Happy Valentine’s Day! We started our Monday morning off with a special Valentine’s Day breakfast: hot cinnamon rolls.
So, I’m a happy girl this morning. Coffee, email and special breakfast for a special day. There are worse ways to start off a work week. My friend texted me a photo this morning – she made pink heart-shaped pancakes for her kiddos. My point? No matter how you choose to celebrate, turn an ordinary into a special one by stepping a bit outside of your routine. I can promise you that warm cinnamon rolls on a Monday morning are not the norm for this family.
Friday
This weekend was all about celebrating love, ironically. We had a wedding shower – and a birthday dinner, with a little football game sprinkled in there as well. But, let’s revisit Friday for a bit, shall we?
Remember that big project I was working on last week? I physically left my phone in a different room of our house, so I wouldn’t be distracted by texts or calls. I also put a hard block on my schedule so I wouldn’t be scheduled for any meetings. I had 8 blissful hours of uninterrupted work. The result? a final draft that I”m proud of. Granted, I know this will go through several iterations over the next month, but the framework is in place.
That said, I was so glad to be able to celebrate my friend, Katie, on Friday. She had a birthday at the very beginning of February, so we made dinner plans with our friend Amy to meet on Friday night. We went to North. We had some good wine, some good food – and some good conversations. I had the burrata pasta, which came in the form of a ravioli, and it was delicious. I grabbed some ice cream on my way home for Aaron and I to share to end our Friday evening.
Saturday
I woke up to a cold front on Saturday morning, which made it difficult to get out of bed. But, I had lots of things that needed to be accomplished. I wore this little Valentine’s outfit for running errands! J. Crew makes the best running around t-shirts. They are so soft.
First stop was Petsmart for some dog food! Then, it was off to Target. I needed a card for a wedding shower we were attending that afternoon, along with some other essentials. I didn’t have a ton of time because I needed to go home and get myself ready for the shower, so I didn’t have time to linger. I was in and out relatively quickly, so I’ll have to save a longer Target trip for another day.
After Target, I headed home so I could get ready for a wedding shower. It was a fiesta-themed couple’s shower. One of my best friends from college – her little brother is getting married. He was an usher in our wedding, so it’s really fun to be able to celebrate him.
It was such a cute, fun shower. It was casual, so there was a a margarita machine, fajitas and more!
After it was over, Aaron and I headed home to relax. We watched the Tinder Swindler on Netflix, which was disturbing in so many ways. But the main takeaway here: if something seems a bit shady, it probably is. Now, I met Aaron before online dating really got popular. I acknowledge that it’s a great way to meet people, but as a woman, it can probably be a little scary. So, let’s just all agree not to send money to any men you meet on Tinder. Deal? Moving on…..
Sunday
Aaron and I watched church from home. And you know what? We really should have been there in person yesterday. The beginning of the service was all about what our church is doing for special needs families. And, as you know, my sister has special needs. While I’m obviously not her main caregiver, it’s important to know about some of the resources we have right here in Houston.
And, they baptized the cutest boy who is only one of four people diagnosed with this particular disability. It was incredible to hear his story: that he has overcome so many odds despite the limitations his doctors initially imposed on him. And it takes me back to my sister. While there are lots of things she simply cannot do, there are so many obstacles that she has overcome. So, it’s really important to celebrate the things that she is able to do.
Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe
After we finished watching church, we had to runt to the grocery store. We were going over to a friend’s for a Super Bowl party, and I needed to bring an appetizer. Is it even the Super Bowl if you aren’t making some Buffalo Chicken dip? I’m personally a big fan.
This recipe calls for:
- 2 cups of shredded chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1 8 oz. block of cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumble
Mix everything together. Pop into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes until warm. You can top with more blue cheese crumbles and some green onions. Serve with celery sticks, carrots or your chip of choice!
I also made a batch of my healthier banana bread because I had some bananas that needed to be used up (I always cut the cooled-off bread into slice and freeze) and some muffins.
These muffins don’t have any sugar in them except for dates and dark amber maple syrup. They also have carrots and zucchini, which makes them great to heat up for breakfast in the morning or as an afternoon snack!
That’s all I have for you. I went to bed around 1 a.m. last night. We got home late from the Super Bowl, and I got to reading a book that I couldn’t put down. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
