BLAST planning the perfect "at-home" Valentine Date for my man and I hope this helps the rest of you out as well!

I am a BIG fan of starting off your creative dates with a "bang!" Mine is starting off with a Candy Gram Poem. I know there are a TON of cute Candy Gram Bouquets out there now....but I like mine to read kinda like a letter...

Here was the FINAL result:

CANDY GRAM POEM MATERIALS:

-Candy Bars (I found a BUNCH of my candy at the dollar store.)

-Poster Board (at Michael's or ANY Craft Store)

-Heavy-Duty tape or glue (to attach the candy to the poster)

-Permanent Marker

-Download (Yep - you pretty much LOVE me, huh!)

More Info: SO - running around trying to find all the right candy bars probably took the LONGEST out of everything I planned! I would definitely try the Dollar Stores FIRST....I got a lot of my candy bars 2 for $1. Also - I typed up two different versions of the candy gram poems.....one is catered more towards my husband and us (pictured above) and the other one is JUST as cute...but more generic....so it could fit any couple. Click on the "download" above to print off those poems. And you better believe - I made them up all by myself.... {WINK}

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Next - you gotta get yer man OUTTA THE WAY while you make the FAB dinner....so on the bottom of my candy gram, it directs him to change into the robe...and he will be blindfolded and led to this...

(Actual pic of our garden tub....at our FIRST house!)

A relaxing Bubble Bath! Make sure you SET THE MOOD first! Relaxing music, candles, magazines, and DON'T forget to sprinkle rose petals on top of the bubbles!

BUBBLE BATH MATERIALS:

-Blindfold (JUST to lead him to the surprise bath!)

-Bubble Bath Stuff (A while back I bought a BUNCH of stuff at the Dollar Store and it's STILL going strong!)

-Candles (Michael's has some GREAT deals on packs of tea candles!)

-Soft Relaxing Music (Gotta set the MOOD!)

-"Guy"Magazines (He's a guy, ya know...might get bored...)

-Warm Towels (To dry off with...MUCH better if it's WARM!)

-A Soft Robe or Comfy Clothes

-Rose Petals (Contact local Flower Shop)

More Info: One thing I recently read regarding bubble baths was.....DRUMROLL please...was that if you put Coconut Milk in it...your skin will be silky smooth when you get out! You can buy it at your local grocery store...and I am DEFINITELY trying it!

About the Rose Petals...I think it's SUPER dreamy to have them EVERYWHERE....and when I called the flower shop in Albertson's I found out that you can order an entire bag of rose petals for $4.99 (petals off of a dozen roses). I placed my order..and will pick them up on the 13th. The florist informed me that the closer it gets to V-Day....the higher the price gets. The bags will go up to $6-$7. SO - place your orders asap! I ordered two bags...and when I see how large they are, I will decided if I really need both. (The lady told me that was OK...tee, hee.)

Last of all, the relaxing music....one of the twelve DIVAS told me about this blog called, Love, Actually....which also focuses on spoiling yer man! I explored her blog a little and found a FAB date she had planned for her husband - an "At-Home Spa." She found some FREE spa music....and shared it with all of us! Click on the "Soft Relaxing Music" above to be sent to that website. I checked it out and it's GREAT!! I will definitely be placing our laptop in there with him....JUST to listen to the music!

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Now....while your significant other is relaxing upstairs....you can focus on DINNER! Whenever I think about a SUPER romantic dinner, I think of Lady and The Tramp! {LOL} I know, I know....call me CRAZY....but it's just about the most DAH-LING thing ever!!

I HAD to post a pic of that....BUT I also found a SUPER romantic pic of a table setting as well....see below! Obviously, since I haven't done our date yet, I can't show you my table setting....but you better believe I am going to recreate the pic below!! :)

My friends ALL know that I am SOOOOO not a cook....so I will let all of YOU come up with the main dish. I am planning on making a supposedly fantastic pasta dish that another teacher at work told me about.....hopefully it's as amazing as she says....so here is MY list:

ROMANTIC DINNER MATERIALS:

-Ingredients for Pasta Dish (If it's a HIT....I will definitely share it in the future...)

-Some "Bubbly" & Wine Glasses (We don't drink...so we will be toasting with Sparkling Cider.)

-Tall Candles (Michael's has SUPER cheap ones!)

-Romantic Music (Gotta set the MOOD...a DIFFERENT one than above...)

-Garlic Bread (Ya know, to go with my pasta dish!)

-A FAB Pear & Blue Cheese Salad (This BETTER taste as good as it sounds!)

