noah's valentine's day celebration

noah had a fun time celebrating valentine's day at school on friday.  he took in valentine cards and stickers for his friends and got to pass them out to everyone by putting them in his classmates' bags.  he made mommy and daddy a sweet card too with the help of his favorite teacher.  when he came home after school he had a fun time sorting through all of his valentine's treats from his classmates!

love, laurie

valentine's day 2025

valentine's day was an all-day tech day for ryan at the theatre.  it's tech week for our main stage musical at the university so he had work on lighting/scenery all day, followed by rehearsal at night.

in the morning, noah and i made a small batch of brownies at home and decorated them with pink and red sprinkles.  we also made some valentine's dinner and packed it up to take over to the school for dad.

he had a good nap and then we visited before rehearsal started and had dinner and dessert with ryan.  noah loved it because he loves seeing "dada's big show."

he also hugged up his valentine's card which had a big hug on the inside when he opened it up.

love, laurie

happy valentine's day

it feels like a million years ago (it was 11 1/2 years ago) when we were drawing hearts in the air with sparklers in our back yard.

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

alumni love stories

our university's alumni association is spreading the love during the month of february by sharing stories of alumni couples.

our alumni love story was one of the stories featured on their facebook page two years ago for valentine's day.  it was featured again this year for valentine's day.

love, laurie

happy valentine's day

i love this photo from valentine's day several years ago.  those two boys are my valentines.  

we'll be taking a raincheck on any sort of valentine's day celebration because we're in tech week and putting in full days everyday to pull off this musical by opening day on friday.  what i'd really like to do today is crawl back into bed! 

love, laurie

valentine's day 2021

our work schedules have been odd lately and we haven't had a chance to spend much time together because we're always running from one thing to another.  we both had the day off on sunday on valentine's day and the weather was forecasted to be less than great, so it was a good reason to spend the whole day at home.

we were both exhausted and never even made it out of our pjs all day.  really, it was great!  leko kicked off his valentine's celebrations for lunch by opening up a valentine's day treat from grandma and grandpa.  he was so excited to see new cans of seafood cat food!  

for dinner we made some lobster ravioli, lemon broccoli, and scallops.  leko joined us and got particularly excited for more seafood (his favorite)!  for dessert, we made a mini one-layer 6-inch red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting covered in chocolate ganache and sprinkles.  it was tasty!  

it was so nice to have a quiet day at home in our pjs resting up before another week of crazy schedules that keep us apart.

love, laurie

alumni love stories

i mentioned recently that our university's alumni association is holding an alumni pet contest for the month of february and we entered leko.  they are also spreading the love during the month of february by sharing stories of alumni couples.

our alumni love story was one of the stories featured on their facebook page last week just in time for valentine's day.

love, laurie

a little valentine's day dinner!

after we worked the load in of the play that goes wrong on friday we had a little bit of free time before the show started.  since it was valentine's day, we were so glad that we had a chance to have dinner together.  we went to a local thai restaurant for dinner and it was so good!  after dinner we stopped by a coffee shop and shared a toasted almond mocha latte to warm us up because the weather was freezing outside!  it was a fun little date for valentine's day!

love, laurie

happy valentine's day!

today is valentine's day!  this is one of my favorite pictures taken several years ago on valentine's day.  these two boys are always my valentines every day of the year!

we're both working a show today, so we'll take a raincheck and celebrate valentine's day another day.

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

celebrating valentine's day

we're not used to being able to celebrate valentine's day since we usually have work, rehearsal, or a show.  last night we both got out of work at a reasonable hour so we decided to celebrate by going out for dinner.  we didn't want to go out to eat at a restaurant that was crowded and overpriced, so instead we went to a small restaurant that we have only been to once.  it was nice and we had a great dinner.  we came home, curled up on the couch, enjoyed some leftover valentine's cupcakes that i made for my co-workers, and watched some tv with leko.  it was a nice little valentine's day (and ryan's half birthday too)!

have a great weekend!

love, laurie

happy valentine's day!

today is the 14th and it's our 14th valentine's day together!  unfortunately we won't be able to celebrate together today since our schedules don't match up, but we'll take a rain check and celebrate another time.

i love this picture from valentine's day several years ago.  those two boys are my favorite valentines every day of the year!

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

happy valentine's day

i took these pictures on my phone a few nights ago when leko fell asleep on my lap.  i was in my pjs curled up under the most comfortable pink fleece blanket that ryan bought me for valentine's day back in 2005.  it's hard to believe that this blanket is 12 years old today and that this is our 13th valentine's day together!

unfortunately, i won't be able to celebrate valentine's day with ryan today because of our schedules, so we took a rain check on valentine's day this year and we'll be celebrating together this weekend instead.  at least i have a furry little orange guy to be my valentine today!

