Green Thumbs

M&R
Date #16
Herb Garden


I have to laugh about our date this week. We decided that we were going to do a home date. I came up with the idea to start an herb garden. Hubby was on board with that idea, but by the time we made it to the store to buy our seeds, pots, soil, etc., we were short on time. We ended up buying this little herb garden kit because we were determined to have something to do together for our home date.

Our herb garden planting took a whopping 10 minutes. Ha! Yes, it sounds a little silly, BUT, I stand by J when I say that since we took time to do something together, it was fun, and special. Under normal circumstances, I would have been planting the herbs by myself while my hubby was at work, or watching the tv, or internet surfing.







Afterward, we watched a movie in bed (The Tourist). Good home date night.

Double Dating

D&T

Date #13 & #14

We did actually go out twice this week, babysitters and all for the kids.  I was only going to blog about one, but decided we went to the effort, we deserve the credit . . .  and I want to remember them both. 

First date night was a Passover Dinner that our church put on.  Not Jewish, but we respect their culture and it was interesting to learn about their biggest holiday of the year and how they celebrate, and how it relates to our celebration of Easter and our own religion (LDS).  D and I got all dressed up and sat at a beautifully decorated table with some friends in the ward and ate parsley dipped in salt (tears of slavery in Egypt) and horseradish (bitterness of slavery) and Mahtza (unleavened bread they took with them out of Egypt)  . . . along with some perfectly regular salad and chicken and rice and goodies for dessert.  It did make me realize that Easter should be MUCH more focused on the Savior and the Atonement  . . . we may start a fancy dinner tradition of our own to discuss the meaning of Easter and celebrating the Resurrection and what Christ did for us . . .  and less on the eggs and the bunny. 

The plan for the second date night was to sit through one of those Travel Group (NOT timeshare :) presentations to get free stuff. I am a sucker for free stuff and great at saying no to the sales pitch at the end (most of the time).  D does not love it, but he appeases me in going and we have had a handful of what could have been quite pricey date nights for free thanks to the free gifts just for listening.   However, as we were answering questions in the first 30 seconds of the presentation, and we discovered (to the absolute shock of the presenter guy - which was pretty funny) we are already members of the mass purchasing part of this particular travel/buying business (something D & I did when we were FIRST married and paid some one time fee for and often forget about) so we did NOT have to sit through the presentation.  The other couples in the room were pretty jealous and we got up and waved goodbye, cause most of them came just for the free gift too.  We got a mini pitch about how we can upgrade our services (NO THANKS for now) and still got the free stuff for our efforts to come.  AWESOME!!! 

We were so elated we were pretty giggly.  We had a little extra time so I made a return at a store on the way home and we were STARVING so we decided to find a place to eat.  We were searching for some options at the strip mall area we were in and we both saw it at the same time - FIVE GUYS Burgers and Fries!!!  Some people may think its gross - but its a favorite of D and I, and we both on the exact same page with our food cravings - SCORE (cause we all not that's just not always the case)!!  I love FIVE GUYS for the free toppings - I counted and put 9 (lettuce, tomato, grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, bbq sauce, mustard, pickles, green pepper, jalapeno) on my burger.  D loves their burgers but I think he is hooked on the fries. 

Just a night full of unexpected bits of happiness!!!

Shopping WITHOUT the kiddos

J+D

Date #17

Usually, this is what shopping with the kids looks like, only that dog is my oldest running about my feet and that kid in the basket is my 18 month old--only he's not happily riding, he's trying to climb out.

Shopping with both of the kids isn't always the most rewarding or pleasant experience.

So, knowing that D and I needed to get a lovely wedding gift for his little sister, we dropped the kiddos off and headed to Target. We printed the registry. We held hands down the isles as we picked out some lovely items for the bride-to-be, and then stood quietly in the check outline chatting away about everything and nothing all at once.

Once we got in the car, we noticed that this creepy looking hoodlum of a man was approaching a lady putting her grocery items in her car. D and I both had a bad feeling about it all, so we decided to sit in our car, the phone dialed into 911 just in case and D's little knife out and ready for the kill if that bad man looked like he was going to threaten the woman he was pestering.

We waited for about 10 minutes, our hearts pumping quicker the longer it took the man to leave.....but soon he walked off as creepily as he came.

That lady will never know that we had her back. She'll never even know that we stayed there and watched the whole interaction between her and that scary stranger. But D and I will ALWAYS know that we had that little adventure of being secret agents together. :)

After that we drove to HUSBAND& WIFE to pick up something SEXY for the bride and groom. Though they may be embarrassed to receive something a little naughty, we hope that they'll find use for it. :) We sure think silly little naughty gifts are fun....

Anyway, it was fun to just walk around with my hub and not have to herd the babies around with us. The date wasn't exciting, but the fact that we had so much fun doing an every day thing together was what was MOST exciting!