-Rose Petals (Um...yeah...seriously SO romantic!)

-Classy/Romantic Tablecloth & Setting (I'll take a pic of ours and post it afterwards!!)

More Info: So...I was pretty dang excited when I found this yummy salad...and it looked SO freakin' good...that I am posting a picture of it.....what do you think??

It LOOKS good, it SOUNDS good.....and if the taste matches what it sounds and looks like....then this will definitely be going in the recipe box! (Oh , do I even HAVE one of those??)

Click on the name above...and you can have the recipe, too!!

Not lots to say here....cuz I am NOT a cook....just make sure you make the SETTING romantic!! Dim the lights, tall candles...with other candles around as well, petals sprinkled on the table, etc........so moving on...

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.....AFTER dinner....comes THE LOVE HUNT!! I am SO, so, SO, so excited about this! It's basically a treasure hunt...but in order to get each clue...there is a TASK your husband will have to complete....such as:

-Dance with you for an ENTIRE romantic song....

-Kiss you like you've NEVER been kissed before...

-Feed you (well..you actually feed each other...) chocolate-dipped strawberries...

I made ALL the clues & the tasks....and YES....you can download those as well...but you better leave me some LOVE in the comments! :)

The TOP card is the first clue....and then the rest of the clues are next to the envelope with the TASK on the outside....that he has to do....before he gets to open the envelope & read the clue...

Here's what they look like all put together (the first clue is on the top). I made up a bunch of clues that could fit ANY household. My last clue leads to the bedroom....but I also created an optional last clue that will lead to the laundry room...where you could leave a fun Valentine Surprise or Present.

LOVE HUNT MATERIALS:

-Clue Download - Blank (In case you want to make up your OWN clues!)

-Clue Download - Filled Out (They may be a little cheesy...tee, hee..)

-Task Download - Blank (In case you come up with even MORE creative tasks...)

-Task Download - Filled Out (Can't wait for the KISSING one!!)

-Sparkling Cider & 2 Wine Glasses (Ya know, to go with my pasta dish!)

-Chocolate-Covered Strawberries (Um...yeah...seriously SO romantic!)

-Love Mix CD (Ideally you would want Love Songs on there that MEAN something to you two...)

More Info: You may want to hide the clues before beginning the entire evening...one less thing to worry about once you've started the evening. (I am putting a clue on our dog AND our cat....so those will have to wait until right before....) Make sure you have the CD already in the cd player and ready to go....and prepare the strawberries ahead of time. One tip for melting the chocolate...make sure you use a double-boiler so you don't burn the chocolate..and if you don't have one, then you can make one by filling a medium saucepan 3/4 full with water. Then rest a saucepan or a heat-proof bowl inside of it and fill it with your chocolate chips. Turn the stove on low heat...and stir occasionally. Yep - coming from the non-cook...but HEY...great advice!!

So...like I mentioned earlier....my LAST clue will lead to the bedroom....and again...just LOOK at the rose petals! Aaauggghh...LOVE THEM!! Make sure the mood is set! Candles, music, dimmed lights, rose petals, etc.

Oh yeah...and a GREAT Kama Sutra Game! {LOL}

Yep...we got it as a JOKE from one of Jamie's friends....for a Christmas present....and we LOVED it! I know there are ALL sorts of FAB games you can get out there...but this is one I would recommend. :) Another one of the twelve divas let me know that she just purchased one on Amazon.com for as low as $4.99. I think this game regularly goes for around $24-$30.

AND....last...but not least...the dessert! I LOVED the look of this dessert....and then when I read how EASY it is to make....it made my little "non-cooking" heart go pitter-patter!!

It's SO yummy looking and it's the perfect light, refreshing dessert to top off a FABULOUS night! You can get the recipe by clicking HERE.

Happy, HAPPY Valentine's Day!!

Why We Started This Blog...

We ALL know life can get pretty crazy! We fall in love, get married, and think we are going to live happily ever after....

Then comes the careers, meetings, church callings, kids, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning the house, BILLS, illness, stress, etc. We forget to slow down and count our blessings AND focus on the person we decided to spend the rest of our lives with!! We forget to continue dating our spouses!!

We are a group of fun-loving friends...er...I mean....DIVAS who adore our husbands and want to make sure that we always keep our relationship with that significant other...a TOP priority!

We will be taking turns posting fun, creative, AND inexpensive dates each week! The first date will be posted tomorrow....probably closer to midnight. {LOL}

....JUST in time for Valentine's Day!!