Valentine's Weekend 2016

This past weekend went by so fast, I can't believe it's already Tuesday!

It all began with a maternity massage as soon as I got off work on Friday.

The massage was amazing and reminded me that I definitely need to get a massage more often than once a year or so. The maternity massage was a gift to me from a family member for my birthday last year and I wanted to wait until I was later in my pregnancy to use it so I would really appreciate it more! I'm so glad I did!

On Saturday morning, my dad came over to help Jason with the nursery furniture. 

I love the way the whole room is coming together!

My dogs are CHICKENS! They were so scared of all of the moving pieces and parts, they didn't leave my lap while the whole process was taking place!

On Saturday afternoon, we took our maternity pictures and brought our little girls along with us for a few shots! They dressed the part, of course! 

Madalynn did SO well for the pictures...Pixie, not so much. I'm curious to see what kind of shots she was able to get! 

Our pictures took place out in the middle of nowhere...seriously. You know when you hit the gravel road and keep driving a couple of miles? Yeah, that's where we were! However, we found a few really pretty spots for pictures so I can't wait to see how they turn out!

The girl who took our pictures is someone very special to me....I had her in Wednesday night classes at church for about 8 years of her life. She married my husband's brother-in-law's brother...follow that?...so she's sort of family! Fun times!

We began our Valentine's Day Sunday at church. Special shirts were made for the coffee shop workers and they were adorable! I did help out in the coffee shop (as best I could) and we had a great time!

 My shirt was just a tad different from the others! :)

A few minutes into the service, I left the coffee shop to get something out of the hallway when I overheard someone say there was going to be a proposal on stage! Oh my gosh...what?! We definitely stopped the clean-up process and made a way to see it all take place!

This hasn't happened (at church) in...oh...YEARS...and it was such a wonderful moment! I might have cried.... (pregnancy hormones are a wonderful thing)!

On Sunday night, Jason and I went out for dinner on our last Valentine's Day as a family of two!

First, we exchanged gifts! We both agreed on small items this year, so nothing terribly fancy. I got him an LSU wallet that was on his amazon wish list along with Reese's hearts (his favorite).

He gave me the Sherman Brothers documentary and chocolate (some of it is Cadbury...my FAVORITE)!!

He also said something else is coming in the mail but it hasn't arrived yet.

For dinner, we used the online system with Outback where you select a time and show up a few minutes ahead. It worked out SO well....we arrived about 10 minutes before our time and were seated not long after that!

Our dinner package included cheesecake which we split. It was so good! We also had chocolate covered strawberries back at home (a Valentine's tradition since we started dating) where we ended our evening while watching The Walking Dead. Romantic, I know! :)

It was such a great weekend, it just went by all too fast for me!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything special for Valentine's Day?

Wednesday Ramblings

This past weekend brought beautiful Spring temperatures to the South and I delighted in every minute of it! My outdoor runs over the weekend were enjoyable and I’m loving the extra hours of daylight in the evenings! The flower beds in the front yard are a complete mess and I cannot wait to replant beautiful, colorful flowers for Spring.

First things first, though – last weekend, I began a Spring cleaning project on the inside of my house. I don’t know about you, but I find great fulfillment in throwing things away and reorganizing areas. So far, a trash bag and a half of stuff from the master closet, bathroom, and bedroom have been thrown away.

Taking the project one room at a time helps it not feel so overwhelming. I began with the master closet one day, the master bathroom the next, followed by the master bedroom (which has been broken into two days). I will continue on with my project (room by room) until it’s complete! I’ve done this once in the past and it’s worked well for me.

A new discovery this year has been vacuum storage “space bags” from the Dollar Tree. A brand new Dollar Tree recently opened in my area and I was pleasantly surprised at the niceness of the store (as compared to the other Dollar Tree’s across town). I ventured into the Dollar Tree for the storage bags specifically, by the recommendation of a You Tube video I watched this past weekend on organization and Spring cleaning.

The only size available at my local store was the Large size. They are super easy to use and are large enough to fit a few blankets in each.

I like these bags because they are a way to store blankets I don’t use often – Winter clothing would be great for these, too (sweaters and such). At a dollar a piece, I couldn’t resist trying them (and I’m so glad I did)!

Another discovery this past weekend was in the form of a beverage (coffee, that is)!

Coffee and hot chocolate – I’d never mixed the two together in the past and now I’m a fan! One cup of brewed coffee and half a pack of Swiss Miss Candy Cane hot chocolate, no extra sweetener or cream…it’s good, y’all! 

I also have to say, I’m incredibly jealous of my Canadian friends who have access to Cadbury chocolate all year round. On our cruise, I received a few packages of Cadbury hot chocolate samples and they were delicious! (See purple package in above photo.)

Actually, maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have access to Cadbury chocolate year round…yes, it’s definitely a good thing!  (The above picture is from a NY/Canada trip we took a few years ago…the lady at the store in Halifax did NOT understand my excitement over the discovery of Cadbury chocolate bars in the cooler and I’m pretty sure she thought I was crazy….hah oh well!)

Ok I’ve rambled enough! Hope you’ve been enjoying Spring temperatures and extra daylight! Have a great rest of your week – it’s halfway to the weekend!

Do you like to Spring clean and organize?