I'm lame. . .

B+C

Date #10

nothing special

We had a plan for date night, but little did I know I'd be in a weird mood that day.

I didn't really feel like doing anything. I just felt like taking a nap.

We had family in town and life had been so busy, I just had no energy left for a date.

SOooooooo. . . .

We ended up with a pretty lame one. Sorry husband!

My parents were staying at my Aunt and Uncle's place, so we just decided to drop the kids with THEM and then WE stayed there, but just found another corner, where we could be alone (it's a huge place, so the kids didn't even know we were still there.)

FIRST, we tried to play pool, but I just wasn't 'feelin' it', so we sat on the couch, played around with my dad's ipad, and ate some caramel toffee popcorn.

So, last week we didn't even go on a date, and this week was kind of a bust (I wish I had been in a more energetic mood). I hope we can make our next date more exciting!! : )

Delizioso

M&R
Date#15
Terra Mia Ristorante

Well we just weren't feeling too creative about date nights with these sicknesses and long work hours and crazy weather. All we wanted to do was indulge in a delicious, carb-filled dinner.

So we did just that. We indulged and we enjoyed doing it. I can't say that I know authentic Italian food because, sadly, I've never been there, but I would say this seems more authentic. We didn't get the pizza this time, but their pizza is 'delizioso'. And the gelato? Well just look at it..... Need I say more?

One of our bucket list items together is to visit Italy. We dream of getting lost in Italy. Stumbling on a charming little Italian pizzeria just off of an old, cobblestone street. The street will be lined with tall dilapidated buildings with clothelines strung randomly and filled with drying laundry, flower boxes hanging out every twentieth window, and overhearing bits of Italian conversation that we might be able to translate, "ciao!" "buon giorno!" " benvenuti!".

Hubby and I have been making some major effort to put us in a financial position where hopefully in not too many years, we will be able to do that. Take a trip to Europe, with all the frills, and none of the debt guilt. That will be our ultimate date. It is going to happen.

I'm happy that I have this hubby of mine to plan with in the meantime. Love him more and more everyday.

The Chocolate Cafe Game Night

T+D

Date #12

J+D

Date #16

T and I have wanted to put this date together for a while, so I think the idea of it all sounded more exciting to us than to our hubbies...

But I think the hubbies had just as much fun as we had hoped for. It was a blast!

What's better than playing a great game (Quirkle)

eating great desserts (cake, cakookies, ice cream)

in a great little cafe (The Chocolate)

with great friends (we missed you M+R and C+B!)?!

Seriously.

It was awesome.

Just what we had hoped for!

StrongerMarriage.Org

Just a thought...

Today I learned that a friend of mine is getting a divorce.

I feel the same about divorce as I do about death in many ways---fear that it will be the end even though I've been taught and seen that there is life after; hating that people take it so lightly; and wondering if it will ever happen to me.

With death, I realize it is inevitable. Sigh.

But with divorce, I know it can be avoided.

That's one reason, among many, that we are doing this date-night thing.

I want a marriage that is unbreakable.

I want my husband to WANT to be with me forever.

I WANT to want to be with my husband.

I have several friends who have forgotten what being married means.

Its not just glorified roommates.

Its not just living with the other parent to the children.

Its not just keeping a contract that we made over an alter.

Its a friendship.

Its a partnership.

Its a job that doesn't get to punch out at the end of the day.

Its a love story that doesn't have an ending.

And it will stay that way because I am determined to treat my spouse like my best friend, like my most valued and trusted business partner, like a job I can't afford to lose, and like a story I don't want to end.

Its up to me. Its up to US.

As I mourned a little for my friend's marriage, I found this website: StrongerMarriage.org.

The tools within the site are fantastic for strengthening a marriage.

Maybe reading over it together would make for a good date night...

Just an idea.

Home & Garden Expo . . .

D & T

Date #12

D and I used this week's date for a little home improvement brainstorming.  We have need of some landscaping in the backyard, along with a fence and few other needs/wants.  We also have big plans to remodel our front room/kitchen one of these years.  So we went to the Home and Garden Expo without the kiddos to get serious and meet some of the professionals that we will need to help us with all our BIG ideas.  Admittedly, its easy to have eyes way bigger than the pocketbook, but its fun to dream about the "someday" stuff and get quotes and help with the "near future/realistic" stuff.   There were some pretty random booths - like body vibraters (FORGOT the camera - DUH!!) and we entered in to watch some 90 min. presentation for a "free vacation" - so that may be a date night in the future - and we scored some free carpet/upholstry cleaner!  Pretty productive and really fun couple of hours!  :)

Creme Brulee & Kickin' It

M&R
Date #14
Creme Brulee & Kickin' It

For this week's date, we ended up staying home. We were forced to stay home...sick kids again! It was good though. I think we needed a night to take it easy since we've been so busy for the past month. Plus it was a crazy week of not much sleep on my part and lots of work hours on hubby's part.

