My Funny Valentine

He finally came to Philly.

And what did I do? Leave my camera out of the weekend except for those two lovelies at the top. Funny how that worked because I meant to get an updated picture of the two of us so everyone could get used to seeing us together again.

It started with Valentine's dinner at the Shake Shack. My stomach loves their cheese fries.

The next day was work (insert frown) and then a sweet dinner with family. Then Saturday, we spent the day sneaking in all the warm snuggling possible-- I couldn't get enough and it was quite the cold day. We took an adventure over to Reading Terminal Market, I swear I'll bring my camera the next time we go. It's an amazing market filled with every type of food you want to it eat. Yes, they have (fill in the blank). Later that night, Kevin swept me off my feet at a Valentine's dance where I snapped the pictures above. From there Sunday was church and dinner with friends. Sweet Angel made her famous potato gnocchi. I am a fan and could eat it every night.

Managed to find a photo of the famous potato gnoochi!

The weekend went by too quickly (as it always does)! It was dreamy with real love, not the fake kind like in the movies, with real people. It was about us-- what we've been through, lost and accomplished. Everything that matters.

I can't wait till Kevin comes to stay! (He promised blogging trip adventures and said he would make sure I brought my camera). It will be oh so sweet and I won't dread waking up in the mornings without him.

xoxo

Easy Valentine Cookies

Since life was a little crazy for us around Christmas, 

I decided that it would be fun to share treats on the day of love.

We love our new friends!

I took my favorite homemade oreo cookie recipe and made it fancy.

Cut the dough into little hearts with a cookie cutter.

Put about four drops of red food coloring in the frosting to make it pink.

While it bakes and cools, take a little break.

And there you have it! It's all set for Valentine's Day.

Not hard at all.

From there, wrap it up and deliver!

Don't forget to enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Remember that showing love doesn't have to be something big or difficult,

it's the little things that count.

Husband's Valentine

He wrote,

I 

sqrt(cos(x))cos(300x)+sqr(abs(x))-0.7)(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2)

 from -4.5 to 4.5

my wife.

And if you Google it, it comes up with:

Love it and I love my man. 

Happy Valentines Day to my readers!

Remember, you are loved in more ways than one.

Valentines Mixed CD

Hello lovelies!
I'm down with the chills and aches today but I'd thought I'd share what
I'm sending my family for Valentines this year. 

My goal: I wanted to find a way to connect since we live far away.

Then I saw this and decided I could personalize my own mix CD. Connecting us with favorite

love songs old and new.

Music is the perfect way to remember and reminisce.
It's funny how that works.

I created this simple cover from one of my favorite movies. 

The story behind the cover:

I generally cook a homemade meal and always try to have it done by the time my husband Kevin gets home.
He's really sweet and always does the dishes and once he's done-if it was a really good meal,

we always end up dancing in the kitchen.

Which is almost all the time I get the courage and time to whip something up. 

It's the highlight of my day and brings me JOY.

And for my mix of songs that we like to dance to:

{some are cheesy and some are just plain fun}

More Then Words-Extreme

Better Together-Jack Johnson

Marry Me-Train

The Way You Look Tonight-Frank Sinatra

A Kiss to Build a Dream On-Louis Armstrong

You and Me-Lifehouse

Glory of Love-Peter Cetera

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)-The Proclaimers

Here, There, and Everywhere-Beatles

Eternal Flame-The Bangles

I Love You Always Forever-Donna Lewis

All Your Life-The Band Perry

You-Chris Young

All of these songs can be purchased on iTunes.

You can download the CD cover that will fit a standard jewel case here.

Happy listening!

I'm curious. What's your favorite love song?

linking up with:
design dazzle, night owl crafting, sugar and dots, skip to my lou, funny polkadot giraffe
reasons to skip the housework, someday crafts, freckled laundry, tidy mom, finding fabulous,
chic on a shoestring, remodelaholic, fingerprints on the fridge, truly lovely

Pinned: Valentines

I have Valentines on the mind.

I want to do something fun to send to friends and family

since we didn't really get to send out Christmas cards.

Plus, being back home-I can finally decorate!

I'm literally itching to head to a craft store as I'm typing this.

Oh love.

1. From Martha Stewart pinned via Angela

2. From Dandee Designs see Danyelle's boards here

3. From A Pumpkin and a Princess see Crystal's boards here

4. From Made with Love pinned via Laura

5. From NerdyDirty pinned via Etsy

Embrace the Camera Day-Mindy Gledhill Concert

Over Valentines weekend,

we had a blast going to hear the lovely Mindy Gledhill sing {or sort of sing}.

Sweet Mindy had only a little bit of her voice left from a cold.

That amazing woman got up and said that she would turn a bad situation into a good one. 

And that she did.

She asked that the audience be her voice and sing with her.

We did just that, when she couldn't reach the notes, we did.

There isn't a better confirmation to know if people listen to your music than to ask them sing the words,
as said according to Kevin.

Standing in line while waiting for the concert to start. 

That particular night out was just what the doctor ordered.
A fun trip to Provo to try out SLAB pizza, along with the best cupcakes at the concert.

Believe it or not, Kevin even sang along to his favorite Mindy Gledhill song, Anchor.
On the album she sings it in Spanish {brownie points to Mindy for having it as a bonus track},
I think that's why he loves it.

My favorite song is All About Your Heart.
I hate admitting it, but I have terrible scars on my face from acne.
Photoshop and makeup are my friends. I still have lots of acne too now even though I've been told
it clears as you get older. Um, no, not for me anyway.

While this song was written for my inspiration-NieNie, it has helped me with my own personal image.
I listen to it everyday and it reminds me to worry about more important things such as being a
good friend or even better yet, just being there.


Beauty is definitely about what comes from the heart.

We {heart} you Mindy! Thanks for sharing your stories and music with all of us.
The concert was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better date night.

For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. 
~Audrey Hepburn

{don't forget that tomorrow is Joyful Moments and come back later today, 

I'll finally have the post ready for a really great giveaway!}

Valentines Love

My inspiration was from Swoon.

I changed it up a teeny bit because we gave them to both sets of parents.

But for Kevin's card, it's almost the same but the inside has a personal touch.

On the right in red, is a LONG list of all the presents that Kevin gave me over the weekend and me thanking him.
He spoiled me way too much!

One of my favorites gifts {besides CS5} is a subscription to Pretty Little Lovelies Club!
It'll be a treat to receive a surprise in the mail from lovely April every month.
I'm really glad that Kevin picked this off my list of wishes. So sweet!
{and a great deal, you should really join just because you deserve it.}

Sunday, was a fun family Valentines dinner.
The favorite had to be the dessert {of course}.

Kevin's mom made jello hearts.

My sweet nephew loving his jello heart. 

A man is not where he lives, 
but where he loves.  
~Latin Proverb