Valentine’s Day Essentials

So what are everyone’s thoughts on Valentine’s Day?  People seem to have some very strong feelings about it.  Like they hate it because it’s a highly commercialized, Hallmark holiday and technically you should be showing your loved ones how much you care about them, more than once a year.  I can understand that.  And then there’s those that love it and go all out and get the flowers, chocolates, candlelight dinner, teddy bears, etc.  I get that too because it’s kind of fun.

Personally I’m a little indifferent to it.  D and I have been together for a long time and there’s been years where we buy each other expensive gifts and go for an expensive meal and others where we do absolutely nothing.  I tend to like something that’s somewhere in between.  This year I think we’re going to keep it simple and just go for a nice meal on Friday or Saturday, instead of Sunday, so we can avoid the crowds, higher prices and fixed menus.  And we’ll probably skip the gifts this year.

Despite that, I thought I’d put together a collection of my favourite Valentine’s Day things, in case you needed some inspiration for the big Day:

1. Grower Direct Vibrant Dreams Arrangement:  I love getting flowers any time of year, and I don’t depend on D to buy them for me – I’ll happily buy them for myself!  I love this arrangement – classic V-day colours but a little more understated than a dozen red roses.
2.  Pier One Pink Champagne Ombre Filled Candle: Could there be a more perfect Valentine’s Day candle?  With notes of grapefruit, citrus and strawberry you really can’t go wrong (not to mention the beautiful ombre jar).  Plus let’s be honest, real champagne is over-rated.
3. Nova 7 Benjamin Bridge Wine: Wine wouldn’t be my drink of choice…unless it’s this one.  This is my favourite wine ever – it’s sweet, sparkling but not at all dry.  And it’s from Nova Scotia!  #whoknew
4. Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Lipstick (Firebird): No better day to break out a bright and bold fuchsia or red lip!
5. Purdy’s Cinnamon Hearts:  Whenever I see these hit the stores, I am instantly reminded of my childhood dog (RIP Twinkle) who ate an entire bowl of these in one sitting.  She was home alone and we had left a bowl on the end table.  We came home and they were gone.  Still makes me giggle to think about it.
6. Kate Spade ‘One in a Million’ Initial Pendant Necklace: Okay I know I have a bit of a Kate Spade problem but I’ve been eyeing these for years.  I think they’d make a really great gift, especially for V-Day!
7. Cookies by George Junior Cookie Box: Have you ever had a Cookies by George cookie?  If not, you’re missing out (highly recommend the M&M ones)!  These little boxes make great gifts for anyone and they deliver all throughout Canada and the US!
8. Remy Olivier Cast Iron Fondue Set: If you’re planning on hanging out at home, may I suggest a fondue party for 2?  We fondued on NYE and it was really fun (and delicious!) and it was nice to do something a little different!
9. Tokoyo Milk Tainted Love No. 62:  I have a mini bottle of this from a set I bought on Black Friday from Sephora and I think it makes a great V-day fragrance – warm, a little mysterious and a little musky.
10. PS, I Love You:  I can’t remember how many times I’ve watched this movie, nor read the book.  It’s a tear-jerker, comedy and romance all mixed into one.  If you’re looking for something along those lines to read, I’d recommend this (it’s usually on tv at least once a weekend as well 😉 )
11. Brooklyn Brew Shop Home Brew Kit: I hate buying D presents, he’s always disappointed in whatever I get him.  He’s definitely not into the sappy gift thing so beer is a safe bet, even if he does have to make it himself.
12. Ricki’s Heart Intarsia Pullover: I’m a bit of a geek and like to wear holiday-themed things, whether it be jewelry or clothing on holidays.  I like that I could wear this sweater after Valentine’s Day as well.
13. Purdy’s Peanut Butter Hearts: Valentine’s Day 101: Chocolate.  Add peanut butter and you’re golden.
14. OPI’s Hello Kitty Collection Nail Polishes (Small + Cute = ❤ & Charmmy & Sugar):  I picked up a few of these polishes from the Hello Kitty collection a few weeks ago and these two are my favourite and couldn’t be more perfect for Valentine’s Day.  I like using Charmmy & Sugar for an accent nail.

Thanks for reading!

This & That Fridays – January 15

Happy Friday!  I hope you had a great week.  Mine was….long.  I was off sick last week and the week before that I was off/working from home so this was the first full week I’ve worked in a little under a month.  On top of that, I’m still not feeling great – this flu/virus/whatever it is, really likes me and doesn’t want to leave.  It’s starting to get really frustrating so I’m hoping that by next week I’m back to normal.

Have you seen OPI‘s new Hello Kitty collection?  I’m not a Hello Kitty fan myself but I will be hunting these down!  I definitely want Look at My Bow, Spoken from the Heart, and Charmmy & Sugar and Small + Cute = ❤.  Lots of pinks and surprisingly I don’t own many pink polishes.  These is the perfect Valentine’s Day collection!

Did you heard about the EOS lip balm controversy?  Someone filed a class action lawsuit against the company claiming their lip balms caused such bad irritation around her lips that she required medical attention.  Normally I’d roll my eyes when I see something like this because it just comes across as a cash grab.  But I’ve actually had a similar (albeit lesser) reaction to their lip balms.  However I just stopped using them and it went away….not sure why this wasn’t an option here.  And if I were to sue a company every time I had an allergic reaction to one of their products – let’s just say I’d be pretty rich.  Or in debt up to my ears in legal fees.

I’ve recently discovered my new favourite design tool for my blog – Canva!  I’m using it to design a new header, because I used PicMonkey to design my current one and it’s always been blurry, no matter if I size it to the proper specifications or not.  There’s so much you can do with Canva that is completely free – and you can pay for the extras as you go (if you want them).  I still really like PicMonkey for photo editing but I’m excited to see what I can do with Canva!

Who was your best dressed at the Golden Globes?  I’ll be honest, I rarely watch the actual award shows and lately, not even the Red Carpet Shows (I find the questions so stupid, pointless and awkward) so I keep an eye on sites like People and US to see what everyone is wearing.  I think my favourite overall was Amy Adams.

I made the Fox & She’s Get Better Chicken Noodle Soup recipe last weekend and it was really good.  I made a few modifications: I added 3 cloves of garlic, omitted the onion (I thought I had one in the house and I didn’t) and topped it with freshly shaved Parmesan Reggiano.  Oh I and I just used up a rotisserie chicken that we had for dinner the night before (which worked really well!).  I’m kind of soup-ed out for the time being, but next up I’d like to try making an Italian Wedding Soup.

Alright well after a wild and crazy Friday night, I’m headed to bed early and I couldn’t be more excited about it.  Have a great weekend!