I made some creme brulee, which doesn't look professional in any way, and I accidentally added an extra tablespoon of sugar, but it was Good!(with a capital G) We also watched a show called Shark Tank. Ever heard of it? Our cousins turned us on to it and it is really fun and interesting to watch.

After that we had a little run of skiing and soccer....on the Wii. We just inherited a Wii and love it. It was a very low key, but nice, relaxing night.

Home (well, BATHROOM) Improvement

J+D

Date #15

When we started brainstorming for this week's datenight, we decided that we'd either do SEALINGS (at the temple) or WALLS (in the bathroom).

And since we found out we might get TWO babysitting trades this week, we thought we'd opt for the WALLS this evening and hope for SEALINGS on Saturday morning.

So, we dropped the kiddos off at their auntie's house and hurried home.

I taped while D changed out of his work clothes.

He ran to the store to get more tape while I made dinner for the two of us.

We ate a home cooked meal together without having to feed/rein in/fight with anyone but ourselves (which was nice...and weird...and quiet...and surprisingly sad all at once).

Then

He brushed the edges while I rolled the rest.

He wiped the messes up while I touched up the last coat.

We talked and laughed and joked around.

And we painted the bathroom green in under TWO hours.

We weren't sure how much we'd love our idea to paint only two of the walls, but now that its all said and done, we think it looks pretty sweet. :)

D & I always have a good time when we are working on a project together.

My mom calls it "shoulder energy"--the powerful bonding people get when they are facing the same direction working on something. Like how when you walk WITH someone you can open up way more than if you are sitting across from them looking eye to eye.

The same goes with working on projects with people.

D & I definitely bonded last night.

Our shoulder energy was strong.

Ha.

In all seriousness, it was way fun and I can't WAIT to paint something with him again!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

B+C

Date #9

(Dinner and a movie with a twist)

Breakfast and a classic movie

For date #9, we dropped one kid at school, the other two at a friend's house,

and enjoyed a nice, quiet breakfast at Jamba Juice.

Fruit Toppers and a yummy Blueberry Streusel Muffin

Then we headed to the Scera Theatre, to see one of their 'CINEMA CLASSICS'.

We saw 'Walk, Don't Run', starring Carey Grant (his last film, 1966), for just $2 each, plus free popcorn.

SO CUTE!! First of all, we were the youngest ones there. We were surrounded on all sides, by 70-somethings. What a fun group! The women in the back were laughing so hard, they could hardly contain themselves.

But other than the atmosphere, the movie was so cute! I think there's something very refreshing about old movies. This was funny and romantic in a whole new way! A great alternative to dinner and a movie.

Weekend Road Trip

M&R
Date #13
Road Trippin'

Early in the week, Hubby called me and said that we had the opportunity to take a quick, expenses paid, weekend road trip to Seattle to swap company vehicles. We arranged babysitters for our older kids and took the baby with us.

28 hours of driving round trip amounts to a lot of uninterrupted time and conversation together. We did have our baby, but she was awesome in the car and slept a lot. We joked and laughed, listened to (mostly) horrible radio music, ate snacks, we talked about deep life subjects, family and friends, financial goals, parenting, our dream vacations..... The scenery was sometimes boring, sometimes beautiful.

Once we arrived in Washington, #1 on my list of things to do was visit Pike's Place Market. Hubby and I really love hanging out in downtown Seattle. It's just an exciting place to be with all the activity and interesting things to see.

We were with some of our favorite cousins/friends and our hubby's bought us tulips. We browsed and shopped around, looking at the fruit, the street performers, checking out the making of the worlds best cheese.........and a stop at the wall of gum. Seriously people, that is all gum. So gross!! I didn't have any gum to add, and I couldn't bear to bring myself closer than 5 feet. This weekend was AWESOME. We loved having so much one-on-one time on our drive together. We loved visiting Seattle and reminiscing about the short time that we lived there a few years ago. Traveling and exploring together is most definitely one of our most favorite things to do together as a couple.

Oreos and Yarn

B+C

Date #8

Teaching B to crochet

We didn't seem to have one spare minute for a date this week, so we had another home date after the kids went down.

I decided to teach B how to do something I enjoy- CROCHETING!

He was completely willing. I didn't know how well it would go because, let's face it, sometimes it's easier to learn a new skill from someone OTHER than your spouse, and I can't say it was completely void of ALL frustration with each other, but he was a really good student and I was impressed at how fast he caught on.

So we sat on the couch, crocheting and talking, like two old ladies, while snacking on OREOS. : )

A fun, quick, simple, date, that taught him a little bit more about me and my personality. I think it seemed strange to him that I can sit and do this for hours, but I had to explain to him that it's a great way to relax and wind down after a long day of motherhood. And I assured him he'll like it more after more lessons ( ha ha ), when he can actually complete a whole project. That's when it becomes more fulfilling.