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

ps: since it's valentine's day, the hottest romance movie the year you were born (mine is "out of africa")

valentine's day weekend 2016

we were excited that valentine's day fell on a weekend this year and that neither of us had work or plans.  we kicked off our valentine celebrations on saturday.  when i came home from dance class on saturday morning, ryan and leko surprised me with flowers.  the potted pink gerber daisies were from ryan and the orange gerber daisies were from leko.  both of my valentines are so sweet!

later in the evening we got together with my parents.  my mom made some great french onion soup for dinner and surprised us with heart-shaped cheesecake and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.  we all curled up on the couch under blankets to watch a movie.  it was the perfect thing for such cold weather.

on sunday, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at home in our pajamas, went out to a new restaurant for lunch, ran some errands, and then came home to collapse on the couch with leko to watch a movie.  it was great!

hope everyone had a lovely valentine's day!
love, laurie

happy valentine's day weekend!

it's hard to believe sunday is valentine's day already!  i am thrilled that ryan and i don't have to work on sunday, and as of now we don't really have any major plans this weekend.  we're looking forward to actually being able to spend some time together.  that is a great valentine's day gift if you ask me!  

this will be our 12th valentine's day that we have celebrated together as a couple.  time sure does fly!  since valentine's day is this weekend, here are a few fun facts about valentine's day . . . 

{infographic source}

happy valentine's day weekend!

love, laurie

valentine's day 2015

we were excited that valentine's day fell on a saturday this year, and that neither of us had to go to work.  the forecast was threatening several inches of snow, so we opted to keep things simple.  we ran a few errands in the morning and did some grocery shopping before the snow started (very romantic, i know) and then we headed back home to have a quiet valentine's day at home.  we spent the day together, enjoying each other's company, cooking dinner together, and watching a movie.  it was so nice, especially since we have been so busy lately.

^we decided not to exchange gifts, so i was surprised to see that ryan came home with two pink roses on friday night after work.  it turns out he got them for free from an event that was happening at work.  nothing better than free roses!  they were so pretty and have been so nice to look at, especially considering all we have had to look at lately has been snow.^

^i made a batch of mini cherry cupcakes with chocolate cherry frosting to take into work on friday.  they were so good and our co-workers absolutely loved them.  i took a few of the leftover cupcakes to ballet class on saturday morning and they didn't last long at all.  the girls attacked them like little ballerina vultures!  good thing i saved a few at home for us!^

^we were surprised when we checked the mail and found a card address to leko in our mailbox!  ryan's aunt sandy sent leko a valentine card along with a picture of her kitty (named miss kitty)!  we showed leko the card and the picture and he thoroughly sniffed it and checked it out.  it was the cutest thing ever!^

^for dinner on saturday night we made garlic basil pasta tossed with shrimp and vegetables.  it was so good.  we finished off the night my cuddling on the couch with leko to watch this movie while eating the last of the leftover cupcakes.^

hope everyone had a lovely valentine's day!

love, laurie

clever ideas for valentine's day

today is friday the 13th and tomorrow is valentine's day!  i am thrilled that ryan and i don't have work tomorrow and that we have the whole day free to spend with each other.  that is a great valentine's day gift if you ask me.  (this will be the 11th valentine's day that we have celebrated together as a couple!)  if you are looking for what to do/make for valentine's day, here is a little round up of some clever ideas . . .

> this valentine's day magazine has lots of clever ideas in it.  i think the recipe for honey ginger grilled salmon sounds delicious!

> this pink and gold tissue paper tassel garland is so pretty and really easy to make

> if money is tight, here are 20 valentine's day date ideas for $20 or less

> super cute heart-shaped pie pops

> make your own word search valentines

> a homemade valentine card using old birthday candles

> and, a super easy to make d.i.y. candy-filled paper valentine heart that i made this past weekend for ryan

have a great weekend and a sweet valentine's day!

love, laurie

xoxo

chocolate-dipped mini pretzels for valentine's day

we tend to keep valentine's day pretty low key around our house.  we usually skip the overpriced dinners at crowded restaurants on february 14th and instead stay at home and make a nice meal together.  we like exchanging handmade cards and keeping things simple.

over the weekend i decided to make ryan a little valentine treat.  i used mini pretzels and chocolate that we already had in our kitchen to make chocolate-dipped pretzels.  (ryan is a big fan of chocolate covered pretzels.)

there is hardly a "recipe" for this.  all i did was melt white chocolate and dark chocolate, dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate, and then decorate them with red and white sprinkles, red sugar, and white nonpareils.  super easy.

once the chocolate set, i put the dipped pretzels in a little bag, tied it up with a ribbon, and decorated it with a label.  if your looking to make a simple, easy, and inexpensive treat for your valentine, chocolate-dipped pretzels are just about as easy as you can get.