I love how this dating thing has become SO MUCH EASIER. It's natural just to fit a date into our week (even when we can't go out), because we've made it a priority. I have a huge list of things I want to do with B, one of which is to learn something from HIM, but we'll do that in a few weeks, as we already have the next few dates figured out.

29th Birthday Date!!

D&T

Date #11

D did a FABULOUS job planning an incredible two part date for my 29th Bday!  First of all - he did ALL the work, including getting the babysitters needed for our 2-part date . . . which as you ladies know, is more than half the battle, so that was a gift in and of itself!!

Part 1:

D let me in on the Friday plans so we could pick a movie together.  Dinner and movie is normally the "classic" date.  But we have found that dinner and a movie is usually too long to be gone and often too expensive so this was a huge treat for us!  D and I LOVE movies and rarely go to the theatre so it was perfect!  Plus - our new favorite theatre is just down the road from our house: the Water Gardens Cinema 6. Its an "in-between" theatre - tickets are $3 (no new releases, but comes here before the dollars).  The best part is all concessions are $1 & $2.  We get movie tickets, a popcorn, drink, and candy to share for $10.  LOVE IT!!

Here's what we saw:

We both REALLY loved it!!  Not going to win an academy awards or anything, but TONS of action, some cool superpowers (we are really into that), and enough really sweet romance to keep everyone happy!!  Admittedly, D and I are pretty easily entertained, but its one I would definitely recommend! (And for you HUNGER GAMES fans, the lead guy is rumored to be playing PEETA in the first movie - and after seeing him on the big screen, I am a FAN!!!)

NEXT - on to dinner.  Everything on the date was MY choice . . . and I chose a new Mexican place in the area.  NOT the greatest choice.  We were not impressed by the service or the food or the prices.  I don't recommend it.  Should have gone with Thai Food.  :)

NEXT - a quick trip to the mall to return some clothes I bought for D.  I don't know why, but holding hands with my man walking in THE MALL (not just any store, but a mall) is romantic to me.  Maybe its cause I hardly ever go to the mall and window shopping is always fun - and its always filled with young couples - and it takes me back to the younger days when going to the mall was the cool thing to do on the weekends. But for whatever reason -  its a quirky romantic thing for me.  Weird, but true, so I loved it.

NEXT - We sort of spontaneously stopped at The Chocolate on the way home (inspired by B & C).  We ordered a Pizookie (Pizza Cookie as I called it growing up) - but a Cazookie (cake/cookie? baked in a cake pan . . ) on their menu. (Picture is from the Internet, not the actual dessert we ate, but it looks pretty darn close!)  It was delicious, and like C, I am IN LOVE with the quaint little place and am dying to try EVERYTHING on the menu.  We did run into some mission friends and they sat with us - they ordered a Sweet Potato dessert (whipped yams with brown sugar, butter, nuts, topped with ice cream) and they let me have a bite (I was rude enough to ask) and it was DIVINE (D did NOT think so).  I don't think I will be satisfied until I go back and get to eat the whole thing by myself. 

We think it was the LONGEST date (5 hours) we have been on (not counting any overnight trips) since our oldest daughter was born.  And also one of the more expensive dates we will go on.  But D reassured me that it was a special enough occasion for the splurge!!  :) 

Part 2:

D outdid himself by getting another sitter (all family - so FREE - a bonus!) on Sat. morning (the actual Bday) for a bike ride.  D is very into road biking and got a new bike, so I get the old one.  We road to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple and back (coming back took considerably longer up a KILLER hill to our house) - about 10 miles.  With a bathroom break and some gear shifting lessons in the parking lot, it was an hour outside enjoying the great weather and getting some GREAT exercise (two of my favorite things!).

J+D

Date #14 1/2

D and I LOVE to celebrate every and any holiday that comes around.

And April Fool's Day is no exception.

Last night after the babies were asleep, we had my brother and his wife come over to housesit/babysit while we ran about the neighborhood playing little silly pranks on our favorite neighbors.

We attached streamers to our D+T's garage door so that when they opened it, all they could see was streamers (still waiting on a picture of the finished product)...

After that we taped in 4 of our friends' front doors (including B+C's---we would have hit M+R's place but they live a little too far for the time slot we had our sitters) so that it was black when they opened them...and put snappers under their door mats.

We think we're so funny.

We couldn't end the night without saran-wrapping a friend's car

Or advertising another friend's car as FOR SALE

Though I'm certainly an early-to-bed, early-to-rise kind of girl, we might just have to go on another midnight date again some time. We haven't been out that late since before we were married....

We felt so young again. :)

We're such dorks.

And that's why we are such a good match for each other.