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

d.i.y. candy-filled paper valentine heart

looking for something cute for valentine's day?  here's a simple craft using things you most likely have around your house.  a cut-out paper heart with a plastic window, filled with candy!

i made this little valentine for ryan over the weekend in just a few minutes.  (leko helped!)  it was so easy to put together and would make a cute (and super inexpensive) valentine for your special someone.

step one: gather your supplies.  for this project i used supplies that i had around the house: red paper, a plastic sandwich bag, a pencil, a hot glue gun, scissors, and candy.

step two: cut two identical hearts out of the paper.  arrange the candy on top of the one heart.

step three: cut the sandwich bag in half.  run a strip of the hot glue around the outside of the heart and place the sandwich bag on top of the heart.  press the plastic to the hot glue and trim the excess plastic with the scissors.

step four: cut out the center of the second paper heart.  run a strip of the hot glue around the outside of the heart and place the second heart on top of the plastic.  press to make sure the glue sticks.

there you have it!

happy valentine's day!

love, laurie

chocolate beet cake with beet buttercream frosting

we didn't put a lot of thought into what we were going to do for dinner and dessert on valentine's day this year.  at the last minute we decided to order take out from a local italian restaurant for dinner.  then, for dessert we decided to bake a cake.  we wanted to try a new recipe for dessert, so we made this chocolate beet cake with beet buttercream frosting.

since i'm not a huge fan of beets, i was a little bit apprehensive about how the cake would taste, but much to my surprise, i could not taste the beets in the cake or the frosting at all!  the cake had a wonderful flavor and a really great texture.  it was so light and fluffy.  the buttercream frosting was tinted the perfect shade of pink from the beets.  (ryan and i both thought that the frosting even had a little bit of a raspberry flavor.)  beets are loaded with vitamins, so this recipe is a good way to sneak some good stuff into your dessert!  :-)

since it was valentine's day, we made the cake in the shape of a heart.  we didn't have a heart-shaped cake pan, so we divided our batter between one square pan and one round pan.  once the cakes cooled, we turned the square cake so that it looked like a diamond.  then we cut the round cake in half and put each half of the round cake up against the two top edges of the square cake.  it made the perfect heart shape.  we covered the cake in the pink beet buttercream frosting and added a few festive heart-shaped sprinkles around the edge of the cake for decoration.  perfect for valentine's day!

ps: since it was so last minute i didn't get any really great photos of the cake, but i did manage to snap these two pictures.  you get the idea.

. . .

chocolate beet cake with beet buttercream frosting
prep time: 10-15 minutes
baking time: 40-45 minutes
yields: two 9-inch round cakes
adapted from joy the baker

cake ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) can low-sodium beets in water
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

frosting ingredients:
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pureed beets
2 - 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  open the can of beets and drain the beet water into a glass measuring cup.  set the beet water aside.  puree the beets in a blender until smooth, adding beet water as needed.  set the pureed beets aside.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth (about 3-4 minutes).  add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  the batter should be light and fluffy.  add in the vanilla and the pureed beets to the batter (be sure to set aside 1 tablespoon of pureed beets for the frosting.)  mix until combined.  in a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.  add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until combined.  slowly add in the buttermilk and mix, then add the remaining dry ingredients.  mix until combined.

evenly divide the batter between two 9-inch round cake pans (be sure to butter and flour the sides of the cake pans and line the bottoms of the cake pans with parchment paper).  bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.  once baked, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before removing them from the pans and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

to make the frosting, combine the butter, vanilla, pureed beets, and half of the powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  whisk together until combined.  gradually add the remaining powdered sugar.  add the leftover beet water as needed to adjust the consistency of the frosting.  once the cakes have cooled completely, spread the filling between the two layers of cake.  spread the frosting evenly over the entire cake.

enjoy!

love, laurie

our valentine's day

 ^pretty flowers from ryan^ 

 ^a cute valentine's day balloon which leko absolutely loves^

 ^our furry little valentine^

 ^italian take out for dinner^

 ^our heart shaped chocolate cake for dessert^

 ^tickets to see the tour of jersey boys^

there was such a big snow storm on friday and we had the day off work again.  we were thrilled to be able to stay home on valentine's day!  we spent the day relaxing around the house (and shoveling the snow of course).  instead of making dinner or going out to dinner, we decided to get take out from a nearby italian restaurant (chicken parm, spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad).  for dessert we made a heart shaped cake with festive heart shaped sprinkles.  after dinner, the roads were pretty clear so we went to a nearby theatre see the tour of jersey boys.  we absolutely loved the show, it was so good!  hope everyone had a lovely valentine's day too!

love, laurie